Phoenix's Requiem

Chapter 180: Entering Kongming Academy

After Yun Ruoyan revealed her doubts regarding Wang Meng’s presence to her brother, the two of them traipsed to Wang Meng’s campsite, he with a flask of wine and she with a roasted chicken courtesy of Zhuo Yifeng.

When those sitting beside Wang Meng saw Yun Moxiao and Yun Ruoyan walking over, they voluntarily made space for them. Yun Moxiao sat by Wang Meng’s side, and Yun Ruoyan by her brother’s side.

“Here, try some of the alcohol I brought out of the army.” Yun Moxiao handed his flask to Wang Meng, who had a sip.

“Strong and hearty,” Wang Meng praised.

“Young Master Wang, there’s something I’m quite curious about.” Yun Ruoyan handed the roasted chicken in her hand to Wang Meng.

Wang Meng accepted the gift and replied straightforwardly, “What’s the matter, Miss Yun?”

“I’ve heard that you’ve been travelling across the Chenyuan continent, Young Master Wang. Did you specially make this trip to Kongming Academy to see someone off, or…?”

“To be quite honest, I was specially invited to participate in the incoming students’ trial,” Wang Meng replied.

“A special invitation?” The Yun siblings looked at each other in surprise; this was the first time either of them had heard of such an occurrence.

“Yes, a special invitation.” Wang Meng took another gulp of wine before returning the flask to Yun Moxiao. “Years ago, when I was still a kid, Kongming Academy tried to recruit me due to my talent in pillmaking. However, my father rejected the invitation, and I’ve been training according to my father’s will at home. However, Kongming Academy promised me that I would be able to enter Kongming Academy at any time as a student before I turned twenty.”

Yun Ruoyan was shocked: such were the benefits of overwhelming talent. If those instructors at Kongming Academy knew that she was a fourth-rank pillmaster at thirteen, would they have given her a special invitation too?

“Why have you decided to enter Kongming Academy so suddenly?”

“Because of my brother, Wang Kuang.” Wang Meng suddenly lifted his head and looked straight at Yun Ruoyan. “My brother participated in the imperial expedition not a few months ago, but then he vanished entirely, his whereabouts unknown.”

Yun Ruoyan faced Wang Meng’s gaze placidly, as if she knew nothing about his circumstances.

“There were quite a number of ferocious creatures in the imperial territory,” she replied. “While on the expedition, I encountered a saber-toothed tiger and a high-rank magical serpent, and barely escaped with my life. I fear that your brother is unlikely to be alive.”

“We’ve also suspected that that was the case. Miss Jin, who travelled with my brother, is likewise missing, and she’s probably also suffered the same fate.” Wang Meng turned to the flames. “He’s my only brother, and he’s dreamt of entering Kongming Academy ever since he was little. The reason I’m entering Kongming Academy now is to realize his dreams.”

Yun Ruoyan turned to the flames as well, no longer speaking.

Suddenly, Yun Moxiao stood up and patted Yun Ruoyan on the shoulder. “It’s getting late. We still have a while to travel tomorrow, so we should go rest.”

Yun Ruoyan stood up. Wang Meng followed suit, standing in front of her. Somewhat drunkenly, he asked, “Miss Yun, did you meet my brother Wang Kuang and the eldest miss of the Jin family, Jin Fei’er, during the imperial expedition?”

Yun Ruoyan faced Wang Meng and replied coolly. “I don’t think so, but there were so many people participating in the expedition that I likely wouldn’t remember them even if I had. I’m sorry for your loss, Young Master Wang.”

Wang Meng stared at Yun Ruoyan’s back with a frown. Before Jin Fei’er died, she had only managed to gasp out ‘Yun Ruo—’, from which Wang Meng deduced that the killer was one of the daughters of the Yun family: Yun Ruoyan, Yun Ruoyao, or Yun Ruoyu. The reason that Wang Meng was participating in this trial was to identify who amongst the three suspects was the true culprit for the murder of Wang Kuang.

Yun Ruoyan hadn’t panicked at all during his questioning just then, and Wang Meng’s suspicions of her were temporarily allayed. However, there was still a chance that she was the culprit.

The next day, the group of almost twenty youths set off early in the morning, finally reaching the Kongming Summit right as the sun set.

The last time that Li Mo had brought Yun Ruoyan to look at the Kongming Summit at night from afar, Yun Ruoyan remembered it as a sword that seemed to split the heavens. However, from her current perspective at the foot of the mountain, all she could see was a series of bewildering rock formations and strange, warped trees blocking the way to the summit.

The further she travelled up the summit, the narrower and more dangerous the mountainous path became. In the end, the party had to dismount and continue on foot, bringing the steeds with them up the perilous path. And when the path finally terminated at a dead end, the group was just starting to get worried when a voice came from above them.

“Are you students here to participate in the Kongming Academy’s trials?”

The voice was distant yet clear, as if it were both far away and right by their ears.

“Look there,” Yun Moxiao motioned, pointing to a spot in the sky some distance away. There was a green sword hovering in midair, and a white-robed man standing on that sword.

Because he was too far away, Yun Ruoyan wasn’t able to make out his appearance or age, but his voice didn’t sound like that of an old man.

“Elder, we are indeed students here to participate in the trials!” Wang Meng replied loudly.

“How large is your group?”

Yun Moxiao was only here to ensure Yun Ruoyan’s safety, and he wasn’t permitted to climb up the mountain. A few members of Wang Meng’s party were also here for a similar reason, and there were only twelve students in all.

“Hold on for a moment. I’ll arrange transportation between here and the summit.” The man put what seemed like a whistle to his mouth, and a clear, blaring sound rang through the mountain.

Accompanying that sound were a dozen colorful sword auras emerging from the heavens, each transporting a white-robed adult. Under the crowd’s stupefied gaze, they landed in front of the group of students, forming a straight line.

The man who had been hovering in mid-air likewise landed in front of the crowd, and it was only then that Yun Ruoyan managed to see his face for the first time. He looked to be in his twenties, his hair black like ink, his face like polished jade, his mien serene and handsome.

“Reveal your tokens of identification,” the man announced.

Yun Ruoyan didn’t know what tokens he was referring to, so she looked back at the crowd. When everyone else took out a token similar to the one that Envoy Ding had handed her, she finally realized that that token represented her identity.

After the man checked everyone’s tokens, he assigned each student to a white-robed adult.

Yun Ruoyan, Lin Qingchen, and Lin Qingxue were assigned to three white-robed women. The woman in charge of Yun Ruoyan had a pretty face, and her sword shone with an orange aura. Yun Ruoyan stepped onto the sword and turned to wave goodbye to Yun Moxiao.

“Brother, I’ll send you good news soon!” As she waved, the woman slowly rose to the skies.

“I will. Take care, Ruoyan!” Yun Moxiao waved his hand and shouted, not leaving until she was nothing more than a speck in the horizon.

Yun Ruoyan turned to glance at the woman ferrying her up the summit. Unlike Li Mo, she didn’t rise straight up into the air, but rather followed a spiralling path up the mountain.

“Miss Immortal,” she began.

“Oh, I’m no immortal,” the woman laughed. “I’m your senior, and you can call me Senior Shui Yun.”

“Alright, then, Senior Shui Yun,” Yun Ruoyan laughed. “Coincidentally, my name also has a ‘Yun’ in it. I’m Yun Ruoyan.”

Yun Ruoyan was a rather charming girl, and Shuiyun became fond of her little junior. As she steered her sword, they had a pleasant conversation. “In that case, your coincidence extends to my entire cohort. All of us have taken on a name with an ‘Yun’ in it: the eldest senior brother is Ling Yun, the second senior brother is Qing Yun, the third senior sister is Han Yun, and so on.”

The man who had inspected their tokens was none other than the eldest senior brother, Ling Yun. There were thirty members of their cohort, and Shui Yun was fifteenth in rank.

“Shut your eyes, now. We’re right about to break through the cloud cover,” Shui Yun reminded Yun Ruoyan.

Although Yun Ruoyan didn’t know why she had to shut her eyes, she followed her senior sister’s advice. Last time, Li Mo hadn’t asked her to do so, so what was the difference this time?

After shutting her eyes, Yun Ruoyan felt a little dampness all over her body, and the external world seemed to go dark.

Suddenly, however, Yun Ruoyan felt the warmth of sunlight against her eyelids, as well as a patch of brightness ahead.

“Senior Shui Yun, may I open my eyes now?”

“Yes, you can.”

Yun Ruoyan slowly opened her eyes. Although she had already seen Kongming Academy once before, Yun Ruoyan was still astounded by the sight in front of her. There were more than a hundred buildings of all sorts of shapes and sizes, situated around the mountain’s summit in picturesque disorder. The buildings’ rooftop appeared to be made of a glassy material, which glittered and shone in the sunlight.

Because of how high up they were, Yun Ruoyan felt as though the air were purer, the weather brighter, and even the sun appeared a little larger. The sun shone above the cloud cover, its golden-red beams diffusing into the clouds and covering everything in a golden sheen.

“This place is beautiful! It’s almost as if I’m in paradise…”

“It’s even prettier when it starts snowing in winter,” Shui Yun laughed. “Stand steady now, I’m about to land in the plaza.”

Shui Yun flew them over a number of buildings before landing in a large plaza at the center of Kongming Academy.

When Yun Ruoyan’s feet were on the plaza ground once more, she suddenly heard the deep tolling of a bell from afar, ringing like a missive from the heavens.

Yun Ruoyan looked all around her before noticing the origin of the tolling—the tall tower to which Li Mo had once brought her.