"Brother Yun, do you have any plans for the vacation?"
By the shores of Shrek Lake, Lin Yun and Xiao Xiao walked hand in hand. The latter turned to look at him, her voice tinged with reluctance.
This was how love-struck couples were—Xiao Xiao didn't want to be apart from Lin Yun for even a moment, let alone an entire month.
Lin Yun didn't find her clinginess annoying, though. An affectionate little girl like her was still quite adorable.
"I do have some plans. I need to go home to get a soul ring, and there are some important things I have to retrieve." Lin Yun rubbed Xiao Xiao's head and smiled.
"I see…" Xiao Xiao nodded, her expression slightly downcast.
"You know, if you're really that reluctant to part with me, why not come visit my home? I guarantee it'll blow your mind." Lin Yun smirked mischievously and raised an eyebrow at her.
"My place is pretty big. You can sleep over if you get tired!"
The Lake of Life welcomes you!
Heh heh heh~
He could already imagine the little girl's stunned expression when she saw Star Dou Forest's group of hundred-thousand-year soul beasts.
"Huh? So soon? Isn't that a bit…" Xiao Xiao's disappointment vanished instantly, replaced by a shy blush. To her, Lin Yun's words sounded no different from meeting the parents.
While it wasn't uncommon for people in Douluo Continent to marry at twelve or thirteen, the little girl clearly wasn't mentally prepared for that yet. Her brain practically short-circuited from the thought.
"Soon?" Lin Yun didn't think so.
The sooner he came clean with Xiao Xiao, the better. While she was still young and love-struck, he could just whisk her away to the soul beasts' side and avoid any messy drama in the future.
"What do you mean? I'm not even thirteen yet! How can I meet your parents so soon? At the very least, we should wait a few more years…" Xiao Xiao pouted and rolled her eyes cutely. Still, Lin Yun's teasing had lightened the mood, easing the sadness of their impending separation.
Only thirteen…
Lin Yun stopped in his tracks and gave Xiao Xiao a once-over.
Honestly, people in Douluo Continent—especially soul masters—developed ridiculously early. Over the past few months, Lin Yun had secretly fed her quite a few spirit herbs from Star Dou Forest, and now she looked almost no different from an eighteen-year-old girl.
Well, aside from her still-modest chest, she was nearly 170 cm tall, with a single side ponytail, clear bright eyes, and an innocent, lovely face.
Her delicate feet were also steadily approaching "food-grade" levels.
This often made Lin Yun forget her actual age—until now. If this were on Earth, he'd probably be labeled a certain unsavory term and face a minimum three-year sentence, with a maximum penalty of… well, you know.
Xiao Xiao's face flushed under Lin Yun's heated gaze, and she averted her eyes. "W-Why are you looking at me like that?"
His undisguised stare practically oozed impure thoughts!
Loli senses tingling.jpg
"Nothing, just admiring my Xiao Xiao." Lin Yun chuckled and shook his head, smoothly changing the subject.
Since Xiao Xiao wasn't keen on leaving with him, he could postpone bringing her to Star Dou Forest. There was no rush, anyway.
Plenty of hundred-thousand-year transformed soul beasts had betrayed their kind to serve humans—even their leader, Gu Yuena, was no exception. So, as the Golden Dragon King, the supreme ruler of soul beasts, what was wrong with him snatching a few human girls to be his consorts?
Perfectly reasonable!
Sure, Lin Yun had double standards, but at least he didn't hide or deny them.
Soul beasts betraying soul beasts? Death!
Humans betraying humans? They've seen the light!
Human history was, after all, just one long chronicle of war. Without external threats, infighting was humanity's eternal pastime. No other species on the planet was more enthusiastic about killing its own kind.
Besides, Lin Yun wasn't planning to wipe out humanity entirely. He just wanted to lead the soul beasts in overthrowing the God Realm and restoring their former glory.
That was still within acceptable limits, right?
His relationship with Xiao Xiao hadn't yet reached the point where she'd blindly follow him out of love. Taking her to Star Dou Forest now might actually scare the little girl. Waiting a few more years was fine.
Still, he'd have to keep a close eye on her—he couldn't let Shrek Academy brainwash her into some fanatic.
That said…
Though Xiao Xiao was no longer dwelling on their month-long separation, she cherished these last few days all the more. If not for Shrek Academy's rules against visiting the opposite gender's dorm and her own sense of propriety, she would've clung to Lin Yun even in her sleep.
The Day of Parting
The sun hid behind thick clouds as a light drizzle fell, rippling the surface of Shrek Lake with countless tiny circles.
By the lakeside, two figures stood facing each other under umbrellas, silently gazing into each other's eyes.
"I'm leaving now. See you in a month!" Xiao Xiao forced a smile, her eyes reddening.
Hearing her slightly choked voice, Lin Yun felt a faint tug at his heartstrings.
"Alright. See you in a month." He nodded lightly.
"You promised! No taking it back!" Xiao Xiao turned away and stepped onto the rain-dampened grass, walking off without looking back. "Watch me leave. I'll go first."
"A month from now, I'll wait for you right here—until the day you return!"
A dark green streak tore through the rain. Inside it, Wan Yaowang used his soul power to form a barrier, carrying Lin Yun through the clouds with sonic booms shaking the air.
Their speed was so great that arcs of electricity flickered around them, lending the rainy world a fierce, surreal beauty.
Shrek City wasn't far from Star Dou Forest. The city had been built atop the ruins of Spirit City, its purpose being to intercept beast tides from Star Dou Forest and protect the human world.
With Wan Yaowang's speed, it didn't take long before their flight gradually slowed, their altitude dropping from thousands of meters.
Looking down, Lin Yun saw a sapphire-blue lake nestled like a gem within Star Dou Forest's endless sea of trees.
Through the hazy curtain of rain, the forest looked like something out of a fairy tale.
The dark green streak dissipated, revealing Lin Yun and Wan Yaowang. The Ice Empress also materialized in a flash of emerald light.
And standing before them now were Star Dou Forest's gathered Fierce Beasts.
"Honored One!" Di Tian bowed respectfully.
"I'm back." Lin Yun's lips curved into a smile as he took a deep breath, filling his lungs with the familiar, life-rich air of the Lake of Life.
Star Dou… your ruler has returned!
(End of Chapter)
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