When she woke again, the ice-blue Healing Net had been completely depleted. A canopy had been set up over the bed at some point, its pale lotus-blue hue simple and elegant.
Li Fei felt her body somewhat lighter than before. As she slowly sat up, an intense tingling sensation erupted across her back as if it were about to split open. She reached back to scratch vigorously, only to peel off a layer of skin as delicate as gauze. With a startled cry, she frantically shook off the white, flaky skin in her hand, watching as it vanished the moment it touched the floor.
Panicked, she threw back the covers and realized she wasn't wearing any clothes. Her brand-new Disciple uniform—white with red accents—lay neatly at the head of the bed. She snatched it up and retreated deep into the canopy, scrambling to dress herself.
Was she molting again?! Was this what Ri Yan had called shedding? If she kept shedding layer after layer like this, what would she become in the end? A complete stranger?
After hastily tying her sash, Li Fei grabbed the bronze mirror from the bedside table. A quick glance reassured her—her nose and face were still the same, just a shade paler than before.
She rarely took the time to examine herself so closely in the mirror. Now, scrutinizing every detail, she realized how drastically she had changed from the little charcoal lump she had been when she first left the mountain. Perhaps it was the dramatic lightening of her skin—or maybe it wasn’t just that.
Her face had once been the spitting image of her Master’s—looking at herself was like looking at him. But now, traces of her Master were slowly fading from her features. Her facial structure hadn’t changed; even the old scar in her eyebrow remained. Yet when taken altogether, she looked less and less like him.
The door suddenly opened, and the lizard Demon woman entered carrying a basin of water, her scales glinting. "You woke up so quickly?" she asked, sounding surprised.
Relief washed over Li Fei—it was the female Demon. Thank goodness. If it had been one of the male teachers or an elder like Zuoqiu Xiansheng who had undressed her, she wouldn’t have known how to face them.
The lizard Demon gently pulled back the canopy and chuckled at the sight of Li Fei huddled in the corner, still clutching the mirror. "Young girls and their vanity—the first thing you do upon waking is check your reflection. Don’t worry, you’re as pretty as ever, and you smell lovely too."
She coaxed Li Fei out of bed, wiping her face before carefully combing and styling her hair. Just as she finished, the door opened again, and Zuoqiu Xiansheng entered with Hu Jiaping. Both looked pleased to see her awake.
"You’re up? Any lingering discomfort?" Zuoqiu Xiansheng patted her head, his expression warm. "To recover so swiftly from such severe injuries—your constitution is remarkable."
"I’m completely fine now, thank you," Li Fei replied quickly.
Zuoqiu Xiansheng smiled. "Your physical wounds may have healed, but your spirit and depleted energy still need time. Rest well today—we’ll resume training tomorrow."
With pressing matters to attend to, he left after a few more words. Hu Jiaping stepped closer and rapped his knuckles lightly against her head with a sigh. "Kid, you really cheated death this time."
Noticing the shadows under his eyes—likely from sleepless worry—Li Fei felt a pang of gratitude. Despite his carefree demeanor, he was truly kind-hearted.
"Sir, did we pass the test?" That was her biggest concern now.He smiled: "You all passed. Yours was the first group to complete the test. Not just you—all sixteen candidates passed this time, which is truly rare. Normally more than half get eliminated in such tests."
To think everyone had passed—this was truly joyous news. Seeing his relaxed expression, Li Fei couldn't help smiling: "You must be relieved too, sir. No need to go through the trouble of regrouping."
He pinched her rosy cheek, finding the sensation so pleasant that he gave it two more squeezes while saying: "You were still too careless though. Let this be a lesson—never let your guard down until the very end. Don't be so negligent next time."
He was right. They had been careless, failing to verify whether the Tutelary Croc was truly dead. Fortunately, this was just a test. If they remained this careless in the future, they wouldn't survive.
Li Fei nodded: "You're right, sir. I'll remember." Though she wished he'd stop pinching her cheeks.
Hu Jiaping patted her shoulder and pulled out a thin thread-bound book from his robe, saying gently: "You've slept for five days while the new cultivation period has already begun. Take this book to study when you have time—no need to rush catching up today. Rest first. Your friends have been anxiously waiting outside."
Five days?! That long? No wonder she felt sore all over after waking up—lying still for so long would make anyone stiff.
Noticing the unnamed cover, Li Fei opened the book to find handwritten notes by Hu Jiaping himself, detailing the new cultivation procedures with remarkable thoroughness. Who knew he could be so meticulous?
Hu Jiaping opened the door to reveal several children waiting outside—Baili Gelin and the others. Ji Tongzhou was the most impatient, immediately asking: "Sir, how is she? Is she awake?"
Gently pushing Li Fei forward, Hu Jiaping winked: "There, there. After days of your pestering, here's your friend back. Go enjoy yourselves, you little rascals!" With that, he vanished in the blink of an eye.
The group saw Li Fei smiling by the doorway, her clothes slightly askew. She seemed thinner than before, her complexion especially pale from recent recovery. The usual rough, tomboyish air about her had diminished, revealing the delicate beauty of a proper young girl.
Baili Gelin was the first to rush over, hugging her tearfully while exclaiming: "Li Fei! Li Fei! You scared me to death! When I woke up and saw you covered in blood, they said you might not make it!"
Li Fei quickly moved her limbs to demonstrate: "I'm fine, see? With so many Academy founders around, did you really think I'd die that easily?"
Looking up, she saw Ye Ye, Baili Changyue, Lei Xiuyuan, and Ji Tongzhou—all watching her with concern. Her heart warmed at the sight. Having friends truly felt wonderful.
"I'm alright," she emphasized again. "Sorry for worrying you all!"
Ji Tongzhou awkwardly muttered: "Who—who was worried about you... I just came to see if you'd woken up."
Baili Gelin giggled: "The young prince's putting up his proud front again. I wonder who was the most anxious earlier?"
"Shut your mouth," Ji Tongzhou glared at her.
Li Fei laughed: "Thank you. By the way, how did we pass the test in the end?"Ji Tongzhou said, "You all passed out, only I was awake. That Tutelary Croc thrashed around for a while before finally dying, so I brought you all back."
He hesitated, then looked at Li Fei again. She was so thin and short, her face still pale—yet this little girl had saved his life. He didn't know how to feel about it, his expression turning gloomy once more. During this test, he had been the most useless one. Thankfully, Jiang Li Fei was alright now. If she had died saving him, that shadow would have haunted him for life, never letting him forget his own incompetence.
"That... thank you for saving me," he muttered awkwardly, his ears turning red, but unlike last time, he didn’t turn and flee.
"No need for thanks," Li Fei patted his arm like a good buddy. "You ended up bringing us all out later, didn’t you? We’re even."
Her rough, boyish gesture surprised him, but then again, Jiang Li Fei had always been as crude as a man. If she suddenly became as elegant and gentle as Lan Ya one day, it would probably give him goosebumps.
He chuckled and lightly punched her arm in return. "Glad we’re still alive."
"Enough talking here!" Baili Gelin beamed, wrapping her arms around Li Fei’s. "It’s dinnertime—let’s go feast at the northern dining hall! Since Li Fei’s finally awake after sleeping for so long, this meal will be a belated celebration for all of us passing the test!"
The children cheered and flew on their swords to the northern dining hall, ordering a table full of dishes without a care for whether they could finish them. Baili Gelin spotted wine jars stacked in a corner and was about to sneak one for a taste when Ye Ye caught her, flicking her forehead several times. "Don’t be reckless! How old are you to be drinking? Those are only for the masters. If we’re caught stealing, do you want to be the only one scolded?"
Baili Gelin protested, "What’s wrong with trying it once? Aren’t we supposed to be Immortal disciples? How embarrassing if we can’t even handle a little wine!"
Just then, the lizard demoness approached with a wine jar. "Master Hu Jiaping asked me to give this to you. He said there’s only one jar—just for you to try."
The children erupted in cheers. Hu Jiaping was the best—what an amazing master!
Baili Gelin tore off the seal, and a sweet, fragrant aroma wafted out. She sniffed it and frowned. "This is rice wine, isn’t it? Pfft, rice wine barely counts as wine!"
Ye Ye snatched the jar from her and poured a cup for everyone. The drink was cloudy and sweet—definitely rice wine. He laughed, "Rice wine is already pushing it. We still have training tomorrow, so don’t get too carried away. Come, first a toast to Li Fei’s recovery—cheers!"
Amid laughter, they all downed their cups. Most of the kids had never drunk before, and with empty stomachs, the rice wine quickly went to their heads. Li Fei, however, remained unfazed. After years of wandering with her Master, she had tasted not just rice wine but even stronger liquor—though always in moderation, as her Master never let her drink much.
Ye Ye raised his cup again. "Alright, another toast—to all of us passing the test! Cheers again!"After two cups of wine, the atmosphere quickly warmed up. Even Baili Changyue became more talkative, turning her head to whisper something to Lei Xiuyuan. Surprisingly, Ye Ye and Ji Tongzhou also started chatting—one a former prince of Gaul, the other the current Ying Prince of Yue Kingdom—yet they unexpectedly found common ground.
Li Fei picked up a piece of radish and was about to eat it when Baili Gelin suddenly leaned in. Her tolerance for alcohol was extremely low; just two cups of rice wine had turned her neck red, and her eyes were glazed as she tugged at Li Fei and muttered, "Let me tell you, during the days you were asleep, Ji Tongzhou was like a lost soul. Yesterday, when he saw you still hadn’t woken up, he almost cried..."
"What nonsense are you spouting again!" Ji Tongzhou snapped, yanking her back. There was nothing to it, but her exaggerated words made it seem like something more! If Jiang Li Fei had nearly died saving him, wouldn’t it be inhuman not to worry?
Baili Gelin seemed almost drunk by now. She shot him a glance and smirked. "Little Prince, where’s your little princess? Not keeping her company in the Disciple Room for meals this time?"
Ji Tongzhou frowned. "Why drag Lan Ya into this? I merely had lunch with her at noon. As a princess of a vassal state, it’s only proper that I don’t neglect her."
"How righteous!" Baili Gelin shook her head, then suddenly leaned closer to him with a grin. "Isn’t our Li Fei better than that Lan Ya? She even saved your life!"
Why was she comparing Jiang Li Fei to Lan Ya again? What was she playing at? Ji Tongzhou ignored her and silently drank his wine.
This was also his first time eating and drinking with commoners like this. In the past, he had either kept to himself or dined with Lan Ya. The royal family upheld the principle of "no speaking during meals or rest," so at first, he found them noisy. But gradually, he began to find it rather amusing—Ye Ye was witty and engaging, Baili Gelin lively and playful, and the table was filled with laughter and chatter. The lingering resentment in his heart over being saved by Jiang Li Fei finally began to fade a little.
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