Shrek Academy at night was not peaceful—it breathed, growled, and whispered like a giant sleeping beast. Even before darkness settled, Lan Tianyi felt it. The academy was built on land saturated with ancient power, the kind that tugged at the edges of his soul. His guqin resonated faintly in its dormant state, vibrating with quiet threads of ice and fire that flickered in the night air.
After their successful arrival—and Yuhao's first time being completely overwhelmed by Shrek Academy's atmosphere—the group settled into a modest dormitory area for the incoming assessment students. The small courtyard was old, but its stone walls seemed etched with invisible arrays.
Yuhao stood frozen at the doorway, staring at the cramped room with two wooden beds and peeling paint. "This… this is Shrek?" he whispered.
Tianyi laughed. "Be grateful we even have beds. I heard sometimes you sleep in the training fields when it's overcrowded."
Tang Ya huffed. "It's supposed to test your perseverance! Back when I was a student, I had to—"
Beibei gently placed a hand on her head to stop the rant. "Little Ya, don't scare the children."
Yuhao brightened. "I don't mind. I'll work hard."
Tianyi nodded, appreciating the determination. "Hard work will get you far here. But remember to rest too. Shrek eats reckless people alive."
Tang Ya threw Tianyi a look. "You sound like an old man at your age."
"Only on the outside," Tianyi replied, and strummed a silent motion with his fingers. A faint ripple of warm spiritual energy brushed Tang Ya's fatigue away.
Tang Ya blinked. "Huh? Did you—"
Tianyi smiled innocently. "Teacher Tang Ya must be imagining things."
Beibei narrowed his eyes in amused suspicion. "Your control is impressive."
Night deepened, and the four shared a simple meal outside—bread, broth, and dried fruit. Yuhao ate quietly, savoring every bite. Watching him, Tianyi vaguely heard the faint echo of Yuhao's loneliness… a past filled with cold wind, hunger, and disappointment. The guqin spirit in his chest hummed empathetically.
He gently pushed a small plate of extra fruit toward Yuhao. "Eat."
Yuhao froze mid-bite. "Tianyi… I can't take this. You should keep it—"
"I shared it because I want to," Tianyi said. "Friends don't calculate."
Yuhao lowered his head, hiding the emotion swelling in his eyes.
Later that night, the boys lay in their beds as moonlight drafted in through the window.
"Tianyi?" Yuhao whispered.
"Mm?"
"Do you think… someone like me can really become a Shrek student?"
"Absolutely," Tianyi said immediately. "Strength isn't the only thing that gets recognized. Willpower counts, too. And you… you have more of that than anyone else I've met our age."
Yuhao's eyes shimmered faintly in the dark. "Thank you…"
Tianyi closed his eyes and let the night breeze carry a low, resonant hum within his chest—his guqin's silent lullaby. It wrapped around Yuhao, calming his restless mind. And for the first time in years, Yuhao fell asleep smiling.