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"Hmm, I promised Mr. Cao first, so I still want to take a look at Hou De," Qiutong said, "and actually, I am hesitating... whether or not I should become a Talisman Master."

Goat Beard furrowed his brow, "What do you think Heroic Concealment is, a place you can come and go as you please? The enrollment period is already over, and if you want to transfer, you need the principal's special approval. They won't wait that long for you, and you'd better make your decision now."

Qiutong wavered under his words. Heroic Concealment did indeed rank higher than Hou De in the Ministry of Education, and its teaching staff and facilities were certainly superior, backed by the Hero Group.

If she wanted to embark on the path of a Talisman Master, Heroic Concealment was obviously a more suitable starting point than Hou De, not to mention that performing well at Heroic Concealment could lead to a direct transfer to better schools under the Hero Group.

Not to say that if she went to another school, transferring again would be extremely difficult, as not only the new school had to agree, but the old one had to release her as well.

After all, Qiutong was just eighteen and suddenly at a loss when faced with a decision that might affect her entire life.

Goat Beard said, "Or go back and ask your parents. I can give you two hours to decide."

Qiutong almost accepted, but then something occurred to her, "Heroic Concealment is in Beili Province, right?"

"Correct, Heroic Concealment's campus is very close to Xindu, and you could even go home on the weekends."

"Ah, thank you for your kindness, but after thinking about it, I still prefer to go to Hou De," blurted out Qiutong.

Goat Beard seemed somewhat astonished, unable to understand why someone would choose Hou De over Heroic Concealment, but he didn't push the matter further and simply gave Qiutong a long, deep look.

"I hope you won't regret your decision today."

After Goat Beard left, Ma Lu asked Qiutong, "Why don't you want to go to Heroic Concealment?"

Qiutong replied candidly, "I want to be a little further away from home."

"Why, are you having conflicts with your parents?"

Qiutong took a deep breath, "Hmm, sort of."

"But Mr. Cao is no longer here, and what that guy said makes sense. It will probably be difficult for Hou De to continue running, and if that happens, you'll have no choice but to go back home," Ma Lu reminded her. Find more to read at My Virtual Library Empire

Qiutong was startled, "Surely not, losing a principal is a big blow indeed, especially since Mr. Cao was such a good person, but the school won't just shut down because of this, right?"

"Normally that wouldn't happen, but if the Talisman Master Association starts targeting them, then it's another story."

"What do you mean, you think the Talisman Master Association is targeting Hou De?"

"It's just my personal guess, I hope I am wrong."

Ma Lu didn't elaborate further, realizing that Qiutong, who was just about to start school, wouldn't benefit from knowing too much.

"By the way, do you know how far Ping City Shouyang Mountain is from here?" Ma Lu asked afterward.

"Are you talking about Hou De Talisman Master School? Hmm, it's about 700 li from Xindu."

"That far?"

Ma Lu glanced at his Traveler's Bracelet. Nearly four hours had passed since he arrived in this new plane, and he had only thirteen hours of activity time remaining. Even by car, he wouldn't make it in time.

Because cars in this plane could only travel at around 30 kilometers per hour. It would take a whole day to get there, and he didn't have any money to rent a car either.

"Is there something like Teleportation Talismans here?"

Qiutong blinked, "Teleportation Talismans?"

Ma Lu regretted not asking Goat Beard earlier, mainly because he had kept a careful watch once he suspected that the Talisman Master Association might be related to Cao Jinhua's death. He deliberately emphasized Qiutong's role in the previous battle, causing Little Huzi to believe he was just an ordinary person.

After all, his identity couldn't withstand scrutiny. Compared to that, Qiutong's background was clear and she was merely a student; the people from the Talisman Master Association probably wouldn't trouble her.

However, this meant that he would have to wait until he got to the school to ask many questions.

Suddenly, Qiutong seemed to realize something, her eyes widening, "Are you also headed to Hou De?"

"Yeah, Mr. Cao entrusted me with some matters before he died, so I have to make the journey as well."

"That's great," Qiutong said, "we can go together. Mr. Cao happened to buy two flight tickets."

"Flight tickets, ah, there are planes here?"

"Yes, the Northwest Airline Management Office was established early last year, and they opened up twelve routes all at once, including one from Xindu to Ping City."

"Oh? When is the flight ticket for?"

Qiutong looked at her pocket watch, "Gosh, so much happened tonight, I almost forgot. The plane takes off in 20 minutes, but luckily the airport is not too far from here, we should make it in time."

The young lady flagged down two rickshaws on the street, paying each driver five jiao to take them to the airport.

However, there was another unforeseen problem at boarding. Originally, the tickets were with Cao Jinhua, and when he turned into a shadow, the tickets naturally disappeared with him.

And since this plane did not have electronic tickets, there was no such thing as reporting lost tickets. The two of them were thus stopped by the airport security.

Fortunately, Qiutong then made a phone call and contacted a former classmate, whose father was the director of the aviation bureau. With his help, they managed to get on the plane at the last minute.

It was Ma Lu's first time on such a small plane, accommodating just 16 people, including the cabin crew with the passengers.

The seats on the plane were cramped, the engine noise deafening, and the constant turbulence made it, in Ma Lu's opinion, clearly not a pleasant journey.

But Qiutong next to him was excited; this was the first time she'd flown, and she was about to embark on a brand new chapter of her life.

Even though she nearly screamed during takeoff, she couldn't help but press her face against the window, curiously peering below.

While she was looking, her other hand clutched tightly onto Ma Lu's arm, turning his forearm blue by the time they landed.

"So fast, we got from Xindu to Ping City in less than two hours!" Qiutong exclaimed, "Planes are really convenient."

Fast? Barely 400 kilometers took two hours, roughly equivalent to a quarter of the speed of commercial planes in another plane.

But regardless, at least Ma Lu was able to see Hou De Talisman Master School this time and fulfill Cao Jinhua's last wishes.

Right next to Ping City Airport was a Carriage Shop. Again, it was Qiutong who paid to rent a carriage to take them straight to Shouyang Mountain.

To Ma Lu's surprise, Hou De Talisman Master School took up a significant area, essentially encompassing the entire Shouyang Mountain, with the school gate built at the foot of the mountain.

But there were no guards, neither to prevent tourists from visiting the mountain for its scenery.

It wasn't because the school was in decline and couldn't afford to hire staff; according to the coachman, when the school was established, the land was designated by the provincial government for Hou De. The school principal at the time, Yan Puchuan, said they didn't need such a large area, so they found a clearing halfway up the mountain to build the school buildings.

The rest of the mountain was still open to the public.