Arrival at Tianwu University and a Lingering Farewell

When he turned to look at me, he was also startled. Then, he clicked his tongue and remarked, “Tsk, tsk, junior sister, you truly look…”

Before he could finish, a resounding ‘smack’ echoed. He received a slap to the back of his head from one of his brothers.

“Boss, you’re something else! Third Brother secretly indulged, and now you’re doing the same? Oh, tsk, tsk, junior sister, your attire today is truly…”

Standing nearby, I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of helplessness. ‘It seemed these five rascals were truly cut from the same cloth.’

What followed was somewhat predictable. After the five Peng brothers exchanged some playful jabs and showered me with a bit of flattery, they swiftly prepared themselves.

They settled their room and board with the innkeeper, then led their horses out. The group of six bid farewell to the inn.

Mounting their horses, they headed east, slowly making their way towards the main road. Once on the main road, they spurred their horses to a gallop, racing towards Luzhou.

Just before reaching the main road’s intersection, Peng Boxiong had mischievously asked me, “Junior sister, your martial arts aren’t fully developed yet. How is your horsemanship? Can you manage a long journey? If not, perhaps you could share a horse with this senior brother? At most, we can take turns riding along the way.”

No sooner had the words left his lips than the other four brothers unanimously condemned him. The four burly men vehemently cursed him, calling him utterly cunning!

I cast a somewhat annoyed glance at him, offering no reply. Instead, with a sudden tug of the reins, the sturdy horse beneath me let out a piercing neigh.

It then galloped onto the main road, leaving a trail of dust as it sped towards Luzhou.

I recall it was quite a while later before the five Peng brothers slowly caught up from behind. Bringing up the rear was Peng Boxiong, who, judging by his appearance, had clearly been subjected to a severe scolding.

The group traveled for half a day on the main road. Finally, in the afternoon, they found a government-run posthouse by the roadside to rest and eat.

After lunch, they endured another hour of strenuous travel. At last, they arrived in the vicinity of Luzhou by evening.

By the time they reined in their horses before the grand gates of Tianwu University, the evening lamps had already begun to glow.

“Junior sister, aren’t you from Carefree Academy? Why are you over here in the East District?” Peng Boxiong asked, a hint of surprise in his voice, as he watched me halt my horse.

Tianwu University, despite being a single institution, was divided into two distinct campuses: East and West. Its ten major departments were evenly split, five on each side.

As a martial arts university renowned throughout the entire dynasty, this arrangement wasn’t particularly surprising.

What made it peculiar, however, was that the two campuses were separated by merely a single long street, less than a kilometer apart. Moreover, the current Principal Dugu, inspired by the famous patriotic film ‘Tunnel Warfare,’ had even constructed an underground passage connecting the two campuses.

Such an extravagant and labor-intensive undertaking truly baffled many.

Beyond this, the departmental distribution across the two campuses also featured unique characteristics. For instance, the East Campus housed institutions like the Five Absolutes Academy and the Five Peaks Academy.

It also contained the Wudang and Shaolin martial arts research laboratories, key establishments sponsored by the imperial court.

Broadly speaking, during the tumultuous era of warring factions in the martial world, when good and evil stood in stark opposition amidst a storm of bloodshed, nearly all factions classified as ‘righteous’ were concentrated on this campus. The remaining academies and specialized programs were situated on the other campus.

Carefree Academy’s first dean, Xiaoyaozi, its second dean, Wuya Zi, and its outstanding graduate, Su Xinghe, were all figures of ambiguous morality in their time, embodying both righteousness and villainy.

The academy even produced individuals who were outright wicked, such as Senior Ding Chunqiu, the founder of the Xingxiu Sect specialization.

Thus, being far from the so-called ‘pure and upright’ lineage, Carefree Academy was relegated to the West Campus.

Similarly, the Green Forest Academy, which had once boasted practices like banditry and establishing mountain strongholds as its departmental hallmarks, was naturally assigned to the West Campus as well.

Therefore, Peng Boxiong was quite perplexed to see me rein in my horse and stop before the East Campus gate.

In response, I could only offer a helpless smile. ‘When I was still a boy, I had been assigned to the East District dormitory building due to my enrollment in a preparatory class.’

Later, after officially reporting, I found the hassle of moving dorms bothersome. Moreover, by then, I had already grown quite close to the three lively characters in my room, which only solidified my decision to remain in my original dormitory.

While I was still agonizing over how to explain such a complicated reason to Peng Boxiong, Peng Shuxiong, Third Brother Peng, surprisingly showed a rare flash of wit and came to my rescue.

“Boss, are you dense? There’s only one girls’ dormitory building in each of the East and West Districts. I heard that for some reason this year, the girls’ dorm on our campus is completely full, so some girls had no choice but to be assigned to the East District’s girls’ dorm!”

“So that’s how it is…” Upon hearing his explanation, Peng Boxiong immediately nodded, though a hint of disappointment flickered across his expression.

I was initially relieved to have successfully bluffed my way through. However, glancing back, I noticed a subtle gloom hanging over all five of them.

With a brief thought, I understood: I was in the East Campus, while they had to return to the West Campus. ‘It meant our parting was imminent.’

This realization brought a touch of sadness to me as well. To be frank, after two days of companionship, I didn’t dislike any of them.

Especially Peng Shuxiong, Third Brother Peng, who had given up his guest room for me and slept alone in the woodshed.

“Well, then… all good things must come to an end. I am deeply grateful for the companionship and protection you five senior brothers have offered along the way, and I will surely repay your kindness should the opportunity arise!”

I sighed, then released the horse’s reins, dismounted, and bowed with cupped hands.

“Junior sister, you are too polite! It was merely a small effort, nothing more than what we should do!” Seeing my words, the five of them also dismounted and bowed in return.

“Then, I shall bid farewell to you five senior brothers here and now, please forgive me for not seeing you off further.” I offered them a faint smile and continued.

“Not at all, not at all, junior sister, you should hurry back to your dormitory! It’s late and dark; there might be flower thieves lurking about!” Peng Boxiong was the first to speak.

“Thank you for your concern, senior brother. No need to see me off, no need. We shall meet again!” I nodded in response.

The five of them somewhat reluctantly climbed back onto their horses. Then, Peng Boxiong seemed hesitant, as if he had something to say but was holding back.

“Senior brother, if you have something to say, please speak.” I tilted my head, looking at him, and asked directly in a clear voice.

“Um, I wonder if junior sister would be willing to leave a phone number, so we can keep in touch later?” He said, a little bashfully.

This put me in a difficult position. ‘After all, I couldn’t very well give him my old number, could I? If my disguise were to be exposed, it would be disastrous.’

“Oh, it’s not that I don’t want to give it to you, senior brother. It’s just that I lost my phone earlier in the mountains, and I plan to get a new one after returning to school. If senior brother doesn’t mind, you could leave one of your numbers, and I will contact you once I’ve sorted mine out.” I replied calmly.

Upon hearing this, the five men seemed eager to offer their numbers. Ultimately, after my one-sided arbitration, Peng Shuxiong’s number was given to me.

Then, the five men each mounted their horses, bowed in farewell, and galloped off towards the West District, leaving a cloud of dust behind.