"The former Palace Master is the current Palace Master's teacher. That senior who had a heart condition... should we call her Martial Great-Aunt? How is she doing now? Is she still around?"
The well-informed girl said, "It's said that she's still around, but she rarely appears in public. Her health has never fully recovered, so she has to stay in seclusion to rest."
The sentimental girls sighed, feeling pity for this unfortunate senior.
But after all, they were still young girls. Their attention quickly shifted, and before long, they were discussing how to arrange classes for those who had just recovered.
The banquet didn’t last too long. Newcomers had a curfew, so they all left before the instructors came to catch them.
That night, Zhong Yunyi was the center of attention. She was so excited that she couldn’t stop talking the entire way back.
"… The cultivation techniques class should be fine. The lessons are the same whether you start early or late, it’s just that the pace will be slower. The alchemy class isn’t a problem either. Those are small groups anyway, so we can just find a senior sister to teach them separately. As for the class discussing ancient legends, that’s even simpler. Our lecturer tells a different story each time, so they can just attend whichever one they catch—"
As soon as they entered the dormitory building, Shen Qing’s door opened. She looked at the three of them with an indifferent expression, and Zhong Yunyi immediately stopped talking.
Shen Qing nodded politely at Zhong Yunyi. The excitement in Zhong Yunyi’s mind instantly cooled down. She coughed and composed herself, then nodded back with a reserved gesture. "It's late, we still have classes tomorrow. Let’s all rest early."
Dong Wan hurriedly said goodnight to Zhuang Yue, then whispered a greeting to Shen Qing before quickly chasing after Zhong Yunyi and heading back to her own room.
Zhuang Yue found it amusing. Zhong Yunyi was one thing, but even after all this time, why did Dong Wan still act like a mouse in front of Shen Qing, as if she had seen a cat?
Once the two of them were gone, Zhuang Yue walked up to Shen Qing and took the initiative to explain, "Some of the girls who entered the inner sect with us have finally recovered and can start attending classes again. We were celebrating for them tonight."
Shen Qing listened quietly, then turned to step aside and let Zhuang Yue walk in naturally.
The two sat by the desk. After Zhuang Yue finished talking about the banquet, he suddenly realized something. He asked cautiously, “What is it? Do you have something to say?”
Only then did Shen Qing speak. “A plague has broken out in the towns near Mingguang. The local authorities have asked Mingguang for help.”
Zhuang Yue was shocked. “A plague? Is it serious?”
Shen Qing said gravely, “The plague has already spread across several counties, with thousands dead. Mortal physicians are helpless against it, which is unusual. Most plagues can be controlled to some extent, but this one is spreading too fast. There may be evil forces at work. Since demons and spirits are harming the common people, the immortal sects must take responsibility. Cloud Inspection Hall has issued a rescue mission for disciples at the Foundation Establishment stage and above. I accepted one of them.”
Zhuang Yue froze. Across from him, Shen Qing continued, “My mission is to deliver medicine to a town and help end the plague. Zhuang Yue, would you like to come with me?”
Go with Shen Qing? That meant he could leave Mingguang and see the outside world?!
Zhuang Yue shot to his feet, bent forward excitedly, and braced himself on the table, bringing his face close to Shen Qing’s. “Please, you must take me with you!!!”
Sensing his overwhelming eagerness, Shen Qing chuckled and leaned back slightly to avoid getting headbutted. “We leave tomorrow morning. Get a good rest tonight.”
“Alright! No problem!” Zhuang Yue answered enthusiastically.
Finally, finally, he could leave this place and see what the outside world was like!
Zhuang Yue punched the air in excitement, his steps so light he nearly bounced. He jogged to the door but suddenly turned back, meeting Shen Qing’s amused gaze.
“Oh, right! I almost forgot. Do we need to bring anything?” Zhuang Yue asked.
Shen Qing coughed lightly, thought for a moment, then said, “There’s nothing special to prepare. We’ll travel light. If we need anything, we can buy it along the way.”
Zhuang Yue understood and nodded.
Rich people always travel like this—just take a phone and a credit card, and buy whatever you need on the go.
Back in the room, Zhuang Yue went to bed early and even forgot his usual bedtime practice of writing.
At dawn, Zhuang Yue has already prepared himself. Although Shen Qing said he didn’t need to bring anything, he still prepared a change of clothes, putting them into his usual canvas bag for class, and placed his small amount of pocket money into his pocket.
Inside the Mingguang Palace, women use various styles and colors of canvas bags for convenience. These bags come in all sizes, some are single-shoulder and others are double-shoulder. Zhuang Yue’s bag was bought at the Cloud Garment Hall.
Zhuang Yue went to Shen Qing’s room and saw that Shen Qing had changed into the clothes she wore when she first arrived at Mingguang, holding a sword in her hand.
Seeing him with the bag, Shen Qing didn’t say anything and left with him.
As they were leaving, Dong Wan saw them from the second floor and shouted to Zhuang Yue from the window, "Where are you going? Aren’t you going to the ancient legends class?"
Zhuang Yue tapped his head, turned back, and said, “I’m going out with Shen Qing. Dong Wan, can you help me ask for a few days off with the instructor?”
Hearing the noise, Zhong Yunyi also opened the window, frowning as she asked, “You’re going out?”
Dong Wan asked, “Do you want me to help Shen Qing ask for leave too?”
Shen Qing spoke both to Zhuang Yue and to the people upstairs, saying, “There’s no need to ask for leave from the instructor. Cloud Inspection Hall will help us fill out the leave slips.”
Dong Wan nodded in confusion, “Oh.”
Zhuang Yue happily waved to Dong Wan and Zhong Yunyi, “Alright then, see you later!”
Dong Wan also raised her hand and waved at him. "See you."
Zhong Yunyi leaned on the window, incredulously shouting at Dong Wan through the window, "Did you hear that? Shen Qing said that Cloud Inspection will help them fill out the leave slips."
Dong Wan, confused, replied, "Hmm, that's what they said."
Zhong Yunyi was frustrated by her slow reaction, glaring at her with a look of 'hate iron for not turning into steel', (恨鐵不成鋼 it literally means "to hate iron for not turning into steel," implying that the person is frustrated at someone for not living up to expectations) and said, "This means Shen Qing took on an assignment from the Appraisal Hall and she even specifically brought Zhuang Yue along!"
Zhong Yunyi’s mind quickly pieced together the truth.
Dong Wan exclaimed, "Ah!" And said enviously, "Zhuang Yue is so lucky! I wish I could go out and have fun too."
Zhong Yunyi was speechless at her reaction: "It’s not about having fun. With Shen Qing's support, it looks like Zhuang Yue’s future cloud tokens will be guaranteed."
She also felt envious that Zhuang Yue could hug Shen Qing's thigh. (抱上沈傾的大腿 literally translate as "hugging Shen Qing’s thigh," this expression means to rely on someone with power or influence for support or favors.)
Zhong Yunyi wasn’t someone who would shy away from trying to please others and build a closer relationship, especially with someone like Shen Qing. After all, having such a benefactor could bring countless advantages.
Unfortunately, Shen Qing seemed to have an odd barrier around her, keeping others at a distance. Although Zhong Yunyi could interact with Shen Qing daily, their relationship remained superficial, and she could never get into that inner circle.
She was puzzled as to how Zhuang Yue managed to catch Shen Qing’s eye.
This time, walking from the inner gate to the second gate, Zhuang Yue only felt a little tired, which was a far cry from how he felt when he first arrived.
The biggest change came not just from two months of good food and sleep, which helped him gain weight and strength, but the credit mostly went to the nourishing pills and his cultivation.
Standing under the second gate, Zhuang Yue was moved by the change. He was no longer a useless firewood! (廢柴 is directly translated as "useless firewood" and is a slang term in Chinese, often used to describe someone who is seen as useless, incompetent, or ineffective. It's a derogatory term, typically used to express frustration or disappointment.)
"Zhuang Yue?" Ahead, Shen Qing turned around, noticing that he had stopped. He walked back with a hint of concern and asked, "What's wrong? Are you tired?"
Although, based on his assessment, Zhuang Yue’s body should have no problem walking this distance now.
"No, I'm not tired." Zhuang Yue spread his arms wide, took a deep breath, and exhaled, "I'm just happy."
Shen Qing smiled, placing his hands behind his back, and said, "Since you're not tired, let's go. We need to hurry, we must get there today."
Soon, they arrived at the front mountain gate. Shen Qing led Zhuang Yue to the stable, where he selected a strong horse with excellent stamina and endurance.
"We're riding horses?" Zhuang Yue asked, a little nervous.
Shen Qing made a sound of agreement and turned back to look at him, "Can you ride?"
Zhuang Yue shook his head, "I've never ridden a horse."
Shen Qing had considered this. Zhuang Yue had not yet formed his foundation and had no magical skills. He couldn't use spiritual power to speed up their journey, nor could he ride a horse alone. They would have to ride together on one horse.
He deliberately chose a two-person saddle, got it ready, and reached out his hand to Zhuang Yue, "Come, I'll help you onto the horse."
Zhuang Yue felt his male pride was being insulted.
Although he currently looked like a young girl, and although he was shorter than Shen Qing, there was no need for a girl to help him onto the horse, right?
“Ahem. Well, I’d like to try it myself first. If it doesn’t work, you can help me then.” Zhuang Yue didn’t dare to make a firm statement, afraid of embarrassing himself if it failed.
Shen Qing nodded. This wasn’t the first time he had seen Zhuang Yue’s stubbornness. He stepped back, allowing Zhuang Yue to move forward.
The stables in the outer gate of Mingguang were home to horses with gentle temperaments, specifically raised for the disciples to use when they went outside.
So even though the horse noticed that Zhuang Yue was a complete beginner, it didn’t try to cause trouble. It stood obediently in place, allowing Zhuang Yue to grab the saddle handle.
Zhuang Yue placed his foot in the stirrup, straightened his leg, and tried to swing himself up. Once, twice, thrice, but he still couldn't get on!
He had no actual experience. After swinging his leg over, he didn’t follow through with the movement. He was about to awkwardly get stuck on the saddle when Shen Qing reached out and gave him a hand.
“Thank you.” Zhuang Yue steadied himself. The much higher vantage point made him feel quite fresh and new.
Shen Qing stood by the horse, his expression a bit uncomfortable. It had happened too suddenly, and he was worried that Zhuang Yue might slip and fall. In his haste, he wasn't sure whether he had grabbed Zhuang Yue's thigh or his backside.
In his heart, Shen Qing kept repeating, "It was just an accident, not intentional." Then, he swung himself onto the horse.
He didn't use the stirrups at all; with just one leap, he lifted his leg and twisted his waist, firmly landing on the horse's back.
"How cool!" Zhuang Yue’s eyes nearly sparkled with admiration.
Shen Qing's movement was so graceful as he jumped onto the horse. Zhuang Yue couldn't help but start fantasizing about how charming he would look if he could do such a move.
But in Shen Qing’s eyes, the dazed look in Zhuang Yue's eyes was all because of him. His arm stiffened for a moment, and then Shen Qing stretched out his hand to grab the reins. "Sit properly, we’re leaving."
Zhuang Yue then sat up properly, gripping the saddle tightly with both hands.
Once they passed through the gate, the horse sped up. The fast pace made Zhuang Yue experience the thrill of racing, and he felt exhilarated, his scalp tingling from the rush.
However, after a while, Zhuang Yue no longer felt as good. Without a windshield, the faster they went, the stronger the wind hit him. The wind was loud and noisy, making it hard to concentrate.
After running along the road for a while, Zhuang Yue realized it was exhausting to keep his body tense, so he relaxed his posture.
As a result, when he leaned back, his back rested against another body behind him.
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