Daily life in the academy

"Follow."

The two of them gradually moved away from the camp. There was no light of fire, and moonlight fell through the gaps in the woods. Yan Qingchen used the little moonlight to identify the direction he was heading.

Bai Zhi followed Yan Qingchen closely. She always felt that the forest was dark and if she wasn't careful, a wild beast or a python as thick as a thigh would jump out. She felt like she was on the verge of seeing an enemy everywhere. There were even a few times when she bumped into Yan Qingchen's back because of the noise of leaves.

Yan Qingchen, who was leading the way, twitched his shoulders slightly, and a low laugh reached Bai Zhi's ears. Then, he said with a smile, "There are no ferocious beasts in this mountain anymore. There's no need to be so... cautious."

"No... no ferocious beasts." Bai Zhi felt a little embarrassed. She coughed lightly and asked, "Were they all hunted down by the people from Jiaojia Village?"

"You could say that as long as you don't go deep into the forest, there's no danger. Even on weekdays, there are only small, non-threatening animals like pheasants and rabbits."

"Oh~"

After walking for a while, Bai Zhi vaguely saw a cave in front of her. She thought, could we go into this cave? As soon as this thought flashed through her mind, Yan Qingchen took her to the cave and said, "Let's go in."

Yan Qingchen pulled out a tinderbox from his pocket, lit it, and walked straight in. Bai Zhi hurried to follow. She had expected the path to be spacious, but it turned out to be a narrow passage barely wide enough for half a person. Unable to see the road ahead, she could only blindly follow the person in front of her. When they stopped, she bumped into them out of inertia. Rubbing her nose, she heard his voice, tinged with joy, say, "We're here."

Bai Zhi faintly smelled the scent of sulfur and curiously came out from behind Yan Qingchen. Taking advantage of the faint light from his hand and the moist, warm air around him, she cheered in surprise, "Brother Yan, is this a hot spring?"

Yan Qingchen smiled and nodded: "Yes, I found it by chance two years ago. It seems I found the right place."

Bai Zhi was shocked: "..." So you dared to bring people here even though you were not sure whether you could find it?

Yan Qingchen seemed to have read a similar meaning from Bai Zhi's eyes, and he rarely showed an uncomfortable expression. He said, "Anyway, now that we have found it, don't dawdle any more. Hurry up and wash up and go back."

After saying that, Yan Qingchen placed the tinderbox beside the hot spring pool so that he could move. Only then did Bai Zhi vaguely see the structure of the hot spring pool. She couldn't help but feel happy. It turned out that there was a big stone in the middle as a barrier, just like a natural barrier separating the men's and women's bathrooms. As long as you don't stand by the hot spring pool, you can't see the scene on the other side.

This is simply fantastic, I don’t need any of those excuses just now!

Seeing that Yan Qingchen was about to take off his underwear, Bai Zhi quickly turned around and walked to the other side. After hesitating for a while, she heard the sound of someone entering the water, and she took off her clothes in no time.

The hot spring water was slightly hot but bearable. Bai Zhi couldn't help but let out a comfortable hum after entering the water, but time was running out and she couldn't leisurely enjoy the healing power of the hot spring. She could only rub her whole body quickly, and returned to the shore before the continuous sound of water was heard over there, and quickly put on her clothes.

Yan Qingchen had originally closed his eyes slightly, letting the hot spring water wash away all his fatigue. However, not long after entering the water, he heard the sound of water running next to him. He asked in surprise, "Why don't you soak for a while longer?"

Bai Zhi had already fastened her belt and replied, "Brother Yan, it's already late when we came out, and this place is not close to the camp, so we need to go back quickly."

Yan Qingchen sighed and didn't reply. After a while, the sound of running water was heard. Bai Zhi quickly turned her back and pretended to fold dirty clothes. Only after the rustling sound of clothes stopped did she stand up and tentatively ask, "Brother Yan, are you coming back?"

"Well, let's go."

On the way back, Bai Zhi felt refreshed and in a different mood. She felt her steps were lighter and she was no longer afraid of the dark and terrifying place she had been in. She even memorized the entire route to the hot spring cave so that she could sneak over in the middle of the night to enjoy the hot springs.

The firelight of the camp gradually appeared before the two of them. While no one was around, Bai Zhi asked, "Brother Yan, do you want me to create an opportunity tomorrow or the day after tomorrow to reconcile you and Bai Lian?"

"I think that kid is quite good at talking. Let's do it tomorrow." Based on Yan Qingchen's understanding of Mu Bailian, if he doesn't make a fuss tomorrow, he won't be Mu Bailian. He shook his head in amusement and said, "You'll have to wait and see tomorrow. I have a feeling that kid will do something stupid."

Bai Zhi's mind flashed with the foolish look of Mu Bailian, and she deeply agreed.

When the two returned to the camp, Xie Guan happened to come for an inspection. Seeing that their hair was damp, he waved his hand and said, "The nights are chilly in autumn. Go back and rest. Don't be late tomorrow morning."

"Yes, Master Xie."

Xie Guan stroked his beard and watched the two figures enter the tent one after another. He found that Master Yan seemed particularly calm next to Bai Zhi. He originally thought that the first to make a fuss would be this moody old man, but he never thought that it would be those two brats Zhou Lu. He got angry when he thought of these two guys. He had finally put an end to the quarrel between the two bunks and hoped that they would not cause any more trouble. Thinking of this, he still felt uneasy, so he quickened his pace to their tent, listened carefully for a while, and left with peace of mind after there was no conflict.

After a thorough inspection, he found nothing unusual. He could faintly hear snoring coming from some of the tents. Standing on the edge of the platform, Xie Guan spotted tiny twinkling stars through the trees. He was momentarily lost in thought. The students behind him were like those glittering stars, destined to become the sun and moon that illuminated the Yan Kingdom in the future...

When a soldier passed by Xie Guan, he suddenly came to his senses, shook his head, and walked down the mountain.

Bai Zhi didn't feel Xie Guan's good intentions for the time being, but she felt the pain of collective life. Not to mention the various inconveniences of being surrounded by men, just the snoring that came one after another at night was simply deadly.

Bai Zhi's sleep quality was quite good, but she was suddenly woken by the humming sound of Mu Bailian, which sounded like a kettle boiling. She was still confused and looked around for the boiling water... until she heard Yan Qingchen sighing helplessly beside her. He whispered soothingly, "It's okay, it's just Bailian's snoring. Go back to sleep."

"Oh..." Bai Zhi felt dizzy, so she mustered up enough energy to reply, "Brother Yan, continue sleeping..." After that, she fell into a deep sleep again.

Throughout the tent, the sound of boiling water and the croaking of frogs could be heard one after another... I don't know how the others slept, but Bai Zhi felt that it was too noisy that night.

It wasn't until the rooster crowed that Bai Zhi woke up from her sleep, and she felt her ears were freed...

Subconsciously, she stayed in bed and turned over. Her mood instantly improved because of Yan Qingchen's beauty. While he was still asleep, Bai Zhi boldly admired him from bottom to top. His high nose bridge outlined a perfect contour, his thin lips were slightly pursed, and his long and thick eyelashes cast a faint shadow under his eyes. He was trembling slightly like a butterfly spreading its wings. Unexpectedly, she subconsciously met his eyes like black pearls.

Bai Zhi laughed subconsciously, her voice slightly hoarse and a little soft: "Brother Yan, good morning."