After that day, they returned to the Wangshou academy to report what they had done.
"I'm surprised, you were able to handle this matter so solemly. " Dean Liu surprisingly blurted.
"We are surprised too." LuPeng said, speaking for the members.
"What about the first badge, where are they?" She spoke as though she wasn't expecting to see them.
"I suggest you send the elders to find them. The demon took a lot of strength, I would be..."
"I'm not wicked enough to send already stressed kids to look for them. Some elders will be sent to help find them." She stated , sending them off, with the wave of her hand.
They all bowed in respect and left without saying a single word.
___
"That dean sure is malicious." XiMei gave the look of an annoyed buffalo whose precious meat had been taken by the bullies.
They were walking through the learning hall, and their quarters were likely a bit far from the learning hall.
"She's always aloof and alert. You don't expect her to throw you a banquet for you to merry, when there are always matters arising. Let's bear with it. Besides, the demon would be an easy thing to deal with, if they were the ones to fight them..." LuPeng lectured.
XiMei was already getting pissed with the constant lecture.
"Alright, you don't have to tell us that you read books and all that. We've heard. I'm just disappointed that's all. I'm sure elder sister is also thinking the same way."
It didn't matter to Wenli, what they were talking about, but the matter of the constant calling of ELDER SISTER, was already enough to stop her from thinking.
She had to ask, "just why do you like calling me an elder sister, I'm sure, you're way more older than I am?"
XiMei blinked at her. "You're too beautiful and, if you cultivate enough, you could be the red phoenix. I'm just glad that's all... Or, aren't you glad?*
The question came out of nowhere, and Wenli suddenly found herself in a difficult situation.
"A-ah,... I'm glad, really glad." She mutters.
"Humph! I don't trust you." She stumbled ahead of them, before facing them, saying. "I'll see you guys around. Hope to have more enjoyable adventures with teacher LuPeng and elder sister." She waved at them, and then went to the right, a different route heading south.
At this juncture, after talking for a bit, LuPeng bid his farewell, before heading to his quarters.
It has been three weeks since they left, though, she couldn't believe it, but it really was three weeks.
She hasn't gotten to the door, to slide the door open, Hualia opened it herself.
"Li-jie? Li-jie! You're back? Aree you really back?" She asked with streams of hot tears, trying to drop down.
"I just came back, is this how you're going to greet and treat me today?" She asked feigning weakness.
"Ah, forget my foolishness. I was just so glad you came back that's all." She paved way for her.
She entered and a sudden sight caught her eyes, and she smiled from ear to ear.
It was Rong Wenru. Her brother. He seem not to notice another presence invading the room. Dusting the bed, and putting the laundry inside a basin, he was about to use the door, when he noticed two pair of eyes.
Recognizing the "used to" face, he bowed but looking at the new face, he seem to pause like he was thinking about something. Probably trying to remember the familiar, yet,not so familiar face.
"What is Wenru doing here? Don't you know that Dean Liu would skin me alive and think in the most negative way, why I'm with a man... A kid at that In my quarters?" She asked.
She was just asking to remind the forgetful boy who she was, not actually trying to show her superiority, or her seniority to anyone.
"Ahhh!!! Wen li-jie? I'm sorry for not recognizing you..." He started, after he had suddenly remembered. "... It wasn't my intention to. Hualia-jie, has told me a lot about you. I've always wanted to thank you for what you did the other day,... But...but when I woke up, they told me you and some few students, went on a mission." He lowered his head. His last sentences really pitiful to look at or listen to.
"Don't be angry Li-jie, but since he woke up, he has been sticking around here for a long time. Even when he left for a few minutes, he comes back every time with cuts and bruises. I was scared you would punish..."
Wenli was really tired. She felt like she was in some xianxia movies... No, she is in a xianxia world, but a very dramatic one.
"I never complained, did I?" She asked and the two shook their heads endlessly, that she was afraid they would lose it in the process.
"Where's Master Wu?" She suddenly asked.
"Well, after you left, she suddenly disappeared. I'm not allowed at the gatherings but Wenru hasn't seen a shadow of her. I think she's on her own mission, she would come back." Hualia explained.
About the fact that Wenru could remember Wenli's master was through the description from Hualia. He wasn't a cultivator, but a mere servant. But at least, has the honor of attending gatherings that Hualia couldn't dream of.
"Aiya, looks like she wants me to look for her myself? After eating and resting, I'll definitely take it as my task to find her." She announced before slumping on the bed with the bed squeaking in return.
She looked at the both of them, "is this how you treat your owner, not serving them, not even tea?" She asked.
She almost spat out cold blood out of laughter, as she saw the two chaotic people, bumping onto each other, trying to leave first.
One, carrying two buckets to fill the bathtub, while the other, holding her garment, trying to make way to the kitchen.
___
The trees were high yet no leaves to tell it's beautiful fruit tree, and the place with weeds and thorns, yet bearing no good will.
This was indeed, worthy of its name. The desert of dead-alive. The dead-alive desert, has this speciality of being both lively and dead. From afar, you could tell its leaves batting at each other, and the garden like fields that spread across the vastland, but when you get closer, you would realize that you've been tricked. It's a complete desert. More scourging, than the popular Sahara desert known to all.
It's aim is simple.
Since people can't resist beauty, the alive part of the desert, will show its beauty, but when one enters, it's shows it's true form.
It was said that it was truly a beautiful place for lovers to come and enjoy the fun, love and feel wonderful. It was like a perfect definition of, best dating sight for lovers. But it had one rule,
Don't touch the flowers.
Don't pluck them. Touching was with permission. But even with this absurd rule, many respected the rules.
But one of the richest cultivators with a very powerful spirit power, came and calmed it.
Like a gardener tending to their garden, the young demon who really has put so much effort in the creation of this masterpiece. Had a negotiation but the proud guy refused.
Truly fitting the saying of "pride comes before a fall."
The garden as it was used to be called,The lovers garden. Was seized by the young cultivator. Out of desperation, the young demon ran to the immortal dragon for help.
Being a strong immortal, he has helped him, but cursed the young demon to be a land demon. And with that, it got its name, the dead-alive desert.
Anyone that found themselves there, can't leave, but will be the lunch for those carnivorous demons, who love to feast on humans.
And that, unfortunately was where the Wangshou academy's students, found themselves. Still ignorant of the myths and the legend the land they were stepping on carries, they walked to their doom, unperturbed.