The next day, when Ming Yue returned from class, Xiao Ling sat patiently outside her room. Smiling, she patted the dog, and the two went inside. Once inside the room, Xiao Ling sat near the table as it waited for Bai Ruyi to put her books away. When she came back, Xiao Bai was in her hands. Slowly, Bai Ruyi placed Xiao Bai down. At first, Xiao Ling was hesitant and didn't move. Only when Xiao Bai nuzzled its foot did Xiao Ling realize that Xiao Bai was ready to play.
From that day onward, Xiao Ling waited patiently for Bai Ruyi to finish class so that it could play with Xiao Bai. Occasionally, Long Hua would join them. As it was her first year attending the lecture, she spent more time studying the material, but when she had a chance, she would come over to hang out with Bai Ruyi.
Oftentimes, Xiao Ling would forget that it was time to return home. So, it became Feng Kuanglan's job to come and pick it up as Feng Zhiyu was busy having fun with Long Yuzhe. However, he still couldn't figure out why Xiao Ling always came to Bai Ruyi's room, but seeing the little guy happy was enough for him.
In a blink of an eye, three months flew by. After completing the exam, spring was in the air, and flowers were in full bloom. When they first set foot in Huohai, the weather was still cold, and spring was still asleep. Yet now that they were preparing to leave, spring was about to end.
On the last night, they were there, Feng Kuanglan came to take Xiao Ling back, as usual. However, knowing they would be gone the next day, Xiao Ling didn't want to leave.
"Feng gongzi, why don't you let Xiao Ling stay the night."
"But..."
"You don't have to worry about Xiao Ling bothering me."
Feng Kuanglan looked at Xiao Ling and saw that it was highly fond of the idea. So, he thanked Bai Ruyi and left. When Feng Kuanglan was out of sight, Xiao Ling returned to playing with Xiao Bai. As for Bai Ruyi, she pulled out a blank notebook and filled it out. By the time she looked up from her work, three hours had passed, and Xiao Ling and Xiao Bai were asleep, with Xiao Bai cuddled up under Xiao Ling's arm like a blanket.
A smile bloomed on her face. Looking at the two of them now, who would have thought that at one point, Xiao Bai was running away for its life from Xiao Ling. Carefully, she placed a blanket over them and blew out the candles before bed.
When Bai Ruyi woke up the following day, Xiao Bai was beside her. At some point during the night, Xiao Bai had woken up and hopped into bed. Quietly, the two got out of bed and went to ready for the day. When everyone was all packed and ready, they bid Sect Leader Feng goodbye and began their journey home.
Since Bai Ruyi, Long Yuzhe, and the others left early, Feng Kuanglan did not realize that Xiao Ling was still at the guest house. It was only a few hours later that he noticed that Xiao Ling had yet to come for breakfast. When he opened the door to Bai Ruyi's room, he saw that Xiao Ling was still fast asleep.
"Xiao Ling. Xiao Ling. Time to wake up."
Slowly, Xiao Ling's ears twitched to the sound of its name. Opening its eyes, Xiao Ling saw Feng Kuanglan kneeling beside it. Although sad when it found out that Bai Ruyi and Xiao Bai were gone, it soon became happy again when Feng Kuanglan coaxed it with some snacks. On their way out, the notebook Bai Ruyi had filled out the night before caught Feng Kuanglan's eye. Beside the notebook was a letter, and the content inside said.
Feng gongzi, this notebook has some tips on how to train a spirit pet. I hope you and Feng er gongzi will find it helpful. Bai Ruyi.
Setting the letter aside, he opened the notebook and saw a detailed collection of ways to befriend and train your spirit pet. As he started walking back, Feng Zhiyu came running up to him.
"Ge!" he called out.
Feng Zhiyu stopped before him and saw the book his brother was reading.
"What's that?"
Kuanglan handed the book over to his brother and continued walking.
"Bai gongzi left a book with ways to train a spirit pet."
"Huh? Why?"
"I don't know, maybe he thinks you and Xiao Ling can spend more time together."
Confused, Feng Zhiyu scratched his head. He had been so busy with his new friend that he didn't know what was happening with his dog.
"The book has good tips. Try to work on them with Xiao Ling. I'm sure Xiao Ling will be happy to spend time with you," Feng Kuanglan said.
"Oh..."
The three left the guest house and returned to their respective rooms.
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After a month of traveling, Bai Ruyi, Long Yuzhe, and everyone else finally made it back to Yuecheng. Happy that they were all back safely, Bai Xueling had a wide spread of food made for them.
The twins each gave an account of the experience during dinner that night. However, Long Yuzhe did most of the talking, as he did more than Bai Ruyi. Everyone was happy that the two had a good time, but Bai Xueling still couldn't help but feel worried for Bai Ruyi. Since she was young, she had always been reserved and didn't have a lot of friends, and she rarely shared her thoughts or burdens with her family. Although Bai Ruyi's mind was at peace, Bai Xueling could tell her heart was heavy.
When Long Yuzhe finished telling his stories, Long Ruijin made an announcement.
"The Jin clan will hold their fall hunt in about two months. So we will need to get ready to leave in a few weeks."
At the news of a hunt, Long Yuzhe was very excited. The location of Yuecheng made it hard to host any hunts, so the most action he got was from eradicating the ghosts and demons.
"That's great! I finally get to put my skills to the test!"
While Long Yuzhe was excited, Bai Ruyi quietly finished her food. Bai Ruyi didn't mind hunting down ghosts, demons, and monsters, but she felt that hunting down animals for the sake of human pleasure was too cruel. After all, an animal was still a living being with its own life and family. However, since she had to represent her family, she could only go along with the plan.
A few weeks later, Bai Ruyi, Long Yuzhe, their parents, and some disciples set off to Jinshan. As for their grand-uncle, he stayed behind to watch over the clan. On the way to Jinshan, they had to pass through Houhai, and it just so happened that when they were passing through, the Feng family was also leaving for Jinshan. In the end, the two families decided to travel together.
Along the way, everyone's seating changed. At first, Bai Ruyi's parents were in one carriage, and she and Long Yuzhe were in another. However, they swapped spots since her father wanted to chat with Sect Leader Feng, and his wife wanted to talk with her mother. Later, Feng Zhiyu joined Bai Ruyi and Long Yuzhe. However, the carriage became very tight with the three of them and Xiao Ling. So, in the end, Bai Ruyi had no choice but to share the carriage with Feng Kuanglan, and since his carriage was a little bigger, there was plenty of room for Xiao Ling.
For the first few days of sharing a carriage, Bai Ruyi kept Xiao Bai in her qiankun ring. However, Xiao Ling constantly tugged on Bai Ruyi's robe, wanting to ask her to let Xiao Bai out. In the end, Bai Ruyi took Xiao Bai out and let the two play together. When Feng Kuanglan first saw Xiao Bai, he was caught by surprise, but it later hit him that it was Xiao Bai's fur that he had found on Xiao Ling before.
"Bai gongzi, this is?"
"This is my spirit pet, Xiao Bai," Bai Ruyi responded.
"So this is why Xiao Ling went to your room daily."
Bai Ruyi nodded, and Feng Kuanglan bent down to pet Xiao Bai. Although Xiao Bai initially dodged his touch, it snuggled right up to his hand after Bai Ruyi assured Xiao Bai that Feng Kuanglan was friendly.
With the two pets playing with each other, Feng Kuanglan slowly made small chats with Bai Ruyi. Even though neither of them were big talkers, they could converse on various topics. Occasionally, they would play a round of xiangqi or weiqi. This helped to pass the time as the books they packed didn't last more than a week of travel.
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A few weeks later, they arrived at Jinshan. After they greeted Sect Leader Jin and his wife, the two families were led to their guest house. A welcoming banquet was held that night, and a lavish food display was prepared. The Jin clan was known for its riches and wealth, so it wasn't surprising to see the extravagant meals and utensils they used. For diplomatic reasons, Bai Xueling drank some wine. However, most of the time, Long Ruijin covered for her since he had a better tolerance. As for Long Yuzhe, he and Feng Zhiyu drank to their heart's content.
Since Bai Ruyi knew what would happen later, she drank tea instead and chatted with Long Hua.
A few hours later, the banquet ended, and just as Bai Ruyi expected, Long Yuzhe was drunk. Supporting his heavy body, she managed to drag him back to his room while her mother helped her father back to their room. After tucking him in, Bai Ruyi returned to her room.
Meanwhile, on Feng Kuanglan's side, he also had a case of a drunk sibling. Unlike Long Yuzhe, when Feng Zhiyu is drunk, he is in a deep sleep and doesn't cause any trouble. So, carrying him back to his room was not a problem. Feng Kuanglan didn't like the taste of alcohol, so he rarely drank, no matter how good the wine was. Instead, he preferred the mellow and fragrant taste of tea.
Once Feng Zhiyu was situated, Feng Kuanglan returned to his room.
At the beginning of the tiger hour, Bai Ruyi woke up and went to the kitchen in their living quarters. Since alcohol was a weakness of her family, they often had massive headaches the following day. So, she spent a few hours in the kitchen to make everyone some hangover soup. Along with the typical ingredients, she added some extra herbs from their medicine storage to give everyone an extra boost of energy for the long day ahead. Meanwhile, Xiao Bai was sitting on the counter, munching on a piece of carrot and keeping Bai Ruyi company.
The moment everyone woke up, they were greeted with the fragrant smell of the soup and other dishes commonly eaten back at Yunmeng. Stepping out of his room, Long Yuzhe held his head and looked for the source of the smell.
"Ugg... my head hurts so bad."
"I told you not to drink too much," Bai Ruyi said as she stepped out of the kitchen with a tray of food.
As she placed the food on the table, she said, "Go wash your face, and then come over for some breakfast."
Seeing some of his favorite dishes, Long Yuzhe quickly ran back into his room to clean up. When he came back out, his parents and the other disciples were all seated, and just as he took his seat, Bai Ruyi came out with a bowl of hangover soup for him. Excited, everyone started to dig in.
As they were eating, Bai Ruyi noticed her mother rubbing her temples. Worried she wasn't feeling well, she asked her mother if she was okay.
"I'm alright. It's just the wine from yesterday was a bit too strong."
Bai Ruyi set down her chopsticks and pulled a small medicine bottle from her qiankun ring.
"Mom, take this. It will help."
Along with being one of the oldest clans, the Bai family were also experts in medicine. So, Bai Ruyi never left the house without her collection of pills.
Seeing that his sister had pain relievers, Long Yuzhe took some as well. Today was the first day of the hunt, so he wanted to ensure he was in his best condition.
After breakfast was finished, everyone went to get changed for the hunt. Bai Ruyi wore a white uniform with cranes and clouds embroidered on it. She also wore a pair of ice blue wrist guards, and to top everything off, she tied her usual jasmine flower-shaped travel token to her belt. As for her hair, she pulled it back and secured it with a simple silver crown. Once she was done getting dressed, Xiao Bai went back into its qiankun ring, and she headed out to meet up with everyone.
"Is everyone ready?" Bai Xueling asked.
"YES!"
Forming into two lines, everyone followed behind, Bai Xueling and Long Ruijin, to the hunting grounds. A massive tent was set up at the hunting grounds for all the Sect Leaders and their spouses. Each table had a beautifully arranged plate of fruits and tea. As all the adults took a seat, everyone else formed into rows, with the heirs in front and disciples behind them.
When 10 am rolled around, a young, well-dressed man stepped out from the tent and greeted everyone. Although his features were delicate, his eyes were sharp, bringing a unique sense of handsomeness to his face and capturing the attention of everyone.
"Welcome, everyone. We are pleased to have all of our talented cultivators here today. The rules of the hunt are simple. As long as you stay within the grounds and do not harm anyone, you are free to use your weapon of choice. Also, please remember, if you use binding nets, be cautious of where you place them so as not to hurt other cultivators."
Not only did his face capture the cultivator's attention, but his smooth speech and confidence made everyone want to take his words to heart.
"Another thing. In addition to the total points that we will tally up at the end of the hunt, we have included a fun warm-up that will allow you to earn extra points this year."
Gently clapping his hand twice, a group of disciples brought out 10 archery targets. However, after placing them down, another disciple cast a spell, causing all the targets to float up into the air and move circularly. The young man then turned back to the disciples and continued to explain.
"The warm-up is simple. All you need to do is to hit one of the targets. The location of the arrow will determine your points. You may use up to three arrows to try and earn the highest score. Best of luck to our cultivators."
Once he was done explaining, the young man retreated back to his position behind Sect Leader Jin. Since some clans had more than one child, those who only had one had another disciple participate as well. The first person to go was Jin Tianming. Dressed in his fancy gold embroidered silk outfit, he walked up proudly with another disciple carrying his bow and arrows.
Nocking his arrow in place, Jin Tianming launched himself into the air and made his first shot.
THUD!
Everyone clapped as the first shoot was a bullseye. Immediately after, he made two more shots, both making a bullseye. Once he landed, he gave his bow and quiver back to the disciple and walked back to his spot with a smug look.
Eager to wipe the smug look off his face, Long Yuzhe volunteered to go next. As he launched himself into the air, he did a flip and accurately released his arrow, which split Jin Tianming's arrow. A roar of applause came from the audience, and Long Yuzhe continued to split the other two arrows that Jin Tianming had shot. Watching from the sidelines, Bai Ruyi shook her head. Her brother had a habit of showing off, and it didn't help his ego when a whole crowd was cheering him on.
Next was Feng Zhiyu, who also had to show off in his own way. After Feng Zhiyu was Yu Yichen. Although his brother, Sect Leader Yu was known for his exceptional archery skills, Yu Yichen had little interest. So, as a result, his arrows landed in the middle rings.
After Yu Yichen was Feng Kuanglan. Since Feng Kuanglan did not like showing off, he simply aimed for the open targets. However, to not disappoint his clan, all his arrows were a bullseye. Lastly, out of all the heirs, it was Bai Ruyi's turn. The opposite of her brother, Bai Ruyi, did not do fancy tricks. Instead, to quickly get it over with, she firmly planted her feet on the ground, nocked three arrows, and shot them at the targets. Each arrow swiftly found its way to the center point of the target and made its mark. Since this method was unique to the Bai clan, Bai Ruyi received a big round of applause.
Once her scores were marked down, she returned to her spot so that the other disciples could have their turn. When everyone took their turn and the scores were tallied up, the gates to the hunting grounds were opened. Although the groups were divided by the clans, Long Yuzhe and Feng Zhiyu decided to go together. So, after deciding which direction to go, the two of them set off, with Xiao Ling and a group of disciples following behind.
Bai Ruyi, who was left behind, slowly made her way into the hunting grounds with no particular goal in mind.