"The Mortal Chapter Of Qing Zhuan" - Chapter 22

The Return of the Storm

 

“Ling Yin, the pain in your heart is unbearable, isn’t it? Weren’t you going to save Yun Li? Why are you still here cleansing us?” Demonic souls swirled around Ling Yin, tempting her to fall into darkness.

“Get out! Do not disturb my mind! You vile filth!”

“Mind? You have no heart! How can you talk about a mind? Besides, your heart was given to you by the god Pangu!

In the end, you have no heart at all, Ling Yin! Ling Yin! Come on, join us!

You are a demonic sound, not Ling Yin…”

“No! No! No! I am Ling Yin! I am the ancient god Ling Yin! A disciple of the god Pangu! Be gone, you filthy things!”

With that, she formed a hand seal in front of her chest and chanted the Pure Heart Incantation: “Spirits of clarity, hearts of light; sever my demonic aura, purify my heart’s sound; all things fleeting, all things resonating; hold fast to the heart’s power, and be forever pure and tranquil.” In an instant, golden light burst forth, and the demonic energy scattered.

Gradually, the demonic marks on Ling Yin’s face faded. Her lips, once pale, returned to their original rosy hue, and her bloodless face regained its radiant glow.

She wiped the cold sweat from her brow, went back to the Icy Frost Pavilion to wash up, and then headed to the Maple Pavilion.

She saw Yun Li drinking tea under the maple tree, with a bowl of white fungus soup next to him.

“Ling’er, are you feeling better? I haven’t seen you in a while. You’ve gotten much thinner, but your complexion is better than last time.”

“Yes! I’ve been cultivating in the dark pool to cleanse myself and remove a lot of the demonic energy. Only then did I dare to come and see you.”

“Come, try this. The white fungus soup has just cooled down, and it’s very sweet!”

Ling Yin picked up the jade bowl and looked at the white, glutinous soup. It was just as it had been before, and she couldn’t help but remember when Yi Qing was here, who would always give her her share.

A clear tear fell into the bowl. She took a sip. “If Yi Qing were still here, she would surely have saved her bowl for me…”

“I heard that Yi Qing has been found! Ling’er, you can explain everything to her then! I believe Yi Qing has always loved you deeply!”

She frowned and looked into the distance. “Yi Qing, it’s my fault. I should have listened to you back then! How are you now?”

Ling Yin suddenly remembered that Yan Lin also knew of Yi Qing’s whereabouts and anxiously looked at Yun Li. “Brother Li, that Yan Lin also knows where Yi Qing is. Will he…”

Yun Li choked up a bit and looked at Ling Yin. “The most urgent thing is to contact Yi Qing as soon as possible…”

Gao and I packed our school bags. My mom brought out a bowl of cornmeal porridge and said, “Ninth grade already, how time flies! You two will have it tough from now on!”

Gao nodded, smiling at my mom. “It’s okay! For our future, a little hardship now is worth it, right, Da Yuanzi?” I ate my potato pancake and nodded.

When we got to class, I found a seat. As everyone else arrived, they started talking and joking with each other.

“Now I’m a senior! Let’s see who dares to be arrogant in front of me! These kids in seventh and eighth grade!” Lu Xiangyuan bragged to Hao Sheng.

“Give it a rest! The high school entrance exam is coming up! You’re still thinking about conquering the world, brother Yuan?” Hao Sheng laughed at him.

“This is for you, Weng Yuan. I knitted this scarf myself during the break. It’s very warm, try it on…” Cai Jingwen had a new haircut, and she had straightened her naturally curly hair. She smiled at Weng Yuan with her eyes crinkling.

“No, you keep it for yourself! I have a scarf!” Weng Yuan replied coldly and turned his gaze back toward me.

Cai Jingwen followed his gaze and said angrily, “You still haven’t given up on her, have you?”

“Does it have anything to do with you? You just mind your own business!”

Cai Jingwen turned to leave, but Weng Yuan called out, “Wait a minute!”

She was overjoyed, thinking Weng Yuan was going to ask her to stay. She turned around with a big smile. “What do you want, you just…”

“Take your scarf and get it off my desk! It’s taking up space!”

Hearing his cold words, Cai Jingwen’s eyes welled up with tears again. She quickly returned to her seat and put her head on her desk, crying.

Fang Hao saw what happened and went to comfort her. “Jingwen, let it go! Weng Yuan doesn’t like you! We shouldn’t bother him anymore!”

“But, but I just like him so much, boo-hoo-hoo…”

Seeing her crying with tears all over her face, Fang Hao hugged her and said, “Ugh! I just don’t get it. Weng Yuan has rejected you like this!

Why do you still bother him? Aren’t you just asking for trouble, sis? Let it go!”

“Let it go? Why should she! It’s all Li Yuan’s fault! What did Jingwen do wrong? Why should she give up!

If Li Yuan would just be clear with Weng Yuan, I don’t think he would be so clingy to her!” He Chenxi added fuel to the fire.

When Cai Jingwen heard her words, she hated me even more. She then came to find me. “Li Yuan! Come outside for a minute!” I looked at her red eyes and nodded.

When Weng Yuan saw me go out with her, he immediately stood up to follow. Lin Tao quickly grabbed him. “What are you doing?”

“I’m going to check on them! What if she tries to hit my clumsy apprentice?”

“Haha, no! Do you think Li Yuan is stupid? How could she get beaten up! If you go, you’ll be the one getting beaten up! Do you believe me?”

“I have to go check! Don’t stop me, A Tao!” Weng Yuan struggled to break free from Lin Tao’s grip.

“Li Yuan, I’m here to talk to you about something else. I just want to ask, what are your feelings for Weng Yuan?”

I looked at her, confused. Then I sighed and smiled wryly as I explained, “Jingwen, I don’t like him! But out of respect for him as a classmate, I can’t just yell at him!

You liking Weng Yuan is your business! I just want to say, I don’t like him, and I don’t like you coming to me to cause trouble!”

She asked again, “Then! Why does he always…”

I interrupted her. “That’s his business! He has his own eyes, and I can’t control him!

Instead of coming to me, you should just talk to him and make things clear! That’s better than anything else! Think about it! And it’s already ninth grade! I don’t want to waste my time on your issues anymore!”

I turned around and saw Weng Yuan behind me, his eyes red, his lips trembling, and a look of sadness on his face. I sighed helplessly and looked at him. “Did you hear what I just said?”

Cai Jingwen looked at Weng Yuan, who was once again a mess, and smiled bitterly.

“Hahaha, how pathetic! She rejected you again! She rejected you so clearly! Hahahaha… just as clearly as you rejected me…”

Weng Yuan forced a smile on his face and returned to class. Lin Tao saw his expression wasn’t good. “Weng Yuan! Are you okay? Here, have a bottle of Wahaha…”

Weng Yuan took the Wahaha and smiled bitterly. “Waaah! Waaaah! Waaah! Waaaah!” (The sound of crying)

Hao Sheng looked at Weng Yuan in confusion. “What’s wrong with him? Did he turn into a dog over the break? Why is he barking?”

Lin Tao couldn’t help but laugh, but he didn’t want to. He leaned into Hao Sheng’s ear and whispered, “He got rejected again!”

“Rejected by Da Yuanzi again? Hahaha!” Hao Sheng gossiped. “He’s got a lot of courage! He gets stronger the more he gets rejected! Here’s a single’s love song for you, Weng Yuan!”

Lin Tao hummed, “Love must get stronger the more it’s rejected, love must be firm and persistent…”

With the sound of high heels tapping on the ground, our new homeroom teacher entered the classroom. She stood at the podium and said seriously:

“Hello, students, starting today, I am your homeroom teacher. My name is Zhang, and I will be fighting alongside you for the next year. I hope that in this year, all of you will put in 200% of your energy and courage to face every challenge!

I have the determination to lead you to break through the siege and go straight to the top. Here, I hope that the top ten students in this class can aim for Yuetan High School!

The top fifteen can aim for Yuetan 52nd Middle School, an old and prestigious school. The rest of you can get into an average or above-average high school, such as Yuetan 12th Middle School or Yuetan County First Middle School…”

The students below were silent. In just a few words, she had woken everyone up. Facing the cruel reality, everyone looked down, like eggplants hit by frost. At this moment, Hao Sheng and I looked at each other and sighed helplessly.

Getting into Yuetan High School is not easy. We not only have to compete with kids from the countryside for spots, but also with kids from the city. Some students with specific admission quotas and children of teachers from old schools can also get in directly.

Therefore, there are very few spots left for children from the countryside in each class. And out of the top ten students our teacher mentioned, maybe only two or three have a chance of getting into Yuetan High School.

My heart sank. My math score had to improve quickly, or it would definitely hold me back. Thinking this, I clenched my fists and gritted my teeth.

Just then, our teacher said, “Next, I’m going to rearrange your seats. When you hear your name, please sit in the assigned seat.”

The first one she called was Hao Sheng, and then it was my turn. Hao Sheng and I were sitting in the first row, right next to the teacher’s desk. We looked at each other and didn’t say anything.

There was only a look of fear and worry in our eyes. Then, everyone else came and sat down in their new seats.

To my surprise, Weng Yuan was sitting behind me, and what was even more amazing was that Lin Tao was sitting with him!

Hao Sheng saw them and immediately turned around to gossip with them. “Weng Yuan, not bad, the one closest to the water gets the moon first, kid, hahaha.” Lin Tao was looking at them with a gossipy expression.

Weng Yuan smiled triumphantly. “You’re closer than I am, Hao Sheng.”

Hao Sheng said, “Oh no, I don’t have that in me. Don’t talk nonsense.”

I turned to Hao Sheng and said, “Turn around, and be quiet.”

Hao Sheng obediently turned back, with a gossipy smile on his face as he looked at Weng Yuan.

The school bell rang, and Hao Sheng picked up his books and said to me, “Da Yuan’er, what are we going to do from now on? We have to memorize things every day. Oh, heavens, oh, earth, who will save this child…”

I sighed helplessly and said, “This is ninth grade. Let’s do our best, young man.”

Just then, Weng Yuan suddenly kicked my chair. I looked at him in surprise and asked, “What are you doing?”

He looked at me expressionlessly and said coldly, “Hehe, nothing. Just felt like kicking it. What’s wrong? You don’t like it, Da Yuanzi?”

Hao Sheng and I were stunned. Lin Tao said, speechless, “Are you crazy? Why are you messing with her for no reason?” After saying that, he got a punch from Weng Yuan.

I widened my eyes and looked at his annoying expression, and said, “Weng Yuan, are you sick? What’s wrong with you?” Then I put on my backpack and left the classroom.

Gao was already waiting for me. He saw how angry I was and asked, “What’s wrong?”

I complained to Gao. “This day is so annoying.”

Gao asked curiously, “Who messed with you again? To make you so angry! Could it be that Weng Yuan kid again?”

I turned to Gao and gave him a thumbs-up. “Brother, you’re a god, seriously.”

Gao came over, put his arm around my shoulder, and patted me twice. “Don’t be angry. Why bother with him? If he does that again, you can just ask your homeroom teacher to move his seat, right?” After hearing his words, I suddenly had an epiphany.

“You’re right! Why did I forget about our teacher?”

The next day, as soon as I got to class, I saw Weng Yuan sitting in his seat early. I went back to my seat and ignored him. As soon as I sat down, he started kicking my chair again.

I couldn’t stand it anymore and looked at him. “Weng Yuan, what do you want? Are you sick? The most important thing right now is to prepare for the high school entrance exam, do you understand?

I hope you can focus on your studies instead of thinking about useless things every day!

And if you keep acting like this, I’m going to tell the teacher that you’re affecting my studies.”

Just then, I saw Hao Sheng eavesdropping at the door. I saw him trying to hide and yelled at him.

“Hao Sheng! Get in here! What are you thinking about over there?”

Hao Sheng scurried to his seat and asked, “Da Yuan’er, you’re really tough!” I gave him a glare, and he immediately stopped talking.

Recently, there has been a strong trend of dating in the class, especially in classes two and four, the two regular classes. They are filled with a youthful, hormonal atmosphere every day.

It’s not that I have a prejudice against them, but it feels like a waste to neglect your studies to date when you should be studying.

Sometimes when I pass by their classrooms on the way to the office to hand in homework, the sight is just unbearable. Days passed one by one, and two months went by quickly.

I exhausted myself every day with a sea of practice questions. The piles of worksheets and books on my desk were getting higher and higher. With the massive amount of practice questions every day, I barely had time to eat or drink, so I didn’t go to the bathroom much either.

But when I looked at Hao Sheng, he was like an old ox, drinking water whenever he did a practice question! He would drink water when he couldn’t solve a problem, when he was anxious, when he was happy! He would even drink water when he was excited!

It seemed like all he did all day was do practice questions and drink water! He would go to the bathroom every now and then. Later, to make it easier for him to go to the bathroom, Hao Sheng simply swapped seats with me.

As our daily study load increased, we would often spend an hour or more studying a single worksheet. As we did more and more types of problems, our grades also soared.

Until one day, our homeroom teacher called us out individually and said, “Hao Sheng, Yuanzi, all the subject teachers have told me that you two have been doing very well lately. The vice principal also got a set of last year’s high school entrance exam questions and is going to let the top two students from each class take it. So, when the bell rings, you two grab a pen and follow me.”

We nodded and returned to our seats. Hao Sheng whispered, “Oh, I’m a little nervous! Da Yuan’er! Hahaha, but I’m also a little excited!”

I smiled and rolled my eyes at him. “Why are you going crazy from studying! You’re acting like a lunatic! Hurry up and get ready! You’re so slow!”

The bell for class rang, and we quickly grabbed our pens and paper (of course, Hao Sheng’s big water bottle was a must, it had been with him on all his campaigns). We followed our teacher to the vice principal’s office. When we went in, we saw that Gao and Xiao Yu were also there. The four of us looked at each other and smiled nervously.

Hao Sheng, the gossip king, started a quiet conversation with Gao. Hao Sheng asked, “They said it was the top two from each class, but why is it just you two from your classes?”

Gao looked confused and replied, “I don’t know either. I just came after I got the notice!”

The vice principal, with a receding hairline, adjusted his glasses and smiled at us. “Don’t be nervous. The reason I called you here is because your grades are pretty good, and you represent the quality and level of our school.

I hope all of you can get into Yuetan High School so that the Four Golden Pillars can continue to create a legend.

I have a set of last year’s high school entrance exam questions here. The four of you will take the test in a moment. Let’s get started now. The four of you sit separately, don’t sit together, and don’t whisper.

Teacher Zhang, please supervise them. I have a meeting, so I have to go.”

Then our teacher started handing out the test papers. “This is last year’s high school entrance exam. The four of you do a good job. Read the questions carefully, don’t panic, and make sure you understand the questions before you answer.”

We took the heavy test papers and started working. The clock on the wall was ticking, and we were all buried in our work.

After who knows how long, we heard the school bell ring and realized we had been doing the test all day.

After our teacher collected the test papers, the vice principal happened to come back. He asked, “How was it? How do you all feel about the test?”

Xiao Yu said, “Math and English were okay, but the reading comprehension for Chinese was a bit difficult. Physics was also okay, but there were some chemistry questions we hadn’t covered yet, so I couldn’t do them.”

Hao Sheng scratched the back of his head and said, “Yeah, that’s right. I got the ones I knew, and I didn’t know the ones I didn’t.”

I laughed and looked at him. “Hao Sheng, why are you stealing my lines?”

Gao spun his pen and looked at me. “This test, the Chinese reading comprehension was indeed a bit difficult. I couldn’t solve the last small question of the last big physics problem.

As for chemistry, it was mainly about formulas. You just have to memorize the formulas and plug in the numbers. Math and English were mostly about eighth-grade concepts.”

He finished and looked at me. “Da Yuanzi, what do you think?”

I looked at Gao and said, “I feel the same as Gao. But I don’t think the Chinese reading comprehension was that hard, right? I didn’t know how to do the last two big math problems, hahaha.

Physics and English were okay too. It was 80% basic questions, and the remaining 20% were either things we hadn’t learned yet or I just didn’t know.”

The vice principal looked at us and said, “Okay, you little guys have worked hard. When you get home, review the concepts and make sure you fully understand them.

Teacher Zhang, how is the grading going? I’ve also called Teacher Han and Director Li over.”

Then he turned to the four of us and said, “You four can go home now. I’ll announce the results tomorrow. You’ve worked hard, kids. Go home now.”

When we left the vice principal’s office, it was already getting dark. I stretched and, on the way back to the classroom with Hao Sheng, we were still discussing. “Why couldn’t I solve that big math problem?”

Hao Sheng looked at me curiously. “Da Yuanzi! How did you do the Chinese reading comprehension?”

“I just did it! I put myself in the author’s shoes and looked at the problems from their perspective to solve them!” We laughed and talked all the way back to the classroom, where we packed our bags to go home.

After I finished packing, I went to wait for Gao at the door of his class. When I saw him come out with his backpack and a bottle of water, I quickly ran over!

“Come to my house tonight. I don’t know how to do those two big problems, so you have to help me with them.”

At this moment, Hao Sheng and Xiao Yu said in unison beside us, “Tsk, tsk, tsk, look! This is the difference! They can get private tutoring when they go back, unlike us who are fighting alone.”

Gao and I replied in unison, “Are you jealous? Then be jealous…”

Then, everyone went home. The huge school building was left with only the lights of the vice principal’s office still on. The teachers were working overtime to grade the test papers.

Our teacher started to add up the scores. When she was adding up the scores for the Chinese test, she said proudly.

“Hahaha, our Yuanzi is first again in Chinese, with a score of 143.” The other teachers praised her.

Director Li also said,

“Our Jichang’s physics score is almost perfect again, 98 points.”

The vice principal peeled a banana and put it in his mouth. “What about the other two kids? Have you tallied their total scores yet? What were their scores?”

Teacher Han said, “They’re out. First place is Gao Jichang with 738, second place is Hao Sheng with 721, third place is Li Yuan with 718, and fourth place is Yu Nian with 693.”

The vice principal nodded after hearing the scores. “Very good scores, especially Da Yuan’er. It looks like her math has improved a lot.”

At this moment, Director Li, who was sitting with her legs crossed, gossiped. “Of course. Our Jichang tutors her every day. In fact, I just heard Li Yuan asking him to come to her house in the hallway, hahaha. I also heard they’re childhood sweethearts and grew up together.”

Teacher Han praised him. “Jichang is a really good student! He has brought a lot of honor to our school!”

Our teacher was not convinced and said, “Our Da Yuan’er is not bad either! She just wasn’t interested in math before, which doesn’t mean she’s stupid. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have improved so quickly.”

Our teacher looked at Director Li and retorted, “Director Li is just talking about Jichang tutoring Da Yuan’er in math, but she’s not mentioning how Da Yuan’er taught him how to do reading comprehension.”

Director Li adjusted her glasses and cleared her throat. “I didn’t say anything, I just…”

The vice principal interrupted. “Okay, okay, comrades, stop arguing. Our kids are all excellent!

Everyone has worked hard today. It’s getting late. Go home. It’s a good thing that our students are doing well and helping each other out. Don’t argue. The two kids didn’t say anything, so what are you two arguing about? Go home and eat. See you tomorrow.”

When Gao and I got home, we were eating the braised chicken drumsticks my mom made. Maybe it was because we were so tired from the test today, but I ate two big drumsticks and two bowls of rice.

They were all stunned. I looked at their surprised faces, picked up a big meat bun, put it in my mouth, and jumped off the bed to go back to my room to look at the problems.

The three of them just stood there, holding their bowls. My mom quickly asked Gao, “What happened to Li Yuan at school? Did she not get to eat? Why is she so hungry today?”

My dad also asked worriedly, “Yeah, did she get bullied? Did someone steal her food?”

Gao swallowed the food in his mouth and said, “No, don’t worry. She was probably just tired from the test today. It’s nothing, Auntie and Uncle.”

Then he also started shoveling food into his mouth. He put down his bowl and chopsticks, grabbed a big drumstick, and left.

My dad and mom looked at each other. My dad scratched his head in confusion. “What kind of test was that? It made the two kids so hungry. The school is abusing them.”

My mom looked at my dad. “Stop thinking about useless things. The kids are under a lot of pressure from their studies now. It’s normal for them to eat a lot. Besides, they’re at an age where they’re still growing, so it’s normal for them to eat a lot. Don’t worry.

I’ll wash some apples for them to eat later and pour two glasses of milk. I’ll put the buns and drumsticks in the pot to keep warm. I’m afraid they’ll get hungry again after they’re done studying tonight.”

Gao went back to the room, sat on a chair, and ate his chicken drumstick with a look of enjoyment. I smiled and asked him, “You weren’t full?”

Gao retorted, “Didn’t you put a bun in your mouth too? And you’re talking about me?”

I grinned. “I was really hungry today. Maybe I used up too much energy. Oh, right, don’t eat yet. Come over and help me with this problem. How do you solve it?”

At this moment, my mom came over with a plate of sliced apples, and my dad brought two cups of warm milk and said,

“Your mom knows you two are tired from studying, so she brought some fruit and milk for you. And you’re still growing, so eat and drink more.”

We both burst into laughter. At this moment, my parents’ faces were also filled with happy smiles. We studied for a long time and finally solved the problem.

It was already 11:30 at night, and my stomach started to grumble. Then I heard Gao’s stomach also grumble in agreement. I looked at him and laughed. “Hahaha, Gao, you’re hungry too. I wonder if there’s anything to eat. I’ll go check.”

When I quietly went to the outer room and gently lifted the lid of the pot, I found that the food inside was still steaming. My mom had kept the buns and chicken drumsticks warm for us. So, Gao and I went back to the room and started feasting…

The mountain city was shrouded in clouds and mist, adding a touch of mystery to it! But the Ancient and Modern Inn was brightly lit.

“Shao Yan, I have found her now! But, to prevent Ling Yin from obstructing us! We must deploy in advance!”

“The god’s words are wise! I will do whatever the god decides!”

“Shao Yan, take this token and go to the City of Burning, find Hun Bao. The City of Burning must have been renamed Wei City now. Tell him that Yan Lin has something to ask of him! He will understand when he sees this token!”

“I obey!” Shao Yan bowed with both hands. Yan Lin looked at the world outside the window, a sly look in his eyes.

The next day, Shao Yan closed the inn and went to Wei City to find Hun Bao. As soon as he arrived, he was surrounded by a group of people. He was about to cast a spell when he was knocked unconscious by a stick. He was blindfolded and thrown into a black Jetta.

“Who are you! Let me go, aren’t you afraid…”

“Afraid of what? Do you know who I am? How dare you swagger through Wei City.”

Shao Yan said disdainfully, “If you have the guts, take this blindfold off! I want to see who you are! So arrogant!”

Hun Bao gave a look, and Hei Bao (Black Leopard) went over, kicked him twice, and knocked him to the ground. He then took off his blindfold.

Just then, he saw a token fall out. He picked it up and ran to his brother. “Brother! Look! It’s our clan’s bone flute!”

Hun Bao instantly appeared in front of him, grabbed his neck, and glared at him. “Where did you get this!”

“It’s! The god Yan Lin! He asked me to give it to Hun Bao!” Shao Yan was being choked and his feet were kicking desperately in the air.

Just then, a huge maple leaf appeared in the air. It glowed with a reddish-orange light, and a deep voice echoed.

“Brother Hun Bao! It is me, Yan Lin!”

Hun Bao quickly knelt down. “God Yan Lin, where are you? Why does this person have the bone flute?”

“Brother Hun Bao, do not be angry. This person is the Elder of the Ancient and Modern Inn—Shao Yan! He is one of us! I sent him here today to deliver the token. I hope Brother Hun Bao can help him!”

“My lord, what are you saying? As long as you need us, we will not hesitate to sacrifice ourselves!”

Shao Yan, who was thrown to the ground, was furious. He thought, “This old villain! He did this on purpose to test if I was an undercover agent for the Hall of Karma! How shameless!”

Just then, the huge maple leaf in the air was burned to ashes by a flame, and a letter slowly floated down into Hun Bao’s hand.

“This letter contains my specific instructions, Brother Hun Bao. I’ll be counting on you!”

Hun Bao knelt and bowed. “Farewell, my lord!”

Hun Bao walked over to him, helped Shao Yan up, and said with an apologetic look, “I apologize for my rudeness just now! I hope you can bear with me, Elder!”

Shao Yan wiped the bl00d from the corner of his mouth and sneered. “Lord Hun Bao, you’re mistaken! I am just an elder of the Ancient and Modern Inn. How dare I be angry with you! Since the god’s task is done, I must return immediately! Goodbye!”

“Goodbye! Be careful on your way, Elder!”

On his way back, Shao Yan happened to run into Qiong Chi, the envoy of the Hall of Karma. He quickly bowed. “My lord!”

“Shao Yan! Long time no see, are you well? Why don’t you come with us?”

“I don’t know where I offended you, my lord. Why…” Shao Yan looked at him in fear.

“Hmph! You’ll know when you come with us!” Then he was taken away by the people of the Hall of Karma.

“My lord! We have Shao Yan!”

“Good! The rest of you may leave!” Qiong Chi and the others left.

Ga Nuo Ke asked, “Shao Yan! Do you know your crime?”

He nervously wiped his sweat and replied cautiously, “I don’t know what you’re talking about, my lord. What crime have I committed?”

Ga Nuo Ke then conjured a large mirror, which showed Yan Lin’s many visits to the Ancient and Modern Inn, and even the scene of him giving Yan Lin a magic treasure.

“How about it? Do you still have anything to say? Do you know who this person is! He is the soul of the ancient god Yun Li, Yan Lin! He is an evil god who defected from the ancient gods!

He repeatedly tried to harm the ancient god Ling Yin without success, so he used the heart soul Yi Qing to open the Gate of Karma and fall into reincarnation!

He also privately stole the treasure of the ancient gods and hid it in this cycle of reincarnation, using its power to take revenge on Yun Li’s body!

Now he has found the reincarnation of the heart soul—Li Yuan! That’s why he came to you, wanting to use you to get rid of Li Yuan! And you, you foolishly went along with his plan!”

“I didn’t know! I really didn’t know!”

“Shao Yan, I don’t care if you knew before or not! From this moment on, you must protect Li Yuan! If you see Yan Lin again, report it to the Hall of Karma immediately!”

Shao Yan was about to agree verbally, hoping to get away with it, but Ga Nuo Ke directly took out half of his soul from the top of his head and said,

“Shao Yan, now half of your soul is with me! I know every move you make, every thought you have! Go back now!”

Shao Yan knelt on the ground, kowtowing. “My lord, as long as you can help me find one person, I will go through fire and water for you!”

“Who? You’re so persistent about her! Even willing to side with Yan Lin?” Ga Nuo Ke sensed his thoughts and asked in confusion.

“Her name is Ling Yue. She is Ling Yin’s junior sister, a follower of the Goddess Nuwa, and my master! I…”

“Enough. You don’t need to say more. I will make my own decision after I see. ”

Ga Nuo Ke then began to observe. After a moment, he sighed.

“The changes of karma are endless! Shao Yan, I can only tell you that the person you are looking for is still in the Six Paths of Reincarnation!

However, I cannot tell you what will happen next! I will tell you after I deal with Yan Lin!”

Shao Yan was happy and angry at the same time. Ga Nuo Ke laughed. “Shao Yan, Shao Yan, you probably forgot that half of your soul is in my hands! Why did you tell me everything!

I know you are angry, but that is the way of karma! You can go now!”

Shao Yan was about to leave, but he was called back.

“Wait! Shao Yan, if you need my help in the future, you can communicate with me directly! Just like this…” Then he began to use the Mind-Reading Spell!

“Your thoughts enter my heart, now!”

Shao Yan indeed heard Ga Nuo Ke’s voice, so he silently chanted the Mind-Reading Spell in his heart and replied with his mind.

“It can be used like this?” Shao Yan asked in surprise.

“Indeed! This spell can be used to communicate with people whose souls are in my possession!”

Shao Yan asked in confusion, “Are there no time or space limitations?”

“None!”

Then Shao Yan bowed with both hands.

“I thank you, my lord, for your protection! Please accept my bow, Shao Yan.”

He kowtowed and left Ga Nuo Ke. When he returned to the Ancient and Modern Inn, Yan Lin had only left a maple leaf. When he picked up the maple leaf, a familiar scene appeared again:

“Shao Yan! I have bothered you enough recently! I will take my leave for now! I will return! We’ll meet again…”

Then it turned into a ball of flame and disappeared.

Ga Nuo Ke replied, “He must have known you came to the Hall of Karma and fled!”

“What do we do now?”

“Don’t worry, child! Wait! Just wait for the unknown karma to arrive!”

Shao Yan looked at the rain falling outside and still felt a lingering fear. He didn’t know what to do. At this moment, he was completely exposed in front of these two people…

After Gao and I finished eating, we went straight to bed. When my mom woke us up the next morning, she found that we hadn’t even made our beds.

She looked at my messy hair and lovingly touched my face. “Baby, time to get up! Get up and freshen up. Time to eat and go to school!” Then she gently patted Gao’s back to wake him up.

I looked at my mom sleepily. “Mom, what time is it?”

“It’s 6:30!”

Gao was next to me, yawning and rubbing his eyes. He looked at me. “A new day has begun! Da Yuanzi!”

We both had big dark circles under our eyes and went to the sink. When we saw our messy reflections in the mirror, we laughed at each other.

My dad couldn’t help but laugh. “Hurry up and get ready. Time to eat and go to school.”

We went to the dining table and started shoveling the fragrant fried rice my mom made into our mouths. In the sunlight, you could see the steam rising from the bowl, making it look extra delicious and tempting.

After wolfing down our food, we rode our bikes to school. When I got to class, most of the students were already there.

As soon as I sat down, I anxiously asked Hao Sheng, “Hey, did you solve that big problem from yesterday?”

Hao Sheng shook his head. “No, but Weng Yuan just asked me if you were coming today, hahaha.”

I smiled helplessly, turned around, and looked at Weng Yuan. He was looking down, not at me, just spinning his pen. His gaze was fixed on his book.

I shook my head and knocked his pen away. “Don’t be in a hurry to leave after school tonight. I have a few words to say to you.”

When Lin Tao heard this, he had a gossipy expression on his face, and Hao Sheng was also covering his face with his math book, giggling.

Weng Yuan’s lips couldn’t help but curl up, but he still didn’t look up at me. I knocked his desk with my homework notebook and asked, “Did you hear me?” He nodded his head wildly.

I turned back and continued to look at my practice questions for the day. When I turned back, Weng Yuan slowly raised his head behind me, secretly resting his chin on his hand and quietly watching me.

By chance, I turned around to get a notebook and our eyes met. I realized that he was slowly losing his boyish features and was becoming more and more handsome with a more defined jawline.

I smiled and asked him, “Did you prepare for today’s lesson?”

He blushed and stuttered, “So, so. Did you prepare?”

“Sigh, don’t even get me started. I spent half the night on a stupid problem. I came to school this morning with these panda eyes.”

After saying that, I saw him trying to hold back a laugh. I looked at him and said, “Go ahead and laugh. Don’t hold it in, you’ll hurt yourself.”

Lin Tao, who had been watching us from the side, burst out laughing, which startled me.

I looked at him in confusion. “What are you laughing at? You scared me.”

He waved his hands repeatedly. “You wouldn’t understand a man’s world, little girl. Go study.”

I heard Weng Yuan and Lin Tao start to wrestle with each other behind me. I shook my head and thought,

“Whatever, I should just read. Preparing for the high school entrance exam is the most important thing.”

Our teacher walked over to Hao Sheng and me and said, “How did you two do on yesterday’s test?”

We thought we didn’t do well and anxiously asked, “Are the results out?”

Our teacher then said to the class, “We’re almost done with the lessons. The next semester will be mainly for review, so everyone must study hard now. If you have any questions, ask them now while there’s still time!

Don’t wait until next semester, when everyone is reviewing and preparing for the exam, and you’re still trying to understand the basics. That will delay your progress! The main task for the next semester is to do practice questions!

With so many practice questions to do every day, you won’t have time to study these concepts and formulas, so everyone needs to work harder this semester!

There’s only a month left until the final exam, and I hope everyone studies hard and does well. It’s a way to test your progress this semester.”

Hao Sheng and I couldn’t hear a single word she said. We were busy passing notes to each other.

“Does our teacher mean we didn’t do well?” Hao Sheng looked at me with a frown.

“Who knows? Maybe. Our teacher isn’t even smiling.” I looked at him in confusion.

“Then what do we do? We messed up, didn’t we?” Hao Sheng started drinking water again!

“We’ll just have to see. What else can we do?”

Just then, our teacher looked at us and said, “The two of you, come with me.”