Chapter 64: The Enchanted Forest and an Awkward Realization

“Yueyue, where exactly are we headed?” Mu Wanqing inquired, her voice cutting through the whistling air as she gripped her broomstick.

A layer of fine sweat had already emerged on her forehead. The extended period of high-speed flight was swiftly depleting her magical reserves.

Su Liyue and Ye Xingchen, sharing an unspoken understanding, simultaneously decelerated, the tips of their broomsticks etching two intertwined trails of magic across the sky.

“We’ve arrived,” Su Liyue announced, her voice resonating with an ill-concealed anticipation.

Mu Wanqing brought her broomstick to a halt, the breathtaking vista before her prompting an involuntary gasp.

A boundless magical forest unfurled itself beneath the afternoon sun, its ancient, sky-piercing trees adorned with luminous vines. These vines swayed softly in the gentle breeze, scattering myriad specks of phosphorescent light.

The layered canopies intertwined, forming an emerald-like dome overhead.

Sunlight, piercing through the intricate gaps in the branches and leaves, cast shimmering golden pillars diagonally onto the forest clearings, which were perpetually wreathed in a magical mist.

What was even more enchanting was how, wherever these patches of light touched, crystalline blue magical moss would suddenly ignite, flickering several times like distant stars before slowly fading back into obscurity.

Multicolored magical butterflies fluttered and danced within the golden light pillars. As the iridescent dust from their wings scattered, it left behind ephemeral streaks of rainbow light in the air.

Along the forest’s edge, flowers unfurled their petals, all reaching towards the sun. Each petal was exquisitely translucent, appearing to hold liquid sunlight flowing within its delicate structure.

With every gentle breeze that swept through, the entire sea of flowers resonated with a crisp, melodious sound, akin to countless wind chimes.

“This is…” Mu Wanqing’s voice wavered, tinged with awe. She could distinctly feel the elemental spirits in the air, so concentrated they were almost viscous, each breath she took causing a subtle tremor through her magical circuits.

“Our campsite for this expedition lies right here,” Su Liyue murmured in response, her gaze utterly unable to tear away from the extraordinary spectacle unfolding before them.

An indescribable sense of wonder surged within her. This was the magical wilderness of an alternate world, far surpassing the majesty of any landscape she had witnessed on Earth in her previous life.

It even brought to mind the ethereal, fantastical beauty of nature so often depicted in Hayao Miyazaki’s animated films.

She suddenly understood why the Qimen Dunjia (TL Note: A traditional Chinese divination method that interprets cosmic patterns to predict outcomes) had revealed such an omen earlier: the specific configuration of Xun Gong, Zhi Fu, Tian Chong Xing, Du Men, Yi Mu, and Ding Huo.

The scene before her now perfectly corroborated the omen.

The sprawling ancient trees, reaching towards the heavens, embodied the essence of Xun Gong (TL Note: One of the eight trigrams, representing wind and wood, often associated with favorable growth).

This auspicious geomantic land was clearly under the protection of Zhi Fu (TL Note: The chief deity in a Qimen Dunjia chart, signifying good fortune).

The towering, cloud-piercing canopies perfectly aligned with Tian Chong Xing (TL Note: The Heaven’s Pillar Star, associated with high places and momentum), while the concealed nature indicated by Du Men (TL Note: The Obstructing Gate, meaning a hidden or secluded spot) was unmistakably this dense, sun-obscuring forest.

Yi Mu (TL Note: Yin Wood, symbolizing flexible, growing plants and vitality), positioned in a place of ‘bathing and crowning,’ nurtured the very ground, allowing exotic flowers and rare herbs to flourish with vibrant life.

Meanwhile, Ding Huo (TL Note: Yin Fire, representing flickering light and hidden brilliance) manifested as the dappled, dancing sunlight that intermittently pierced through the canopy, appearing and vanishing in the forest depths.

What quickened her pulse even further was the simultaneous manifestation of Zhi Fu and Tian Chong Xing, combined with Yi Mu’s inherent connection to spiritual medicines.

Such an exceptionally auspicious alignment, a truly “upper-upper” good omen, unequivocally indicated that the deep recesses of this forest must surely be nurturing rare and invaluable medicinal herbs.

She could distinctly feel the magic suffusing the air, pulsating with a peculiar frequency, as though subtly guiding her towards an unseen destination…

***

The academy’s back mountain was indeed a remarkable place. As the intermittent sunlight bathed the treetops, Su Liyue leaned against an ancient tree, falling into a thoughtful reverie.

Here, the stark, cold angles of a concrete jungle were absent; instead, only the interwoven pulsations of elements and living beings thrummed through the air.

The whisper of wind across the grass tips, the fresh, earthy scent rising from the soil—every minute detail spoke of the most primeval covenant between humanity and nature.

She was suddenly reminded of the venerable sage Confucius, who, in her past life on Earth, had traversed the warring states.

Didn’t his lifelong aspiration for a “Great Harmony World” (TL Note: A Confucian ideal of a utopian society characterized by peace, equality, and shared welfare) resonate profoundly with this current tableau of ‘heaven and humanity in unity’?

Though such an ideal might be as ephemeral as morning dew, the mountain sparrows now perched on the branches and the gentle breeze weaving through her fingers proved that the profound philosophies of the ancient sages remained timeless.

Not far off, Ye Xingchen’s spiritual energy was actively resonating with the very earth beneath his feet.

He swiftly located an absolutely prime spot for their encampment.

Three century-old hemlock trees stood majestically in a tripod formation. Between their intertwined canopies, filtered starlight mingled with the telluric magic of the earth, congealing into a visible, pale green mist.

In the art of geomancy, this particular formation was known as “Tian Chong De Wei” (TL Note: A geomantic term indicating an advantageous, elevated position).

If Su Liyue were to use her earth magic to conjure rock crystal barriers between the sturdy tree branches, they would not only gain the advantage of height to evade ground-dwelling beast groups but also benefit from a natural wood-spirit barrier capable of confounding other teams’ detection spells.

After all, the divination had clearly indicated that a thriving Tian Chong Xing (TL Note: Heaven’s Pillar Star, associated with high places) denoted an elevated position, and Zhi Fu (TL Note: Chief Deity, signifying protection and good fortune) implied a high-quality, premium sanctuary.

“Qingqing, we really must hurry and finalize our shelter,” Mu Wanqing urged, rubbing her rumbling stomach. The dappled sunlight made her earlobes glow crimson.

“It’s only the first day of practical training; we can’t possibly spend the night exposed and starving, can we?”

No sooner had the words left her lips than two successive, unmistakable rumbling sounds emanated from the girls’ stomachs.

Su Liyue, clutching her stomach, was about to speak when she suddenly realized the implication and exchanged a quick, knowing glance with Mu Wanqing.

Both girls instantly flushed a deep crimson, from their earlobes all the way down to their necks.

Ye Xingchen, barely suppressing a chuckle, stepped forward, his left hand sweeping to his chest as he executed a flawless gentleman’s bow:

“Perhaps the two ladies require an express delivery service?” he proposed, his arms spreading wide. The intricate silver thread embroidery on his magical robe shimmered faintly in the encroaching twilight.

“I’m absolutely starving!” Su Liyue cried out, launching herself into Ye Xingchen’s embrace, her head playfully nuzzling against his chest with an endearing whine.

‘It’s my own body, after all,’ she mused. ‘What’s there to be embarrassed about? Using a Saint-level cultivation body as an elevator is infinitely less tiring than riding a broomstick.’

“W-wait!”

Mu Wanqing stammered, clutching the hem of her skirt, caught in an awkward dilemma.

Her best friend’s boyfriend felt like a burning ember in her hands, yet the unreserved naturalness between the pair made her own hesitation seem like an unnecessary fuss.

“Hold tight,” Ye Xingchen instructed, his arm suddenly encircling her waist. Before Mu Wanqing could even process his words, a dizzying sensation of weightlessness swept through her entire being.

The instant the wind roared past her ears, she instinctively tightened her grip on Ye Xingchen’s clothes.

By the time her vision finally refocused, all three of them were standing steadily on a tree-fork platform, easily ten zhang (TL Note: A traditional Chinese unit of length, approximately 3.33 meters or 11 feet) above the forest floor.

“S-sorry!” Mu Wanqing blurted out, releasing her grip as if jolted by an electric current. To her surprise, the “couple” had already, with unspoken understanding, begun to set up their protective barrier.

Ye Xingchen even thoughtfully wiped a bead of sweat from Su Liyue’s forehead.

‘Was she truly being overly sensitive?’ she pondered, a hint of self-doubt creeping in.

Unbeknownst to her, Su Liyue, whose back was turned, was secretly pinching the lower back of her male body, Ye Xingchen.

‘That embrace with my best friend just now was far too natural and practiced,’ she thought. ‘To have been so consumed by hunger that I didn’t give more thought to my best friend’s feelings—that was truly a failure.’

No sooner had the barrier been fully established than Su Liyue collapsed entirely onto the tree-fork platform.

She lazily tugged at the corner of Ye Xingchen’s robe. He, as if instantly discerning her unspoken request, skillfully drew her into his embrace, his hand beginning to gently massage her shoulders.

“A little more pressure on the left, please~” Su Liyue purred, her eyes half-closed, nuzzling him like a thoroughly sated cat.

‘It’s all me, anyway,’ she reasoned. ‘There’s absolutely no psychological burden in making him do things.

Ye Xingchen, with his Saint-level cultivation, won’t tire in the slightest, and every ounce of energy saved by this female body can be directly converted into fuel for the feast awaiting us later.’

‘Perhaps he can even feed me when we eat later…’ she idly mused.

Just as she was calculating how to maximize her idleness, a sudden, scorching gaze made itself known.

Upon turning her head, she saw Mu Wanqing huddled in a corner, knees drawn to her chest. A small twig in her hand was unconsciously carving distinct marks into the tree bark.

“Qingqing?” Su Liyue inquired, tilting her head in confusion.

“It’s nothing!” Mu Wanqing blurted out, abruptly discarding the twig and turning her face away, feigning a composure she clearly didn’t possess. “I just suddenly feel… a little full.”

A faint, almost imperceptible scent of lemon seemed to waft through the air.

Su Liyue blinked, then, with a belated jolt of realization, understood that in her best friend’s eyes, she and her “boyfriend” were openly, shamelessly doting on each other, completely oblivious to their surroundings.

Ye Xingchen’s hand suddenly froze mid-massage. The shared consciousness of their two bodies had, in a peculiar twist, reached a unanimous consensus at this precise moment.

‘It seems… we might have overdone it?’