The streets of Soto City bustled with early morning energy — merchants calling, carriages rolling, spirit beasts tethered carefully near inns. But Liu Erlong noticed none of it.
Her gaze was fixed ahead, burning with fire and purpose. Clutched in her hand was a letter written long ago in familiar handwriting. It was the last trace of Yu Xiaogang — before he vanished.
She followed the directions given by the clone, past an unremarkable gate, into a modest academy nestled beside the forested outskirts of the city.
A small stone plaque read:
> Shrek Academy
Her breath caught. It was real.
She marched through the gate, her soul power causing a faint ripple in the air. Startled students and staff turned to look, but none dared approach.
At the far end of the yard, she spotted a familiar figure in a dark green robe, adjusting training dummies with quiet focus.
Yu Xiaogang.
He had aged. His face was leaner, eyes sharper, his demeanor more settled — yet still burdened by calculation and solitude.
"Yu Xiaogang!" she called out, her voice cutting through the air like a whip.
He turned sharply — and froze.
His hand trembled slightly. "…Erlong?"
Without a word, she walked up and punched him across the face, flames flickering at her wrist.
"You coward."
He didn't fight back. He just stood there, stunned, blinking slowly.
"You left me in silence. For fifteen years," she growled, voice thick with grief and rage. "I waited. I built an academy. I burned myself alive inside with worry. And you were here? The whole time?"
"I…" he opened his mouth, guilt flooding his face.
Her tears were unhidden now. "Why didn't you come back?"
Yu Xiaogang lowered his head. "Because I was broken, Erlong."
She paused.
"…What?"
"I wasn't just hunted for my theories. I was haunted by the truth." He swallowed, looking into her eyes. "When I confirmed we were cousins… it shattered me."
Liu Erlong's fire dimmed for a moment.
"I ran. Not because I stopped loving you, but because I didn't know how to keep loving you… without guilt. Every day I trained, I thought of you. Every night, I wondered if I was a coward."
She looked away, eyes trembling.
"I thought," he continued, "that if I could raise a student… someone perfect, someone who could prove my research to the world… maybe then I'd have worth. Maybe then I'd be brave enough to face you."
She clenched her fists. "And who is that student?"
"…His name is Tang San. He is extraordinary — twin martial souls, control beyond his age, and a will stronger than anyone I've ever met. I'm training him to prove that soul theory matters. That I was never wrong."
Liu Erlong's voice came softer now, edged with sorrow. "You thought proving yourself would make you worthy of love?"
Yu Xiaogang looked at her. "No. I thought proving myself might let me forgive myself… for loving you."
She stood silent. The fire still burned inside her — but it wasn't anger now. It was pain. And hope.
Finally, she stepped forward… and pulled him into a fierce embrace.
Not out of forgiveness, not yet. But to say: I never stopped loving you either.
Meanwhile, far from Soto City…
The clone enters his house
Inside, torches flickered to life as the clone entered.
Seated at the center of a meditation chamber was a tall man cloaked in a silver-black robe. His face was hidden behind a polished obsidian mirror mask, reflecting everything and nothing.
He did not speak — only waited.
The clone knelt.
"Master," he said. "Lamba Academy has been acquired, as instructed. The transfer was made at standard valuation, and the previous dean has left as expected."
The masked man's voice was low and echoing.
"Good. The land is rich in spiritual ley lines… perfect for nurturing my heir."
"And what of the dean?"
"She was given the information about Yu Xiaogang, as promised. She has reunited with him."
There was silence — then a soft hum from the mirror mask.
"All is proceeding as planned," the master said. "Soon, the old will be swept aside… and the world will see what true evolution looks like."