Chapter 52: Azure Cloud (30)

Dean Xu’s residence appeared quite luxurious from the outside, but once inside, one would discover the room filled with books and classics piled up like mountains. Only one reception hall was renovated to be elegant and airy, seemingly used to keep up appearances.

As for the workplace… it was a complete mess, too tragic to behold.

“Don’t worry, this old man is very kind and benevolent. I like dealing with young people like you the most. The treatment here is great—no need to wake up early to climb mountains, no scolding or beatings, and no memorizing messy arrays or talismans all day long.” Dean Xu nudged a pile of junk on the floor aside with his foot. “Every day, you just need to calm your mind, meditate, read more books, chat more, and keep a good mood. Our cultivation will naturally improve.”

He Tingtong: “Really?”

Dean Xu guaranteed, “Can’t be any more real!”

Fu Fengyan followed behind, looking left and right. He stepped on a bamboo slip, an old thing stored for who knew how many years. With a crisp crack, it broke in two.

He froze abruptly, slowly lowering his head. A wail came from the distance, followed by Dean Xu’s pained cry, “My notes!”

Fu Fengyan was stunned. He subconsciously took a step back. Seeing he was about to step on another bamboo slip, He Tingtong, with quick eyes and hands, immediately reached out, grabbed him, pulled him to his side, and instructed, “Stand still, don’t move.”

He immediately obeyed, standing motionless and stiff as a rock.

He Tingtong picked up the fragments from the ground, pieced them together, glanced at them, and smiled. “Dean, don’t worry. The slip is just broken; repairing it will do. Look, the notes aren’t affected.”

Written clearly on the bamboo slip was: “Sleepy today, ate a bag of sweet chestnuts, didn’t study the Heart Sutra, very happy. Must not be lazy tomorrow, remember, remember.”

Dean Xu snatched the wooden slip, hid it in his sleeve, and coughed. “It’s good that it’s fine, it’s good that it’s fine. Make yourselves at home. It doesn’t matter if you bump into things; this old man has always had a good temper.”

He Tingtong looked at the scattered bamboo slips, jade slips, and books on the floor, the book mountain that looked deliberately pulled out halfway and tottering as if about to collapse at any moment, the table corner missing a chunk, the bamboo slips scattered everywhere, and even a few spirit pearls lurking in the middle of the path, ready to trip a random passerby.

If this really collapsed, organizing the things in this room would be a nightmare.

Seeing through the old man’s sinister intentions at a glance, He Tingtong grabbed Fu Fengyan, and the two carefully avoided all obstacles. Seeing that He Tingtong wasn’t falling for it and giving him no chance to manipulate them, Dean Xu lamented painfully. He could only slip, cry “Ouch,” and lunge toward the book mountain. Reaching out and pushing lightly, the already precarious books immediately began to tip over.

He Tingtong grabbed the person, and Fu Fengyan supported the books. Dean Xu crumpled into a heap. Opening his eyes, he saw Fu Fengyan floating in mid-air, barely pushing the tilting books back.

“Dean, walk slowly, don’t rush. It won’t be good if you fall.” He Tingtong comforted the elderly man gently from the side. “If there’s anything you need our help with, just order us directly. No need for this.”

Dean Xu grabbed He Tingtong’s hand and said seriously, “In that case, I’ll be direct.”

He Tingtong: “Please speak.”

“See those rosters? Help me organize them. I have to go to the Immortal Alliance to collect debts in three days. There are too many affairs here, and I’m really overwhelmed.” Dean Xu rubbed his hands. “Since you both chose to be my students, you should help your master, right?”

He Tingtong: “…”

Dean Xu walked to the desk in two or three steps. The room was truly dim; the mountain of books blocked the windows, letting in little light, relying entirely on the luminous pearl on the table for illumination. He fished around in the desk, took out a personal seal, and threw it over. “Of course, I won’t exploit you too much. Just finish organizing within half a month. If you’re hungry, go eat outside the academy. I know the cook at the third house in Bamboo Book Alley. Mention my name, and it’s free. But go secretly; don’t let anyone find out, ha!”

“Usually, you can go play with Qin Tan or Old Man Mu. As for what you want to learn,” Dean Xu patted the dusty books beside him, raising a cloud of dust, and said casually, “I don’t have time recently, but this old man likes to write things down. My life experiences and knowledge are all in here. If you have time, help me organize the books. Take whatever you want to read; don’t let them rot.”

He Tingtong looked at the room full of books, slightly dazed. He remembered that Dean Xu had traveled all over the Nine Provinces since he was young, was knowledgeable, and had an extraordinarily legendary life.

previously, to figure out why he restarted so many times, he had learned many things. He had entered the Shuwen Pavilion of the Yuanchen Palace, the Sinking Sword Tomb of the Sword Sect, explored the Apricot Forest of Biyunchuan, visited the Water Moon Shrine in the Fog Flower Realm, and discussed Dao with the Buddhist Son in front of the lotus platform Buddha statue. But no place could resolve the doubts in his heart.

Now, although he knew why the world restarted, he still didn’t understand why this world was like this.

Xu Yinwei was the most learned person in the world. His notes might give him some inspiration.

So He Tingtong agreed readily, accepting this mess under Dean Xu’s excited gaze.

The old man cheerfully taught him how to handle the rosters and patted him comfortingly. “Good child, it’s okay. Master will be back soon and will definitely not let you suffer.”

Thinking it over, Dean Xu still felt a pang of conscience, so he added, “I’ll bring you local specialties when I return!”

Dean Xu slipped away very quickly. He said he would leave in three days, but actually, he was gone by the second day.

Only the two of them were left in the huge house. He Tingtong worked extremely fast. After all, at his highest position in his previous lives, he had been a steward of the Immortal Alliance. Now, it was just a few hundred academy rosters. He finished processing everything in just three days. During this time, Fu Fengyan tried to help, but there seemed to be no room for intervention, so He Tingtong coaxed him to read books.

The books in the hall were not kept very well. The air smelled of ink, dust, and decaying paper and bamboo slips. Brushes and crumpled paper were thrown everywhere. In the drawers, there was a scattered mess of seals, jade pendants, communication magical artifacts, talismans, and even a few raisins, presumably dropped while eating.

Fu Fengyan brought a low stool and sat beside him, quietly reading a book in his hand. However, the light of the luminous pearl was pale and hurt the eyes after looking for too long. If he felt tired, he would stop and lie on the wide desk to watch He Tingtong work.

The room was dim, indistinguishable between day and night. He Tingtong’s face had a porcelain-like cold whiteness under the light, which Fu Fengyan delighted in watching.

In April, He Tingtong organized a batch of Dean Xu’s manuscripts. Most were terrible ranting observations, such as the Sword Sect’s Elder of Executing Sword not washing his feet before sleeping, the Palace Master of the Yuanchen Palace two-timing with eight people, the Sect Master of the Medicine Sect making aphrodisiacs by hand and drugging himself… and so on. Such gossip was remembered clearly, down to the year and day.

He Tingtong processed these manuscripts and bound them together.

His schedule was very full. Every other day, he went to the Sword Pavilion or Teacher Mu’s small courtyard. Most of his time was spent in the hall, flipping through, organizing, and storing books one by one.

Dean Xu also came back a few times in between, always in a hurry, leaving before staying too long. However, he remembered to bring local specialties. Since he was raising two little laborers, the Dean was also generous, bringing boxes of seasonal fruits, pastries, flower nectar, fermented rice wine, and even beauty-nourishing pills.

In mid-July, Fu Fengyan finally ate the grapes he had been longing for. The Dean brought back a basket from the Western Prefecture. He Tingtong gave some to everyone, but they couldn’t finish them; they simply couldn’t finish them. Yue Qianxun felt acid reflux just seeing grapes, and finally, Su Tan asked for them to make wine.

Fu Fengyan liked them very much. He even kept the grape seeds, dug a hole to bury them, and tried to grow grapes in the courtyard. With his careful care, he actually managed to grow a small seedling.

From late spring to early summer, then to falling autumn leaves and drifting winter snow, time flew by. The overly high piles of notes in the hall were categorized and put in place one by one. He Tingtong re-planned the bookshelves, rescuing the windows, and finally, there was no need to light lamps during the day in the room.

It was March of another year. Grass grew and orioles flew; the city was full of misty willows. A spirit boat flew over the Dream Marsh, rolling up layers of clouds and mist, hazy like teardrops falling from a dragon girl’s temples.

Yun Zhi’s face was pale. He stuck his head out of the window in discomfort, took a breath, and lay listlessly on the soft chair, unable to muster any spirit.

A year ago, he was thrown into the Disciplinary Hall and heavily punished for harming fellow disciples. Six of his ribs were broken. It took a long time to recover, but he ultimately missed the preliminary trial for Azure Cloud that year and was delayed just like that.

During this year of recuperation, everyone in the sect pointed fingers at him. His father’s gaze was stern and cold, and his senior brothers no longer had any warmth for him.

No matter how he explained, how he said that He Tingtong was a monster who had been possessed and had malicious intentions to frame him, no one believed him. Some fellow disciples even thought he had lost his mind.

But it didn’t matter. Everyone didn’t believe him, but one person did. Everyone hated him, but one person still loved him.

But one day, two days, three days passed, and Shen Xiyuan vanished without a trace.

Fellow disciples said his cultivation was crippled and he was expelled from the sect, perhaps dying somewhere. But Yun Zhi knew better than anyone. His lover was a great demon, gone to hunt down that soft, weak, helpless blind beauty He Tingtong. Just a mortal; how long could he detain his steps?

Shen Xiyuan would absolutely not give up on him and would come back to pick him up sooner or later.

So he waited and waited. One month, two months, three months. As soon as he could walk, he stumbled to find the spiritual tool that could communicate with Shen Xiyuan. But the other side was empty, with only the sound of wind. He searched the mountains for three days and three nights before finally finding the other piece in a crevice of a boundary stone.

Shen Xiyuan was missing.

He was abandoned.

Yun Zhi was in agony and nearly fell into the demonic path, but was saved by the Sect Master.

In his breakdown, he finally told the Sect Master everything about how he met and knew Shen Xiyuan, and everything that happened during the snow hunt at Falling Snow Cliff in the Cold Mountain Realm, including how He Tingtong coerced and bribed him, plotted against him, and all the conversations during their dispute in the Falling Plum Courtyard. He revealed everything in detail.

“He should have died. His dantian and heart were completely destroyed; how could he live?” Yun Zhi was like a madman. “He must have harbored resentment and offered himself to some evil spirit, letting it possess him to deliberately harm me!”

There were indeed such secret techniques within the Nine Provinces, mostly used by the Demon Race. Desperate people with no way out would use their flesh and soul as bait, offering themselves to great demons just for revenge.

The Cold Mountain Realm was the first line of defense between the Nine Provinces and the Demon Realm. For a thousand years, the Demon Race’s infiltration had indeed been severe. If Yun Zhi could meet Shen Xiyuan, why couldn’t He Tingtong meet another great demon?

Hearing him so crazed, the Yuheng Sect Master was first shocked, then thinking of He Tingtong’s various abnormalities after returning to the sect, he also realized something was wrong.

“Father, I know I was wrong. You have to decide for me. I want to kill him; I want to kill them!” Yun Zhi’s eyes were crimson, almost bleeding.

The Sect Master looked at the blood aura all over him, almost tangible, and sighed deeply. “If you hate him, then go take revenge.”

“Why torture yourself, my son? He Tingtong is just a whetstone I chose for you. There is no reason for a sharp blade to be shattered by a whetstone. Go to Azure Cloud Academy, just learn the sword well. Once you enter the Sword Pavilion, with your aptitude, you will surely become a disciple of the Guili Sword Master. Four years later, when you complete your apprenticeship, I will capture He Tingtong for you to vent your anger.”

It wasn’t that the Yuheng Sect Master was arrogant enough to dare oppose evil demons, but rather, whether possession or sacrifice, there was a serious defect. No matter how strong your soul was, once inside a body, the spiritual power would only be what the original owner had, unless you shed the body and attacked with the soul.

So the Yuheng Sect Master asserted that even a year later, wandering outside, He Tingtong’s cultivation wouldn’t surpass the Fifth Realm. Dealing with him would be as easy as flipping a hand.

And in front of Yun Zhi, he spent a high price to place a bounty in a filthy place like Wuqilu.

Three thousand spirit pearls, the entire sect’s expenses for a year, were all thrown into the pockets of evil path killers just to capture a First Realm cultivator.

Perhaps this business wasn’t profitable, or He Tingtong was too ordinary. For some reason, the money invested seemed to have disappeared into water. A year later, there was still no news of He Tingtong and his little lover.

As for Yun Zhi, for the latter half of the year, he practiced day and night, almost sleeplessly. Added to the Sect Master using the whole sect’s power to throw heavenly treasures at him without counting the cost, finally, within a year, he completed the Third Realm and could vaguely touch the threshold of the Fourth Realm. Anyone would have to praise his intelligence and talent.

Two months ago, he took two other eligible disciples from the sect, a medicine cultivator and a sword cultivator, and accompanied by two elders for protection, the five of them set off for Azure Cloud Academy.

Exhausted from the journey, Yun Zhi was heavy-hearted and couldn’t muster any spirit.

In another half month, they would arrive in the Central Prefecture, and shortly after that, Cloud Prefecture. Yun Zhi drank some water and vomited again. The Yuheng Sect didn’t have much money to squander. The Xiangli clan was notoriously bloodsucking; a top-class cabin could sell for a high price of a thousand spirit pearls. They couldn’t afford it, so they chose the lower decks.

The air in the cramped room was turbid and stuffy. Staying here for months was truly uncomfortable.

“Still feeling bad?” His back was gently patted. A somewhat cold palm stroked his spine. Yun Zhi shook his head slowly, raised his hand gently, and held the visitor’s palm.

It was much rougher than before, not as slender and smooth. The knuckles were large, the palm had calluses that scratched, and the arms were more muscular than before. A face… neither good-looking nor ugly, plain and ordinary, the kind of honest appearance you’d lose immediately in a crowd.

It was Shen Xiyuan. He didn’t die. He changed bodies again and crossed the Cold Mountain Realm with great difficulty to find him. It was just that the choice of body this time was a failure. It wasn’t as handsome as the last one; it was born too rough. He didn’t like it much. Added to his current melancholy, he couldn’t muster any interest in romance.

At first meeting, he was naturally full of resentment. But Shen Xiyuan pestered him relentlessly, secretly following him all the way from the Cold Mountain Realm to Tumi Prefecture, using all sorts of tricks. Only then did Yun Zhi sit down and listen to his explanation.

It turned out Shen Xiyuan hadn’t abandoned him but was plotted against and seriously injured. He had barely recuperated for a year before he could appear in front of him again.

It turned out he wasn’t suffering alone; his Ah-Yuan was in as much pain as he was.

After the pain came the joy of reunion after a long separation. He thought they would never meet again in this life, but unexpectedly, Heaven was lenient and allowed them to reunite.

But after the joy came more worry. He was going to study at Azure Cloud Academy now. Although Shen Xiyuan had some ability, Azure Cloud Academy was full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers. With so many people from the five sects and seven surnames inside, he was afraid that one careless move would expose Shen Xiyuan’s identity and implicate himself.

The crime of colluding with demons, in the Immortal Alliance laws, meant being bound in the Punishment Court and whipped with lightning fire until one’s body was crushed to dust.

Before leaving, his father had told him many rules. Although he liked Shen Xiyuan, seeing the other party truly determined to enter Azure Cloud Academy with him, saying “I’ll handle everything,” he was still a little afraid deep down.

Whenever he saw that plain face and the other party circling him, acting more obsequious than before, what Yun Zhi thought of wasn’t romance, but two broken human figures bound together, burned to fragments by lightning fire.

Just a slight thought made him nauseous.

Shen Xiyuan served tea and water at the side. Seeing Yun Zhi look up at him and then turn away to vomit, he had mixed feelings.

Am I that ugly?

He had underestimated the enemy that day and was sent back home by that blind man with one look. His distraction was directly annihilated, and his main body suffered heavy damage. He was in a coma for a full three months, and his realm plummeted.

After waking up, he was mocked by his colleagues for a long time. He wanted to recuperate for a few decades to recover his body, but unfortunately, orders came from above. Internal strife began in the Demon Realm again. The Lord was assassinated. Although the rebellion was quelled, he was seriously injured and probably could no longer suppress the demons.

The Lord gave him a secret order. For the Demon Race’s inheritance, he still needed to go to the cultivation world again to find an illegitimate child. Forced, he had to endure the pain and split his soul again. Only this time, his luck wasn’t so good. After leaving the Cold Mountain Realm, there was no one in the wilderness. Finally, when his essence was about to run out, he could only forcibly possess a passing rogue cultivator, resulting in his current appearance.

Wide forehead, small eyes, thick lips, dark skin, and sunspots. He had groomed himself in front of the mirror for a long time, even learning to apply powder like those young ladies. Unfortunately, apart from making himself look more ridiculous, it had no other effect.

He tried and failed. Yun Zhi, who used to come over with a hook of a finger, now wouldn’t let him get close no matter how he pestered.

Heh, so much for loving each other’s souls. In reality, he cares so much about appearances. Truly superficial.

Unfortunately, limited by his identity, he really needed someone to lead him into the Central Prefecture. Yun Zhi gave him the cold shoulder, but he couldn’t just walk away in anger. To achieve his goal, he could only shamelessly use all his skills to seduce him.

Unfortunately, the results were minimal.

Thinking it over, Shen Xiyuan pulled out a portrait from his pocket. The person in the painting had fox eyes, loose long hair, the tails of his eyes hooked up, the ends flushed red, looking like a demon that hooked souls and sucked human essence.

Yun Zhi looked at the person in the portrait, his eyes brightening slightly. He felt the world became a bit more colorful. “This is…”

“Me.” Shen Xiyuan held the portrait next to his face. The contrast was too great. Yun Zhi’s eyes hurt. The face he could originally tolerate suddenly became unacceptable; even looking closer was a cruelty to himself.

“I painted this last year. Ah-Zhi, rest assured. Once my cultivation recovers, I can change my appearance and accompany you with my true face.” Shen Xiyuan said affectionately.

Yun Zhi’s lips moved: “Ah-Yuan…”

The two looked at each other. The corner of Yun Zhi’s eye twitched slightly. A moment later, he turned his head away. Shen Xiyuan put the painting directly over his face. “Ah-Zhi…”

Separated by a scroll, the two were about to express their feelings when a few knocks suddenly sounded outside the cabin door. Shen Xiyuan and Yun Zhi’s expressions froze. They were meeting secretly in private and absolutely could not be discovered by their companions.

Yun Zhi opened the cabinet. Shen Xiyuan hugged the scroll and squeezed in. His robust physique filled the cabinet to the brim, almost preventing the door from closing.

“Young Sect Master, do you feel any better today?” Outside the door was the Yuheng Sect Elder. Looking at Yun Zhi’s pale face, his expression was worried.

“Still uncomfortable.” Yun Zhi leaned against the door and coughed. “Elder Meng, how many days until we reach the Central Prefecture?”

“This old man came for this reason. All the chaotic spirit clusters on the route this year were cleared by the Immortal Alliance’s spirit dissolvers. The journey has been smooth. The captain issued a notice that the spirit boat is traveling at full speed and will arrive in the Central Prefecture in another ten days.” The elder looked happy, presumably also unable to bear this cramped cabin much longer. He comforted softly, “Young Sect Master, rest more. You need to build up your strength to take the test then.”

Yun Zhi nodded, then slowly closed the door and sat weakly on the bed.

He Tingtong wore loose dark blue robes, a wooden hairpin on his head, loose hair flying everywhere, and unnatural dark circles under his eyes. He went through all the documents on the desk and stamped them all.

Ten days passed too slowly.

He now had a day off every ten days. On that day, he didn’t need to attend classes, accompany Dean Xu to patrol the mountain, or help him write letters to major sects to beg for food. He could return to his room and sleep soundly. After waking up, he could open the door, take Fu Fengyan, follow Zhang Duixue or Yue Qianxun to buy some vegetables, fruits, and wine, secretly stew a pot of meat in the courtyard, have a good meal, and stretch his muscles.

But recently, the academy was recruiting new students again. There were fewer people in the immortal sects this year, but because Dean Xu ran all over the Nine Provinces advertising, Azure Cloud Academy’s reputation grew, and the academy planned to expand enrollment by five hundred people this year.

The area of the three mountains wasn’t quite enough, so Dean Xu disappeared for two months, ran to the Immortal Alliance to throw a tantrum, and forcibly expanded the land by a circle. Now that they had the place and the students, the teachers couldn’t be bad, right?

For the sake of teaching quality, Dean Xu rightfully handed over all matters regarding the construction of school buildings to He Tingtong’s supervision.

Before this matter was settled, Dean Xu turned around and ran to the Sword Sect. It was said that he reminisced with the Sword Sect Leader for seven days and seven nights, then successfully “persuaded him with reason” to come over as a substitute teacher.

A few days ago, Dean Xu also went to the Yuanchen Palace, but the Palace Master was in seclusion and didn’t see guests, so Dean Xu returned in defeat.

However, as a Dean running all over the Nine Provinces all day, no one could find him if something happened in the academy. Holidays, festivals, student fights—for all sorts of messy things, if the Dean couldn’t be found, they could only find the Dean’s disciple, like He Tingtong.

Unknowingly, he took control of all the tokens and personal seals in Dean Xu’s hands. As soon as Dean Xu ran off, if other courtyards had matters to discuss, whether elders, teachers, or student laborers, they all had to come to him.

So much so that both Qin Tan and Teacher Mu expressed strong dissatisfaction to Dean Xu. “Look at you, you can’t just fleece one person, can you? Look how tired you’ve made the child.”

Privately, Su Tan felt that even if Dean Xu were kicked out now, Azure Cloud Academy would likely still operate freely under He Tingtong’s hands.

And now, with the new semester at Azure Cloud Academy and new students arriving, He Tingtong was busy arranging various affairs properly. Fu Fengyan wasn’t very good at these things. Mainly, although he was eager to learn, his comprehension ability seemed different from ordinary people—off by about a hundred and eight thousand miles. He often made outrageous statements, angering teachers to death.

Especially those teachers in the Langhuan Pavilion who liked convoluted talk.

With more noise came more complaints. Whenever he saw someone making things difficult for He Tingtong, he would get angry. With too many conflicts, he spoke less. Now, he more often acted as a fighter and laborer on the side.

After recording the last roster, He Tingtong lay on the desk, unwilling to move for a long time. Fu Fengyan moved stack after stack of mountain-like rosters from one end to the other, arranging them neatly and meticulously. Then he went behind He Tingtong, extended both hands, and picked him up.

He Tingtong lay bonelessly like a dried salted vegetable, letting Fu Fengyan move him away from the table and settle him aside. Then, after tidying up the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, putting all the seals back into the box one by one, categorizing and locking them, Fu Fengyan scooped He Tingtong onto his back and carried him directly out of the study.

Because of this batch of new students, He Tingtong hadn’t slept for seven or eight days. Suddenly relaxing, his eyelids drooped. He had grown a year older and much taller. Being busy with Dean Xu every day gave him an introverted scholarly air. The tails of his eyes drooped slightly, sleepy and confused. His arms hung on Fu Fengyan, swaying with the movement. He said softly, “I’m sleeping today; won’t call Xiao Xue and Xiao Yue.”

Fu Fengyan nodded, his voice very light. “Mm.”

He Tingtong suddenly raised his head. “When Dean Xu comes back, remember to use the worst tea stems to make tea for him!”

“Soak raw ginger in it!”

“Juice it!”

He Tingtong’s tone was impassioned. Fu Fengyan noted everything down, responding to every request, and decided to pour a bottle of white vinegar into Dean Xu’s wine gourd.

While noting, He Tingtong was truly exhausted. His head drooped with his fading murmurs, resting gently on the youth’s shoulder, breathing calmly and steadily.

Warm breath like wind lingered by Fu Fengyan’s ear, light and soft. Although there were no music cultivators around, Fu Fengyan felt he heard a brisk little tune, and even his steps became light and joyous.

He didn’t quite understand the convoluted talk of those people in the academy and couldn’t help much. Dean Xu didn’t let him help much either. What he could do was not let people disturb He Tingtong when he was working, or quietly collect books, help copy rosters, stamp seals… and then, like now, carry the exhausted youth home. Along the way, he could silently count He Tingtong’s breaths in his heart. Inhale, exhale, steady and long, as if he could count like this until the end of time.

The apricot blossoms at Azure Cloud Academy bloomed again. On the way back to the small courtyard, pink and white petals fluttered down.

Fu Fengyan walked forward carrying him. After returning, he would boil some hot water to apply to He Tingtong’s eyes. having written for too long, every finger should also be rubbed and pressed. Also, having lowered his head for a long time, his neck should be sore. How long had he stayed in He Tingtong’s room today?

Two hours, probably.

First apply the compress to the eyes, then massage the hands, then take off the clothes to massage the neck and shoulders. He learned a trick from the Hundred Herbs Pavilion; his massage technique was very good, but He Tingtong felt awkward and didn’t use it often.

As they walked, a somewhat surprised call suddenly came from behind. “Little Senior Brother, is that you?”

Fu Fengyan paused and turned slowly. The sun was setting in the west, and the sky was filled with clouds like burning fire. Yun Zhi, whom he hadn’t seen for a long time, stood in the light in white robes, looking ethereal. Behind him followed a group of people, presumably prospective new students for this year. A group of youths looked over curiously. Their prying gazes first fell on Fu Fengyan’s face, causing the group to shudder in unison, then slowly shifted to He Tingtong’s tired sleeping face.

He was truly too tired, and because he was lying on Fu Fengyan’s back, he had completely let down his guard. Those messy words didn’t disturb him at all; he sank into dreams, completely unaware.

“Brother Yun, is this the senior brother you mentioned who betrayed the sect for a little lover?”

“Yo, what did these two do to be tired to the point of fainting?”

“Pulling and pushing in broad daylight, truly shameless.”

Words full of intimacy and teasing surged over. Yun Zhi approached step by step with these words. He wore a somewhat disgusting smile on his face, but his tone was as concerned as ever. “I remember you… are called Fu Fengyan? Didn’t you have an eye ailment? What, did Little Senior Brother cure you?”

“Ah, is Little Senior Brother sick? Are you carrying him to see a doctor?” He seemed to only see the person clearly now. His voice wasn’t loud, but it was enough for everyone to hear clearly. With a face full of concern, he said, “Little Senior Brother looks uncomfortable. We have medicine cultivators here; should we let them take a look at him first?”

“Sigh! Brother Yun, you are young and don’t know. Look at these clothes, loose and baggy like dried pickled mustard greens. Your senior brother isn’t sick; he probably rolled around somewhere with this pretty boy in acts of passion!”

A burst of ignorant laughter immediately rose around them.

“Don’t talk nonsense. Little Senior Brother and Brother Fu truly like each other; otherwise, they wouldn’t have disobeyed the master’s orders and eloped back then…” Yun Zhi stopped at just the right moment, giving everyone a chance to imagine. Then he took a step forward and reached out to touch He Tingtong. “Little Senior Brother, after all, you and I were once fellow disciples, and we might be classmates in the future. Don’t pretend to sleep; wake up and greet me?”

“Who is classmates with you.” Fu Fengyan took a step back to avoid his touch, looking coldly at the group surrounding them, expressionless. “Noted. You few, loose-tongued, all expelled.”

Someone laughed. “I see you two rogue cultivators have only been in Azure Cloud Academy for a year at most, right? What are you acting tough for, expelling us? Do you know who my father is?”

Fu Fengyan replied, “Don’t know, don’t recognize. But private fights between students are prohibited in the academy.”

Yun Zhi raised an eyebrow and sneered, “What do you mean? No one here is making a move on you right now.”

“I am.” Fu Fengyan raised his hand and waved. In an instant, several streams of spiritual power were thrown out, sending everyone flying. The group rolled around clutching their heads. Only he, carrying He Tingtong, stood proudly in the road. Raising his voice slightly, he said coldly, “Rest assured. If I beat you, I won’t be expelled.”

“After all, I am not a student, but the Head Steward!”