After circling the training field a dozen times, Chen Qi thought for a moment, called out a quick greeting to Lang Yan, then steered the little foal off the field and onto the road.

At this time, the red-fruit trees on both sides of the road were in their third blooming cycle—the end of the flowering stage. Everywhere he looked was washed in soft pink. Many blossoms had already begun to wilt and drift down, laying a thin pink carpet across the ground. Dazzled by the beauty before him, Chen Qi was suddenly startled when a figure rushed out from the side. Fortunately, he had already pulled the reins to stop; otherwise, the collision would have been inevitable.

“Ai Li?” Once he steadied himself, Chen Qi looked down from his height on horseback and finally saw who it was.

Ai Li was carrying a large bamboo basket on his back filled with freshly gathered wild vegetables. Judging by the dirt still clinging to the leaves, he must have just returned from foraging in the wasteland. But he was in such a hurry that he hadn’t watched the road, nearly frightening the wild horse that had suddenly appeared in front of him.

“Sorry, I wasn’t watching where I was going.” Ai Li lowered his head and apologized. Before Chen Qi could reply, he turned and hurried through the school gate.

Although they both lived in the relatively small Qi Ze City now, Chen Qi realized he had barely seen Ai Li these past few months. Ai Li was mainly responsible for planting work and would occasionally help craft arrows. But he was diligent and eager to learn—cooking, sewing, papermaking, even firing clay bricks—whenever he had spare time or heard that someone was short-handed, he would go lend a hand. He had even coaxed two snow geese from Ye Huo to learn how to raise them. He wasn’t proficient in any one craft, but he knew a little of everything; at this point, even Ka Luo—who had studied by Chen Qi’s side from the beginning—probably didn’t know as much as he did.

Chen Qi had originally planned to dismount to make sure Ai Li hadn’t been hurt, but seeing Ai Li’s hurriedly retreating back left him a little stunned. Still, he didn’t pay too much mind to the other’s distant attitude. Since Ai Li had already left, Chen Qi simply continued riding forward on the foal.

Muddy, sand-mixed water—no longer very clear—was being hauled in half-person-tall wooden barrels and dumped into the nearby moat. Several small fish darted to the bottom in fright, and the moat’s water level soon rose to match the ground.

Aze took the chance to water the crops planted along the riverbank. A shallow depth of muddy water still remained at the bottom of the large pit. There was still time before winter arrived; as long as it didn’t rain again, they could wait for the sun to dry it completely before laying the traps. Axu was currently leading a group to compact the soil along the pit walls. Beastmen were scattered throughout the huge pit, working with great energy under the hot sun.

Pouring the last of the water from his bucket over corn stalks already as tall as a person, Aze wiped the sweat dripping from the tip of his nose. When he looked up, he saw a huge dark silhouette moving slowly toward him from the inner city gate.

Perhaps because the sunlight outside was too bright, the shadowed area inside the gate looked especially dark, and Aze couldn’t make out the figure’s appearance at all. Only when the figure stepped gradually into the sunlight did he see the pristine white coat without a speck of blemish—and the familiar figure sitting tall upon the steed, smiling at him.

Aze’s heart lurched. He tossed the ladle back into the barrel and sprinted across the small wooden bridge in a few quick steps.

The foal shied at the sudden movement. Chen Qi hurriedly soothed it, and once the foal finally settled, he found himself already being lifted down from the saddle by Aze.