"Grandpa, I want to go back to school."


    On Chang''an Third Star, a planet teeming with the empire''s most elite aristocratic families and political figures, it was evening. In the most expensive area of Hanwu Continent, a sprawling palace-like villa complex stood. Inside, a 17-year-old girl was pleading earnestly.


    The Lin family, one of the five great aristocratic families of the Chu Tang Empire, was known for producing military generals. The family patriarch, Lin Jiaoyang, was 92 years old and had served as the empire''s marshal for nearly a decade, concurrently overseeing the Ministry of Military Affairs. Under his influence, numerous members of the Lin family and their affiliated clans controlled nearly 30% of the empire''s fleet.


    Despite their immense military power, the Lin family had never incurred the emperor''s suspicion.


    The Lin family was renowned for their loyalty. Lin Jiaoyang''s father and grandfather had both died in wars, and his only son had perished in the Fifth Unicorn Fortress Defense Battle shortly after the birth of his granddaughter, Lin Moxue.


    As for Lin Moxue''s mother, she had joined the military against all advice after her beloved husband''s death, taking up the banner of revenge. The entire empire had mobilized three million warships, and under Lin Jiaoyang''s capable command, they had gained significant advantages. In the final battle, Lin Moxue''s mother had led the charge, successfully breaching the Unicorn Fortress and landing troops, capturing the massive fortress that had obstructed the empire''s eastern expansion for centuries. She had achieved great merit.


    However, Lin Moxue''s mother, the emperor''s own sister and a Level 3 innate martial artist, had exhausted herself fighting tens of thousands of enemy troops within the fortress and had ultimately perished.


    The Lin family, a lineage of tiger generals, was a family of loyal martyrs!


    This was the golden plaque the emperor had personally sent to the Lin family after Lin Moxue''s mother''s death. How could a family that had sent all its direct descendants to the battlefield to serve the empire possibly betray it?


    This generation of the Lin family had only one daughter left: Lin Moxue.


    For this pitiful girl, even the emperor, who felt deep remorse toward the Lin family, showed great affection. On her fifth birthday, he had personally attended the celebration and formally adopted her as his goddaughter.


    "Tiger, I’ve told you several times already. Your illness hasn’t fully recovered. If something like what happened a few days ago occurs again, it would be difficult to explain to outsiders, and it might even expose you."


    Although Lin Jiaoyang was 92 years old, his martial arts cultivation had long since reached the innate level, making him appear as young as an ordinary 30-year-old. At this moment, he bore none of the commanding presence he displayed at the Ministry of Military Affairs. Instead, he looked like a kind uncle, gazing affectionately at Lin Moxue.


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    "My name isn’t Tiger; it’s Lin Moxue," the girl said softly, her head lowered.


    "Ah…" Lin Jiaoyang sighed heavily, turning away as his eyes moistened. After a moment, he raised his voice and said, "Tiger… Moxue, since that’s the case, I’ll have Heizi take you to school tomorrow. It’s getting late; go and rest."


    The girl nodded gently, her light footsteps echoing as she walked deeper into the vast villa.


    "Marshal, we’ve found out what happened."


    Shortly after the girl left, a figure hurried in.


    Lin Jiaoyang, hearing the voice, shed the kind and gentle demeanor he had shown to Lin Moxue, replacing it with an air of authority.


    "Heizi, it’s you. Have you found out what happened?"


    The man who entered was tall, standing at about 2.2 meters, with a broad and muscular build. As he walked, his footsteps made heavy "thudding" sounds. Even more astonishing were his ears, which were pointed and stood upright like those of a beast.


    Despite his fierce appearance, there was a hint of awkwardness in his demeanor.


    Bulaiteige, nicknamed Heizi, was of the Tanyak race, a subhuman species. The Tanyak people had lived for generations in the Tanyak Star System in the far east of the southern universe. Once an independent nation, they had been conquered by the Galactic Empire and reduced to third-class citizens, forbidden from leaving the Tanyak Star System.


    After the collapse of the Galactic Empire, the Tanyak region and its surrounding star systems remained highly chaotic, with several subhuman tribes and human nations constantly at war. Bulaiteige’s father had left the Tanyak Star System in his youth to escape the war. After enduring countless hardships, he had met a human woman during his travels and married her. However, when they reached the Chu Tang Empire, his wife had died during childbirth due to complications. Overwhelmed with grief, he had entrusted Bulaiteige to Lin Jiaoyang, who was then a major general, before taking his wife’s body and piloting a broken mech into the sun.


    A few years after adopting Bulaiteige, the Fifth Unicorn Fortress Defense Battle had occurred. Having lost his son and daughter-in-law, Lin Jiaoyang had been devastated. During his journey back, he had been in a daze, and the 6-year-old Bulaiteige had cared for him throughout. After recovering, Lin Jiaoyang had passed on the family’s secret martial arts technique, "Twelve Floors of Ice and Fire: Fire Chapter," to Bulaiteige. Bulaiteige had shown remarkable talent, mastering the technique with solid progress and speed. Impressed, Lin Jiaoyang had formally adopted him as his grandson.


    Over the years, despite being a subhuman, Bulaiteige’s formidable martial arts skills and fierce mech piloting had earned him a reputation in the military. Even the emperor had heard of this fierce general, granting him the title of viscount and, because of Bulaiteige, improving the social status of the Tanyak people throughout the Chu Tang Empire.


    Now 23 years old, Bulaiteige had reached the innate Level 1 last year, becoming Lin Jiaoyang’s right-hand man.


    Bulaiteige strode forward and knelt on one knee before Lin Jiaoyang. "Marshal, after a thorough investigation by the Military Intelligence Division, the sequence of events is as follows."


    With that, Bulaiteige stood up and took out several photos from his pocket. "This is Henard, the only son of Bobiler, the chairman of the Xiagal Group, who was injured by the young miss." Lin Jiaoyang looked at the pale face in the photo and let out a disdainful sneer.


    "This is the young miss’s classmate, a fellow freshman named Yun Yi."


    Lin Jiaoyang took the photo and examined the young man with a handsome face and a slight smile, saying nothing.


    Bulaiteig placed the two photos on the table and continued, "The incident unfolded as follows: the young miss was about to leave school when Henard stopped her and began harassing her. Given her introverted nature, she didn’t fight back but endured it alone…"


    "Henard, you say? I’ll remember that name," Lin Jiaoyang muttered, his cold gaze fixed on the pale young man in the photo.


    Bulaiteig went on, "At that moment, this student named Yun Yi happened to be leaving as well. Seeing the young miss being bullied, he immediately stepped in and kicked Henard away…"