Chapter 74: Chapter 74: Her Immortal Realm Changed Again
In the existing soil, her fruit trees were already laden with fruit.
But now, six new plots of land had appeared beside them!
The soil was a pale gold, and a thick tree grew in each plot!
Shen Ningning walked over in a daze.
She spread her little arms to hug the trunk but couldn’t even get them all the way around!
The little one tilted her head back and saw that among the interlocking green leaves at the tops of the branches, countless wisps of grayish-black mist were growing.
It looked like mist, but also like clouds.
She looked at the wooden sign hanging nearby. It read: Cloud Tree.
"Cloud Tree?" Shen Ningning was very puzzled.
She only knew that you could grow things to eat in the soil; she had no idea you could grow clouds.
But she looked at these small, not-yet-fully-grown clouds.
’What will they turn into when they’re ripe? Will they become proper clouds?’
Shen Ningning climbed to the top of the tree and plucked a wisp of cloud to examine it.
The small wisp of cloud was about the size of her palm.
The moment it left the branch, it instantly turned into a puddle of water, as if a soft piece of candy had melted.
Shen Ningning hurriedly climbed down from the tree.
’Looks like my Cloud Trees still need time to grow.’ She wondered if it would rain once they were fully grown.
Remembering she had to go to the private school soon, the little one decided to leave it for now.
She moved many blocks of prepared ice from the house’s cellar into the Immortal Realm.
She also put a Seven-Round Fan inside.
That way, even if she stayed overnight at the private school, she could still get a comfortable night’s sleep!
Grandma Qin knew there were many students at the private school, so this time, she had prepared two food containers full of dishes.
"Ningning, take these to share with everyone. There are also two bags of fruit you can give to your teacher at the school."
The little one thanked her grandma for all her hard work and took out a prepared bag of Aconite.
"Grandma, when you go down the mountain around noon, Grandpa Shopkeeper from the apothecary will come to collect the herbs. He’ll give us silver for them!"
Grandma Qin nodded. "I’ll remember. It’s hot out, Ningning, so don’t stay in the sun too long."
After bidding her grandma farewell, the little one rode the Black Wolf King down the mountain.
The guard sent by County Magistrate Fu Yuansong to pick her up was already waiting at the usual spot.
When they arrived at the private school, the guard saw that Shen Ningning had too much to carry and made a special trip to help her take everything inside.
"Thank you, Brother Guard!"
"No need to be so polite, Miss Shen. The County Magistrate said that if you need anything, you have only to ask."
The moment Shen Ningning appeared at the private school, she drew the attention of her classmates.
They immediately swarmed around her.
"Shen Ningning, we’re so glad to see you’re okay!"
"Yeah, we all thought something had happened to you! We heard Lan Qian died!"
"She deserved it! Who told her to slander people and frame them for theft? She brought it on herself!"
The little girl, dressed in a blue and white gauze skirt, had silver bells in her hair that chimed softly with her every move.
She smiled sweetly. "Since she’s already received her due punishment, let’s not talk about her anymore!"
Someone chimed in, "Right, let’s not talk about her. It’s just bad luck."
Just then, someone shouted, "Lu Shaoyuan is here!"
The students instantly fell silent, parting to form a path for him.
Lu Shaoyuan walked toward Shen Ningning, a book in his hand.
He looked at Shen Ningning, seeming to want to say something but hesitating.
When she had been in trouble, he had taken a carriage back to the Capital City as fast as he could to ask his maternal grandfather’s family for help.
But by the time he arrived at the County Government Office with his reinforcements, he heard that the Crown Prince had already rescued Shen Ningning.
Only then did he realize she was friends with the Crown Prince as well.
Words of concern rose to his lips, but Lu Shaoyuan found he couldn’t speak them.
Shen Ningning blinked her round, dark, limpid eyes and watched him patiently.
Lu Shaoyuan hesitated for a long moment, still at a loss for words.
The little girl took the initiative. "Did you want to say something to me?"
Lu Shaoyuan’s handsome eyes darkened slightly.
"I..." He glanced at the other students out of the corner of his eye.
After a moment, he said in a deliberately cold tone, "I just wanted to tell you not to be so foolish in the future. Don’t just go with anyone who tries to grab you."
Shen Ningning blinked innocently. "I was carried off by force."
’With her little arms and legs, who could she possibly fight off?’
Lu Shaoyuan frowned. "Then next time someone tries to take you, you grab onto me. I’d like to see who dares take both of us. My maternal grandfather wouldn’t let them get away with it."
As soon as he finished speaking, the surrounding students burst into laughter.
"Lu Shaoyuan, you’re worried about Shen Ningning, aren’t you?"
"Yeah, who would dare take you both? Ningning is someone important to the Crown Prince now!"
"The Crown Prince would never forgive them, even without you getting involved!"
Lu Shaoyuan was thin-skinned, and his handsome, fair face flushed red at their teasing.
He raised a fist, pretending to be angry. "Haven’t you said enough?!"
The students quickly scattered.
Shen Ningning’s sweet, gentle voice quickly reminded him, "If Mr. Huang sees you hitting people, he’ll definitely punish you!"
Only then did Lu Shaoyuan lower his arm.
He snorted. "Let him punish me. I’m not afraid."
Despite his words, he still followed Shen Ningning into the classroom, one walking after the other.
The County Magistrate’s guard set down the food containers and took his leave.
Ren Yu, the little girl sitting next to Shen Ningning, watched her with envy.
"Ningning," Ren Yu scooted closer, sitting right next to her. "Forget the Crown Prince, even the County Magistrate dotes on you so much. You’re like a young lady of the Fu Family. Once you finish your studies here at our school, do you think you’ll be able to go to the National Academy?"
The National Academy was in the Capital City, and its students all came from noble families. They were either wealthy or of high birth.
An ordinary family couldn’t get in even if they had money; they had to have power as well!
Ren Yu continued, "I heard the County Magistrate’s own grandson attends the National Academy. When you’re old enough, you’ll definitely be able to go too, right?"
But Shen Ningning said she didn’t know.
Previously, Grandpa Fu had indeed sent a guard to tell her to diligently copy the Rain Seeking Scripture.
He also said that if she managed to appear before the Emperor, he would find an opportunity to send her to the National Academy.
But that whole affair had caused quite a commotion, so perhaps getting into the National Academy wouldn’t be so easy anymore.
"I don’t know either... Does it really matter if I go or not?"
"Of course it does!" Ren Yu retorted. "Getting into the National Academy means you’ll have one foot in the door of high society."
"Because the people you meet there could become your future husband, or your close friends. And if those friends marry powerful men, they’ll be able to help you too."
Shen Ningning was completely lost.
She was still too young to understand what a "husband" even was.
The little girl was preoccupied with the meat bun in her pocket. She had been too tired to eat it on the way over, and it would be cold if she didn’t eat it soon.
Her little hand snuck the meat bun out of her pocket. She ducked her head to take a big bite, then lifted her large, sparkling eyes to glance around furtively.
’I hope no one saw that.’
It was rude to eat in the classroom, but she was just so hungry.
Meanwhile, Ren Yu was still chattering on, expressing her deep admiration for the National Academy.
"It’s a shame the requirements for the National Academy are so high. My father is just a seventh-rank official; there’s no way he could get me in. But you’re different—"
"You have the County Magistrate looking out for you, and you’re friends with the Crown Prince! In our class, Lu Shaoyuan is the only one guaranteed to get into the National Academy, but now there’s you. I’m so jealous!"
Just as she finished speaking, Mr. Huang entered the room.
Shen Ningning frantically stuffed the half-eaten bun back into her pocket.
Ren Yu was forced to return to her own seat.
Mr. Huang stood at the front of the class, his voice calm and steady. "Before today’s lesson begins, I would like to introduce a new classmate. From now on, she will be studying here with all of you."
With that, he looked toward the door. "Student Qin, please come in."
Shen Ningning’s eyes widened.
She watched as Qin Fangmei, clutching a book, walked in through the doorway with a smile.
A chill ran through the little girl, and her dark brows knitted together tightly.
Qin Fangmei’s smiling gaze swept over everyone before finally landing on Shen Ningning.
"Hello, everyone. My name is Qin Fangmei."
