A look of relief appeared in Wang Chao's eyes. It was truly rare for a young man to remain unmoved by the prospect of immense wealth! He nodded and said, "I've decided. I'm taking Ling Xiao on this mission. Does anyone have any objections?"
Everyone, including Wu Liang, nodded in agreement. Ling Xiao's display of skill had deeply shaken them. Anyone who still disagreed would have to be an idiot.
Even Anya felt only admiration, not envy, because Ling Xiao's skill was far beyond her own understanding and knowledge of medicine.
"Then it's settled!" Wang Chao said, full of confidence. "We'll meet here in three days, and then we'll set out. Same as always, these three days are for everyone to make their own preparations!"
"Ling Xiao, you're younger than me, so you have to call me 'Big Sis'!" Anya suddenly said to Ling Xiao with a grin. She had been the youngest on the team, and she was secretly thrilled that someone younger than her had finally joined.
"Er..." Ling Xiao's mouth twitched slightly, and his eyelids drooped. 'This woman is a bit of a handful,' he thought. He suddenly remembered Yisha, who knew so much about medicinal herbs. 'A girl like her is much better. At least she's quiet!'
Anya hadn't actually expected the somewhat aloof boy to call her 'Big Sis.' Everyone had seen how reluctant he was when calling their captain 'Big Brother' just now... 'And the captain is a Demon Swordsman! Not just a Great Sword Master!' Anya thought to herself. 'You can't compare people. Anyway, as long as he doesn't hate me, that's fine. I have to learn that skill of his,' she resolved.
Temporary adventurer's guilds had a rule: unless the members had developed a deep bond, they wouldn't pry into each other's identities.
After the others had left, Wang Chao kept Ling Xiao behind to explain the various things he would need and the precautions to take in the wild.
Ling Xiao had relevant experience from his past life, so he understood everything without much effort. This caused Wang Chao to click his tongue in amazement, praising Ling Xiao for being such a quick study. Ling Xiao didn't know whether to laugh or cry. 'I was probably foraging for medicinal herbs in the wild before you were even born,' he thought. Of course, that was a thought he could only keep to himself.
After bidding farewell to Wang Chao, Ling Xiao prepared to return to the academy to request a leave of absence. The Imperial Academy wasn't managed too strictly; for a short trip like the one Ling Xiao took today, he didn't even need to inform his teachers.
The students at the academy were either rich or noble. You could choose not to listen to your professor's lectures, and if you couldn't pass the exams, you'd just be held back. If you weren't afraid of the embarrassment, you could stay until you were twenty, at which point you would be automatically kicked out.
Of course, if you wanted to be away for a long period, you still needed to let a teacher know. Otherwise, people might think you had gone missing.
It was the height of summer, and the scorching sun baked everyone, leaving them listless. Even the chirping of insects in the trees along the road sounded weak. There weren't many pedestrians, but any who recognized Ling Xiao would shoot him a look of scorn.
Opportunities to mock the son of the Grand General didn't come by often. Many people didn't even know why they despised Ling Xiao; perhaps doing so just gave them a sense of satisfaction.
Faced with their contemptuous gazes, Ling Xiao scoffed inwardly. He walked past them with a blank expression, feeling a sense of pity for them. 'A bunch of people who don't even know their own reason for living, and they have the spare time to mock others?'
Ling Xiao found his teacher's residence. His memory of his teacher, Shangguan Yutong, was that of a refined and gentle woman who rarely got angry. She had a very good relationship with his older sister, Ling Su, and was usually quite kind to Ling Xiao as well. As he approached Shangguan Yutong's quarters, Ling Xiao suddenly felt a pang of nervousness. Perhaps it was the original Ling Xiao, deep in his heart, who was afraid of disappointing her. After "that incident," Ling Xiao hadn't seen Shangguan Yutong at all, so he had no idea what his teacher now thought of him.
With these complicated thoughts in his mind, Ling Xiao knocked on the door to his teacher's rooms. A beautiful, pleasant voice came from within. "Come in!"
Ling Xiao pushed the door open and stepped inside. The sight brightened his eyes. The suite was south-facing, filled with sunlight. It consisted of two rooms; the one he entered was an office, and the inner room was a bedroom. The space was neat and cozy, with the unique, faint fragrance of a woman's room.
When Shangguan Yutong saw Ling Xiao, she froze for a moment. Then, she furrowed her brow slightly and said indifferently, "It's you? Sit."
Ling Xiao sat down meekly, keeping his eyes lowered.
After telling Ling Xiao to sit, Shangguan Yutong said no more. She sat there, diligently flipping through a book and occasionally writing something in it with a pen.
From Ling Xiao's perspective, Shangguan Yutong's narrow, almond-shaped eyes were exceptionally beautiful, veiled by long eyelashes. A section of her fair, delicate wrist, as pale as a lotus root, was visible beyond her sleeve, ending in a slender and exquisite hand.
Shangguan Yutong didn't speak, and Ling Xiao didn't speak either. For him, who had often entered meditative states for a year at a time while cultivating on Shushan, this short wait was nothing. When it came to patience, there was probably no one in this world who could surpass him.
After a long while, Shangguan Yutong suddenly realized she could no longer sense Ling Xiao's presence. She was instantly startled! Lifting her head, she saw Ling Xiao sitting right there with his head lowered, looking as if he might have fallen asleep. A flicker of anger flashed in her eyes. Shangguan Yutong finally lost her patience and slammed her hand fiercely on the table.
A loud "BANG!" echoed from the heavy, solid wood table.
Ling Xiao was amused. 'She couldn't hold out that long?' he thought. Still, he cooperatively raised his head and put on a terrified expression. However, since he wasn't very good at faking it, his expression just came across as infuriating.