Chapter 207: First Trouble
The Celestial Academy sat on the east side of the Imperial Garden, its vermilion columns framed by azure tiles. The courtyard was planted with "Bright Heart Grass," a plant that glowed with immortal energy and was said to help students find peace of mind. Jun Wu had deliberately arranged for Si Zhui and Lin Yan to attend school together, firstly to allow Si Zhui to quickly familiarize himself with his peers in the Celestial Realm, and secondly to allow Lin Yan to look after him—after all, Si Zhui had just begun to learn the rules of the Celestial Realm, and was inevitably unfamiliar with some aspects.
On his first day, Sizhui wore a cerulean robe, his hair tied up in a jade crown. He clutched the small wooden sculpture Lin Yan had given him—a miniature celestial crane—with his fingertips tensed with nervousness. Lin Yan walked beside him, occasionally tilting his head to whisper reassurances, "Don't be afraid. The teacher is very gentle, and I'm here for you."
Most of the students in the academy were descendants of immortals or celestial officials. Seeing that Sizhui was personally bestowed with the title "Little Sun Highness" by Jun Wu, and accompanied by a cool and aloof study companion, they gathered around curiously. A little fairy child in pink came up and pointed at the wooden sculpture in Sizhui's hands. "What is this? Is it something from the mortal world?"
Si Zhui was about to nod when he heard Lin Yan speak gently: "Zhui'er and I carved this together. Although it's not a magic weapon from heaven, it's a token of our love." The little fairies stopped looking down on the wood carving and instead surrounded it, praising it. Si Zhui also gradually relaxed.
But trouble soon arose. In the morning's "Immortal Plant Class," the teacher taught everyone to identify "Dew-Condensing Grass"—a grass that, when touched, secretes dewdrops that condense immortal energy and is the ingredient for refining essential immortal elixirs. The teacher repeatedly warned, "Use the 'Soft Breathing Technique' to gently remove the dewdrops from the Dew-Condensing Grass. Never use brute force, as this will cause the leaves to secrete a 'Silk-Clinging Fluid' that will bind to the immortal energy."
Si Zhui listened intently, but the fairy boy next to him, Yun Miao, wasn't taking him seriously. He secretly used his magical powers to pluck a blade of grass. As soon as his fingertips touched the blade, silver threads suddenly emerged from the blade, instantly wrapping around Yun Miao's wrist. Yun Miao panicked and tugged harder, but the threads only tightened, shaking several nearby dew-condensing grasses. The threads splattered everywhere, threatening to entangle the headband of a fairy boy in the front row.
Si Zhui instinctively reached out to block it. He remembered the "force-dispersing technique" Lin Yan had taught him, and intended to divert the silver threads. However, in his haste, he lost control of his immortal energy, and instead of dispersing the silver threads, his own immortal energy became entangled with the binding fluid. The silver threads instantly wrapped around the back of his hand, still carrying the sticky feeling of the dew-binding grass. Si Zhui panicked, and his eyes suddenly reddened.
Lin Yan stood up immediately and walked quickly to Si Zhui's side. He condensed gentle immortal power on his fingertips and gently guided it along the silver thread. He knew that the silk-binding liquid was afraid of the "clear and moist immortal power", so he quickly dissolved the silver thread, leaving only a faint red mark on the back of Si Zhui's hand.
When the gentleman rushed over, he saw Lin Yan protecting Si Zhui and Yun Miao standing nearby, frantically apologizing. Si Zhui lowered his head and cried, "Sir, I'm sorry, I didn't control my power well..."
Yun Miao also waved his hands quickly: "It's not his fault! I was the one who messed with the Condensed Dew Grass first!" The gentleman looked at the two people's frank expressions, and then looked at the immortal power feedback that "the Silk Binding Liquid has been dissolved" handed by Lin Yan. He sighed helplessly, but did not really blame him: "First offenses are inevitable. Just remember the rules next time. Si Zhui, you have good intentions to protect your companions, but you must also take care of yourself first."
Si Zhui nodded vigorously, his eyes still red. On the way home from school, Lin Yan held his hand and gently rubbed the red marks on the back of his hand with his magical power: "I don't blame you, you did a good job, you know how to protect others."
"But I still made a mistake..." Si Zhui said in a low voice.
"You learn only by making mistakes." Lin Yan stopped and took out a piece of osmanthus cake from his arms (which Wei Wuxian had stuffed into his pocket that morning) and handed it to Si Zhui. "Look, people will fall when they learn to walk in the mortal world, and they will make mistakes when they learn magic in the heavens. Just be careful next time. Besides, haven't I always been by your side?"
Si Zhui bit into the osmanthus cake, the sweetness spreading from the tip of his tongue to his heart, and his eyes slowly faded. The two of them walked side by side on the road covered with bright heart grass, the faint light from the leaves reflecting their figures. Occasionally, the evening breeze blew, carrying the fragrance of flowers from the imperial garden. Si Zhui suddenly felt that even if he made a mistake in heaven, as long as Lin Yan was there, it didn't seem so terrible.
At this moment in the Golden Palace, Jun Wu was listening to the school teacher's report on the situation. When he heard that Si Zhui made a mistake while protecting his companion, he couldn't help laughing: "This child is just like his father Wei Wuxian, with a kind heart. Next time, let the teacher teach him more "power control techniques" and take it slowly." The teacher nodded in agreement, and felt in his heart that although this little Prince Sun was a little timid, he had a rare pure heart and would definitely grow up well in the heaven in the future.
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