Goodbye, Sect, Today I Set Sail~
Snape looked her up and down, his gaze finally settling on her empty hands. "An eastern version of the Shrinking Charm?" he asked scrutinizingly. "Is everything in your pockets?"
Chu Yao proudly waved her left hand. An antique-looking silver ring gleamed faintly on her slender finger. "This is a storage ring made by an elder of my sect~ Everything's in there."
Talismans, pills, passport, ID card, and my 950 kilograms of gold...
And of course, most importantly, all the pastries, dried meat, and spirit fruits Martial Uncle Zhang secretly tucked in for me!
Hehe, enough to keep me fed for quite a while!
Snape looked at the ring, and a faint trace of an alchemist's curiosity flashed in his eyes. But it was quickly concealed by his habitual indifference and his distaste for the coming flight.
He pressed his thin lips together slightly and said no more. "Then let's go."
In fact, the sect elders, her master Chu Kuangren, her eldest senior sister Chu Wushuang, Martial Uncle Zhang, her third senior brother Chu Yunfei, and the others had long since gathered silently in the nearby corridors and behind the rockeries, some using invisibility spells and others concealing their presence with their advanced movement techniques.
Every one of them craned their necks, watching eagerly.
When they saw that little brat Chu Yao was actually leaving with the old fellow in black robes (Snape: ?) so readily, without the slightest reluctance, they all felt as though a five-flavor bottle had been overturned in their hearts, both helpless and reluctant to part with her.
Chu Kuangren roared inwardly: You ungrateful little thing! You're leaving just like that? You won't even take another look or two at your master! Sigh, you'll be gone for a whole year this time. I hear the United Kingdom is damp and cold, and the food tastes awful...
Chu Wushuang remained expressionless: You little rascal, if anyone bullies you out there, remember... Forget it, you'll probably be the one doing the bullying. But still, be careful. Don't cause an international dispute!
Martial Uncle Zhang wiped away tears that were barely there: Yao'er, did I pack enough pastries for you? I hear there's hardly anything good to eat in the United Kingdom. Don't go getting skinny from hunger... If only I'd known, I would've packed more!
But just as Chu Yao followed Snape toward the edge of the sect square, a moment before their figures disappeared into the light of the teleportation formation leading to the airport, she suddenly stopped and turned around.
Facing the main hall and training ground, where there seemed to be no one at all, she bowed deeply and solemnly.
When she raised her head, her eyes were slightly red, but her voice was still clear and bright. "Master, martial uncles and aunts, and senior brothers and sisters! I'm going abroad to study! By the time I come back, it'll probably be next summer! You... don't miss me too much~"
With that, she quickly raised her sleeve and seemingly casually wiped the corner of her eye, the movement so fast it was almost impossible to see. Then, without looking back, she followed Snape with firm steps.
The moment she placed her hand on Snape's arm, the two of them vanished.
As soon as they disappeared, the sect elders hiding in the shadows immediately revealed themselves, each wearing a complicated expression.
Chu Kuangren stroked his beard and gazed at the place where Chu Yao had vanished. His eyes were a little red too, but he stubbornly said, "That wretched child has finally left! The sect can have a peaceful year!"
Eldest senior sister Chu Wushuang folded her arms and snorted. "At least she has a bit of a conscience, bowing before she left. Look how red her eyes were... ε=(´ο｀*))) Sigh~"
Martial Uncle Zhang wiped their hands on an apron, their face a mixture of relief and heartache. "The child couldn't bear to leave us after all. Look at her just now... she even cried~ She must have been upset in advance because she won't get to eat my cooking out there!"
Third senior brother Chu Yunfei sniffled. "Little Junior Sister really seemed to be crying... Even when she used to sneak down the mountain and Eldest Senior Sister caught her and brought her back for a spanking, she never cried..."
Everyone looked at the empty square and let out a long sigh.
In those sighs were worry and reluctance to part, but more than that was the complicated feeling that "children grow up and have to go out into the world eventually."
Author's note: Thank you, dear readers, for the favorites, likes, check-ins, comments, flowers, coins, and memberships. Love you all, sending you a heart ♥