Bai Qiushui (Xiao Wenqiang) scrolled through her list of a handful of friends and found the two brothers from the Zheng family's Eagle clan, who had been added earliest. She then sent the first message to Zheng Yingyi.
[Brother Zheng, may I ask if there is a demon named Yan Qinghuai in your Flying Beasts Hall? Do you know him?]
Zheng Yingyi quickly replied: [You're asking at the perfect time. If it were before today, I would have said I didn't know him. But after today, I think no one among the students with white tokens in our Flying Beasts Hall will not know him.]
[Oh? Why has he suddenly become famous?] Bai Qiushui (Xiao Wenqiang) asked, somewhat puzzled.
[You don't know? I thought you were asking me because his matters had already reached your Beast Hall!]
[I haven't heard any rumors about him on my end? Did something happen to him?]
[Isn't today the day when both our halls have their assessments! And this Yan Qinghuai, it's said that with the strength of one demon, he defeated all the demons participating in the assessment and took first place. I also heard that he was particularly ruthless. One demon used a sneaky trick, and he crippled both his hands on the spot.]
[Said? Heard? Brother Zheng, you didn't witness it yourself, did you?] Bai Qiushui (Xiao Wenqiang) seized on the key part of his words.
[Ah, I wasn't registered for this year's assessment. These are things that the demons who participated in the competition saw and told us about when they returned.] Zheng Yingyi was quite self-aware; having only been cultivating in the academy for a little over half a year, going for the assessment now would be like asking for trouble.
[Alright! Then may I ask if Brother Zheng can give me his communication jade token number? I'd like to add him as a friend.]
[Sorry, I can't help you with that. None of us have his communication jade token. I heard he's very aloof, only focusing on cultivation and rarely interacting with others.]
The more Bai Qiushui (Xiao Wenqiang) listened, the more she felt that the Yan Qinghuai described by Zheng Yingyi was not the same as the Yan Qinghuai she knew! Strong? Cruel? Aloof? Which of these words could be associated with that handsome, refined young man?
[Brother Zheng, could you trouble yourself to tell him the next time you see him that I'll be waiting for him at the entrance of the Cultivation Manual Building at the Hour of the Ox three days from now? I have something to discuss with him.] Bai Qiushui (Xiao Wenqiang) still decided it would be best to talk in person.
[I can't guarantee I'll run into him. I'll mention it to my brother later. If I arrange a meeting with him, I'll reply to you!] Zheng Yingyi was quite enthusiastic.
[Okay, thank you, Brother Zheng. I'll await your good news!]
[You're welcome, goodbye!]
After ending the communication, Bai Qiushui (Xiao Wenqiang) held her communication jade token with satisfaction. Although this jade token couldn't make calls or video chats like a modern phone, the ability to communicate via text was already a wonderful function.
She checked the time and then returned to the "training room" to meditate. Since she had begun cultivating spiritual energy, whether she slept or not was inconsequential.
On the other end of the communication jade token, Zheng Yingyi had also told his brother about Bai Qiushui (Xiao Wenqiang)'s request. However, both brothers felt that Yan Qinghuai was unlikely to pay them any attention.
Unexpectedly, the demon they rarely encountered, Yan Qinghuai, was met by them at the public mess hall during the Hour of the Rabbit the next day. He was sitting alone in a corner, and no other demons dared to sit in the surrounding seats, making him particularly conspicuous.
Zheng Yingyi and Zheng Ying'er braced themselves for a long time, and finally, they squeezed past each other and approached Yan Qinghuai.
"Um, you're Yan Qinghuai, right?" Zheng Yingyi asked timidly.
Yan Qinghuai continued to eat the food in his bowl, without sparing them even a glance.
The air instantly froze. Zheng Yingyi swallowed and, under his brother's admiring gaze, spoke again: "Um, there's a white rabbit demon from the Beast Hall named Bai Qiushui. She's asked to meet you at the entrance of the Cultivation Manual Building in three days!"
This time, Yan Qinghuai finally looked up. "Bai Qiushui? How do you know about this?"
Zheng Yingyi felt a bit scared by his gaze, but he still took out his communication jade token and showed him the chat log with Bai Qiushui: "She added me as a friend earlier at the Cultivation Manual Building. She just asked me yesterday."
Yan Qinghuai read through the chat log at a glance and then slowly said, "The three days mentioned yesterday means today is one day gone, so it should be two days from now!"
Zheng Yingyi was a little stunned. He hadn't considered that; he had simply repeated what the other person said. "Yes... it should be!"
"Alright, thank you!" Yan Qinghuai said, then quickly finished the last of his food and stood up with his tray. "You two sit down. I'm going to cultivate!"
Watching his departing back, Zheng Ying'er asked, "Brother, so they really know each other? Do you think Yan Qinghuai will go then?"
"Probably. Didn't he thank us just now?" Zheng Yingyi wasn't sure either.
"But he didn't say he would go! You said that Bai Qiushui seems like a kind little rabbit, how can she have a friend with such a personality?"
"How do you know they are definitely friends? What if they are enemies?"
"Huh? Then might Daoist Bai Qiushui be in danger? This Yan Qinghuai looks so fierce!"
"I don't know? How about we go together to watch then?"
"Okay, Brother, you tell her first!"
"Right, right, right!" Zheng Yingyi quickly took out his communication jade token and sent a message to the little rabbit.
The appointed time soon arrived.
A quarter of an hour before the Hour of the Ox, the Zheng brothers had already reached the vicinity of the Cultivation Manual Building. To their surprise, they saw Yan Qinghuai, who had arrived even earlier than them, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, waiting.
Time ticked by. The Hour of the Ox had arrived, but that white rabbit demon still hadn't shown up. Zheng Yingyi and Zheng Ying'er huddled together, peeking secretly, their hearts trembling.
"Big brother, isn't Bai Qiushui tricking you? Why isn't she here yet?" Zheng Ying'er whispered.
"She probably wouldn't, right? They should know each other, otherwise Yan Qinghuai wouldn't have come immediately when he heard Bai Qiushui was looking for him. Let's wait a bit longer!" Zheng Yingyi finished speaking and sent another message to Bai Qiushui: Yan Qinghuai is already here, when are you coming?
As for Bai Qiushui (Xiao Wenqiang), she was rushing over with great urgency. After arranging with Zheng Yingyi, she had been cultivating and almost missed the appointment with Yan Qinghuai. Fortunately, she woke up before the Hour of the Ox had passed, so she rushed out the door and began to sprint.
Yan Qinghuai leaned against the wall with his eyes closed, his face expressionless, devoid of joy or sorrow. At that moment, he heard someone in the distance calling his name as they ran, "Qinghuai!"
He opened his eyes, the corners of his lips unconsciously curling up slightly. He turned his head and saw a familiar figure flying towards him...