Chapter 6 Departure to Wuhun City
Judging by its appearance and craftsmanship, it was definitely no ordinary item, or at least not something that could be found in a place like Niuma Village.
Jiang Bai picked up the bracelet, examined it for a moment, and then put it on his right wrist.
The bracelet automatically adjusted its size, fitting snugly against his wrist, neither too loose nor too tight.
He calmed his mind and injected a trace of Soul Power into the bracelet.
He sensed a space of about thirty cubic meters.
The interior was empty, with only a few things piled in a corner.
Jiang Bai used his Mental Energy to investigate those items.
There were several exquisitely bound books and a few small porcelain bottles with labels like "Golden Sore Ointment," which were common healing medicines.
Then, Jiang Bai’s gaze fixed on the deepest part of the space.
There, a pile of gold coins was neatly stacked, emitting an enticing luster under his Soul Power perception.
gold coins!
Jiang Bai’s heart skipped a beat. He carefully "counted" them; there were about a hundred and fifty!
One hundred and fifty gold coins!
"Mom..."
Jiang Bai murmured with complex emotions.
"If you had so much money, why didn’t you take it out sooner..."
Jiang Bai took a deep breath, suppressing the surging emotions in his heart.
Without dwelling on it too much, he began to pack his luggage.
A few changes of clothes, a quilt, a water skin, and some dry rations.
He put these things into the bracelet one by one.
The thirty-cubic-meter space was more than enough to hold all of this.
After everything was packed, Jiang Bai took one last look around the small wooden cabin.
The packed earth floor, the bed made of wooden planks, the rough wooden table, and the small decorations woven from Blue Silver Grass by his mother hanging on the wall...
"It’s time to go," Jiang Bai said softly.
He locked the door; although locking this broken wooden door didn’t really make a difference, it was a ritual, a farewell.
Jiang Bai didn’t immediately head to the village entrance to wait for the people from Spirit Hall.
He walked toward the other side of the village.
That was the cemetery of Niuma Village.
The cemetery was on a small hillside to the west of the village, where dozens of earthen mounds were quietly arranged. Most of the graves didn’t even have tombstones, only a simple stone as a marker.
Jiang Bai passed through the graves and came to a grave at the very back.
A crude wooden tablet stood in front of this grave, with the words "Tomb of Beloved Mother Jiang Ning" carved on it in childish handwriting—Jiang Bai had carved it himself.
He knelt before the grave, took out the prepared incense, candles, and a few fruits from the bracelet, and arranged them neatly in front of the tomb.
"Mom, I’ve come to see you," Jiang Bai said softly, lighting the incense and candles.
Wisps of blue smoke rose, slowly dispersing in the morning breeze.
"Tomorrow, people from Spirit Hall are coming to pick me up. I’m leaving Niuma Village to go to a place far away."
The wind blew across the hillside, and the wild grass made a rustling sound as if in response.
"You don’t have to worry about me."
Jiang Bai continued, kowtowing three times.
"I know how to survive and how to become strong. I will forge my own path in this World."
He stood quietly before the grave for a long time until the incense and candles burned out.
...
Fifteen minutes later.
Jiang Bai walked down the hillside and headed toward the village entrance.
After returning from the cemetery, Jiang Bai arrived under the old locust tree at the village entrance.
About half an hour later, dust rose at the end of the dirt road.
Five figures dressed in silver-white armor appeared in his field of vision, their armor reflecting a cold luster under the sunlight.
The leader rode an exceptionally handsome white horse, while the four riders behind him were in a guard formation, with a carriage in the middle.
They were the Temple Knights of Spirit Hall.
The group stopped at the village entrance, and the dust kicked up by the horses’ hooves slowly settled.
The Knight Captain in the lead, who was about thirty years old, dismounted. His gaze swept across the surroundings before finally landing on Jiang Bai.
"Are you Jiang Bai?"
The Knight Captain’s voice was steady and powerful, with the characteristic bluntness of a soldier.
"That’s me." Jiang Bai stood up and patted the dust off his clothes.
The Knight Captain looked him over a few times, confirmed that his age and appearance matched the description in the intelligence, and nodded.
"By order of His Eminence, I am here to take you to Spirit City. Prepare to depart."
There were no unnecessary pleasantries, nor any intention of entering the village to rest.
Jiang Bai cooperatively boarded the carriage.
"Sit tight." The Knight Captain mounted his horse and waved his hand to command, "Move out!"
The five riders and one carriage turned around and galloped back the way they came.
...
A few days later.
The leading Knight Captain said through the carriage wall, "Little guy, Spirit City is just ahead."
Jiang Bai’s spirits lifted, and he leaned toward the carriage window.
First to catch his eye was that towering gray silhouette on the horizon.
As the carriage continued forward, the silhouette gradually became clear.
Massive city walls!
They were built entirely of huge, neatly cut granite blocks.
And on every side of the city walls, a giant relief sculpture was carved!
On the city walls, patrolling soldiers were clearly visible. They were all dressed in the standard silver-white light armor of Spirit Hall, their ranks orderly.
A look of amazement flashed in Jiang Bai’s eyes.
However, the carriage did not head directly toward the massive city gate.
The leading Knight Captain pulled the reins, and the group turned, driving along a wide road toward the eastern side of Spirit City.
After a few kilometers, another slightly smaller complex of buildings appeared in sight.
A tall, arched gatehouse could be seen from a distance.
The entire gatehouse was built of light gray granite. Every stone was polished smooth and fitted together seamlessly, appearing heavy and solid.
The gatehouse’s main structure was in the shape of the character for ’mountain’ (Mountain). The central main arch was like a slow and powerful crescent moon, spanning over ten meters high.
The slightly lower side arches on both sides were also nearly ten meters high, with sharp and smooth lines.
Exquisite patterns were carved on the edges of the arches, the pillars, and the crossbeams above.
In the very center of the lintel, four gilded characters were carved: "Spirit Academy."
Behind the gatehouse was a vast campus built against the mountainside.
At this moment, a few students were entering and leaving the academy gates. Most wore uniform light gray academy robes, ranging in age from seven or eight to their teens.
The carriage stopped in front of the gatehouse.
The Knight Captain dismounted, walked to Jiang Bai’s carriage, and knocked on the window.
"Alright, little guy, the academy is here. Take this and go straight in to handle your enrollment."
He handed Jiang Bai a sealed parchment envelope with the seal of Spirit Hall on the closure.
Jiang Bai took the envelope, jumped off the carriage, and gave the Knight Captain a serious bow.
"Thank you, Uncle!"
A rare touch of warmth appeared on the Knight Captain’s face, and he nodded.
"Go on in. Cultivate well, and do not fail this talent and the Supreme Pontiff’s expectations."
"I will."
The five knights said no more, turned their horses’ heads, and galloped off toward Spirit City.
Jiang Bai watched them leave, then turned around, looked up at the tall gatehouse, took a deep breath, and stepped inside.
There were indeed guards at the door, two young men in their twenties.
They glanced at the envelope in Jiang Bai’s hand, then at the retreating figures of the Spirit Hall Temple Knights behind him. A look of understanding flashed in their eyes, and they had no intention of stopping him.
Are you kidding? A child personally escorted by the Temple Knights directly under Spirit Hall, carrying a document stamped with the Hall’s seal—how would they dare stop him?
They even skipped the routine questioning.
Jiang Bai entered the academy smoothly.
Following the signs on the campus paths, Jiang Bai walked along the main road for about ten minutes until a three-story building with a simple and elegant appearance appeared before him.
There were significantly fewer people entering and leaving here, and it was very quiet.
He walked around the first floor and quickly found a room with a sign that read "Freshman Enrollment Office."
The door was half-ajar, and the sound of rustling paper could be heard faintly from inside.
Jiang Bai steadied himself, raised his hand, and knocked three times on the door with moderate force.
"Come in."
A slightly cold female voice came from within.