Xianzhou Cangcheng, Star Calendar Year 6298, Qingyun Grotto-Heaven
Heavy rain fell steadily. Pedestrians hurried along the bustling streets, stopping in front of the academy that shared its name with the grotto-heaven.
Quite a few starskiffs also veered off their routes, docking in the massive landing bay of the Qingyun Academy.
The dismissal bell rang right on time.
Rrakavasha set down the teaching materials in his hands and swept his gaze across the dozens of young faces beneath the lectern.
"Class dismissed."
"Goodbye, Sir!" Neat, childish voices rang out through the classroom in unison.
Whether they'd been dozing off moments earlier or listening intently, for children in their early teens, getting out of class was always a joyful thing.
Most of the students quickly poured out of the classroom, leaving only a small handful who lingered unhurriedly.
When most of the others were gone, these few gathered in front of the lectern, gazed eagerly at Rrakavasha, their young faces full of curiosity and thirst for knowledge.
After another quarter of an hour, even these diligent students finished packing up their work and waved to Rrakavasha.
"See you tomorrow, Sir~~"
"See you tomorrow."
Before long, only three people remained in the classroom.
Aside from Rrakavasha, there were two students on duty.
He paid them no particular attention and walked straight out of the classroom toward his office.
Unexpectedly, two unfamiliar figures were waiting at the door, their expressions tinged with curiosity and faint confusion.
The moment they saw Rrakavasha, their expressions shifted entirely into courtesy and respect.
"Sir, it's been a long time."
The visitors were two young women, about twenty years old. Their features were similar, though their eye colors were completely different, one crimson, one ash-gray.
Both had rare silver-blue hair, one cut to her shoulders, the other to her waist, tied neatly into a ponytail.
They each held an umbrella, with a small patch of rain darkening their collars.
Judging from their looks and bearing, Rrakavasha searched his memory for a moment before asking in a slightly uncertain tone,
"Are you... Mianxue and Qinghan?"
"Eight years have passed, and you still remember us," Mianxue said brightly, a glint of light flashing in her red eyes.
"You came to see me, so I assume there's something you need. Come in and let's talk."
Rrakavasha opened the door and gestured for the sisters to sit wherever they liked. He set down the lesson plans in his hand and began making tea for them.
"There's no need to be so polite, Sir, you really don't have to," Qinghan said quickly, waving her hands.
"Guests are guests," Rrakavasha replied with an easy smile.
After serving the tea, he sat across from the sisters, fingers interlaced on the desk.
"So, what do you need my help with? I imagine it's not ordinary coursework."
Mianxue and Qinghan exchanged glances, both showing hesitation.
After a long moment, the older sister, Mianxue, finally spoke.
"...Sir, we've already passed the coming-of-age examination and passed the Cloud Knights enlistment trials. We've joined the ranks."
"I see. And then?"
"Our evaluation scores broke records. The General happened to be at the camp, and we were fortunate enough to meet him."
"..."
Upon hearing the words "the General," Rrakavasha could more or less guess the purpose of their visit.
His smile didn't change much as he said calmly,
"General Teng Xiao looked over your records and learned that you were once my students, so he asked you to bring me a letter, along with a message. Am I right?"
This...
The sisters froze in unison. While surprised that he'd guessed so accurately, their curiosity about the hidden implications only deepened.
At first, they hadn't understood General Teng Xiao's intentions either.
Why send them to seek out an academy teacher... to study?
In truth, they still didn't quite understand.
This was not studying in the usual sense. What the General wanted them to learn from Rrakavasha was not academics, but martial skills.
The letter was a letter of introduction. The spoken message was a single inquiry.
"You should go back," Rrakavasha said. "The Cloud Knights have an exceptional training system. I'm merely a teacher with a bit of shallow knowledge. How could I presume to teach you martial arts?"
"And also, please convey my reply to General Teng Xiao. I appreciate the honor, but I must decline."
At his words, the sisters' faces were filled with frustration.
They hadn't even spoken yet, and were already rejected. It was a hard situation indeed.
Though young, they now understood that Rrakavasha and the General shared a close connection.
"Sir, the General issued... a highest-level mission order," Qinghan said weakly.
"..."
That single sentence plunged Rrakavasha into silence. His eyes lowered slightly.
Watching him closely, the sisters felt their hearts tighten.
In their memories, Rrakavasha rarely smiled, but he'd always been gentle with students and had never raised his voice at anyone.
The temperature in the office seemed to drop subtly. Neither Mianxue nor Qinghan dared to breathe loudly.
For an instant, they sensed a flicker of anger from Rrakavasha, brief but unmistakable.
It lasted only a moment, fleeting enough to feel almost like an illusion.
Yet the oppressive atmosphere was very real.
"Give me the letter."
"...Ah? Oh!"
Mianxue snapped back to herself and hurriedly presented the letter with both hands.
Rrakavasha opened it in front of them and took out the letter inside.
"Respected Mr. Rrakavasha,
Upon reading this, it is as though we speak face to face.
These two recruits possess exceptional aptitude. With a year of refinement, they may become pillars of our strength.
Within Cangcheng, none surpasses you in swordsmanship. I hope you will take one year to instruct these two.
Teng Xiao bows in thanks.
Written on the 21st day of the first month."
Rrakavasha sighed inwardly, shaking his head.
Face-to-face conversation was one thing, but once it came to letters, that fellow always refused to write in modern language...
"You two should head back first. Take a message to General Teng Xiao for me: we'll meet tonight at the usual place."
"Yes, Sir."
Although they hadn't received a direct answer, Rrakavasha's tone suggested there were underlying matters to discuss with the General.
Mianxue and Qinghan bowed respectfully and left at once.
Rrakavasha remained seated, unmoving, countless past images drifting through his mind, memories from another life bleeding through.
All those memories condensed into a single soft sigh.
First, go home.
By now, there were few people left in the faculty building. When he occasionally ran into someone, Rrakavasha returned their greetings.
Clearly, he was well-liked at Qingyun Academy.
Outside, the rain grew heavier. From not far away came the complaints of people who'd forgotten to bring umbrellas.
The Xianzhou was a massive starship traveling through the cosmos. Its internal grotto-heavens could easily maintain the most comfortable simulated climate at all times. So why waste the Jade Abacus's computing power and resources to simulate seasonal weather cycles?
Hearing these complaints, Rrakavasha smiled to himself.
In theory, doing so would indeed win much public support.
But it wasn't conducive to survival, especially in such a turbulent era.
People still needed to adapt to natural change.
Reaching the ground floor, he'd just taken an umbrella from his spatial jade when he noticed a somewhat familiar figure standing at the steps.
The man looked out at the torrential rain, scratching his head in frustration from time to time, then checking the time.
Curious, Rrakavasha walked over.
"What brings a big merchant like you to Qingyun, personally delivering teaching equipment?"
Yu Huai turned his head, surprise flashing across his eyes.
"Sir Vash! You haven't left yet. Do you have time to help me out? I'll treat you to a meal later!"
"What happened?"
"Ah, Zhenshan Grotto-Heaven's weather is even worse than Qingyun's today. Wind gales and heavy rain. Huiyu got into a traffic accident while picking up our daughter from school, and the starskiff almost crashed."
"Is your wife all right? And Jingliu?"