Han Xuhan had a strong suspicion that back when Xuanyuan Zhou was handing money to that old sweeper of the Archives Pavilion, this was the goal she was after.
Although the senior disciples claimed that their allotment was done through lotteries, he had witnessed too many rigged elections in his previous life to have faith in such methods.
If the old man had access to the area where the lottery results were being recorded, how difficult would it be for him to change one record?
"You bribed him to group me with you?" he whispered to her while they followed the senior sister through the foggy field towards a mountain not too far away.
"I did no such thing!" Xuanyuan Zhou said. But the playful smile on her face said something else. Certain of his guess, Han Xuhan could only shrug and accept his fate.
"Senior sister, may we know which mountain peak we're headed to?" Someone in the front of the group asked.
"You can read, can't you?" She responded.
"Er... Yes."
"Then you'll know it when we get there."
This senior sister's attitude was really cold, just like those jade beauties in novels. Han Xuhan purposefully walked near her for a while, but his system didn't jump out declaring that she was a daughter of destiny.
It seemed that he was overthinking it. Just because someone looked good and had an attitude didn't mean they'd have a protagonist halo on them.
Of course, they could also be a villain, or a minor jade beauty whom the author forgets after a hundred chapters...
Han Xuhan had to slap himself out of those useless thoughts. Slurping on those junk novels day and night had truly left his brain a rotten mess.
"Attendant Xuhan, you haven't taken a fancy to our beautiful Senior Sister, have you?" came a voice from his side while he was focusing on a stable hike up the steep mountain path.
"Why would you think that, My Lady?" He warily looked at Xuanyuan Zhou, who was walking in front of him, seemingly unbothered by the steep climb.
"I see the way you've been staring at her. You even tried to get close to her a couple of times while walking. Hehe, do you want this lady's advice?"
"You misunderstood my intentions, my lady. I was only hoping to form early connections with our seniors."
Xuanyuan Zhou shrugged.
"Whatever you say. But I will advise you nonetheless. After all, I can't have my attendant disappearing one week into the job. I've invested a substantial amount in your future."
What the hell did that mean? Why would he disappear?
Seeing the suspicion and confusion mixed in his eyes, Xuanyuan Zhou slowed down the pace of her hike and gestured at him to do the same. The rest of their group almost became a blur in the fog up ahead.
"There is no need to form any connections with our senior disciples. It's better if you stay away from them. As for this pretty senior in particular, it's for the best if you never exchange a single word with her. Otherwise, you might regret it. Don't say I didn't warn you!"
"...Why? Can you explain?"
Han Xuhan was so shocked that he forgot to address her respectfully. And that seemed to annoy Xuanyuan Zhou.
"Getting so worked up over a random woman just because she's good looking?! Hmph! Are you fit to be this Zhou's attendant?"
With a pout that strongly reeked of artificiality, the girl increased her speed and left Han Xuhan scratching his head in confusion.
He wasn't stupid enough to think this girl was jealous. Her warning probably carried some merit. But being so vague...
"Oh, whatever, I have those damn tokens to make a choice if things go south. Putting all of my faith in Xuanyuan Zhou would be unwise."
Having decided on his stance, he chased after their group. The horizon beyond the mountain range was darkening fast. The fog was getting thicker. If he got lost, he'd have to use those tokens up just to find his way in the dark.
After nearly twenty tiring minutes of hiking, a stone archway became visible up ahead. Han Xuhan made a startling discovery when his gaze fell on its carvings.
He could read the words a lot more smoothly now!
It didn't take a genius to figure out why he had suddenly gotten better at this language. Awakening the memories of the body he was possessing currently had done the trick.
Recalling his arduous days with old man Ming Zi's dictionary, Han Xuhan teared up. This sudden shortcut to master the local language was the greatest gift his system could have given him at this stage.
Meanwhile, his fellow recruits had also noticed the archway, leading to a frenzied discussion. After all, they were curious to know which mountain peak they had been assigned to.
"Salted Fish Mountain Peak?"
"This name is a little unconventional"
"Are you sure it's just unconventional? It looks like an insult to me. The last time someone called me a salted fish, I burnt down their house."
There were only six people in their group, so the discussion died down abruptly when their senior sister glanced back at them with emotionless eyes.
"Who said it was an insult?" she asked in a sharp tone.
Five pairs of eyes locked onto a short young man in loose scholarly robes. The senior disciple suddenly flashed him a warm smile and clapped her palms together.
"Looks like we're welcoming some brains on our mountain peak this year. You're absolutely right! The name of our peak is an insult.
"This mountain peak is reserved for disciples with the worst fate during the lottery! None of you were picked by the other mountain peaks!"
"Why would that be the worst fate?" The scholarly young man asked.
"Not being fated with the other mountains is the same as being fated with this mountain peak!"
"But being fated with this mountain peak means being fated with no special skills imparted on Crimson Snow Sect," the senior sister replied with an even warmer smile.
"The disciples on every other mountain peak shall be attending private lessons conducted by the overseer Elders of that peak. But you guys don't have the privilege. You'll have lots of free time on your hands to waste, hence that name."
She pointed at the archway, as if she took great joy in revealing the truth.
"...Does our mountain peak have no Elder?" the guy asked, his voice a mixture of shock and worry.
"Of course it does. But Elder Daheng is simply a man with no special skills, hahahah!"
Their senior sister's uproarious laughter was a vision worth painting. But nobody, not even Han Xuhan, could truly appreciate the beauty at that moment.