"Hyaah—!"
Fiery-red hooves thundered through a trail of dust.
Huo Wushuang, Huo Wu, and their companions from Blazing Academy arrived at the gates of Heaven Dou City.
The towering gates stood open; inside, the city was as bustling as ever.
"Dismount. Let's go in."
Leaving their horses in the care of the gate guards, the group stepped into the city.
The streets were packed shoulder-to-shoulder with people; the shouts of hawkers and merchants rose and fell in endless rhythm. It was as if all the chaos that had swept the continent had never touched this place.
Huo Wushuang's gaze drifted to a noodle stall steaming by the roadside.
"Five years… and Heaven Dou is still the same."
"Even that noodle stall's still standing."
Huo Wu's bright face lifted in a smile.
"Heaven Dou City hasn't changed, but I wonder how that scoundrel Li Zhexian is doing these days."
"And whether he'll bring me a few of those plums he's always bragging about."
One of the Blazing team members laughed.
"Senior Huo Wu, I wouldn't count on it."
"Senior Zhexian may be generous with everyone else, but when it comes to the plums from his courtyard, he guards them tighter than gold!"
Huo Wu huffed.
"Then I'll just steal them myself!"
"Last time we parted, he promised to hold a whole month-long feast at Fragrant Pavilion!"
"We'll see if I can't eat him broke!"
The group burst into laughter — easy, teasing, full of the warmth of old friends reunited.
But as they walked deeper into the city, that deliberate lightheartedness began to fade.
Their laughter came less often, and words trailed off into silence.
Both Huo Wushuang and Huo Wu felt a tightness in their chests.
Five years had passed.
The mountains and rivers were unchanged…
but was their friend still the same?
Was he even alive?
Five years ago, Li Zhexian had left for the Extreme North, the land of endless frost — and after that, to the Slaughter City, where even Titled Douluo feared to tread.
Five years…
Had he truly made it back?
While they pondered in silence, the top of a magnificent five-story building came into view in the distance — its glazed tiles shimmering under the sunlight.
Fragrant Pavilion, Heaven Dou's most famous establishment.
Their steps faltered at once.
They exchanged glances—
a silent current of nerves rippling through the air.
Huo Wushuang drew a long breath and murmured,
"Let's go."
Together, they moved forward again, eyes fixed on the gleaming façade ahead.
Five stories. Four. Three…
Their eyes swept downward.
And then —
they saw the front doors of Fragrant Pavilion.
And there, right in front of them, stood that familiar white-robed youth —
leaning casually against the frame, stealing melon seeds from the waiter's pocket.
For a heartbeat, both Huo Wushuang and Huo Wu froze.
Their hearts clenched hard in their chests —
then heat surged behind their eyes, threatening to spill over.
They drew deep, shaky breaths.
Then —
with their fire-attribute Spirit Power burning faintly around them, they shouted, their voices carrying through the entire long street—
"Blazing Academy's Huo Wushuang and Huo Wu… have come to keep our five-year promise!"
"They're here!"
Li Zhexian tucked the seeds into his Wishful Hundred Treasure Purse and said to the waiter,
"Do as I said before — get everything ready."
"Right away, sir!"
The waiter perked up instantly and dashed inside to make the arrangements.
Li Zhexian turned to face the approaching Blazing Academy team.
As he looked at each familiar face, emotion welled up in his chest — unstoppable, overwhelming.
His white robes fluttered as he stepped forward.
Before they'd even closed the distance, he was already striding toward them.
"Hahaha! Couldn't wait any longer, eh, Brother Zhexian?"
Huo Wushuang's voice was half teasing, half trembling with joy —
and though his eyes were red, his feet moved faster, carrying him forward.
At the same time, from the corner of his eye, he caught Huo Wu —
her self-control snapping as she burst into motion, a streak of fiery light rushing straight at Li Zhexian.
"Huo Wu," Li Zhexian greeted with a smile, "your radiance outshines even the sun today."
Huo Wu shot him a glare, cheeks faintly pink.
"Still the same stiff-tongued fool as five years ago!"
Then, with a sudden laugh, she stepped forward —
and threw her arms around him in a fierce, burning hug.
Huo Wushuang and the other Blazing Academy members ran up as well.
"Brother Zhexian!"
"Five years apart — and you're still the same!"
Huo Wushuang's thick brows faintly shimmered with the glow of flame; the Spirit Power flowing around him was deep and fierce — clearly, his cultivation had improved greatly.
"Brother Wushuang! Brothers and sisters of Blazing Academy!"
As Huo Wu let go of her embrace, Li Zhexian turned at once toward Huo Wushuang and the five other members of the Blazing team — and opened his arms wide.
The embrace between men was a rougher, hardier thing — full of strength and camaraderie.
A few dull thuds sounded — palms slapping firmly against backs.
When they parted, Huo Wushuang gripped Li Zhexian by both arms, his eyes burning as he looked him over from head to toe.
"Brother Zhexian, I truly didn't believe it… but you actually braved the Extreme North, even the Slaughter City itself — and returned alive to fulfill our five-year promise! Remarkable!"
Li Zhexian laughed lightly and gestured toward the pavilion.
"We can catch up inside. No need to rush — you're the first to arrive. The others have a longer road; they may take a while yet."
Huo Wushuang was about to agree when a fair, slender hand suddenly appeared in front of Li Zhexian.
Huo Wu's face bloomed like a flower.
"Eat and drink later — they'll be here soon enough."
"Li Zhexian, have you forgotten something?"
Li Zhexian raised a brow.
"Forgotten… what?"
"My plums, of course!"
Li Zhexian sighed.
"Ah, that's unfortunate. I've been gone from Heaven Dou too long — the plum tree in my courtyard withered away."
"What?!"
Huo Wu's voice rose sharply, her bright red eyes dimming with disappointment —
— when Li Zhexian suddenly flicked his sleeve.
A soft glow shimmered.
A few deep-purple plums, glossy to the point of black, rolled into Huo Wu's open palm.
"Heh. Just kidding."
Huo Wu blinked, momentarily stunned.
Then she tucked the plums away carefully, her beautiful eyes narrowing with mock danger.
"Oh, Li Zhexian…"
"Five years gone, and you dare tease me the moment we meet again?"
She reached out, trying to hook an arm around his neck.
Li Zhexian chuckled and tapped the air beside him with one finger.
Hum—
A wave of sword qi flared a meter away.
His white robes fluttered as his figure blurred, and in the blink of an eye he was standing where the sword qi had been.
"Huo Wu, your temper's exactly the same as it was five years ago."
That one effortless move left Huo Wushuang and the others momentarily stunned.
"Huh?!"
"You think I can't catch you?!"
Huo Wu's brows arched like blades; flames surged beneath her feet as she lunged toward him again.
Li Zhexian's figure shimmered and flickered — each time she struck, she caught only air.
"Huo Wu, it's been five years—and your first greeting is to challenge me?"
"Less talking! Take this!"
Huo Wushuang and the Blazing teammates chuckled, watching them chase and spar like children.
That laughter, that closeness — so natural, so unguarded —
proved that nothing between them had changed at all.
The customers of the Fragrant Pavilion, and even passersby in the street, stopped to watch — smiles and envy lighting their faces.
"That's Lord Sword Wine…"
"Back in the city and already making a stir—feasting with old friends again."
"Heh, just seeing this liveliness makes a man's heart feel lighter…"
Li Zhexian pretended to frown in warning.
"Huo Wu! Keep this up, and I won't go easy on you!"
"Oh yeah? Come and try!"
Just as their playful skirmish reached its peak—
Whoosh—!
Whoosh—!
From the far end of the long street came the shriek of the wind being split apart.
Then, two young, vibrant voices rang out above the city noise:
"Brother Wuyu, what elegant movement technique!"
"Brother Xiaotian, since you too can ride the wind, today I, Feng Wuyu, shall race you to the Fragrant Pavilion — let's see who arrives first!"
"Hah! I'd meant to spar with Brother Zhexian first, but if you insist, Brother Wuyu, I'll humor you! Though tell me — with your eyes bound in silk, can you even see the road?"
"When one rides the wind with his heart, what need has he for mortal sight?!"
"Pfft — faker! You're totally peeking!"