They walked like this for several minutes, vegetation surrounding them on both sides of the stone staircase.
Far above them in the distance, Gu Luo began to make out an old traditional wooden building.
When they finally reached the end of the path, a large gravel courtyard stretched out before Gu Luo. Beyond it, a traditional Buddhist temple entrance provided access to the large wooden building.
A wooden sign bearing the inscription 'Hebijian School of Sorcery' hung above the entrance.
Gu Luo followed Leolia inside the building without saying a word.
"Be careful, the floor is still slippery. It was just waxed."
Gu Luo stopped his foot just before it touched the wet floor. He balanced on one leg and removed his shoes before carefully placing his sock-covered feet on the wet floor.
Leolia silently watched him do so, then started walking again once he had finished.
The school was arranged into long hallways, with austere classrooms lining both sides.
The building was very large, much larger than the old school Gu Luo used to attend.
Gu Luo wondered why all the classrooms were empty. If the VEIL could really afford to have such a large school without any students, it must truly be an important organization.
Leolia and Gu Luo came across an old woman at a corner, her hair tied up with a cloth, crouched down while waxing the floor. They both bowed to greet her without stopping.
Eventually, Leolia stopped in front of a classroom whose door was closed. Voices could be heard from inside. Judging by the volume of the conversation, Gu Luo figured there couldn't be many people inside.
"You'd better wait here while I let them know. They don't know you're coming."
"Hmm." Gu Luo nodded his head.
Leolia opened the door and entered the classroom alone, closing it behind her.
"What are you talking about, Yoeel? She was obviously on an urgent mission."
A young man's voice echoed through the room. A young girl's voice followed.
"I think she's hiding something from us, like she always does."
Another boy answered in a calm voice.
"Well, you can ask her yourself because she's here..."
The two teenagers immediately turned around to face the same direction as their classmates and froze in shock when they saw their teacher glaring at them.
"So that's what you say about me when I'm not around..."
The boy who had been showing off earlier stammered.
"L-Leolia, you know us... We would never, ever say anything bad about you behind your back."
"There's no point, Shěn Yán. She heard everything."
"What! You were here the whole time?!"
Leolia clapped her hands to restore order.
"I have something important to tell you. It concerns my absence today."
The students immediately calmed down and their gazes focused on Leolia.
A large smile appeared on Leolia's face.
"Today, we are going to welcome a new student into the class. I hope you'll give him a warm welcome!"
The young woman's final sentence hung in the air.
"..."
"..."
"..."
On the other side of the door, Gu Luo buried his face in his hands, embarrassed by the situation reaching him from the other side of the wall.
Leolia turned toward the door.
"Alright, you can come in!"
Gu Luo took a deep breath, then opened the wooden door and entered the classroom.
It was a classroom that seemed to date back two decades. Around thirty old wooden desks, along with ink wells, were arranged throughout the room. A dusty chalkboard hung on the wall.
Leolia stood on the platform in front of it. Facing her were three teenagers, two boys and a girl, each sitting in the most bizarre positions Gu Luo had ever seen in his life.
He didn't really know what to do, so he simply stood there motionless in the middle of the room in front of the board.
He turned his eyes toward Leolia. She was looking at him with an amused expression and a big smile on her face.
"Come on, introduce yourself."
Gu Luo felt his body relax and loosen, as if he felt very distant from himself.
"Hello. My name is Gu Luo. I studied at Shenzhen National High School until today, and now I'll be your classmate. Thank you for listening."
He bowed forward, then straightened up.
"..."
"..."
"..."
Seeing that her students were silent, Leolia scolded them.
"Well? Welcome him! Who raised you, you bunch of rude kids!"
One of the three, a boy, straightened himself in his chair, stood up, and walked toward Gu Luo before speaking first.
"Hi, I'm Yoeel. Welcome among us."
Yoeel held out a hand toward Gu Luo, which he shook, and Yoeel responded with a smile.
He seemed to be around the same age, but the fact that Yoeel had pearly white hair disturbed Gu Luo. It was the first time he had ever seen such a hair color.
He wondered if dyeing one's hair was allowed at this school.
"And you two, come on!"
Yoeel said.
The other two students painfully got themselves out of their chairs. The boy nearly fell over while getting up.
The girl reached Gu Luo first.
She had long eyelashes and a lively gaze. Her long, fine black hair fell down her back and was cut at the level of her bangs. She was slightly shorter than Gu Luo.
"Hi, you can call me Lǐ Xīnyí."
Gu Luo nodded.
The girl was suddenly pushed aside by the boy who had finally managed to free himself from his chair.
"Hey!"
The boy made a peace sign with his right hand and smiled at Gu Luo.
He wore round glasses that were too big for him, contrasting with his wide smile and thin eyebrows. His black hair strangely had a turquoise tint.
"I'm Shěn Yán. I hope we can be friends!"
Then the boy held out his fist toward Gu Luo as if waiting for Gu Luo to do the same.
Gu Luo complied, and Shěn Yán bumped his fist against his while smiling.