The forest behind Nuoding Academy was alive with nocturnal sounds.
Crickets chirped. Leaves rustled softly. Moonlight filtered through the canopy like silver mist.
The MC sat on a fallen log, polishing a plain-looking wooden practice sword—an unnecessary habit, but a calming one.
Footsteps approached.
He didn't turn.
"Couldn't sleep?" he asked.
Xiao Wu plopped down beside him without hesitation, close enough that their shoulders brushed. She leaned back on her hands, gazing up at the stars.
"Every time I close my eyes," she said quietly, "I feel… something."
He stiffened slightly.
"What kind of something?"
She hesitated, then turned to look at him. Her gaze was unusually serious.
"Like there's a dragon buried under the world. Breathing. Watching. Waiting."
For a split second, the Supreme Dragon soul stirred deep within him.
The MC exhaled slowly, suppressing it.
"You're very perceptive," he said gently.
Xiao Wu's lips pressed together. "That's what scares me."
She searched his face—not accusing, not afraid.
Curious.
"You're not human," she said softly.
The night seemed to hold its breath.
"I never said I was," he replied.
Instead of recoiling, Xiao Wu smiled—small, genuine, trusting.
"That's okay."
He turned to her, startled.
"Why?"
She leaned her head lightly against his shoulder.
"Because you look at me like I matter," she said. "Not like a secret. Not like a treasure to be taken apart."
Her words cut deeper than any blade.
The MC's voice lowered. "I'll never hurt you."
"I know."
She said it without doubt.
Above them, unseen, a vast dragon-shaped shadow coiled protectively.
System:"Bond stability confirmed."System:"Warning: emotional attachment increasing beyond calculation."
The MC ignored it.
Far away, within the Spirit Hall, a woman with purple eyes stirred from meditation.
Bibi Dong frowned.
"…Why do I feel watched?"
The chessboard of fate had shifted again.
And this time—
It moved around him.