He looked at Su Qingyue.
The light blue collar of her outfit framed her jawline, which was slender and soft.
But as she spoke those words, there was something in her eyes that hadn't been there before—not the pride of the Su family’s eldest daughter, but the courage of an eighteen-year-old girl who had finally learned to say “no.”
“You’ve changed,” Lin Yuan said.
“I was beaten awake.” Su Qingyue met his gaze without flinching or shying away, showing only a candid earnestness.
She looked down at her hands.
They were fair and slender with long fingers—the hands of someone with a Natural Sword Bone.
But now, there was a faint callus at the base of her thumb. It wasn't from practicing the sword; it was from the past few days she had spent in the Su Manor’s training room, stabbing and slashing at wooden posts over and over again.
“So you’re going to Magic City?” Lin Yuan asked.
Su Qingyue looked up, the sunlight from outside reflected in her eyes.
“Yes. Magic City is by the coast, and just outside the city is the Abyss Sea. The monster density there is ten times that of the wilderness.
Teacher Shen said that Magic City Academy’s training grounds are built right next to the entrance of the Abyss Sea. There are combat classes every day and sea clearing missions every week.”
She paused.
“I want to go there and train the sword in my hand until it can kill monsters.”
Lin Yuan looked at her for a long time.
Then he set down his soup bowl, reached out with his left hand, and gently patted her head.
Su Qingyue’s body stiffened slightly, but she didn't pull away.
“No need to sell yourself short.” Lin Yuan’s voice wasn't loud, carrying a hint of a smile.
“An S-rank Ice Phoenix, Six Rounds of Bone Tempering, and reaching Tier 1, Level 3 in ten days. There’s nothing wrong with your talent; you just need a place that doesn't treat you like a young miss.”
He withdrew his hand and picked up his soup bowl again.
“Magic City is that place.”
Su Qingyue lowered her head, her bangs obscuring her eyes. After a while, she looked up again. Her eyes were slightly red, but her lips were curled into a smile.
“Okay.”
Outside the window, the osmanthus tree swayed in the wind, and tiny petals drifted down, a few of them floating onto the windowsill.
...
Three days later, Lin Yuan received a notification from Shen Man.
“Hey kids:
I have some good news and some bad news.
The good news is that your admission procedures are all finished, and your villas have been arranged.
Lin Yuan gets a private villa for S-rank beneficiaries, complete with a private cultivation room. Su Qingyue also gets an S-rank private villa, also with a cultivation room.
The two yards are right next to each other—a three-minute walk. No need to thank me.
The bad news is that I’ve been temporarily conscripted.
This year’s National Ability User College Entrance Exam has been moved up. As one of the testing sites, Magic City Academy needs to draw a group of teachers to help with question design and proctoring.
I’m one of the people selected, so I have to leave this afternoon. I won't be able to personally pick you up from Donghai City.
I’ll arrange for another teacher to get you. His name is Zhou Xi, a third-year mentor, Tier 4, Level 9. He’s very reliable, though he talks a bit too much.
He should arrive in Donghai City in about four days. You can just follow him then.
That’s all. Buy your own milk tea; I’ll reimburse you when you get to Magic City.”
Lin Yuan finished reading the message and handed it to Su Qingyue, who was sitting across from him.
She took it and read it from beginning to end, her gaze lingering for a moment on the line: “The two yards are right next to each other—a three-minute walk.”
“What are your plans?” she asked.
The two were currently sitting in the old-brand noodle shop in the Old City District.
Lin Yuan was treating her—not because he had come into money, but because Grandma Wang had said it was the rule to treat the girl to a meal after breaking off an engagement.
Although Lin Yuan didn't quite understand the rule, he followed it anyway.
Lin Yuan picked up a mouthful of noodles and blew on them.
“I turned Teacher Shen down.”
Su Qingyue looked up at him.
“The person coming to get us is a Tier 4, Level 9 teacher. It would certainly be safe to go with him,” Lin Yuan said indistinctly as he slurped the noodles.
“But I don't think it's necessary. From Donghai City to Magic City, the superconducting train only takes six hours. The route passes through core urban areas where no monsters appear. I’ll just go by myself.”
Su Qingyue didn't press him, only speaking slowly.
“I’ll leave a few days later.”
Lin Yuan looked at her.
“I need to settle my family’s affairs,” Su Qingyue said calmly.
Lin Yuan looked at her, his lips curving slightly.
He didn't say anything like “You’ve grown up”; such words sounded too much like an elder.
He simply picked up the marinated egg from his bowl and placed it in hers.
“See you in Magic City then.”
Su Qingyue looked down at the marinated egg. The dark sauce from the egg stained the white of the egg, and it rolled half a turn in her bowl.
She gave a soft “Okay.”
...
The departure date was set for two days later.
Lin Yuan packed his luggage, though there wasn't much to pack.
A few changes of clothes, a bag of pickled vegetables and ten tea eggs Grandma Wang had insisted on packing, the spear covered in battle scars, and the plain silver-white ring on his left index finger.
All his belongings fit into a single backpack.
He was leaving tomorrow.
This small house in the Old City District where he had lived for sixteen years would be empty after tomorrow.
Grandma Wang said she would help look after it, opening the windows regularly for ventilation and cleaning the dust.
He closed his eyes.
...
The next morning, at the Donghai City Superconducting Train Station.
The superconducting train was a product of the fusion of technology and abilities that the Dragon Nation was most proud of after the spiritual energy recovery. Driven by energy provided by ability users, it reached speeds of over eight hundred kilometers per hour, making the trip from Donghai City to Magic City in just six hours.
People came and went on the platform.
There were merchants carrying large bags, students in school uniforms, young couples holding children, and ability users like Lin Yuan carrying weapons.
A soft female voice came over the intercom, announcing the departure times for various trains.
Lin Yuan stood in the waiting area with his spear on his back and the bag of pickles and tea eggs from Grandma Wang in his hand.
Grandma Wang stood beside him, her graying hair combed neatly, wearing the dark blue jacket she only brought out for the New Year.
The old woman had been nagging since she woke up—be careful on the road, call when you arrive, put the pickles in the fridge, eat the tea eggs within three days.
Lin Yuan responded to each one, showing no sign of impatience.
Su Qingyue stood on his other side.
The notification chime for the train's arrival sounded.
The silver-white train glided onto the platform from the end of the tracks. The doors opened, and passengers began to board.
Lin Yuan turned to look at Grandma Wang.
“Grandma, I’m leaving.”
Grandma Wang’s eyes instantly turned red.
After saying goodbye to Grandma Wang, Lin Yuan looked at Su Qingyue.
Their eyes met. The wind on the platform blew a stray lock of hair across her face, and she reached up to tuck it behind her ear.
“See you in Magic City,” she said.
“See you in Magic City,” Lin Yuan replied before turning to board the train.
The door closed behind him with a low hiss of pneumatic pressure.
He found a window seat, placed his spear on the luggage rack, and set his backpack by his feet.
The train slowly began to move.
Grandma Wang waved to him from the platform. Su Qingyue stood beside the old woman, not waving, but quietly watching the train depart.
The scenery outside the window began to accelerate backward. The platform, the dome, the buildings in the north of the city, the walls of Donghai City—one by one, they flashed past, faster and faster, until they blurred into streaks of color.
The train left the urban area and entered the open country. The view outside transformed into rolling hills and vast stretches of farmland.
Lin Yuan leaned back in his seat and let out a long breath.
Eighteen years. In his memories, he had lived in Donghai City for eighteen years.
The small house in the Old City District, Grandma Wang’s pork and century egg porridge, the wind and sand of the wilderness, the blood of monsters, and the scent of osmanthus in the Su Manor’s garden.
All of it, at the moment the train left the station, became things of the past.
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