Chapter Ninety-Six: Departure

“Boy? Which one?”
“The one whose aunt gave you two baskets of fruit and wouldn’t let go of your hand.”
Mentioning this made Bai Shengye break out in goosebumps. But thinking back, that incident was indeed strange—the boy who had been infected by demons shouldn’t have survived.
He quickly asked, “What happened? Was this your doing?”
“My right hand can absorb dark energy,” Hei Yu replied, never having hidden his power from Bai Shengye. “It was me who saved the boy that day.”
The moment Bai Shengye heard this, he pounced on Hei Yu like a demon, grabbing his wrist. “What? You have that kind of ability? Let me draw some blood to study it!”
“What? Are all the Medicine Immortal families so deranged?” The memory of being used as an experimental subject by Bai Xie gave Hei Yu cold sweats; he had a trauma from it.
But Bai Shengye had already grabbed a needle from the table and was aiming for Hei Yu’s arm.
“No! No!” Hei Yu shrieked, cowering in the corner. “I have a needle phobia!”
Still, Bai Shengye pinned him down and drew a large tube of blood.
“If everything’s fine, I’ll go inform Lingmeng now,” said Teacher Shari. “As for whether Hei Yu can come along, I’ll need to ask Dean Yunlan.”
“I’m going too!” said Ling Xiao Lei. If Hei Yu didn’t go, she wouldn’t know who to train with.
Teacher Shari felt a headache coming on. But just as she was leaving, Hei Yu and Bai Shengye rushed ahead of her, both shouting in unison:
“Teacher Shari, no need to trouble yourself—we’ll go tell Lingmeng!”
Hei Yu strode off towards Lingmeng’s dormitory, and Bai Shengye, not to be outdone, arrived at her door at almost the same moment. Hei Yu knocked, and Bai Shengye straightened his clothes and cleared his throat.
“Goddess Mengmeng, are you there?”
Hei Yu felt a wave of nausea.
The door opened a crack, and Lingmeng’s gentle figure appeared behind it, her long hair falling over her shoulder, dressed in pajamas and looking more approachable than usual. A delicate fragrance drifted out from the girls’ room.
The moment she saw the two of them, Lingmeng made to close the door.

“Wait, wait, we have something important to say!” Hei Yu quickly called out.
“Look at you, you scared her. Let me handle this.” Bai Shengye pushed Hei Yu aside.
“Beautiful Lingmeng, there’s a healing mission in the southern forest. Teacher Yunlan assigned us; we leave tomorrow morning.”
The two explained their purpose in a jumble of words.
“Oh, I understand,” Lingmeng replied, then closed the door.

Outside the dormitory, the Shennong tribe’s Shen Mu, with his entourage, was once again making a grand show of welcoming the princess back to Dragon Island. A lavish sedan chair stood in the center, but the students had long grown accustomed to such sights.
Hei Yu and Ling Xiao Lei came to see her off, and Shen Zai Guo’s eyes were rimmed red.
“Brother Hei Yu, I’ll miss you.”
“Maybe we’ll see each other again soon. I happen to have a healing mission in the southern forest. I’ll come find you.”
“Really?”
“Just wait for us on Dragon Island.”
The girl’s sadness turned to joy, her face full of anticipation.
“Cough, cough.” Uncle Shen Mu cleared his throat, signaling it was time for Shen Zai Guo to leave. The sedan moved off, and Shen Zai Guo leaned out the window, waving reluctantly as Hei Yu watched her go.
Early the next morning, outside the east city gate, those participating in the healing mission gathered to meet their contacts.
Leading them was a red-haired female warrior from the Mage Alliance. Three elven girls from other central continent magic schools accompanied her; they were all short, shy, and reserved.
The female warrior’s gaze was fierce and cold. She was about twenty, a massive sword strapped to her back, its sheath scarred and dulled from years of battle. She spoke:
“I am the leader for this mission. My name is Chixin, from the Shennong tribe.”
“Shennong tribe,” Hei Yu thought, “the same as Shen Zai Guo.”
She spoke sternly: “Healing the wounded will be arduous. Time is short; say your goodbyes to your teachers.”

Dean Yunlan’s face was grave. “This mission will take you to Red Harbor, the northeast of the southern continent, and the Shennong territory. Your task is to heal, not to fight. Listen to Captain Chixin’s instructions and cooperate fully. Children, set out!”
“We promise to accomplish the mission!” everyone replied in unison.
After bidding farewell to Dean Yunlan, they followed the red-haired warrior and the three elven girls.
The road east of the city led straight to Red Harbor—a remote port on the southeast coast, facing the Red Sea. The area was bleak and half-abandoned, haunted by the dark winds from the eastern continent. It was the closest port to the southern continent.
The road was broad and flat, lined with scattered trees. Bai Shengye carried an enormous medical kit on his back, packed with bottles and jars, clearly well-prepared.
Ling Xiao Lei was as excited as before a school trip, a camera dangling from her neck.
The red-haired warrior walked at the front in silence, her presence so imposing it was hard to approach. Lingmeng and the three elven girls chatted together, gradually becoming acquainted.
The walk from Holy City to Red Harbor was only half a day. The road was quiet, with few travelers or merchants. To avoid monster attacks, they intentionally skirted a gloomy, ominous forest known as the Forest of Destruction.
Hei Yu glanced regretfully into the towering woods.
Descending another slope, the vegetation thinned. In the distance, the dark, gray sea stretched out, oppressive and foreboding, as if harboring resentment. Blood-red shores were lined with battered, filthy fishing boats.
Red Harbor had been the first to suffer attacks from sea-crossing demons. Though the border had since been cleared, the place remained poor and backward, with many refugees still infected by the demons.
Crossing the woods to the shore, the sand was strewn with pale red stones, thick white foam clung to the water, and blackish seaweed washed up with the waves.
Looking out, the sky was gray and heavy. The sea rolled with turbid waves; the atmosphere was stifling.
Beside Red Harbor was a poor fishing village, nestled in a cove by the sea. The houses were low and shabby, with fishing nets drying on scorched black rooftops. Further up the hillside was an imperial army outpost.
“The wounded are in that house ahead,” Chixin called, looking back and urging everyone to keep pace.
Ling Xiao Lei nudged Hei Yu as they walked. “She seems really strict.”