Lan Que

"Good morning, students. Welcome aboard the First University direct special plane operated by Wizard Alliance Under the Moon Airlines. I am chief flight attendant Su Qijun, and I am delighted to serve you. This journey is expected to take five hours and thirty-five minutes. We have prepared a delicious lunch for you, and students who need it may visit the buffet after takeoff. If you require any other assistance, please press the red button above your head, and our flight attendants will be happy to assist you."

"Our plane is about to take off. The attendants will conduct a routine safety inspection. Please remain seated, fold away your tray tables, fasten your seatbelts, and hold your pets in your arms."

"Thank you for your cooperation. Have a pleasant journey."

"Su Qijun!" Li Meng shrieked. "What is her relationship with Su Shijun? Should I ask her for an autograph and a photo?"

"They're both members of the younger Fang generation of the Qingqiu Su Clan. You can tell from their names." Xiao Xiao put away his notebook, gathered the old turtle into his arms, and sat properly upright. "Besides, she isn't Su Shijun. What's the point of getting a photo with her?"

"Who is Su Shijun?" Zheng Qing asked despite himself as he folded away his tray table.

"The youngest Senior Councilor of the Under the Moon Council, the designated heir of the Qingqiu Su Family, rumored to have already reached the Five-tailed realm, and the number one beauty in the Wizarding World currently undergoing assessment by the Grand Wizard Council." Xiao Xiao answered rapidly without even blinking. "No, she should be called a goddess. The goddess of every male wizard in the Wizarding World."

"A goddess." Zheng Qing stroked Poseidon in his arms and leaned out to glance down the cabin aisle.

A flight attendant in a crisp uniform was bending over with a smile, speaking softly to a student in the row ahead. Her taut uniform perfectly outlined her graceful figure, while her long legs intensified the visual impact.

Zheng Qing swallowed and quickly looked away.

Do not look upon impropriety. Do not look upon impropriety. Do not look upon impropriety.

He silently recited the admonition three times, yet those graceful curves continued to take shape in his mind.

Young men were full of fire, he consoled himself. He shifted in his seat and fished an almond from a box, crunching away at it.

"Student, the plane is about to take off. For your safety and that of others, please fold away your tray table."

A pleasant voice sounded nearby. Zheng Qing turned his head and saw the flight attendant softly calling to the burgundy-haired girl with big curls sleeping across the aisle.

Two seats across the aisle, a little monk in a gray cloth robe sat on one side, while the passenger opposite him had been sleeping facedown on her tray table. The little monk had already put away his scripture and was meditating with his eyes closed. As for the burgundy-haired girl across from him, she had been asleep ever since Zheng Qing boarded the plane.

After the flight attendant called to her several times, the burgundy-haired passenger shook her head and lifted her face, revealing delicate features.

Barefaced, yet flawlessly beautiful. Zheng Qing praised her inwardly. She was no less stunning than the flight attendant beside her.

Stretching lazily and giving a yawn, the burgundy-haired girl narrowed her eyes, folded away her tray table, then pulled out an eye mask from her handbag, slipped it over her eyes, leaned back in her broad seat, and went right back to sleep.

Zheng Qing found himself rather disappointed.

"What are you holding? Don't you need to put it away?" Li Meng asked the passenger across from her. "What's your name? Which class at Jiuyou Academy are you in?"

Across from Li Meng sat a delicate-looking student. His long black hair was tied at the roots and tucked into the large hood of his white robe. A purple scarf lay casually over his shoulders, and he held a long wrapped bundle in both arms as he silently gazed out the window.

Zheng Qing rubbed his head with a headache.

Five minutes ago, the little girl had still looked timid. But after becoming only slightly familiar with them, she had started chattering nonstop.

Maybe she shouldn't have kept a pigeon. Maybe she should have kept a sparrow instead.

"Your scarf is so pretty! What's it made of?"

When Zheng Qing turned back, he saw Li Meng leaning forward to touch and pat the purple scarf.

"Wow, it feels so nice!" Li Meng exclaimed.

"Grrr..." A fuzzy purple sable head poked out from the broad hood behind the scarf's owner, making a threatening sound deep in its throat. The purple scarf twitched a few times, then suddenly withdrew into the hood, startling even Zheng Qing.

So it wasn't a scarf. It was the purple sable's tail.

Li Meng froze, pursed her lips, and her eyes brimmed with tears as her eye sockets began to redden.

"My name is Lan Que. This is a sword." The purple sable's owner finally spoke. He withdrew his gaze from the window, pointed at the long bundle in his arms, and awkwardly consoled her, "Don't cry."

It was a male voice. Zheng Qing finally confirmed it.

Li Meng sniffed, her eyes red, then broke into a dazzling smile. "I'm not crying. I'm a university student now!"

The Purple Little Sable seemed quite pleased with itself. Its front paws rested on Lan Que's left shoulder as it stretched lazily, opened its mouth leisurely, and revealed a mouthful of sharp teeth.

Poseidon glanced at the little sable with great interest and swished his large tail.

The pigeon on Li Meng's shoulder cooed angrily, flapping its wings to threaten the purple sable across from it.

"Students, please hold your pets in your arms. Our plane will be taking off shortly." The flight attendant's pleasant voice reached his ears. Zheng Qing hurriedly turned his head and put on a serious expression.

A refreshing fragrance drifted over with the click-click of heels.

Those graceful curves appeared before Zheng Qing once more, this time at such close range. The flight attendant leaned over to raise the window shade, then bent down to check the seatbelts around their waists.

Zheng Qing's nostrils filled with the intoxicating scent.

He stiffened nervously, not daring to move at all. Poseidon, squeezed too tightly in his arms, stuck out its little tongue and squeaked.

"What an adorable little thing." The flight attendant smiled as she scratched Poseidon behind the ears. Zheng Qing could clearly see her nostrils flaring rapidly.

He raised his head and met a pair of dark red eyes.

Those clear eyes were like two pools of hot spring water, drawing him in until he could not free himself.

By the time he came back to his senses, the plane was already flying steadily. The people around him were engaged in a lively discussion, and even the little monk across the aisle had joined in.

"How did all of you receive your admission notices?" Xiao Xiao had lowered his tray table again and was writing something in his black notebook.

"Amitabha. This little monk found his admission notice tucked between the pages of the Diamond Sutra while copying scriptures in the Sutra Library." The little monk beside him turned his prayer beads with a creak. "After reporting it to the abbot, the abbot gave this little monk a verse: 'All conditioned phenomena are like dreams, illusions, bubbles, and shadows; like dew and lightning. Thus should they be contemplated.' So this little monk came."

"I killed a wild demon in the Qilian Mountains and dug my admission notice out of its belly." Lan Que remained as sparing with words as ever.

Zheng Qing clicked his tongue, suddenly feeling that the way he had received his admission notice had been a little too simple.