Chapter Ninety-One: The Ten-Year Vow

A thunderclap suddenly exploded by Wang Luo's ear, and in an instant his mind cleared. Blood power surged through him as he lunged at Qi'er, who had completely transformed into a man.

"Wang Luo, you cannot destroy me. We shall meet again in the inner academy. I hope we can work together!"

A flash of silver light, and Qi'er's figure vanished without a trace, leaving only that one line behind. It was as though he had truly disappeared from Wang Luo's mind, yet Wang Luo knew he had not gone far.

"Many thanks to Teacher Hanluode!"

Opening his eyes, Wang Luo rose and looked at the man who had awakened him. His gaze was complicated. After taking a deep breath, he lowered his head in the salute of a student and thanked Hanluode.

"Wang Luo!"

Hanluode gave a soft call and reached out as if to support him, but his hand caught only emptiness. Retracting it, he looked in puzzlement at Wang Luo, who had stepped back a few paces with his head bowed.

"Wang Luo—"

"Teacher Hanluode, thank you for saving me in the cave. Wang Luo is deeply grateful. However, please forget everything that happened there."

Hearing those words, Hanluode's body jolted violently. His expression turned hideously dark at once, and a storm of emotions flashed through his eyes as memories of everything that had happened with Wang Luo over these past months surged through his mind.

He was the son of the current head of the strong family of Fengge, gifted beyond measure. His battle aura had been personally passed down by the clan's ancient ancestor, and by the age of eighteen he had already reached the peak of the sixth rank. Now, at twenty, though he had not yet broken through to the seventh rank, he was only half a step away. Even across the entire Profound Heaven Continent, his accomplishments were among the few that could be counted on one hand.

Crowned with glory upon glory, he had long concealed a secret no one knew: he liked men.

He knew that he liked men, yet he had never fallen for one before, because he had never met a man worthy of his attention. That changed only when he met the youth before him.

Curiosity at their first meeting had drawn him in. A tent discovered by chance had ignited the sparks of love, and one round after another of close combat, all under the guise of training, had made him sink deeper and deeper until he could no longer pull away.

He did not know why he had fallen for this little man, younger than him by several years, still almost a child. But when he realized it, he did not flee; instead, he loved him with all his heart.

Yet he had never truly loved before. Always lofty and self-assured, he apparently did not know at all how to love a man—especially not a little man who believed himself to be straight.

In the underground cavern, the person he had longed for day and night had suddenly taken the initiative, shocking him beyond words. In the next instant he had drowned in an ocean of love, forgetting everything, surrendering his whole self to a little man far younger than he was.

Only afterward did he realize something was wrong. But the rice had already been cooked into the final meal. He had been deliriously happy, and had begun to imagine the future. He believed that with his talent and strength, he could protect the one he loved and live happily together with him.

Dreams are always beautiful; reality is always cruel. Watching the person he had resolved to cherish well now turn cold and distant, demanding that he forget everything, Hanluode suddenly felt that all meaning had drained from the world, leaving him heartbroken beyond measure.

"Teacher Hanluode!"

A soft call pulled Hanluode back to reality. He looked at the youth before him, who was keeping his eyes lowered and his manner submissive, and recalling the lingering tenderness in the cave, a trace of grievance entered his gaze. With a trembling voice, he said:

"Wang Luo, weren't we fine just now in the cave? Why have you suddenly become so—"

"Teacher Hanluode, I don't like men. In the cave, I only did that to repay you for curing my poison when I was poisoned!"

"Repay me? Heh, get out here!"

Hanluode muttered with a low laugh, then his expression suddenly changed. A surge of green battle aura shot forth, instantly shattering the door into dust and revealing a man and a woman outside.

"Hmph, Chelsea, are you satisfied now?"

The submissive tone from before vanished in an instant. Confidence filled Hanluode's face, and the restrained power around him climbed steadily upward as battle aura surged through his body, ready to erupt.

"Wang Luo!"

Ignoring Hanluode, Chelsea could not help calling out softly at the sight of the person he had dreamed of day and night. The excitement on his face was impossible to conceal.

"I've remembered the matter of stabbing you with a knife!"

"Really?!"

Hearing Wang Luo's words, Chelsea let out another cry of delight, not noticing in the slightest that Hanluode's face had grown darker and darker, as though a storm were about to break.

"Wang Luo, have you already broken free of the Heart-Tempting Fox Physique?"

Seeing Wang Luo nod faintly, An Weier could not hide the astonishment in her eyes. She stared at him without blinking, as though trying to see through him.

"Wang Luo, if you've remembered, then what do you think of me—"

After hesitating for a moment, Chelsea mustered his courage and spoke. His eyes, too, remained fixed on Wang Luo, while Hanluode's gaze likewise settled on him.

"I—"

Feeling the eyes of Chelsea and Hanluode upon him, Wang Luo did not know how to answer. Scenes replayed one after another in his heart, softening it against his will, and a deep bitterness surfaced at the corners of his mouth.

"Let's make a ten-year pact!"

He closed his eyes, then opened them again and spoke. Seeing the puzzled expressions on the three of them, Wang Luo gathered his thoughts and continued, feeling a complicated mix of emotions in his heart.

"I'm still rather young now. Ten years from now, I'll already be grown, and my views may have changed. By then I can make my own decisions. Ten years from now, if you can defeat me, and if you still insist on your current choice, I'll give you a chance to date me. By then, if you give up—"

"I'll persist!"

"I'll persist!"

Two voices rang out at once, cutting off Wang Luo's words. After a brief pause, Wang Luo continued.

"Ten years can change many things. During these ten years, we won't interfere in each other's lives, and we won't mention this matter again. How about that?"

"Mm!"

The two nodded at the same time. After chatting a few more simple words, they turned and left, each with renewed determination. By now Wang Luo was already at the peak of the sixth rank; ten years from now, his achievements might not be weaker than theirs.

"To hesitate when action is needed only invites chaos. Wang Luo, you're the kindest person I have ever seen since I was born. On the Profound Heaven Continent, almost no one thinks of others. I think I understand now why those two like you."

"Why?"

Hearing An Weier's words, Wang Luo could not help but freeze, then asked in confusion. He was also deeply puzzled; it seemed he had not grown to such an astonishing degree.

"Sometimes you are very cold, but in truth your bones are still kind. And there is something about you that feels very strange, as though you do not belong with everything around you. You look upon all things very lightly, caring nothing for power, status, or rank..."

An Weier left, leaving Wang Luo standing alone in the room with the ruined door, lost in thought. Outside, a tusked boar was feeding some unknown food to a little black monkey that had not yet opened its eyes, while blinking its tiny eyes again and again...

The Otherworld Azure Dragon 91, Chapter Ninety-One: The Ten-Year Pact, update complete!