BLUE SLIVER LOVE (Soul Land 1) •Rewrite•

•018•

Chapter 18; Blooming Hearts.

Tang San looked up from his soul guide text book the moment Xiao Wu and Ling Lixue staggered into the dorm room with exhaustion clearly portrayed on them by their groans and sighs.

He raised an eyebrow, ocean blue eyes filled with curiosity as he quickly set aside his book and approached them, concern evident. It was the weekend after all,so most students either cultivated, broken bounds and run into town or just relaxed after a long week of classes.

“Hey, you two look like you’ve been through quite a lot today,” Tang San remarked, noticing the soreness in Xiao Wu’s knuckles and Lixue’s pallid complexion. “What happened?”

Xiao Wu plopped down onto her bed with an almost mechanic groan. “Training with our elder brother who came to visit our dad. His name is Micax and he is so cool but his training methods are so intense.”

Lixue flopped down next to her, wincing as he tried to stretch out his sore numb limbs. “Yeah, intense is definitely one way to put it. I think I might be going color blind from all the light manipulation, and I’m pretty sure I have frostbite.”

Xiao Wu snorted at her brother's exasperation, the irony of their predicament was quite amusing to say the least. Now they knew what that saying— be careful what you wish for— meant.

Tang San’s brow furrowed but even though he was still concerned for his friends, he also somewhat understood their reason for wanting to train harder and grow as soul masters.

Xiao Wu and Lixue were among the best students in the class but they were still lacking in some aspects. Master Lu had said that to them a couple of days ago. Was that the reason why he had not seen them all day?

“That bad, huh? Then this Micax, must have pushed you very hard?”

Xiao Wu managed a tired smile. “It was worth it, though. We learned a lot today. Brother Micax showed us how to use our soul skills in different ways. Ways we never even thought of before.”

“True,” Lixue agreed, his voice still laced with fatigue. “He had us working on techniques that we had not speculated about before. It’s hard work, but helpful.”

Tang San nodded, fully understanding the importance of their words. “That’s good to hear. But please just remember to take care of yourselves. Overtraining can be as harmful as undertraining. Don't allow Master Lu's words to get the better of you.”

Xiao Wu sighed, her eyes half-closed as she lay back on her bed. “We’ll try. But for now, I’m just going to sleep for like a really long time. Anyone who disturbs me will lose an arm.”

Ling Lixue gave a weak thumbs-up, ignoring the threat before also moving to his bed. “Yeah, sleep sounds good to me too.”

He passed by the blue haired boy, about to reach his bed when his legs instantly gave way. Lixue yelped, waiting for pain that never came.

“Easy there,Li. Are you alright?” It was only when that voice rang through did Lixue realize that he was being held up by Tang San.

Still feeling sleepy and very much tired, Lixue decided to push the warm feeling creeping in his cold heart aside as he just gave a nod.

“Yes,thank you San.” He detached himself from the warm touch and climbed onto the bed, wrapping the blankets around him. A gesture which Tang San found to be simply adorable.

An unknown pink flash appeared on his cheeks. Seeing that everything was fine with his friends, Tang San turned and went straight back to his book when suddenly Ling Lixue mumbled drowsily, barely conscious as he spoke. “Maybe you can join us next time... I really like spending time with you, Sangy.”

Tang San, who was already absorbed in his reading, glanced over at Lixue with a soft smile. He could sense the sincerity in the white haired boy's words and felt a pang of warmth at the nickname.

He set his book aside once more and walked back over to Lixue's bedside.

“Of course, Li.” Tang San said gently, his voice soothing. “I’d be happy to join you next time. Just get some rest and take care of yourself. If you need anything, let me know.”

Lixue giggled, eyes fluttering shut with a contented smile on his lips as he drifted into deep slumber.

Tang San watched for a moment longer a mix of admiration and empathy in his eyes. After all, he knew all too well the dedication required for martial arts and thus he respected their commitment.

Despite the harsh training they went through, their resolve to grow and improve was clear and Tang San sincerely hoped they’d recover well and be ready for the next challenges ahead in their lives.

Returning to his bed, the blue haired boy felt that the connection with his friend had deepened much more than he had expected. He could hear the soft, rhythmic breathing of Ling Lixue as he slept peacefully.

A small smile made it's way onto his face as his heart skipped a beat at the sight. There was only one word Tang San could use to describe it.

Beautiful.