Lei Xiuyuan chuckled, “I just discovered a way to make money, and it makes me quite happy to think about it.”
The disciples following Song Feng were all eager for his wealth. Upon hearing about a money-making scheme, they immediately became interested. “What’s the method? Do tell us!”
Lei Xiuyuan was straightforward and replied without pretense, “Last time, I saw several senior brothers guiding ordinary disciples in the Cloud Sea. Considering there are tens of thousands of ordinary disciples, and the elders only gather to provide guidance every three days, it’s no wonder they feel anxious. Spending some money to hire disciples from the Cloud Sea for guidance is a viable option.”
Song Feng sneered, “I thought you had something significant to say. It turns out you’re just a newcomer who doesn’t understand the rules. Teaching inappropriate high-level immortal techniques to ordinary disciples can lead to severe punishment! Who are those senior brothers you mentioned? I’ll have to ask the Master!”
Lei Xiuyuan was taken aback. “But I didn’t see them teaching high-level immortal techniques! Is merely giving pointers to ordinary disciples punishable?”
The disciples around Song Feng fell into contemplation. Indeed, this was a good way to make money. The clear distinction between the upper and lower ranks of disciples in Wuyue Court meant they rarely interacted. The upper disciples would never stoop to engage with the lower ones, and unless instructed by their elders, they would not casually visit the ordinary disciples’ areas, as it would be beneath their dignity. The ordinary disciples, often from wealthy families or noble backgrounds, would not expect any favorable treatment from those above them. It was likely that any guidance given would be done discreetly, away from prying eyes.
Most ordinary disciples came from affluent families or even royal lineages, so selecting a few wealthy ones to provide guidance wouldn’t be difficult. They hoped that Lei Xiuyuan’s method wouldn’t attract too much attention.
As Lei Xiuyuan slowly washed his clothes, he said, “My cultivation level is still low, so I don’t dare to teach in the Cloud Sea. However, your senior brothers could give it a try. I’ll ask some other senior brothers if they’re interested. If this works out, it would be mutually beneficial.”
The disciples quickly smiled and said, “Junior Brother Xiuyuan, it’s better not to spread this too widely, right?”
Lei Xiuyuan replied nonchalantly, “I wash clothes and fetch water every day, feeling quite lonely. If I can’t even talk, then cultivation becomes too dull.”
Someone had already moved the clothes aside, helping him up and brushing off the dust from his clothes, joking, “These small tasks should be done by us. Junior Brother Xiuyuan has just arrived at Wuyue Court; he should focus on his cultivation.”
Lei Xiuyuan smiled slightly at the displeased Song Feng and gently said, “Why don’t you give it a try, Senior Brother? With your profound skills, you’re sure to find a lucrative path.”
Song Feng’s face turned pale with anger. He initially wanted to suppress Lei Xiuyuan but was surprised to see him charm away his companions. Being straightforward, he couldn’t help but want to say something unpleasant. Suddenly, a young girl dressed in elite disciple robes appeared before him.
The girl looked to be around twelve or thirteen years old, with skin as white as snow and hair as dark as clouds. She wore a string of glass beads in her hair, making her exceptionally beautiful and charming. As soon as she landed, she curiously examined her surroundings, and a faint, refreshing fragrance wafted through the air, causing Song Feng to instinctively close his mouth.
“Xiuyuan,” she called out.
A hint of surprise finally appeared on Lei Xiuyuan’s usually expressionless face. He hurriedly turned around and walked over quickly. “…What are you doing here?”
Li Fei smiled, “I’ve been looking for you for a while. I can fly much faster now, so I finally came to see you.” She then pulled out two letters sent by Ye Ye and the others from her pocket and added, “Look, Ye Ye, Changyue, and Ji Tongzhou all sent us letters. I brought them for you to read. When their hair arrives, I’ll share some with you, and we can keep in touch regularly.”
This was her first visit to Yaoguang Peak, and the scenery was truly beautiful. Peach blossoms were blooming halfway up the mountain, and compared to the eternal ice and snow of Zhuoyu Peak, it was like a paradise.
She quickly scanned her surroundings and noticed many male disciples staring at her, likely all Lei Xiuyuan’s senior brothers. She friendly nodded at them. Just as Song Feng was about to speak, Lei Xiuyuan suddenly grabbed her sleeve and swiftly flew away. “Come with me.”
They flew to a peach blossom grove halfway up the mountain. Li Fei was dazzled by the vibrant peach blossoms, while below, the greenery stretched for miles, and the peach blossoms blazed like fire. There was no such enchanting scenery in Qingqiu.
“This place is beautiful,” Li Fei inhaled deeply, feeling both warm and fragrant.
Lei Xiuyuan hurriedly read the letters, folded them back, and looked at her for a moment before suddenly smiling. He gently pressed down on her head. “You’ve grown a bit taller since we last met.”
“Maybe next time I’ll be taller than you,” Li Fei laughed. “I have to go now; flying here has exhausted me, and I need to return before noon.”
A small white cloud gathered beneath her feet, and she was ready to leave.
“Wait a moment.” Lei Xiuyuan suddenly raised his hand, plucked a brilliantly blooming peach blossom, and infused it with a layer of wood elemental spiritual energy before handing it to her. “Take this back to play with.”
Li Fei felt a sudden, inexplicable emotion surge within her as she slowly accepted the peach blossom, gently touching its soft petals. She looked up at him, and his eyes, glistening with moisture, seemed to hold a misty depth. For some reason, the words of Senior Sister Zhaomin suddenly echoed in her mind.
She felt an unexplainable tension rise within her. The boy before her was already very familiar; she had seen him at his lowest and most cunning moments. Yet now, he seemed like a stranger. She averted her gaze, feeling it was strange to look directly at him.
“When did you wake up?” Lei Xiuyuan suddenly asked.
Li Fei lost in thought, instinctively replied, “A quarter past the hour of the Rabbit.”
Lei Xiuyuan said lightly, “So you started flying here at the hour of the Rabbit, right?”
Li Fei let out a dry laugh, realizing he had hit the nail on the head. After entering the sect, their training had been intense, and they hadn’t had much time to look at each other. Lei Xiuyuan had only visited her twice. This time, she had finally flown faster, and coincidentally, Ye Ye and the others had sent letters, so she came to see him. In over half a year, they had only met three times… Perhaps that was why he felt so unfamiliar now.
Lei Xiuyuan fell silent. His long sleeves brushed against her arm, light and airy, carrying a faint, cool fragrance, reminiscent of the incense often burned in the main hall.
Li Fei felt increasingly foolish standing there. She had come with so much to say, yet now she had forgotten everything. Seeing that time was running short, she shook the peach blossom and smiled at him. “I’ll head back now. When I can fly faster, I’ll come to see you again.”
When Lei Xiuyuan returned to the disciples’ quarters, he found that Song Feng and the others were still there. Upon seeing him, Song Feng surprisingly asked with a friendly tone, “Xiuyuan, was that little junior sister just now new? Which elder is she a disciple of?”
Lei Xiuyuan tilted his head to glance at him and suddenly asked, “Song Feng, may I ask how old you are this year?”
“Nineteen. Why?” Song Feng replied, puzzled.
Lei Xiuyuan said lightly, “She still has over half a year until she turns thirteen.”
After speaking, he rode on his small white cloud and flew away. Song Feng was left stunned for a long time, pondering the meaning behind his words. Finally, he asked the other disciples beside him in confusion, “What did he mean? Over half a year until she turns thirteen? What’s going on?”
The others couldn’t help but chuckle. One disciple laughed, “Senior Brother Song Feng, Junior Brother Xiuyuan is reminding you not to pursue young girls. That little junior sister is still quite young, only twelve years old.”
Song Feng finally understood, and his face turned beet red. In his anger, he wanted to find Lei Xiuyuan, but he couldn’t locate him, so he stormed around in frustration.
It took over a month for the replies from Ye Ye and Ji Tongzhou to arrive. All three of them had sent hair strands, and there was an additional soft, tender lock of hair tied with a red string, which Changyue mentioned was the胎毛 (胎毛, fetal hair) of Bai Li Gelin.
“They even sent胎毛…” Li Fei was somewhat speechless. She continued reading the letter and realized that there was no way for the two sects, Shanhai and Wuyue, to communicate. The messenger birds couldn’t reach the Donghai Wanjian Conference, and Ye Ye and the others had no means to contact Gelin. It was said that Wuyue Court’s communication technique allowed messages to be sent with hair, so Bai Li Changyue had sent Gelin’s胎毛.
Li Fei felt a surge of excitement and quickly picked up her brush, dipped it in ink, and spread out the letter paper. However, as the pen hovered in her hand, her heart was filled with a thousand words, yet she didn’t know how to express them to Gelin.
Should she ask why Gelin had gone alone to the distant Donghai Wanjian Conference? Now that she was older, she could somewhat guess Gelin’s reasons for leaving. The more she thought about it, the harder it became to voice her questions. Gelin had concealed her feelings so well, only showing a moment of vulnerability in front of her. She must not want Changyue and Ye Ye to be involved.
Was Gelin struggling alone at the Donghai Wanjian Conference? Was her cultivation arduous? Perhaps if it were tough enough, she could leave those worries behind. Time was still long, and they were still young; they would surely meet better people in the future—but such words felt shallow and useless to say.
After thinking for a long time, she finally wrote about her cultivation, mentioning how she flew through the dense spiritual energy of Wuyue Court with her senior sister, from initially crawling like an ox cart to now being able to make a round trip in the morning; in the afternoons, she followed Master Chongyi to carve cauldrons, maintaining five types of immortal techniques on five puppets, often exhausting herself to the point of fainting.
She didn’t mention anything about Ye Ye, quickly finishing her letter. She took a strand of胎毛 and placed it in the letter, then used her magic to ignite it. The letter was instantly consumed by flames, disappearing before her eyes.
After an unknown amount of time, she suddenly noticed the shadows of the candlelight on the table beginning to stir, which soon transformed into several words, elegant, written in Bai Li Gelin’s handwriting: “All is well, do not worry.”
Li Fei was both surprised and overjoyed. Was this the communication technique of the Donghai Wanjian Conference? Shadows turning into words? It was far more interesting than Wuyue Court’s communication technique!
She hurriedly wrote several letters and burned them together, finally mentioning the胎毛 sent by Ye Ye and the others. However, this time, she waited until nearly dawn, and Gelin did not respond at all.
Li Fei pushed open the window, and outside, the wind and snow raged, the world was frozen for miles. She felt uncertain about whether to tell Ye Ye and the others about this. Perhaps Gelin wouldn’t want her to speak of it; otherwise, she wouldn’t have remained silent for so long.
For some reason, Li Fei suddenly recalled that night in the Wangfu, when Gelin had leaned beside Ye Ye, silently shedding tears. The hopeless feelings had driven her to flee thousands of miles away. Li Fei felt as if she could finally understand Gelin’s emotions a little.
Perhaps leaving was the best choice. Facing the unfamiliar and boundless Donghai, would Gelin’s heart find a bit of peace?
With a sigh, Li Fei closed the window. Dawn was approaching. She lowered her head to extinguish the candle, only to see a line of shadowy words appear on the table: “Li Fei, I miss you all. Don’t tell Ye Ye and Sister.”
She was momentarily stunned, slowly sinking back into her chair, her nose feeling slightly sour, overwhelmed by a mix of emotions that were difficult to express.
—