Master of Nine Stars

"Whimper~" The Cloud Dog licked at Gao Lingwei’s fingers as she held them near its mouth, thinking she had another treat...

On their way up the mountain path, Rong Taotao saw some young people walking down the steps. It looked like they had also come to overlook their alma mater.

After passing two female students, Rong Taotao continued up the steps and said with a laugh, "You’re quite a celebrity here. All these young people look so surprised to see you, and they start whispering."

Gao Lingwei, however, didn’t rise to the bait. Instead, she said, "This monument commemorates a principal of Songbai Soul Martial High School named Xiao Li.

Back in the 1980s, he was the one who went against all opposition and overcame countless difficulties to single-handedly found Songbai Soul Martial High School, pushing the training grounds for Snow Realm high school students a full thirty-plus kilometers to the north. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

From that point on, the overall skill level of high school students in the northern Snow Realm slowly began to catch up. That’s also how the bustling Songbai Town you see today came to be.

Later, Principal Xiao fell ill from constant overwork and passed away in the school hospital at the age of 73.

The school built this small park on the mountain behind the campus and erected this monument to commemorate him."

Rong Taotao nodded. He said no more, silently following Gao Lingwei up the steps.

Climbing all 303 steps, Rong Taotao finally saw the tall monument. Inscribed upon it was a single, simple word: Hero.

The tall, tower-like monument bore only that single word. There were no annotations, no names, no sculptures of any kind.

Gao Lingwei stood before the monument, gazing up at it in reverence for a long moment. Only then did she turn, walk over to the stone railing, and look out at her alma mater.

Down below, the entire Songbai Soul Martial High School campus spread out before them: the academic building, the cafeteria, the dormitories, the Martial Arts Arena, and the students training diligently under the setting sun.

This, truly, was her youth.

Cradling the Cloud Dog, Rong Taotao surveyed his surroundings. As he walked to the side of the monument, his gaze fell upon a tall figure standing in the Pine Forest to the north.

Beneath the setting sun, an orange-red glow bathed the Pine Forest.

And the woman there was dressed in a sweeping red cloak that resembled a wedding gown.

Her jet-black hair danced in the gentle breeze, her back turned to Rong Taotao.

"This..." Rong Taotao blinked, stunned.

In the utter silence, he cautiously took several steps to his right. The stone pavers beneath his feet gave way to snow. Once he reached the edge of the woods, he could finally see the woman’s profile.

Her profile was beautiful, but her expression was deeply melancholic.

Her hands, deathly pale from the cold and utterly bloodless, were pressed against the tree beside her. Her eyes were vacant, gazing silently to the north.

Her gaze seemed to pierce through the sparse Pine Forest, seeing the wanderers in the north returning home.

Rong Taotao stared blankly at the scene. In that instant, he suddenly understood the meaning of the phrase "to gaze until one’s eyes wear through."

After who knows how long, Gao Lingwei walked over to the dazed Rong Taotao. Curiously, she followed his gaze toward the edge of the woods, and her expression immediately froze.

The memory surfaced in an instant. If she hadn’t seen the woman here, Gao Lingwei would have completely forgotten she existed.

Teacher Chen, a practical skills instructor at Songbai Soul Martial High School. She had only become a teacher a few years ago and was a unique figure here.

Due to her fragile mental state, she rarely taught students or held classes. Instead, she was always found here, standing vigil for an entire day.

Whenever Gao Lingwei came here, she would always see her standing at the edge of the forest.

In the tranquil surroundings, Rong Taotao’s phone suddenly blared to life, the ringtone jarringly loud.

"The heavy snows seal the door, we’ve sent the God of Wealth away / But a raging fire can’t burn up the one in my heart..."

This northeastern folk ballad was the custom ringtone Rong Taotao had set for Yang Chunxi. He’d assigned it specifically for his sister-in-law when they first met six months ago.

Rong Taotao frantically fumbled in his pocket for his phone as the ringtone rang on stubbornly.

Suddenly, Gao Lingwei’s voice came from beside him. "Coach... Coach Chen. Hello."

In that instant, Rong Taotao’s body went rigid. He felt the hair all over his body stand on end, as if he’d been locked in someone’s sights.

With no time to think, Rong Taotao hastily pulled out his phone, only to hear the clear, cold voice of the woman in red from the distance. "Don’t answer it."

*Gulp.* Rong Taotao’s Adam’s apple bobbed. He cautiously raised his head, only to see the woman by the distant Pine Forest. Her eyes were rimmed with red, and she was staring quietly at him—or more accurately, at the phone he had just taken out.

The ringtone continued its stubborn, unusually clear song.

"The fading sun on the northern frontier is her rouge / A mountain of pine and cypress her bridesmaids..."

"Heh." The woman sighed deeply as a film of moisture welled up in her eyes. She forced a smile—a strained, dejected expression. "He said he would come back. He told me to wait for him here."

"The gongs and drums resound in the first lunar month / The firecrackers fall, leaving the ground covered in red / Every household lights their festive lanterns..."

Gao Lingwei took a step, moving in front of Rong Taotao. "Answer it," she said.

Rong Taotao immediately answered the call. He didn’t press the phone to his ear, but he could still hear Yang Chunxi’s faint voice. "Taotao, where are you? It’s time to come back. I’m at..."

The woman tilted her head back and wiped at her reddened eyes. The incredibly forced smile on her tear-streaked face was heartbreaking to see.

But she merely turned away in silence, pressed a hand against the cold tree bark, and gazed north once more, speaking no more.

"Let’s go." Gao Lingwei grabbed Rong Taotao’s wrist and led him backward, step by step.

Gao Lingwei was on high alert, but the woman in red simply stood there under the setting sun, beside the pines, motionless and waiting quietly.

Not until they had retreated behind the monument, blocking the flash of red from their sight, did Gao Lingwei finally let out a sigh of relief. She then quickly turned Rong Taotao around and hurried him down the steps.

"In three whole years, that’s the first time I’ve ever heard her speak."

"Is she waiting for family?"

"You’ve met him."

"Huh?"

"Xiao Ziru."

...