When Bai Yunfei looked to the white-robed girl to the side of Lian Lingmin, he was stunned for just that one moment.

“Isn’t that…Tang Xinyun?!”

Yes. That woman was indeed Tang Xinyun!

Whilst he was shocked, Lian Lingmin and Tang Xinyun had already made their way towards Bai Yunfei. Tang Xinyun had clearly noticed Bai Yunfei as well, as her beautiful eyes had been wide open as she looked back at Bai Yunfei.

“Haha, junior Bai, so you were here as well? We left on such a hurried note that day, but I heard that you did well for yourself. What I heard really surprised me.” Lian Lingmin smiled as she greeted him.

“Uhhh…ah? Oh, haha, h.e.l.lo senior….” Jolting to a start, Bai Yunfei hurried to greet Lian Lingmin.

Nodding her head with a smile, Lian Lingmin turned to address Tang Xinyun, “Fifth junior, this is the junior Bai that I was just telling you about. He managed to become a disciple of the headmaster, but since you were in closed-door training, you didn’t hear ab—”

“Hm? Fifth junior, what’s wrong?” Pausing halfway through her words, Lian Lingmin realized that Tang Xinyun had a look of stupefaction on her face. Casting an eye to Bai Yunfei, who had a similar look on his face, she started to connect the dots in bepuzzled wonderment, “No way…you two know each other?!”

“Er….yes….yes we do senior…..” Bai Yunfei laughed sheepishly as he turned to face Tang Xinyun, “What a coincidence it is to meet you in this place of all places, miss Tang.”

Tang Xinyun had come to her wits by this point. Replying with a smile, she spoke, “Lord Bai, I didn’t think we’d meet again….Thank you for saving me last time.”

“It was nothing,” Bai Yunfei waved his hand, “I had Tianming send some people to look for you, but they never did, we didn’t think that you’d leave so quickly….I hope you didn’t come across any more troubles.

“Where’s aunty Zhao? I remember her wounds, is she alright?”

“That can’t be said to be just ‘nothing’….” Tang Xinyun sighed to herself. “Thank you for your concerns, lord Bai. Aunty Zhao is just fine, after she sent me to the Crafting School she went straight home.”

“Hold on hold on,” Lian Lingmin cut straight into the conversation in stupefaction, “Junior Bai, fifth junior, you two really do know each other? Isn’t that a bit too coincidental? And what was that you just said? Something about saving someone?”

“Miss Tang and I know each other. We traveled along the same way once in the Northern Cliff Province, but she later traveled ahead of me. I stayed behind for some time for several matters, but I didn’t realize our destinations were both the same….” Bai Yunfei explained.

Tang Xinyun quipped in to add to the explanation, “When I and my traveling partner came into trouble, it was lord Bai that came to save us. From there, I headed straight for the Crafting School without stop….”

“Oh, I see….” Lian Lingmin nodded her head sensibly, “Seems like fate has it for you two if it brought you two not only to the Crafting School, but as disciples. Isn’t this what they call in the old legends the ‘red string of fate’?”

“Er….” Bashfully shaking his head, Bai Yunfei spoke, “It was coincidence, just a coincidence….”

“Chiiirp!!”

A melodious warbling came echoing from the skies above, causing Bai Yunfei to turn his head up to look. Just above him was the sparrow-sized quickshade bird named Xiao Bai. Circling around for a descent, the bird let loose another happy chirp–it was evidently happy to see Bai Yunfei once again.

“Waaah, Xiao Baibai!!” Huangfu Rui let loose an excited cry as she tossed down the white boar in her hands to jump up and down. “Xiao Baibai, come down and play with me! We can play ‘flying rope’!”

“Chiiirp!”

Even while it was flying, the quickshade bird was clearly reeling away from the direction it was traveling in. Almost falling to the ground, the bird was quick to flap its wings and turn off to the opposite direction….

“Xiao Baibai, don’t run away….hehe, if I catch you you’ll have to play with me!” Huangfu Rui’s feet sparked to life with a red glow before she chased after the quickshade bird with lightning quick speed.

From above, the quickshade bird shudder and started to fly even faster….

“Hrnfff!!” Letting loose a resentful sound, the dropped pig gave chase to the girl right away….

“…..” Bai Yunfei was utterly dumbfounded.

“Ah, Dai Dai, don’t run off like that, wait for me!!” Realizing that Huangfu Rui had ran off, Lian Lingmin was in a panic to follow her. Turning her head as she ran, she shouted back at Bai Yunfei and Tang Xinyun, “Junior Bai, fifth junior, I’m sure you two have plenty to talk about, so go ahead and talk, I’ll go find junior Huangfu!”

And in a flash, Lian Lingmin disappeared into the direction Huangfu Rui had gone.

“Wow. This…” Bai Yunfei wasn’t sure what exactly to say about this situation.

Managing to smile, he turned back to Tang Xinyun, “How cute junior Huangfu is, to be so carefree and happy like that.”

“Yes, she’s a very pure child. A child anyone would want to cherish. That’s why master, second elder, and even the rest of the school dotes on her so much. No one wants to see her hurt in any way….”

She turned her head to look to Bai Yunfei, “Lord Bai, are you….are you alright from last time?”

He knew that she was talking about the moment before he had used himself as a s.h.i.+eld so that she and Zhao Mancha could escape. Nodding his head, he smiled, “Thank you for your concern, but don’t you see that I stand before you today just fine?”

“That’s good then….” A breath of relief was taken in secret. Ever since she and Zhao Mancha escaped, she had been thinking about going back and finding Bai Yunfei, but Zhao Mancha had forbidden it. Since then, she was worried about Bai Yunfei and how she had ‘broken’ the connection between her and him. If Bai Yunfei were to come out of that day an injured man, she would forever feel ashamed.

Not willing to dwell on the issue any longer and risk some sort of misunderstanding where Tang Xinyun would think he’d want compensation, Bai Yunfei changed the topic, “Miss Tang, when did you arrive at the Crafting School? From what senior Lian said, you became the disciple of the third elder? How haven’t I seen you yet then?”

“I came fifty days ago when there was only half a month to the day of examinations. I thought it would be extremely difficult to become a student, but I was fortunate enough to meet master on her way back to the school. She brought me up the mountain where I found out that I had ‘high’ talent for elemental fire as well as extremely high talent in crafting. Master decided then and there to take me in as a disciple, but everything up to then had been so surreal to me….

“You already know that I was a late-stage Soul Warrior at the time, so even now, I wasn’t able to breakthrough to become a Soul Sprite. I’ve heard that only those who become a Soul Sprite are able of making their own soulbound armament. Ever since I joined the school, master has taught me the method of crafting one, so I spent a month training in isolation.

“Just yesterday, I was finally able to become a Soul Sprite and came out from my isolation. Because of that, I’m completely behind on everything that happened in the Crafting School so far.”

“Ah, I get it now….” Bai Yunfei realized. “Then, have you made your own soulbound armament yet?”

A look of pride appeared on Tang Xinyun’s face. “Of course. It’s a shame that I wasn’t able to make it a middle-grade heaven-tier soulbound armament, but master said that there’d still be a chance for me. As long as I can increase the soul compatibility with it, I’ll be able to increase the grade of the armament. I’ll just have to train and wait until then….”

Knowing exactly what she was talking about, Bai Yunfei spoke, “Ah, yes. Don’t worry too much about it, miss Tang. There’s an extremely special place the third elder will most likely take you to. I’m sure you’ll be able to upgrade your soulbound armament there and increase your soul compatibility with it.”

Startled by his words, Tang Xinyun asked, “Ah? Lord Bai knows about it?”

“Yes,” He nodded his head, “I’ve been there already and made my own soulbound armament. I was already a late-stage Soul Sprite when I entered the Crafting School, so I missed the first chance to make one sadly, but master was….”

As the two stood next to the mountain trail, Bai Yunfei and Tang Xinyun began to chat to one another. Starting from the matters before his coming to the Crafting School, Bai Yunfei summarized the tale of what happened with the house of Ye back in Gaoyi City while Tang Xinyun would supplement some of her own narration.

They were like old friends. Pleasant and happy as could be.

And so they talked until it was high noon.

Taking notice of the color of the skies, Bai Yunfei spoke, “Miss Tang, it’s getting quite late now. This morning I was being taught by the master on the art of crafting, so I really must be getting back for some reflections….”

Tang Xinyun nodded her head as well, “Yes, I should be getting back. Another time then?”

“Haha, alright. Since we’re of the same school now; disciples no less, we should treat each other like so.”

“Is that right?” A devilish smile appeared on Tang Xinyun’s face. “I came to the school half a month earlier than you did. You should call me ‘senior’ then.”

“Uh….”

As he watched Tang Xinyun walk away, Bai Yunfei had a smile on his own face, “Miss Tang….you’ve really brightened up quite a bit!”

“Her, my senior? Haha…”