The other two young people, both around twenty, also looked completely calm. They didn't seem the least bit embarrassed about being discovered.
"You have a sharp Spiritual Sense." A tall, thin young man looked at Xu Luo and said, "My name is Xiahou Changyou."
"Lu Yu," the girl of eighteen or nineteen said.
"Tantai Mingmei." The third young man, who was quite handsome, wore a faint smile. A closer look, however, revealed no mirth in his eyes; the smile seemed to be nothing more than a polite habit.
'Tantai Mingmei... what a strange name,' Xu Luo muttered to himself. He then gestured for the three of them to come inside, letting them into his dormitory.
The three of them didn't stand on ceremony. They came in, found their own seats, and watched as Xu Luo began to brew tea.
"As expected of a nobleman's son. Even your skill with the tea ceremony is so refined," the young woman, Lu Yu, said with a smile. "No wonder the Seventh Princess likes you."
Xu Luo smiled faintly. Just as he was about to speak, Xiahou Changyou suddenly cut in, "If she enters a sect, I'm afraid you'll lose your chance. You should stop her from joining."
Tantai Mingmei nodded in agreement. "That's right. The Seventh Princess is a peerless beauty and exceptionally intelligent, but she has no understanding of what sects are truly like. Otherwise, I doubt she would be so eager to join one."
Xu Luo poured tea for the three of them and asked with a smile, "Are you three seniors from a sect, by any chance?"
"A sect?" Lu Yu and the other two smiled and shook their heads. Lu Yu said, "We're not from any sect."
Tantai Mingmei said, "We just happen to know a little about them."
Xiahou Changyou chuckled. "The tyranny of the sects is beyond your imagination. A woman like the Seventh Princess... once she goes in, there's no way she'll be let out easily."
"I trust her," Xu Luo said flatly, unwilling to discuss the Seventh Princess any further.
In his heart, Xu Luo had no fondness for sects. His mother's sect, Phoenix's sect, and now Qiqi's sect... these aloof Hidden Sects looked down on the world from their lofty perches, their very bones filled with contempt for the common person.
'Sooner or later, I'll have to deal with these sects,' Xu Luo thought. 'If they dare to keep Qiqi from leaving, I'll just have to take her back by force.'
Lu Yu and the others simply chalked up Xu Luo's confidence to youthful ignorance, so they didn't press the matter.
After finishing their tea, they took their leave one by one.
Tantai Mingmei was the last to leave. As Xu Luo saw him to the gate of the small courtyard, the handsome senior gave him a meaningful look and said, "Junior, you have great talent hidden within you. In truth, the sects aren't all they're cracked up to be. There's nothing to be afraid of."
Xu Luo smiled. "Thank you for the encouragement, senior!"
He turned and went back to his room. Just as he finished packing and was about to leave, another unexpected guest arrived at his courtyard.
This time, it was Headmaster Zhou Liang, whom he hadn't seen in a long while.
"Hey, young man, aren't you going to invite me in for a cup of tea?" The Headmaster was all smiles as he looked at Xu Luo.
"I'm starting to feel like you're one of these 'unexpected guests'..." Xu Luo muttered, but he invited the Headmaster into his dormitory.
"You rascal, didn't you just entertain three other unexpected guests? What's one more?" Zhou Liang said meaningfully.
"Oh? As expected of the Headmaster, nothing escapes your notice," Xu Luo said.
"Stop teasing me, you brat. I just happened to see them leaving as I arrived. I don't have time to keep an eye on you all day."
"Headmaster, do you know where those three come from?" Xu Luo was rather curious about the identities of Lu Yu, Xiahou Changyou, and Tantai Mingmei.
"Those three youngsters? I'm not sure. Their talent is excellent, so they might be from some major sect, out gaining experience," Zhou Liang said with a shrug. "As you know, True Martial Academy never pries into one's background. We even welcome young people from the Da Han Empire."
"You really are magnanimous," Xu Luo said, a smile playing on his lips. The Da Han Empire... wasn't that the very same country the Headmaster had thrown into chaos with his thousand-mile raid all those years ago?
And now, the Da Han Empire was also the most restless nation.
"I came to see you today to tell you something, and you'd best be mentally prepared for it." Zhou Liang ignored Xu Luo's teasing and said with a grave expression, "After the new year, a large group of you young students may have to leave the academy early and enlist in the army. I'm here to ask your thoughts. After all, you're currently the only male of the Xu Family left at home. If you're unwilling, I won't force you."
"Leave the academy early and enlist in the army?" Xu Luo looked up in surprise at Zhou Liang. "Is something wrong at the front lines?"
"The Da Han Empire recently reinforced its border with three hundred thousand troops. In the south, the Great Yan Empire has also added two hundred thousand soldiers to its border garrisons. At the same time, harassment from other smaller kingdoms along our borders has grown more frequent."
Zhou Liang said grimly, "The consequences of the failed Star Festival are finally coming to a head. War... could break out at any moment. Our Cangqiong Kingdom has been peaceful for too many years. Even the mightiest empire has its day of decline, and our job now is to postpone that day for as long as we can."
"So... this is also an opportunity for young people to win glory and make a name for themselves, right?" Xu Luo finished Zhou Liang's thought.
"Heh, that's not an incorrect way to see it. In fact, that's likely what all the great families in the Imperial Capital are thinking."
Zhou Liang looked at Xu Luo and said sternly, "War is no game. It's fine to go to the battlefield hoping to win glory. But if you treat it as a simple tour to gild your reputation... you'll find it's a futile effort. In the end, you might just leave your life behind on the battlefield."
Xu Luo nodded. "I understand. I promise you, I'll go to the front lines in one piece, and I'll come back in one piece."
Zhou Liang smiled. "As expected of a son of the Xu Family. No cowards among you. To be honest, I'm quite curious myself. You're the young man who's given us countless surprises in just half a year... how long can you keep it up?"
"A long time, I hope..." Xu Luo mumbled, sounding a little unsure himself.
"Ah, it's great to be young!" Zhou Liang chuckled, then suddenly pulled a token from his robes and tossed it to Xu Luo. "This time, you and some others will be heading to the Southern front. This token is a personal seal of mine. If you truly run into an insurmountable obstacle, take this token and find General Yuwen Shentong. He will help you."
"Why not General Xu Zhongtian?" The moment Xu Luo heard he was being sent to the Southern front, and not to the north where his father and older brother were, he understood the intentions of those in power.
Three generals from the same family, all gathered in one place—it was a politically sensitive situation that would make people uneasy.
Even Xu Su, despite being stationed in the north, was not under the direct command of their father, Xu Ji, but served under a different general.
"The region you're being sent to is not the one defended by the Champion Marquis, but the territory of General Yuwen Shentong. The situation there isn't as severe, so for all of you, it will be more of a training exercise.
"Once you get there, you young people who have never seen a battlefield or experienced a war will be on your own. As for this token, if you can avoid using it, then do so." After handing the token to Xu Luo, Zhou Liang stood up to leave.
He stopped Xu Luo from seeing him out. At the door, Zhou Liang turned back to look at Xu Luo one last time and said, "Don't get too close to any of the princes."
"Huh?" Xu Luo froze. By the time he thought to ask why, the Headmaster was already gone.