Chapter 43: Departure
Seventeen days before the New Year, Jiang Hong drove the camper van back home to test it. Everything was normal, all functions working as expected—Lu Xiu had loaded all the supplies, and they were ready to set off.
Jiang's mother inspected the vehicle inside and out, surprisingly a bit tempted, while doubting her son's ability to complete the entire trip, she also encouraged Jiang's father to consider buying a camper van this year.
"We're off," Jiang Hong waved to his parents from the driver's seat, embarking on his first camper van road trip.
Lu Xiu sat in the passenger seat, conscientiously fastening his seatbelt.
"Do dragons need to wear seatbelts too?" Jiang Hong joked.
Lu Xiu: "Otherwise? If you want to get a ticket, I can just not wear it."
Jiang Hong found it amusing, taking a dragon on a road trip was a surreal life experience. He wasn’t worried about breaking down on the road. With Lu Xiu around, even a tow truck was unnecessary. If they accidentally drove into a ditch, Lu Xiu could get the car out, and the deposit for the car was even paid by Lu Xiu.
"Lao Sun!" Jiang Hong called out, "Can you navigate for me? First stop, Chengdu."
Lu Xiu asked, "Can we reach Chengdu tonight?"
"Uh, it's a bit doubtful, it's almost noon. Let's just see how far we get." Jiang Hong glanced at the navigation, placed the Tianmao Genie by the window for a scenic view, shifted into drive, started the vehicle, and off they went.
"This road seems wrong," Jiang Hong remarked, "Are we heading onto the ring road expressway?"
Lu Xiu: "? ?"
At the toll booth.
Jiang Hong: "No, no, it’s right, oh great, we’re on the expressway. Ah, did I scrape something?"
Lu Xiu: "……"
Jiang Hong: "This van is so big, I'm always afraid of hitting something."
Lu Xiu: "………………"
Jiang Hong: "What's the speed limit on this road?"
Lu Xiu: "……………………"
Rest stop.
Jiang Hong: "Should we get out and check? I suspect I might have scraped the BMW parked next to us."
Lu Xiu: "I bought you scratch insurance."
During the first day of the trip, conversations filled with uncertainties like these were common. Lu Xiu, listening from the back, found it hard to watch. Fortunately, Jiang Hong, despite driving such a large vehicle for the first time, managed well under concentrated attention, avoiding any scratches, accidents, and even honks from other vehicles.
Jiang Hong even cooked for Lu Xiu using the induction cooker. Lu Xiu, after watching for a while, asked, "Do you need help?"
Jiang Hong quickly replied: "No need, I’ll take care of you, my lord."
Lu Xiu: "That sounds sarcastic."
Jiang Hong, laughing, said: "No, no, you really are the lord, I never speak sarcastically."
After all, Lu Xiu had paid for almost all the travel expenses. Jiang Hong was determined not to let Lu Xiu do anything and to serve him throughout the trip.
"That statement sounds very sarcastic," Lu Xiu remarked.
Lu Xiu, wearing sunglasses, set up a chair outside the vehicle to bask in the sun. After Jiang Hong finished cooking, they had lunch together. The camper even had a small dishwasher, which felt incredibly luxurious.
At noon, Jiang Hong made the bed and even took a nap, laughing to himself about how fun it was to live in a camper van. Lu Xiu, after watching for a while, joined him on the bed, spending the afternoon playing with his phone.
Because they rested a lot and faced some traffic, they almost didn’t make it to Chengdu on the first day, but they eventually arrived smoothly. Lu Xiu booked a suite in a hotel, as they had agreed: when there were nice hotels along the way, they would stay in them and use the opportunity to charge the vehicle.
The next day, Jiang Hong took Lu Xiu around Chengdu, even taking him to see pandas, mistakenly thinking Lu Xiu would be very interested in such adorable creatures.
Who doesn’t love pandas?
"You don't like them?" Jiang Hong asked Lu Xiu at the panda base, "They are so cute."
Lu Xiu, expressionless, looked at a group of pandas, who also seemed a bit scared of him, huddling together and trembling.
"They're alright," Lu Xiu, as a legendary creature, expressed the top of the food chain's courtesy and indifference towards these precious animals. Eating cheese chips, he glanced at the pandas, "The principal used to have many, I found them too noisy."
"How could they be noisy?" Jiang Hong said, bewildered.
"They're not noisy now, but they become noisy once they turn into spirits," Lu Xiu explained.
"Do we have pandas at our school?" Jiang Hong whispered.
"No," Lu Xiu said, "They can live well by just being cute, no need for school."
The zookeeper said, "Strange, what's with them today? It's not cold, why are they all huddled together?"
Jiang Hong has always loved pandas and bought many souvenirs to share with his roommates when he returns to school. He took Lu Xiu to eat Chengdu's Dan Dan noodles and asked him, "Senior, you actually like pandas, don't you? You just have to maintain your image and can't show it."
Lu Xiu: "Junior, what image do I have? Do tell."
Sensing a hint of threat in his tone, Jiang Hong prudently stopped teasing Lu Xiu.
But he found Lu Xiu quite interesting; he liked eating Chongqing noodles, loved cola, and occasionally snacked on what Jiang Hong bought – a down-to-earth, handsome guy.
Lu Xiu thought for a moment and then said, "I did think about catching one to try, after all, pandas are slow runners."
Jiang Hong: "How can you think of eating pandas?! And they're not that slow when they really run."
Lu Xiu: "For a dragon, that's considered very slow."
Jiang Hong: "Eating a panda is a crime! You must never do that."
Lu Xiu: "That was before the country was established."
Jiang Hong: "Still, it's not right, I'm glad you didn't do it..."
Lu Xiu: "They seem all furry. I don't want to spit out hair, I guess they taste like bears. There must be many wild ones around here, if you're interested later..."
Jiang Hong: "I have no interest in eating a nationally protected animal—!! Thanks for the offer, Senior!"
Coming back to his senses, Jiang Hong noticed a mischievous smile in Lu Xiu's eyes, but it disappeared in an instant.
"You're just teasing me!" Jiang Hong said, "You must be joking!"
Today, leaving Chengdu, they officially started their journey on National Highway 318. It's their first day living in the van. Jiang Hong was relieved they rented a good RV. Lu Xiu paid more than his budget, the van was fully equipped, saving them the trouble of doing laundry and dishes after driving all day.
In the evening, they arrived in Ya'an City. After reporting to his family, Jiang Hong, under the twilight, prepared hot pot in the RV camp parking lot while Lu Xiu sat watching him cook. There were four other RVs, occupied by young couples or families with children. Soon, they all got acquainted and visited each other's vehicles.
"Have you ever thought about dating and settling down?" During dinner, as the temperature dropped, Jiang Hong and Lu Xiu sat under the skylight, eating steaming hot pot.
Lu Xiu: "Huh?"
Ya'an has clear, beautiful nights. Under the skylight, with large windows on both sides, it's like a glass room, with the starry sky twinkling brightly above.
Lu Xiu, a bit guarded, asked, "Why do you suddenly ask that?"
Jiang Hong, having seen families and couples in RVs today, suddenly wondered, "I don't know who the girl destined to be with Yuan Shiyu is. Will it turn out to be me?"
Lu Xiu: "Don't you not believe in that?"
Jiang Hong didn't fully believe, yet partly did, as if seeing the inevitability of fate in Lu Xiu. Yuan Shiyu should have been the one so close to Lu Xiu, but destiny made it him. So, who could be the girl meant for Yuan Shiyu?
But Jiang Hong noticed Lu Xiu didn't want to talk about it, so he didn't continue.
At night, the temperature in Ya'an dropped to zero, feeling even colder in the parking lot. The RV's heater was limited, so Jiang Hong stacked two blankets, huddling close with Lu Xiu.
The bed wasn't spacious, barely enough for two guys, like two dorm beds put together. Lu Xiu slept on the outside, Jiang Hong by the window. Lu Xiu played with his phone for a while, and Jiang Hong, feeling cold, snuggled closer. Lu Xiu then put his arm around him.
"Who?" Jiang Hong saw the light from a WeChat message and asked, "Yuan Shiyu?"
"Your dad!" Lu Xiu, almost exasperated with Jiang Hong, showed his phone to him. Indeed, Jiang's father was subtly inquiring if Jiang Hong encountered any difficulties today.
Jiang Hong turned over: "Ignore him, just say you're asleep."
Lu Xiu: "..."
"Wow," said Jiang Hong, "Sleeping in an RV is so comfortable, much better than a tent."
Late at night, the weather changed abruptly, and winter rain began to fall, wetting the leaves. The distant fog under the parking lot lights was hazy, flickering on and off.
"Thank you, Senior."
Lu Xiu didn't respond.
Jiang Hong: "If it weren't for you, I would feel very lonely going out alone."
Lu Xiu continued playing with his phone, silent, absentmindedly patting Jiang Hong's arm, a gesture of his unique tenderness.
In the drizzling rain, after an unknown amount of time, Jiang Hong saw Cao Bin's avatar in a chat window on Lu Xiu's phone reflected in the car window.
"If there's something at the school," Jiang Hong said, looking out the window absentmindedly, "you can go back first, don't worry about me. Maybe I won't really drive to Tibet, might return halfway."
Lu Xiu still didn't reply, having a brief chat with Cao Bin before putting down his phone.
The inside of the car was quiet. After a while, Lu Xiu suddenly asked, "Jiang Hong, are you asleep?"
Jiang Hong was almost asleep, his eyes half-closed. Hearing the question, he responded, "Huh?"
Lu Xiu seemed to be choosing his words carefully and after a long pause, said, "I refused to energize your heart chakra because I couldn’t, not that I didn’t want to. There are certain restrictions."
"Oh," Jiang Hong had already forgotten about this, and replied, "It's okay, I forgot about it."
Lu Xiu thought for a moment, then added, "Cao Bin agreed to energize you. Do you mind?"
"Really?" Jiang Hong, struggling to keep his eyes open, perked up and said, "Sure, the principal practices physical arts, and I can learn from him... If it’s from the same source, it should be good, right?"
Lu Xiu was silent for a long time before saying, "Cao Bin will live a long time, he's very skilled, one of the few S-class exorcists. He shouldn’t be in any life-threatening danger."
"He's definitely going to outlive me, a mere mortal," Jiang Hong mumbled half-asleep. His thoughts began to wander. In the World Exploration class, the teacher had mentioned that exorcists who practice magic and absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth do live much longer than ordinary people. Documented records show that the longest-lived can reach over two hundred years. Although not as long-lived as demons, many exorcists could qualify for the Guinness World Records as long as they don’t court death.
"Ah, I'm so envious of you guys," Jiang Hong said, "everyone can live so long and experience so many interesting things. Even a Tianmao genie can live for over a thousand years..."
The Tianmao genie quietly stayed in the driver's cabin. With Lu Xiu around, Lao Sun was very tactful, knowing this was someone he couldn’t afford to offend. Apart from helping Jiang Hong navigate, he didn't speak unnecessarily to avoid annoyance.
"So, should I reply to him?" Lu Xiu asked again.
Jiang Hong, in his sleep, hummed a response and fell asleep, completing the first day of their official journey together.
The next day, Lu Xiu made breakfast. When Jiang Hong woke up, the sun was shining brilliantly, and he felt refreshed and energized.
Lu Xiu's breakfast was flying saucer fried noodles and instant soup... but Jiang Hong was not picky and was just happy to have food.
"Alright, today we head to Kangding!" Jiang Hong declared.
Lu Xiu, putting on his sunglasses, said, "I can’t cook well, sorry for the inconvenience."
"Not at all." Jiang Hong chuckled happily, turning the steering wheel. All the other travelers had gone, leaving just the two of them. Singing the Kangding Love Song, Jiang Hong drove on the frost-covered road.
Lu Xiu's tolerance threshold for Jiang Hong was always high, including but not limited to his cold jokes, silly questions, and the endlessly looping Kangding Love Song during the trip.
"Rest anytime you feel tired," Lu Xiu said.
"I'm not tired," Jiang Hong glanced at the road and then at Lu Xiu, casually touching Lu Xiu's thigh like an experienced driver, saying, "We're only covering less than two hundred kilometers a day."
Lu Xiu: "……"
"Give me some," Jiang Hong opened his mouth. He noticed that Lu Xiu was always eating but never gained weight. Now, Lu Xiu was eating a mixed fruit can. Perhaps dragons, even in human form, needed a lot of energy to maintain themselves, with high basal consumption rates.
Lu Xiu fed Jiang Hong canned fruit, and Jiang Hong asked, “Why can't you channel energy into my heart chakra?”
Lu Xiu thought Jiang Hong had forgotten what he said last night but realized he still remembered.
"I can't tell you," said Lu Xiu. "Don't ask anymore, I won't say."
Jiang Hong then asked, "What about an S-rank demon hunter? How is that evaluated?"
This was of no concern, but Lu Xiu replied, "Are you sure you want to hang out and still have to make up classes?"
Jiang Hong said, "I'm just curious."
Driving on the road can easily lead to drowsiness and distraction. After getting on the highway, when there were fewer cars and the road conditions were simple, Jiang Hong would chat with Lu Xiu. Lu Xiu then answered, "Actually, it's not called S-rank, it's just what everyone calls it. The correct term is 'Special Grade'."
"Oh, how many levels are there for a demon hunter?" asked Jiang Hong. "Has this ranking system always existed?"
"Five levels," Lu Xiu said. "Special Grade Demon Hunter, First Grade Demon Hunter, Second Grade, Trainee Demon Hunter, and Auxiliary Demon Hunter."
Remembering what his roommate had said about the undergraduates of Cangqiong University being able to advance directly to Second Grade upon graduation, Jiang Hong asked, "Is the treatment different?"
"The treatment is more or less the same," said Lu Xiu. "Registered demon hunters don't have a base salary, but the higher the level, the more assignments and assistance requests they get, and the higher the compensation."
"So, is Auxiliary the lowest?" Jiang Hong asked again. "Is it lower than a Trainee?"
Lu Xiu replied, "No, those are administrative and financial positions. You'll be briefed on these during your senior year streaming."
"Oh—" said Jiang Hong, "what level are you?"
Lu Xiu: "First Grade."
"Wow, why aren't you Special Grade?"
"I didn't take the exam."
"Is it difficult to become a Special Grade?"
"I don't know."
"Then, is it difficult to become a First Grade?"
"It wasn't hard for me," implied Lu Xiu, suggesting that it might be a different story for others.
Jiang Hong didn't have much ambition; after all, he wasn't even sure if he would become a demon hunter after graduation. What else could he do if not that? Maybe he still wanted to be a demon hunter... but the future felt too distant, especially since he was only a freshman.
"Are there few Special Grades?" Jiang Hong asked again.
"Only eight in total," Lu Xiu answered, "Four from the Demon Hunter Commission and four from Cangqiong University."
"Wow!" exclaimed Jiang Hong, "President Cao is an S-rank demon hunter, you said. Let me guess, who else is S? Is it Professor Xie Liao?"
Lu Xiu: "He's far from it. I could crush him with one finger."
Jiang Hong: "...That's not a nice thing to say about a colleague."
Lu Xiu: "Those are his own words."
Jiang Hong: "..."
"What about Professor Zhu?" Jiang Hong asked next.
"No," Lu Xiu's relationship with Zhu Jinling was relatively good, so his comment was a bit milder, "She's only good at divination, nothing else."
Jiang Hong: "What are the requirements for becoming a Special Grade?"
Lu Xiu: "Pass the review of the Demon Hunter Commission's core executive committee. There are no specific criteria."
"Ah!" Jiang Hong remembered and said, "Principal Xiang Cheng must be an S."
"Yes," Lu Xiu said expressionlessly, opening another pack of barbecue-flavored chips and casually feeding them to Jiang Hong, who thought to himself that they needed to restock snacks in Kangding; at this rate, they would run out of snacks before leaving Sichuan, all eaten by Lu Xiu.
"Ge Gen Tuorukeda is S-rank," Lu Xiu finally said, "and Director Xuan Hezhi."
"Director Xuan is S-rank?" Jiang Hong was shocked. It was completely unexpected.
"Yes," Lu Xiu said, "Those are the four from Cangqiong University. The other four from the Demon Hunter Commission are..."
"The big boss must be one, right?" Jiang Hong said.
Many students called Chen Zhen the big boss, and it seemed the demon hunters were used to this nickname. Jiang Hong started using it too, which gave him a sense of belonging.
"Yes," answered Lu Xiu, "He's a great demon hunter, definitely an S."
"What about An Jie and that Dou Kuan?" Jiang Hong was not very familiar with the Demon Hunter Commission, only remembering the high-ranking young man he had met last time, who was in his twenties, and Dou Kuan, who had spoken at the opening ceremony and was responsible for internet demon-catching.
"Wang Anjie is," Lu Xiu replied, "Dou Kuan is not."
Jiang Hong asked, "So, who are the other two?"
"One is named Qi Wei," Lu Xiu said, "He's not in the country, went to Malaysia. Originally, another S-rank demon hunter was Zhou Wanyuan, but she married a Frenchman and transferred her organizational affiliation, retiring from here. Her vacancy was filled by someone else. The last S-rank I've never met, his name is Fang Yifeng."
"Sounds familiar," said Jiang Hong.
"Fang Yilan's brother," Lu Xiu said, "transferred to the Shanghai Demon Hunter Commission. You remember Fang Yilan? The one who spoke at the opening ceremony, the director responsible for your complaints, the one with his eyes covered in cloth."
Jiang Hong remembered and said, "These S-rank demon hunters, they all have their own unique skills, right?"
"Something like that," Lu Xiu answered casually. As a dragon, he always held reservations about human capabilities.
Amidst the endless loop of Jiang Hong's bizarre version of "Kangding Love Song," they finally arrived in Kangding. Lu Xiu asked, "Shall we cook ourselves tonight?"
"Shall we go out to eat?" Jiang Hong was eager to try the local specialties in Kangding, like the cold noodles and mutton soup, and to restock on snacks and drinks, as well as recharge the car.
Both Jiang Hong and Lu Xiu were very handsome, which naturally made their journey pleasant as they received good treatment and hardly had any arguments with others. Lu Xiu was quite generous, after all, money was of little concern to a dragon who had lived for over a hundred years.
Kangding's city area was small; a walk around the Zeduo River was all it took to explore it. After reporting to their families in the evening and taking a bath, Jiang Hong joined a group video call with his roommates, who were incredibly envious to hear about his road trip.
"Uh, Teacher Lu is also here." Zhang Xiting immediately became much more behaved and didn't dare to joke around.
"Hello, Teacher," all the roommates greeted.
Jin added, "I'll have your class next semester, please take care of me."
Jiang Hong: "You have his class next semester?"
Lu Xiu: "Only for the demon race, teaching inner alchemy cultivation and application, not for you."
Jiang Hong was curious to see what Lu Xiu was like when teaching a large class, as he had never seen him teach many students before. The flattery from Jin and He Jian was almost unbearable for Jiang Hong.
He Jian said, "Teacher Lu, could I ask you for a favor? I'm in big trouble..."
Lu Xiu, with his hair still wet, looked expressionlessly at He Jian, who pleaded, "Could you please speak to Teacher Li from the public course for me... I think I failed the moral education class for demons."
Lu Xiu: "You have something called morals?"
Jiang Hong: "..."
Lu Xiu, considering that He Jian was Jiang Hong's roommate, sent a message to the teacher of the moral education class for demons. After a moment, he said to He Jian, "You missed a roll call during a skipped class and got a 59."
He Jian immediately said, "I really only skipped that one time!"
Lu Xiu: "Don't skip public classes next semester, I've pleaded on your behalf."
He Jian was overjoyed, feeling immensely grateful; otherwise, his family would have been furious to know he failed a course.
Of course, all this was thanks to Jiang Hong, so He Jian kept thanking him profusely.
"Huh," said Jiang Hong, "I think I also skipped a class and was called out, but nothing happened to me, I scored over 80."
"They're taking Demon Race's Moral and Ethical Education," Lu Xiu said while making the bed, "which is different from the Human Race's. It's more strict. Humans have been receiving moral education since childhood, but it's not emphasized much in demon families, so it's enforced more in university."
"Oh right," Jiang Hong remembered, "the classes are separate. What do they learn? Have you taken it too?"
"Not to eat people," Lu Xiu said, "not to bully humans, not to use humans for alchemy, not to absorb human essence... basically, that's it. It's all from textbooks written by humans. Let's sleep, we have to drive tomorrow."
Jiang Hong changed into his pajamas, got under the covers, and lay next to Lu Xiu, who instinctively extended his arm for Jiang Hong to rest on. That night, their parking spot was by the Zeduo River. Despite being winter, the river was still strong and flowing, and Jiang Hong fell asleep comfortably to the sound of the rushing water.
In his sleep, Jiang Hong reached out and touched something, opened his eyes for a moment, and saw the red thread wrapped around Lu Xiu's wrist, from when he had returned his dragon scale.
Chapter 43: Departure
Seventeen days before the New Year, Jiang Hong drove the camper van back home to test it. Everything was normal, all functions working as expected—Lu Xiu had loaded all the supplies, and they were ready to set off.
Jiang's mother inspected the vehicle inside and out, surprisingly a bit tempted, while doubting her son's ability to complete the entire trip, she also encouraged Jiang's father to consider buying a camper van this year.
"We're off," Jiang Hong waved to his parents from the driver's seat, embarking on his first camper van road trip.
Lu Xiu sat in the passenger seat, conscientiously fastening his seatbelt.
"Do dragons need to wear seatbelts too?" Jiang Hong joked.
Lu Xiu: "Otherwise? If you want to get a ticket, I can just not wear it."
Jiang Hong found it amusing, taking a dragon on a road trip was a surreal life experience. He wasn’t worried about breaking down on the road. With Lu Xiu around, even a tow truck was unnecessary. If they accidentally drove into a ditch, Lu Xiu could get the car out, and the deposit for the car was even paid by Lu Xiu.
"Lao Sun!" Jiang Hong called out, "Can you navigate for me? First stop, Chengdu."
Lu Xiu asked, "Can we reach Chengdu tonight?"
"Uh, it's a bit doubtful, it's almost noon. Let's just see how far we get." Jiang Hong glanced at the navigation, placed the Tianmao Genie by the window for a scenic view, shifted into drive, started the vehicle, and off they went.
"This road seems wrong," Jiang Hong remarked, "Are we heading onto the ring road expressway?"
Lu Xiu: "? ?"
At the toll booth.
Jiang Hong: "No, no, it’s right, oh great, we’re on the expressway. Ah, did I scrape something?"
Lu Xiu: "……"
Jiang Hong: "This van is so big, I'm always afraid of hitting something."
Lu Xiu: "………………"
Jiang Hong: "What's the speed limit on this road?"
Lu Xiu: "……………………"
Rest stop.
Jiang Hong: "Should we get out and check? I suspect I might have scraped the BMW parked next to us."
Lu Xiu: "I bought you scratch insurance."
During the first day of the trip, conversations filled with uncertainties like these were common. Lu Xiu, listening from the back, found it hard to watch. Fortunately, Jiang Hong, despite driving such a large vehicle for the first time, managed well under concentrated attention, avoiding any scratches, accidents, and even honks from other vehicles.
Jiang Hong even cooked for Lu Xiu using the induction cooker. Lu Xiu, after watching for a while, asked, "Do you need help?"
Jiang Hong quickly replied: "No need, I’ll take care of you, my lord."
Lu Xiu: "That sounds sarcastic."
Jiang Hong, laughing, said: "No, no, you really are the lord, I never speak sarcastically."
After all, Lu Xiu had paid for almost all the travel expenses. Jiang Hong was determined not to let Lu Xiu do anything and to serve him throughout the trip.
"That statement sounds very sarcastic," Lu Xiu remarked.
Lu Xiu, wearing sunglasses, set up a chair outside the vehicle to bask in the sun. After Jiang Hong finished cooking, they had lunch together. The camper even had a small dishwasher, which felt incredibly luxurious.
At noon, Jiang Hong made the bed and even took a nap, laughing to himself about how fun it was to live in a camper van. Lu Xiu, after watching for a while, joined him on the bed, spending the afternoon playing with his phone.
Because they rested a lot and faced some traffic, they almost didn’t make it to Chengdu on the first day, but they eventually arrived smoothly. Lu Xiu booked a suite in a hotel, as they had agreed: when there were nice hotels along the way, they would stay in them and use the opportunity to charge the vehicle.
The next day, Jiang Hong took Lu Xiu around Chengdu, even taking him to see pandas, mistakenly thinking Lu Xiu would be very interested in such adorable creatures.
Who doesn’t love pandas?
"You don't like them?" Jiang Hong asked Lu Xiu at the panda base, "They are so cute."
Lu Xiu, expressionless, looked at a group of pandas, who also seemed a bit scared of him, huddling together and trembling.
"They're alright," Lu Xiu, as a legendary creature, expressed the top of the food chain's courtesy and indifference towards these precious animals. Eating cheese chips, he glanced at the pandas, "The principal used to have many, I found them too noisy."
"How could they be noisy?" Jiang Hong said, bewildered.
"They're not noisy now, but they become noisy once they turn into spirits," Lu Xiu explained.
"Do we have pandas at our school?" Jiang Hong whispered.
"No," Lu Xiu said, "They can live well by just being cute, no need for school."
The zookeeper said, "Strange, what's with them today? It's not cold, why are they all huddled together?"
Jiang Hong has always loved pandas and bought many souvenirs to share with his roommates when he returns to school. He took Lu Xiu to eat Chengdu's Dan Dan noodles and asked him, "Senior, you actually like pandas, don't you? You just have to maintain your image and can't show it."
Lu Xiu: "Junior, what image do I have? Do tell."
Sensing a hint of threat in his tone, Jiang Hong prudently stopped teasing Lu Xiu.
But he found Lu Xiu quite interesting; he liked eating Chongqing noodles, loved cola, and occasionally snacked on what Jiang Hong bought – a down-to-earth, handsome guy.
Lu Xiu thought for a moment and then said, "I did think about catching one to try, after all, pandas are slow runners."
Jiang Hong: "How can you think of eating pandas?! And they're not that slow when they really run."
Lu Xiu: "For a dragon, that's considered very slow."
Jiang Hong: "Eating a panda is a crime! You must never do that."
Lu Xiu: "That was before the country was established."
Jiang Hong: "Still, it's not right, I'm glad you didn't do it..."
Lu Xiu: "They seem all furry. I don't want to spit out hair, I guess they taste like bears. There must be many wild ones around here, if you're interested later..."
Jiang Hong: "I have no interest in eating a nationally protected animal—!! Thanks for the offer, Senior!"
Coming back to his senses, Jiang Hong noticed a mischievous smile in Lu Xiu's eyes, but it disappeared in an instant.
"You're just teasing me!" Jiang Hong said, "You must be joking!"
Today, leaving Chengdu, they officially started their journey on National Highway 318. It's their first day living in the van. Jiang Hong was relieved they rented a good RV. Lu Xiu paid more than his budget, the van was fully equipped, saving them the trouble of doing laundry and dishes after driving all day.
In the evening, they arrived in Ya'an City. After reporting to his family, Jiang Hong, under the twilight, prepared hot pot in the RV camp parking lot while Lu Xiu sat watching him cook. There were four other RVs, occupied by young couples or families with children. Soon, they all got acquainted and visited each other's vehicles.
"Have you ever thought about dating and settling down?" During dinner, as the temperature dropped, Jiang Hong and Lu Xiu sat under the skylight, eating steaming hot pot.
Lu Xiu: "Huh?"
Ya'an has clear, beautiful nights. Under the skylight, with large windows on both sides, it's like a glass room, with the starry sky twinkling brightly above.
Lu Xiu, a bit guarded, asked, "Why do you suddenly ask that?"
Jiang Hong, having seen families and couples in RVs today, suddenly wondered, "I don't know who the girl destined to be with Yuan Shiyu is. Will it turn out to be me?"
Lu Xiu: "Don't you not believe in that?"
Jiang Hong didn't fully believe, yet partly did, as if seeing the inevitability of fate in Lu Xiu. Yuan Shiyu should have been the one so close to Lu Xiu, but destiny made it him. So, who could be the girl meant for Yuan Shiyu?
But Jiang Hong noticed Lu Xiu didn't want to talk about it, so he didn't continue.
At night, the temperature in Ya'an dropped to zero, feeling even colder in the parking lot. The RV's heater was limited, so Jiang Hong stacked two blankets, huddling close with Lu Xiu.
The bed wasn't spacious, barely enough for two guys, like two dorm beds put together. Lu Xiu slept on the outside, Jiang Hong by the window. Lu Xiu played with his phone for a while, and Jiang Hong, feeling cold, snuggled closer. Lu Xiu then put his arm around him.
"Who?" Jiang Hong saw the light from a WeChat message and asked, "Yuan Shiyu?"
"Your dad!" Lu Xiu, almost exasperated with Jiang Hong, showed his phone to him. Indeed, Jiang's father was subtly inquiring if Jiang Hong encountered any difficulties today.
Jiang Hong turned over: "Ignore him, just say you're asleep."
Lu Xiu: "..."
"Wow," said Jiang Hong, "Sleeping in an RV is so comfortable, much better than a tent."
Late at night, the weather changed abruptly, and winter rain began to fall, wetting the leaves. The distant fog under the parking lot lights was hazy, flickering on and off.
"Thank you, Senior."
Lu Xiu didn't respond.
Jiang Hong: "If it weren't for you, I would feel very lonely going out alone."
Lu Xiu continued playing with his phone, silent, absentmindedly patting Jiang Hong's arm, a gesture of his unique tenderness.
In the drizzling rain, after an unknown amount of time, Jiang Hong saw Cao Bin's avatar in a chat window on Lu Xiu's phone reflected in the car window.
"If there's something at the school," Jiang Hong said, looking out the window absentmindedly, "you can go back first, don't worry about me. Maybe I won't really drive to Tibet, might return halfway."
Lu Xiu still didn't reply, having a brief chat with Cao Bin before putting down his phone.
The inside of the car was quiet. After a while, Lu Xiu suddenly asked, "Jiang Hong, are you asleep?"
Jiang Hong was almost asleep, his eyes half-closed. Hearing the question, he responded, "Huh?"
Lu Xiu seemed to be choosing his words carefully and after a long pause, said, "I refused to energize your heart chakra because I couldn’t, not that I didn’t want to. There are certain restrictions."
"Oh," Jiang Hong had already forgotten about this, and replied, "It's okay, I forgot about it."
Lu Xiu thought for a moment, then added, "Cao Bin agreed to energize you. Do you mind?"
"Really?" Jiang Hong, struggling to keep his eyes open, perked up and said, "Sure, the principal practices physical arts, and I can learn from him... If it’s from the same source, it should be good, right?"
Lu Xiu was silent for a long time before saying, "Cao Bin will live a long time, he's very skilled, one of the few S-class exorcists. He shouldn’t be in any life-threatening danger."
"He's definitely going to outlive me, a mere mortal," Jiang Hong mumbled half-asleep. His thoughts began to wander. In the World Exploration class, the teacher had mentioned that exorcists who practice magic and absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth do live much longer than ordinary people. Documented records show that the longest-lived can reach over two hundred years. Although not as long-lived as demons, many exorcists could qualify for the Guinness World Records as long as they don’t court death.
"Ah, I'm so envious of you guys," Jiang Hong said, "everyone can live so long and experience so many interesting things. Even a Tianmao genie can live for over a thousand years..."
The Tianmao genie quietly stayed in the driver's cabin. With Lu Xiu around, Lao Sun was very tactful, knowing this was someone he couldn’t afford to offend. Apart from helping Jiang Hong navigate, he didn't speak unnecessarily to avoid annoyance.
"So, should I reply to him?" Lu Xiu asked again.
Jiang Hong, in his sleep, hummed a response and fell asleep, completing the first day of their official journey together.
The next day, Lu Xiu made breakfast. When Jiang Hong woke up, the sun was shining brilliantly, and he felt refreshed and energized.
Lu Xiu's breakfast was flying saucer fried noodles and instant soup... but Jiang Hong was not picky and was just happy to have food.
"Alright, today we head to Kangding!" Jiang Hong declared.
Lu Xiu, putting on his sunglasses, said, "I can’t cook well, sorry for the inconvenience."
"Not at all." Jiang Hong chuckled happily, turning the steering wheel. All the other travelers had gone, leaving just the two of them. Singing the Kangding Love Song, Jiang Hong drove on the frost-covered road.
Lu Xiu's tolerance threshold for Jiang Hong was always high, including but not limited to his cold jokes, silly questions, and the endlessly looping Kangding Love Song during the trip.
"Rest anytime you feel tired," Lu Xiu said.
"I'm not tired," Jiang Hong glanced at the road and then at Lu Xiu, casually touching Lu Xiu's thigh like an experienced driver, saying, "We're only covering less than two hundred kilometers a day."
Lu Xiu: "……"
"Give me some," Jiang Hong opened his mouth. He noticed that Lu Xiu was always eating but never gained weight. Now, Lu Xiu was eating a mixed fruit can. Perhaps dragons, even in human form, needed a lot of energy to maintain themselves, with high basal consumption rates.
Lu Xiu fed Jiang Hong canned fruit, and Jiang Hong asked, “Why can't you channel energy into my heart chakra?”
Lu Xiu thought Jiang Hong had forgotten what he said last night but realized he still remembered.
"I can't tell you," said Lu Xiu. "Don't ask anymore, I won't say."
Jiang Hong then asked, "What about an S-rank demon hunter? How is that evaluated?"
This was of no concern, but Lu Xiu replied, "Are you sure you want to hang out and still have to make up classes?"
Jiang Hong said, "I'm just curious."
Driving on the road can easily lead to drowsiness and distraction. After getting on the highway, when there were fewer cars and the road conditions were simple, Jiang Hong would chat with Lu Xiu. Lu Xiu then answered, "Actually, it's not called S-rank, it's just what everyone calls it. The correct term is 'Special Grade'."
"Oh, how many levels are there for a demon hunter?" asked Jiang Hong. "Has this ranking system always existed?"
"Five levels," Lu Xiu said. "Special Grade Demon Hunter, First Grade Demon Hunter, Second Grade, Trainee Demon Hunter, and Auxiliary Demon Hunter."
Remembering what his roommate had said about the undergraduates of Cangqiong University being able to advance directly to Second Grade upon graduation, Jiang Hong asked, "Is the treatment different?"
"The treatment is more or less the same," said Lu Xiu. "Registered demon hunters don't have a base salary, but the higher the level, the more assignments and assistance requests they get, and the higher the compensation."
"So, is Auxiliary the lowest?" Jiang Hong asked again. "Is it lower than a Trainee?"
Lu Xiu replied, "No, those are administrative and financial positions. You'll be briefed on these during your senior year streaming."
"Oh—" said Jiang Hong, "what level are you?"
Lu Xiu: "First Grade."
"Wow, why aren't you Special Grade?"
"I didn't take the exam."
"Is it difficult to become a Special Grade?"
"I don't know."
"Then, is it difficult to become a First Grade?"
"It wasn't hard for me," implied Lu Xiu, suggesting that it might be a different story for others.
Jiang Hong didn't have much ambition; after all, he wasn't even sure if he would become a demon hunter after graduation. What else could he do if not that? Maybe he still wanted to be a demon hunter... but the future felt too distant, especially since he was only a freshman.
"Are there few Special Grades?" Jiang Hong asked again.
"Only eight in total," Lu Xiu answered, "Four from the Demon Hunter Commission and four from Cangqiong University."
"Wow!" exclaimed Jiang Hong, "President Cao is an S-rank demon hunter, you said. Let me guess, who else is S? Is it Professor Xie Liao?"
Lu Xiu: "He's far from it. I could crush him with one finger."
Jiang Hong: "...That's not a nice thing to say about a colleague."
Lu Xiu: "Those are his own words."
Jiang Hong: "..."
"What about Professor Zhu?" Jiang Hong asked next.
"No," Lu Xiu's relationship with Zhu Jinling was relatively good, so his comment was a bit milder, "She's only good at divination, nothing else."
Jiang Hong: "What are the requirements for becoming a Special Grade?"
Lu Xiu: "Pass the review of the Demon Hunter Commission's core executive committee. There are no specific criteria."
"Ah!" Jiang Hong remembered and said, "Principal Xiang Cheng must be an S."
"Yes," Lu Xiu said expressionlessly, opening another pack of barbecue-flavored chips and casually feeding them to Jiang Hong, who thought to himself that they needed to restock snacks in Kangding; at this rate, they would run out of snacks before leaving Sichuan, all eaten by Lu Xiu.
"Ge Gen Tuorukeda is S-rank," Lu Xiu finally said, "and Director Xuan Hezhi."
"Director Xuan is S-rank?" Jiang Hong was shocked. It was completely unexpected.
"Yes," Lu Xiu said, "Those are the four from Cangqiong University. The other four from the Demon Hunter Commission are..."
"The big boss must be one, right?" Jiang Hong said.
Many students called Chen Zhen the big boss, and it seemed the demon hunters were used to this nickname. Jiang Hong started using it too, which gave him a sense of belonging.
"Yes," answered Lu Xiu, "He's a great demon hunter, definitely an S."
"What about An Jie and that Dou Kuan?" Jiang Hong was not very familiar with the Demon Hunter Commission, only remembering the high-ranking young man he had met last time, who was in his twenties, and Dou Kuan, who had spoken at the opening ceremony and was responsible for internet demon-catching.
"Wang Anjie is," Lu Xiu replied, "Dou Kuan is not."
Jiang Hong asked, "So, who are the other two?"
"One is named Qi Wei," Lu Xiu said, "He's not in the country, went to Malaysia. Originally, another S-rank demon hunter was Zhou Wanyuan, but she married a Frenchman and transferred her organizational affiliation, retiring from here. Her vacancy was filled by someone else. The last S-rank I've never met, his name is Fang Yifeng."
"Sounds familiar," said Jiang Hong.
"Fang Yilan's brother," Lu Xiu said, "transferred to the Shanghai Demon Hunter Commission. You remember Fang Yilan? The one who spoke at the opening ceremony, the director responsible for your complaints, the one with his eyes covered in cloth."
Jiang Hong remembered and said, "These S-rank demon hunters, they all have their own unique skills, right?"
"Something like that," Lu Xiu answered casually. As a dragon, he always held reservations about human capabilities.
Amidst the endless loop of Jiang Hong's bizarre version of "Kangding Love Song," they finally arrived in Kangding. Lu Xiu asked, "Shall we cook ourselves tonight?"
"Shall we go out to eat?" Jiang Hong was eager to try the local specialties in Kangding, like the cold noodles and mutton soup, and to restock on snacks and drinks, as well as recharge the car.
Both Jiang Hong and Lu Xiu were very handsome, which naturally made their journey pleasant as they received good treatment and hardly had any arguments with others. Lu Xiu was quite generous, after all, money was of little concern to a dragon who had lived for over a hundred years.
Kangding's city area was small; a walk around the Zeduo River was all it took to explore it. After reporting to their families in the evening and taking a bath, Jiang Hong joined a group video call with his roommates, who were incredibly envious to hear about his road trip.
"Uh, Teacher Lu is also here." Zhang Xiting immediately became much more behaved and didn't dare to joke around.
"Hello, Teacher," all the roommates greeted.
Jin added, "I'll have your class next semester, please take care of me."
Jiang Hong: "You have his class next semester?"
Lu Xiu: "Only for the demon race, teaching inner alchemy cultivation and application, not for you."
Jiang Hong was curious to see what Lu Xiu was like when teaching a large class, as he had never seen him teach many students before. The flattery from Jin and He Jian was almost unbearable for Jiang Hong.
He Jian said, "Teacher Lu, could I ask you for a favor? I'm in big trouble..."
Lu Xiu, with his hair still wet, looked expressionlessly at He Jian, who pleaded, "Could you please speak to Teacher Li from the public course for me... I think I failed the moral education class for demons."
Lu Xiu: "You have something called morals?"
Jiang Hong: "..."
Lu Xiu, considering that He Jian was Jiang Hong's roommate, sent a message to the teacher of the moral education class for demons. After a moment, he said to He Jian, "You missed a roll call during a skipped class and got a 59."
He Jian immediately said, "I really only skipped that one time!"
Lu Xiu: "Don't skip public classes next semester, I've pleaded on your behalf."
He Jian was overjoyed, feeling immensely grateful; otherwise, his family would have been furious to know he failed a course.
Of course, all this was thanks to Jiang Hong, so He Jian kept thanking him profusely.
"Huh," said Jiang Hong, "I think I also skipped a class and was called out, but nothing happened to me, I scored over 80."
"They're taking Demon Race's Moral and Ethical Education," Lu Xiu said while making the bed, "which is different from the Human Race's. It's more strict. Humans have been receiving moral education since childhood, but it's not emphasized much in demon families, so it's enforced more in university."
"Oh right," Jiang Hong remembered, "the classes are separate. What do they learn? Have you taken it too?"
"Not to eat people," Lu Xiu said, "not to bully humans, not to use humans for alchemy, not to absorb human essence... basically, that's it. It's all from textbooks written by humans. Let's sleep, we have to drive tomorrow."
Jiang Hong changed into his pajamas, got under the covers, and lay next to Lu Xiu, who instinctively extended his arm for Jiang Hong to rest on. That night, their parking spot was by the Zeduo River. Despite being winter, the river was still strong and flowing, and Jiang Hong fell asleep comfortably to the sound of the rushing water.
In his sleep, Jiang Hong reached out and touched something, opened his eyes for a moment, and saw the red thread wrapped around Lu Xiu's wrist, from when he had returned his dragon scale.
