After showing Ri Yan around the Academy, Li Fei noticed the dark hues in the sky were fading, indicating it was almost dawn. She flew on her sword toward the small Martial Training Field. Surprisingly, Ri Yan praised her: "You're quite fast at sword flying. You must be outstanding among the Academy students, right?"
Li Fei teased him on purpose: "Not just sword flying—I excel in all aspects of cultivation!"
Ri Yan flicked his ears and said arrogantly, "Fool! What's there to be smug about? Don't forget who got you this far!"
She had expected this response and couldn't help but laugh in exasperation. "Yes, yes, all thanks to your esteemed guidance. By the way, Ri Yan, I've noticed you're staying awake longer now. At first, you could only talk for a short while."
He replied indifferently, "Naturally. This place is rich in spiritual energy, and after sleeping for so many days, my demon Qi should have recovered somewhat."
"What would it take for you to stay awake all the time?"
The little white fox narrowed his beady eyes suspiciously. "Oh? You want me awake all the time? Why?"
"No reason. I just like having you around—I enjoy talking to you."
Ri Yan sneered. "That's easy. Just jump down."
"Jump down again ?" Li Fei gave him a helpless look. "I'd die before you even woke up."
"Then why bring it up? I don't fall for sweet talk like that!"
Who was sweet-talking him? Li Fei shook her head. Truly, the way humans and demons thought was worlds apart—one cared about the process, the other only the result.
"I'll jump when I'm stronger," she said as she landed on the training field and hopped off her sword.
"Little girl, are you serious about that?" The little white nine-tailed fox suddenly turned grave. Though his expression was unreadable, his tone was unusually solemn.
Li Fei nodded. "Yes, when I'm strong enough, I'll jump. But—why do I have to jump? What's down there?"
Ri Yan abruptly flared up in anger. "You don't even know what's down there, yet you say you'll jump! Are you just spouting nonsense to humor me?!"
His sudden outburst left her stunned. "How would I know if you won't tell me?"
"Then don't talk about jumping! Humans and demons are different—your careless words could invite disaster! If you spout nonsense again, I'll pluck out all your hair!"
Now Li Fei was annoyed too. Frowning, she retorted, "I'm not spouting nonsense! When I'm strong enough to go down, I will!"
Ri Yan scoffed. "Why would you even want to go down?"
Were they playing word games now?
Li Fei sighed and lowered her voice. "Ri Yan, my Master is gone. Even though I have friends now... it's not the same as having him around."
Before, she hadn't known what it was like to have friends. After meeting Baili Gelin and the others, she'd tasted friendship for the first time—laughing together, fooling around, working hard, sharing grievances. But she'd gradually realized that friends couldn't replace the familial bond she'd had with her Master.
Her vulnerable, dependent side—the part of her that was still clueless—wasn't something she could show her friends. In times of helplessness, she needed her Master, whether it was his scolding or his care, to truly feel at ease. After her Master left, at her most helpless moment, she'd met Ri Yan.His temper was as bad as his mouth—always cursing, quick to anger, and forever putting on an air of mystery, never telling her anything. Yet, he genuinely helped and cared for her, though he would never admit it, always masking it with talk of repaying favors.
"Like you said, I'm human, and you're a demon. You don't understand me, and I don’t get your straightforward ways. To me, you're like my Master, like an elder, and also a friend—someone I can rely on. Helping you is completely voluntary on my part, so why would I need a reason to go down? If you want me to go, I will when I’m strong enough. Just wait."
The white fox leaped off her shoulder, dissolving into mist as Ri Yan’s hoarse voice rang out arrogantly, "Hmph! Sweet talk! I won’t listen!"
Li Fei shook her head. "How is this sweet talk? I haven’t even said anything truly sweet yet!"
"Not listening! Shut up! I’m sleeping!"
"Ri Yan?" Li Fei called softly a few times, but he remained silent—probably truly asleep.
She had arrived too early; the Martial Training Field was empty. She walked to the cliff at the island’s edge and peered down. Thick fog obscured her view, hiding everything. Hu Jiaping had said the area below was a Restricted area teeming with demons. Why did Ri Yan need to go down there to stay awake?
Suddenly, someone called from behind, "Li Fei, you’re here so early today!"
It was Baili Gelin and the others. Li Fei turned to greet them as a new day of training began.
The morning session was with Lin You. For the past two months, aside from teaching the Water-element Ice Condensation technique at the start, she hadn’t taught any other spells. Even now, her lessons still involved repeatedly using Ice Condensation on dummies. The children could perform it blindfolded, yet she refused to teach anything else. Everyone was helpless about it.
But today, the usually temperamental Lin You seemed unusually off. After Mo Yanfan took leave, her mood had improved—she was smiling nonstop. When a child arrived late, she didn’t scold them but gently told them to hurry and stand properly. It was utterly abnormal.
As the saying goes, "When things are unusual, there must be a demon."" No one knew what Lin You was scheming, but instead of feeling flattered, the children were all on edge.
"Did she take the wrong medicine today?" Baili Gelin whispered. "Take a closer look—is it really her?"
A female disciple stifled a laugh. "Could it be that Mr. Mo actually gave her a kind look?" No way!"
Just then, Lin You suddenly turned her gaze toward the main hall. Several streaks of golden light flashed across the sky, accompanied by a howling wind. The children covered their heads and faces. When the wind died down, they looked again and saw several figures had appeared on the large Martial Training Field. At the center stood a man with silver-white hair and an unconstrained demeanor—Li Fei immediately recognized him as the long-absent Zuoqiu Xiansheng.
Beside him stood several others, including Mo Yanfan, who had only left yesterday morning. His leave had been surprisingly short—just one day. Next to Mo Yanfan was Hu Jiaping, who looked distracted, as if his mind was elsewhere.
There was also a young man beside Zuoqiu Xiansheng, dressed in simple green robes, exuding an otherworldly air. His cold, stern face resembled an ice sculpture. Li Fei found him familiar—wasn’t he one of the Celestials who had chased Ri Yan in Green Mound that day? His name was... Zhen Yunzi?Lin You was both startled and delighted at the sudden sight of Mo Yanfan. She stepped forward and asked, "Mo... Zuoqiu Xiansheng, who is this?"
Zuoqiu Xiansheng replied calmly, "This is Zhen Yunzi from Star Rectitude Hall. I happened to meet him on my way back to the Academy. Hearing that there are several prodigies among this year's students, Zhen Yunzi came to take a look."
At the mention of Zhen Yunzi's name, Lin You's expression shifted subtly, and she glanced at Mo Yanfan again.
Zhen Yunzi gave a slight nod. His voice, cold as a deep spring, sent an involuntary shiver through the disciples the moment he spoke: "I apologize for the intrusion, but I am grateful for Zuoqiu Xiansheng's indulgence in satisfying my curiosity. The disciple with the single earth-attribute Spirit Root—I presume it is this young girl?"
Li Fei trembled uncontrollably under his bone-chilling gaze. She remembered this man and the unpleasant sensation he evoked. Instinctively, she shrank back, avoiding his eyes.
Zhen Yunzi remarked, "What a coincidence. I have met this young girl once before."
Zuoqiu Xiansheng asked curiously, "Oh? Where did Zhen Yunzi encounter this disciple?"
Zhen Yunzi smiled faintly. "A few months ago, while pursuing the Nine-tailed Fox Demon, I happened upon her. To my shame, I failed to recognize her extraordinary talent at the time. Otherwise, she might have been a disciple of Star Rectitude Hall today. Fate plays cruel tricks—truly beyond words."
Zuoqiu Xiansheng said, "There is no need for regret, Zhen Yunzi. The Academy cultivates its disciples for the sake of all Immortal Sects. Talent is rare, but when the time comes for new disciple selections, you will surely have opportunities to recruit."
Zhen Yunzi scanned the surroundings and asked, "I heard there are two other disciples with single-attribute Spirit Roots. Who might they be?"
Ji Tongzhou stepped forward with a complicated expression and bowed. Hu Jiaping introduced, "This is the disciple with the single fire attribute. There is also one with a single metal attribute, but he is currently bedridden with a cold..."
"A cold?" Zuoqiu Xiansheng sounded surprised. "How could a disciple of the Immortals catch a cold?"
Hu Jiaping sighed—how would he know?
Zhen Yunzi took a step forward and nodded slightly at Ji Tongzhou, his tone softening slightly. "Prince Ying, it has been a while."
Ji Tongzhou frowned and replied quietly, "Celestial Zhen Yun is too courteous... How is Xuanshan Zi faring these days?"
Zhen Yunzi answered, "Senior Brother Xuanshan has achieved great cultivation progress, and his injuries are not serious. Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. He has long lamented his failure to bring you into Star Rectitude Hall. Now that he knows of your diligent training, he will surely be pleased and comforted."
Ji Tongzhou's expression darkened slightly before he finally lowered his head and murmured an acknowledgment.
Xuanshan Zi—was that the same Xuanshan Zi? Li Fei fell into thought. He was a member of the Yue royal family, wasn’t he? And he was injured? Though Zhen Yunzi claimed his injuries were minor, the fact that he couldn’t directly admit Ji Tongzhou into Star Rectitude Hall suggested his condition was severe enough to jeopardize his standing in the sect. Zhen Yunzi’s words weren’t entirely truthful... No wonder Ji Tongzhou looked so conflicted. If Xuanshan Zi’s true condition were confirmed, the once-mighty Yue Kingdom would immediately lose its backing, just like Gaul in the past.Zhen Yunzi continued, "Let the disciples continue their training. I shouldn't disturb them for too long here. Zuoqiu Xiansheng, shall we go see how that metal Spirit Root disciple is doing? For an Immortal disciple to catch a cold, their constitution must be poor—they'll need proper recuperation."
After a moment's thought, Zuoqiu Xiansheng nodded. "Indeed, let's go."
The group turned to leave the Martial Training Field when Lin You, who had remained silent all this while, suddenly couldn't hold back a soft call: "Mo Yanfan... Xiansheng."
Mo Yanfan glanced back at her and replied indifferently, "What guidance do you have, Lin Xiansheng?"
Lin You said nothing, merely staring at him. Mo Yanfan lowered his head and said, "If there's nothing, I'll take my leave first."
Hu Jiaping chuckled. "Brother Mo, since she called for you, there must be something. Why not stay?"
Mo Yanfan didn't respond, his footsteps gradually fading into the distance. The children watched in horror as Lin You Xiansheng, who had been gentle and kind all morning, suddenly glared with icy fury, sending shivers down their spines.
Their ominous premonition proved true. After Zuoqiu Xiansheng and the others left, Lin You fell completely silent. When a previously tardy disciple accidentally misfired his Ice Condensation Technique, she shattered a Stone Sword and hurled the broken pieces at his head, coldly declaring, "A fool like you dares to dream of becoming a Celestial? All of you—no meals at the northern dining hall for ten days! Dismissed! This lesson is pointless anyway!"
With that, she stormed off, leaving behind a group of bewildered and frightened children.
"How could the Academy let someone so temperamental be a teacher?" Baili Gelin muttered under her breath. "Punishing us with no meals at the drop of a hat—we didn't even do anything wrong! This is just irresponsible!"
Her words ignited the children's pent-up frustration toward Lin You. A male disciple shouted, "Exactly! She claims to teach us Aquatic Immortal Techniques, but after two months, we're still stuck on Ice Condensation! She hasn't taught us anything substantial and just takes her anger out on us! What kind of teacher is that?"
"Let's go tell Zuoqiu Xiansheng! We don't want a teacher like this!"
Someone took the lead, and soon the children rallied in fervor to seek out Zuoqiu Xiansheng. Having heard earlier that he was heading to the Disciple Room to check on Lei Xiuyuan, the group took to their swords and flew en masse toward the Disciple Room.
"Li Fei, let's go too!" Baili Gelin, thrilled at the prospect of drama, eagerly tugged at Li Fei.
"Challenging a teacher is unheard of—it might not work. Better not go," Ye Ye tried to stop her.
Baili Gelin hopped impatiently. Denying her a chance to witness excitement was torture. "I'm going! Haven't you heard 'the many cannot be punished'? They can't possibly expel all of us, right?"
Baili Changyue added, "I’m also curious. This Lin You Xiansheng—every time she sees Mo Yanfan, her heartbeat grows loud. Strangely, just now when Mo Yanfan saw her, his heartbeat also quickened, which never happened before. Let’s follow them—something might unfold."
OpenNovel