Tang Xiaomi stopped skipping and asked worriedly "So if we pick different classes, we won't be able to stay in the same home again?"
Ning Caiyu shook his head gently "Not like that, there is one more. East Wing Residence for the Attack-Defend-Support skill disciples but disciples from other skill classes can stay there too. We don't have to separate and can still choose different classes"
Tang Xi'an placed a finger on her chin as she said "But we will be very busy when we choose classes though"
Ning Caiyu nodded "But not all the time, each class only takes two days out of the week and it isn't even all day long"
Tang Xie'er said "I already know that I am going for Defend so I can protect Xi Gege and the rest of you with all my abilities"
Xia Qianyu turned to Tang Xie'er and blinked his eyes cutely "And me too?"
Tang Xie'er waved his sleeves at him "Piss off"
Tang Xi'an and Ning Caiyu chuckled at the two then Ning Caiyu looked at the silent Tang Xilong "What about you, Xilong Ge?"
Tang Xilong shrugged "Not going for any class not like I need it"
Xia Qianyu was stunned "Xilong Ge, no can do, everyone needs to learn skills to survive and defeat enemies, cross obstacles or whatnot such as that"
Ning Caiyu thought and whispered to Tang Xilong "Do you fear that you might not be able to control your strength when in a self practice class?"
Tang Xilong just looked down at him without saying anything
Xia Qianyu was wondering what he said when Ning Caiyu worriedly asked "What do we do now?"
Tang Xilong asked Ning Caiyu "What class are you?"
Ning Caiyu answered without thinking "Support class, it's more lenient"
When he realized what he had said, he hurriedly grabbed Tang Xilong's hand "W-wait, If you want to pick a class, don't pick that. It's for weaklings not like weaklings b-but you know what I mean. You're not weak so you should go for a strong class!"
The sudden grab of his hand made Tang Xilong's body flinch a bit and he snatched his hand back from Ning Caiyu then moved back a few steps and coughed lightly "I'll go for Attack class"
Ning Caiyu felt a bit embarrassed and didn't know what to do for a moment even Tang Xie'er, Tang Xi'an and Xia Qianyu stood rooted in their steps
Tang Xiaomi who didn't notice anything turned around and happily said "Xi Gege's going for Attack class so Xiaomi will too. What about you, Xi Jie and Qian Ge?"
The tension in the air suddenly disappeared and Tang Xi'an replied with a smile "I'll go for Support class"
Xia Qianyu gleefully said "Me too"
Tang Xie'er rolled his eyes but didn't say anything
When they got to the Class Building, Ning Caiyu stopped at the entrance with pursed lips, there were many people going in and out well mostly the new disciples probably
Xia Qianyu asked with confusion "Why did you stop?"
Tang Xie'er said "Don't you realize? Once you've picked a class, you're not allowed to change again so he can't enter anymore"
Tang Xiaomi patted Ning Caiyu's shoulder "Don't worry, Yu Gege, we'll be fine. We'll quickly select our class and come out. Just wait for us, don't go anywhere"
Ning Caiyu smiled and nodded his head "When you get in, you'll see five signs and five elders underneath then you go to the one you want and they'll brief you about it and they'll write your name after confirming which if you truly want that class. You'll also get a badge cause there are people who go for a class, secretly learn from another class and lie about their class. Tomorrow, with your badge, you'll get to pick one skill book. You can only get more from buying them yourself. Don't rush, think about it properly"
Ning Caiyu showed his badge with a dove on it then the other five entered
Tang Xilong said "When you're done, wait by the entrance until everyone's done"
They all agreed and went their respective ways then Tang Xie'er pulled Xia Qianyu back all of a sudden and dragged him to Defend class
Because of a delay, they finished late at almost midnight then they all met at the entrance and went out together
When they went out, there weren't that many people outside again but they couldn't find Ning Caiyu
Tang Xilong's face turned incredibly dark then Xia Qianyu said "M-maybe he went to answer n-nature's call"
Tang Xie'er quickly said "Xi'an and Xiaomi, both of you search on the left side of the building and keep searching for the next kilometer. Qianyu, we'll search for him on the right side. Xi Gege, just wait here. Maybe he just went to answer nature's call"
Tang Xilong looked at him and nodded then he stood at the edge of the steps. The four went searching while Tang Xilong waited
Half an hour later, Tang Xi'an and Tang Xiaomi came back alone meaning they didn't find Ning Caiyu. Tang Xie'er and Xia Qianyu also came back with no signs of him.
Tang Xilong's face relaxed and started going down the steps calmly "Maybe he had to go back to the residence. Let's go, it's nothing to worry about"
The other four nodded and followed him
When they got to the gate, Tang Xilong stopped and stood rooted. After a moment of silence, Tang Xie'er took a deep breath and was about to open it when Lian Jiayi came and opened it while saying "What's with all the waiting out here you guys?"
Xia Qianyu asked as they entered "Hey, Jiayi, why are you just arriving?"
Lian Jiayi laughed as he dropped a patch of herbs on the table "Who told you I just arrived? When I came back, no one was here. So I took a bath and realized my back was sore so I hurried to the Medicine Hall to get some herbs for it. They didn't take long and on my way back I saw a pretty lady and tried to chat with her. She snubbed me and I was coming back sadly. Then she suddenly called me back and we had a nice chat by Feihua Pavilion. Lucky me, a girl finally talked to me without being disgusted by my looks"
Tang Xilong searched the rooms but no one was in any of them and turned to face Lian Jiayi who said "Zhuqu and Shulin are always absent. Zhuqu is usually seen in the early wee hours of the morning and throughout the afternoon but Shulin is seen here once every two days"
Tang Xi'an asked "Have you seen Caiyu Ge?"
Lian Jiayi was puzzled "I thought he was with you guys"
Tang Xie'er explained the whole ordeal to Lian Jiayi who panicked and said "He has definitely been kidnapped! Damnit, I told him to never go or stay anywhere alone since that incident. It happened again!"
Xia Qianyu asked curiously "He's been kidnapped before?"
Lian Jiayi shook his head "The first month we got here, there was an assassination attempt but it failed then a few months after that, an attempt at kidnapping but the culprit got away even when the elders took chase. Then the last one where he was left in the forest but got back safely cause of you guys. His life has been so battered since he got here. Others see him as useless and a walking danger so not many people interact with him and he gets bullied too"
Tang Xilong's face darkened and his aura increased bit by bit. Xia Qianyu and Lian Jiayi felt it then they looked towards him and Tang Xie'er realized Tang Xilong was going out of control. Then he quickly tapped his shoulder and shook his head so Tang Xilong had to calm down
Lian Jiayi asked with a lot of confusion "What level are you, Tang Xilong?"
Tang Xilong didn't answer and said "Doesn't matter. Finding Ning Caiyu is more important"
When Lian Jiayi wanted to ask again, Xia Qianyu made him sit then he sat opposite "Do you know anyone or anything that might get us to him?"
Lian Jiayi wallowed his head on the table "How do you expect me to know? I'm not some detect- oh I think I know someone"
Lian Jiayi ran out the gate without saying anything else
Tang Xilong said to Tang Xiaomi "Mimi, you said to me and you are one soul, right?"
Tang Xiaomi nodded "Yes, everything you've seen and heard, I have seen and heard. All your memories are mine and mine are yours. But I can only see and hear what you see and hear if you let me. And I can only see your memories if you let me. But you can get mine any time"
Tang Xilong then said "Good, I'll go call Elder Yin, we might need her help on this one. You stay here and tell me who Lian Jiayi brings, okay?"
Tang Xiaomi nodded and Tang Xilong left with the wind
Lian Jiayi came back a few minutes later alongside a girl with dull purple hair and muave eyes wearing mint green robe and a dove badge on her waist
Lian Jiayi introduced her "This is Xian Mumei, our ex-roommate"
Xian Mumei greeted them politely and said "Hello, everyone, you can call me Mumei or Meimei"
Xia Qianyu asked "No offense but Jiayi, why'd you bring her?"
Lian Jiayi cleared his throat "Although her looks are nothing noteworthy- Ow!"
Xian Mumei had slapped the back of his neck "Say that again"
Lian Jiayi rubbed his nape and painfully said "At least let me finish my sentence"
Xian Mumei folded her hands "Go on"
Lian Jiayi moved a few steps away from her and she rolled her eyes "Even though her looks are poor, her brain is very rich..err I mean she's very smart, she should be able to point out some clues to help us find Caiyu"
Xian Mumei exclaimed "That fool is missing again!? I thought he just got back?"
Tang Xiaomi said with a pout "Don't call Yu Gege a fool, you creepy girl"
Tang Xi'an quickly covered her mouth "Xiaomi, she's here to help, don't say your thoughts out loud"
Xian Mumei got offended and said "So what if I call him a fool huh! He's a dummy and bastard too! He is ranked at the bottom in class and we're supports for goodness' sake! He's senseless and useless and can't get anything straight! And you're a bastard for telling me not to call him a fool!"
Tang Xie'er and Tang Xi'an were stunned then fury lit up in their eyes. Lian Jiayi sensed the tension in the air and started sweating
Tang Xiaomi had tears in her eyes as she removed Tang Xi'an's hand and shouted "Xi Gege!!"
In an instant, a silhouette landed in front of Xian Mumei who was shocked and stumbled back
The silhouette rose up and glared daggers at Xian Mumei who was shaking "W-who are you?"
Lian Jiayi recognized the person and quickly bent down and hid his face
The silhouette didn't answer Xian Mumei and turned to stare at Lian Jiayi who felt the stare on him and shakily stood up
Tang Xilong spoke harshly "You should know what to do"
Lian Jiayi nodded and pulled Xian Mumei out, she struggled "Let me go! Lian Jiayi! Let go of me!"
But Lian Jiayi kept a firm hold on her and took her out.
Kun Qiling also arrived at that moment and saw that then walked in and asked Xia Qianyu "What happened here?"
Xia Qianyu immediately bowed "Elder Kun!"
The others too followed except Tang Xilong and Tang Xiaomi
Kun Qiling noticed but didn't say anything
Lian Jiayi and Xian Mumei who were outside heard nothing as Tang Xie'er already closed the gate when Kun Qiling entered
Lian Jiayi let go of her and said "Mumei, sorry for disturbing you at this time but you should go back!"
Xian Mumei flung her sleeves angrily and humphed "I'll see how you find him without my help!"
When she finally left, Lian Jiayi entered and closed the gate
When Lian Jiayi entered, Tang Xilong brought out a red compass and said "This compass was given to me by Elder Yin. It should lead us straight to him. But I need someone to stay here just in case it doesn't work"
Lian Jiayi quickly volunteered "I'll stay, I'll stay, it's more probable for me to stay. I'm afraid of dangers"
Tang Xilong nodded then Tang Xie'er said "Xia Qianyu and the girls should stay back too"
Tang Xie'er, Tang Xilong and Kun Qiling were about to leave when Xia Qianyu quickly said "Hey, w-why can't I go?"
Tang Xi'an spoke up gently "I also want to help and the more the merrier, if we all work together, we might find Yu Gege faster"
Tang Xiaomi said "I want to help search for Yu Gege too! He could be in grave danger!"
Tang Xilong quickly knocked Xia Qianyu out and asked the others "Any more objections?"
The rest including Lian Jiayi quickly shook their heads like a rattle drum and the trio left without wasting any more time
When they left, Lian Jiayi paced up and down worriedly while fidgeting his hands and biting his nails
Tang Xi'an had to speak up after she and Tang Xiaomi sat down "Lian Xiansheng, calm down. You should trust Xi Gege"
(Xiansheng is an honorific term meaning Mr)
Lian Jiayi sat down and said "How can I trust Tang Xilong when I am only meeting him for the first time today. He was with you guys and Caiyu still got kidnapped"
Tang Xi'an said "Well, technically it wasn't our fault, it's the sect's rules' fault. If the rules were not to never enter after picking a class, Yu Gege wouldn't be apart from us"
Lian Jiayi then leaned closer and whispered "How did Tang Xilong make that compass and how is he so sure it is accurate?"
Tang Xi'an shrugged and Tang Xiaomi shook her head
Lian Jiayi faced Tang Xiaomi with his chin propped up on his palm "Tang Xiaomi, right? Why do you act like a four year old sometimes?"
Tang Xiaomi raised her head "So if I was thirty, I have to act like a thirty years old??"
Lian Jiayi nodded "That's right. Theoretically, that's how things should be"
Tang Xiaomi folded her arms and pouted "Xi Jie, do you know how to knock someone out. A fly's disturbing me here"
Lian Jiayi moved back and covered his mouth "I'll be silent, I'll be silent"
Tang Xie'er asked Tang Xilong as they followed the direction the compass pointed towards "Xi Gege, I trust you but are you sure this compass will work?"
Tang Xilong glanced towards Kun Qiling "Am not sure"
(flashback(
Tang Xilong rushed with great speed towards the building Yin Yunyang took them to and realized it was the disciplinary hall. The doors were already locked so he had to scale up the wall and went into the top floor through the window
The silhouette who was inside shouted "Who is that!"
Tang Xilong heard the voice and said "You're not Elder Yin. You're the other person from this morning"
Kun Qiling quickly wore an outer robe and said with a moody face "Of course I am not Elder Yin. She is a core elder, why would she be here? Do you have any explanation for why you broke into my room at this time of the night!?"
Tang Xilong was about to leave when she pulled him back "Don't think you can come and go in the disciplinary hall as you wish!"
Tang Xilong glared at her and spoke with gritted teeth "My friend has been kidnapped and I have to search for him"
Kun Qiling let go of him and went back to her bedside to bring something then gave it to him
Tang Xilong collected both "What are these?"
Kun Qiling said "Elder Yin gave them to me this evening and said something about a possible attack this night on one of her disciples. The two compasses are one time use, one is for you and the second is for the other one. To find you when you get missing"
Kun Qiling closed the window "I'll go with you but let's use a more conventional way. Going up and down a window meters high is too barbaric no matter how rushed you are"
Tang Xilong asked suspiciously as they made their way out "How did she know that one of us would be missing?"
Kun Qiling shrugged "You would have to ask her when next you meet again"
)end of flashback)
Present time..