After the gatekeeper had busily taken his leave, Jia Teng Ying hesitated for a moment, straightened his clothes, and then walked out the door with a stern face.
Fan Yushu couldn’t contain his restlessness and followed immediately.
"Come on, come on, let’s go together."
"..." Jia Teng Ying thought for a moment but said nothing.
The two Shuaixing Hall students, one hesitant and the other beaming, headed together to the Academy’s main gate.
Along the way, Jia Teng Ying, lost in thought, scratched his head and couldn’t help but turn to say:
"Yushu, who in the world is looking for me here? Apart from you guys and our classmates in the Academy, I don’t remember knowing anyone from Du You City."
Fan Yushu thought for a moment, nodded, and said, "Maybe it’s someone from your family, who has traveled all this way to find you?"
Jia Teng Ying immediately got anxious. If someone from home was looking for him, it was highly likely not good news...perhaps even bad news.
Fan Yushu stroked his chin and nodded seriously, "The gatekeeper said... it’s two young maidens. If your family had urgent matters, they likely wouldn’t send women, so let’s broaden our thinking a bit. Two young maidens...perhaps... they are not human?"
Jia Teng Ying, who was listening intently, suddenly felt a chill down his neck, "Yushu, don’t scare me!"
Fan Yushu coughed twice, and said earnestly:
"Teng Ying, think carefully. When you were in the mountains, did you ever accidentally save any white snakes, green snakes, or perhaps a little fox? Hmm, wolves too might be possible though that’s rather grim... Think carefully if you inadvertently saved any small animals, and now they’ve become spirits coming to repay you."
Jia Teng Ying was startled, then frowned and pondered, "Small animals...Usually, when the village uncles went hunting, I would go up and lend a hand, and then the uncles would always share some of the meat with me."
"..." Fan Yushu, well, that’s basically a gang crime.
"Alright, they are most likely here to seek revenge. Prepare to die," he said expressionlessly.
Silently, Fan Yushu and Jia Teng Ying stopped not far from the gate, almost instinctively.
Fan Yushu turned to look at the worry on Jia Teng Ying’s face, patted his shoulder, and said, "Little Ying, don’t be afraid. Think positively, maybe it’s good fortune disguised as a peach blossom luck. Go on, remember to adapt nimbly, learn from Ziyu, hmm, think about what Ziyu would do."
Instantly, the image of his roommate’s breezily calm smile surfaced in Jia Teng Ying’s mind, bringing him inexplicable comfort, "If it were Ziyu, what would he do..."
He murmured the sentence and nodded solemnly, turning towards the gate.
Fan Yushu watched the retreating back of Jia Teng Ying disappear at the doorway, hands clasped behind him, leisurely waiting on the spot.
Why didn’t he follow inside? Well, cough cough, what if they really were seeking vengeance? Life is precious, so it’s better to let Little Ying confirm everything is safe before bringing them in.
Fan Yushu nodded, thinking of what someone would do in this situation:
If Ziyu were him...he would definitively do the same!
Before Fan Yushu could reflect more on his beneficial friendship with Ziyu, Jia Teng Ying’s figure reappeared at the gate.
Fan Yushu’s eyes widened to see Jia Teng Ying return with a blank expression, seemingly unharmed, and now holding a letter in his hand, followed by two figures.
One was a short-haired woman with wheatish skin and spirited eyebrows.
The other was a pretty youth in pink clothes with eyes like those of Hu Mei’er...no, disguised as a man.
This...were they really here to repay a debt?
Jia Teng Ying led Lu Wan and the curiously looking around Su Xiaoxiao to Fan Yushu.
He scratched his head, his expression relieved yet somewhat puzzled, "Yushu, these two girls called me out, but they’re not looking for me."
It seemed a bit confusing, and seeing Fan Yushu’s baffled face, Jia Teng Ying continued to explain: "What I mean is, these two ladies actually came looking for Ziyu, but since they learned from the gatekeeper that Ziyu and the others haven’t returned from the mountain, they mentioned my name..."
As he spoke, he handed over the letter, "Uh, this is a letter Ziyu wrote before going down the mountain, asking that if these two ladies had an urgent matter to come to the Academy, they should give it to us."
At that moment, Fan Yushu’s eyes ’struggled’ to move away from the stunningly beautiful face of the little fox demon, only to involuntarily glance back a few more times, but he was then met with a pouting stare from the bowing Su Xiaoxiao.
Love of beauty is something everyone possesses, even more so for Fan Yushu, a senior member of the beauty appreciation club.
Where did this beautiful girl come from, such charming eyes of Hu Mei’er...looking for Ziyu? Fan Yushu took a deep breath, accepted the letter, and scrutinized it closely, muttering:
"Hmm, it’s Ziyu’s handwriting. He mentioned... Miss Lu Wan, asking us to host her since she has urgent business, and to convey the message later..."
He gradually sorted out the details and raised his head, unable to resist looking again at the ’bloom-attracting’ Su Xiaoxiao, "Um, may I ask if you are Miss Lu Wan?"
Su Xiaoxiao shook her head.
The woman next to her stepped forward, smiling:
"I am Lu Wan. Before Master Zhao left, he handed me the letter, telling me how to contact you in case of emergencies. This time, I have come to seek his help."
She paused, glanced at Su Xiaoxiao, who nodded back, and they exchanged a look.
Lu Wan continued, "Although Master Zhao has not yet returned, I would still beg you gentlemen to take us to his residence. Thank you."