Feng Feishuang’s ear twitched. What did she mean by this hard-won life? But she plainly did not intend to elaborate, and he knew better than to pry. Some things could remain unspoken.
“Your Feng clan is reclusive. As its leader, can you really stay away so long? Don’t they need you?” Crossing her legs, she smiled with a touch of glee at his predicament.
Being alone was better. No ties, no burdensome affairs. Smiling with narrowed eyes, she thought how wonderful it was to leave whenever she wanted without worrying about money.
Watching their carriage recede in the water mirror, Jiang Chan silently dispersed it. In this Mission Hall, she seemed almost omnipotent, capable of many minor spells from cultivation worlds.
As her abilities grew and her experience broadened, these missions felt quite manageable. The beginnings were difficult, but afterward things became easier.
The hardest part was finding Qingyuan’s treasures. Without that requirement, she would have returned years earlier. Still, she preferred searching for things to taking other people’s souls.
Looking at the densely scattered lights, she raised an eyebrow. Were there more now? Qingyuan’s voice sounded. “People have obsessions. Do you think everyone is like you?”
“You did very well,” she continued when Jiang Chan said nothing. A sweet reward after a rebuke.
“The ring contained plenty of spiritual energy, so I’ve progressed greatly. Together with the Soul-Nourishing Wood, it should let me recover within a decade or so. Of course, I still need you to complete missions.”
“That’s fine. As long as recovery is possible. I’d like to see what you look like afterward.” Jiang Chan was agreeable about this. Having accepted someone’s trust, she should fulfill her promise properly.
“Let’s rest a week before the next mission. I want to organize my medical knowledge.” After cultivation and martial-arts worlds, she wanted a break. Both had greatly broadened her horizons.
Xianyue’s medicine was also an independent system worth studying thoroughly. That required extra time. Qingyuan’s missions would wait briefly, though not for long.
“Alright. You know your own mind. Take missions whenever you wish. I’ll concentrate on healing.”
Qingyuan withdrew. Stretching, Jiang Chan sat up in bed. Wen Jing had just reached a pause in her phone game. “Xiao Chan, shall we eat supper, then go to self-study together?”
“Agreed!” Yang Liuqing raised a hand, and Yu Jie softly concurred. Climbing down the ladder, Jiang Chan said, “Yes. I have competition class tonight too.”
Wen Jing rolled her eyes and hooked an arm around her shoulders. “Planning to take mathematics and chemistry golds too? You’d make City High history!”
Yang Liuqing was already her greatest admirer. “With Xiao Chan’s study-god reputation, anything less than gold would hardly do. Everyone in our year is watching to see whether she breaks another record.”
Jiang Chan smiled. “Do our best and leave the rest to fate. Preparation and effort are still necessary.”
After supper, she headed to competition class with two books. Her desk neighbors, Song Yi and Chen Wei, accompanied her. Song Yi had entered mathematics, Chen Wei chemistry.
They parted outside the classrooms. She and Song Yi entered mathematics, while Chen Wei hurried upstairs to the third floor.
Adjusting his glasses, Song Yi said, “Probably another exam tonight. Tests every day. My brain’s nearly cooked.”
She raised an eyebrow. “So be it. Treat it as an ordinary quiz.”
He gave her a dead-eyed look. Naturally, the top student feared no exams. Had she considered ordinary people’s feelings? Though she had skipped a grade, every high school teacher knew her name.
Everyone regarded her as a potential provincial top scorer if she maintained this momentum. Despite coming from first year, she carried the second-year competition teachers’ highest hopes.
After less than a term in competition classes, against everyone’s expectations, she had defeated second- and third-years to bring home physics and biology golds.
Only a few months remained until mathematics and chemistry competitions. Everyone hoped for another triumph. She had managed it once. Surely doing it again would not be difficult?
Second-year life suited her wonderfully. Classmates were friendly, teachers attentive, finding every kind of problem for her. Chemistry had originally been her weakness. After so much practice, she believed all subjects were now balanced.
Whether ordinary quizzes or competition assessments, her name remained atop the rankings, like a flag on Everest: visible, forever unreachable.
That encouraged others to strive. If cleverer people worked hard, what excuse did anyone have not to? They should leave no regrets during the years meant for effort.
City High valued a broad education. Despite the pressures of the last two years, weekly physical education and computing lessons allowed relaxation. Work and rest belonged together. Rest prepared one for a longer journey.
Monday’s last lesson was physical education. With so many students, classes inevitably overlapped. This time, they shared the grounds with third-year Class Two.
After two warm-up laps, the teacher let everyone disperse freely. Jiang Chan sat at the edge, absently watching basketball.
Though apparently watching, her thoughts had wandered into the Mission Hall deep in her soul. An open book lay there, covered densely with notes.
These were her medical cases, recording conditions encountered across several mission worlds. She wrote them in detail for later investigation and verification.
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