It was still one quarter-hour before dawn. Xuan Yi walked toward the bell tower while yawning.

She had never gotten up this early. It felt quite unusual. Moreover, this place was different from Purple Manor—once night fell, the wind howled incessantly, causing her to sleep poorly all night.

Also, the food here wasn’t tasty either… Sigh, Qi Nan, oh Qi Nan, do you know how hard your princess has it?

Xuan Yi painfully yawned again.

The sky wasn’t fully bright yet, and thin mist filled the three hundred courtyards. Fortunately, the purple sun flowers by the roadside bloomed quite conspicuously, so she wouldn’t get lost.

Just as she was about to reach the bell tower, she suddenly heard low voices speaking in the thin mist ahead. Xuan Yi stopped in her tracks and listened with her ear cocked. It was faintly a soft, gentle woman’s voice.

“You spent the entire day yesterday with Yan Xia and didn’t say a single word to me. Are you still angry with me?”

Soon, a soft, languid voice responded: “When have I ever been angry with you? You just love to overthink things.”

This was Shaoyi’s voice? Xuan Yi rubbed her eyes. Her gaze penetrated the thin mist, falling accurately on two figures beneath the bell tower. One had a tall, slender figure, the other wore gorgeous, flamboyant clothing—they were Princess Fu Luo and Divine Lord Shaoyi.

Princess Fu Luo’s eyes carried a trace of resentment. She stared fixedly at Shaoyi and said in a low voice: “You always love to say these things to deceive me into feeling at ease, but actually I know—you do blame me in your heart, otherwise you wouldn’t have ignored me yesterday. But what exactly do you want me to do? My betrothal to Gu Ting was arranged by our parents. He’s always treated me very well. I can’t let him be heartbroken.”

Shaoyi laughed once, raising his hand to brush aside the stray hair by her ear, saying gently: “Silly child, I told you your little mind always thinks too many things. You didn’t sleep all night, did you? Your eyes are red.”

Princess Fu Luo’s face reddened as she lowered her pink neck slightly, her voice becoming very small: “But yesterday, you kept laughing and talking with Yan Xia, and didn’t say a single word to me.”

“Little vinegar jar.” Shaoyi pinched her chin, shaking it playfully twice. “Why don’t you make a cage and tie me up inside? That way, when I open my eyes, I’ll only see you, and when I want to talk, there’ll only be you.”

Princess Fu Luo bit her lower lip, saying in a sweet voice: “Those are your own words. In the future, I really will make you a cage!”

His low, soft laughter sounded ticklish to the heart: “Go ahead and make it. Lock me up, and I’ll be yours alone.”

Xuan Yi rubbed her dry eyes. So tired. She still wanted to go back for a nap.

She made her footsteps heavier, passed through the thin mist, and walked straight toward the bell tower.

Seeming to hear footsteps, Princess Fu Luo suddenly transformed into a wisp of blue smoke and ran away extremely fast, leaving only Shaoyi alone standing beneath the bell tower with his hands behind his back, looking at Xuan Yi with composed laughter.

“Little Loach, how long were you eavesdropping?” His voice remained gentle and languid.

Xuan Yi said indifferently: “In broad daylight, what eavesdropping is there to speak of?”

Shaoyi touched his chin with some surprise: “Eh? You’re right, it indeed doesn’t count as eavesdropping. Hmm… Instead of sleeping properly, why did you run to the bell tower before daybreak?”

Xuan Yi sighed: “Master told me yesterday that among the disciples, I’m now the most junior in seniority, so from now on the duty of ringing the bell at dawn falls to me.”

Shaoyi couldn’t help but laugh: “Master truly doesn’t know how to show tender care for beautiful women. How could he make Junior Martial Sister ring the bell at dawn? Go back and sleep. From now on, Senior Martial Brother will ring the bell.”

Really? Xuan Yi’s eyes lit up.

He laughed again, slowly moving closer. He gently straightened her crooked shawl, his fingertips lightly brushing across her arm.

“Besides this, don’t you have anything else you want to say?” His face was full of curiosity.

Xuan Yi thought for a moment: “Senior Martial Brother Shaoyi.”

“Mm?”

“If you want to take a nap today, better not go to Ice and Snow Hall.”

He immediately laughed helplessly, making a gesture to flick her forehead: “Hurry back, Little Loach.”

The crystal jar contained bright red, fragrant nail dye paste. Xuan Yi carefully removed a thin silk cotton that had been soaking inside and gently applied it to her nails. Her slender, transparent nails were soon dyed a vivid red.

Looking at the sky, the hour of the Dragon should be arriving soon. She lowered her head and blew gently on her nails several times, hoping the nail dye paste would dry quickly.

No matter what, this was her first lesson after taking Master, so she couldn’t be late.

After a short while, she suddenly heard an immortal servant calling from outside the window: “Princess? Princess Xuan Yi? Are you up yet?”

Xuan Yi exhaled, and the snow-white ice window opened with a whoosh. She tilted her head to look outside and saw yesterday’s puffed-up little immortal servant standing beneath the window. Well, today he still looked puffed up.

“What is it?” She continued blowing on her nails, then looked at the sky again. The hour of the Dragon hasn’t arrived yet, has it?

The immortal servant said: “The Imperial Lord just gave instructions. For his lecture today, he needs several props, but he forgot to fetch them. He commands that you and Divine Lord Fucang go together and must bring them back before the hour of the Serpent.”

Xuan Yi’s nail-blowing motion paused: “Why is he calling me and Fucang to go together?”

“Because you two are the new disciples. Usually, these miscellaneous tasks are assigned to new disciples.”

The immortal servant respectfully presented a small mugwort-green note, adding: “The Imperial Lord has already written the needed items on it. Please hurry there and back, Princess and Divine Lord.”

…Before even starting the lesson, he’s already begun ordering the disciples around.

Xuan Yi opened the small mugwort-green note and saw written on it: “Radiance of the Sun, three strands; Essence of Moonlight, three pieces; hair of Divine Lord Feilian, three strands.”

The first two items seemed reasonable, but what did Divine Lord Feilian’s hair mean? Did they want her to run before Divine Lord Feilian and ask him to pull out three strands of hair? She had long heard that Imperial Lord Baize liked collecting strange and unusual treasures—turned out he made his disciples run errands for them.

She tossed the small note aside: “I don’t want to go.”

The immortal servant was startled: “Not go? This… The Imperial Lord is your master. How can you not go when he gives instructions?”

“Because it looks very troublesome.” Xuan Yi complained while blowing on her nails. “If Master wants something, can’t he get it himself?”

The immortal servant stared at her dumbfounded. He had been an immortal servant at Imperial Lord Baize’s Mingxing Hall for over ten thousand years. Disciples came and went, but there had never been one as audaciously unruly as her. Yesterday she covered Tongjing Hall completely with ice and snow, today she’s disregarding the master’s assigned task again. Did she come here to study or to cause trouble?

“…Divine Lord Fucang and Divine Lord Gu Ting have already departed. Princess, Princess please hurry as well.” He pretended not to hear what she just said and continued urging.

Xuan Yi said with surprise: “Why is Senior Martial Brother Gu Ting going too?”

“You and Divine Lord Fucang are new disciples. The Imperial Lord feared you two couldn’t handle it, so he instructed Divine Lord Gu Ting to assist from the side.”

Xuan Yi thought for another moment, then suddenly nodded in agreement: “Fine, I’ll go.”

She put on her shawl and leisurely arrived outside Mingxing Hall. Fucang and Gu Ting had already arrived long ago. The two divine lords were seriously pondering the items written on the small mugwort-green note, looking quite solemn.

“Divine Lord Feilian has a gloomy and violent temper. At the slightest disagreement, he loves to fight. He’s truly a hedgehog of a divine lord. Many of Master’s disciples have suffered under him, yet none have ever managed to bring back his hair. Who would have thought Master would still covet his hair to this day?”

While Gu Ting spoke, he frowned. The corner of his eye suddenly caught sight of Xuan Yi, and he turned his head to say indifferently: “Princess Xuan Yi, Master instructed that we must bring these things back before the hour of the Serpent. For the sake of speed, why don’t we split up? You go fetch the Radiance of the Sun, while Fucang and I head to Wangshu Palace to fetch the Essence of Moonlight and Divine Lord Feilian’s hair. How’s that?”

He still only addressed her as “Princess Xuan Yi,” appearing quite distant.

Xuan Yi looked at him with smiling eyes: “Senior Martial Brother Gu Ting’s suggestion is naturally good, but I’ve never left Zhongshan since childhood and don’t know the roads at all. I’m afraid I’d actually delay matters instead. Better if I follow you senior martial brothers—it’ll also let me broaden my horizons.”

This reason was entirely reasonable and proper. Gu Ting momentarily didn’t know how to refute it, and could only silently rise on clouds. Fucang followed behind with a cold expression, and Xuan Yi also followed behind at a comfortable distance with smiling eyes, riding the wind.

“Senior Martial Brother Gu Ting,” after flying for less than a moment, Xuan Yi suddenly called out to him. “I heard that you and Senior Martial Sister Fu Luo have a betrothal. Is it true?”

Gu Ting’s voice was cold: “That’s correct. Where did you hear this?”

“I heard Senior Martial Sister Fu Luo say it herself.” She blinked. “You’re so young yet already have a betrothal—will you regret it later?”

Gu Ting’s brows furrowed tightly: “You speak inaccurately. When did Fu Luo ever talk with you? When you meet a compatible and loving partner, what’s wrong with making a betrothal early?”

“Compatible and loving.” She repeated once, laughing softly.

Gu Ting had an extremely poor impression of her and immediately said coldly: “What are you laughing at?”

Xuan Yi pursed her lips and blew away the long hair stuck to her eyelashes: “Senior Martial Brother and Senior Martial Sister are a heaven-made match. I’m so envious.”

Her slow and soft voice always seemed to carry a trace of cold mockery. Gu Ting couldn’t help but be furious. He wanted to truly argue with her, yet that would really look unseemly, so he could only forcefully swallow his anger.