The Eternal Fragrance

Winter passed, spring arrived, and before they knew it, summer had come—a full year of cultivation at the Academy was about to be completed.

On the third day of the eighth month a year ago, eighteen children had gathered in Huaguang County and been brought to Young Phoenix Academy by the Rainbow Deer Carriage, filled with hope and anticipation for their future lives. Now, on the same day a year later, after enduring unimaginable hardships and rigorous training, only sixteen true prodigies remained.

Under the scorching summer sun, the Academy was blanketed in shades of deep and light green. The walls of the Disciple Room courtyard were covered in vines, some withered yellow, others aged green. Wisteria flowers hung heavily, just as they had when they first arrived at the Academy a year ago.

Li Fei fastened her belt and examined herself in the bronze mirror. The girl in the reflection wore a well-fitted pink silk dress, her hair tied into a thick braid—simple, neat, and refreshing. This dress had been bought for her by her Master a year ago. Back then, it had been far too big, but now it fit perfectly.

On the bed lay a small, neatly packed bundle. Truthfully, she hadn’t brought much to the Academy—just a few old clothes and some silver ingots. Pushing open the door of the Thousand Fragrance Chamber, she saw the courtyard filled with trunks and bundles of all sizes. Ji Tongzhou leaned idly against the doorframe, arms crossed, casually directing his lackeys to pack his belongings for him.

When he spotted Li Fei, he froze, momentarily taken aback. Accustomed to seeing her in the Disciple uniform, he almost didn’t recognize her in the normal pink dress. Last year, she had looked so awkward in skirts that it was hard to describe, but this year, it was as if she had transformed into a different person.

"Meet at the capital of Yue Kingdom on the tenth day of the eighth month. Don’t forget," he reminded her.

Li Fei grinned. "I won’t. I’m looking forward to seeing your princely mansion!"

Ji Tongzhou smirked. "And the finest delicacies—I’ll show you all the grandeur of royalty."

With a wave, Li Fei laughed and walked out of the courtyard.

The Academy’s final test had concluded the day before yesterday, and all sixteen disciples had passed, marking the end of their year-long cultivation. The selection of new disciples by the major Immortal Sects was about to begin. Before that, the Academy had granted the disciples a fifteen-day break, allowing them to return home. After a year of rigorous training in such a treacherous place, cut off even from letters, how could the children not miss home? Even those like Baili Gelin, whose countries had fallen and families been lost, longed to revisit their homeland to reminisce.

However, Ye Ye and the others had initially planned to reluctantly give up this rare break due to the pursuit from Long Mingzuo of Five Zhang Mountain and the looming threat of Zhen Yunzi. But Lei Xiuyuan pointed out that during this critical period before the disciple selection, every student would be under close scrutiny—no one would dare act recklessly now. Moreover, since Zuoqiu Xiansheng was aware of their grievances, precautions would naturally be taken. Thus, the children happily decided to make the trip home after all.

Li Fei strolled slowly along the garden path, just as she had on her first day here, taking in every detail of the Academy’s scenery. Many disciples chose to walk rather than fly on their swords—no one wanted to miss this moment.This was the place where they had lived and cultivated for a year, the first step into the world of immortals, filled with countless memories—their first time flying on a sword, their first time exhausting their spiritual energy, their first taste of the harshness of cultivation, their first realization of the power of teamwork... So many firsts made the impending farewell feel bittersweet and reluctant. Even if they had the chance to return to the academy in the future, they would never recapture the same state of mind—that eager anticipation and curiosity for the unknown future.

Turning a corner, they saw a crowd already gathered in the open space in front of the disciple rooms. The instructors of each group were also present, bidding farewell to their disciples with proud and sentimental expressions. A year of cultivation had polished these disciples like jade, revealing the nascent brilliance within them. What could bring the instructors greater satisfaction than this?

Hu Jiaping was smiling as he spoke to Baili Gelin and the others. Among the instructors, he had been the first to interact with these youngsters. Back then, they couldn’t even fly on a sword—each of them green and immature, barely reaching his chest in height. A year later, they had all grown significantly, with Ye Ye now almost up to his shoulder.

Noticing Li Fei approaching, Hu Jiaping grinned and said, “Hey, girl, come here. Got something good for you.”

Curious, Li Fei walked over, only to see him pull out two unfamiliar talisman papers and hand them to her. “These are for you and Lei Xiuyuan. Keep them close to your body. If anything unexpected happens during these ten-plus days outside, channel your spiritual energy immediately, and you’ll be transported back to the academy.”

Huh? Such a handy thing! It must have been prepared by Zuoqiu Xiansheng for them. Li Fei carefully folded the talisman papers and tucked them into her robe, but before she could react, Hu Jiaping reached out and ruffled her hair with a laugh. “You did well, passing the final test.”

Li Fei hurriedly protected her meticulously braided hair and stammered, “T-that’s all thanks to your excellent guidance…”

Flattery never failed to work. Indeed, Hu Jiaping’s face lit up like a blooming flower. “Such sweet words! Little girl, how about joining our No Moon Court? It’s a lot of fun there. Bring your Lei Xiuyuan along so you two won’t have to be apart.”

He was abusing his instructor privileges to recruit again! And seriously, how long had it been? Why was he still bringing up that embarrassing incident?

Hu Jiaping smiled as he looked at the young girl before him. The same girl who had once struggled to learn sword flying had now proudly persevered to the end. Under the sunlight, her fair face was delicate and smooth as jade, her thick braid resting on her shoulder, dark as crow feathers. Several boys nearby kept sneaking glances at her. If he hadn’t watched her grow day by day, he’d hardly believe she was the same rough, tomboyish girl from a year ago.

“My girl has grown up”—was this the feeling?

Baili Gelin piped up, “Instructor, with just fifteen days off, will we have enough time to fly back by sword? 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 do Rainbow Deer fly? And how fast do you fly on a sword? If you can’t even outpace a Rainbow Deer, you might as well not come back for the selection.”Baili Gelin stuck her tongue out at him and then grabbed Li Fei’s hand. “Li Fei, are you really not coming with us to Gaolu? I really want to show you where I used to live! Though it’s all ruins now, haha!”

Li Fei shook her head. “Sorry, I want to go back to Green Mound to see if Master has returned.”

It had been a year. She didn’t know if Master had come home or left any traces behind, but she had to go back and check.

Ye Ye smiled. “Li Fei, we’ll be off first. Don’t forget to meet us in the capital of Yue Kingdom on the tenth day of the eighth month. Brother Tongzhou’s lavish mansion with its exotic delicacies and fine wines is not to be missed.”

Li Fei couldn’t help but laugh. Nowadays, it was Ye Ye who got along best with Ji Tongzhou. Both were princes and had much to talk about. Moreover, having experienced the fickleness of human relationships, Ye Ye was steady and magnanimous in his dealings. Over time, even Ji Tongzhou’s bad temper had mellowed considerably around him. The two often addressed each other as brothers, much to Baili Gelin’s amusement.

After saying goodbye to Gelin and the others, Li Fei looked around. Even Ji Tongzhou and Lan Ya Junzhu had packed up loads of belongings, but there was no sign of Lei Xiuyuan. Had he left already? Without even saying goodbye?

Li Fei tugged at Hu Jiaping’s sleeve. “Sir, have you seen Xiu Yuan?”

Hu Jiaping clicked his tongue. “Xiu—Yuan… No, I haven’t. You’ll have to look for him yourself.”

His odd tone was beyond help. Over the past six months, the group had grown quite close, mostly putting past grievances aside and no longer addressing each other by full names. She didn’t know why he was making such a fuss.

Li Fei hurried back to the Disciple Room and knocked on the door of the Quiet Mystery Chamber. After waiting a long time with no answer, she pushed the door open herself. The room was neat and tidy, but empty. Come to think of it, this was her first time entering the Quiet Mystery Chamber. True to its name, the room was extremely quiet, with none of the outside noise reaching it.

The desk and bed were spotless, and aside from a set of disciple uniforms hanging on the rack, there were no personal belongings in the room. Did he always live like this?

The uniforms were still there, meaning he hadn’t left yet. Li Fei left the Quiet Mystery Chamber and took to the skies on her stone sword, searching the island of the Disciple Room. Before long, she spotted a young man in disciple robes beneath a trellis covered in wisteria at the far end.

He was the only one in the entire academy who could make the disciple uniform look so elegant and refined. Li Fei landed her stone sword and called out, “Xiu Yuan, so you’re here.”

Lei Xiuyuan turned around, a flicker of surprise crossing his face. He glanced at the bundle on her shoulder. “All packed? Aren’t you leaving?”

Seeing him still in his disciple robes, Li Fei grew even more puzzled. “What about you? Aren’t you going back?”

His voice was indifferent. “There’s nowhere for me to return to.”

How could that be? Li Fei was about to argue but then realized it made sense. He wasn’t Lord Lei’s biological child and had a troubled past. He probably didn’t want to return to Gaolu, a place of sorrow. As for Brother Lu, he was already dead. Returning alone to his old home would only bring more grief. And going back to the foot of Star Rectitude Hall was out of the question. Truly, he had nowhere to return to.

At a loss for words, she stared at him blankly. But Lei Xiuyuan gave her a faint smile and said gently, “That dress suits you very well now.”She looked down at the perfectly fitted skirt, touched her head, and said, "Xiu Yuan, do you want to come with me to Green Mound?"

He seemed surprised by her invitation, his expression startled, and didn't answer.

Li Fei continued, "You can see the scenery of Green Mound with your own eyes. I can also take you to Tiger Jaw Cliff. Oh, and the mushrooms and bamboo shoots in the mountains are delicious. After visiting Green Mound, we can stop by Yue Country to find Ji Tongzhou. His family is wealthy, so we can feast on all kinds of delicacies."

Lei Xiuyuan studied her for a moment, then said softly after some thought, "Why are you inviting me?"

Why? Li Fei shrugged. "What's there to ask why? Do I need a reason to invite a friend to my home?"

He chuckled. "Indeed, no reason is needed."

Li Fei grinned. "Right? So, shall we go?"

Lei Xiuyuan lowered his head as if considering, his beautiful eyes narrowing slightly. He thought for a long, long, long time—so long that Li Fei raised her hand threateningly. "Hurry up, are you coming or not?"

He grasped her wrist and smiled. "Mm, I'll go."

Li Fei immediately beamed, her face scrunching up with joy—a rare sight. Recently, she had been smiling much more often. She used to wear a stiff, zombie-like expression, coupled with her dark skin and curt speech, making her seem seven or eight parts like a boy. But after her skin lightened, it was as if a butterfly had emerged from its cocoon—in the blink of an eye, she had transformed into a little beauty. Still, she lacked the expressive liveliness of other girls, always carrying an unapproachable air. Many male disciples only dared to steal glances at her occasionally, too intimidated to approach and strike up a conversation.

But the way her face scrunched up when she smiled was utterly adorable, and Lei Xiuyuan even felt the urge to poke her cheek. Suddenly, she handed him a talisman paper and said, "Hu Jiaping gave this to me. Keep it close. If anything unexpected happens, channel your spiritual energy, and you'll instantly return to the Academy."

Seeing him tuck the talisman away, seemingly ready to leave immediately, Li Fei couldn't help but ask curiously, "Aren't you going to pack anything? Just wearing your disciple uniform?"

The Academy's disciple uniform, woven in red and white, had an unconventional design. Frankly, wearing it outside would draw quite a bit of attention.

"I don't have anything, and my old clothes don't fit anymore."

Ah, such was the sorrow of a poor child—arriving empty-handed and leaving the same way, without even clothes to take along. Just look at Ji Tongzhou—his belongings could fill an entire carriage. Being a prince was truly different.

Li Fei touched the silver ingots in her bag. When she first arrived, her Master had left her fifty taels, and she had barely spent any at the Academy. The remaining money was more than enough to buy new clothes and shoes for both of them.

"Let's go to Lu Gongzhen first and buy some clothes and shoes," she said, tugging at Lei Xiuyuan's sleeve and striding forward. "It's been so long since I've been home—I bet nothing is usable anymore. This is the first time I'm bringing a friend home, so we can't look too shabby. We might as well pick up some essentials while we're at it."