Master of Nine Stars

Gao Lingwei turned to look at Rong Taotao and said, ”How about I show you my old high school? You never went to high school, right? Want a tour?”

Rong Taotao: ”...”

’Ouch, right where it hurts!’

Flanked by dense pine and cypress trees, Gao Lingwei and Rong Taotao rode onward, one behind the other...

Just five minutes later, as Rong Taotao finally entered the town, his mouth slowly fell open in the shape of an ”O.”

He had only just reached the first street into town when he saw a bustling crowd of people.

He hadn’t seen so many people in a long time.

The lively atmosphere was completely different from that of a university campus.

”Keep right.” Gao Lingwei slowed her white horse, sticking to the right side of the road and merging into the stream of riders.

Due to their gentle and intelligent nature, stability, and ability to navigate familiar routes, combined with the unique weather and environment, the Snow Night Shock had long since become the primary mode of transportation in Songbai Town.

Here, horse rental stables always did booming business. After all, on nights with biting winds and heavy snow, a Snow Night Shock was a necessity for any townsperson needing to get around.

Rong Taotao looked all around. He hadn’t expected to run into such a large, bustling market right upon entering the town. The din of voices was incredible.

Even though this was a commercial street, the buildings in Songbai Town were generally not tall, mostly just one or two stories. Many were brick-and-tile structures, giving the town a quaint, antique charm.

”Oh, roasted sweet potatoes,” Rong Taotao suddenly said.

Gao Lingwei turned her head and saw her, too: an old woman sitting by a sweet potato roaster in front of a shop selling frozen goods. Several steaming hot sweet potatoes sat on top of the roaster.

Gao Lingwei glanced at Rong Taotao with a smile, then guided her horse right, onto the sidewalk, dismounting beside a tree.

Another advantage of the Snow Night Shock was that you didn’t have to ”lock” it or scan a QR code to return it like a shared bike. The area next to the trees on the sidewalk was a public parking spot for them.

As Rong Taotao dismounted beside her, Gao Lingwei placed a hand on his shoulder and turned him around to face the Snow Night Shock. ”Take a good look at this face,” she said. ”You don’t want someone else riding off on your horse.”

With that, Gao Lingwei gently stroked the Snow Night Shock’s face and led a bemused Rong Taotao toward the sweet potato stall.

’There are so many details of daily life for me to learn and adapt to,’ he thought. The quaint, antique style of Songbai Town really made him feel as if he had traveled back in time.

Thankfully, the old woman selling sweet potatoes accepted payment via a scanned phone code, which yanked Rong Taotao back to the present...

Each holding a steaming hot roasted sweet potato, the two of them mounted their Snow Night Shocks and followed the flow of the crowd, eating as they went.

They turned north at the first intersection, and the street opened up. Without the shoulder-to-shoulder crowds of the market, they were able to pick up their pace considerably.

They rode north for five full blocks, nearly reaching the northern edge of Songbai Town, before Gao Lingwei, who was feeding the Snowball Cat in her arms, finally stopped in front of a huge school gate.

Songbai Town Soul Martial High School.

The large, gilt characters were arranged vertically on a towering, ancient tree that stood to the right of the school’s main gate.

The small window of the guardhouse suddenly slid open, and an old man waved with a chuckle. ”Well, look who’s back!”

”Oh, hello.” Gao Lingwei was taken aback for a moment. The guard looked vaguely familiar. As a star student at Songbai Soul Martial High School, everyone at school knew her, but she didn’t know everyone.

”I saw that you got into Pine Soul Soul Martial. Your picture is still hanging on the wall of outstanding alumni! You’re a role model for my granddaughter, haha.”

Gao Lingwei smiled and nodded lightly.

”Meeow~” The Snowball Cat, its face smeared with roasted sweet potato, licked its little mouth with a pink tongue and tilted its head curiously to look at the old guard.

”A lot of the alumni have come back, but the current students don’t get out for their holiday until tonight. The school isn’t open for tours right now, but you could come back tomorrow.” After his polite opening, the old guard finally got to the point.

It was likely because of Gao Lingwei’s stellar reputation and fame here that the old guard’s attitude was so pleasant; he hadn’t just coldly turned them away.

”Mm.” At his words, a look of disappointment inevitably crossed Gao Lingwei’s face.

The old guard thought for a moment, then pointed to the north. ”You two know that place better than I do.”

”Oh, right!” Gao Lingwei’s eyes suddenly lit up. ”Thank you.”

The old guard chuckled, waved, and slid the small window shut.

Gao Lingwei turned her horse around and continued north. ”Let’s go.”

Rong Taotao followed curiously. ”Where are we going?”

”There’s a small park on the hill to the north, and in that park is a monument. There are 303 steps from the bottom to the top. In high school, we always used to do frog-jumps there.” Gao Lingwei’s eyes filled with nostalgia as she smiled. ”It’s high enough that you can overlook the entire campus.”

The two made their way toward the northern hill and, in a quiet, tranquil little park, found the flight of stairs that seemed to lead straight to the sky.

steps wasn’t actually that many, but the slope was very steep. Surrounded by green pines and cypresses, the top of the monument, peeking out from the trees, truly looked as if it were standing in the heavens.

In winter, the northern sun set early. It was only a little after four, but the sun was already sinking toward the west. The orange-red sunlight illuminated the forest, creating a breathtakingly beautiful sunset scene.

”Let’s go.” Gao Lingwei recalled her Snow Night Shock. ”You can just leave your Snow Night Shock here.”

As she spoke, she lifted the Cloud Dog from the top of Rong Taotao’s head and gently wiped its little mouth, which was covered in sweet potato crumbs.