After a while, the beast carriage driver arrived and took his place at the front. With a sharp tug of the reins, the horned beasts let out low snorts, their hooves striking the ground as the carriage slowly rolled forward.
Soon, it passed through the towering gates of Fenglin City and moved onto the open road leading toward the Imperial Academy.
Su Yan leaned forward, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.
"I heard about you," Su Yan said excitedly."That you were suffering from depression, and because of that, your father sent you away from the Imperial Capital to a remote town for recovery. It seems like you've recovered now."
"Yes," Li Yanshu replied calmly. "I'm completely fine now. That's why I want to enter the Imperial Academy."
"Oh… what major are you planning to choose?"
"I've decided to become a mage."
"That suits you perfectly," Su Yan said, studying her. "Judging from your aura, you look like a Level 1 Awakener."
"Yes, I am a Level 1 Awakener," she admitted without embarrassment. "Where I lived, there was no one to guide me. That's why I've been stuck at Level 1 for so many years."
Before Su Yan could respond, a voice cut in.
"The Imperial Academy's entrance exam isn't easy," Shen Yun said seriously. "You need to be at least a Level 2 Awakener. At your level, others will easily defeat you."
Li Yanshu didn't react immediately. Instead, she slowly raised her hand and pointed her index finger to her temple.
"To win a battle, you don't just need power—you need intelligence," she said. "If you understand your enemy's strengths and weaknesses, then no matter how weak you are, there will always be a moment to strike back."
Shen Yun let out a faint scoff.
"It's good to dream," he said lazily, "but the sooner you wake up from it, the better."
Did I offend him in my past life or something? Li Yanshu thought inwardly. Why does he keep picking on me?
"Shen Yun, you're talking a bit too much today," Su Yan teased. "Usually, it takes a lot of effort just to get you to say a few words.What happened? Did the sun rise from the west today?"
For some reason, Li yanshu's eyes lingered in Shen Yun's mind.
They gave him the strange feeling that he had seen them before. But that was impossible.
He was certain of it.
He wanted to ask—but given their earlier interaction, she might think he is flirting with her So, he suppressed his curiosity.
Mo Chen glanced at Shen Yun and noticed that he was observing Bai Qingran. A faint smile appeared on his lips.
Looks like the flower of love is about to bloom, he thought.
"What happened?" Su Yan asked, noticing his smile.
Mo Chen shook his head. "Nothing."
"Senior Su Yan, if you're all students of the Imperial Academy, then what are you doing outside the academy?" Li Yanshu asked.
"Oh," Su Yan replied casually, "even if we're students, we still need a break from the academy's stress. It's currently the holiday period—we've been given a month off. I wanted to show these two my hometown, so I brought them along with me."
"More like you blackmailed us into coming," Shen Yun said dryly.
"You two were planning to stay in the academy and study the whole time. How boring is that?" Su Yan shot back. "At least coming to my hometown was worth it—we had so much fun."
Shen Yun couldn't refute that.
After that, they all fell silent as the carriage continued forward at a steady pace.
By noon, they stopped at a nearby town—Anye Town. They checked into an inn and booked four separate rooms.
"We'll stay here for the night and continue our journey tomorrow," Shen Yun said. "Get as much rest as you need, because after this, we'll be traveling continuously."
They all went to their respective rooms to freshen up.
Li Yanshu still wasn't used to these ancient-style bathrooms. At least the ones in the temple had been clean—but the condition of the inn's bathroom made her reluctant to even step inside.
But after such a long journey, a bath was necessary.
Closing her eyes, she quickly finished bathing.
After freshening up, they all gathered near the inn counter and headed out to find a good place to eat.
They hadn't eaten anything since morning. The moment dishes of hot food were placed on the table—steaming rice, freshly cooked meat, dumplings glistening with oil—they didn't hold back.
While eating, Li Yanshu lifted her head—and noticed that Shen Yun had lowered his mask.
For the first time, she saw his face.
The moment her eyes fell on him, her expression froze. The faint smile on her lips disappeared instantly. She looked genuinely shocked. The dumpling she had been about to eat stopped midway, her chopsticks frozen in the air.
Seeing her reaction, a flicker of amusement crossed his face. Shen Yun gave her a playful wink.
"I know I'm handsome," he said lightly. "No need to stare at me so intensely."
"Looks like Bai Qingran has fallen for your looks too," Su Yan teased. "I told you to keep your mask on."
"I can't eat with a mask on my face," Shen Yun replied lazily. "Do you want me to starve?"
Mo Chen smiled at their banter. Though they weren't related by blood, they truly looked like siblings when they argued.
"Alright, alright, stop," he said. "We have our junior here. Don't embarrass yourselves in front of her."
Li Yanshu only gave a faint smile and said nothing.
But suddenly, she seemed distracted.
Shen Yun noticed.
The surprise in her eyes… it wasn't because of his looks.
For some reason, the way she was looking at him made him feel slightly uneasy.
After finishing their meal, they returned to their rooms to rest.
Later, Mo Chen entered Shen Yun's room, holding a white jade bottle.
"Shen Yun, it's time for your medicine."
"Mm."
Shen Yun took the bottle and emptied its contents into his mouth.
"I'll never get used to this bitter taste," he muttered, giving Mo Chen a look.
"Good medicine is always bitter," Mo Chen replied. "What's wrong? You seem distracted. Is it about Bai Qingran?"
"How did you know?" Shen Yun smirked faintly.
"Mo Chen, Maybe you should quit being a healer and become a diviner instead."
"Don't change the subject,"Mo Chen said calmly. "I noticed you were stealing glances at her. What's going on? Did you finally take an interest in someone?"
Shen Yun's expression grew serious.
"It's not that," Shen Yun said seriously. "I feel like I've met her before. She gives me a familiar feeling… and her eyes—they seem strangely familiar."
"How is that possible?" Mo Chen frowned. "She lived in a remote town all her life."
"I know," Shen Yun said quietly. "That's why it's doesn't make sense."
He paused, then added, "According to my contracted fire dragon, Huolong… Bai Qingran has a Void element."
"What? Are you serious?" Mo Chen's eyes widened. "A Void element?"
"Huolong would never make a mistake," Shen Yun replied. "She definitely has the Void element."
"What about her affinity?"
"It seems low… but Huolong couldn't determine it accurately. There's something within her that's preventing deeper probing."
Mo Chen fell into thought.
"But members of the Bai family usually awaken intermediate wind or water elements," he said slowly. "There's no record of anyone awakening the Void element."
"I heard her mother was a high-affinity light healer," Shen Yun said. "And she was an orphan."
"Then maybe her maternal family had the Void element awakener," Mo Chen suggested.
Shen Yun shook his head.
"There are only six Void Awakeners in the entire Yue Kingdom," he said. "One serves in the Imperial Court, two are in other academies, and three are in the Imperial Academy. Among them, only Mr. Xu, a teacher at the Imperial Academy, has intermediate affinity; the others have low affinity. The Emperor keeps records of all Void Awakeners and updates them regularly."
He narrowed his eyes slightly.
"So how is it possible that she awakened the Void element… and there's no record of her?"
Mo Chen exhaled slowly.
"Maybe it's because she was in a faraway town and no one cared to notice her. Nowadays, there are many hidden Awakeners who don't reveal their elements. Maybe she—or her maternal family—is one of them."
"She's hiding something," Shen Yun said quietly.
"There's definitely something wrong."
"Even if that's true," Mo Chen replied calmly, "once we reach the Imperial Academy, we'll go our separate ways. Who knows when we'll meet her again? So don't overthink it."
After saying that, Mo Chen left the room. The door closed softly behind him.
But even Mo Chen wasn't fully convinced.
As he walked down the quiet hallway, his expression darkened slightly. He thought to himself, "Maybe… just maybe… her mother came here from that place… just like me."