A Room Full of Slippers

When Gu Yue left, it was already dusk.

The enormous canopy of the Golden Tree spread out from the Inner Court, casting a dark golden net-like pattern of light on the ground.

The Inner Court was even quieter, so quiet that even the sound of the wind passing through the corridors was exceptionally clear, as if someone had sucked all the sound out of the entire academy.

He sat on the edge of his bed, placed the storage ring in his palm, and examined it over and over.

Gu Yue left decisively; he finished speaking and went out the door without looking back.

The footsteps outside the door faded away along the stone path, each step even and steady, as if it were a pre-arranged route, and she was simply following it.

He had no idea when she started paying attention to him, or why she had kept a ring containing "Lunar Divine Metal" for him. But one thing was certain—

He recognized the aura emanating from the ring the moment he touched it.

It belongs to the Moon element.

Moreover, it is purer than the total amount of Moonlight that his entire body can contain.

A trace of that aura seeped through the barrier of the storage space, landing on his fingertips like a drop of cold water on his skin, seeping down along the gaps in his bones, and was quickly swallowed up by the Soul Core in his dantian.

After the Soul Core absorbed that wisp of energy, its rotation speed increased by one beat.

Yun Jingheng gripped the ring tightly, stood up, and walked to the window.

The Sea God Lake outside the window had turned deep blue, the last rays of sunset were fading from its surface, and the distant horizon was transitioning from orange-red to dark gray. Night would fall in about half an hour.

He did not choose to go to the Outer Court to find Gu Yue.

He went into the basement.

He had held the key to the cabin in his hand for a long time; it was damp with sweat, and the metal surface was slightly warm.

He secretly built this basement a long, long time ago, and his parents most likely know about it. He rarely goes in because he's not sure if he can keep it a secret forever.

A thin layer of dust settled on the damp stone steps, and his footsteps made a soft rustling sound as he walked on them.

The basement was much colder than the one above. It was about three zhang square, with stone walls on all four sides. In one corner was a Soul Guidance Lamp. After he activated it, a dim yellow light filled the entire space.

There are no windows.

It was as quiet as an upside-down bowl.

He closed the door from the inside, turned around on the bottom step of the stairs, and sat cross-legged on the stone slab in the center of the basement.

The stone slab was cold, and he could feel the persistent chill seeping into his bones through his clothes, but he didn't pay attention to it.

He held the storage ring up to his eyes, took a deep breath, and with a thought—

The surface of the ring shone briefly.

Then a ball of Silvery White Metal "spit" out of the storage space.

It landed on the ground in front of him with a dull hum. It was about the size of a fist, irregularly shaped, and covered with fine silver patterns, like a piece of raw ore chiseled from the depths of a vein.

But it was purer than any other ore—so pure it was almost unreal. Under the dim light of the Soul Guidance Lamp, it glowed on its own, a faint silvery-white halo spreading from its surface, coating the walls of the entire basement with a layer of dark silver.

Yun Jingheng stared at it for a long time.

He was certain that this piece of Lunar Divine Metal was pure.

But why? Does the Lunar Divine Metal truly exist in its original ore form?

He reached out and his fingertips touched the surface of the metal.

It felt icy to the touch, but the iciness was wrong—it was as cold as a block of Moonlight accumulated over an entire winter being compressed into a solid. The moment his fingertips touched it, the chill seeped in through his fingernails, surged along his meridians, and rushed directly into his dantian.

The Soul Core trembled violently.

Then it started "eating".

Yun Jingheng closed his eyes.

He doesn't need to do anything.

The lunar-attribute spiritual power within the Lunar Divine Metal seemed to find its own entrance, flowing in from his fingertips, ascending along his arm, passing through the Jianjing acupoint, and converging into his dantian. The entire process was as smooth as if a path had been paved for him, and all he had to do was sit there and wait.

He hadn't read many cultivation novels in his previous life, and he didn't know how the Golden Core was obtained, so he could only choose to believe that things would fall into place naturally.

He could clearly feel that what he was swallowing was cold, hard Moonlight, like shards of ice.

What was expelled was something warm, soft, like melting moonlight. After flowing through the body's meridians, it was absorbed back by the Soul Core, beginning the second cycle.

It is "digesting" itself.

"It's a bit like breathing," he thought groggily.

The next day.

Yun Jingheng got out of bed, his hair standing on end, each strand seemingly lost in its own thoughts. He stared blankly at Ye Xinglan, who had barged in.

What do you want to do?

Ye Xinglan sized him up, then fixed her gaze on a certain spot without moving.

Yun Jingheng silently pulled his clothes up to cover his collarbone.

"Female hooligan"

Ye Xinglan raised an eyebrow. "Tch, haven't you seen my collarbone too?"

"And another time he stared at my feet..."

"Stop—!" Yun Jingheng interrupted her, "State your purpose in seeking my help."

"I..." Ye Xinglan hesitated for a moment.

I can't exactly say "I miss you," can I?

Her lips moved, then closed again. She tapped her fingers twice on the doorframe, then turned her head away from his face, her voice flat. "... I'm bored."

"Boring?"

"Those exchange students sent by the Star Luo Empire's Monster Academy arrived this morning. A bunch of people who got in by bribing their way in. They took a stroll around the Martial Arts Arena, and one of them, wearing a jacket with gold trim, asked me if I could 'demonstrate a set of Soul Skill for them.'"

Ye Xinglan turned back, her face clearly saying, "You know what I mean, right? I refused on the spot, and then they started saying that Shrek Inner Court students were arrogant, unfriendly, and didn't know how to treat guests."

Yun Jingheng silently pulled the blanket up to his chin. "So you came looking for me?"

"They're so annoying. I'm being nice by not slapping them across the face. I'm not cut out for diplomacy."

Ye Xinglan finally stepped in and sat down at the foot of the bed, placing her hands on her knees. "I'm hiding here for a while, until they're done making a scene."

Yun Jingheng stared at her for two seconds.

She sat upright, her gaze fixed on the bookshelf at the other end of the room, and the tips of her ears were a very faint red.

He saw it, but didn't point it out.

Do you think Teacher Cai will come and arrest you?

"I've been kidnapped by you, so even if you come to arrest me, you'll have to get past me first."

?

Yun Jingheng narrowed his eyes, "Are you even human?"

Ye Xinglan shrugged. "That's not something I should be concerned about."

As she spoke, she began to take off her shoes.

What are you doing now?

"Um?"

Ye Xinglan paused, "What? What are you doing? Changing my shoes. Anyway, I'm not leaving for at least four or five hours. You're not going to throw my slippers away, are you?"

"..."

"I didn't throw it away. It's in the shoe cabinet; I'll leave it there for now. I'm going to wash up."

He got out of bed, walked around her, and took two steps barefoot towards the door. Then he stopped, looked back, and said, "Don't touch anything on my table."

"There's only a half-read travelogue and three empty cups on your table," Ye Xinglan without even looking up.

Yun Jingheng shut his mouth.

He pushed open the door, walked through the corridor, and turned into the bathroom. Only when the cold water splashed on his face did his mind truly clear.

The whole process took about fifteen minutes.

He dried his face, pushed open the corridor door, and walked back to his room, but stopped outside the threshold.

There were three people lying on his bed.

Ye Xinglan was completely on the bed, and... Xu Xiaoyan and Gu Yue were there too?

Tang Wulin sat on the sofa, holding a book in his hands and reading it.

Xie Xie lay on another sofa, his arms behind his head, in a relaxed posture that said, "This is my home."

Yuanen Yehui stood by the window, her back against the light from the windowsill, her arms crossed over her chest, observing the astronomical telescope in front of her.

They were all wearing slippers.

As for the sneakers... they came in various colors, blue, gray, striped, all neatly arranged by the door, as if a meeting had been held beforehand to reach a consensus—"Meet at Yun Jingheng's room today, remember to bring your own slippers."

"..."

Yun Jingheng stood on the threshold, his hand still on the door frame, frozen for three seconds.