Ch.10: A Dream, Li Yao
Warm sunlight spilled through the open window, turning the air gold.
A man's laughter echoed faintly, low, bright, and full of pride.
"Careful with him," said a gentle voice.
"He'll start crying again if you keep swinging him like that."
The woman's tone was soft but carried the kind of warmth that came from saying the same thing a hundred times before.
The man only grinned wider, holding the tiny boy high above his head.
"How can he cry when he's going to grow up to be the strongest Soul Master in the world, huh?"
The child, barely a year old, gurgled something halfway between a laugh and a squeak.
His chubby hands reached for the man's face, grabbing a strand of hair and tugging with surprising strength.
"Ow— see? Already a born fighter!"
The woman rolled her eyes, stepping closer.
Her long dark hair brushed the boy's cheek as she reached to take him.
"And you're already teaching him bad habits."
The boy clung to her instinctively, burying his face in her shoulder.
Her soft chuckle vibrated against his skin.
The man stood beside them, still smiling.
His hair was the same dark blue shade as the child's, his eyes calm but full of mischief.
A 4 ring like mark below the logo of azure dragon on his uniform, proof of his Spirit Ancestor level strength.
The woman's uniform also carried a 3 ring like mark, identifying her as a Spirit Elder.
Together, they seemed untouchable, in this tiny place.
A pair made in heaven.
And family that radiated harmony more than strength.
The boy looked between them, his bright golden eyes wide and curious.
With effort her pressed his lips.
"Mama… Papa…"
Both froze, and then laughter filled the small house.
"He said it!" the man cheered, clapping once before sweeping them both into an embrace.
"You heard that, Yue'er? He said it!"
The woman smiled, brushing the boy's hair aside to kiss his forehead. "Of course he did. He's our son."
The scene shifted again.
They were in a small house now, the walls lined with woven tapestries, the air warm with the scent of roasted herbs.
The woman, Yue, sat cross-legged, teaching the child to stack wooden blocks, her patience endless as they toppled over and over.
The man, Jian, carved a small wooden dragon, his knife moving with a craftsman's precision, his eyes soft as he watched his son.
"This is for you," he said, placing the dragon in the child's tiny hands.
"A small dragon for our small hero."
The moment felt endless — the kind of happiness that etches itself into the soul.
But happiness, no matter how vivid, is fragile.
The door slid open.
A voice called from outside, "Brother Lu, are you ready? The others are waiting."
The man sighed, his smile dimming but not disappearing.
He gently kissed his son's head.
"Duty calls, little one. Be good for Aunt Lin, alright?"
The boy frowned, his lip trembling. "Papa… go?"
"Just for a bit," the woman whispered, hugging him tight.
"We'll be back before nightfall. Promise."
She turned to the caretaker waiting at the door, a kind-faced woman who bowed deeply.
"Please take care of him, Sister Lin. Our friend's in need, he have to help hunting a spirit beast for his third ring."
The caretaker nodded.
"I understand. Be careful, both of you."
Yue knelt, brushing a tear from the toddler's cheek.
"We'll be back soon, little star," she whispered, her voice thick with emotion but steady with promise.
Jian crouched beside her, his hand resting on the child's head. "We're helping a friend, Sheng'er. A quick hunt, then we're home."
The child wailed, reaching for them, but they stood, their silhouettes strong against the setting sun.
They turned, waving one last time, their smiles bright with love, unaware of the fate awaiting them, a spirit beast hunt that would claim them both.
The boy's arms flailed as they handed him over.
And then the world blurred.
Light bled through everything.
Their figures faded into brightness—
...
Lu Sheng gasped.
His heart pounding.
The sky above him was tinged with orange, the sun already dipping below the mountains.
He blinked several times, trying to make sense of the dream still clinging to his mind like mist.
His chest felt tight, but not from pain, from a strange warmth he hadn't felt in years.
"My parents…" he murmured. "Isn't that what they looked like."
A faint ache spread through his heart, but he smiled despite it.
It wasn't sorrow.
Just… longing.
Then he realized where he was.
Still lying on the same grassy hilltop.
Still very much outside.
But there was no time to linger.
The sun was sinking fast, and he was late—very late.
"Crap—"
He shot up, brushing leaves off his hair.
"Did I fall asleep here again?!"
The sun was nearly gone.
Qinglong's rooftops shimmered far below, their lanterns beginning to flicker alive.
He started running down the hillside, hopping over roots and rocks with surprising speed.
Such speed even surprised him even.
'When did I became so fast.'
Thankfully his eyes and senses had also became much stronger allowing him to control his increased strength.
But having control over's one's abilities doesn't mean other intrusions will not occur in his path.
And that is exactly what happened.
As he leapt off a low branch...
His foot slipped.
"Ah, wait-!"
He crashed through a bush and tumbled down the slope.
Rolling and sliding halfway through.
Before landing flat on his back in a patch of grass.
He groaned, staring up at the sky.
"Okay, maybe I need to work on coordination."
He looked up, sighing to himself.
"…At least it wasn't thorns this time."
Then...
"Lu Sheng?"
A soft, melodic voice drifted through the air.
He froze.
A figure stood a few meters away, bathed in the golden glow of the setting sun.
A girl — around his age, maybe a little younger.
The light caught her silver-white hair, tied loosely in a braid, making it shimmer like molten moonlight.
Her violet eyes sparkled with a gentle, almost ethereal warmth, framed by delicate lashes that gave her an innocent, doll-like charm.
Her face was a perfect balance of beauty and cuteness, with high cheekbones and a small, upturned nose, her lips curved in a faint, playful smile as she looked at him. Her light blue uniform fluttered gently in the evening breeze, accentuating her slight, graceful frame.
The surrounding scenery—swaying grass, distant rolling hills, and the fading sunlight—seemed to frame her like a painting, elevating her already breathtaking presence to something otherworldly.
The way the light hit her made the whole scene feel… unreal.
The soft grass, the warm breeze, the colors of twilight, and her, standing there like she didn't quite belong to this world.
Lu Sheng stared, his breath catching. He'd seen her before, countless times, but the evening light and the quiet of the moment made her seem… different.
For a moment, he forgot how to speak.
"…Lu Sheng?" she called again, tilting her head slightly.
He blinked, coming back to reality just in time for her to march forward.
She stepped forward, her small hands on her hips, puffing out her cheeks in an attempt to look stern.
"So you were out here bunking classes!" she huffed, her voice carrying a mock severity that only made her look even more adorable.
Like a kitten trying to roar.
"You can't just skip school, you know!"
Lu Sheng just stood there, dazed.
Lu Sheng blinked, still dazed, his mind struggling to catch up.
Her stern expression faltered as she noticed his stare, and she sighed, stepping closer to tap his forehead lightly with her knuckles.
"Earth to Lu Sheng."
"Ow— what was that for?"
"For acting like you didn't hear me!" she huffed, though her eyes betrayed amusement.
"You can't keep running off like this. Exams are coming up. No one dares complain because you're from the City Lord's family, but if you fail, you won't be safe from the teachers... or me!"
Her words finally snapped him out of his trance, though her puffed cheeks and indignant stance only deepened his daze.
"Yao Yao…" he mumbled, rubbing his forehead where she'd tapped him.
Li Yao, his childhood friend, his classmate, his only true friend in Qinglong.
She sighed again, her hands dropping from her hips. "Honestly, Sheng, you're hopeless sometimes."
Her tone softened, a teasing smile breaking through. "What were you even doing out here? Daydreaming again?"
He grinned sheepishly, standing and brushing more grass from his clothes.
"Something like that. Just… testing some stuff."
He couldn't tell her about his twin spirits yet—not until he understood them better himself.
"Did you come looking for me?"
"If not, who else?"
Li Yao rolled her eyes, but her smile widened.
"Someone had to. You didn't show up to class, and I figured you'd be at your 'secret spot.'"
She air-quoted the words, her tone playful.
"Come on, let's get back before the guards start patrolling. You're lucky I found you first."
He laughed, the tension from his tumble and dream fading all at once.
Lu Sheng looked at her, then grinned. "You care too much, Yao Yao."
Her cheeks turned faintly pink. "Someone has to. You'd forget how to breathe if I didn't remind you."
"Alright, alright," he said finally, brushing grass off his clothes. "Let's go before it gets dark. I owe you one."
"You owe me three," she corrected.
He chuckled. "You keep count?"
"Someone has to," she said again, rolling her eyes but smiling as she turned toward the path back to the city.
As they started down the hill, the evening breeze carrying the scent of pine and earth, Lu Sheng glanced at her.
The dream of his parents lingered, warm and bittersweet.
But Li Yao's presence was a different kind of warmth.
Real, present, and fiercely alive.
Since childhood till now, she was the one constantly reminding him.
He wasn't alone.