If Bai Xifeng went out of her way to explicitly state that something was "good," then it was undoubtedly an item of immense, perhaps even peerless, value. Ning Shoukai knew very well that he could not afford to let such a rare and potentially life-changing opportunity slip through his fingers. He immediately nodded his head with frantic eagerness, his eyes lighting up with a spark of genuine excitement as he expressed his clear and undisguised interest in whatever secret she was holding.

Before Bai Xifeng could respond further or offer a proper explanation of her intent, both of them were suddenly startled by a sharp voice that sounded right behind them, far too close for comfort.

"What exactly are you two doing over here in the dark, hmm?"

They whipped around in unison and saw Xie Lanying staring at them, her eyes narrowed into highly suspicious slits. Her sudden and almost preternaturally stealthy appearance had clearly caught them both completely off guard, shattering the secretive atmosphere.

"If I did not have an exceptionally strong heart, I might have actually died from the sheer shock of you appearing out of thin air like that." Ning Shoukai grumbled, glaring at Xie Lanying while clutching his chest dramatically to emphasise his racing pulse.

"What? You two must be plotting something incredibly secret. Otherwise, you would not have reacted with such obvious and radiating guilt." Xie Lanying countered, her gaze flickering back and forth between the two of them with deep, unwavering suspicion.

"Who is plotting anything?" Ning Shoukai retorted defensively, though his face remained flushed.

Since Bai Xifeng had not yet shared the specific details with Xie Lanying, he did not dare to mention the so-called "good thing" either, fearing he might ruin the surprise.

"Hmm... since you are already here and clearly have no intention of leaving us alone, let us just go together." Bai Xifeng said to Xie Lanying, deciding with a faint sigh that it would be far easier to simply include her than to try and lose her.

"Huh? Where exactly are we going at this hour?" Xie Lanying asked, her confusion growing even more profound.

"To check out the good thing I mentioned." Bai Xifeng replied, lowering her tone slightly to maintain that tantalising air of secrecy.

Hearing the firm promise of something both mysterious and valuable, Xie Lanying’s irritation vanished, replaced immediately by intense curiosity. Thus, the two of them followed Bai Xifeng back toward the quiet, secluded territory of the Inscriber Division.

"Is it really okay for me to even come in here? Isn’t this area strictly restricted to members only?" Xie Lanying asked as they approached the boundary with cautious, hesitant steps. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

"It is perfectly fine. Usually, only Teacher Ji and I are ever here anyway." Bai Xifeng responded calmly, leading them across the threshold.

The moment they stepped inside the division’s grand gates, they heard the melodic, silver-thin sound of music drifting through the cool night air.

"Is this..." Xie Lanying paused in her tracks, turning to look at Bai Xifeng with a questioning, intrigued gaze.

"Oh... Teacher Ji must be playing his guqin again." Bai Xifeng answered casually, as if such an ethereal performance were the most natural occurrence in the world.

They walked slowly along the winding bamboo forest path, watching the tall, slender stalks swaying gently in the night breeze. Xie Lanying and Ning Shoukai looked around in quiet, breathless amazement. Even in the dead of night, the area retained a serene, captivating, and almost otherworldly beauty that seemed to exist outside of the academy’s usual chaos.

After passing through the whispering bamboo forest, they finally spotted Ji Yuan sitting calmly within the gazebo. Ning Shoukai and Xie Lanying instinctively straightened their posture, stepping forward to approach the gazebo with deep respect. When Ji Yuan caught sight of Bai Xifeng and her two companions, his fingers slowed, and he stopped playing the guqin. Both Ning Shoukai and Xie Lanying bowed politely to greet the master.

"There is no need for such rigid formality here." Ji Yuan stated calmly, his voice as smooth as the music he had been playing.

"Teacher Ji, I am going to make use of the hall over there for a moment." Bai Xifeng informed him of the form to ask for permission.

"Do as you please." Ji Yuan replied without a hint of objection, his gaze returning to the strings.

"Thank you, Teacher Ji." Bai Xifeng said as she bowed respectfully, acknowledging his permission.

Without wasting any more time on pleasantries, Bai Xifeng immediately turned and led her friends toward the designated hall.

"Teacher Ji looks and sounds very gentle. No other teachers in this academy are quite like him." Ning Shoukai commented thoughtfully as they walked away.

Bai Xifeng paused to think about that statement for a long moment. ’Hmm... indeed, Teacher Ji is gentle. But when he beats me up...’ A sudden, violent shiver ran down her spine, and unwanted goosebumps rose across her skin at the sharp memory of their training sessions.

"Wait until he actually beats you up. You will never think of him as ’gentle’ ever again." Bai Xifeng remarked dryly.

"Eh... is he really that fierce?" Xie Lanying asked, looking genuinely surprised.

"Does an Inscriber truly need to practise writing that much that it becomes dangerous?" Ning Shoukai asked, his curiosity piqued.

"Yeah... I do need to practise my writing, certainly. However, after mastering the basics of rune inscriptions, I also need to learn how to fight using them. And in those sessions, I always end up getting beaten up quite thoroughly." Bai Xifeng admitted with blunt honesty.

"Wow... That sounds really tough." Ning Shoukai commented with a wince, imagining the ordeal.

***This novel is a contracted work with w e b n o v e l. c o m. If you do not read this novel on w e b n o v e l. c o m, that means it has been stolen. Thank you, from your shameless author, ZerahNeko*