A new week began.
On the training ground at dawn, the thin morning mist had not yet fully dispersed. More than a hundred freshmen had already gathered under Elder Meng's supervision, beginning their daily mandatory external training.
"Show some spirit!" Elder Meng stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze sharp as lightning. "Ten miles of long-distance running, half an hour on the pull-up bar, and two mountain climbs. Anyone who slacks off today will receive double punishment!"
Groans erupted everywhere, but no one actually dared to slack off.
Standing among the crowd, Lin Fei took a deep breath and began running laps with the others.
The bruise from Mao Fei's punch two days earlier had not yet healed. By the fifth lap, a dull pain began to stir in his abdomen. With every step he ran, the strain on his muscles intensified the ache. Lin Fei could only grit his teeth and keep going, but the pain made running much harder than usual. Gradually, he fell behind the main group and drifted toward the back, eventually ending up among the female students.
When Hu Mei ran past him, she noticed his heavy steps and the sweat pouring down his face.
"Lin Fei, what's wrong?" she asked quietly.
Lin Fei shook his head and forced a smile. "Nothing. Just didn't sleep well."
Hu Mei frowned, clearly unconvinced, but she didn't press further.
After the run came the pull-up exercise.
Lin Fei gripped the bar with both hands and hung in the air. The position tightened his abdominal muscles even more, sending waves of pain through him. He lasted less than half the required time before he could no longer endure it and dropped to the ground.
"Lin Fei, what's going on?" Elder Meng's voice came from behind him. "Just one weekend and your body can't keep up anymore?"
Lin Fei lowered his head. "Sorry, Elder Meng. I'll try again."
He grabbed the bar once more and lifted himself off the ground.
The pain in his abdomen felt like needles stabbing into him. He bit his lip tightly, refusing to make a sound.
…
After a full day of classes, Lin Fei dragged his exhausted body back to the dormitory.
Taking off his clothes, he looked at the bruise on his abdomen. The purplish mark had not grown larger, but even the slightest touch sent waves of muscle pain through him.
"That Mao Fei…" he muttered under his breath before collapsing onto the bed, unwilling to move.
Suddenly, someone knocked on the door.
Lin Fei was surprised. He got up and opened it, only to see a girl standing outside in a pale pink dress.
It was Hu Mei.
The moment she saw him, her face turned bright red.
"Ah! Why aren't you wearing a shirt?!"
"I—I didn't know it was a girl!" Lin Fei quickly shut the door, grabbed a shirt from the bed, and put it on before opening the door again.
Hu Mei's blush faded slightly. She peeked past him into the room.
"Where's Li Chen?" she asked.
"He's not back yet. Are you looking for him?"
"No. I'm looking for you."
Hu Mei took out a small green bottle from her sleeve and placed it into Lin Fei's hand.
"I noticed something was wrong with you this morning. Are you injured?"
Lin Fei accepted the bottle. Its surface felt warm, still holding Hu Mei's body heat and a faint fragrance.
"What is this?"
"Muscle and bone ointment," Hu Mei said. "Apply it to the injury before sleeping tonight. It'll be better tomorrow."
Lin Fei raised his head, about to speak, when footsteps suddenly echoed down the corridor.
"Xiao Fei! I'm back—"
Li Chen's voice abruptly stopped.
He stood at the stairway entrance, staring at Hu Mei standing outside their dorm room with a small bottle in her hand as she handed it to Lin Fei.
His mouth opened slightly, his face flushed red, and he froze there, unable to say a single word.
Hu Mei greeted him briefly, then turned back to Lin Fei.
"Remember to use it. I'll check tomorrow."
With that, she turned and left.
Li Chen stood rooted in place, watching her disappear down the stairs before finally snapping out of it.
"She… why did she come here?" he stammered.
Lin Fei couldn't help laughing at his expression.
"She came to deliver medicine."
"Medicine?" Li Chen walked over and looked at the bottle in Lin Fei's hand. "What kind?"
"For injuries." Lin Fei shook the bottle lightly. "When we were running this morning, she noticed something was wrong with me…"
Li Chen paused, then suddenly leaned closer.
"Does she like you?"
Lin Fei jumped in surprise. "What nonsense!"
"I'm serious!" Li Chen insisted. "Why would she care only about you?"
"I'm injured. It's just helping each other out."
"Oh." Li Chen nodded, though he still felt something didn't quite add up.
That night, Lin Fei lay on his bed and took out the bottle Hu Mei had given him.
When he pulled out the stopper, a cool medicinal fragrance drifted out. He poured a little onto his palm. It was a pale green paste, smooth and delicate.
When he applied it to the bruise on his abdomen, it stung slightly at first, but soon the injured area grew warm and comfortable.
He lay down and quickly fell asleep.
Early the next morning, Lin Fei woke up and instinctively touched his abdomen.
There was no pain.
He lifted his shirt and looked.
The palm-sized bruise had completely disappeared. His skin was smooth and unmarked, as if he had never been injured.
…
During the Lin Arts class that morning, Elder Li taught the advanced techniques of the Leaf Dance Art.
Standing beneath a maple tree, Lin Fei casually waved his hand. Dozens of fallen leaves rose into the air, circling around him. Sometimes they gathered into a cluster, sometimes they spread out like a cloud, moving fluidly according to his will.
"Lin Fei."
A voice sounded behind him.
Turning around, he saw Hu Mei standing not far away, smiling.
"Is your injury better?" she asked as she walked closer.
Lin Fei nodded. "Your medicine is amazing. When I woke up this morning, the bruise was completely gone."
Hu Mei smiled, unconcerned.
"Of course. It's medicine from Immortal Fox Forest."
"Immortal Fox Forest?" Lin Fei asked curiously. "The medicine there is that miraculous?"
Hu Mei nodded.
"In my village, we have Shaman Fox Healers. They're skilled in medicine and pharmacology, and they can even treat injuries caused by Lin Arts. That ointment was prepared by one of them."
"Shaman Fox Healers?" It was the first time Lin Fei had heard the term.
"They can communicate with the Immortal Foxes and learn many healing techniques from them," Hu Mei explained. "Whenever someone back home gets injured, they seek them out for treatment."
Lin Fei listened with fascination, feeling an even stronger curiosity toward Immortal Fox Forest.
"Oh right," Hu Mei suddenly asked, "where are you doing chores this weekend?"
"Not sure yet," Lin Fei said after thinking for a moment. "Maybe the beast stables. Li Chen keeps dragging me there."
Hu Mei nodded and returned to her practice group.
Watching her back, Lin Fei felt a warm feeling in his heart.
…
The weekend arrived quickly.
Early in the morning, Li Chen dragged Lin Fei toward the back mountain.
"Hurry up!" Li Chen urged. "A lot of people go to the beast stables. If we're late, we might not get a spot!"
Lin Fei jogged along as he pulled him forward.
The beast stables were halfway up the back mountain—a two-story building with several spacious sheds beside it. Even before they got close, they could smell a mixture of hay and livestock and hear occasional low calls.
About twenty or thirty students had already gathered outside the sheds, waiting for tasks to be assigned.
Li Chen squeezed to the front with Lin Fei and bowed to a burly middle-aged Lin Master with a thick beard.
"Master Sun! My roommate and I are here to sign in!"
Master Sun held a register and glanced at them.
"You're early, kid. What's your roommate's name?"
"Lin Fei."
"Alright."
Just after they registered, a white-haired old man walked out of the building.
He was thin with sharp, energetic eyes.
"I am Tang San, the steward of the beast stables," he announced calmly. "Today's chores will be led by Master Sun, Master Zhu, and Master Wen. Work diligently and do not slack off."
After speaking, he turned and went back inside.
Master Sun clapped his hands.
"Listen up! Those willing to help at the pack beast shed stand on the left. Those going to the spirit beast shed stand on the right. Those going to the medical beast shed stand in the middle!"
The crowd quickly split into three groups.
Lin Fei and Li Chen stood on the left.
Master Sun led about twenty students into the largest shed.
Inside were spacious animal pens housing two kinds of enormous pack beasts.
Near the entrance stood several pack horses—far larger than normal horses, with thick limbs and hump-like muscles on their backs. Their gray-brown coats glimmered as they calmly ate hay.
"These pack horses are incredibly strong," Master Sun said, patting one on the head. "They can carry five or six hundred pounds of cargo in a single trip. Most supplies for the mountain are transported by them."
Farther inside were several larger pens holding Creek Oxen.
These oxen were even bigger than the horses, covered in long black fur with thick curved horns. They lay on the ground lazily chewing cud.
"These are Creek Oxen," Master Sun explained. "They prefer staying near water. Stronger than pack horses, but slower. Most downhill transport relies on them."
The students gathered around the pens, whispering and pointing curiously.
"Alright, time to work!" Master Sun said. "Feed the pack horses hay and the Creek Oxen concentrated feed. And clean their pens. Don't mix it up!"
Everyone rolled up their sleeves.
Lin Fei carried bundles of hay to the horses. The animals were gentle, occasionally sniffing his hands curiously.
Meanwhile, Li Chen poured feed into the oxen troughs.
"These oxen eat a lot," he muttered.
"How much do they need?" Lin Fei asked.
"Last time I fed this pen I carried eleven buckets!"
After more than an hour of work, the shed was finally cleaned.
Sweaty and exhausted, the students sat down to rest.
Master Sun glanced at the sun outside.
"Rest a bit more. Then we'll move to the Azure Heron shed."
Soon they arrived at a smaller but more refined building behind the main stable.
Inside were wooden perches holding five massive Azure Herons—each nearly as tall as a person, with blue-gray feathers, long sharp beaks, and piercing eyes.
"Wow…"
The students gasped in amazement.
"These are Azure Herons," Master Sun said. "The primary mounts of Giantwood Academy. They're fast and have great endurance. They can carry two people and travel thousands of miles in a day."
Li Chen stared in awe.
"So cool…"
Lin Fei was equally captivated.
At that moment, another thin middle-aged man entered—the instructor known as Master Zhu.
"Perfect timing," Master Sun said. "Explain spirit beast contracts to them."
Master Zhu nodded and stroked one of the herons.
"Do you want to know how to contract a spirit beast?"
"Yes!" the students shouted.
"First, you must reach the Qi Refining Realm," he explained. "Below that stage, your spiritual power isn't strong enough to form a contract."
He paused before continuing.
"Once you reach Qi Refining, you can learn the method of summoning spirit beasts. A contract means mutual agreement—you're willing to raise it, and it's willing to follow you."
"How do you form it?" someone asked.
Master Zhu tapped the heron's forehead.
"You channel your spiritual power into the beast. If it accepts you, it returns a trace of power. A spiritual mark will appear on its forehead."
A feather-shaped symbol appeared on the heron's head.
"Then the contract is complete."
He took out a scroll and formed a hand seal.
"Seal!"
A flash of blue light surrounded the heron, and it turned into a streak of light that flew into the scroll.
The students gasped.
"This is a Beast Summoning Scroll," Master Zhu explained, showing the scroll. "Your contracted beast stays sealed inside it. When needed, open the scroll and summon it."
He formed another seal.
"Summon!"
The heron instantly reappeared on the perch.
Thunderous applause erupted.
"Remember," Master Zhu said seriously, "each person can contract only one spirit beast at a time. Your beast consumes your spiritual power and vitality. The stronger the beast, the greater the cost."
He paused before adding:
"If your strength isn't enough, never force yourself to contract a powerful beast."
Then he smiled faintly.
"A small ox pulling a heavy cart will only exhaust itself."