Winter passed into spring, spring gave way to summer, and in the blink of an eye, a year of cultivation at the academy was nearly complete.
On the third day of the eighth month a year ago, eighteen children gathered in Huaguang County, brought to Chufeng Academy by the Rainbow Deer Carriage, full of hope and anticipation for their future lives. A year later, on the same day, after enduring unimaginable hardships and rigorous training, sixteen of them remained, truly outstanding among their peers.
In the height of summer, the academy was covered in lush greenery. The courtyard walls of the disciples’ quarters were overgrown with withered and verdant vines, and the wisteria flowers hung heavily, just as they had when they first arrived at the academy a year ago.
Li Fei fastened her belt and looked into the bronze mirror. The girl in the mirror wore a well-fitting pink silk dress and had her hair braided into a thick plait, looking both fresh and tidy. This dress was bought for her by her master a year ago; back then, it was too large, but now it fits perfectly.
On the bed lay a small packed bundle. She hadn’t brought much to the academy, just a few old clothes and some silver ingots. As she pushed open the door of Qianxiang Room, she saw the courtyard filled with boxes and bundles of various sizes. Ji Tongzhou stood empty-handed at the door, leisurely directing his lackeys to pack his luggage.
Seeing Li Fei, he was momentarily surprised. He was used to seeing her in disciple robes, and now, in a normal pink dress, she seemed almost unrecognizable. Last year, her dress was so ill-fitting it was beyond comment, but this year, she seemed like a different person.
“Don’t forget, we meet in the capital of Yue Kingdom on the tenth of the eighth month,” he reminded her.
Li Fei smiled, “I won’t forget. I’m looking forward to seeing the Prince’s mansion!”
Ji Tongzhou chuckled, “And the delicacies, so you can see the grandeur of the royal family.”
Li Fei waved goodbye and walked out of the courtyard.
The final test at the academy ended two days ago, and all sixteen disciples passed, marking the end of their year of cultivation. The selection of new disciples by the various immortal sects was about to begin. Before the selection, the academy gave the disciples a fifteen-day break to visit home. After all, they had been away for a year, and the academy’s remote location made communication difficult. Even those like Bai Li Geling, whose countries had fallen, wanted to return to their homeland to reminisce.
However, due to the previous pursuit by Long Mingzuo of Wuzhang Mountain and the watchful eye of Zhen Yunzi, they initially planned to forgo this rare break. But Lei Xiuyuan mentioned that during the critical period before the new disciple selection, everyone was under scrutiny, and no one dared to make a move. Moreover, Mr. Zuo Qiu was aware of their grievances and would naturally take precautions, so the children happily decided to go home.
Li Fei walked slowly along the courtyard path, just as she did on her first day, taking in the scenery of the academy. Many disciples chose to walk on foot, unwilling to fly on their swords at this moment.
This was where they had lived and cultivated for a year, their first step into the world of immortals, filled with memories. The first time flying on a sword, the first time exhausting their spiritual energy, the first taste of the harshness of cultivation, the first understanding of teamwork… So many firsts made the impending farewell poignant and reluctant. Even if they had the chance to return to the academy in the future, they would never have the same mindset, that sense of wonder and anticipation for the future.
Turning a corner, she saw a large group of people gathered in the open space in front of the disciples’ quarters. Each group’s teacher was there, bidding farewell to their disciples with a sense of satisfaction and emotion. A year of cultivation had polished the disciples’ inner brilliance, like carving jade, and what could be more fulfilling for the teachers?
Hu Jiaping was smiling broadly as he spoke with Bai Li Geling and the others. He was the first teacher to interact with these kids. Back then, they couldn’t even fly on their swords, each one young and inexperienced, not even reaching his chest in height. A year later, they had all grown significantly taller, with Ye Ye almost reaching his shoulder.
Seeing Li Fei approach, Hu Jiaping smiled, “Girl, come here, I have something good for you.”
Curious, Li Fei walked over, and he handed her two talisman papers she had never seen before, saying, “These are for you and Lei Xiuyuan. Keep them close. If you encounter any trouble in the next few days, activate your spiritual energy, and you can return to the academy immediately.”
Oh? Such a useful item! It must have been prepared by Mr. Zuo Qiu for them. Li Fei carefully folded the talisman paper and tucked it into her bosom. Suddenly, Hu Jiaping reached out and ruffled her hair, laughing, “You did well, passing the final test.”
Li Fei quickly protected her carefully braided hair, saying, “That’s thanks to your excellent teaching, sir…”
Flattery never fails, and sure enough, Hu Jiaping’s face lit up with a smile, “You know how to talk! Little girl, do you want to join our Wuyue Pavilion? It’s a lot of fun, and you can stay with your Lei Xiuyuan, so you two won’t have to part.”
He was using his teacher’s privilege to recruit again. Besides, how could he still remember that embarrassing incident from so long ago?
Hu Jiaping looked at the little girl in front of him with a smile. The girl who couldn’t even learn to fly on a sword at first had proudly persisted to the end. In the sunlight, her fair face was delicate and tender, like jade, with a thick braid on her shoulder, black as a crow’s feather. Several boys around occasionally stole glances at her. If they hadn’t watched her every day, they wouldn’t believe she was the same girl who was once as rough as a boy.
A daughter growing up, that’s what it felt like.
Bai Li Geling also came over and asked, “Sir, we only have a fifteen-day break. Can we make it by flying on our swords? Last time, the Rainbow Deer Carriage took over twenty days to fly from Huaguang County to the academy!”
Hu Jiaping deliberately put on a stern face, “How fast does the Rainbow Deer fly? How fast can you fly on your swords? If you can’t even fly faster than the Rainbow Deer, you might as well not come back for the selection.”
Bai Li Geling made a face at him and grabbed Li Fei’s hand, “Li Fei, are you not coming with us to Gaolu? I want to show you where I used to live! Even though it’s in ruins now, haha!”
Li Fei shook her head, “Sorry, I want to go back to Qingqiu to see if my master has returned.”
It’s been a year, and she didn’t know if her master had returned home or left any clues. She had to go back and check.
Ye Ye smiled, “Li Fei, we’re leaving first. Don’t forget to meet in the capital of Yue Kingdom on the tenth of the eighth month. You can’t miss Tongzhou’s royal mansion with its delicacies and fine wines.”
Li Fei couldn’t help but laugh. Nowadays, Ye Ye and Ji Tongzhou are the best of friends. Both were princes and got along well. Ye Ye, having experienced the ups and downs of life, was very mature and composed, and Ji Tongzhou’s bad temper had mellowed considerably in his company. They often called each other brothers, much to Bai Li Geling’s amusement.
After saying goodbye to Geling and the others, Li Fei looked around. Even Ji Tongzhou and Princess Lanya had packed up a lot of things, but Lei Xiuyuan was nowhere to be seen. Could he have left without saying goodbye?
Li Fei tugged on Hu Jiaping’s sleeve and asked, “Sir, have you seen Xiuyuan?”
Hu Jiaping clicked his tongue, “Xiuyuan… I haven’t seen him. You should look for him yourself.”
This teacher’s strange tone was hopeless. Over the past half year, they had become quite close, no longer addressing each other by full names, so she didn’t understand why he was so surprised.
Li Fei quickly walked back to the disciples’ quarters and knocked on the door of Jingxuan Room. After waiting for a long time with no response, she pushed the door open and went in, finding the room neat and empty. Come to think of it, this was her first time in Jingxuan Room. The room lived up to its name, very quiet, with none of the outside noise reaching inside.
The table and bed were clean, and apart from the disciple robes hanging on the clothes rack, there were no personal belongings in the room. Was this how he usually lived?
The disciple’s robes were still there, indicating he hadn’t left. Li Fei left Jingxuan Room and decided to fly on her sword, searching back and forth on the island of the disciples’ quarters. Soon, she found a young man in disciple robes under a pergola covered in wisteria flowers in the deepest part.
Only he could wear the disciple robes with such elegance and grace. Li Fei jumped off her stone sword and called out, “Xiuyuan, so you were here.”
Lei Xiuyuan turned around, a flash of surprise on his face. He looked at the bundle on her shoulder and said, “Have you packed your things? Aren’t you leaving?”
Li Fei noticed he was still wearing his disciple robes and asked, “What about you? Aren’t you going back?”
His voice was indifferent, “I have nowhere to go back to.”
How could that be? Li Fei was about to refute, but then she realized. He wasn’t Lei Daren’s biological child, and his life had been full of misfortune. He probably didn’t want to return to Gaolu, a place of sorrow. As for Brother Lu, he was dead, and returning to his old home would only add to his sadness. Returning to Xingzhenguan Mountain was out of the question. He had nowhere to go back to.
She suddenly didn’t know what to say, staring at him blankly. Lei Xiuyuan, however, smiled at her and said warmly, “This dress fits you well now.”
She looked down at the dress that fit perfectly and touched her head, “Xiuyuan, do you want to come to Qingqiu with me?”
He seemed surprised by her invitation, his expression stunned, and he didn’t answer.
Li Fei continued, “You can see the scenery of Qingqiu with your own eyes. I can take you to Tiger’s Mouth Cliff. Oh, and the mushrooms and bamboo shoots in the mountains are delicious. After visiting Qingqiu, we can head to Yue Kingdom to find Ji Tongzhou. His family is wealthy, and we can enjoy all kinds of delicacies.”
Lei Xiuyuan looked at her for a while, thought for a moment, and softly asked, “Why are you inviting me?”
Why? Li Fei shrugged, “Why not? Do I need a reason to invite a friend to my home?”
He chuckled, “Indeed, no reason is needed.”
Li Fei smiled, “Right? So, shall we go?”
Lei Xiuyuan lowered his head, pretending to consider, his beautiful eyes slightly squinting. He thought for a long, long time, so long that Li Fei raised her hand as if to hit him, “Make up your mind, are you coming or not?”
He grabbed her wrist and smiled, “Yes, I’ll go.”
Li Fei’s face lit up with joy. She rarely smiled so broadly that her cheeks puffed up. Recently, she had been smiling more often. She used to always have a stern face, with dark skin and concise speech, looking seven or eight parts like a boy. But after becoming fairer, like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon, she suddenly became a little beauty. However, she still didn’t have the expressive face of other girls, giving off an unapproachable aura. Many male disciples only dared to steal glances at her occasionally, not daring to approach.
But her puffed-up smile was so cute that Lei Xiuyuan had the urge to poke her cheek. Suddenly, she handed him a talisman paper, “Hu Jiaping gave this. Keep it close. If anything happens, activate your spiritual energy, and you’ll return to the academy instantly.”
Seeing him put the talisman away, she asked curiously, “Aren’t you going to pack? You’re just wearing your disciple robes?”
The academy’s disciple robes were a mix of red and white, with an unusual style. Honestly, wearing them outside would be quite conspicuous.
“I have nothing to pack, and my old clothes don’t fit anymore.”
Ah, the plight of a poor child. He came with empty sleeves and left the same way, unable to even take his clothes. Look at Ji Tongzhou, packing enough to fill a carriage. A prince is different indeed.
Li Fei touched the silver ingots in her bundle. Her master had left her fifty taels when she came, and she had hardly spent any money at the academy. The remaining amount was enough to buy them some new clothes and shoes.
“Let’s go to Lu Gong Town first and buy some clothes and shoes,” she said, pulling Lei Xiuyuan’s sleeve with a smile and walking briskly, “It’s been so long since I went home, I bet nothing is usable. This is my first time bringing a friend home, so I can’t be too shabby. Let’s also buy some necessities.”