After finishing the joint condemnation of the roommate who left without saying goodbye, Lin Zhusheng had no doubts and continued to pack his things.

Wen Baizhou glanced at him a couple of times, and after seeing that his expression was normal and showed no change, he withdrew his gaze.

The small, shabby wooden box looked worn out on the outside but was surprisingly spacious. Once everything was organized, Lin Zhusheng stuffed all his belongings into the box. While rummaging through it, he found the flower he had put away earlier.

It was blue and white, with deep blue edges on the petals that gradually turned pure white near the center. It was a tiny bloom, and just holding it brought a faint, pleasant fragrance. The scent was not overpowering or pungent; it was a strangely comfortable aroma.

He turned around, holding the flower, and reached out to his senior brother, who was now standing straight behind him. The small flower floated lightly in the air, its petals trembling slightly as it moved.

A breeze blew in through the wide-open window, and the warm yellow light flickered for a moment. Wen Baizhou lowered his eyes and saw a pair of joyful eyes illuminated by the light.

Different scenes, different times, even different faces, yet the scene before him infinitely overlapped with the images in his memory.

He had thought about what was truly important; perhaps it was a rare fruit or some other peculiar thing, but he never expected it to be this flower.

Noticing that his senior brother seemed a bit surprised, Lin Zhusheng introduced it with great seriousness: “This is the one I saved before; it took quite a bit of effort.”

“Quite a bit of effort” referred to the time he spent flipping through books in the library and then coming back to nurture it with a wood attribute spirit stone, after which he had never bothered with it again.

His gaze fell on the flower, and after confirming he hadn’t made a mistake, Wen Baizhou didn’t reach out to take it. Instead, he half-squatted down, looking at Lin Zhusheng for a while before speaking, “… Do you know the meaning of giving this flower?”

The petals of the Lan Jun flower were never in odd numbers; if one petal fell, another would follow, leaving only the center behind, never just one petal alone.

It was most commonly used by cultivators to express their feelings.

Meaning?

The distance was a bit too close, close enough to see himself reflected in the other’s eyes. Lin Zhusheng glanced down at the blue flower in his hand, then looked at his senior brother, finally nodding with certainty and smiling, “I know.”

The meaning was simple; it was a way to express gratitude. He had received many flowers before, including roses, which could also be used to express thanks.

Mainly, he could only give this flower. It was quite expensive, and only this price matched the value of the clip he had received earlier; he didn’t have anything else to give.

“…”

His gaze was too clean and upright, and Wen Baizhou thought he might not know the true meaning of giving the Lan Jun flower, but those eyes were too sincere, filled with certainty, not a hint of pretense.

For a moment, he couldn’t tell if Lin Zhusheng truly understood.

He reached out to gently push back Lin Zhusheng’s wrist, his gaze lingering on the delicate bracelet above it for a moment before he looked away and softly said, “I can’t accept it.”

“!”

The one thing he liked the most, and he wouldn’t accept it? Lin Zhusheng was shocked.

This Lan Jun flower was something he had gotten for free; he couldn’t be sad about not giving it away. He was purely astonished, his eyes wide open as he asked, “Why?”

Wen Baizhou thought for a moment, looking directly into his eyes, and said, “It’s not the right time yet.”

Sitting cross-legged on the ground while holding the flower, Lin Zhusheng asked, “When will it be?”

His senior brother rarely didn’t answer his question. He stood up, bending down to pick up a very ordinary fruit that had been placed aside, smiling as he said, “I only want this.”

— Was this a change of preference, or was it just not the right time to like the Lan Jun flower?

Lin Zhusheng didn’t understand but didn’t dwell on it too much; as long as he could give something away, that was fine. He chose to temporarily put the flower back in the wooden box, took out a large pile of fruits, and began to stuff them into his hands, building a small mountain as he said, “If I had known you liked this, I would have given it to you sooner.”

His favoritism was simple and obvious; he would give one or two fruits to ordinary fellow disciples, but to close friends, he would give enough that it took both hands to hold. Now, the amount he was giving was so much that it was hard to hold with both hands.

In the end, his senior brother, who only took one fruit symbolically, left with a pile of fruits, looking like he had just come back from a shopping trip.

Standing at the door to see him off, Lin Zhusheng, who had finally taken the first step in gift-giving, waved his hand with a smile. After watching the figure walk away, he hummed a light tune and turned to close the door.

——

There were too many fruits for one person to finish. The boss, who was practicing swordplay alone in the sword field late at night, received a few fruits from Ling Xujun, who had just returned from the outer sect.

The peach trees around the sword field had already sprouted many green buds. He wiped the sweat from his face with his sleeve and sat down on the stone bench designated for resting by the sword field, looking at the table piled high with red fruits, his eyes widening, “So many?”

These weren’t all of them; it was just the amount Wen Baizhou could give him, as he had kept quite a bit in his storage bag.

His junior brother’s favoritism was too obvious. He had never experienced being so favored by someone before. The boss took a bite of one of the fruits and, with a pair of emotionless eyelids, said, “Congratulations, you have such a fond junior brother.”

Wen Baizhou didn’t respond immediately. He drew his sword, which emitted a bright white light, buzzing as it did.

“Are you going to practice swordplay?” The boss asked while munching on the fruit, crossing his legs. “Is your injury from last time healed?”

He thought for a moment and replied, “Last time, during the purge of the chaotic demon, I remember you were pretty badly injured, right?”

The sword hilt turned in his hand, making a crisp “click” sound. Wen Baizhou said, “It’s mostly healed.”

The boss raised an eyebrow, a bit incredulous.

The purge of the demon was about two months ago. If he remembered correctly, this person’s injury should not have healed completely in just two months.

At that time, the extreme demon from the North Sea had emerged, causing havoc among the people. They had received orders from their sect to go and eliminate it. Upon arrival, they discovered that there was more than one demon, and their strength was inconsistent with the reports, overall being a whole realm stronger.

The original plan was for them to hold the demon back and prevent it from crossing into human territory while informing the sect to send elders for assistance. However, this person, after driving the demon back that night, was injured and fell into a coma. When he woke up, he suddenly changed his mind and charged in recklessly to completely eliminate the demon.

Thinking back to that scene now still sent chills down the boss’s spine. He rubbed his arms and said, “When you woke up, you asked me what year and month it was. I almost thought you had been possessed by some ancient being.”

In just the time it took to wake up from a coma, which was no more than two hours, he remembered the look in his eyes when he woke up, familiar yet strange. After learning the time, he disregarded everything and rushed out with his sword.

That was when he first realized that sword cultivators could have the ability to cross realms and slay demons, and in the end, they killed more than one.

But the cost was quite high; he was injured badly enough that his clothes were stained with blood.

At that time, he had suggested that they stay there to recover before returning to the sect, but this person was eager to return as soon as the demon was dealt with, as if he was in a hurry for something.

There were indeed benefits to being in a hurry. The North Sea was far from the sect, and if they had followed the original plan, by the time their message returned and the elders came to assist, it would have taken at least half a month. They had resolved the issue in one night and were already on their way back the next day.

That was when he learned that this person was racing against the time when the outer sect’s miscellaneous disciples would be dismissed by the sect.

At the end of the month, if they hadn’t completed the corresponding tasks, the miscellaneous disciples would be asked to leave the sect, with a deadline of that day and the next, with no chance for negotiation.

This person had to find someone before the disciples were dismissed, and he was also helping to look for them.

They first tried to find the name through the manager, but it seemed the other party had changed their name, as there was no one in the roster named “AAA Bamboo Wholesale Lin Zong.”

With no name found, they could only search directly. The characteristics given by this person were that the other party was unambitious and about to be dismissed by the sect, and they were very good-looking, definitely the most eye-catching one in the crowd.

Someone so good-looking wouldn’t be nameless. The results of his inquiries were that no one knew of such a person.

Halfway through, an elder urgently needed to see him, so he temporarily returned to the inner sect. After resolving the matter, he planned to continue helping with the search, but this person had already returned, bearing a newly reopened wound and the result of having found the person.

Thinking back to this matter after some time, the boss asked, “So, did you find that person, or were they dismissed?”

“Wait a moment.”

He pondered for a moment, recalling “AAA Bamboo Wholesale Lin Zong,” and said, “You’re not looking for Lin Zhusheng, are you?”

But the personality didn’t match; that person was energetic and proactive, looking nothing like someone who was unambitious. The face didn’t match either. They were indeed quite eye-catching in a crowd, but it had nothing to do with their looks.

The sword sliced through the air, creating a sound of breaking through the void. Wen Baizhou sheathed his sword and responded.

Not to belittle anyone or put anyone down, but from an objective standpoint, based on this person’s previous description of Lin Xiaoyou, the boss felt that his aesthetic standards might differ from the norm.

Overall, this wasn’t very important. Naturally, he began to munch on a second fruit and said, “As long as they haven’t been dismissed, that’s good. Just in time, you have nothing to do lately, so you can go to the outer sect to hang out with him.”

After saying that, he remembered something and added, “But they have a test at the academy in the next few days, so they’ll be busy studying.”

Academy test. With one hand casually resting on the sword hilt, Wen Baizhou recalled something and smiled slightly.

Not understanding what he was laughing about, the boss asked, “What’s so funny?”

“Nothing,” Wen Baizhou said, clenching his fist against the corner of his mouth, “just remembered something.”

Lin Xiaoyou first learned about the academy test the next day, during the usual morning sword practice.

Sword practice couldn’t go on for several hours without a break; there was a two-quarter-hour break, which is half an hour in human terms. During the break, disciples under different elders could run around freely, and Lin Zhusheng, as usual, was with his few little buddies.

Because of their previous experience in the same school during their time as miscellaneous disciples, the ones he played with the most were his fellow disciples who had come here from the same school, including Zhang Jing, Song Ming, and the three older brothers who had previously bought grass from him.

The first to bring up the test was one of the three brothers, the tallest among them, whose name matched his height—Gao Yu. He said he hadn’t even looked at a book yet and was about to be tested.

While listening to them talk and teasing a cat, Lin Zhusheng quickly caught a key word, suddenly looking up and asking, “What test?”

As he looked up, his hands didn’t stop moving, and the dog tail grass almost went straight into the little cat’s mouth.

“The academy test, testing the basics of pharmacology,” Zhang Jing said. “The academy is on break for the next few days to give us time to study, and when we go back to the school, we’ll be tested on the spot.”

Slightly glancing sideways, he said without any surprise, “They mentioned this during the return trip from the secret realm. You must have been doing something else and didn’t hear it.”

It wasn’t even a question; it was completely a statement.

Lin Zhusheng, who was habitually distracted, humbly scratched his head.

Someone else didn’t even know about the test, and Gao Yu, who had been quite anxious, suddenly calmed down. The few good fellow disciples who were most worried about Gao Yu and himself now turned their attention to this person who seemed to have always been on the outside, saying, “By the way, you’ve been sleeping in class, right? Can you really pass this time?”

Some memories of burning the midnight oil and not doing well in tests surged up, and Lin Zhusheng’s humble, fake scratching of his head turned into genuine scratching as he looked down at the little cat, his mouth twitching as he said, “I should be fine.”

He then added, “That wasn’t sleeping; it was strategic rest.”

“…” The little cat avoided his gaze, hugging the dog tail grass and playing elsewhere, pretending it didn’t exist.

For some reason, he heard a hint of gritted teeth in his tone, and several fellow disciples interpreted it as a lack of confidence. They patted his shoulder and said, “There are still a few days; you have plenty of time.”

Lin Zhusheng reached out to catch the little cat, replying as he did, “Mm-hmm.”

“Are we going to study together today? At least we’ve listened to the lectures.”

“Mm-hmm.”

“…” Busy trying to catch the cat, Lin Zhusheng didn’t read the room and only realized something after responding. He looked up and said, “Huh?”

The plan to study together was set, and his good fellow disciples were very considerate of him. To help him study more comfortably, they even thoughtfully decided to hold the study session at his home.

Another option was to go to the library, but there was a Wuqi wandering around there, and he might say something he completely didn’t want to hear, so it was better to stay at home where it was stable.

In any case, they were definitely going to study today.

After finishing sword practice at noon, the group set off for his home on time.

The big sword was quite large, and there had been no record of it being flipped over. He sincerely invited his fellow disciples to sit on his big sword, but unfortunately, no one accepted the invitation. At such times, everyone was very taciturn and took out their own swords.

Fine.

The lone driver, Lin, who wanted to experience being a driver while sitting on his big sword with zero passengers, felt that the wind today was particularly cold.

It could accommodate six people, and fortunately, the outer sect disciples’ rooms were much larger than those of the previous miscellaneous disciples, just enough to fit everyone.

Because it was too far away, except for Zhang Jing, the others had never been to his place. They had originally said they would study as soon as they arrived, but upon arrival, they curiously surrounded the room to take a look.

The first thing they saw was the missing quiet room. They stared for a long time before realizing that the place where the quiet room used to be had been completely transformed into a kitchen, piled high with things. The attitude towards cultivation could be set aside for now, but at least the living standards looked quite high.

Aside from the missing quiet room that was originally used for meditation, most of the other furnishings in the room were sparse and ordinary, not much different from their own rooms. However, the tatami mat that seemed to have been turned into a cat nest and the two shabby wooden boxes in the corner were quite eye-catching.

They hadn’t thrown away such shabby things, and it looked like they were still in regular use. The only reason for such frugality was that the few good fellow disciples, who happened to be among the well-off sword cultivators, looked at the person busy preparing snacks in the kitchen with sympathetic eyes and encouraged him with clenched fists, saying, “Don’t worry, things will get better in the future.”

Lin Zhusheng: “Huh?”

His thought process didn’t align with his fellow disciples, and he didn’t understand what they were talking about. He also didn’t know what he was worried about. In any case, it seemed like they were encouraging him, so he nodded in agreement.

“…”

Only the little cat, who was observing from the desk, knew that the two sides were completely talking past each other, staring with wide eyes in silence.

In reality, the person busy in the kitchen, who seemed to be poor, had a bulging wallet and had never been short of money. The money from selling grass, along with what he had swindled from others and the rewards from completing tasks, had already accumulated to a considerable amount.

This person was just simply stingy, unwilling to spend fifty silver to buy a complete and aesthetically pleasing wooden box from him.

Once the snacks were served, everyone had to sit properly around the table, and the tour of the room came to an end.

Lin Zhusheng was glad he had brought the books on the basics of pharmacology with him and hadn’t left them behind. Among the pharmacology basics was a small circle of “Self-Cultivation for Sword Cultivators.” He sat on the mat in the corner, leaning against the edge of the bed, yawning as he opened the book.

The academy test for outer sect disciples was different from that for miscellaneous disciples. There was no good fortune of being able to retake the test if they failed; if they didn’t pass, they would be sent directly to the Quiet Reflection Hall under the supervision of the Grand Elder of the inner sect to study and retest until they passed before they could leave the Quiet Reflection Hall.

The Quiet Reflection Hall was specifically for punishing disciples who had made mistakes, and the Grand Elder in charge was strict and merciless, showing no leniency. One could imagine the immense pressure of preparing for the test inside. Even a few habitual slackers were studying hard now to avoid going to that place.

The sunlight outside the window slowly shifted, and the only sound left in the room was the rustling of pages being turned.

“I heard from a senior sister that after this test, it seems the sect will let us go out and have some fun.”

A few people who didn’t like studying together wouldn’t create a studious atmosphere; they would only find it easier to chat. Less than half an hour into their quiet reading, someone broke the silence and started talking.

“I know!”

Someone quickly took the bait, hastily putting down their book and saying, “There’s a nearby town with a lantern festival. I’ve heard others say it’s really fun. After the test, we should go together!”

The three brothers, who didn’t like studying at all, immediately raised their hands to express their desire to go, casting expectant looks at the remaining three.

Noticing the gazes directed at him, Zhang Jing, who was genuinely reading, slightly raised his head, indicating that it was all fine with him, having no particular objections.

He was automatically included in the group that could go, so he turned his gaze to Song Ming. Putting down the book in his hands, he glanced over at the person leaning against the bed and said, “Maybe if there’s time.”

When he put down his book, the others finally noticed that he had been reading for so long, and what he was reading wasn’t the basics of pharmacology but rather miscellaneous books about flowers and plants.

With time running short, the last precious study time was spent reading miscellaneous books. He was beyond saving. Shaking his head in regret, someone briefly said, “You’re done for.”

In the end, only Lin Zhusheng’s opinion remained.

Lin Zhusheng… had already fallen asleep.

The height of the bed behind him was just right, allowing his neck and head to rest directly on the surface. The book he had been holding had fallen over his face, blocking the sunlight, and he was sleeping soundly, breathing in and out peacefully.

Gao Yu stepped over and bent down to remove the book covering his face. After taking one away, he discovered there was another one underneath.

It was another miscellaneous book besides the basics of pharmacology. This person had not only been reading miscellaneous books for so long but had also not been able to focus on them, instead burying his head in sleep, making him utterly useless. Shaking his head in regret, Gao Yu said, “He’s done for too.”

His long hair spread out on the bed, with the longer ends gently swaying in the breeze, and the warm yellow sunlight fell on the corner of his lips, looking warm and comfortable. This person was sleeping so soundly that he was beyond saving. His considerate fellow disciples didn’t wake him up, allowing him to continue sleeping.

The result of continuing to sleep was that Lin Zhusheng slept too soundly and ended up with a stiff neck. The next day, he woke up with his head tilted, grinning and baring his teeth, openly slacking off during study time, claiming it was for rest and recuperation.

Although he was smart and had previously scored first in the test, he couldn’t withstand not studying at all. Time was already tight, and he wasn’t studying at all, so he was destined to be beyond saving. The study rescue group thus allowed him to rest.

After a few days of urgent studying, although he felt like he hadn’t learned anything after flipping through the entire book, he had at least learned a hodgepodge of information. He even stayed up all night, and on the day of the test, the few of them bravely stepped into the academy.

Perhaps because it was destined that they would have to visit the Quiet Reflection Hall, Lin Zhusheng, who hadn’t stayed up all night with them, slept soundly through the night, completely giving up on himself and fearlessly crossing through the academy gates while still munching on breakfast, exuding a strong aura of decadence.

The others patted his shoulder and comforted him, saying, “Don’t be afraid if you end up in the Quiet Reflection Hall. If you want to cry after you come out, you can always find us; we’ll be here.”

Having just woken up, his brain hadn’t started functioning yet, and the words went from his left ear to his right, precisely avoiding his mind. Lin Zhusheng didn’t catch what they were saying, but after finishing his breakfast, he nodded in response, “Mm-hmm.”

The seating for the academy test was random. Whether it was good luck or not, he ended up testing in the same classroom as the three brothers from the herbal medicine group, and their seats were right next to each other.

Sitting next to him was his brother, and the backup strategy of quietly borrowing ideas from others instantly failed; the brother sitting next to him could only rely on himself.

Time was up, and the disciples entered the venue.

Once again, it was familiar paper and familiar pens. The classroom windows were wide open, and a breeze with a hint of coldness blew in, finally stirring a bit of rationality. Rationality had returned, but his body was still in a sleepy state, his bones soft and unable to straighten up. Lin Zhusheng leaned on the table, picking up the pen and slowly writing one word at a time.

It was a very good test paper, and like before, it wasn’t particularly difficult. The main requirement was to write very few words, so he finally didn’t have to write until his hand went numb like before.

The sounds of paper rustling and pen scratching against paper were hypnotic in his ears. As the last word fell, along with the ink drying, so did his barely roused spirit. The moment he put down the pen, he buried his entire self on the table and fell asleep.