The one-month holiday was like the brief winter sun in Star Luo City, fleeting in an instant.
For Caelus, this period of time was a rare moment of comfort and relaxation.
He reunited with his old friends and, under Xu Yun's strong protest, spent an entire day frolicking in the city with her, Dai Luoli, and the Lan sisters.
However, for the vast majority of the time, he was with Xu Jiujiu.
They would browse through ancient texts together in the Royal Library; she would explain the unknown secret history of the Star Luo Empire to him, while he would share the imaginative theories and experiences from Shrek Academy.
At dusk, they would walk side by side in the courtyard of the Snow Listening Pavilion, watching the sunset's afterglow stretch the shadows of the old plum trees.
Sometimes, they said nothing at all, just staying together quietly, feeling that life was peaceful and beautiful.
This month was enough for many things to settle.
That ambiguous sentiment, which had long surpassed friendship, quietly fermented and warmed up through their daily interactions, finally becoming clear on a night with light snow, following a kiss on the lips that carried the chill of snowflakes.
Xu Jiujiu had officially become Caelus's girlfriend.
When Xu Yun learned the news, her expression was quite a sight.
She first showed a knowing look as if she had expected it, then her face fell with a bit of depression as she punched Caelus hard.
"Well, Caelus, I treat you as a friend, but you want to be my uncle?"
Counting on her fingers with a face full of grief and indignation, she calculated the seniority:
"You've become my aunt's boyfriend... Doesn't that mean I'll really be a generation younger than you from now on? No way, I can't bring myself to call you 'Uncle'."
Seeing her frantic yet helpless look, Caelus and Xu Jiujiu couldn't help but laugh out loud.
The day of departure finally arrived.
With Shrek Academy's opening day approaching, Caelus had to set off on his return journey.
In the early morning, outside the Snow Listening Pavilion, the chill had not yet dissipated, and the breath of passersby turned into clouds of white mist.
Xu Jiujiu and Grandpa Hui came to see him off.
Grandpa Hui stood not far away, a smile of genuine relief on his face. Seeing his young master and the princess standing together, he felt they were a perfect match.
While waiting for the Lan sisters, Caelus turned to look at Xu Jiujiu beside him.
Today, she wore a light purple long dress with a thick white fox fur cloak over it, which further accentuated her peerless beauty and elegant temperament.
"Elder Sister Jiu Jiu."
A familiar, slightly mischievous smile curled at the corners of Caelus's mouth.
He blinked, his voice not loud but full of implication.
"I'm about to leave, aren't you going to show me something?"
After saying this, he even extended a finger and lightly tapped his own lips.
Hearing this, Xu Jiujiu's cheeks warmed slightly, and she gave him a reproachful glare.
Over the past month, she had long grown accustomed to his blunt teasing, accompanied by that slight smirk.
That look of hers, far from having any bite, seemed more like the shyness of someone pretending to refuse while actually welcoming the advance.
She didn't say much, just took a step forward and proactively reached out her arms to wrap them around Caelus's neck.
Although Caelus was still young, his height had increased rapidly over the past year, and he already surpassed Xu Jiujiu.
This intimate gesture forced her to stand slightly on her tiptoes, completely entrusting her center of gravity to him.
Seeing this, Grandpa Hui immediately wore a kind smile that said "I didn't see anything" and tactfully turned away to admire the ancient brick patterns on the distant city wall.
Soft lips pressed against his, carrying the slight chill of the morning and her unique, elegant fragrance.
At first, it was just a gentle touch, but soon, with Caelus's proactive response, the kiss deepened rapidly.
The surrounding noise and cold seemed to fade away at this moment. The World became quiet and warm, leaving only their blending breaths and accelerating heartbeats.
After a full minute, Caelus reluctantly released the somewhat breathless Xu Jiujiu.
She leaned in his arms, calming her ragged breathing. A charming blush rose on her cheeks, and her eyes shimmered as if covered by a layer of mist, appearing even more delicate and moving.
Caelus looked down at her in this state, and a surge of heat rose in his heart.
He leaned close to her reddened ear and whispered in a magnetic, slightly husky voice that only the two of them could hear:
"Elder Sister Jiu Jiu, next time... let's try something more interesting."
"Alright."
Feeling the warm breath by her ear, Xu Jiujiu's body trembled slightly, but unexpectedly, she did not refuse.
She looked up, meeting Caelus's burning eyes, a provocative smile also curling on her lips.
"But, you'll have to wait until you're an adult."
She naturally knew what the "more interesting" thing he mentioned was.
She was not the demure or passive type; Caelus's directness and initiative happened to coincide perfectly with her own innate character.
During this month, when two proactive people came together, they had experienced almost everything a couple should do, except for that final and most important step.
Regarding that final step, Xu Jiujiu had her own persistence.
Her words caused a small sense of gloom to rise in Caelus's heart.
People on the Douluo Continent generally matured early due to the nourishment of Soul Power.
He, whether in mind or body, was already incomparable to his peers in his previous life.
Facing a peerless beauty like Xu Jiujiu, who combined wisdom, beauty, and power, and being able to maintain his final shred of rationality while facing her day and night was already the best proof of his firm willpower.
The hormones of an adolescent boy in his body often clamored like boiling lava, threatening to break through the dam of reason.
But he also knew very well that he couldn't do that.
With his current strength, if he were to truly use force, Xu Jiujiu, who was a Soul King of the support system, would have no way to resist.
He also knew she might not resist violently, but that respect and cherishing were far more important than a momentary impulse.
He also agreed with her words; some of the most beautiful things were worth waiting for patiently.
After all, the River Crab God is everywhere; it's better to be careful.
He didn't want a momentary impulse to prevent the future story from being written.
A one-month holiday is but a fleeting moment in the long life of a Soul Master, but for young boys and girls, it is enough for many stories to happen and many feelings to settle.
When the last trace of winter's chill was dispelled by the warm breeze of early spring, Shrek Academy, that colossus situated in the center of the continent, awoke once more, bursting with unparalleled vitality.
Shrek City was extraordinarily bustling for the new semester.
Although its level of prosperity could not be compared to Radiant City, the capital of technology in the Sun Moon Empire, its unique charm as one of the most important economic and academic centers on the Douluo Continent was irreplaceable.
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