A familiar voice entered his ears.
Li Zhexian's face broke into a smile.
Since his own bowl of tofu pudding had been eaten by Xue Qinghe, he simply took her sweet tofu pudding, finished it in a few quick bites, and rose to his feet.
"What is it?"
Xue Qinghe lifted her gaze to ask.
"Friends have come from afar."
"Brother Guard, you tell me—how could we possibly disgrace Heaven Dou City?!"
Feng Buyu pointed to the black silk tied across his eyes.
Behind him—
A dozen disciples of the Wind Sword Sect made the same motion in unison.
The wind blew past.
The black ribbons tied at the back of their heads whipped about.
Altogether, they looked less like ordinary men and more like a band of eccentrics, making the pedestrians crowding the city gate instinctively back away several paces.
"Y-yes… no—that's not it!"
The guard nearly blurted out what was really on his mind.
At this moment, his heart was also crying bitterly.
With the Spirit Master Tournament right around the corner, Heaven Dou City was drawing talent from every corner of the continent.
His Highness the Crown Prince had long since given strict orders:
During the Tournament—
The Pure Water Division's water-attribute Spirit Masters must cleanse every street of the city each morning and evening.
The Wood Spirit Division's plant-attribute Spirit Masters must ensure the flowers and greenery along the roadsides stayed lush and thriving.
And as for the four main gates, they were of utmost importance—absolutely no one with ill intent could be allowed in.
The guards weren't blind.
It was obvious this group of blue-clad, blindfolded swordsmen weren't ordinary folk.
But they bore none of the distinctive banners of a participating academy.
Even worse—
They spotted His Highness the Crown Prince not far away, sitting at that tofu pudding stall.
Who dared make a wrong move here?
"This… honored swordsman…"
The guard braced himself and said,
"Would it be possible… for you and your companions to temporarily remove the black silk over your eyes?"
Feng Buyu grew agitated.
Remove their blindfolds?
Wouldn't that make them no different from common folk?
How then would the disciples of the Wind Sword Sect display their extraordinary distinction?!
"It seems the name of my Wind Sword Sect has not spread far enough. We are disciples of the Wind Sword Sect, come here to visit a friend and also to observe the Spirit Master Tournament!"
The guards were just about to respond—
When a youth in a goose-yellow brocade robe came walking straight toward them.
Instantly, the guards dropped to their knees with a collective thud.
"Greetings to His Highness the Crown Prince!"
Feng Buyu and the others were startled.
But once they heard the guards call him "Crown Prince," they quickly turned their heads to look.
Yet—
The first person Feng Buyu's eyes locked onto was not the Crown Prince.
It was the white-robed youth standing with a smile at the corner of his lips.
"Brother Zhexian!!!"
From beneath the black silk, Feng Buyu's eyes burst with delight.
He strode forward in great strides, arms already spread wide though still a distance away.
"Senior Brother Zhexian!"
The other Wind Sword Sect disciples also broke into smiles, following closely after him.
Each cry of "Senior Brother"—
Was not out of sect hierarchy, but born from their admiration of Li Zhexian's swordsmanship, and their reverence for his willingness to stake his very life in pursuit of the sword.
Li Zhexian quickened his pace, meeting Feng Buyu with a heavy embrace.
"Brother Buyu, you've finally come looking for me!"
Then—
He turned, smiling as he clasped his hands to the other disciples crowding around him, bearing himself with effortless grace.
"Zhexian greets my fellow sword cultivators."
The Wind Sword Sect suited him well.
Whether it was the sincerity of young disciples like Feng Buyu, or Sect Master Feng Bailong's unreserved guidance—
Li Zhexian truly and wholeheartedly regarded them as friends.
At the side, Xue Qinghe smiled faintly as she watched Li Zhexian surrounded by his peers.
In her eyes—
Li Zhexian was already a man of striking presence in his ordinary days.
But whether it was his carefree indulgence while drinking, his sharp brilliance while wielding the sword, his calm leisure while fishing at her side, or the quiet ease when he napped with his head in her lap—
Each of these facets moved her heart all the more.
And at this moment—
Seeing him converse and laugh freely with his friends…
It was like a spring breeze rippling over a clear pond.
Stirring soft waves across her heart's lake.
Feng Buyu's gaze lingered on Li Zhexian.
Finally, it fixed upon the Qinglian Sword mark at the center of his forehead—he drew in a sharp breath.
"Brother Zhexian, you… you…"
He swallowed hard, forcing a bitter smile.
"I had thought that after months of bitter cultivation within the Wind Eye, my progress in swordsmanship was finally enough to catch a glimpse of your back."
"But I never imagined… the gap has only grown even wider."
He pointed to Li Zhexian's forehead.
"That sword mark… I've only ever seen it on the Sect Master."
"Oh?"
Li Zhexian's brows rose, interest flickering in his eyes.
"Then why have I never noticed it?"
"I don't know either."
Feng Buyu chuckled.
"Perhaps it was covered by a layer of dust from meditating on the cliff for too long."
He paused—
His tone turning faintly troubled.
"Speaking of which…"
"Ever since you left the Wind Sword Sect, Brother Zhexian…"
"I haven't seen so much as the shadow of the Sect Master. Even the cliff where he always resided is empty."
At this—
A flash of light stirred in Li Zhexian's eyes.
It was then that Feng Buyu finally noticed the youth in goose-yellow robes standing behind Li Zhexian.
He clasped his fists and bowed.
"I am Feng Buyu, young master of the Wind Sword Sect. Greetings to His Highness the Crown Prince of Heaven Dou. A moment ago, I was overcome upon seeing Brother Zhexian, and forgot my manners. Please forgive my rudeness."
The Wind Sword Sect was based in the Star Luo Empire.
As its young sect master, Feng Buyu only needed to show courtesy to the Heaven Dou Crown Prince, not kneel or perform great ceremony.
Xue Qinghe inclined his head slightly.
"As a friend of Li Zhexian, you are naturally an honored guest of mine. There is no need for such formality."
"…?!"
The look Feng Buyu gave Li Zhexian instantly changed.
—Impressive! Truly impressive, my Brother Zhexian!
To earn such words from the Crown Prince himself—what kind of unshakable friendship was this?!
"Haha, come, come!"
Li Zhexian laughed heartily.
"Brother Buyu, you and your companions have come from afar—today, I must host you properly with wine and feast!"
A joyous banquet followed at the Shanxiang Pavilion.
Afterward—
Feng Buyu and his group found a spacious courtyard within Heaven Dou City.
There they settled down.
The date of the Spirit Master Tournament preliminaries drew ever nearer.
And the atmosphere in Heaven Dou grew hotter by the day.
Teams from the various academies—
Had begun arriving one after another.
Xue Qinghe was buried beneath a mountain of duties, unable to spare another moment to accompany Li Zhexian.
At leisure, Li Zhexian thought of friends from other academies.
So he invited Feng Buyu to join him atop the city walls.
From there, they could watch the incoming teams enter the gates.
Among the stream of green-robed youths, Li Zhexian's plain white figure stood out starkly.
Over the past two days—
They had seen many academy teams.
Though not on the same level as the Five Element Academy teams—
Anyone qualified to come compete here was already a young genius in their own right.
Feng Buyu found himself nodding again and again.
Still—
In his heart, he was convinced—
That Li Zhexian's friends would be even more outstanding.
For in Feng Buyu's eyes—
Someone as dazzling as Li Zhexian—
How could his companions be ordinary?
Cough!
Just like himself, Feng Buyu!
"Brother Zhexian, your friends haven't arrived yet?"
Feng Buyu grew a little restless.
"No need to hurry."
Li Zhexian's words trailed off as his gaze settled on the distance.
At the far end of the winding official road—
A surge of crimson came streaming forth, tearing through the clouds of dust as it charged ahead.
A scarlet banner whipped furiously in the wind.
Upon it, the character "Blazing"—blazing like the noonday sun.
Li Zhexian's lips curved upward.
"Let's go down."
"My friends have arrived."