Bai Feng stood in the stream of water that was still leisurely flowing throughout the lecture hall her bag slung over her shoulder. She turned towards where Yi An had been sitting expecting her to still be packing up all her supplies still in wherever she kept that bag on her only to find the girl's piercing gaze on her from only a few feet away looking down upon her, obviously a good deal taller than her. She found herself instinctively taking a step back before she could stop herself. What was it with all these cultivators and suddenly appearing and disappearing in front of her without her even noticing.
Bai Feng gave a small shake of her head as she forced herself to relax. "Woah, hey there. Didn't realize that ya had been standin' there. Ya got all your things packed up quick."
Yi An simply gave her a nod, her face perfectly neutral. "It was a simple matter. We should join the other disciples on the way to the residences before we're left behind and all the suitable residences are taken and we are forced to share one of the hovel's."
A good number of the other disciples had exited at this point so they probably should get a move on if they didn't want to be left behind. Now how was she to approach asking her about... Wait, had she just said what she thought she just said?!
"Wait, what was that last thing ya said? I think I might've misheard ya." Bai Feng asked, doing her best to keep any disbelief from coming along with her words.
Yi An tilted her head a little to the side before answering. "The residences that we will be provided aren't all equal. Some are no more than simple hovels which would be unacceptable for us to reside in. Therefore we should start moving so that we can to claim ownership over a far more suitable residence."
It was all well and good that the residences were of differing qualities but that wasn't what Bai Feng had meant. "No, not that. What do ya mean us? Are you saying ya want to room with me?"
Yi An had the tugging of a smile on her face. "Ah, I see now. I wouldn't put it quite like that but when the elders announced the ruling on accommodations I couldn't help but notice the look you had given me. I trust that I did not presume wrong in that you were going to ask me that same question soon enough and I would be quite fine staying in the same residence as you. Now let us begin moving before we fall behind."
Bai Feng felt a little conflicted. Was she really that transparent? And Yi An was right, she had been going to ask that question soon enough but her just deciding that were to be roommates upon noticing her intentions felt a little off, like there was something she had left unspoken. It bothered her but she wasn't about to object just because of that though. Things had gone her way here and she wasn't about to question it.
"I... yeah, ya got me there. En' I suppose we should get movin', shouldn't we."
Yi An had a small smile now as she nodded to her and began to walk along the stream and towards the exit of the lecture hall. Bai Feng fell into step behind her as they exited the lecture hall together doing her best to quiet her discomfort.
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Bai Feng and Yi An walked together quietly amongst the middle of the gaggle of disciples currently crossing the ornate bridge that led to the other side of the river and the residences within. She could see that all the looks of disdain she'd received earlier hadn't been a fluke, though a surprising amount wasn't directed towards her but towards Yi An with narrowed eyes and wariness. Honestly, what in the hells had they done to them that so many of the other disciples were being such shits. Yi An though seemed to not have even noticed them but considering how perceptive she had been earlier Bai Feng was sure that she saw them and was just ignoring them. It was definitely the right call here especially with the rules the elder Ning had laid down earlier, but damn if it wasn't starting to make her blood boil.
Right after they had finished crossing the bridge everyone began to slow down to look at some sign filled with symbols she couldn't understand that had been stuck in the middle of the path, two diverging paths leading to the left and right from where it divided it. She hoped it wasn't going to be a recurring thing where not being able to read something was going to cause her to miss something that everyone else would be able to get.
At least it was pretty easy to figure out what this sign meant judging by how some of the girls had begun to hesitantly follow the lead of the insect girl she had seen earlier going down the left path, and the boys following the lead of the handsome lightning boy down the right one. Following down the left path behind Yi An they continued onward as the residences they'd be staying at came into view.
The first glimpses she saw of the residences were small homes made out from bricks of stone, the likes of which she and her gang would've fought tooth and nail for back in Qizuishan if one ever got abandoned, even if they'd only be kicked out by guards later down the line. And yet just about everybody here was ignoring them with only a few splitting from the group to go and claim them. Yi An included who had gotten a bit ahead of her as she had unknowingly slowed down. Moving swiftly to catch back up saw why they had just ignored the perfectly good housing behind them.
Ahead lay bigger and fancier housing like those she had only seen rich merchants and their families live in. And was that a mansion in the very back there on the small hill or were her eyes deceiving her? The idea that one of these places was where she and her new friend were going to sleep was astonishing to her. Just how wealthy was the sect? Were the spirit stones the elder had said they produced here really that valuable? She thought back to the spirit stones in her bag and resolved to make sure every single one she used or spent counted.
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In the end, Yi An had led her to a large, luxurious, and elegant looking single-floor house a good deal away from the riverside. Quite a few arguments were breaking out already around some of the even more elaborate houses further in and around them but nobody had seemed willing to fight them over this place. Not even that pair of girls who she'd seen a bit ahead of them going in the same direction, only to turn and go and find new housing upon Yi An simply aligning her piercing gaze upon them. It certainly made Bai Feng curious on who exactly her new friend was to be able to inspire something like that with only a look but like before things had gone their way here and she wasn't going to question it for now.
Inside lay even more luxury than she had ever experienced before, the surprisingly nice cell she had slept in during her final night in Qizuishan seeming sparse in comparison to this place. Filled with everything from decorative urns to beautiful carvings Bai Feng couldn't help but feel overwhelmed. This was where she was going to live now?
Her new home had everything she could've ever wished for and more. The expansive entrance room and its hearth alone was something out of her dreams. There was also a large kitchen filled with all sorts of herbs she couldn't name attached to an ornate dining room. There was also a room that had a steam of water freely flowing in a circle around a platform covered in a single large mat with various censers on it and where outside noise seemed to mysteriously disappear while within it. An enclosed back area filled with grass, with a few small ponds and trees spread throughout it as well. And a trio of bedrooms, one of which she claimed for herself and was currently inspecting in awe.
Other than the massive bed it was furnished with a large embellished chest and two splendid dressers and even more of the decorations strewn throughout the home. Both the chest and dressers were currently empty and she couldn't imagine ever seeing them fully filled. There was also a standing mirror embedded in the wall beside a window with its shutters currently drawn.
Looking into it Bai Feng could still hardly believe the stroke of fortune that had led her to this moment. Now if only she could've shared this with everyone else in her gang. She sighed before shaking her head, it was going to be a long while before she'd be able to see them again. But she wasn't going to let this opportunity go to waste just because they weren't here, hell she'd demand the same of any of her boys if they had somehow gotten the same opportunity as she had. And when she was finally able to see them again there was no way she wasn't at least going to ensure they never had to worry about running out of food or any of the other gangs again. She just hoped they'd be able to last the year until she could.
Storing her bag in the chest she grabbed one of the dull glowing spirit stones within before making her way around the home to find Yi An. Her pride hated asking for help with something that was probably obvious to her new friend but it couldn't be helped if she wanted to get into cultivating as quickly as possible. She swiftly found her in the dining room pouring what looked like freshly made tea into two cups. She turned towards Bai Feng and fixed her with her piercing gaze the moment she stepped into the room.
"Ah, there you are Bai Feng. Come, take a seat." She gestured to the seat opposite of opposite her as she took her own. "I made us some tea. Do partake."
Bai Fang stared in surprise at Yi An for a moment before shaking it off and sitting down, she wasn't about to say no to the surprising kindness of her new friend. "Thank ya Yi An."
She simply gave a nod in return as she began to drink from her tea, her expression a small smile.
Bai Feng looked down at the cup in front of her. She hadn't had tea in a very long time but it did smell pleasant. After taking a big gulp of her tea which was quite sweet she set the cup down and ignored the strange look Yi An was giving her as she showed her the spirit stone she had brought with her. "Hey, do ya know how we're supposed to use these spirit stones? I know they're supposed to be important in cultivation but I got no idea how."
Yi An hummed in thought for a moment as she took another sip of her tea. "Before I answer your inquiry might I ask just how much about cultivation and the processes involved with it do you know?"
Bai Feng could feel embarrassment flow throughout her as she gave what she knew was a very simple answer to the question. But it wasn't like she'd be able to learn without exposing her ignorance at least a little. "Well I know that it makes ya stronger 'en faster."
Yi An blinked at her before softly giggling to herself. "While that certainly is true there is far more to the benefits of cultivation than simply enhancing one physically. It is a process that refines ones being in its entirely, mind, body, and soul. It is a practice that begins to give one agency and mastery over the very world around them. There is of course far more to it than what I have stated but I do believe tomorrow the elder in charge of teaching the spiritual matters of cultivation will do a far better job at explaining it all than I could, including explaining the usage of spirit stones in cultivation."
Bai Feng stowed the spirit stone away as she thought over what Yi An had said. "Thanks fer explaining all that to me Yi An. I'll be even more sure to go to that lesson next morning then."
"It is no problem. Questions such as yours are the only way to overcome ignorance, and in your case, such ignorance is completely understandable. It is rare after all for common folk such as you to have a talent for it in the first place."
Something clicked in Bai Feng's mind at Yi An's words and the slightly condescending tone her voice had taken there and she voiced the near-certain suspicion she had. "Wait, are ya a noble?"
Yi An looked at her with amusement in her eyes as she softly giggled once more. "I had been wondering if you would ever notice or if I was going to have to spell it out for you. The majority of our peers here are of nobility as well. Most are only minor ones, but a few such as myself belong to more prestigious dynasties in the empire. You are one of only six commoners attending this year."
Wait just about everyone here was nobility? Well, that explained a good deal of the looks she had been given earlier. She wasn't about to start worshiping the ground underneath them though. Here in the sect they were pretty much equals and the elders had laid out the rules pretty clearly. "Huh. Guess I'm even luckier than I thought havin' ended up with ya."
"Quite. Now let us finish before we begin preparing for the lessons of the elders tomorrow."
They didn't talk much after that and Yi An ended up retiring to what she had now learned was the meditation room. Bai Feng ended up making a simple meal for herself afterward and had just finished cleaning the dish she had used when a sudden streak of drowsiness came over her, far earlier than when she normally went to sleep. She supposed that maybe everything that had happened in the past two days had exhausted her more than she thought but something still felt a little bit off about it.
Soon enough after making sure out of habit that all her stuff was still together and nothing was missing she laid down in the bed. It only took a few seconds before she succumbed to the seductive call of sleep.