The next day, when Li Fei woke up, she found herself pushed to the edge of the bed, with one arm and leg dangling off, almost about to fall. Turning her head, she was surprised to see Bai Li Geling sleeping beside her, having not only taken all the blankets but also nearly pushed her off the bed.
When did she come over? And what a terrible sleeping posture… Li Fei yawned, still sleepy, as she prepared to get up. Suddenly, a familiar raspy voice sounded from the bedside, “Hmph! So young and already up to no good, drinking alcohol!”
Li Fei jolted awake and saw the small, snow-white fox sitting proudly on her shoes, glaring at her. Excited, she rolled off the bed, ignoring the pain in her head from the fall.
“Ri Yan! You’re awake?!” she exclaimed, not caring about the throbbing pain.
Still asleep, Bai Li Geling let out a sleepy hum, prompting Li Fei to quickly cover her mouth, her eyes filled with excitement and a smile as she gazed at the little fox.
Ri Yan flicked his ears, “If I hadn’t woken up, who knows what you’d become! The whole room reeks of alcohol!”
“It was just a little drink,” she said, reaching out to touch his small head, but her fingers passed through him again. As expected, she could only touch him in his consciousness.
“How are you feeling? Any discomfort? Will you sleep for another two months next time?” she asked a flurry of questions.
Ri Yan replied indifferently, “Why are you so concerned about me? Worry about yourself. The fragrance is starting to seep out.”
Fragrance? She lifted her clothes and sniffed. What fragrance?
“Ask someone else to explain it to you. It’s not a big deal,” Ri Yan said, twitching his nose. “Why did you risk your life like that, worrying about others when you can’t even take care of yourself?”
Li Fei knew he was referring to her saving Ji Tongzhou and immediately said, “I saved him already. We’re all in the same group; how could I just watch him die?”
Ri Yan snorted, “So what if he dies? You’re still young! Why are you always hanging out with boys? Focus on your cultivation! If you keep daydreaming, I’ll pull out all your hair!”
What was he worrying about like an elder? Li Fei was speechless, “The four of us are in a group; how can we not be together all the time?”
The fox turned his head away arrogantly, showing he was too lazy to deal with her. “Enough, stop babbling. I slept too long this time. Tell me everything that happened in the forbidden area last time, and explain this sudden molting in detail. Don’t leave out a single word!”
With that, he lay down, his ears twitching.
Was he ready to listen to a story? Li Fei couldn’t help but find it amusing, but she still recounted everything that had happened. She wasn’t one for eloquent speech, so her narration was straightforward and concise. What could have been a thrilling tale was quickly told.
Ri Yan flicked his ears and chuckled, “That Suanni creature got lucky, dreaming of laughing with those dozen demon fruits! Hmph, the academy founders are indeed formidable, planning to unite the Shanhai and Haiyun factions. It’s not that no one has tried before, but human hearts are too complicated. This so-called alliance will likely end in suspicion and fragmentation…”
He seemed to grow tired, saying, “Enough, I’m leaving.”
Li Fei was taken aback, “You’re going back to sleep? Aren’t you tired of sleeping so much?”
“Who said I just woke up? I was awake last night, but you slept like a pig!”
Awake last night? Why didn’t he call her? Li Fei laughed, “Ri Yan, you’re staying awake longer and longer now, that’s great.”
He snorted, “I’d rather sleep more, so I don’t have to clean up your messes when I’m awake.”
Li Fei recalled the giant blood-red seal on his back in his consciousness, likely the seal he mentioned that trapped his demon energy during his year of calamity. She asked, “By the way, Ri Yan, what is a year of calamity? Was your demon energy sealed by someone else? Can it be undone?”
She thought he wouldn’t answer, but he replied quickly, “It wasn’t sealed by someone else. I took a wrong path in cultivation, and suddenly all my demon energy was sealed. Just like immortals often face tribulations, demons have their years of calamity. As one’s cultivation deepens, the tribulations become harder to overcome. This year is my year of calamity. The seal can only be broken by myself, not by external forces.”
Li Fei was curious, “Tribulation? I heard immortals are struck by heavenly lightning, aren’t you?”
He sneered, “What ignorant rumor is that? If it were that simple, everyone would be immortal, and every bird, beast, fish, and insect would be a great demon! Tribulations are unpredictable and strange, that’s why they’re called tribulations. They often come unexpectedly, and only when one’s soul is scattered do they realize it was a tribulation.”
Unpredictable and strange? Li Fei felt a bit nervous. What kind of tribulation would she face when she became immortal?
As if reading her thoughts, Ri Yan said, “You can’t even crawl yet, and you’re thinking about flying! What are you worrying about tribulations for? Your hair will turn white before you become immortal!”
Was he cursing her? White hair before becoming an immortal, meaning she’d be an old lady even if she became an immortal? She suddenly remembered Bai Li Geling once said she didn’t want to be an old lady immortal living for a thousand years. She hadn’t thought much of it then, but now it seemed quite scary.
Just then, Bai Li Geling, still asleep, whimpered twice, as if having a nightmare, muttering incoherently.
Ri Yan snorted again, “Look, so young and already so troubled! This fool, even if she becomes an immortal, with her nature, she’ll struggle with a love tribulation! Don’t follow her example!”
“Love tribulation?” Li Fei was puzzled, “What do you mean? What’s wrong with Geling?”
Ri Yan coldly explained, “Tribulations, though unpredictable, often reflect one’s deepest fears and concerns. Among all tribulations, love tribulations are the most dangerous. As the saying goes, the human heart is hard to fathom, and so is human emotion. Whether it’s romantic love, friendship, or family love, being too emotional is never a good thing. This girl, so young, already has her heart open and is stubborn. Getting entangled in romantic feelings too early is not a good sign. Over the millennia, I’ve seen countless brilliant immortals end in obscurity, mostly due to love tribulations. Humans, being the most intelligent of all creatures, have a natural talent for cultivation that demons can’t match. However, the human heart is too complex and fragile, so few achieve the great path. If you want to succeed, avoid these entanglements! How can love, friends, and family compare to achieving the great path?”
Why did it sound like Geling was in danger?
“Then… how can I help her?” Li Fei asked.
He sneered again, “Help? In the throes of love, it’s like holding a candle against the wind in the dark, the pain is personal, who can help? Human emotions, whether longing, fear, or dependence, are due to the heart’s fragility. Don’t become dependent on me either. We’re just using each other; you help me hide, I help you cultivate, that’s all!”
There it was again, the talk of mutual use.
Li Fei said softly, “You all are important to me. Living without family to rely on, without friends to talk to, without even fears, achieving the great path would be very lonely, wouldn’t it? No wonder so few achieve it; there aren’t many with such determination. Ri Yan, you always talk about mutual use. I don’t want to ask your true thoughts, but I don’t think that way, and I never will.”
His pale green eyes narrowed in anger, “Truly a block of wood that can’t be carved!”
She laughed, “Aren’t you carving this block of wood quite well? My cultivation is going smoothly.”
“Sweet talk again!” His sharp nose twitched suddenly, “She’s waking up, I’m leaving. Just remember, keep your distance from those brats!”
His tone was like a parent worried about bad influences on their child, reluctantly turning into a wisp of green smoke and disappearing.
This fox was always so mysterious.
Just as Li Fei sat on the bed, Bai Li Geling opened her eyes, looking confused. She glanced at Li Fei, then at the ceiling, and after a long pause, said, “Huh? I got drunk and ended up here last night?”
Li Fei feigned anger, “Yes! You not only took over my bed but also stole all the blankets.”
Bai Li Geling yawned and got up, suddenly sniffing hard, “It smells so good! That scent again! I smelled it last time too!”
Scent? Li Fei immediately thought of what Ri Yan had said about the fragrance starting to seep out. She smiled wryly, “What scent? I don’t smell anything.”
Bai Li Geling sniffed her for a while, laughing, “So fragrant, Li Fei! I heard people with natural body fragrances are rare! You didn’t have it before, but now you do, it must be a special gift!”
Li Fei didn’t want to discuss it further, so she jumped out of bed, “Let’s get up, it’s almost time for the morning session. We shouldn’t be late.”
The two girls quickly washed up, and as they were about to leave, they saw Lei Xiuyuan and Ji Tongzhou also opening the door at the same time, as if they had planned it. The four of them met, and Ji Tongzhou asked curiously, “Why are you here too?”
Bai Li Geling laughed, “I got drunk last night and crashed at Li Fei’s place. Did you just get up too? Perfect, let’s go together.”
The four children, chatting and laughing, flew on their swords to the special martial arts hall. Now, they were truly a group of four, with no more past grudges or disputes.
“Jiang Li Fei, this is for you.” Ji Tongzhou suddenly handed Li Fei a thin booklet, looking a bit shy.
Li Fei flipped through it, surprised to see the neat and beautiful handwriting, detailing new cultivation points. She was astonished, “What’s this?”
“You slept for five days. To prevent you from falling behind, I wrote down the key points the teachers taught during those days. Make sure you read it carefully,” Ji Tongzhou said, crossing his arms, once again assuming the role of the group’s leader, “You must read it!”
Who would have thought this little prince could be so meticulous? Li Fei was touched, carefully placing the booklet in her robe, smiling, “Thank you, Ji Tongzhou. I’ll read it.”
He nodded sagely and flew ahead on his sword. Bai Li Geling made a face at his back, muttering, “He likes you, haha.”
Li Fei couldn’t help but laugh, “What are you talking about? It’s rare for us to be close now, let’s not stir up any trouble.”
Bai Li Geling was about to speak when a boy called out to her, “Geling! I brought you red bean buns!”
They turned to see the boy surnamed Zhao, blushing as he flew over, handing her a steaming paper bag, “Um… if your group’s teacher punishes you for copying books again today, I’ll help you copy them!”
Bai Li Geling beamed, “Really? Thank you! Have you had breakfast? Here, let’s share the buns.”
She handed him a bun, and the two flew side by side, chatting and laughing as they ate, leaving Li Fei standing there in a daze.
She had a feeling Geling would become a very remarkable young woman in the future, yes, very remarkable.
But what did Ri Yan mean by a love tribulation?
“Before the morning session starts, you should look over the cultivation points,” Lei Xiuyuan suddenly said as he flew past her on his sword, “I’m going ahead.”
Li Fei quickly caught up, “Lei Xiuyuan, you were the one who took me back last night, right? Thank you.”
He glanced at her, saying lightly, “You’re heavy, my arm still hurts today.”
Li Fei was speechless. Talking to this kid required a lot of patience. Wasn’t he normal last night? Today he was back to his old ways, polite and gentle one moment, then suddenly saying something infuriating the next.
She said calmly, “I’m telling you, if you keep this up, you’ll have no friends.”
“You have rice on your belt.”
“Okay… let’s not talk about that. What I meant was…”
“Your braid is crooked.”
“……”
Their voices gradually faded away, the wind and snow subsided, and today might just be a sunny day.