On the third day of the eighth month, Huaguang County was blessed with beautiful weather. Before dawn, the children had already left the inn. Today was the day they would enter the Chufeng Academy, and everyone was so excited they barely slept. As soon as they stepped out, they hurried to hire carriages, aiming to reach Zhao Gong Shrine, which was over ten miles away, before noon. The rainbow deer carriage would be waiting there to take them to the academy.
On the way, Bai Li Gelin chattered incessantly like a little sparrow: “What do you think the academy will be like? Is it built on a mountain? Or by the sea? It would be great if it’s by the sea, I’ve never seen the ocean before!”
“I’ve heard that Chufeng Academy is in a place inaccessible to ordinary people, probably protected by powerful immortal magic. I guess it might be underwater or underground,” Ye Ye eagerly joined the discussion.
Lei Xiuyuan mumbled, “Underwater? Wouldn’t we drown before even reaching the academy?”
“With immortal magic, we shouldn’t worry about such things,” Xiao Bang Chui interjected. “I also think it might be underwater.”
They tirelessly speculated about the academy’s appearance, even discussing whether the cultivation instructors would be male or female, beautiful or ugly, old or young. It was the happiest day of their lives. The future seemed mysterious and full of promise. This was their first step into the realm of immortals, and even entering a formal sect a year later wouldn’t bring the same joy and anticipation as today.
They soon arrived at Zhao Gong Shrine. Strangely, there was no one around, and the walls and houses on both sides of the small street were covered with bright yellow cloth. Rows of imposing armored guards stood on both sides of the street, and as soon as the children approached, they were stopped by weapons.
“Insolent commoners! This road is closed today. Get lost immediately!” The guards, seeing that they were poorly dressed children, immediately drove them away.
“But we need to go to Zhao Gong Shrine. Today is…” Before Bai Li Gelin could finish, he was rudely interrupted: “We don’t care where you’re going! A great noble is visiting Zhao Gong Shrine today. Don’t dirty this place! Get lost!”
This arrogant attitude immediately angered the short-tempered Xiao Bang Chui and Bai Li Changyue. As they were about to lose their temper, Ye Ye quietly tugged at them from behind and stepped forward with a smile. “Brother, we are new disciples of Chufeng Academy, entering school today. We have name tags here. Please let us through.”
However, upon hearing “Chufeng Academy,” the guards immediately surrounded them. The leader sneered, “So we’ve been waiting for you! Quick! Seize them all and chain them up! Mere commoners dare to study alongside our prince? Only Prince Ying is worthy of entering the academy! Today, you’ll come but never leave!”
With a wave of his hand, the guards charged forward with chains and ropes, apparently prepared in advance. Just as they were about to capture the five, a sudden gust of wind swept up sand and stones. Everyone instinctively closed their eyes, and when the wind died down and they opened their eyes again, the five children had vanished.
“They had chains and ropes ready. They must have planned this!” Bai Li Gelin whispered angrily, crouching on the shrine wall. “They wanted to capture all the other students entering the academy?!”
Ye Ye pondered for a moment before saying, “It must be ordered from above. You heard what he said, only their prince is worthy of entering the academy. The royal family must be trying to suppress others’ cultivation paths. This isn’t uncommon.”
“But what if some of the selected students are nobles from other countries? Isn’t this inappropriate?” Lei Xiuyuan asked.
Ye Ye shook his head. “Firstly, this is within Yue Kingdom’s borders. Secondly, I’ve heard that Master Xuanshan Zi of Xingzheng Hall is from the Yue royal family. With such a powerful immortal backing them, Yue Kingdom has been expanding its territory year after year, hence their arrogance.”
Lei Xiuyuan was surprised. “If Xuanshan Zi is from the Yue royal family, why not directly take that young prince as a disciple in Xingzheng Hall?”
Ji Tongzhou’s talent was exceptional, and his clan had powerful immortal ancestors. There was no need for him to come to Chufeng Academy.
“Hmph, immortals are peaceful and impartial, friendly to all. They wouldn’t allow such things!” Bai Li Gelin still had a good impression of immortals.
Ye Ye smiled. “How could immortals be peaceful and without conflict? Cultivation itself goes against heaven’s will. Birth, aging, sickness, and death are the natural way… Immortals are often more utilitarian and ambitious than mortals. As for that young prince, how can we outsiders guess the reasons? Let’s not dwell on this. Let’s go around to the front and take a look.”
They crawled along the shrine wall and soon reached the back door. As expected, both front and back doors were heavily guarded. In the backyard, a rainbow deer carriage was parked. In a nearby pavilion, only the Black Veil Lady, Ji Tongzhou, Princess Lanya, and another young man in bright yellow robes were present. Apart from them, the spacious backyard was empty. It seemed that the other children had been driven away by the guards outside and still hadn’t managed to enter.
“Is that the emperor?” Xiao Bang Chui asked, noticing the dragon patterns embroidered on the man’s clothes.
“Ah, it must be the emperor of the Yue Kingdom,” Lei Xiuyuan nodded. The children pricked up their ears to listen to their conversation. The emperor was smiling as he said, “It’s noon already. Why doesn’t the immortal set off?”
The Black Veil Lady’s voice was as cold as ice: “Not everyone is here yet.”
The emperor said, “They must have been delayed on the way. No need to wait.”
The Black Veil Lady laughed coldly: “Then I must ask Your Majesty about that.”
The emperor played dumb: “Immortal, you speak in error. How would I know?”
The Black Veil Lady stood up and walked out of the pavilion. She looked around and said calmly, “Your Majesty, although you are the ruler of a country, there is no distinction between noble and common in our immortal sect. There is only a difference in strength. Your grand display today, even driving others away, is selfish and not a good deed. I hope you won’t do this again in the future.”
She threw a vermilion talisman into the air, and in an instant, a red dragon with bared fangs and brandishing claws appeared in the sky. It breathed flames as it circled the shrine once. Suddenly, flames shot up outside, accompanied by screams.
The three people in the pavilion immediately changed color. The emperor urgently said, “Immortal! What are you doing?! Please show mercy!”
The Black Veil Lady ignored him and simply looked up, saying, “All of you, come down now.”
With a rustle, more than a dozen children jumped out from various hiding places – walls, trees, roof beams. They had all been avoiding capture by the guards. Xiao Bang Chui and the others also jumped into the backyard. The emperor’s face turned green as he repeatedly called out, “You… Where did you… Guards! Guards!”
Bai Li Gelin, who had been holding back his anger, shouted, “Stop calling! Your guards can’t hear you! How outrageous! The academy isn’t your private property! What right do you have to block the way and capture people?!”
The emperor suddenly fell silent. He looked at the Black Veil Lady with a gloomy expression, “Immortal, Huaguang County is within Yue Kingdom’s borders! Even if you are an honored guest of the immortal sect, how can you set fires and harm people?!”
The Black Veil Lady snapped her fingers, and instantly, the fire went out, the smoke dissipated, and everything around became silent. It was as if nothing had happened. The emperor’s expression changed again, and he hurriedly shouted, “Guards! Guards!”
The main gate was quickly opened, and a large group of guards rushed in aggressively. They had no burn marks or other injuries. The fierce flames, thick smoke, and screams from earlier seemed like an unreal nightmare. The emperor finally began to panic in earnest and urgently said, “Prepare the imperial carriage! We’re leaving this place!”
The magnificent golden imperial carriage was right at the gate. The emperor, supported by his guards, rushed out without looking back. Ji Tongzhou couldn’t help but call out, “Imperial Brother…”
The emperor shook his head, “We’re returning to the palace. Everything depends on you. Don’t disappoint us.”
The carriage quickly departed, and the yellow cloth blocking the street was removed. The children all quietly sighed in relief. Ye Ye whispered, “Arrogant, extravagant, blindly self-important, bullying the weak… The Yue Kingdom is doomed. If the royal family is like this, what about the nobles and officials? Even with Master Xuanshan Zi’s support, what of it? Immortals also have their day of departure. I’m afraid before that young prince can grow up, they’ll face a catastrophe.”
Lei Xiuyuan added, “Just like the former Gaul Kingdom.”
Ye Ye’s expression changed slightly. After a moment, he sighed deeply and said no more.
Since everyone had arrived, they boarded the rainbow deer carriage in order. Inside, it was still a sea of pear blossoms with an exquisite courtyard. Just as Xiao Bang Chui arrived under the pear blossom tree, she saw the Black Veil Lady slowly approaching, saying, “Come with me.”
Her? What could it be about? Xiao Bang Chui followed the Black Veil Lady through the pear blossom forest with a heart full of doubts. After crossing a wooden bridge, there was a small courtyard on the other side. The Black Veil Lady gently knocked on the door, her voice more respectful and solemn than usual: “Master Zuoqiu, I’ve brought the child.”
An old male voice soon responded from inside: “Come in.”
The door opened silently. Xiao Bang Chui was a bit nervous. Why was she called here alone? Who was Master Zuoqiu?
The Black Veil Lady led her in. Behind a bamboo table sat an old man with white hair, intently reading a book without looking up. He waved at them: “Come, sit.”
The bamboo chair was pulled out silently. Xiao Bang Chui didn’t dare to breathe and sat down across from him as instructed. The old man finally closed his book.
He looked extremely old, probably around ninety, but his gaze was exceptionally clear, his eyes distinctly black and white. As soon as Xiao Bang Chui made eye contact with him, her heart started racing nervously. It felt as if no secret could be hidden from those eyes.
What was he looking at? Why wasn’t he speaking? Had he discovered the fox spirit inside her? She tried her best to conceal her uneasiness.
Master Zuoqiu’s thoughts were also quite complex. With his keen eye, he could immediately see that Xiao Bang Chui’s aptitude wasn’t exceptional. However, her performance in the forest was truly surprising. The miasma in the forest couldn’t touch her at all. There was a barrier about three feet around her, completely isolating the demonic energy and miasma. More interestingly, he could faintly sense that this child contained an enormous amount of spiritual energy.
What was the reason for this?
Come to think of it, the energy imbued in the white paper was said to be from the legendary nine-tailed fox spirit. Countless high-level immortals had hunted it for many years without completely eradicating it. In the end, they could only obtain some of its demonic energy and seal it away. Only children who could withstand this enormous demonic power were truly exceptionally talented. The academy always selected real geniuses.
This little girl had ordinary aptitude, yet she could do things beyond normal people’s capabilities. Could she be some rare special constitution seen only once in a thousand years? Or did she possess some powerful magical item?
He scrutinized her carefully and suddenly noticed a string of evil-repelling fragrant beads on her wrist. They looked familiar. If he wasn’t mistaken, they should be the personal belongings of Dongyang Zhenren from Wuyue Hall. Could Dongyang Zhenren have given them to her? Were these beads protecting her?
Master Zuoqiu suddenly smiled slightly: “Little girl, the beads on your hand look familiar. Can I take a look?”
Was he referring to the evil-repelling beads given by Dongyang Zhenren? Xiao Bang Chui obediently removed the beads and placed them in his palm. He carefully rubbed the beads but said nothing.
“Light the incense,” he suddenly instructed the Black Veil Lady.
The Black Veil Lady immediately lit a completely black incense stick in the center. As the blue smoke spread, there was a strange smell. Xiao Bang Chui couldn’t help but sneeze.
Master Zuoqiu watched her quietly and then said, “Don’t like the smell of this incense?”
“It’s okay,” Xiao Bang Chui couldn’t figure out what they were up to and could only respond as best she could.
“This is miasma incense,” Master Zuoqiu put the evil-repelling beads aside and smiled at her again. “It’s made from the skin, fur, and bone marrow of demonic creatures. The miasma that filled the forest during the second selection came from this.”
…So? Xiao Bang Chui still couldn’t understand what he was trying to say.
“In my opinion, what made the miasma avoid you wasn’t this string of evil-repelling beads,” Master Zuoqiu smiled at her. “It was you. Haven’t you noticed anything different about yourself since you were young? Have you never been bitten by mosquitoes? Never encountered wild beasts?”
Xiao Bang Chui was surprised and her mouth fell open. Now that he mentioned it, she realized it was indeed true. Her master often had fleas and lice, but she had never been bothered by insects. She had thought it was because she was cleaner than her master.
She held her breath, waiting for Master Zuoqiu to say more about her special constitution, but he fell silent again.
After a moment, he suddenly said, “Where’s your name tag? Take it out.”
Xiao Bang Chui handed him the name tag. Master Zuoqiu saw the three characters “Xiao Bang Chui” written in brush on it and smiled again.
“You’re an orphan, raised by your master, right?”
She nodded and told him about how her master had picked her up from the river and his sudden departure.
“Let’s keep ‘Xiao Bang Chui’ as your nickname. A person should have a proper name. Since you’re a girl and were raised by your master, we’ll use ‘Jiang’ as your surname, meaning ‘raising a daughter.’ Your master saw you in the river at dawn, and dawn is ‘Li Ming,’ so you could be called Jiang Li. However, ‘Jiang Li’ sounds like ‘will leave,’ which is inauspicious. Since you hope to find your master, you shouldn’t ‘leave.’ ‘Fei’ means ‘to oppose.’ Xiao Bang Chui, from today on, your surname is Jiang, and your name is Li Fei.”
After Master Zuoqiu finished his long explanation, mixing classical and vernacular language, he held the name tag in his palm and gently brushed it. The three characters “Xiao Bang Chui” instantly disappeared, and her new name was neatly engraved in seal script on the front of the name tag: Jiang Li Fei.
He handed the complete name tag to her. Xiao Bang Chui felt as if she were in a dream. She gently stroked the three characters, Jiang Li Fei. She had a name now? After this string of words, half of which she couldn’t understand, she suddenly had a name.
Seeing that she hadn’t reacted for a long time, the Black Veil Lady gently touched her and said, “Master Zuoqiu has given you a name. You should thank him.”
Xiao Bang Chui mumbled, “But I… Xiao Bang Chui… my master…”
She felt that having a new name was like abandoning the name Xiao Bang Chui. This feeling was as if she were forgetting her master. She felt a bit sad and uncomfortable.
Master Zuoqiu smiled and put the evil-repelling beads back on her wrist. He said gently, “Jiang Li Fei is Xiao Bang Chui, and Xiao Bang Chui is Jiang Li Fei. Since your master gave you a nickname, and since I am also somewhat like a master to you, I will give you a proper name. When your master hears it, she will be pleased.”
She thought for a moment, then nodded silently, respectfully bowing to him. “Thank you, Master Zuo Qiu, for giving me a name.”
Master Zuo Qiu laughed heartily. Suddenly, his body transformed into a wisp of white smoke and vanished, leaving behind a fresh green bamboo. Xiao Bang Chui was slightly startled, and the woman in black explained, “Master Zuo Qiu did not come in person; he manifested through the bamboo. He has now returned.”
I see. Xiao Bang Chui—no, she should now be called Jiang Li Fei—looked up. On this day of her tenth birthday, she finally had a formal surname and given name. The beggar-like Xiao Bang Chui was now a thing of the past.