noffsinger Chapter 72 Drought Chapter Return
Chapter 72 Drought Chapter Return
Chapter 72 The Return of Drought
The Yunhai was slowly sailing in mid-air.
The wind on the deck carried a dry heat, making his face feel hot. Zhao Cheng'an stood by the ship's railing, his hands gripping the wooden railing, looking down.
The scene that came into view surprised him.
The entire region of the seven kingdoms is suffering from a severe drought, with food supplies running low.
The fields, which should have been lush and green, are now largely withered, yellow, and cracked. The water levels of several major rivers have dropped significantly, exposing the dry, cracked riverbeds on both banks.
Zhao Cheng'an narrowed his eyes and silently calculated the time in his mind.
The journey took three months to leave. The return trip, due to the Daoist court's newly enacted ecological protection law, involved detouring around several monster migration routes, taking a full six months. Adding the time spent in Floating Scale Cave, the round trip has almost taken a year.
A year is enough time for this land to undergo many changes.
The celestial vessel slowly descended above Thousand Ears Valley. The camouflage array at the valley entrance had already removed itself after sensing the presence of the Cloud Sea, revealing the familiar riverbank and wooden houses.
Zhao Chengan turned around and went back to the cabin to pack his luggage.
When he disembarked, he encountered An Changzhi and his daughter An Qingtang at the gangway.
"Captain An, Miss An, thank you for taking care of me along the way." Zhao Cheng'an clasped his hands in a gesture of respect.
An Changzhi smiled and waved his hand, "Young Master Zhao, you're too kind. It's an honor for our An family to be able to give a ride to a future disciple of a major sect like yourself."
An Qingtang stood beside her father, still dressed in a neat short-sleeved outfit, a pearl bracelet on her wrist. She gave Zhao Cheng'an a bright smile and said, "Young Master Zhao, if you have the chance to ride on our boat again, I'll give you a 20% discount!"
"Then it's a deal." Zhao Cheng'an nodded with a smile.
A burst of white mist gushed out from the bottom of the boat, and several planks detached from the hull, hovering in mid-air, carrying Zhao Cheng'an, Chen Heng, Xiang Yunyuan and others, as they landed smoothly on the ground.
As soon as the wooden plank touched the damp soil of Qianhui Valley, Zhao Cheng'an saw a row of familiar figures already standing below.
Qi Weizhao was still the same as before, dressed in coarse cloth, carrying a worn-out straw hat, and smiling. Xiao Wu stood behind Qi Weizhao, wearing a short jacket, his arm muscles even more muscular than a year ago.
Lingwei wore a serene smile, her long hair simply tied up with a wooden hairpin.
Behind the three, there were two unfamiliar faces.
They were two teenagers, a boy and a girl, who looked to be about sixteen or seventeen years old, with expressions of both childishness and curiosity on their faces. They were cautiously observing Zhao Cheng'an and his companions who had descended from the sky, their eyes filled with undisguised astonishment.
Zhao Cheng'an stepped forward, his feet firmly planted on the ground, and bowed to Qi Weizhao, saying, "Master, your student has returned."
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Qi Weizhao stepped forward and looked Zhao Chengan up and down several times.
Although he had already learned about Zhao Cheng'an's achievements in the major examination through the Xuan Bird communication of the Flying Star Pavilion, he still found it hard to believe that he was seeing the student he had personally mentored standing in front of him.
"Okay, okay."
Qi Weizhao patted Zhao Chengan on the shoulder, his voice tinged with emotion.
"After so many years at the Imperial Academy of the Seven Kingdoms, I've finally produced a student who can pass the imperial examination. Your departure this time has truly brought honor to the Imperial Academy of the Seven Kingdoms."
Zhao Cheng'an lowered his head slightly and said humbly, "My achievements are inseparable from your careful guidance."
He took out an exquisite wooden box from his sleeve and handed it over with both hands.
"These are some spirit mist teas that I bought in Floating Scale Cave. They have the effects of clearing the mind and brightening the eyes, and nourishing the spirit. I hope you will not find them offensive."
Qi Weizhao reached out and took the wooden box, opened the lid, smelled it, and a satisfied smile appeared on his face: "You're thoughtful, so I won't stand on ceremony."
Zhao Cheng'an turned around again, saw Lingwei, and smiled, "Miss Lingwei, thank you for taking care of me all these years."
He took out a round pearl from his sleeve, the pearl shimmering with a warm luster: "This is a pearl that nourishes the bloodline. Although it is not very valuable, it is of some benefit to stabilizing the foundation of your demon race's bloodline. Consider it a small token of my appreciation."
Lingwei accepted the precious pearl with both hands, feeling the gentle spiritual energy fluctuations emanating from it, and a surprised smile appeared on her face.
"Thank you very much, Young Master Zhao!"
Finally, Zhao Chengan walked up to Xiao Wu.
Xiao Wu scratched the back of his head and smiled somewhat embarrassedly.
"Your Highness, I'm so glad you're back safe and sound. You don't need to bring me anything."
Zhao Cheng'an ignored his polite words, took out a jade bottle from his pocket, and stuffed it into his hand: "Inside is a Qi-Nourishing Pill, which can prolong the life of mortals and strengthen their bodies. You've followed me for so many years and suffered a lot. Take this and live well from now on."
Xiao Wu held the warm, smooth jade bottle, opened his mouth, but for a moment he didn't know what to say.
He nodded vigorously, carefully putting the jade bottle close to his body. "Your Highness—please take care of yourself as well."
Xiao Wu also learned the truth about the Imperial Academy from Ling Wei.
Zhao Cheng'an was able to come back this time, but when they part ways again, they may never have the chance to meet again.
The mortal and immortal realms are forever separated.
For a cultivator, a single meditation session might equal a lifetime for an ordinary person.
Zhao Cheng'an patted him on the shoulder before turning his head to look at the two unfamiliar faces.
Seeing this, Qi Weizhao stroked his beard and began to introduce himself.
"These two are the new students admitted to the Imperial Academy during the year you left."
"You could say we're pretty lucky. Sometimes we can't recruit a single student for several years in a row, and other times we can recruit several in a single year."
He first pointed to the upright young man in the blue robe, "This child's surname is Zhou, and his given name is Ji. He is a descendant of the military households of the Great Yin Dynasty. He was recommended here because his father made military contributions. He has been tested on the Spirit-Guiding Stele and has dual-attribute spiritual roots of wood and earth. His aptitude is quite good."
The boy named Zhou Ji immediately stepped forward, clasped his hands together, and bowed deeply to Zhao Cheng'an.
"Disciple Zhou Ji greets Senior Brother Zhao."
Qi Weizhao then pointed to the girl wearing a light blue jacket.
"This girl's surname is Chu, and her given name is Pei. She is a noblewoman from the Northern Wei Dynasty. After the war, she fled to the Imperial Academy."
Upon hearing Qi Weizhao's introduction, Zhao Cheng'an was also intrigued.
The journey from the Northern Wei Dynasty to the Imperial Academy was over a thousand kilometers, a route fraught with war and chaos, littered with defeated soldiers and refugees. For this seemingly frail woman to have made it this far was no small feat.
However, at this moment, both of them looked at Zhao Cheng'an with some restraint.
On their very first day here, Master Qi had told them the legend of Zhao Cheng'an more than once. The precious spirit rice they were eating every day was a modified version personally created by this senior brother.
In their hearts, Zhao Chengan was practically a living legend.
Seeing their nervous expressions, Zhao Cheng'an smiled gently and said, "Don't be nervous. I just started learning a few years earlier than you."
He reached into his sleeve and took out several spirit stones, handing them to the two men. "Take these spirit stones for now, to aid your initial cultivation. If you have any questions about cultivation in the future, feel free to ask me anytime."
Zhou Ji and Chu Pei accepted the spirit stones with both hands, both feeling somewhat flattered.
"Thank you, senior brother!"