Ye Xi and Dong Yi'an arrived in the evening.
Na'er was still curled up on the living room sofa, cradling the Lovesick Heartbreak Red and grinning foolishly at it. Only when she heard the knock did she carefully set the flower back on the desk.
Shen Nanxun went to answer the door. Two people in the uniforms of Sun Moon Imperial Soul Master Academy stood outside. Ye Xi led the way, with Dong Yi'an behind her, carrying several bags.
"Cousin," Ye Xi greeted him, her tone no different from usual. "We came to say goodbye."
"Say goodbye?" Shen Nanxun stepped aside to let them in.
"Mm. Dong Yi'an and I applied for early graduation. The intermediate division's classes can't teach us much anymore, so staying would just be a waste of time." Ye Xi sat on the sofa and accepted the cup of water Na'er handed her. "Thanks," she said. "We passed the Central Legion Youth Camp selection. We report next week, and after that, we'll probably stay with the Central Legion."
She paused, then said earnestly, "Thank you for looking after us all these years, Cousin."
She wasn't just being polite. With Shen Nanxun's name as the Shen Family's eldest young master behind them, both teachers and students at the academy had treated them with special courtesy. Many things had gone much more smoothly because of it.
Dong Yi'an set the bags in his hands on the coffee table and scratched his head. "Nanxun, Boss. These are local specialties my mom sent from the Western Legion, and there are a few boxes of Cloud City pastries from Ye Xi's family, too. Now that we're leaving, we won't get many chances to see each other."
Although the Central Legion was also on the outskirts of Ming Capital, the Youth Camp