"But I never expected that Feng Lian... big brother would actually be a young sorcerer too. Though he's only two years older than us, I initially thought he was our supervising instructor."
Saying this with some embarrassment, Hermione and Glenn joined the Dragon Kingdom young sorcerers' formation, taking their positions at the very back of the group as Lin Yu had instructed.
Glenn nodded, though his current thoughts centered on what Feng Lian had mentioned earlier—the so-called "sparring" matter. Feng Lian possessed the ability to sense the strong, and Glenn was no different. Stimulated by Feng Lian's undisguised battle intent, Glenn now felt his hands growing restless, his own combative spirit stirring with eager anticipation.
"Young friend, I perceive you're feeling unsettled. Do you require a calming talisman?"
A somewhat androgynous voice drifted from in front of Glenn. He silently... looked down to see a young sorcerer sitting on a small folding stool, wearing pristine white Daoist robes, squinting up at him while holding a yellow talisman between two fingers and waving it above Glenn's head.
"No need."
Glenn shook his head, declining the young sorcerer's kind offer.
Being refused, the other party showed no offense, merely shrugging and snapping his fingers. The talisman in his hand transformed into a puff of yellow smoke and vanished completely.
"Hello, but why are you sitting on..."
Seeing Glenn so curtly refuse someone's goodwill, Hermione stepped in to redirect the conversation, though her attention was captured by the white-robed Daoist's peculiar behavior.
Weren't they supposed to be standing in formation? How could someone be sitting on what appeared to be a stool he'd brought himself? Could this actually be his magical... no wait, magical artifact?
"Folding stool."
Since both were conversing in the Dragon Kingdom language, this young sorcerer could understand Hermione's meaning. He shifted his position slightly and introduced the item beneath him.
"Sturdy, comfortable, essential portable seating for outdoor expeditions. Even in the wilderness, it allows you to savor the sublime pleasure of lounging about. When necessary, you can infuse it with spiritual power to transform it into a combat implement. Crafted by our North China Academy of Sorcery's Artifact Crafting Institute—quality and potency comparable to standard military weapons. Care for a pair? I'll lend them to you, just return them after the beast-hunting expedition concludes."
A torrent of smooth, precisely articulated words that seemed meticulously rehearsed poured forth in one breath, leaving Hermione utterly stunned. The girl pondered the meaning momentarily, then chose not to refuse, accepting the two folding stools the young sorcerer offered and passing one to Glenn.
Thus, at the very rear of the entire formation, three people sitting on folding stools suddenly materialized.
"Ah, I haven't properly introduced myself yet. This humble Daoist is Peiheng. But observing how you automatically positioned yourselves at the formation's tail, I presume Lin Yu has already mentioned my name and conveyed my instructions."
Seeing that Glenn and Hermione hadn't rejected his kindness, Peiheng's features brightened with a gentle smile. His perpetually squinting eyes lent him an exceptionally amiable appearance.
"Therefore, I shall be troubling you both to watch over this humble Daoist during our journey. Whether I can return home intact and breathing this time depends entirely upon your protection."
Hermione: ?
This person's speech patterns were far too erratic—Hermione couldn't quite grasp his meaning.
The preceding and following statements bore no logical or contextual connection whatsoever!
Could it truly be that my Dragon Kingdom language proficiency remains insufficient??
Hermione felt bewildered, displaying a confused expression as she turned toward Glenn seeking assistance.
"Is this also a result of divination?"
Glenn recalled yesterday's introduction by Lin Yu regarding this individual called "Peiheng," whose divination abilities apparently proved quite exceptional.
"Precisely correct. According to my six-line divination results, you two represent the crucial elements for resolving the crisis we'll encounter during this expedition, serving as the primary force. However, future possibilities remain labyrinthine and enigmatic—divination isn't omnipotent and cannot display future outcomes in such intricate detail. Nevertheless, when I employed alternative divination methods to cast readings, the results proved identical, so I believe accompanying you will ensure relative safety. After all, I'm merely a young sorcerer who possesses rudimentary knowledge of divination and talisman crafting—I lack any combat capabilities."
Glenn experienced no psychological disturbance from Peiheng's explanation. Though this seemingly unorthodox young sorcerer completely disparaged his own abilities, Glenn could still detect restrained lethality emanating from him.
Honestly, a young sorcerer capable of compelling Lin Yu to act according to his divined intelligence—and whom his own grandmother distinctly remembered—couldn't possibly be ordinary.
"You simply wish to slack off, don't you?"
Glenn silently employed cold reading techniques on Peiheng's inner thoughts and voiced the truth directly.
"...Oh dear, discovered. But there's no necessity to conceal it from you—indeed, I genuinely desire to slack off."
Having his motivations exposed, Peiheng displayed neither embarrassment nor irritation, leisurely crossing his legs while muttering contentedly:
"Permitting me to slack off and laze about is also a result I obtained through divination. As long as I adhere to this principle, everything shall proceed smoothly~"
"You truly do depend entirely on divination..."
Even Hermione found herself speechless. This North China Academy of Sorcery genuinely was a sanctuary of hidden dragons and crouching tigers—how could they harbor such diverse personalities?
"That assessment is erroneous... though perhaps not entirely incorrect. The sole skill this humble Daoist demonstrates reasonable proficiency in is divination, and this discipline proves remarkably easy to coast through. Tossing several copper coins, manipulating finger calculations, shaking divination sticks—one can survive quite comfortably this way. In this tumultuous and complicated mortal realm, such an existence proves far too agreeable."
Peiheng's attitude of embracing pride rather than shame in this lifestyle earned Hermione's grudging admiration. However, people possessed different aspirations. Hermione now comprehended such principles—nothing was inherently wrong with preferring a relaxed lifestyle. The girl wouldn't impose her personal ideals upon others, so she merely chuckled dismissively and ceased further inquiries.
Peiheng fell silent, and Glenn and Hermione welcomed the peaceful respite. They reclined backward, adjusted their postures, and began basking in the warming sunlight.
February sunshine felt deliciously warm against their skin, and with tree shade filtering the harsh glare, the light proved perfectly gentle. This was ideal weather for an afternoon nap. Hermione had slept poorly the previous night due to excessive nervousness, so she rested her head against Glenn's shoulder and drifted into slumber with steady, even breathing.
Glenn crossed his arms and entered deep meditation, calmly adjusting his mental state while reviewing intelligence about the young sorcerers he'd gathered through careful observation.
These sorcerers were universally older than himself and Hermione.
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