But Na'er had already been taken as a disciple by Leng Yaozhu, and yet Gu Yue appeared before him in this manner.
That meant the Silver Dragon King must have already split Na'er off.
Otherwise, Leng Yaozhu would surely have noticed something was wrong.
Snapping back to reality, Gu Yue had already run back carrying a bag of desserts. She held the bag open in front of him: "Here, pick one. These are really delicious."
Arthur took a bite. Just as he was about to say thank you, he saw Gu Yue constantly pulling various sweets from the bag and stuffing them into her mouth, saying unclearly, "Let's go. If we dawdle any longer, the movie will start."
According to the books Gu Yue had read over the past few days, sharing things one likes with others could foster the relationship between two people.
It just so happened that since arriving in human society, Gu Yue's favorite thing was various desserts. In her eyes, sweets were practically one of humanity's greatest inventions.
Humans were truly terrifying; even their development in food was so formidable.
So, after coming across a dessert shop, she bought some sweets to share with Arthur.
This wasn't in the plan; it was an improvisation on her part.
"As expected of my wisdom, to be able to apply knowledge from books to actual practice so easily."
She was secretly feeling smug.
With a toss of her hand, Gu Yue naturally grabbed Arthur's wrist again and pulled him forward toward the cinema.
Arthur was pulled along by her, his gaze falling on their joined hands, then at the swaying strands of hair on the back of her head.
Suddenly, those inscrutable doubts seemed to fade a little.
No matter what she was planning, at least the warmth of her palm and the sweetness of the dessert in this moment were real.
Arthur gradually lowered his guard.
If someone treats me with sincerity, I shall return it in kind.
Since Gu Yue was treating him like this, Arthur would treat her earnestly until she showed any ill intentions... accompanied by the crisp sound of the ticket collector tearing the tickets.
Gu Yue pulled Arthur toward the back row of the theater, still biting into a piece of the freshly bought dessert cake. The sweet aroma drifted over, mingling with the scent of her perfume.
"Let's sit here," she said, finishing another piece of cake and sitting in a corner loveseat. She placed the bag of desserts between her seat and Arthur's. "I overheard you telling your classmates last time that you like sitting in the back when watching movies."
Arthur was stunned again.
He had only mentioned it casually while chatting with classmates in the classroom last week, saying he'd come to watch a movie when he was tired from his usual Cultivation.
Gu Yue had actually noticed?
So she invited me to a movie because of that too?
Seriously, girl.
What exactly are you trying to do? Are you trying to pick me up?
The movie was about to start, and the lights suddenly dimmed.
In the faint light from the big screen, Arthur tilted his head slightly to look at Gu Yue. He saw her resting her chin on her hand, staring intently at the screen. Her twin tails hung over her shoulders, the strands of hair swaying gently with her breath.
Arthur had to admit that at this moment, Gu Yue was indeed very charming. Her looks didn't even matter; she was already dazzling enough.
But she really seemed to just be watching the movie?
If Gu Yue wanted to pursue him, she should have started making small moves by now. But she hadn't.
Arthur silently dismissed his previous thoughts. The idea of Gu Yue trying to hit on him was still a bit surreal.
Unless she had made a bet with Na'er like in the original story.
Maybe it was because she was a Spirit Beast? She hadn't adapted to human social norms yet, so she appeared to lack a sense of boundaries.
On Gu Yue's side, she really was just watching the movie because that's what the book said—date, watch a movie. It didn't mention anything else.
Time passed, and the movie ended.
Just as Arthur stood up to leave, he was pulled back by Gu Yue.
Checking the time, Gu Yue frowned. She turned to plead with Arthur, "Can you stay for one more with me?"
"I haven't seen enough yet."
Seeing her like this, Arthur swallowed the words he was going to say and scratched his head. "Alright, it's a rare chance to relax today anyway."
He'd put aside his Cultivation for today. It had been a long time since he last relaxed.
"Great!" Gu Yue gave Arthur a quick hug and immediately ran toward the ticket office. "I'll go buy the tickets."
...By the time the second movie ended, night had already fallen.
The lights from the cinema's sign cast colorful spots on the ground.
Gu Yue and Arthur strolled side by side.
There seemed to be a lot of wind today.
The evening breeze lifted her hair, brushing against Arthur's face with a cool, ticklish sensation.
"I didn't expect that watching it again would be even more interesting than the first time," Gu Yue said, waving the ticket stub in her hand, her voice full of joy.
She truly hadn't expected human movies to be so interesting.
Thinking back on everything she had experienced since coming to human society, it really was much more interesting than the Star Dou Great Forest.
From the moment she was split from the Dragon God, she had been besieged by the God Realm.
Afterward, she had been recovering in the Star Dou Great Forest.
Arthur looked at her from the side. The light from the streetlamps fell into her eyes like stars.
He didn't respond to Gu Yue's words.
The two walked along the shadows of the trees by the street. Occasionally, a soul-guided car drove by, its headlights dragging long halos across the ground before vanishing into the night.
Gu Yue talked a lot along the way.
Arthur just listened quietly.
He suddenly understood why Gu Yue was doing all this today.
It was like a mysterious resonance.
The omnipresent elements in the world around them were telling Arthur, this friend of the elements, that their king was too lonely.
It seemed that was indeed the case.
As a king, Gu Yue was born lonely, without friends; those Spirit Beasts were all her subordinates.
The only one she could communicate with as an equal, the Golden Dragon King, had been sealed in the God Realm just as he appeared.
Gu Yue's loneliness was measured in units of ten thousand years.
Even the Vicious Beasts communicated with each other normally.
Reaching the middle of the overpass, the wind grew stronger. Gu Yue, who had been talking incessantly, suddenly stopped.
"Arthur," she turned her head to look at him, her voice very soft. "Thank you... for watching two movies with me."
"It's already late. Let's part ways here." Gu Yue smiled and left him with the sight of her back. "See you at the academy tomorrow."
Arthur gave a soft "mm." In this kind of night, with this kind of company, he actually felt quite good.
He had been Cultivating for the past few years, and while the results were excellent, it seemed he had missed out on a lot of scenery.
With a sudden realization in his heart, Arthur's Spiritual Power reached a Breakthrough at this moment, advancing by a significant margin.
He watched Gu Yue's receding back.
Arthur silently offered a word of thanks.
Perhaps Gu Yue had ulterior motives, but Arthur accepted them.
He was a friend of the elements, and he could be Gu Yue's friend too... Back in her bedroom.
The originally pleasant Gu Yue suddenly turned cold, her temperament completely different from before.
Gu Yue thought silently.
Today should have been quite successful. She could sense that Arthur's emotional fluctuations were much stronger than before.
"Humph, humph."
Looking at herself in the mirror with pride, Gu Yue recalled everything that happened today.
Even she liked this feeling a bit, let alone Arthur.
Little Arthur, easily captured!
It still comes down to my Astonishing Wisdom. Referencing Na'er's suggestions earlier was completely unnecessary.
The lonely Gu Yue was completely unaware.
This wasn't love.
The feeling she liked was that of making a friend for the first time.
And Arthur's strong emotions were a response acknowledging her as a friend.