Demons and monsters wreak havoc: gain one new confidante every day.

"Third Sister, he and I will head back now. We'll come see you again tomorrow night!"

Before long, Shen You's health had almost fully recovered. He stood up and said goodbye to San Niang.

"Yes, I will wait for you..." Third Sister nodded gently, though she was a little reluctant to part.

"Xiao Tian, ​​let's go!" Shen You supported Tian Yi'er's arm and took a few steps, but her body still ached slightly, so she simply said, "You should continue carrying me; my body needs to recover a bit!"

"Okay, Brother Shen!" Tian Yi'er replied honestly, carrying Shen You on his back as they walked out of the lotus pond.

San Niang remained behind, her gaze fixed on the two figures.

Shen You turned around and waved to Third Sister: "Alright, go back now. Be careful here, don't get discovered. I'll be staying at Renxin Hall for a while longer, and I'll take you with me when I'm ready."

"Yes, Shen Lang..."

Third Sister agreed verbally, but when Shen You turned back, a trace of sadness appeared in her eyes.

She remained standing blankly in front of the pavilion, gazing in Shen You's direction, until the two figures disappeared from sight, before slowly returning to sit down on the stone bench in the pavilion.

She looked at the lotus pond full of buds in front of her, at the exquisite pavilions around her, and at the high wall surrounding Renxin Hall in the distance. A bitter smile slowly crept onto her lips.

"Shen Lang, you told me to wait for you... but you don't know that a pharmacist in this courtyard already discovered my presence and ordered me to leave immediately..."

"I was planning to leave tonight, but I never expected to run into you..."

"Shen Lang, oh Shen Lang, what am I to do..."

Third Sister sighed softly and sat quietly in the pavilion until the night dew grew deep and cold.

……

"Brother Shen, this is where I live."

With a creak, Tian Yi'er pushed open the door to the side room in front of her.

"Since Master Huang didn't tell you where you'll be staying, you can stay with me for now."

"You have a room all by yourself?" Shen You was stunned.

"No, because there were only two of us in the Hemp Robe category before, Zhu Ge and I stayed together temporarily, sharing a room," Tian Yi'er explained. "If we really become Qingyi, we should be living with the other Qingyi. Qingyi usually share a room in groups of three."

"Alright." Shen You nodded. He did see that there was a row of side rooms here, and Tian Yi'er was staying in the one on the very edge. He went into the room and saw that it was actually very simple. There were two couches, but no furniture. It really looked like a temporary place to stay.

"Is this Zhu Xiaobao's bed?" Shen You looked at the obviously more luxurious tatami mat, and pouted. "Xiao Tian, ​​you sleep in that one, I'll sleep in your bed!"

"Huh? But why...?"

"Because it's a dead person's bed, it's too unlucky!"

"All right……"

With a bitter face, Tian Yi'er still agreed.

It was late at night, so Shen You climbed directly onto Tian Yi'er's bed and lay down. Although Tian Yi'er's sheets and blankets were old, they were still clean and comfortable to sleep on.

"Sigh, at least I have my own bed..." Shen You sighed comfortably.

As soon as he relaxed, his stomach started growling again, and he realized that he hadn't eaten all day.

"Now that I'm in the outer courtyard, it's not a good time to mooch meals from that old lady anymore. What am I going to do when I get hungry... wait, what am I going to do when I can't see that old lady anymore..."

Shen You thought of Aunt Dou, who was always willing to cook delicious food for her, and suddenly felt a pang of longing.

"I'll definitely visit her more often when I have the chance..."

With these thoughts in mind, Shen You finally succumbed to the overwhelming drowsiness and fell into a deep sleep.

……

He was woken up by Tian Yi'er early the next morning.

"Brother Shen, it's time to go to your morning prayers..."

"Morning class?"

Shen You opened her eyes groggily and saw only Tian Yi'er's honest and simple face. The morning light shone through the window, and the whole environment was surprisingly quiet and beautiful.

At least I don't have to wake up smelling stinky feet anymore! Shen You was almost in tears.

"Brother Shen, the rule of Huangfeng Academy is that we have to do morning prayers. During the morning prayers, all the apprentices in blue and white robes in the academy will be present. Let's go quickly."

"Okay!" Shen You nodded, then asked curiously, "Do we also have white-robed apprentices in our academy?"

"Of course. We have three white-robed apprentices, and everyone calls them Senior Brother, Second Senior Brother, and Third Senior Brother." Tian Yi'er showed an envious look. "They all have the strength of the third rank, and they can follow Master Huang around to cultivate all day long. Their future is limitless."

"Really?" Shen You raised an eyebrow. "Don't worry, the two of us will be just as amazing as them in the future! No, even more amazing than them!"

"Haha, Brother Shen, you're always so confident." Hearing this, Tian Yi'er also laughed, which was rare for her.

After freshening up, the two walked out of the room. Shen You immediately saw groups of two or three apprentices in blue robes coming out of a row of rooms next door and heading towards yesterday's martial arts training ground.

"By the way, Xiaotian, where are we going to eat?" Shen You suddenly remembered and asked. His stomach had been rumbling since last night.

"Brother Shen, the servants will bring the food after morning classes," Tian Yi'er said. "I'm just as hungry as you are, Brother Shen. Let's bear with it for now."

"Alright." Shen You nodded. "The food in the inner courtyard should be better than in the outer courtyard, right?"

"Of course!" Tian Yi'er said, "Not only are the dishes more plentiful, but each of us will also get a bowl of 'blood-activating soup,' which is a good thing to help with physical training. After drinking it, we can accumulate qi faster."

"I see!" Shen You recalled that Aunt Dou had also mentioned "blood-activating soup," so it seems that this is the standard remedy in the inner courtyard.

Following the pretty maple leaf path, the two, along with the apprentices in blue robes, arrived at yesterday's martial arts training ground.

Upon closer inspection, Shen You discovered that there were over twenty Qingyi apprentices in the entire Huangfeng Academy. If you added up the Qingyi apprentices in the six Black-Robed Pharmacist courtyards, plus those who couldn't get into the courtyards, the total number of Qingyi apprentices in the inner academy was almost comparable to the number of Masonry apprentices in the outer academy.

"Indeed, it's only when you reach a higher level that you realize there are countless people in the world who are both more talented and work harder than you!"

Shen You sighed and stood in the corner with Tian Yi'er, relaxing as she looked around.

The apprentices in blue robes here were mostly energetic and physically strong, possessing at least the strength of martial artists, with a few even reaching the second rank.

In the crowd, Shen You spotted Shi Jie. The man in blue, whom he had glared at and forced to kneel the night before, also turned to look. Meeting Shen You's gaze, Shi Jie made a throat-slitting gesture.

"Heh." Shen You smiled indifferently and raised a middle finger at him.

Shi Jie strode over to Shen You and said menacingly, "Kid, don't be so arrogant! The white-robed senior brothers will be here this morning. Even if you escape Master Huang's punishment, don't expect the white-robed senior brothers to let you off the hook!"

"Oh, why is that?" Shen You raised an eyebrow. "I haven't offended the white-robed apprentice, have I?"

Shi Jie sneered, "Don't you know? The third senior brother in white robes in Huangfeng Academy is also surnamed Zhu!"

"Zhu?" Shen You frowned as she recalled Zhu Xiaobao, whom she had killed.