On the way home from evening self-study, Tan Xiao could see many people raising their phones to take pictures.

Looking at the moon again, it was indeed very bright. Tan Xiao took out his phone and could see that the WeChat Moments were also filled with photos of the moon, marveling at the supermoon, interspersed with Mu Fei's pictures and text.

She also posted the moon she took, but the text was completely different from others.

"Gengshen day, the ill-fated Celestial Master doesn't guard Gengshen but guards the Emperor's Essence! I also want to absorb some."

-- Humans are born with Dao bodies. The Emperor's Essence is a great nourishment for all things in the world, but for humans, it is no different from ordinary moonlight.

Tan Xiao just laughed, and his phone started vibrating, the screen showing: Madam Tan calling.

Tan Xiao was startled, his carefree mother finally had news!

Even though Tan Xiao had been very independent since he was a child, used to Tan Chunying often going out to participate in various cultural exchanges and dancing activities, he still felt that she had been out for too long this time, and was in the deep mountains and forests with no signal. Receiving the call, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Although Tan Chunying hadn't returned yet and only made a phone call, as soon as he picked up, he heard her shouting on the other end, "Good boy!"

Tan Xiao: "!! You finally showed up, which forest did you go to, there's no signal at all? I was about to call the police."

"Hey, I met a fellow practitioner and took a detour with him to the north, hahaha!" Tan Chunying's voice alone could show how excited she was, "I'm looking for shamans in the north. Don't we have the two major ancient shaman cultures in the south and north, Nuo and Shaman.

"I used to only look at my southern counterparts, but this time after seeing their rituals, it really opened my eyes. Do you know that their fees are also different? I'll chat with you when I get back, it's really interesting.

"Sigh, if I hadn't taken a fall and got a moderate concussion, I would have wanted to stay a little longer to see the Protective Immortal ritual. Now there's no way, I'm staying in the hospital here, but don't worry, it's nothing serious, I'll be back next month."

Tan Xiao listened to the first part and it was fine, but hearing the latter part, she actually fell and got a concussion, he was shocked again. Was she running around in the mountains, how did she get injured, "Be careful, are you really okay? Or should I come see you?"

"No need, no need, I hired a caregiver, just focus on your studies, I'll be back next month." Tan Chunying sounded very relaxed.

"Then report your safety regularly, by the way," Tan Xiao asked impatiently, "Mom, didn't you say our family is all about folk performances? Why are my rituals effective? Does our family have some secret that you didn't mention..."

During this time, this question had been spinning in his mind. If Tan Chunying didn't call again, he would have to come up with 18 episodes of plot on his own.

Tan Chunying: "Haha, since when did you have a middle school syndrome."

Tan Xiao: "..."

Tan Chunying: "It's okay, spend less time on the internet. Your old mother has a concussion, don't make me laugh. Don't you have any idea whether our family has real skills or not?"

Tan Xiao: ... I used to think I had an idea, but later I felt I didn't!

Tan Xiao changed his question: "Then do you know about the Bureau 404?"

"I seem to have some impression, I've seen their people at peer meetings, a mysterious unit." Tan Chunying actually knew of such a unit, and she had the nerve to say others were mysterious.

"They are an official organization, don't you have any trust in them at all?" Tan Xiao had asked a similar question before, and Mu Fei had also asked him something similar. At that time, he said that the UFO hearing was more official than you, but it had nothing to do with him.

Tan Chunying laughed again: "How official are they, as official as the Qigong craze last century? You don't know how much traffic Qigong stole from us at that time."

Tan Xiao: "..."

Tan Chunying shouted: "Alright, I still have to call the tourism bureau. I originally wanted to go back and participate in the performance at the opening ceremony of the Nanchu Tourism Festival, but I missed it after the fall, I'm so angry. Hanging up, be careful not to be scammed out of money! That would be too embarrassing, we started out as jianghu swindlers ourselves!"

Looking at the text on the screen indicating the end of the call, what can he say, she is indeed his mother. Even the answers are exactly the same as his own, which really left Tan Xiao speechless. He suspected that if he said he saw the Hydra now, Tan Chunying would call the mental hospital.

Forget it, let's wait for her to recover and come back.

...

The next day.

In addition to the high school and junior high school departments, Nanchu No. 1 Middle School also has an affiliated elementary school, all in one place. The school's location is extremely lively. Tan Xiao went to an old beef noodle shop near the school for breakfast.

After eating, Tan Xiao walked into the school. When he was paying, there were two men next to him who looked at him as if they wanted to say something.

Tan Xiao paid without looking at them. He went early, as he had work to do today, helping the teacher collect test papers as the physics class representative.

After he left, one of the two men behind him said to the other, "The one just now... isn't he your class representative? I've seen him in the office."

"Yes, yes, it seems he didn't see me." Tan Xiao's physics teacher gave an awkward laugh, puzzled as it seemed they had made eye contact just now. Maybe it's because everyone is not familiar with each other in the newly formed class.

Tan Xiao had no idea that he knew the person he had just met, and even if he did, he couldn't name him, which was even more embarrassing.

He arrived at the door of his class, went in and looked around, locking his eyes on a boy wandering around his seat, observing his hairstyle.

"Lin Yang?" Tan Xiao called out tentatively.

"You're here." Lin Yang yawned sleepily. Although Tan Xiao didn't say it, they had been deskmates since the first year of high school, so he roughly knew that Tan Xiao was not good at recognizing people.

It's just that it's hard for ordinary people to understand the world in the eyes of the face-blind. He even thought for a long time that Tan Xiao just looked down on him for looking ordinary and was talking nonsense.

Tan Xiao put his mind at ease and said, "Your new hairstyle is quite successful."

If he could recognize it, then it was successful, very realistic.

Lin Yang was overjoyed in his heart!!

He was suddenly not sleepy at all. Let's not mention the face-blindness, anyway, a handsome guy praising my new hairstyle = I'm super handsome today.

"That's right!" Lin Yang couldn't help but touch his hair, then turned around casually, "Wow, class president, you're leading the way in superstition."

The two classmates in front were playing tarot cards, one of whom was their class president Yu Zhenzhen. Yu Zhenzhen and Lin Yang were in the same class as Tan Xiao before the class reorganization in the second year of high school, the difference being that she was not as familiar with Tan Xiao as Lin Yang was.

"Go away!" Yu Zhenzhen scolded, suddenly remembering something. "Oh right, did you guys know there's a transfer student coming today?"

School had already started for a while, and now suddenly a transfer student? Not only Lin Yang, but other classmates also gathered around. "Where are they transferring from?"

"Is there any gossip? Could it be they couldn't stay at their previous school?"

Yu Zhenzhen lifted her chin. Her uncle worked at the school, so she was always well-informed. "That's not it. Maybe they're from a mountain area and their family got transferred for work. I heard they're really plain and simple, don't even have a cell phone."

Everyone made some "oh" sounds and curiously discussed for a bit.

Yu Zhenzhen mysteriously said, "Also, my cards told me this transfer student is—"

"Hmm?"

"A boy!"

"..."

"You didn't even need to divine that. Your uncle could've told you in one sentence." Lin Yang felt dizzy. "That's nothing compared to our Brother Xiao. Come on, show us your family's handed-down skills."

Actually, many people knew what Tan Xiao's family did. His family background had long spread.

However, not many old classmates like Lin Yang would tease him to his face about it, especially now that they were in a new class. Many had just become classmates with Tan Xiao. With his previous reputation outside, they were really afraid to strike up a conversation with him, worried it would be awkward if he didn't respond.

"Gotta buy a ticket to see my skills," Tan Xiao casually said. He still had work to do. Putting his things down, he quickly collected the physics homework and took it to the physics teacher's office.

It was almost time for class. When the warning bell rang, the noisy classroom instantly quieted down a lot. But Tan Xiao was still working in the physics teacher's office. As soon as he entered, he went straight to the physics teacher's seat to greet the teacher.

The physics teacher had a slight suspicion in his heart. Doesn't he seem quite respectful?

Meanwhile, in Class Three, it had only been a dozen minutes since Yu Zhenzhen revealed the news, but the matter of a plain and poor transfer student from the mountains had already spread. This made everyone a bit more anticipatory than usual, or rather, curious.

Accompanied by another ring of the bell, the homeroom teacher Ji Huiming stepped into the classroom. Following behind him was an unfamiliar young man, undoubtedly the rumored transfer student—

How was he anything like the plain mountain area student Yu Zhenzhen described?

Although the uniform was the same, his features were truly outstanding. Especially the young man's pair of ink-black phoenix eyes. A light glance was enough to change the atmosphere in the classroom, suppressing the originally rowdy mood.

Who wouldn't inwardly exclaim "wow" at this? They only regretted their Chinese wasn't good enough to describe this stunning appearance.

Moreover, he had a noble and proud air. His gaze seemed even more arrogant than the absent Tan Xiao (Tan Xiao: ?).

A few "you're not reliable" looks flew towards Yu Zhenzhen, but she was dazzled herself and rubbing her eyes after taking off her glasses. She didn't receive them.

Lin Yang was even more stunned, because he discovered his newly cut hairstyle was similar to the new classmate's. Of course, this hairstyle was popular now. It's just that thanks to Lin Yang showing off everywhere this morning, many people noticed more easily. The two had similar hairstyles, but the effect...

Lin Yang was half a head shorter. How did he suddenly become the comparison?

The only consolation was that his previous deskmate had complimented him, allowing him to retain a shred of self-esteem.

"Ahem, this is Classmate Kong Xuan who just transferred to our class." Ji Huiming couldn't help but stand on the podium. This way he was about the same height as Kong Xuan.

He didn't know why, but he always felt standing in front of this student, there was a bit of pressure... Could it be because kids these days had too good nutrition and were taller than him?

However, after standing on the podium, it indeed felt a bit better.

"Classmate Kong Xuan previously studied in another place and isn't very familiar with our Nanchu No. 1 Middle School. Everyone, help him more in future studies and life." Teacher Ji felt he had to show even more of a homeroom teacher's imposing manner. He said in a deep voice, "Classmate Kong Xuan, you say a few..."

Kong Xuan glanced at Teacher Ji. Even a casual look from him seemed like a glare.

...He didn't know why, but he deflated again!

But as an outstanding young teacher who doesn't admit defeat, Ji Huiming wouldn't allow himself to be unable to handle any student. He calmly smiled and said in a deep voice, "If you don't want to say anything then never mind."

Kong Xuan gave him a puzzled look.

The students of Class Three clapped for the new classmate while also feeling very confused. Why did Teacher Ji sound like he was practicing his voice in bass all day?

Teacher Ji looked at the seating in the classroom and arranged a spot for Kong Xuan: "Wang You'an, move over a bit. Kong Xuan, you sit there. Next to you is our class monitor Yu Zhenzhen. Zhenzhen, take good care of the new student."

Yu Zhenzhen adjusted her glasses. "Oh oh!"

Ji Huiming was very satisfied. With this arrangement, not only was the class monitor his deskmate, but the sports committee member Lin Yang was in the seat behind, and the physics class representative Tan Xiao was diagonally behind as the seatmate of the back seat. Pretty much surrounded by class officers, he would definitely feel the warmth of the new class.

Kong Xuan walked to the desk in a few steps and casually put down his bookbag, glancing at the empty seat diagonally behind.

Lin Yang, like the others, didn't really dare to actively chat with Kong Xuan. After all, they had a Tan Xiao in their class, which already gave many a realization: Don't casually strike up a conversation with classmates who seem arrogant, otherwise it might be very awkward.

But Kong Xuan's appearance was truly too outstanding. Those sitting right next to him all sat properly - because sitting close made it hard to steal glances. They even had to sit more upright, pretentiously holding books for morning self-study.

This slightly strange atmosphere continued until Tan Xiao returned. Needless to say, everyone was quite anticipating what would happen when two people like this met, and their seats were quite close.

......

Tan Xiao stepped into the classroom and immediately noticed the seating had changed. But at a rough glance, he couldn't tell the specific difference. As he walked towards his seat, he searched for the change, finally locking onto the male student diagonally in front of his seat, curiously staring at him.

Just as he was placing a pale golden pencil case on the desk, Kong Xuan also sensed it and raised his narrow phoenix eyes to look.

With just one glance, he recognized this was the person he had once seen across the misty incense smoke. He walked in from the door, against the morning light, as if draped in a halo, dust motes slowly drifting in the glow. Shaman chants seemed to linger by his ears.

He could see the other person also staring straight at him. Everything else was blocked out by them.

The Chu people said when a shaman met a spirit, there would be light, described as "shining brightly without end", just like the current morning light. That pale golden radiance embraced their first encounter in the mortal world.

Tan Xiao walked to the front of his seat and exchanged another glance with Kong Xuan, his gaze falling on his hair.

The oldest spirit received his spiritual response; this glance held the significance of millions of years.

Kong Xuan replied calmly, "It's me."

After a while.

Tan Xiao: "You are...?"

Author's Note:

Kong Xuan: Light, golden light, celestial music, a glance spanning ten thousand years (omitting a hundred adjectives)

Tan Xiao: He's male