The Tang dynasty poet Bai Juyi once wrote a line that later generations of students were required to memorize:

 

“Tonight I hear your pipa played—
it is as though celestial music clears my ears.”

 

The line was used to praise extraordinary musical skill. But what exactly is celestial music?

 

Naturally, it is music played by immortals.

 

Luan Ling had attended many grand ceremonies in the Heavenly Realm, and music ensembles were always an essential part of them. After all, with proper background music, even an ascension ceremony felt like walking with the wind at one’s back.

 

She had heard countless fairy musicians perform with breathtaking skill, yet none of them gave her such a vivid sense of imagery as this flute melody—distant, cold, and intangible, as if it might ascend and leave the mortal world in the very next moment.

 

Wait.
She was a god.
Ascend to where?

 

By the time Luan Ling snapped out of her reverie, a fairy dressed in white was already standing beside Dugu, holding a flute. She bowed respectfully, her voice as cool and detached as her demeanor, giving off an unmistakably unapproachable air.

 

“Disciple arrived late. I ask the sir for forgiveness.”

 

“Sit,” Dugu said casually. “The junior brothers and sisters have already introduced themselves. This is Si Zhuo, and this is Luan Ling.”

 

He had never cared much about such formalities anyway—and if anything, he should be thanking her for easing the tension earlier.

 

“This is your second senior sister, Zhu Yin. As you can see, she excels in music. The flute piece you just heard is something she only learned two days ago.”

 

Two days for a master is very different from two days for ordinary people…

 

Luan Ling recalled her own childhood attempts at playing the bamboo flute, which had sounded suspiciously like flatulence, and immediately felt nothing but reverence for Zhu Yin.

 

Zhu Yin merely nodded at them, then calmly returned to her seat, looking completely indifferent to everything around her.

 

“Alright. Since everyone is here, I’ll briefly explain this semester’s tasks.”

 

Dugu picked up the scroll on the table and gave it a shake, unfurling it.

 

Luan Ling watched in disbelief as the scroll rolled from Dugu’s hands to the eldest senior brother, then continued looping around until it encircled all of them in a ring.

 

This semester’s tasks?!

 

She lowered her head and read the portion beside her.

 

“Promote the Qilin Hall operations office; assist the Matchmaker God in managing red threads for one day; kick five smuggling demons out of the Western Heaven Gate…”

 

Her head was already spinning when Si Zhuo calmly continued reading aloud.

 

“Defeat all disciples of Moonlight Hall; defeat all disciples of Hundred Flowers Hall; defeat all disciples of Thunder Hall… In summary, defeat all disciples of the Celestial Academy.”

 

Luan Ling could hardly believe it.

 

And Dugu had just called this a semester plan?!

 

Sir, are you trying to go all-in and turn a bicycle into a motorcycle?!

 

They were just kids!

 

“Ahem.”

 

Seeing the four of them staring at him in disbelief, Dugu began to explain.

 

“I grew up in the Underworld. At twelve, I was exceptionally admitted into the Celestial Academy. In just three years, I graduated from Moonlight Hall and became a direct disciple of Dean Wen Yuan, Divine Lord. During the War of Life and Death, I infiltrated the demon realm, coordinated from within and without, and secured victory—thus completing my graduation.”

 

…And?

 

“So what I’m saying is,” he concluded, “as long as you want it badly enough, none of these goals are impossible.”

 

“Sir,” Si Zhuo suddenly raised his hand, his tone dripping with mischief.
“If you were so amazing back then, why are you just a school instructor now?”

 

Luan Ling started coughing violently and couldn’t stop.

 

Brother, if you’re going to be reckless, could you not be reckless using my identity?!

 

Though, admittedly… she wanted to ask too.

 

“Sigh. That’s a long story.”

 

Dugu gazed wistfully into the distance.

 

“My luck is terrible.”

 

That’s six words, not a long story!

 

Luan Ling couldn’t help complaining internally.

 

“During the War of Life and Death, I went undercover as a demon soldier,” Dugu continued. “But from the moment I enlisted, demon soldiers started falling ill, then fighting among themselves—and eventually, the supplies warehouse caught fire on its own!”

 

And you still dare say your bad luck only affects yourself?!
If the war had lasted any longer, the demon realm would’ve collapsed from you alone!

 

“Don’t look at me like that,” Dugu protested. “When I submitted my mission report, my teacher looked at me the same way. This was absolutely a coincidence! I’ve never caused anything like that in the Heavenly Realm!”

 

Luan Ling fell silent. She had a terrible feeling that her future would be lived in constant disaster.

 

“In short, Divine Lord Wen Yuan was worried my misfortune might spread across the Heavenly Realm, so for safety reasons, he assigned me here to guide you all.”

 

Dugu finished tearfully, then looked at them expectantly.
“Are you afraid that having me as your teacher might bring you bad luck?”

 

All four nodded in perfect unison.

 

Yes.
Terrified.
They wanted to drop out immediately.

 

Difficult knowledge and spells could be overcome through practice—but what could you do about terrible luck? Find another qilin to suppress it?

 

“I see… good. Being afraid is the right reaction,” Dugu said calmly.

 

“Seeing how heartless you all are, I feel much better. The guilt of assigning so many tasks has completely disappeared.”

 

What is wrong with you?!
You spent all this time being miserable just to justify this?!

 

Luan Ling strongly suspected Wen Yuan wanted them dead.

 

Otherwise, why would he throw them into such an obviously unreliable academy?

 

“Enough rambling—Li Xiao, stop watching the time over there. Even if class time is up, no one leaves unless I say so.”

 

Li Xiao raised his head calmly.
“Teacher, I was just reminding you not to talk too long and delay the lesson.”

 

Heh.

 

Dugu decided to add extra tasks to Li Xiao’s customized assignment later. For now, however, there was something more urgent—the first item on the list:

 

Fixing the houses.

 

“Everyone, look at the two buildings behind us! It took me a whole month to build them!”

 

Si Zhuo followed his gaze. One of those buildings was the one he’d just walked out of.

 

“Buildings? What buildings?”

 

If he didn’t argue at least a little, he’d feel uncomfortable.

 

Luan Ling had nearly given up trying to shut him up. She could only pray that she’d return to her own body before he caused a major disaster.

 

“Ah, don’t say that…” Dugu replied awkwardly but good-naturedly.
“Before you arrived, the three of us didn’t know the first thing about construction—actually, we knew nothing at all.”

 

Where was the Heavenly Infrastructure Team?!

 

As if sensing her thoughts, Dugu added,
“Dean Wen Yuan said the Heavenly Realm is developing a new district and the construction teams are short-handed, so we were told to make do on our own.”

 

Luan Ling: ???

 

“It’s fine! We carry the bloodline of Huaxia—we’re not afraid of hardship or exhaustion! No matter how hard infrastructure is, we’ll make it happen!”

 

He paused.
“Um… does anyone know how to draw blueprints?”

 

Luan Ling glanced at the increasingly absent-minded Si Zhuo and pointed at him.
“Sir, junior sister says he can.”

 

Dugu’s eyes lit up—only to hear a cheerful denial.

 

“I can’t. I’m useless.”

 

Are you done yet?!

 

Luan Ling shot him a glare, then suddenly remembered something. She scooted closer and whispered urgently.

 

“Big brother, I’m calling you big brother, okay? I know you can do this. The illegal structures on your turf look like a royal estate. Please help us~”

 

At this point, a forced explanation was necessary.

 

Immortals born as gods undergo over a decade of foundational education before formal cultivation—covering language, knowledge, and skills. Those with the means are exposed to nearly every field imaginable.

 

With lifespans stretching across millennia, early exposure allows immortals to later choose the path best suited to them—whether to specialize deeply or pursue many disciplines. After all, they truly live for a very long time.

 

And before Si Zhuo caused trouble in the Heavenly Realm, Luan Ling did know his name.

 

It dated back to the Eighth Heavenly Youth All-Rounder Cup. He had been the champion of the infrastructure division.

 

Why did she remember that specifically? Because infrastructure was one of the hardest categories. Most young gods were impressive if they could stack wood into shape—Si Zhuo, on the other hand, had built an entire housing barrier, essentially crushing the competition.

 

So she was absolutely certain—he could do it.

 

Housing quality aside, the real issue was that there were only two rooms here. If they didn’t build more, she might end up sharing space with the teacher and the senior brother.

 

That would be a disaster.

 

“Oh? I seem to recall someone storming into my territory yesterday, claiming to uphold justice and ‘properly educate my unfilial dragon grandson on my grandfather’s behalf,’” Si Zhuo said with a raised brow.

 

Luan Ling looked a little guilty. Though she believed she’d done nothing wrong morally, reality forced her to lower her head.

 

“That was all the fault of those old fossils! I was forced into it! Big brother, I misjudged them! Look at you—handsome, dashing, breathing fire! If I don’t follow you, who else would I follow?”

 

To hell with justice—she wanted a luxury single room.

 

“I’ll agree,” Si Zhuo said thoughtfully, “but that ‘big brother’ doesn’t quite feel weighty enough.”

 

Luan Ling stared at him in disbelief.
“Don’t tell me you want me to call you… father?”

 

“Ah. My good daughter.”

 

Si Zhuo’s eyes curved into a smile, clearly in excellent spirits.

 

Helping someone was most enjoyable when they called you Dad.

 

“Sir,” Si Zhuo said quickly before Luan Ling exploded, raising his hand,
“Though I’m not very capable myself, I do have some basics. I can assist Third Senior Brother.”

 

“Oh? That’s wonderful!” Dugu exclaimed, pleasantly surprised. “Elite education really does have its advantages.”

 

“But the two of us…” Luan Ling hesitated awkwardly,
“We’re not very good at spells. Anything physically demanding might need everyone else to handle…”

 

“You’re not good at spells?!”
Dugu and Li Xiao exclaimed in unison. Even the aloof second senior sister turned to look at them.

 

One had just burned down a classroom and caused chaos that even divine lords struggled to deal with.

 

The other had dominated the All-Rounder Cup year after year.

 

Forget learning spells—these two should have mastered them at birth.