C13 A New Journey!

"Little guy, time to get up already..."

In the haze of sleep, Feng Yixiu faintly heard someone calling his name. Groggily, he began to stir from his dreams.

Opening his eyes, he saw Dean Zhou standing at the foot of his bed, watching him intently.

Feng Yixiu instinctively grabbed his phone to check the time and saw it was precisely 5 a.m.

"Grandpa Dean, it's only 5 a.m.! Isn't this way too early?" Feng Yixiu protested with a look of resignation.

He had been told to gather at seven in the morning; waking up at five seemed excessively early.

"Early is always better than late. Yu has been waiting outside for you for ages. Can you really let a young girl wait that long?" Dean Zhou said with a smile, playfully flicking Feng Yixiu's forehead.

"Okay, okay! I'm up!" Without another word, Feng Yixiu sprang from his bed and dashed to the washstand like the wind.

"This kid, it looks like Yu's the only one who can keep you in line..." Dean Zhou said, shaking his head with a mix of amusement and resignation.

Shortly after, Feng Yixiu, dragging his suitcase behind him, arrived at the entrance of the orphanage.

A small sedan was already parked there, presumably arranged by Dean Zhou.

After helping them load their luggage into the trunk, Dean Zhou gazed at Feng Yixiu and Shen Ruyu for a long moment before speaking, "Kids, Jiangshui City is a far cry from our little town. Here, this old man has been able to look after you, but from now on, you'll have to fend for yourselves."

"Grandpa..."

Overcome with emotion, Feng Yixiu and Shen Ruyu simultaneously embraced Dean Zhou, tears streaming down their faces.

"Kids, I made breakfast for you this morning. Make sure you eat it on the road," Dean Zhou said, wiping away their tears before handing them the food.

Taking the breakfast from Dean Zhou, they climbed into the car, both wearing expressions of reluctance as they looked back at him.

The car slowly pulled away, and Dean Zhou remained at the orphanage entrance, watching until the sedan was out of sight before he finally turned to leave.

In that moment, Feng Yixiu realized that the true value of some things, like family, is often only understood once they're gone.

Twenty minutes later, the car carrying the two students arrived at the gates of Yu Cai Middle School.

To their surprise, despite their early arrival, the school entrance was bustling with activity. They had underestimated the fervor of parents and the community for War Spiritualists.

The school gates were thronged with people—more adults than students, including parents seeing their children off and the school's staff and leadership.

Feng Yixiu and Shen Ruyu, each pulling their own suitcase, looked somewhat forlorn amidst the crowd.

After roll call, the students were shepherded by their teachers onto the buses bound for Jiangshui City.

The class nine teacher trailed behind Feng Yixiu, Shen Ruyu, and Lee Kaiyuan, who seemed to carry an air of distinction with them.

After all, their class was the only one in the entire school to boast three students with War Spiritual Bloodlines—a remarkable feat.

The class nine teacher, having escorted the trio to the bus, intended to remind them to support and unite with one another. But recalling the past conflict between Feng Yixiu and Lee Kaiyuan, he swallowed his words, letting them go unspoken.

After racking his brain for quite a while, he finally eked out a single sentence: "Try to fight less..."

Immediately, all eyes on the bus turned to him, each face etched with confusion.

Typically, a class teacher would offer parting words of encouragement to their students. What was he getting at by advising them to fight less...