As Yan Xun unraveled the formation, the entire village and everyone in it vanished in a flare of light.
Only those who had been trapped here a year ago remained.
They stood rooted to the spot in a daze, as though waking from a dream.
Li Ping'an patted Old Ox. "Well done."
He had let Old Ox out to find that man who had undergone turning from Confucian to Hegemonic.
"What the hell! What happened? Why does my face hurt so much?"
Jing Yu woke from his stupor, his eyes bewildered.
A bright moon hung high over the vast frontier. Usually soft and elegant, it seemed to have become majestic and magnificent here.
"So she had the Fusang Tree's blessing. No wonder I was trapped in the formation."
Jing Yu found himself a perfectly reasonable explanation.
"Besides, she's a senior sister from the Academy. Yan Xun-I've heard my teacher mention that name.
"Mm, so being trapped by her isn't anything to be ashamed of, right?"
Nobody paid him any attention.
Wang Yi scoffed. "Our teacher is still the best."
"Exactly, exactly," Aliya echoed.
The corners of Jing Yu's mouth twitched. He wanted to argue, but could find nothing to say just then.
He could only turn sulkily to the rabbit roasting over the fire.
"She gave you the Fusang Tree?"
The man wearing a bamboo hat asked.
"Yes," Li Ping'an said. "She said she wanted to give me a saber, then gave me this tree."
"Once a limb is severed from the Fusang Tree, it turns back into a seed, so be careful when you work on it."
Li Ping'an stroked the Fusang Tree lying beside him. "Understood."
"My wish has been fulfilled. This time, I must return to the Academy to confess my wrongdoing to my teachers. I