At the entrance of the courtyard, whispers rippled through the crowd. Everyone stared up at the giant vessel hovering over the open ground in the distance, the excitement in their eyes almost overflowing.
However, once the initial excitement settled, a practical problem quickly surfaced.
Counting all the teachers and students present, there were at least three to four hundred people, far exceeding the limit of three hundred.
As a result, not everyone would be able to board this celestial skyship to accompany the Divine Lady on her study tour to Chaoyang City.
For a moment, the excited atmosphere suddenly stalled, replaced by a wave of uneasy commotion.
The students looked at each other in silence.
None of them wanted to be the one left behind.
After all, this was a study tour with the Divine Lady. Missing such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity would be a lifelong regret.
The teachers gathered together and whispered among themselves.
After a moment, Elder Ye, the oldest scholar and head of the academy, turned around and cleared his throat.
“This study tour with the Divine Lady is a wonderful opportunity to broaden your horizons and gain experience. We are already old, and it is fine for us to spend the rest of our lives in this academy, flipping through old books. But you are in your youth, and this is precisely the time for you to go out and see the world.”
As he spoke, his gaze swept across the young faces, his eyes filled with affection and hope.
“Go with the Divine Lady.”
Once he finished speaking, the courtyard fell silent at first, and then many students with red eyes began to sob quietly.
“Dean Ye...”
“Do not keep the Divine Lady waiting.”
Hearing this, the crowd dared not waste any more time.
Boarding proceeded in an orderly fashion.
Three hundred students boarded the gangway in single file, their steps either light or hesitant, their expressions either excited or nervous.
When Cui He was about to board, she suddenly stopped.
She ran to Shen Yu, suppressing the desire in her heart, and forced a relaxed smile. “Sir, you should board instead. I'm still young, and I'm afraid I'll only cause trouble for the Divine Lady.”
Shen Yu looked down at the exceptionally sensible Cui He, his expression full of gentleness. “Ar He, you have long been a little adult capable of standing on your own. There is no need to underestimate yourself. I am very glad to have a student like you.”
“Hurry and board the ship. Do not waste the Divine Lady's time.”
Only after watching Cui He climb the gangway did he turn to look at the dozens of students who had voluntarily stayed behind in the courtyard.
“Do you want to go to Chaoyang City?” he asked.
“Mr. Shen, the celestial ship can only carry three hundred people. If we go up, we'll have to make others come down...”
“The Divine Lady has her skyship, but mortals have carriages and horses. Reaching Chaoyang City is only a day's journey,” Shen Yu said in a low voice. “If you wish to go, I will arrange for men to escort you.”
“Thank you, Mr. Shen!”
The students excitedly bowed to Shen Yu.
If not for the limited spots, which of these young people would willingly miss the chance to go out and see the world?
Shen Yu stared at the skyship, lost in thought.
If he guessed correctly, the Divine Lady's trip was definitely not just a simple study tour for the students.
Most likely, the Divine Lady had her eyes on Chaoyang City.
As for why the Divine Lady treated Fang Shuo differently from others, he had also figured out the key over the past few days.
It was probably just as Fang Shuo said—he had a good father.
At this thought, he looked at Shen Da beside him and gave a low instruction, “Go to the mine and find my brother. Tell him to assemble a team as quickly as possible to escort us to Chaoyang City.”
“Yes, Second Young Master.”
Just as Shen Da received his orders and left the academy, the giant skyship shuddered slightly, and then the gangway was slowly retracted.
All three hundred students had boarded. The moment they stepped onto the deck, they all wore dumbfounded expressions.
The skyship was far more spacious than anyone had imagined.
The deck was as wide as a training ground, paved with white jade.
Looking up, everyone could clearly see a transparent barrier of light, with the blue sky and white clouds slowly flowing overhead.
The bulwarks on both sides of the ship were about three feet high. Leaning against the railing, one could get a panoramic view of the ground below.
In the center of the deck were rows of seats covered with plain cushions. Next to each seat was a small tea table, already set with fresh tea and fruit.
In the depths of the cabin, many rooms could be faintly seen, though no one knew what they were used for.
“This... this is too...” One student gaped, unable to finish his sentence for a long time.
“Come and look quickly!”
Someone leaned over the railing and looked down, instantly sucking in a breath of cold air. “So high! We've already left the ground!”
The crowd rushed to the railing and looked down.
The academy had shrunk into a tiny courtyard, and the crowd in the courtyard had turned into blurry little dots.
Further away, the streets of Yecheng were laid out as neatly as a chessboard, with pedestrians like ants and carriages like beans.
“We're really flying...”
“We're really flying...”
As they spoke, the skyship accelerated and climbed again. The airflow whistled past the bulwarks, blowing everyone's hair about.
The scenery on the ground shrank rapidly.
The clouds rushed toward them.
As the skyship pierced through the first layer of mist and clouds, everyone held their breath in unison.
After a long time, a student came to his senses and curiously reached his hand out of the bulwark.
“Oh my god, I actually touched the clouds in the sky!”
Seeing this, Fang Shuo followed suit.
“I touched it too! I touched the clouds too!”
Cui He wanted to act more mature.
But in the end, she was only a teenager, and how could she control her curiosity?
【Fang Shuo Shock Value +100】
【Cui He Shock Value +100】
【Chen Zhi Shock Value +100】
【...】
【Current Shock Value: 913,000】
Chen Zhi was the oldest among the students. He warned those around him, “Do not be insolent in front of the Divine Lady.”
The others snapped out of it, hurriedly withdrew their hands in fright, and stood obediently on the deck. They bowed to the Divine Lady and said, “Thank you, Divine Lady, for letting us witness this vast world.”
The Divine Lady stood alone at the bow of the ship, her back to the crowd, facing the sea of clouds. Her moon-white Daoist robe fluttered in the wind.
She slowly turned around. “There is no need to be so restrained. You may move about the ship as you please.”
With that, she walked into a room in the cabin.
Closing the door, Yun Shu lay down on the bed.
“This Cloud Shuttle Skyship is much more comfortable than the carriage and flower carriage I pulled before. It even comes with a luxury suite.”
Using Trailing Flowing Clouds to fly had its limitations.
But these mount components had protection mechanisms. Even if they flew into outer space, the passengers on the mount would not experience any discomfort—unless they were afraid of heights, in which case there was nothing to be done.
“Host, they've written so many poems! Each one is so talented, except for Fang Shuo, who is like a fool, only saying ‘this is good’ and ‘that is good’...”
The system's complaining voice echoed in Yun Shu's ears.
“Quiet down. There's a big show to perform later. Let me rest first and gather my strength.”
Yun Shu patted the little fox's head.
The little fox said distressingly, “Host, sleep. I'll keep watch, and I guarantee nothing will go wrong.”
Yun Shu closed her eyes.
Unknowingly, the skyship approached Chaoyang City.
Rate on N.U.
