Chapter 47 – Delivery [UNEDITED]

[UNEDITED]

After obtaining the Grade A Spiritbond Master certification, Yun Xiguang also received the Distinguished Student Medal awarded by the Torchlight Spiritbond Academy. This award was different from ordinary university accolades — it represented an indelible contribution made by the student to the Spiritbond world during their studies, something not just anyone could achieve.

It was the vice president who presented the award, not President Qin Shu himself.

When the vice president saw Yun Xiguang’s hair, he found it quite jarring, but he was slightly more tactful than President Gu, merely whispering a remark about how frequent dyeing could damage the hair. He then recited his set speech for the award presentation and quickly left the stage.

Yun Xiguang noticed that Qin Shu’s seat was empty, which concerned him. After the ceremony, he bought some gifts with the intention of visiting Qin Shu.

During his time at Torchlight Academy, although there hadn’t been much direct interaction, Yun Xiguang knew that Qin Shu had looked out for him on multiple occasions.

At his parents’ funeral, Yun Xiguang had seen Qin Shu among the attendees.

Most people at the funeral had displayed sorrow, but Qin Shu’s expression was tinged with sadness laced with a sense of understanding, as if he had foreseen the outcome.

When it came time to pay respects to the deceased, Qin Shu sighed deeply, filled with regret.

At the time, young Yun Xiguang didn’t understand the meaning behind Qin Shu’s sigh, but now he did.

Qin Shu’s spirit beast was the divine creature Bai Ze, which possessed the ability to predict the future. His parents’ deaths were connected to Zulong, who stood behind the Heavenly Dao Law, determining the future path of the world, and Bai Ze could foresee the future.

There must have been something his parents wanted to do, something Bai Ze had prophesized couldn’t be done or carried great danger, yet they still went ahead with it.

That was why Qin Shu let out such a sigh at the funeral, perhaps regretting that he couldn’t stop Yun Botian and his wife, or lamenting that he couldn’t save them.

After offering flowers, each attendee would approach Yun Xiguang, patting his shoulder or hugging him as a gesture of comfort.

But Qin Shu did nothing of the sort. He simply stared at Yun Xiguang’s forehead, shook his head, and said, “Well, so be it.”

Then he turned around and left.

After that, Yun Xiguang never spoke to Qin Shu again.

However, he knew that his comfortable life at Torchlight Academy was due to someone’s care. As a person without a spirit root, Torchlight Academy could have expelled him, but he remained safely within the school’s walls. Every time Yun Xinglie raised questions about his lack of a spirit root to the school authorities, Ji Xuan would remind Yun Xinglie that one could become a Spiritbond Master without forging a spirit bond, using the president as an example.

Without Qin Shu’s instructions, how dare Ji Xuan invoke the president’s authority?

The president’s name was the fundamental reason Yun Xiguang could remain at Torchlight Academy until the Vernal Equinox.

But comparing Yun Xiguang to Qin Shu wasn’t entirely accurate, as Qin Shu had never attended Torchlight Academy.

All the knowledge Qin Shu possessed as a Spiritbond Master was taught to him by Bai Ze. He became a Grade A Spiritbond Master first, became a teacher at Torchlight Academy, and eventually its president, but he was never a student of the academy.

Torchlight Academy’s core requirement for admitting Spiritbond Masters was talent; other students admitted through special channels could be considered to have relatively lower talents, but Yun Xiguang lacked talent altogether. Without Qin Shu’s permission, he wouldn’t have met Torchlight Academy’s requirements.

If he hadn’t enrolled at Torchlight Academy, he wouldn’t have been able to borrow books from its library, and he wouldn’t have discovered his mother’s last words.

Behind all of this, Qin Shu had been orchestrating things.

Now that Bai Ze’s prophecy had been counterattacked by the Heavenly Dao, resulting in serious injuries for Qin Shu, Yun Xiguang felt it necessary to visit him.

With this thought in mind, his focus shifted away from the commendation ceremony. When Li Zheng presented him with the Second-Class Merit Medal, Yun Xiguang was distracted, completely unaware of the Golden-Winged Great Peng’s flirtatious glances at Chi Qiong, nor did he notice Li Zheng trying to console him with the phrase, “I used to be a colorful punk too.” He merely nodded mechanically, responding with “Mm,” “Okay,” and “I’ll definitely do that.”

Finally getting through the ceremony, Yun Xiguang immediately purchased gifts and returned home to summon the Azure Dragon.

Bai Ze’s injuries were severe, and Yun Xiguang wanted to treat him, but lacking experience, it would be better to bring along the old master, the Azure Dragon.

“Visiting the Spiritbond Master Bai Ze raises?” The Azure Dragon lifted its head from the smartphone screen to look at Yun Xiguang. “Visiting an old friend is fine, but do you know where it lives?”

“Not exactly, which is why I need you to come with me. You should be able to sense Bai Ze’s location, right?” Yun Xiguang glanced secretly at the Azure Dragon’s phone screen.

He saw that the Azure Dragon was logging into a shopping app, searching for an extremely expensive hydrating mask.

Using its own account.

Since registering its information with the Anomaly Bureau, the Azure Dragon received a household registration book, an ID card, and a phone card and bank card.

After the Anomaly Bureau clarified Yun Boquan’s assets, they confiscated the illegal earnings and gave the rest to the Azure Dragon.

As a Heaven-grade Spiritbond Master, Yun Boquan’s annual income was staggering. He could become a Heaven-grade Spiritbond Master because of the existence of the Azure Dragon, so it was reasonable for his money to be transferred to the Azure Dragon’s account.

Not only that, but the Anomaly Bureau offered the Azure Dragon three options.

The first was to live in seclusion without breaking the law or harming others. In that case, the Anomaly Bureau would not interfere with any of the Azure Dragon’s affairs.

The second was to live in seclusion but maintain contact with the Anomaly Bureau. When the Anomaly Bureau needed a master to assist, the Azure Dragon could lend a hand, and the Anomaly Bureau would pay it bonuses based on the number of times it helped.

The third was to treat the Azure Dragon as a Heaven-grade Spiritbond Master, with salary and benefits comparable to Yun Boquan’s, and corresponding obligations similar to those of a Heaven-grade Spiritbond Master.

To the Anomaly Bureau, this was a single-choice question, but to the Azure Dragon, it was a multiple-choice question.

It decided to choose option three first, save some money, and then switch to option two for a period of freedom. Once the crisis involving the destruction of the world was resolved, the Azure Dragon would choose option one, enjoying life with its wealth in the human world.

Longevity allowed for such freedom — the Azure Dragon refused to make choices; it wanted it all.

Currently enjoying the treatment of a Heaven-grade Spiritbond Master, the Azure Dragon was wealthy, at least compared to Yun Xiguang, who had just become a Grade A Spiritbond Master. It could easily afford the hydrating mask.

It just bought a bit too much at once, depleting the entire stock.

“You don’t really need to buy so many masks right now,” Yun Xiguang advised.

The Azure Dragon sighed. “There’s no other way. When hydrating, I stretch my body to its original size to ensure every scale on my face receives adequate hydration.”

“No, what I meant is, wait another half month. There’s the annual online shopping festival coming up. At that time, this store offers a buy-one-get-one-free deal, and you can save half the money,” Yun Xiguang explained.

“There’s such a thing?!” the Azure Dragon exclaimed. “People from the Yun family are truly extravagant. I’ve seen them buy things without considering shopping festivals, wasting money. I’ll return these now and place the order again in half a month.”

Yun Xiguang: “…”

He really wished President Gu could see that the Azure Dragon, much older than him, perhaps millions of years old, knew how to shop online and even handle returns!

After returning the masks, the Azure Dragon bought some very expensive shampoo and hair masks and hair oils for hair care. This time, it used a delivery app, and the items would arrive shortly.

Yun Xiguang hesitated as he looked at the scales on the Azure Dragon’s body, finally unable to resist asking, “Are you planning to… condition your dragon whiskers?”

After all, apart from the dragon whiskers, there seemed to be no other part of the Azure Dragon’s body that could use shampoo, hair masks, and oils.

The Azure Dragon replied, “These are gifts for Bai Ze. Since you’re going to visit it, you can’t show up empty-handed.”

Yun Xiguang: “…”

Truly worthy of being an old master from a prestigious family, the Azure Dragon understood human relations far better than he did.

The delivery person arrived quickly, and half an hour later, Yun Xiguang received the gifts, neatly packed in gift boxes. The Azure Dragon made him carry them, considering them joint gifts from both of them.

Yun Xiguang asked, “We have the gifts, but where is President Qin recuperating?”

He knew where Qin Shu lived, but with Bai Ze and Qin Shu both severely injured, they certainly weren’t at home. They should be recovering in a place rich in spirit energy.

“I’m not sure. Bai Ze is best at hiding its whereabouts. When it’s injured, it hides even deeper, and I can’t find it,” the Azure Dragon said.

“Well, then…”

Before Yun Xiguang could worry, the Azure Dragon continued, “I can’t find it, but there’s someone who can. It has the Heavenly Eye and can see through Bai Ze’s deepest hiding spots, no matter how well it conceals itself.”

Naturally, the Azure Dragon referred to the Golden-Winged Great Peng.

“But the Golden-Winged Great Peng is at odds with me. Should I call Director Li to ask the Great Peng for help?” Yun Xiguang suggested.

“No need,” the Azure Dragon glanced at Chi Qiong, who was pecking at golden fur. “As long as Lord Feng issues the command, how dare the Great Peng refuse? Don’t forget, the Golden-Winged Great Peng has the Heavenly Ear. It might be eavesdropping on our conversation right now and biting a handkerchief while cursing us for using it again.”

Yun Xiguang: “Senior Azure Dragon, you’re stripping the divine beasts of all their dignity.”

The Azure Dragon itself, Bai Ze, and the Golden-Winged Great Peng — all of their preferences were betrayed by Senior Azure Dragon in a calm and unhurried tone.

The Azure Dragon looked at Chi Qiong with a complicated expression before kindly saying to Yun Xiguang, “We are merely following the lead of those above us.”

The Azure Dragon couldn’t order Chi Qiong around; convincing Chi Qiong was a task Yun Xiguang had to undertake.

Yun Xiguang placed Chi Qiong on the table, clasped his hands together, and looked earnestly at the little spirit bird. “Please, I’m genuinely worried about President Qin’s health. Please help me.”

Chi Qiong wasn’t deaf. From the moment the Azure Dragon proposed the idea, he had been grooming his feathers with his beak, making himself neat and tidy to receive the prayer of a spirit servant with dignity.

This was the first time Yun Xiguang had actively asked him for something. It had been a long time since he took this spirit servant under his wing, and aside from mating requests that Yun Xiguang would never fulfill, he had never received a prayer from him!

Finally hearing Yun Xiguang pray for something, Chi Qiong felt unusually pleased, but he maintained an appearance of pride and reserve.

He nodded almost imperceptibly and opened his mouth without the slightest hint of refusal, letting out a melodious “Chirp.”

As soon as his voice faded, a golden afterimage appeared in Yun Xiguang’s home.

This wasn’t even the mental projection of the Golden-Winged Great Peng, but its true form! One had to remember that the true form couldn’t stray too far from Li Zheng — Yun Xiguang’s home was over twenty kilometers away from the Anomaly Bureau!

Facing Yun Xiguang’s confusion, the Azure Dragon looked into the distance and informed him, “It probably started flying here from the moment we began chatting, ensuring it could respond immediately in its true form to Lord Feng’s order.”

Carrying…

A tinge of sympathy suddenly welled up inside Yun Xiguang for Li Zheng.