After a lengthy discussion among the teachers, Hu Jiaping cheerfully announced, “Since the disciples have just undergone a rigorous cultivation test this morning, let’s give them a half-day off.”
If it had been yesterday, the disciples might have happily gone off to play, but after being dismissed from the training ground this morning, no one had the heart to have fun. Most of them stayed behind, continuing to practice diligently, trying to further refine their skills.
Seeing their earnestness, Lin You was surprised. “Hu, how did you manage to teach these kids to work so hard?”
Hu Jiaping smiled. “It’s nothing much; I just sent off two unqualified ones this morning.”
Luo Chengji sighed a bit. “At such a young age, they’ve already experienced this kind of harshness. The innocence of childhood is no longer present.”
“To go against the heavens, how can one talk about innocence? In the future, the four of you will have to teach them to become useful. I have matters to attend to, so I’ll take my leave,” Hu Jiaping said, and in the blink of an eye, he vanished from the training ground.
Li Fei didn’t linger at the training ground for long. Ri Yan mentioned that the process of spirit absorption should not be seen by anyone. After chatting with Bai Li Gelin and the others for a while, she flew off on her sword, seeking a secluded floating island to practice spirit absorption.
As she passed by a small island blooming with red flowers, she couldn’t help but glance at it again. The academy’s climate was no different from the mundane world outside. It was mid-September, not the season for flowers to bloom, making the vibrant red flowers on that island seem quite out of place. She needed to think of a way to keep more people from discovering it.
With that thought, she unconsciously changed direction and gently landed at the edge of the island.
A gentle breeze brushed against her cheeks, carrying the delicate fragrance of the red flowers. The blue sky, white clouds, green mountains, flowing water, and red flowers created an incredibly beautiful scene. Li Fei carefully walked among the flowers, glancing around, unsure if someone might suddenly appear. She had to be cautious.
Suddenly, two beams of golden light flashed in the sky. Without thinking, Li Fei instinctively dropped to the ground, and the tall grass and red flowers quickly swallowed her small figure.
Who was it? Lei Xiuyuan? She moved slightly, straining her ears to listen intently. Just then, a hand suddenly gripped her shoulder from behind. The shock was immense; she opened her mouth to scream, but the hand quickly covered her mouth, and another arm wrapped tightly around her. A familiar voice whispered in her ear, “Don’t move, don’t scream.”
Lei Xiuyuan?! Li Fei was so shocked that her whole body stiffened. Had he been hiding here waiting for her? What did he want?! Was he planning to kill her secretly?!
At this thought, she instinctively struggled. He tightened his grip on her shoulder, his arm like an iron band, and the hand covering her mouth pressed down harder. She felt as if her jaw might break, and with her nose pinched, she couldn’t breathe, making her struggle even more desperately.
“If you move again, I really will kill you.” His voice was cold and devoid of emotion. She had no doubt he could do it, so she immediately stopped struggling.
Ri Yan was likely asleep again, making no sound. If she used spirit absorption now, would it draw the spiritual energy from Lei Xiuyuan?
Just then, a delicate, cold voice rang out nearby, “Ping Shao, why have you been following me these days?”
There were others? Could the two beams of golden light in the sky have been from that woman in black? Who was Ping Shao?
Li Fei quickly halted the swirling spiritual energy within her, lying on the ground in confusion. Behind her, Lei Xiuyuan relaxed his grip slightly, but his fingers still lightly held her face to prevent her from suddenly screaming.
Hu Jiaping’s cheerful voice suddenly sounded, “Ah Mu, you’ve been avoiding me for years.”
Oh? Ping Shao was Hu Jiaping? Did he know the woman in black before?
“That’s not true. I was sent by my master to Chufeng Academy as a guard. How could I be avoiding you?”
Hu Jiaping replied calmly, “I didn’t expect my master to send you to Chufeng Academy. If I had known you were here, I would have preferred to be just a teacher at the academy from now on.”
The woman in black laughed coldly. “The master has always praised you as a genius, yet you say such unambitious things for a woman! Moreover, this woman is not even human; she is just a tool spirit!”
He was silent for a moment, then suddenly sighed. “I mean, I’ve become an immortal, living for hundreds or thousands of years, alone. What’s the point? If you were with me, I would be willing to continue being a genius. Otherwise, being a fool isn’t so bad either.”
“Unambitious!” The woman in black tossed this remark aside as if to leave, but unexpectedly, he grabbed the long black veil that covered her from head to toe. The sound of thin fabric tearing echoed, accompanied by the woman’s startled exclamation. Li Fei felt incredibly embarrassed. Were these two adults out of their minds? They should be more restrained in broad daylight!
Having lain in the grass for a long time, the soft grass tickled her face, making it itchy and numb. Lei Xiuyuan remained silent behind her. She didn’t dare move, feeling as uncomfortable as possible. Whenever she tried to shift, his fingers on her face would react immediately, making her feel as if her jaw might dislocate.
“You haven’t changed at all.” Hu Jiaping suddenly seemed to be in a good mood, smiling. “You talk tough, but your eyes show you care about me.”
The woman in black remained silent for a long time before finally speaking. “Ping Shao, you have been stubborn all these years. I have never blamed you for the broken blade; you don’t need to say these things out of pity for me. The treasured sword is broken, and I am of no use to the master anymore. A useless tool spirit can still receive the master’s care by being sent to the academy as a guard. I am already grateful. I have resolved to forget the past; why don’t you also let go of your burdens?”
Hu Jiaping laughed. “No, I won’t let go.”
“You’re no longer a little brat, yet you’re still so willful?”
“I’ve been willful for more than a day or two; you should know that by now.”
The woman in black was speechless, but Hu Jiaping continued, “You know whether I pity you or not. Those grandiose words are for the master; they don’t work on me. The sea has fallen, and I’ve heard there’s a strange fire overseas that can split mountains and rocks. I will find it for you and reforge the broken blade.”
The woman in black was taken aback. “Strange fire overseas?! You… how can you be so reckless?!”
Hu Jiaping laughed heartily. “For you, I feel like I could become an immortal tomorrow.”
“You’re still so smooth-tongued.” The woman in black seemed to sigh. “I don’t want the blade reforged. Life at the academy is nice, relaxed, and easy. I’ve never lived like this before. At first, I was a bit unaccustomed, but now I feel much better than before.”
Hu Jiaping said softly, “Ah Mu, if you want to stay at the academy, then stay; if you want to reforge the blade and return to the master as a tool spirit, I will help you—whatever you want, I will support you. So, don’t avoid me anymore. I don’t want to force you; you know me, a rogue man. The more you avoid me, the more I will chase you. If you get angry, I will still chase you.”
The woman in black suddenly chuckled softly. “You are a rogue.”
After that, there was a long silence. Li Fei quietly breathed a sigh of relief. Were they leaving? She wanted to move her numb feet, but the next moment, Lei Xiuyuan’s fingers tightened on her chin, his voice low: “Don’t move; they haven’t left.”
She felt as if her chin might truly be dislocated. Anger surged within her, and she clawed at his hand on her shoulder, digging her nails into his flesh with all her might. She felt blood begin to flow from his hand, yet he remained motionless, silent, allowing her to scratch him.
Suddenly, Hu Jiaping’s voice rang out again. It seemed he had picked a red flower and said gently, “It’s August, yet these red flowers are blooming beautifully, giving me an opportunity. Fragrant flowers for a beautiful person.”
The woman in black sounded flustered. “I… I shouldn’t have… I must go; Master Zuoqiu may have something to say.”
Her footsteps were light as she prepared to leave, but Hu Jiaping suddenly called out, “Ah Mu, can I see you again tonight?”
Whether she answered or not was unclear; the wind howled past, and she must have flown far away on her sword. Hu Jiaping stood silently for a long time before suddenly speaking again, “Those two little ghosts eavesdropping over there, aren’t you coming out? Are you waiting for me to drag you out?”
Discovered?! Li Fei felt Lei Xiuyuan quickly release her. Gaining her freedom, she immediately stood up to stretch her limbs; one side of her body had gone numb!
Hu Jiaping looked to be in a great mood, frowning in a mock-serious manner that only made him look more amused. He walked up to the two of them, noticing they were covered in grass and flower petals, and that Li Fei’s face was flushed from her nose to her mouth. He couldn’t help but scold, “At such a young age, you’re not learning properly. Your cultivation hasn’t even taken shape, yet you’re already so skilled in love!”
What love?! Li Fei opened her mouth to argue, but she heard Lei Xiuyuan ask, “Sir, how did you discover us?”
Hu Jiaping tried to maintain a stern expression, but his good mood was evident in his eyes. “The spiritual energy over there stirred a bit; who wouldn’t notice? Considering your young age and diligent cultivation, I’ll let you off this time. Next time you want to talk about love, find a place where no one is around!”
What talking about love?! Li Fei exclaimed, “I’m not…”
“I know,” Lei Xiuyuan interrupted her, suddenly holding her hand, his expression gentle and shy. He said bashfully, “Sir, I’m sorry. Fei Fei and I truly fell in love at first sight and couldn’t help ourselves. We won’t do this again next time.”
Fei… Fei? Li Fei shook off his hand angrily, saying, “He’s talking nonsense! Sir, I’m not in love!”
Hu Jiaping looked unconvinced, casually smiling. “Oh? Then what were you two doing hiding in the grass? Practicing somersaults? Or catching bugs? By the way, why did the flowers suddenly bloom here? Did you see any strange phenomena?”
Lei Xiuyuan exclaimed loudly, “Oh, the flowers blooming is because…”
“We didn’t see anything!” This time, it was Li Fei who interrupted him.
They both had secrets they couldn’t reveal. Lei Xiuyuan used the excuse of talking about love to dispel Hu Jiaping’s suspicions. If she forced a rebuttal, he would surely retaliate, and she didn’t want to escalate things to that level. Lei Xiuyuan was cunning and mysterious, far beyond her expectations, so she had to be on high alert.
Li Fei clung to his sleeve, lowering her head and stammering, “We… we were busy talking about love, so we didn’t notice anything, right… Xiuyuan?”
Lei Xiuyuan nodded, blushing. “Yes, sir.”
Seeing the two of them, so young yet so affectionate, Hu Jiaping couldn’t help but shake his head. The world was indeed changing; even ten-year-olds were starting to talk about love! It suddenly made him feel like he was getting old.
“It’s getting late; hurry back to the disciples’ quarters,” he said, shaking his head. “Don’t linger here.”
The two of them silently flew off on their swords, landing on the island where the disciples’ quarters were located. After landing, Lei Xiuyuan walked away without a word. Li Fei felt a mix of anger, shame, frustration, and curiosity boiling within her. She couldn’t help but call out, “Wait a minute!”
He stopped, turning to look at her with an expressionless face.
This person could change his expression so quickly; he could cry or blush at will. How had he developed such a skill?
“What do you want to do on that island?” she couldn’t help but ask.
Lei Xiuyuan replied coolly, “What about you? What do you want to do on that island?”
Li Fei was momentarily speechless. She was only suspicious of him watching her; she didn’t have any certainty. She couldn’t just directly ask him about her secret, could she?
“It hurts.” Lei Xiuyuan touched the back of his hand where she had scratched him, glancing at her. “Are you a cat?”
With that, he turned and left. Li Fei stared at his retreating figure, feeling that this boy was truly mysterious and impossible to grasp.
What was his purpose? Now that she thought about it, it seemed he wasn’t waiting for her on that island. If he had something to say or do regarding her, there were plenty of opportunities; he didn’t need to take a chance on that floating island. Moreover, they lived in the same courtyard. The fact that they kept running into each other on the island only suggested he had other important matters to attend to.
What could it be? He always had a vague attitude towards her that was different from others, making her think too much.
“It’s getting dark; aren’t you going back?”
A hand suddenly pressed down on Li Fei’s head. She was lost in thought and jumped in surprise. Turning around, she saw Hu Jiaping, looking dashing and smiling at her. She remembered how he had told the woman in black, Ah Mu, that he wanted to see her again tonight. Now, before it was even dark, he had dressed up and come looking for her.
As soon as Li Fei saw him, she recalled the embarrassing incident from earlier, and a wave of anger, shame, and embarrassment surged within her again. She wanted to defend her innocence, but it was too late to bring it up now; it would only add to the laughter. She had to grit her teeth and endure it.
“Where’s your little lover?” he looked around. “You two have one Metal and one Earth attribute, both rare talents. Should you come to Wuyue Palace together? Wuyue Palace is a lot of fun!”
Li Fei looked at him helplessly. This person had just been lecturing others about not snatching people away, and now he was going back on his word.
“Just kidding, haha.”
He was in such a good mood that he ruffled Li Fei’s hair and swaggered off to find his woman in black.
“Sir,” Li Fei suddenly called out to him. She remembered her senior brother and had never had the chance to ask him.
Hu Jiaping looked surprised. “Is there something else?”
“Sir, you’re a disciple of Wuyue Palace. I want to ask if you know someone. He should also be a disciple of Wuyue Palace, someone who once took a white-bearded old man as a master, who only knew a few basic spells and liked to deceive people for money.”
He suddenly froze, his expression becoming somewhat complex. He looked down at her for a long time without saying anything. After a while, he suddenly smiled and asked, “What do you want with this person? I’ll tell you first, there are tens of thousands of disciples in Wuyue Palace; I can’t possibly know them all.”
Li Fei briefly explained how she had been raised by her master, who had suddenly left a message for her to find her senior brother. Hu Jiaping’s expression was calm, making it hard to tell what he was thinking. After she finished speaking, he pondered for a moment and said, “I understand. I don’t know this person, but I can help you ask when I return.”
Alright, although there wasn’t much hope, at least it was a lead. Li Fei bowed to him and was about to leave when Hu Jiaping suddenly called her again, “You…”
What? Li Fei turned back.
He didn’t speak, just stared at her from head to toe. Li Fei felt a chill run down her spine under his gaze and murmured, “…What’s wrong?”
Hu Jiaping averted his gaze and said lightly, “Earlier, I just felt you looked like… no, it’s nothing. You can go.”
—