Passing through the golden, shimmering gate, amidst the interplay of light and shadow, a wave of warm fragrance greeted them as they returned to the thatched cottage with the brazier. A painting still hung on the wall, depicting snow-capped mountains faintly visible in the distance. Unlike typical inscriptions, the painting bore only the three characters "Bountiful Snow Pavilion," with no seal or signature.
So, this thatched cottage was indeed the Bountiful Snow Pavilion.
Inside the cottage, aside from the children who had emerged earlier, there were three strangers—two men and one woman. One man appeared to be in his twenties with a simple and honest face, while the other was around forty with a stern expression. The woman was only seventeen or eighteen, with round, apple-like cheeks and a cheerful, smiling demeanor.
All three were silently gazing at a bronze mirror on the table, not speaking or even glancing at the newcomers. Lei Xiuyuan felt uneasy and instinctively moved closer to Xiao Bangchui, murmuring, "Big Sis... did we pass?"
Xiao Bangchui shook her head. She seemed preoccupied and, without a word, found a corner to squat in. The children's initial elation at escaping the forest was dampened by the heavy silence, leaving them exchanging nervous glances, none daring to speak first.
"Everything that happened in the forest, we have already seen," the middle-aged man suddenly spoke, his tone authoritative. "You are the first group to return."
Then, he fell silent again. Was this encouragement? Or something else? Did this mean they had passed the Second Selection? The uncertainty only deepened their unease.
Before long, the second group of children returned safely to the Bountiful Snow Pavilion. This group was even smaller—only two, one of whom, despite her disheveled clothes, was strikingly beautiful and exuded noble grace. It was the young noblewoman.
Upon entering, she scanned the room and, upon spotting Ji Tongzhou, immediately smiled, her radiance so dazzling that even Lei Xiuyuan, who despised her, was momentarily stunned.
"Prince Ying is indeed a step ahead," the noblewoman said as she approached Ji Tongzhou. "Lan Ya pales in comparison."
Prince Ying? So Ye Ye wasn't wrong—this kid really was nobility!
Ji Tongzhou seemed to revel in the awed gazes of the others, casting a glance toward Xiao Bangchui. Well? Scared her to death, didn't it? She must be regretting all her previous insolent and rebellious behavior—behavior that could have gotten her executed nine times over.
But Xiao Bangchui paid no attention to his triumphant air. Huddled in the corner, she was softly calling out to the hoarse-voiced old man. Her curiosity about him had grown uncontrollable. Who was he? Human or ghost? Invisible, and seemingly audible only to her—had he possessed her?
Earlier, when facing the Fox Demon with its overwhelming Demon Qi, he had said, "Stole his things," and "Though less than a thousandth, it can still be useful." What did that mean? Strangest of all, the Fox Demon in the forest looked identical to the one she had encountered in Green Mound. Her Master had said that each demon had its own unique Demon Qi, and if an illusion was created using Demon Qi, it would inevitably take the form of the Demon Qi's owner. Did that mean the Fox Demon in the forest was using the Nine-tailed Fox's Demon Qi from Green Mound?With so many things coming together, a sudden thought struck her—could it be that the severely injured Fox Demon from back then hadn’t escaped but had instead possessed her?! But that didn’t make sense. Both Dongyang Zhenren and Zhen Yunzi were supposed to be incredibly powerful Celestials—how could they not have noticed a Fox Demon possessing her?
"Old man, stop pretending to sleep," Xiao Bangchui deliberately provoked him. "I know who you are—you're that Nine-tailed Fox Demon!"
Clearly, he wasn’t falling for it and ignored her completely.
Xiao Bangchui asked several more times, but he remained stubbornly silent. Suddenly, someone tapped her shoulder, and Baili Gelin’s clear yet exhausted voice sounded behind her.
"Xiao Bangchui, what are you muttering about all by yourself here?"
She shook her head. "Nothing."
Baili Gelin’s freshly changed clothes from the morning were already filthy again. She sat down beside her, looking utterly drained, and whispered, "I’m exhausted. That Fox Demon was terrifying—we almost didn’t make it back."
A Fox Demon? They encountered one too? Xiao Bangchui quickly realized—the forest was vast, and with thousands of people, they couldn’t have all gone in the same direction. The exits in every direction must have been guarded by Fox Demons, and only by defeating them could they pass through the gate and return to Bountiful Snow Pavilion.
Still, it was impressive that Ye Ye had managed to subdue a Fox Demon. Even Ji Tongzhou had been immobilized by the Demon Qi it released at the end—how had Ye Ye dealt with it?
"Where’s Ye Ye?" Xiao Bangchui asked.
Baili Gelin pointed in another direction. "Over there, lying down. My sister’s taking care of him. He probably won’t be able to move for a while."
Xiao Bangchui looked over and saw Ye Ye lying pale on the ground, his head resting on Baili Changyue’s lap, half-conscious. For some reason, she had noticed from the moment they met that there was a subtle atmosphere between them—one that outsiders couldn’t penetrate.
Clearly, Lei Xiuyuan and Ge Lin felt the same way. They exchanged awkward smiles, and Baili Gelin changed the subject. "By the way, Xiao Bangchui, how did you guys deal with the Fox Demon?"
Xiao Bangchui hesitated, which was rare for her. "It—it was everyone working together, and then..."
She didn’t know how to explain. Ge Lin and the others were her friends, and she didn’t want to lie to them. But she also didn’t want to reveal that the Nine-tailed Fox Demon might be possessing her.
"Then our leader shattered the Fox Demon all by herself," Lei Xiuyuan proudly recounted Xiao Bangchui’s heroic feat. Seeing her shine was even more satisfying than shining himself.
Baili Gelin was stunned. "Really? Xiao Bangchui, you’re that amazing! Was it the Arcane arts your Master taught you before?"
This blabbering crybaby... Xiao Bangchui mumbled her way through the explanation, letting them assume it was Arcane arts that subdued the Fox Demon.
As they spoke, the middle-aged man suddenly stood up and announced, "Alright, time’s up." With a flick of his sleeve, the bronze mirror vanished into it.
Was it already noon? The children in the hut perked up—was he about to announce who had passed?
The apple-cheeked girl smiled brightly and said, "Listen up. Starting now, those whose numbers I call will leave. Those not called will stay."Has it started? The children all wore expressions of nervous anticipation. Those whose numbers were called had to leave, which meant those not called had passed, right? Xiao Bangchui's palms were drenched in sweat. She was more nervous than anyone else. In the end, she had only managed to return to Bountiful Snow Pavilion thanks to the Fox Demon possessing her. She didn’t know if anyone had noticed, but beneath her anxiety was an endless well of guilt and fear. Her heart felt like it was about to leap out of her throat.
The girl calling out the numbers did so swiftly, moving from the 100s straight into the 200s. When she called out "265," Xiao Bangchui’s breath nearly stopped. Her number was 276—would she be called next?
But after 265, the girl immediately called out "276." Xiao Bangchui’s heart plummeted. Her? She hadn’t passed? Had they still noticed her poor aptitude? Had they discovered the real Fox Demon inside her?
Her mind buzzed chaotically, flooded with frantic thoughts—fear one moment, despair the next. Everything felt unreal, as if she no longer recognized the world. Dazed, she looked around blankly. Nearby, Baili Gelin, Ye Ye, and Lei Xiuyuan were watching her with comforting gazes, while the other children whose names hadn’t been called wore expressions ranging from wild joy to smugness.
"...Then... then I’ll go out first..." Her own voice sounded distant and muffled, as if coming from far away.
Pushing open the door, she was met with a gust of wind and snow. Several children were already standing outside, their faces ashen with disbelief. She probably didn’t look much better herself.
Snow still fell atop the peak, painting the world in stark black and white. Xiao Bangchui didn’t even know what she was looking at. Would she be captured now? Would she and the Fox Demon inside her be executed together? Should she try to escape? But this was a sheer cliff—without a rope, how could she descend?
Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to just be executed. She had given it her all, yet still failed the Second Selection. What would her Master do?
The door creaked open again. This time, it was Ji Tongzhou who stepped out. His face was deathly pale, his expression hollow as he ignored everyone, slowly brushing past Xiao Bangchui before standing alone in the distance, arms crossed. A few of his lackeys, who had been among the first to exit, hurried over as if to console him, but he kicked them all away.
Had he failed too?
Soon, a few more children emerged, their faces equally grim—all of them had been among the first group to return. A vague thought suddenly surfaced in Xiao Bangchui’s mind: What if those who were left behind were the ones who had been eliminated? There was no way they would discard the children who had returned early and defeated the Fox Demon, right?
As if confirming her suspicion, the scattered children who came out afterward were all those who had returned before noon—even Lan Ya Junzhu was among them. She burst into tears the moment she stepped outside. Not long after, Lei Xiuyuan also emerged. He didn’t say a word, just kept crying. Soon after, the Baili Sisters and Ye Ye slipped out as well, their expressions equally devastated.
Baili Gelin broke into tears when she saw Xiao Bangchui. "How could we have failed? Didn’t we defeat the Fox Demon and return before noon?"
Ye Ye, still pale, leaned heavily against Baili Changyue’s shoulder. He glanced around and noticed that only about a dozen children were standing outside—all of whom had returned to Bountiful Snow Pavilion before them. After a moment of thought, he suddenly said, "Maybe... those who came out are the ones who passed?"Xiao Bangchui nodded. "I think so too. The people outside all defeated the Fox Demons and came back first."
Baili Gelin's eyelashes were still wet with tears, but upon hearing this, she immediately brightened up. "Really?"
Baili Changyue, who had hardly spoken before, suddenly nodded. "We passed. I heard the woman inside saying so."
"Honestly, they scared us half to death with this!" Baili Gelin complained loudly. Turning around, she saw the others still looking dejected, with Lei Xiuyuan crying so hard he seemed about to faint. She slapped him on the back and shouted, "Stop being sad! We all passed!"
The children looked up at her, and in an instant, hope filled every face.
Baili Gelin declared firmly, "We all defeated the Fox Demons and made it back before noon. If that doesn’t count as passing, then what about those who didn’t even see the Fox Demons?"
Her words carried such conviction that the children erupted into excited chatter. Even Ji Tongzhou smiled, though he seemed to have secretly wiped his eyes—likely having shed a few tears himself.
Lei Xiuyuan stopped crying too. Timidly tugging at Xiao Bangchui’s sleeve, he murmured, "Big Sis, is it true? Did I pass?"
Xiao Bangchui nodded emphatically. "We all passed!"
She could hardly contain her excitement, laughing at herself for the despair she had felt earlier. Thinking back calmly, if even a powerful Celestial like Dongyang Zhenren couldn’t detect the Fox Demon within her, how could anyone else? Still, the mysterious owner of that hoarse voice remained a nagging worry. Throughout the First and Second Selections, she had relied on him, yet also felt a strange aversion. Could he really be the Nine-tailed Fox Demon?
As everyone had anticipated, the three adults soon opened the door and called them inside. The young woman handed each of them a large bundle with a smile, saying gently, "You are all children of exceptional talent, willpower, and ability. Young Phoenix Academy welcomes you. Here are your disciple uniforms and name tags, along with other essentials. Before the third day of next month, you must travel to Huaguang County in Yue Country, where a carriage will gather and take you to the academy."
Xiao Bangchui clutched her bundle, trembling uncontrollably with excitement. She was even grinning foolishly without realizing it, though no one noticed—every child who had passed was lost in their own joy. Baili Gelin alternated between laughing and crying, Lei Xiuyuan pressed his face against his bundle and mumbled through tears, and even Ye Ye’s face flushed with excitement.
For a long time afterward, they all felt as if they were walking on air. The Rainbow Deer Carriage took the children back to their respective homes. Since Xiao Bangchui and the others had nowhere to go, and all five had passed the First Selection in Lu Gongzhen, they were returned there.
Xiao Bangchui kept taking out her name tag to look at it. Made of an unknown yellow metal, the crescent-shaped tag bore elegant, ancient patterns. The words "Young Phoenix Academy" were inscribed in seal script on the back, and it felt weighty in her hand. But hers was different from the others—while their names were engraved in seal script on the front, hers simply had "Xiao Bangchui" written in brushstrokes.She deliberately took her name tag to ask the apple-faced girl, who smiled and said, "You're already part of the Academy, but this name really isn't presentable. On the day of enrollment, the teacher will give you a proper name for your name tag."
Was "Xiao Bangchui" really not presentable? She felt a bit regretful. This was the name her Master had given her. It was said that when he found her by the river, someone nearby happened to be washing clothes with a wooden club. Seeing the beautiful woman pounding the clothes, her Master was inspired and named her Xiao Bangchui... Well, recalling it now, it did seem a bit unrefined.
By the time they returned to Lu Gongzhen, it was already the dead of night. The town was pitch black, with only two faint lights flickering at the entrance of the inn.
The five children were still buzzing with excitement, chattering nonstop as they walked. After all, all their friends had passed the selection, and they could now cultivate together at the Young Phoenix Academy for a year without being separated. Ye Ye, being the most mature among them, booked two rooms at the inn. Though they had planned to rest early after the exhausting day, they ended up gathering in one room to talk.
"Xiao Bangchui, Xiu Yuan, do either of you have anything to take care of at home before we leave?" Baili Gelin asked, lying on her sister's lap like a cat.
Both shook their heads. Lei Xiuyuan had long been without a home, drifting from place to place, and Xiao Bangchui had no intention of returning either. She had been brought to Lu Gongzhen by Dongyang Zhenren, flying for half a day. If she had to walk back to Green Mound on her own, who knew how long it would take? What if she missed the trip to Huaguang County?
"Then the five of us can travel together!" Baili Gelin grinned from ear to ear. "Five people—how lively!" She raised a hand, her face glowing with hope and joy. "In the future, all five of us will become the most powerful Celestials!"
In the Second Selection Forest, shrouded in dense miasma, two figures suddenly appeared. The black-veiled woman bent down to pick up a now-blank talisman paper from the ground, glanced at it, and respectfully handed it to the white-bearded elder behind her.
"The seal on it was broken?" The elder seemed slightly surprised. "Did those children do it?"
"It was a ten-year-old girl named Xiao Bangchui," the black-veiled woman succinctly recounted the events of that day. "The demon qi of the Nine-tailed Fox sealed on the paper vanished, so the seal naturally broke."
The elder silently walked around the area. The miasma here was noticeably thinner than elsewhere, as if purified by something. It was said the Fox Demon had disappeared with just a light touch from the little girl, and the demon qi sealed within had vanished as well, leaving behind a cleansing aura. It was highly likely the demon qi had been exorcised. That girl was only ten? Such ability at such a young age was truly rare.
"Her... aptitude is quite ordinary," the black-veiled woman added after a moment's thought. "During the initial selection, she shouldn't have passed based on her aptitude. But for some reason, I sensed her body seemed brimming with spiritual energy—far more than an ordinary child, several times over—so I let her pass."
"Oh?" The elder raised his eyebrows with interest. "What's her name? Xiao Bangchui? Heh, bring her to see me next time."
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