"Alright, Mistress, it's fine now. Don't cry anymore. Don't worry — with me working from the inside, I guarantee this time you'll win Teacher over!"
After Liu Erlong had cried for a while, Qian Jue patted her shoulder, offering comfort.
Liu Erlong lifted her tear-streaked face and looked at Qian Jue with misty eyes.
"Mistress, let me tell you: men are all the same — big clumsy brutes. The more you cling to them, the more they resist. Only when they sense they might lose you, only when they realize how badly they've acted, do they begin to cherish you."
"…Then what should I do?" Liu Erlong asked cautiously. She had never imagined she'd be asking a child for relationship advice.
"Mistress, try this…" Qian Jue leaned close and whispered his tactics into her ear — little strategies borrowed from dramas and novels of his former life. Liu Erlong listened, nodding eagerly as hope lit her eyes.
Three days later, after constant urging from Liu Erlong, Grandmaster finally arrived — accompanied by Tang San and Xiao Wu.
"Teacher! Xiao San! Xiao Wu!"
"Brother Jue."
"Brother Jue!"
Qian Jue hurried forward to greet them. Tang San and Xiao Wu smiled warmly; only Grandmaster regarded him with a stern look.
"Xiao Jue, I told you not to take risks. And on your very first day here, you cause this much trouble."
"Ah, Teacher, don't blame me — I was against it from the start. Blame Boss Dai." Qian Jue pointed at Dai Mubai.
Dai Mubai scratched his head, embarrassed — it had indeed been his insistence.
"Greetings, Grandmaster. I'm Dai Mubai from Shrek Academy — my martial spirit is the White Tiger." Dai Mubai introduced himself awkwardly.
"I'm Oscar — martial spirit: Big Sausage. Also from Shrek Academy." Oscar stepped up and greeted them too.
Grandmaster glanced at the two and nodded; these must be the students Flender had mentioned — promising seedlings with top-tier martial spirits. Normally he'd be eager to study them, but his mind was elsewhere now.
"Where's Erlong? She should be here." Grandmaster looked at Flender.
"Erlong's here, but she didn't want to see you at first. I had to persuade her. Whether she stays depends on you." Flender's eyes flicked briefly toward Qian Jue; Qian Jue silently signaled him not to reveal anything.
"Sigh — well then, Flender, take me to her." Grandmaster sighed, bracing himself to face the past. In his youth he'd fled when the truth came out; now he didn't know whether Liu Erlong would forgive him.
Qian Jue greeted Tang San with a quick hug. "Xiao San, didn't expect we'd meet so soon."
Tang San smiled. "Indeed — I thought it would be longer."
"Heh, Brother Jue — after you left, Xiao San trained nonstop to catch up with you. He stopped playing with me. But look — only a dozen days and we meet again!" Xiao Wu hopped happily.
"Xiao Wu, don't worry. I'll take you to see Soto City — it's much bigger than Nuoding City. There's a dedicated arena for spirit masters; I'll show you around." Qian Jue grinned. Xiao Wu squealed and hugged him. Oscar and Dai Mubai exchanged friendly welcomes.
"Okay, enough chit-chat. Let's follow quietly or we'll miss the good part," Qian Jue said, and the group trailed after Grandmaster and Flender toward Liu Erlong's room. Everyone was curious but kept silent.
They reached a closed door. Grandmaster stood there, hesitating, until the whispering behind him forced his hand. He knocked.
"Who is it? Come in."
The voice made Grandmaster pause again. Flender's grave look gave him courage; he inhaled twice, opened the door, and stepped in.
Outside, Xiao Wu tugged Qian Jue's sleeve. "Why does Teacher look like he's going to a war?" she whispered.
"That's my Mistress — the one who fell from the sky a few days ago. Teacher wronged her years ago; they haven't met in over a decade. Because of the evil spirit master incident, Teacher invited her here." Qian Jue explained.
"Over a decade?!" Xiao Wu stuck out her tongue in disbelief. For her, when she was still a hundred-thousand-year spirit beast, such a span was nothing—sometimes she could sleep for years in one breath. But ever since she transformed into a human, time felt different. The days seemed longer, filled with things to do, people to meet, memories to cherish. Each moment carried weight now, unlike the blur of centuries past.
"What exactly did Teacher do to keep them apart so long?" Tang San asked.
Qian Jue sighed softly.
"On the very day of their wedding… Teacher ran away."
Everyone's eyes went wide in shock. Run away from the wedding? They immediately realized what that meant—for a woman, the humiliation would be devastating. No wonder Grandmaster looked like he was marching to the battlefield just now.
Only Xiao Wu, tilting her head, tugged at Tang San's sleeve and whispered, "What does 'run away from the wedding' mean?"
Tang San explained it carefully, and after understanding, Xiao Wu spat lightly in disdain.
"Hmph. Not a real man at all."
"Xiao Wu, don't say that." Tang San frowned slightly. Even though he didn't agree with Grandmaster's past actions, that man was still his teacher. "I'm sure he had his reasons… reasons he couldn't explain."
Xiao Wu pouted but said no more. She simply crouched by the door along with the others, ears perked, quietly eavesdropping on what was happening inside.
Grandmaster pushed the door open, and at once his eyes fell on Liu Erlong, who sat sideways at the edge of the bed. After so many years apart, the woman before him was still the same—graceful, radiant, yet weighed with an unfamiliar distance. He wondered if the two of them could ever return to the beauty they once shared.
"Erlong… I hope you've been well," Grandmaster said softly as he slowly sat down by the bed.
Liu Erlong turned her head. The man she had dreamed of day and night was right here in front of her—how she longed to throw herself into his arms. But Qian Jue's words rang in her heart: a small loss of patience could ruin the greater plan. She had to endure.
"Well? After so many years without seeking me out, now suddenly you need me, so here you are?" Liu Erlong's voice was cold, laced with biting ridicule.
"Uh…" Grandmaster scratched his head awkwardly, not knowing how to respond.
"What? Nothing to say? Feeling awkward now?" Her eyes sharpened, voice trembling with long-suppressed anger. "On our wedding day, you left me alone—left me to face both our families by myself. Did you ever stop to think what I felt back then? No! You only thought of yourself—that if you ran away, you could escape it all, escape their whispers and scorn. But did you ever care if I had to bear it all alone?"
"I…" Grandmaster opened his mouth, but no words came. He was utterly speechless, unable to explain the choices of his youth.
"You left so ruthlessly back then. So why come looking for me now?"
"This… this is for the children's sake," Grandmaster said hurriedly, his voice cracking. "Back then, when I learned the truth—that you and I were of the same bloodline—I was shaken to the core. I didn't know how to face you. Erlong, I was never handsome, never strong. Yet you still gave up someone better, you gave up Flender, and chose me instead.
To me, you were everything, my entire world. But when I thought about us… about the two of us bound by blood… if the world found out, they would condemn you. I couldn't bear it.
Even if I didn't care about my own reputation, how could I drag you down with me? How could I let you be shamed? And worse—I didn't even have the strength to protect you."
("Ohhh~~")
Outside the door, everyone eavesdropping couldn't help letting out a low chorus at hearing the depth of his feelings. They all turned toward Flender, who straightened his collar with a stiff expression.
Hmph, don't look at me like that. Back then I was handsome and strong too, alright? he thought indignantly.
Inside, Liu Erlong's heart trembled. Hearing Grandmaster bare his soul moved her deeply. She finally understood what he had been thinking all those years ago. But… not yet. It still wasn't enough. She steadied herself, her face remaining cold as she replied flatly:
"Yes, and so you ran. You hid in some far-off corner where no one knew you'd once loved your cousin. You could go on with your life, keep your title as 'Grandmaster,' bury yourself in your research, while I… I was left to face the wagging tongues alone. Do you know what they said about me? They called me shameless. They said I seduced my own cousin.
That on the day of our wedding, I was exposed and abandoned, discarded like trash. And then, worse—they said I was so shameless I went everywhere searching for you, throwing myself at you, clinging to you without pride. Tell me—was that what you wanted? Was that the sight you longed for?"
"No! Impossible! How could they treat you like that?!" Grandmaster's eyes went wide, his heart shaking violently. He had never imagined his departure had forced her to suffer such cruel humiliation. The guilt hit him like a crushing weight. In that instant, he could no longer hold back. He pulled Liu Erlong tightly into his arms.
"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry, Erlong! It was my fault. All of it was my fault. I should never have left, should never have let you bear all that pain alone. Please… please give me another chance. Let me make it up to you. I swear, for the rest of my life, I'll never leave you again… never!" His voice broke, and tears streamed down his face.
The thought of his reckless, cowardly choice years ago, and the torment she had endured because of it, shattered him. Grandmaster wept openly, clutching her as if afraid she would slip away once more.
The truth was, Grandmaster had always loved Liu Erlong. If he hadn't, he would never have agreed to marry her in the first place. And when he discovered they shared blood, he had chosen to run—not because he didn't love her, but because he feared dragging her into infamy, feared staining her name. Yet, fate had twisted his resolve into betrayal. His attempt to protect her only left her to suffer even greater pain.
And so now, within his heart, a vow was carved in stone: never again would he leave her. For more than ten years she had borne this burden alone, had suffered whispers and scorn, humiliation and loneliness—all because of him. From this day forth, he would shield her. Never again would he let her endure sorrow on her own.