The rising northern wind swept the yellow sand beyond the Great Wall and blew along the winding Luo River to invade Luoyang in a single night.

Snow ceased to fall in the middle of April, while the end of April and beginning of May brought an end to the frost. Life began flourishing at the beginning of summer but the resentful middle of May cast a dry spell on the farmland. Early June, however, was silent and still.

During this time, Ye Que continued making Qian Shuhua practice making a 90-degree jab. However, the spear became heavier and longer over time. Thanks to him, what little gentleness and beauty left in her was refined into gallantry and intrepidity. Not even an inch of fair skin could be found on her body; all of her was now a bronze color.

The members of the Divine Sect had also increased from the original three to several hundred to the current thousands.

Of course, the sect was no match for those top-notch Truth-cultivating sects, but it was a considerable force within Luoyang City. Particularly, they were a force to be reckoned with when it came to intel-gathering. Within two hours, they could gather and deliver nearly all the news regarding the main streets and small paths to Ye Que.

These scattered and fragmented intel allowed Ye Que to make frequent inferences. He had a good grasp of the movements of the Demon Race and the Cultivation World in Luoyang City.

But as to where and when the River Soldiers would show up?

This remained a mystery to all.

Now was the calm before the storm. Everyone was in a state of restraint, nervousness, and sensitivity but no one dared to act blindly for the fear of igniting a war between both races.

Even the members of Mount Shu who had constantly hooted about slaying demons and ridding of devils as well as preaching the orthodox path had a million reasons to tarry if one were to ask them to be the first to face off the Demon Race.

There was secret intel saying that the members in the hall up the mountain weren’t as united as they appeared. The majority were more or less linked in countless ways with other Truth Cultivation sects while only a minority had unknown relations with the Demon Race.

In the face of power, strength was absolute.

Moreover, there was no such thing as staying uncorrupted. In the past hundred years, demons had learned the way of humans even if learning by rote. For example, tricks such as using clever deception to fool people into attacking, honey traps, and collusion.

These tactics were rough but effective.

Under the stimulation of great rewards, there were undoubtedly brave men ready to rise to the challenge.

However, Ye Que ignored all these. He continued to filter through the intel to find some acceptable perimeters and took Qian Shuhua with him.

They went on a night walk in Luoyang.

Each time they made a move, Ye Que would be the first to detect the demons. They acted only when members from both orthodox sects and the Demon Race were present. Moreover, they would strive to kill with a single strike and make it look as if demons were ambushed by members of the orthodox path or vice versa.

If Ye Que noticed an expert in the Psychic Realm or beyond hiding behind the scenes, he would immediately retreat and use the Divine Sect, which boasted thousands of disciples, as his cover. He was basically untraceable, leaving no mark behind whatsoever.

Though his current cultivation was in the Post-celestial Realm, there was a minimal chance of him being in danger in Luoyang City thanks to his insight and perception of Divine Energy.

With this, the problem of Spirit Stones was finally solved. Though there definitely wasn’t enough for the whole Divine Sect, there was more than enough for Ye Que and the Qian siblings.

This treatment was on par with the treatment that gifted disciples would receive in large Truth Cultivation sects.

It was now midsummer.

Today, the clear sky stretched on for miles and miles.

Over on Yongning Street in Luoyang City, the swirling of the willow seeds in the air had just settled. The plants that lined the street were moist and dense like butter. From afar, the grass vaguely looked like a sheet of green. Upon closer look, they were full of life under the warm sunlight. Luoyang City would soon welcome the most beautiful season of the year.

Today, Qian Shuhua didn’t practice her spear techniques. She had gone out early in the morning to first prepare a gift for Qian Shuxiao and then head to the Academy of Classical Learning. Today was the day of Qian Shuxiao’s coming-of-age ceremony.

Boys came of age at 20 and it was a significant day for them. It was her obligation as a sister to attend the ceremony.

After collecting a gold-plated abacus with pearl beads that she custom-ordered the other day from the Treasures Gallery, she set off for the academy.

The White Horses Academy, established 437 years ago, was the oldest academy of classical learning in Luoyang City. Numerous civil and military officials, as well as merchants and influential people, sent their heirs to the academy. The academy was established in the same year as the glorious Tang Empire and saw the empire through its growth. It had also cultivated countless esteemed statesmen for the empire.

On her way there, Qian Shuhua saw more than 10 lavish horse-drawn carriages traveling on the same path. The occupants of quite a few carriages even invited her onboard after recognizing her but she tactfully rejected their offers.

Ever since she started cultivating with Ye Que, she had bidden farewell to means of transportation like horse-drawn carriages. Traveling on her feet could help her comprehend the way of the world even more.

The bright sunlight bathed the entire Luoyang City. In a spot to the right of the northern part of the city, fragrant grasses covered an impressively wide courtyard in neat lines. In the small square in front of the courtyard, a statue of white horses towing scrolls. Walking deeper into the square, one would be greeted by a mural of a row of lush safflower trees. Standing behind the wall was countless ink-like black-and-white buildings. Everything was like an interesting and appealing painting.

“Senior Sister, what brought you to the academy today?” The voice of a youngster pierced her ear.

When she turned her head, she saw that it was a Junior Brother of hers when she was still in the academy. Qian Shuhua replied placidly, “It’s A Xiao’s coming-of-age ceremony today. I’m here to attend it.” Then, she noticed a shadow from the corner of her eye.

Bypassing the white horse in the square and the lush safflower trees, one would find a black-and-white central building. Inside, a woman dressed in a red marital gown was swaying her slender waist with a faint smile on her face.

Five meters in front of her was a scholar holding his breath as he painted with rapt attention.

The woman was Ye Yunhai’s fiancee, Lin Mei’er. The scholar was a gifted scholar and painter that she hired with large sums of money.

Lin Mei’er came to the academy today to complete a set of paintings that she wished to gift her husband on the day of their wedding. For this, she requested that the painter drew her against the backdrop of the White Horses Academy and outlined her beauty with his drawing brush as to leave her husband with an image of her loveliest years.

Watching Lin Mei’er’s every frown and smile from afar, Qian Shuhua was so angry that she felt as if she couldn’t control her own feet. She was so disgusted that she wanted to vomit.

The cool breeze blew gently, bringing a chill.

The wind was able to cause the downfall of summer flowers yet was unable to cool Qian Shuhua’s fiery anger.

She was deep in thought as she trod the path that stretched a hundred meters. Seeing every grass and tree in the academy, countless scenes flitted across her mind. “I remember how I loved chatting and how you loved laughing when we were young. Once, we sat side by side under a peach tree amid the whistling wind and chirping birds. Somehow, we fell asleep, not knowing how many flowers fell as we dreamed.”

The wind was the same as it was in the past, as were the birds. The differences were…

The trees had fallen.

The dream had shattered.

The person was gone.

Standing in front of Lin Mei’er who wore a red marital gown, Qian Shuhua’s expression finally returned to normal. Moreover, she looked as tranquil as water. In her opinion, this was her domain. She must learn to restrain herself.

“Lin Mei’er, this is the White Horses Academy, a place for students to seek knowledge. It’s not your family’s garden.”

“A good dog doesn’t block the way. You’re blocking the painter.” Lin Mei’er wouldn’t show Qian Shuhua any courtesy. Moreover, she had been learning martial arts since young and never studied in any sort of private academy. She had never learned to be diplomatic or even be obedient.

“This place doesn’t welcome you. Please leave.” Qian Shuhua tried to be polite even as she pointed outside the courtyard.

“Who do you think you are, asking me to leave?” Lin Mei’er placed both hands on her waist. Her face was full of mockery.

“I’m their Senior Sister.” With a point of Qian Shuhua’s fingers, a group of students that had gathered nearby nodded in unison. They pointed at Lin Mei’er. “If you want to act coquettish, please do it at home!”