After settling into their lodgings for the night, the students gathered once more.
"Viscount Xuefeng had this place specially built," Kemiya said, clearly in good spirits. "He occasionally brings his family here on outings."
"It's fairly plain, but it's relatively clean—much better than houses packed with straw and the stench of livestock."
"The three of us share one room, and right across from us are Iona, Walaini, and the others." There were only five female students in this term's class; the other dozen or so were all boys.
Back at the village square, Scholar Haide was still speaking with the village chief. Seeing Suolin and Baron leading the students over, he waved to them.
"For today, stroll around the village and get used to the surroundings, but do not venture deep into the forest, lest you get lost.
"When darkness falls tonight, assemble back here. We'll have dinner and activities together."
"Woohoo!"
Hearing that they had free time to wander and play, the students brightened up.
After all, they were still young. They had spent all their recent time studying and training, so such an opportunity to relax and enjoy the outdoors was rare.
Soon, the boys scattered in groups of two or three, wandering and running through the village. Some were getting ready to go swimming in the river, some wanted to check out the woods, and others wanted to go for a horseback ride.
"Lady Iona, where are we going now?" Walaini asked, following closely beside the blonde young noble lady.
At this, Iona showed a hint of impatience and waved her hand dismissively, signaling for her not to keep trailing behind.
"I'm going to take a walk by myself. You don't need to follow."
"Uh, all right, Lady Iona." Walaini looked slightly downcast, yet she still watched eagerly as Iona walked away.
Strolling along the country lane, Iona felt rather bored. Looking at the unremarkable village around her, she felt none of the excitement and anticipation the other students displayed.
Who knew how many such hamlets lined the road from the capital, White Cliff City, to distant Burnt Stone City in the south? To put it nicely, the villagers lived simple, peaceful lives; to put it bluntly, they spent their whole lives in mediocre toil, wasting most of their years on barren soil.
Toward such a life and such an existence, she felt an inexplicable disgust and dread.
Many of the noble students envied her, but only she knew that her current situation was far from good.
His Majesty had not only stripped her father of his title, but had also confiscated his territory, wealth, estates, and manors. A year ago, many servants and knights had still followed them, but now nearly all of them were gone.
Having lost vital revenue from the fief, she could no longer maintain a large retinue of followers and could only lodge with her distant uncle, Viscount Xuefeng.
Though Viscount Xuefeng treated her well, she did not believe such kindness would last forever.
If she failed to unlock her potential in these few years and step onto the true path of a transcendent as soon as possible, her ultimate fate would likely be an arranged marriage orchestrated by Viscount Xuefeng—wedded to a local petty noble, spending a mediocre life in Burnt Stone City.
Yet who was she? Once the proud darling of White Cliff City, the highborn lady bathed in everyone's gaze.
Back then, the young noblemen and ladies following behind her could have filled an entire grand hall, and countless people had admired and courted her.
To make her willingly remain here for the rest of her days was something she could never accept. The mere thought of a dim, lusterless life felt like being ensnared by something viscous and repulsive.
Her sullen mood was like the overcast sky, heavy with clouds that refused to part.
Lost in her own world, Iona strolled along the river until a burst of crisp laughter broke through her thoughts.
Looking up, she saw the three commoner girls who had come along.
That short-haired, laughing girl was named Kemiya, wasn't she? She recalled Kemiya using that special ocular technique during yesterday's contest.
The Mist Shadow attribute? Quite rare in a place like this.
What countered Mist Shadow best was naturally Radiant Moon, followed by the Blazing Sun she herself practiced. Thus, she was only slightly surprised by Kemiya, not particularly amazed.
Geniuses in the capital, White Cliff City, were beyond count, with young talents practicing all manner of attributes. She had even seen a fifteen-year-old youth perform magic tricks for His Majesty—a prodigy who commanded the Mist Shadow attribute.
Across the way, beside a small bridge, Xilutaiya was trying to fish alongside Kemiya and Kailun.
"Tiya, look, I caught one!" Kemiya stood up and excitedly showed the wriggling earthworm in her hand to the girl.
"Yes, that's the one," Xilutaiya said with a nod.
"Cut it into small segments and thread one onto the fishhook, then we can fish." Truth be told, this was experience she had gained in her childhood during her past life.
"Okay!" Kemiya hopped carefully across the riverbank stones until she reached Xilutaiya's side.
On the other side, after rummaging around, Kailun also found several earthworms, grabbed them, and walked over.
"That's enough, Kailun. No need to look for more," Xilutaiya reminded her.
The three then found a suitable spot, sat on the stones, and patiently watched the fishing line cast into the water.
"I wonder what fish we'll get? Tonight I'm going to have a grilled fish feast!" Kemiya cheerfully declared today's goal.
...
From a distance beneath a tree, Iona took in the three girls' interactions. She stood quietly, watching them laugh and chat by the river as they fished for creatures that might not even be there. Even without catching anything for quite a while, they remained utterly delighted.
Did she envy them? No, she did not envy such simple happiness.
These commoner children were like roadside weeds, pleased by a mere sprinkle of dew.
Those who had truly experienced grand splendor and seen the wider world would never be numbed by such meager joy.
How long could happiness like theirs last? She rested her hand on the tree trunk beside her. The hard, rough bark scraped her palm, leaving a few specks of debris.
A commoner girl's best possible end was probably marrying some clerk in the city and living out a stable, boring life.
Iona shifted her gaze toward the overcast sky that still had not cleared.
Would that be her fate as well?
No. She clenched her fingers tightly, her nails digging into her palms...
After a long time, Iona relaxed her hand, glanced once more at the three girls by the river, and turned to leave. She walked alone along the village lane in the direction of the village square.
...
Toward evening, Xilutaiya stood up from the rock where she had been sitting and looked up at the darkening sky.
"Time to head back," she reminded the other two.
"Aw, already?" Clutching her fishing rod, Kemiya looked reluctant.
"Yes. If we don't head back now, it'll be pitch-black."
"All right, let's go." With that, Kemiya pressed one hand against Kailun's shoulder and pushed herself to her feet.
Kailun then packed up her fishing rod and stretched her legs. "Phew, the afternoon flew by."
The girls packed their things and walked up the riverbank slope.
"We caught five fish in total today!" Kemiya counted the five silver-scaled fish lying on the grassy river slope.
"Tiya, do you know what kind they are?"
"I don't know either." She knew little about the fish species of this world. These five fish were slightly longer than her hand, hardly big.
"Well, I guess we'll just have to ask Teacher Haide when we get back."
Kailun found a small tree branch, strung the five fish together, and carried them back alongside Kemiya.
"Actually, I can help carry them too," Xilutaiya offered, reaching out to lend a hand. Unfortunately, the branch only had two ends, making it unfit for three people to carry together.
"It's fine, it's not heavy," Kemiya waved her off.
Even so, halfway there, she switched off, and Xilutaiya smilingly took over the turn.
The three walked at an unhurried pace toward the village square. As darkness slowly fell, they heard the rhythmic thumping of drums drifting from the square.
At first, the beats were sporadic and disjointed, but soon they took on a steady rhythm and tempo.
As they drew closer, the fiery red glow of a bonfire emerged in the night, and ancient, resonant hummed melodies echoed outward amidst the flames and drumbeats.
Beside the massive bonfire, villagers held hands in a ring, their steps falling in time with the drums. Their faces beamed with effortless freedom, and accompanied by their shared hummed tune, the flames swayed with the drumbeats, rising and falling as if endowed with a life of their own.
Chapter 34