Chapter 6: Meeting Again, Princess Yongning and the Master of Shenxiao Tower

The secretary watched Ye Wanlan with a guarded expression.

Sheng Yunyi turned her head in surprise, but she did not see the girl’s face; she only saw her pass the vehicle and enter the main gate of No. 1 High School.

The secretary was stunned: "She isn't..."

She hadn't been following Zhou Hechen’s car here after all?

The secretary’s brow furrowed deeper, and he explained in a low voice, "I apologize, Miss Yunyi. I was overreacting; I was afraid she might hurt you again."

"It’s fine," Sheng Yunyi said in a gentle voice. "Hechen said she never attended high school. Why would she go to the high school division of No. 1 High School?"

The secretary breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. "Perhaps she wants to improve her academic qualifications, though it’s useless."

"It’s still useful. A high school diploma is better than a middle school one, at any rate."

"Miss Yunyi is right. I heard you were admitted to Hong Kong University of the Arts at sixteen. It’s truly admirable."

"Everyone has their own strengths," Sheng Yunyi sighed. "The classical music Hechen loves—I just can’t seem to learn it well."

The secretary flattered her, "Not at all. As long as it is you, Sir likes it."

Sheng Yunyi smiled slightly and said no more.

The green light turned on, and the car sped away.

**

At this moment, Jiangcheng No. 1 High School, psychological counseling room.

Ye Wanlan knocked on the door and entered after receiving permission.

The layout inside was simple, containing only a desk, chairs, a bookshelf, and a computer.

Rong Yu looked up: "You must be Student Ye, who made an appointment yesterday. You—"

The girl was dressed in a new-style Chinese outfit, a pure white shirt with a diagonal collar and a light blue moon-patterned skirt. As the wind stirred the hem of her skirt, the patterns flowed like a surging galaxy.

The sunlight cast a golden hue over her cold, picturesque features, so beautiful it seemed to seal time itself, leaving one silent for a long while, afraid to disturb her.

Until Rong Yu was kicked by the person curled up in a soft chair.

He felt the pain and immediately snapped back to reality: "Hello, Student Ye. I am your psychological counselor for this session. My surname is Rong. Please, sit. I will take your pulse."

Ye Wanlan sat down as instructed and raised an eyebrow: "A psychological counselor who practices Traditional Chinese Medicine pulse-taking?"

Rong Yu said mysteriously, "I am different. The pulse is all I need."

Pulse-taking, the surname Rong...

The Taisu Pulse!

Ye Wanlan’s eyes narrowed.

Rong Yu did not notice the subtle change in the girl’s expression, but Yan Tingfeng caught it clearly.

His eyelashes lifted slightly, revealing eyes as cold as moonlight, though his voice was gentle: "What is it?"

Ye Wanlan said indifferently, "I’ve never heard of such a psychological therapy; I was just curious."

No, of course she knew.

In the past, the Taisu Sect, one of the six great sects of the Divine Land, was a martial arts power famous throughout the world for its physiognomy.

A Taisu physiognomist knows the will of Heaven above and peers into the human heart below!

She did not know Rong Yu, but she knew his ancestors.

"Student Ye, don't worry, I am very reliable," Rong Yu said, beginning to take her pulse.

Time ticked by second by second, and his expression grew increasingly grave, until it shattered.

Something was wrong. Why couldn't he calculate anything?

As a member of the Rong family, bearing the orthodox inheritance of the Taisu Sect, calculating an ordinary person should have been effortless!

"It seems pulse-taking is of no use," Ye Wanlan leaned back in her chair and smiled slightly. "Dr. Rong can try a different therapy."

Rong Yu felt defeated: "...Student Ye, please fill out the form."

Ye Wanlan sat in front of the computer to fill out the mental health test.

After she finished, a cup appeared in front of her.

A voice fell: "Drink some hot water."

Ye Wanlan looked up.

It was the other person in the counseling room; she had noticed him the moment she walked in.

His name tag read "Assistant," but this identity did not match his temperament or appearance at all.

His smile was soft and gentle, his gaze clear and bright; he could be described as having the grace of clouds and the luster of the moon, as elegant as a dragon and as refined as a phoenix, standing as bright as a jade tree in the wind.

Yet, Ye Wanlan caught the scent of thick, fresh blood.

It reminded her of an old acquaintance from her past life.

She had another secret: she was someone who had been reincarnated with the memories of her past life.

The name she bore in this life was one she had chosen herself.

To call him an old acquaintance wasn't quite accurate; when she was Princess Yongning, they had never met, their names merely standing side by side.

Three hundred years ago, the youngest martial arts alliance leader in the world—the Master of the Shenxiao Tower.

Some said that she, as the Crown Prince of the Great Ning, and he, as the Saint of the Martial Arts, were kings of their respective worlds—the imperial court and the pugilistic world—and that together, they would be invincible and unparalleled in the Divine Land.

Later generations even added a romantic legend to their story in unofficial histories, imagining this pair of dragons and phoenixes among men from a century ago, but in truth, they had never known each other.

Her impression of the Shenxiao Tower Master existed only in street rumors.

But three hundred years later, the mountains and rivers were forever silent, and even the most legendary historical figures had turned to dust.

Ye Wanlan looked at the man before her.

The two stared at each other calmly, one with a composed expression, the other with a smile in his eyes.

It was as if lightning flashed and thunder rolled, with rain falling in a torrent.

In the end, it was Yan Tingfeng who looked away first, strange ripples spreading in his pitch-black pupils.

Rong Yu did not notice the anomaly between the two; he was checking the psychological test results and couldn't help but gasp: "Your situation is truly serious. What on earth are you thinking about every day?"

Ye Wanlan: "Murder, the destruction of the world."

Rong Yu: "?"

At that very instant, a sudden killing intent surged toward him, almost manifesting as a physical blade, ready to sever his throat.

Rong Yu found himself unable to breathe.

Ye Wanlan smiled suddenly: "Just a joke, Dr. Rong. I am a person of upright character."

The air began to flow again, and Rong Yu coughed violently: "St-Student Ye, that joke isn't very funny. You must think less about these dark things. Look at flowers, trees, and small animals every day—don't you think the world is beautiful?"

"I don't."

"..."

The hour of psychological counseling ended.

Rong Yu’s gaze was vacant.

He wanted to destroy the world, too.

Yan Tingfeng stood up: "I will see Miss Ye out."

Rong Yu was stunned, feeling it was quite rare: "Brother, you—"

He had known Yan Tingfeng for four years.

His brother had always been gentle with others and almost never had a temper, but he had never seen Yan Tingfeng be this proactive.

Yan Tingfeng ignored Rong Yu and walked out of the counseling room.

"No need to see me out," Ye Wanlan said in a cool tone. "Rest assured, at least for now, I won't be doing those things."

Yan Tingfeng blinked upon hearing this, a very light laugh escaping him: "It’s raining, Miss Ye."

Water droplets fell, and mist filled the air.

In the hazy drizzle, the man’s appearance seemed even more magnificent and elegant, as gentle as spring water.

He took out a hat and placed it on her head, saying softly, "Take care on your way."

After Ye Wanlan left, the smile on Yan Tingfeng’s face vanished instantly, leaving only bone-deep violence and killing intent.

Behind him, a shadow guard appeared silently.

"Investigate her."

"Yes, Young Master."

**

In the afternoon, the Lin family’s old residence.

The Lin family held a family banquet every week, and today happened to be Saturday.

There were four people in Lin Huaijin’s generation; Lin Woyu and Lin Huaijin were fraternal twins, their names taken from the idiom "cherishing virtue and holding integrity."

"Your cousin is coming over tonight," Lin Woyu said. "Don't say anything you shouldn't when she arrives. Keep your mouths shut."

"Cousin?"

The single word made both Lin Yue and Lin Qin stop what they were doing.

"Forgot?" Lin Woyu said again. "The daughter of your eldest uncle, the one your third uncle brought back—"

Lin Yue sneered: "Of course we know. Mom, you should ask who in the major families of Jiangcheng doesn't know about Miss Sheng Yunyi’s substitute."

Lin Woyu slapped him on the shoulder: "Is that any way to talk!"

Lin Yue hummed slightly: "I’m just stating facts."

Lin Qin asked indifferently: "What is she coming here for?"

Could it be that after losing hope of clinging to the Zhou family, she found out she had a chance to bring this branch back to the main family in Yunjing, so she came to the family banquet to build connections?