After the Rolling Banquet ended, Chu Shaoye and the others were ready to set off for Zhuyu City. It took two days to travel from Chu Family Village to Zhuyu City, and Chu Qingyao and Chu Qingyu wanted to arrive a day early to familiarize themselves with their new surroundings.
Early in the morning, Chu Wangshan drove the ox cart to take the three children to Qingwu Town. There was a relay station in town where they could rent Spirit Beasts for travel, which would make the journey much faster than going by ox cart.
Lan Fang and Liu Qian saw them off at the village entrance. Liu Qian’s eyes were already red as she wiped her tears with a handkerchief, and even the usually cheerful Lan Fang could not keep her eyes from reddening.
She hugged the two children tightly and said, reluctant to part with them, “Come home to see your mother when you have time. I’ll make you something delicious.”
The usually carefree Chu Qingyao threw herself into Lan Fang’s embrace, crying so hard that she was almost blowing snot bubbles. In contrast, the usually shy and timid Chu Qingyu not only held back her tears, but even comforted Liu Qian in turn.
Chu Wangshan said helplessly, “All right, stop crying. It’s not as though the children will never come back.”
Lan Fang glared at him. “Bah, don’t jinx them! Can’t you say something nicer?”
The three children climbed onto the ox cart. As the One-Eyed Ox carried them farther away, Chu Family Village gradually shrank to a distant outline. Just as it was about to disappear from view completely, a long wolf howl suddenly rang out from the distant forest.
Chu Shaoye whipped his head around to look toward the forest. He knew this was Shuangyue bidding him farewell.
Chu Qingyao did not know about the giant wolf and asked in surprise, “Why are there wolves around here? Is it a Spirit Beast or a wild beast? Will it hurt people?”
Chu Shaoye poked her forehead. “You certainly have a lot of questions. It won’t hurt anyone. It’s leaving today too.”
Chu Qingyao blinked her still-reddened eyes and asked curiously, “Brother, how do you know? Do you know that wolf?”
Chu Shaoye ignored her and closed his eyes to rest.
Finding this boring, Chu Qingyao pursed her lips and turned to talk to Chu Qingyu.
Chu Qingyu took a hair ribbon out of her bundle and handed it to Chu Qingyao. “Yaoyao, this is the hair ribbon I promised to embroider for you. See if you like it.”
The pale blue ribbon was embroidered with clusters of jacaranda flowers in blue-purple thread. One glance was enough to tell that it had taken considerable time and effort.
“Wow, Qingyu, your embroidery is amazing! If you hadn’t told me, I would have thought this was Auntie Qian’s handiwork. It’s so pretty. Quick, help me tie it on.”
She glanced at Chu Shaoye and pressed her lips together. In truth, she had embroidered a belt for him too, but she did not know how to give it to him.
They soon arrived at Qingwu Town. Chu Wangshan drove the ox cart straight to the relay station and rented a Stone Skink for the children.
Although its Chinese name contained the character for dragon, the Stone Skink had nothing to do with dragons. It was a type of lizard Spirit Beast.
The Stone Skink they rented was medium-sized, about three meters long and half a meter tall, with grayish-white scales covering its body. When it lay motionless, it looked like a long, large rock.
Stone Skinks were Tier Two Spirit Beasts with gentle temperaments, making them easy to tame. Unlike Spirit Lords, the Beast Trainers who trained such Spirit Companions had no Spiritual Energy and were merely ordinary people.
Five seats had been fitted onto the Stone Skink’s back. The frontmost seat was for the Beast Trainer, while the four behind it were arranged in two rows of two.
When the Beast Trainer learned that Chu Qingyao and Chu Qingyu were students heading to Zhuyu Academy, he treated them very respectfully and even offered them a discount.
Chu Qingyao and Chu Qingyu sat in the front row, while Chu Shaoye sat with the luggage in the back row.
The Stone Skink was much faster than the One-Eyed Ox. Before long, Chu Wangshan’s figure had shrunk to a tiny black dot.
Chu Qingyao kept looking back. Her eyes red, she said to Chu Shaoye, “Brother, I feel like crying again.”
Chu Shaoye did not answer, because he felt a little like crying too.
Their two-day journey passed without incident. Chu Shaoye paid the Beast Trainer’s fare in full and led the two girls into Zhuyu City.
Zhuyu City’s gate was a towering stone archway built from large blocks of bluestone. It was several times larger than Qingwu Town’s wooden archway and far grander.
This was the two young girls’ first time entering a city. Even the bolder Chu Qingyao could not help feeling a little timid.
The broad roads, fine shops, and bustling streams of people were all so unfamiliar, yet they drew the eye at every turn.
Chu Shaoye bought two servings of snacks at a stall and took the opportunity to ask the stall owner for directions to Zhuyu Academy.
When the stall owner heard that they were students of Zhuyu Academy, a hint of envy appeared in his eyes, and he became especially enthusiastic.
After thanking him, Chu Shaoye handed the snacks to the two young girls.
The stall’s sign displayed the snack’s name: “Fragrant Bite.”
Glutinous rice flour was mixed with water and kneaded into dough, then rolled into balls the size of a thumb tip. These were cooked in boiling water, scooped out, and rolled in ground peanuts and sugar before being served. Find the original chapter at novelping.com.
Chu Qingyao speared a coated glutinous rice ball with a bamboo skewer and popped it into her mouth. The next moment, her eyes narrowed in bliss.
“Mmm, it’s delicious! The rice balls are so soft and chewy, and they’re just sweet enough. The moment you put one in your mouth, it’s full of peanut fragrance. No wonder it’s called Fragrant Bite.”
Chu Shaoye chuckled. “You certainly know your food.”
Chu Qingyao speared another ball with her bamboo skewer and held it to his lips. “Brother, try one too.”
Chu Shaoye opened his mouth and ate it. “It really is good. I’m not fond of sweets, though. You have the rest.”
After eating their snacks, the two young girls felt a little less nervous and could look around at the sights more comfortably.
Zhuyu Academy was not difficult to find. It occupied a large area in the northwest corner of Zhuyu City.
It was currently the enrollment period for new students, and several long tables had been set up at the academy entrance to register newcomers.
Chu Shaoye led the two girls over, and Chu Qingyao and Chu Qingyu took out their Identity Jade Tokens to show the attendants.
Their jade tokens also recorded the kinds and tiers of their Natal Spirit Beasts. The two girls summoned their Natal Spirit Beasts, and once their identities had been verified, the attendants grew even more welcoming.
Chu Shaoye said, “I’m their brother. May I help them carry their luggage inside?”
The attendant replied, “Of course. I’ll issue you a temporary pass. However, the academy doesn’t allow outsiders to stay overnight, so this pass will expire at dusk.”
Chu Shaoye nodded, took the pass, and entered the academy. The attendants also gave the girls a booklet containing the academy rules, along with a map.
Following the map, the three found the dormitory area. Zhuyu Academy assigned dormitories according to the students’ talent. The more talented a student was, the better their dormitory.
With their talent, Chu Qingyao and Chu Qingyu undoubtedly qualified for the best dormitories, and their rooms happened to be right next to each other.
Chu Qingyao stepped into her room and exclaimed, “Wow! This room is amazing, and it’s only a dormitory!”
Zhuyu Academy’s best dormitories were all suites. In addition to a bedroom, each had a sitting room, a study, and other rooms, all exquisitely furnished.
Chu Qingyu’s room was much the same as hers. After helping them put away their luggage, Chu Shaoye said he was going out to buy a few things and told them to walk around the academy and familiarize themselves with their surroundings.