《Eternal Lotus Flower: A Reborn Cultivator’s Path in the Modern World》


 Chapter 1. Not All Endings Are Definitive

    Amidst the rubble of what had been, less than an hour ago, the palace of the youngest son of the Fire Emperor, surrounded by thick roots on which the blood of the hundreds of people whose lives they had taken had not yet dried, a young woman, whose extraordinary beauty could make you overlook the pool of blood forming at her feet, sat on an enormous throne made of vines and corpses and she gazed without a trace of fear in the direction from which a gigantic phoenix made of fire came flying, leaving everything in its wake transformed into ashes.


    "Yu Fengying, this is where it ends for you! The moment my father arrives, even if you kneel and swear to be my slave for eternity, you won''t be able to save your life!", the youngest son of the Fire Emperor, lying on the ground before the throne, his body penetrated by roots from all directions, arrogantly spoke to the woman on the throne, forgetting that just five minutes earlier, he had been sobbing and begging for her forgiveness, swearing on everything he held dear that he would never wrong her again.


    Looking at the fool at her feet, who had forgotten the dire situation he was in and already saw himself as the victor, Yu Fengying had to exert effort not to kill him right then and there, as she wanted to ensure that the Fire Emperor would have the opportunity to see from the front row how she would take the life of his precious son, wanting this image to haunt him forever.


    "No need to contemplate what will happen to me, as I will make sure you won''t live much longer by the time your father arrives. Yes, that''s right! These were your final words..." Yu Fengying told the young man before her, who had begun to struggle desperately as a root entered his mouth and advanced into his stomach, his eyes full with the horror provoked by this death sentence, fully aware that the woman before him had never bluffed.


    Seeing the young man before her writhing in terror, Yu Fengying was filled with satisfaction that she could at least punish one of those who had wronged her with her own hands.


    ''It''s a shame I don''t have enough time to make him endure all that I had in mind. Anyway, even if I had ten years, it probably wouldn''t be enough...'' Yu Fengying thought as she redirected her attention back to the direction from which the Fire Emperor was approaching.


    Yu Fengying didn''t have to wait much longer, as in less than two minutes, the massive fire phoenix had nearly arrived, the immense heat radiating from it being an indication of the level of fury the Fire Emperor had reached.


    Seeing his son''s predicament, the Fire Emperor accelerated at maximum speed, the flames surrounding him losing their majestic form of a phoenix and transforming into an even hotter and more radiant blaze than the surface of a star.


    "Yu Fengying, if you..."


    "Splash!"


    Unfortunately for the Fire Emperor, Yu Fengying had no intention of listening to what he had to say, and with a gesture of her hand, she caused thousands of sharp spikes to emerge from the roots that had sealed his son, piercing his body and ending his life in the most painful way possible.


    Throughout his life, spanning over ten thousand years, the Fire Emperor had never felt such rage. The death of his son and the disrespect shown by his killer drove him to the brink of madness, causing him to unleash all the power at his disposal as if he wished to engulf the entire world in flames, turning even the oceans into ashes.


    "Boom!"


    Unfortunately for him, even though the surrounding ruins had been incinerated to nothingness, the woman before him remained unmoved on her throne, as millions of roots and vines continuously emerged from the ground to block the flames that sought to devour her body and soul, erasing her from existence forever.


    "Huh, how is this even possible? You shouldn''t be able to withstand my attack for even a second. No, I can''t believe it. Don''t tell me you''ve entered the Mahayana Realm?" the Fire Emperor asked the woman in front of him, who had finally risen to her feet.


    "It seems you''ve finally grasped the situation. I was starting to think that not only your mind but your vision had been impaired by the passage of years...", Yu Fengying replied, attempting to further provoke her adversary.


    Being likened to a mortal at the mercy of time''s passage, the Fire Emperor was about to launch another attack on Yu Fengying with all his might, because, despite the fact that he enjoyed the respect the world offered him due to the power he had accumulated throughout his life, he disliked being reminded that he was no longer young, as he was aware that his vitality and courage were not at the same level as when he began his journey toward immortality, when he was prepared to undergo hundreds of years of battles. Yes, he would have liked to turn her into ashes, just as he had done with thousands of adversaries he had encountered in battle. However, the fact that she was now in the same cultivation realm as him made him exercise restraint to better assess the situation because one mistake could endanger his life.


    "Yu Fengying, are you aware of what you''ve done? Do you think your father will agree with you breaking the armistice that he and I signed a week ago? Do you realize that from now on, there will be no chance for peace unless you pay with your life for the crimes committed?" the Fire Emperor asked Yu Fengying, as if justice were on his side and she were just a criminal jeopardizing the future of millions.


    "What have I done so grave? I merely killed a wretched dog, and now I''ll do the same with his dog father!" Yu Fengying said as she approached a few meters closer to the Fire Emperor, stepping on the remains of flesh that once belonged to his son''s body. "Furthermore, do you think my father isn''t aware of what I''ve done? Who do you think sent me here? Who do you think came up with the idea for me to feign that my cultivation is sealed? Yes, that was his plan from the start! Do you believe the Lightning Emperor is foolish enough to let go of his general who has brought him so many victories? Yes, it was all just a lie to help me bypass all your defense methods and attack you unprepared!" she continued to provoke the Fire Emperor, aware that her time was almost up and that she would likely lose her life in less than 5 minutes.


    "You''re courting death!"


    After delivering this line characteristic of all elderly and arrogant cultivators, the Fire Emperor began to gather all his available qi to create an even more powerful attack than his previous one, even if it meant destabilizing his cultivation foundation and hindering his path to Ascension.


    "Do you think that by entering the Mahayana Realm, you can compare yourself to me? Do you truly believe you stand a chance at victory? Haha, you''re gravely mistaken! You won''t have any chance of escaping alive after my next attack. And once you''re dead, I''ll make sure your entire family meets the same fate as you! Disappear!" shouted the Fire Emperor, as a tornado of blue fire formed around him, incinerating everything in its path over a distance of about 10 kilometers, including the ground beneath his feet, creating a massive crater deeper than any sea.


    ''I think this might be my finale...'' thought Yu Fengying, seeing that her defense was nearly destroyed by the Fire Emperor''s attack, who had surrendered to his fury and abandoned all caution in an attempt to surpass his limits and ensure his victory.


    Although Yu Fengying didn''t want to lose her life, she knew this was the only way she could seek revenge on both her enemies and her family members who had betrayed her, sending her to her adversaries in exchange for peace. She was aware that once she destroyed the seal her father had placed on her cultivation, she wouldn''t have more than two hours to live, but she did it without hesitation.


    ''As long as their plans are ruined, I can die content. I won''t accept everyone being happy while I''m the only one suffering from the aftermath of the peace agreement. Yes, I might die, but after insulting the Fire Emperor so severely, I doubt there will be any talk of peace between him and my father. At best, they might end up killing each other...''


    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Feeling her dantian becoming increasingly unstable, Yu Fengying knew her time had run out, but since she didn''t want to give the Fire Emperor the satisfaction of killing her with his own hands and escaping this battle unscathed, she intended to end her life in a massive explosion, akin to the thousands of stars that explode in unknown parts of the infinite universe every moment.


    After minimizing her defenses, allowing some of the blue flames to steal patches of her skin, and unleashing the chaotic qi from her dantian that she had struggled so hard to control until then, Yu Fengying closed her eyes, trying to remember all the happy moments from the 323 years she had lived in that world, which she hadn''t had enough time to explore thoroughly.


    ''It seems the happy moments were so few that I can recall them in less than 5 seconds. Anyway, it doesn''t matter. Their number won''t hold any value after I''m gone... Huh, it seems it''s ready, it''s time to...''


    "Booooommm!!!"


    Unfortunately, Yu Fengying couldn''t complete her thought because her dantian suddenly exploded, releasing an immense amount of energy, the shockwave from the explosion destroying everything within a distance of 100 kilometers and was felt even 10,000 kilometers away. Yes, this was the end of Yu Fengying. A colossal explosion that even made the Fire Emperor experience the sensation of being burned.


    ..................................................


    "Hot, it''s really hot..." Zhang Mei, one of the three girls who had come out together from Linghua High School, the school for wealthy children in the city of Liyuan, exclaimed as they stepped directly into the scorching afternoon sun, and she tried to fan herself with a hand adorned with well-groomed nails more suitable for a model than a senior high school student. "Liu Zihan, would you like to come with us to the mall? I heard that a new Italian ice cream shop opened last week, with fantastic reviews. Both Hu Ning and I were thinking of going today to see if the ice cream is as good as the influencers who visited the shop praised it to be. Also, the new summer collection by Jwin brand was released this week, so it''s possible that the mall stores already have the clothes in stock. What do you say, want to go? Please? Please?" she continued, addressing the stunning ash blonde-haired girl standing amongst them. However, the latter seemed inattentive, gazing towards the school entrance, where a girl limping slightly and with half her face covered by her long, black hair had just exited.


    "Hey, Liu Zihan, what are you thinking about?" Zhang Mei asked, noticing she wasn''t getting any response. "Huh, isn''t that your half-sister? Does she still have the nerve to come to school after all the rumors that have been circulating about her? How about we wait to greet her?" she suggested, having looked in the same direction as Liu Zihan and spotting the gloomy-looking girl trailing behind them.


    Liu Zihan didn''t say yes or no, but Zhang Mei, aware of the conflict between Liu Zihan and her half-sister, thought it might be a good idea to try to get revenge on behalf of her much wealthier friend because Liu Zihan might reward her after they arrived at the mall if she did a good job. Thus, when the limping girl reached them, Zhang Mei stepped in her way and began to berate her, attracting the attention of all the students around.


    "Liu Fengying, do you still dare to show your face? Do you want every student in this school to have their reputation tarnished because they''re classmates with you, a slut who sells her body for money?" Zhang Mei told the girl she had halted, looking at her with disdain.


    "What are you talking about? Aren''t you confusing me with your mother? As far as I remember, she''s the one who married an 80-year-old man last month..." Liu Fengying calmly retorted, looking at the heavily made-up girl in front of her as if at a clown who''d been hit on the head and had lost touch with reality.


    "You! How dare you?" Zhang Mei shouted in anger and then hurled the mineral water bottle she was holding towards Liu Fengying, who was about three meters away from her.


    Despite Liu Fengying''s injured knee, she managed to swiftly bend to avoid the attack, and the water bottle flew over her and struck a janitor who was changing the garbage bag at a nearby dumpster.


    "It would be wise to calm down and stop throwing objects at people like a monkey playing with feces. Who knows, you might accidentally hit your father..." Liu Fengyin scolded her, making a reference to the fact that Zhang Mei had never found out who her real father was, because Zhang Mei''s mother, who had given birth to her when she was very young and had just entered the world of entertainment, had only told her that her father was a handsome sailor who had disappeared in a shipwreck, this fact being known to everyone, as Zhang Mei herself used to boast about it in her childhood when she hadn''t yet realized the absurdity of the story.


    Although Zhang Mei was aware that everyone knew about these things, she couldn''t bear to have someone say them directly to her face. Consumed by rage, she rushed towards Liu Fengying with outstretched hands, screaming like a banshee, intending to grab her by the throat and strangle her.


    Liu Fengying, who didn''t expect Zhang Mei to lose control and attack her in front of everyone, had to swiftly sidestep. However, due to her injured knee, she lost balance and fell, hitting her head forcefully against a curb.


    Seeing blood start to flow from Liu Fengying''s head and her not getting up, Zhang Mei realized the gravity of her actions and began to panic.


    "I, I didn''t mean to. She fell on her own... It''s not my fault...", she stammered, not knowing how to hide from the eyes of the other students who had stopped to watch the spectacle.


    "Move aside!" Liu Zihan shouted at her, rushing over in a panicked state to assess her sister''s condition, worried about the worst.


    Seeing the pool of blood forming around her sister''s head, she immediately bent down to lift her up and take her to the school''s medical office. However, just as her hand was about to make contact with her sister''s body, Liu Fengying suddenly opened her eyes, her cold gaze freezing her in place.


    "Don''t touch me. I don''t need your help..." Liu Fengying told her sister, noticing that she wasn''t willing to move to let her get up.


    "Are you okay? Do you want me to help you get to the medical office?" Liu Zihan managed to say eventually, stepping back about a meter to provide the space needed for her sister to stand up.


    "No need. You''ve done enough already..." Liu Fengying replied, who then got up with difficulty and started limping towards the high school''s medical office, paying no attention to the bystanders who were staring with their mouths agape and to the trail of blood she left behind because, even if her expression only showed indifference, a storm was raging in her mind, growing in intensity, making her oblivious to her surroundings.


    Liu Fengying, whose mind started to be invaded the moment she hit her head by memories of a life spanning over 300 years, felt how a battle for supremacy was unfolding between her current personality and the one she had in her previous life, as they began to merge. Although initially her old personality had the upper hand, being shaped by much more significant events and having a more complex view of life, due to the fact that her current personality was based on more recent memories that were specific to the world she now lived in, and was much more familiar with her current body, it managed not to be assimilated and counterattacked in turn. Thus, their fusion reached an impasse, where neither of them could take control.


    ''Damn it, we''re the same person! Why do things have to be so complicated? I am me, regardless of the world I''m born into, regardless of the moments I will experience!'', Liu Fengying shouted in her mind, feeling that if things continued in the same way, she would eventually go crazy.


    Stopping in her tracks and closing her eyes, Liu Fengying began to clear her mind and focus on what lay beyond memories, beyond personality traits influenced by the external environment, and beyond instincts that belong to any living being, attempting to connect with her spiritual essence, as that was the common element in both her lives and the only thing with the necessary influence to make peace between her personalities, which, though similar, were unwilling to compromise and were rejecting each other.


    Fortunately, memories from her previous life contained enough meditation techniques for exploring and strengthening the soul, so Liu Fengying did not find this process too challenging, and in less than a minute, she managed to halt the storm in her mind and let her spiritual essence control the fusion of her personalities in such a way as to select the best parts from each ¨C wisdom and combat experience from her previous life, vitality and a never-give-up attitude from her current life ¨C or combine some of the traits she didn''t want to let go of, like her desire for revenge against those who wronged her.


    ..................................


    "Umm, are you okay? Should I go get the doctor?" a girl who seemed to be in the first year and was passing down the hallway leading to the medical room asked Liu Fengying, who was standing still like a statue, her hair matted with dried blood.


    Opening her deep black eyes with a faint trace of purple in them and seeing the concerned girl in front of her, Liu Fengying confirmed that she was okay and thanked her for her concern. She then continued on her way to the medical room to have her wound cleaned and to take a two-week medical leave, because she wanted enough time to get her things in order.


    ''Yes, I feel great! I''ve never felt better...'' Liu Fengying thought, aware that the opportunity she had been given was an extraordinary thing she had never dared to hope for, neither when her previous life ended nor in this life where she felt she couldn''t do anything right.

 Chapter 2. A Walk Through the Heat and Through Memories

    "Well, I''ve finished bandaging the wound. Although I see that you have no issues with balance and no difficulty in speaking, which indicates that your brain hasn''t been affected, I still think it would be advisable for you to undergo a more detailed examination because there is a risk of complications if any bone has been fractured. If you want, I can call an ambulance right now to take you to the hospital...", the doctor, an attractive woman in her mid-thirties, told Liu Fengying, who was sitting on one of the beds in the school''s medical office with her head wrapped in bandages.


    "No, I don''t want to go to the hospital...", Liu Fengying said, aware that if she went to the hospital, either her father or stepmother would be contacted to accompany her since she was not yet an adult, and the signature of one of them was needed to be subjected to investigations, but she didn''t want to deal with either of them right then.


    The doctor, who knew some details about the tense relationship between Liu Fengying and her family, and expected that Liu Fengying wouldn''t want to go to the hospital, didn''t make much effort to convince her to change her decision because she not going to the hospital meant less trouble for her. After giving Liu Fengying some instructions on how to care for the wound to prevent infection, she went to her office, which was separate from where the patients were, to gather her things and change, since her shift was coming to an end, expecting Liu Fengying to get up and leave in the meantime.


    "Huh, you haven''t left yet?" the doctor asked Liu Fengying when she came out of her office and noticed that she was still in the same position as when she left.


    "How was I supposed to leave if I haven''t finished my business yet?" Liu Fengying replied, her dissatisfaction evident on her face.


    "What business is left to do? I''ve already done everything in my power to treat you...", the doctor responded with a puzzled tone.


    "Yes, it''s true that you''ve treated me, and I''m grateful for that. However, you haven''t given me any documentation to prove that I was injured, which I can use to file a complaint against the person who attacked me, and we haven''t discussed the duration of my medical leave either...", Liu Fengying replied, ignoring the fact that with each word she spoke, the doctor was becoming increasingly irritated.


    "From what you''ve told me, even though you had a conflict with one of the students in this high school, you fell and hit your head on the curb without her physically touching you, so I don''t see why you should go to the police. As for medical leave, considering you''re in your final year and there''s only a month left until the final exams, I can''t give you more than three days unless complications arise...", the doctor said, trying to convince Liu Fengying not to complicate things further.


    "Well, it''s the police''s job to decide if there''s a culprit for what I''ve been through. As for the medical leave period, I think two weeks would be more suitable to recover from both the head injury and the trauma of being attacked by a fellow student. Otherwise, I might have panic attacks in public places, and I bet the media would be very interested in finding out the cause. I can almost see the headlines from articles describing how some students at this school are harassed, and the school''s administration does nothing, like ''Money Trumps Justice at Linghua High School'' or ''Teacher Apathy at Linghua High School Leads to Tragedies''"..., Liu Fengying told the doctor, her calm tone as she uttered these threats making the doctor wonder if she might be experiencing auditory hallucinations.


    "Do you, do you realize what you''re saying? Are you aware of how this will affect you in the future?" the doctor asked Liu Fengying, finding it hard to believe the words coming out of Liu Fengying''s mouth, a proud girl who, on previous occasions when she had conflicts with someone and was injured, always tried to appear as if she was unaffected because she didn''t want to be seen as weak and unworthy of her mother''s memory.


    "Maybe you''re not aware, but in the last two weeks, so many rumors have circulated about me that no matter what I do, my reputation can''t sink any lower. So, I don''t think I have anything to lose...", Liu Fengying replied, seeming completely unaffected by the situation, as if it were happening to someone else and not her.


    Realizing that the person in front of her was no longer the same as before when she could use her pride to manipulate her, the school doctor had no choice but to provide Liu Fengying with the necessary documents, thinking that after Liu Fengying left, she would call her superiors to make sure they were prepared in case Liu Fengying intended to do something that would affect the school''s reputation or their relationships with the wealthy families in the city, whose children were often responsible for harassment cases.


    After checking the documents received from the doctor and seeing that everything was in order, Liu Fengying didn''t waste any time and left the medical office, making no effort to mend the relationship between her and the doctor, as she had grown tired of the doctor''s two-faced attitude long ago.


    ''When I remember that two years ago when this doctor was transferred here, I had a little crush on her, it makes me laugh at how naive I was back then..'' Liu Fengying thought as she left the school and began walking slowly toward the apartment where she lived alone, an apartment that had been put in Liu Fengying''s name by her mother a few months before her death.


    Reflecting on the nearly 18 years she had lived in this world, Liu Fengying, who had regained her memories from her previous life and now had a clearer understanding of human nature, easily concluded that most people she had interacted with were two-faced, and they only pretended that they wanted to be friends with her. This was especially true for the school doctor, who always smiled and tried to cheer her up when everyone believed she would inherit the business her father had created with her mother, who had died when Liu Fengying was only 8 years old. However, when she decided to leave home and live on her own at the age of 16, a move that made everyone realize there was a conflict between her and her father, all these people who had tried to gain her favor began treating her with indifference or even hostility.


    ''Yes, it''s truly comical when I think about how disappointed I was when I noticed the change in the attitude of everyone I knew when they found out about the conflict I have with my family, or rather, with those hyenas dressed in human skins. Although at first, I was confused and angry because of this, after a while, I started to believe it was my fault, thinking that I wasn''t strong enough and couldn''t meet their expectations. Unfortunately, no matter how hard I tried to prove that I was good enough on my own, no matter how well I did in my studies, and no matter how much I tried not to pay attention to the rumors about me, so as not to be seen as a weak person, the people around me continued to see me as a disfigured girl with mobility difficulties who was disadvantaged by her father...'' Liu Fengying continued to think as she walked through the scorching streets, where the blazing sun seemed determined to show everyone walking on foot at this hour that in front of it, they were all equally powerless, no matter how strong or rich they believed themselves to be.


    Although the apartment Liu Fengying was heading towards was in a very upscale area of the city and was worth a lot of money, it didn''t mean her financial situation was great at that moment, because, when she left home, her father, Liu Yichen, froze all her funds and didn''t allow her to take any valuable items that she could sell for money, except for a few pieces of jewelry that had belonged to her mother, but she didn''t want to part with them.


    To some, it might seem strange how a father could be so harsh with his daughter, but for those familiar with Liu Yichen, the father of Liu Fengying, these things not only seemed normal but were even expected to happen, given the things that came to light after Jiang Min, who was his first wife, and Liu Fengying''s mother, died, although until then, he had seemed to be a model husband.


    Liu Yichen, who in his youth, when he was a finance student, could be considered a representative specimen for the category of phoenix men, hailing from a village that only geography enthusiasts could locate on the map, spent his entire last year of college trying to win over Jiang Min, one of the brightest students in the chemistry department and the daughter of one of the wealthiest families in the city of Liyuan. Although most of his classmates laughed at him and said he didn''t stand a chance, even though he was as handsome as a model and among the top performers in all exams, Jiang Min eventually agreed to start dating him, impressed by his persistence and the fact that he didn''t seem to have hidden motives; his confessions, made almost every month, appeared genuinely sincere.


    Although Jiang''s family members weren''t very supportive at first because they felt that Liu Yichen''s status wasn''t comparable to theirs, they eventually accepted the relationship as they saw that the two had been together for over two years and got along very well. Liu Yichen also seemed to be a capable young man, so they eventually accepted the couple''s wish to get married, even paying for the wedding arrangements and offering a large sum of money as a wedding gift so they could start their own business.


    Since Jiang Min had become a proficient chemist and had close relationships with many of her former college colleagues, she came up with the idea that their future business should primarily focus on creating and selling cosmetic products. Since Liu Yichen couldn''t come up with a better idea, immediately after their honeymoon, they bought a spacious building in which they established a laboratory for the creation and testing of cosmetic products and they recruited ten young and skilled chemists, over half of whom agreed because they were friends with Jiang Min.


    Although in the first four years, their business didn''t generate any profits because developing quality products required a lengthy period, surviving solely because many of the daughters from wealthy families, who knew Jiang Min, came to order custom-made perfumes, after launching a highly effective scar-reduction cream, their small company became well-known nationwide within just six months. In the following years, their company introduced increasingly innovative products, surpassing expectations in profits, this prompting them to keep the company private, and by the time they reached the age of 30, their company was considered one of the country''s leading cosmetic suppliers.


    During that period, Jiang Min became pregnant as she had always wanted a child and feared that if she waited too long, it might no longer be possible, so, in the following years, she had to give up some of her duties to be with her baby daughter, Liu Fengying.


    After five years in which she wasn''t involved in managing the company, only overseeing the development of new products, Jiang Min thought it was time to resume all her responsibilities since Liu Fengying was no longer a baby and could be left in the care of a nanny when she had to go on business trips. However, Liu Yichen, who had grown to enjoy running the company by himself, didn''t quite agree with this, and he found all sorts of excuses to retain as much power as possible. Unfortunately for Liu Yichen, the fact that his wife was highly popular, as many considered her the soul of the company, left him with no choice, and eventually, he had to share the company''s leadership with Jiang Min. However, things didn''t go as smoothly as before, as conflicts frequently arose between them regarding product quality and future business partners, Liu Yichen being more focused on increasing profits and market share.


    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    Although Liu Yichen had almost lost control over the development of new products and the improvement of existing ones, he managed to remain responsible for negotiating contracts and establishing new partnerships, because, in the last five years, he had become quite influential in the business world, securing all major contracts for their company. Unfortunately for Liu Yichen, his situation was about to become even more challenging, because, after about a year of his wife taking back a significant portion of decision-making power in the company, several newspaper articles emerged with evidence that their company had used questionable quality raw materials for some of the products developed and marketed while he was overseeing product quality. Consequently, the company was sued by several consumers, resulting in significant damages, and Liu Yichen had to step back from company leadership, allowing Jiang Min to assume full control.


    Most people in the business world expected that after this blow, the company that was then led by Jiang Min would not be able to recover anytime soon, however, after launching some excellent new products at surprisingly low prices and organizing numerous events to renew the relationship between the company and its customers, the company managed to not only bounce back but also become even more popular than before in less than two years, a fact that led to Jiang Min being nominated for the Businessperson of the Year award.


    Unfortunately, whether Jiang Min would have won this award or not will forever remain a mystery because, following a car accident that occurred as Jiang Min was returning home after inspecting one of the new factories that had been opened a few days earlier, she lost her life on the spot, and her glorious future, which had been foreseen, had no chance of materializing.


    Although the police launched a thorough investigation to determine why Jiang Min''s car crashed into a tree, nothing irregular could be found because the car was severely damaged, and there were no surveillance cameras in the area where the accident occurred. Thus, at the end of the investigation, it was concluded that the cause of the accident was fatigue accumulated by Jiang Min due to her extremely busy schedule, which probably caused her to fall asleep at the wheel.


    When the result of this investigation was heard, no one could believe that things were so straightforward. Many people directed their suspicions towards Jiang Min''s business rivals and even towards her husband, who had recently faded into obscurity. However, after seeing the footage from Jiang Min''s funeral, in which Liu Yichen was crying while holding their eight-year-old daughter in his arms, almost everyone felt ashamed of suspecting a man who had loved his wife so much.


    After his wife''s funeral, Liu Yichen spent almost a month at home to grieve Jiang Min''s death in silence and to help his daughter cope with the loss of her mother. During this time, many began to believe that he would never recover from this tragic incident and that he probably wouldn''t want to return to the business world, especially since the company was in complete chaos, and he showed no signs of returning.


    In the end, Liu Yichen, still with red eyes from crying, returned to the company''s headquarters to set things right, and after a few days, he held a press conference in which he argued that the only reason he decided to return to the company''s leadership was his desire to ensure that his wife''s work had not been in vain and that he wanted to continue her legacy. In conclusion, he apologized for the mistakes he had made in the past, blaming them on the fact that five years ago, he was still inexperienced in business and had been deceived by some of the raw material suppliers, and he asked everyone to give him one last chance to make his late wife, who surely watched over him from heaven, proud.


    Liu Yichen kept his word, and in the following two years, his company continued on the path paved by Jiang Min. It gained an increasing share of the domestic market and even expanded internationally, where it opened its own cosmetics stores, allowing it to offer very competitive prices since its products no longer went through intermediaries.


    When Liu Fengying was 10 years old, Liu Yichen, who was almost always busy and hadn''t seen his daughter for months at a time, publicly expressed his desire to remarry to provide his daughter with a complete family and all the love she deserved, and after half a year in which everyone wondered who the beauty capable of seducing Liu Yichen would be, with most expecting it to be a famous actress or a young businesswoman, he appeared in public with a woman his age, whom he introduced as his new wife, who was still very beautiful, her voluptuous figure attracting the attention of all the men around her. It was later revealed that she had been a singer 12 years ago, known more for her beauty than her talent and that she had two children, a daughter of similar age to Liu Fengying, and a boy about two years younger, whose father was unknown.


    The fact that her father had remarried didn''t bother Liu Fengying at all, because, over the two years since her mother''s passing, she had gotten used to the idea that her mother had gone to live among the stars. So, she happily accepted living with her new stepmother and her two step-siblings, as her father was mostly away, and the nannies and housekeepers who looked after her always maintained a professional attitude, leaving her feeling rather lonely.


    In the first four years of living together, her stepmother, whose name was Wang Xia, her step-sister, Wang Zihan, and her step-brother, Wang Zihao, treated Liu Fengying very well, and she came to consider them as her real family. Among the three, Liu Fengying was closest to Wang Zihan, as they were of the same age, with only a three-month age difference, and they had a lot in common. They played together, did their homework together, ate together, and even ended up sleeping in the same bed at night. So, it''s no wonder Liu Fengying had come to see Wang Zihan as her true sister.


    However, what was about to happen made Liu Fengying, who had wished for Wang Zihan to be her real sister, realize that some dreams were better left unrealized because, once various scandalous publications started publishing articles claiming that there was a 16-year-long relationship between Wang Xia and Liu Yichen, and that he was the father of her two children, Liu Fengying had only conflicts not only with her father and stepmother but also with her younger brother, who had started to see himself as the true heir to the company led by Liu Yichen.


    In the week after she found out that her father was also Wang Zihan''s father, Liu Fengying refused to speak a word to her, even though she was aware that Wang Zihan knew nothing about being half-sisters and was not to blame for the current situation, but after seeing in one day Wang Zihan sitting alone in the garden, crying, Liu Fengying realized that it was a mistake to punish Wang Zihan for their parents'' mistakes. So, that evening, she entered Wang Zihan''s room and embraced her, apologizing for how she had treated her and promising that from then on, they would always be together.


    After they reconciled, the two climbed into bed and fell asleep in each other''s arms. However, Liu Fengying did not have a very peaceful sleep because she realized that, even though the fact that they were real sisters should have made them closer, she began to feel a sense of regret that she couldn''t explain, this feeling growing every time she sensed the smell of milk coming from Wang Zihan''s body and breath.


    Although the rumors about Liu Yichen, which he did not attempt to suppress, had somewhat affected sales in the country, as some loyal customers wanted to express solidarity with Jiang Min, whom he had deceived for nearly a decade, the company''s rapid expansion overseas in the following year resulted in a record profit. This made Liu Yichen completely ignore public opinion and return to social events with Wang Xia by his side, and he even gave his surname to her two children, thus confirming that all the rumors were true.


    Due to her father''s influence, everyone who met Liu Fengying pretended not to know anything about her situation and behaved the same as before, so, she had no problems during that time and she couldn''t tell if people didn''t care at all about the rumors surrounding her or if they were trying to be as delicate as possible to avoid hurting her feelings. However, the situation was different for her half-siblings because the fact that both of them were now potential heirs to Liu Yichen''s business made everyone who met them treat them with respect, hoping to benefit from their future connections.


    The fact that more and more boys from wealthy families in the city started showing interest in her half-sister, now named Liu Zihan, didn''t please Liu Fengying too much, so she often intervened to stop the discussions between Liu Zihan and them, which led to rumors that Liu Fengying felt threatened by her half-siblings becoming more influential than her.


    Hearing these rumors one day at school, her half-brother, Liu Zihao, who had already started considering himself the Chosen One, caused a huge scandal as soon as he got home, accusing Liu Fengying of ruining their family''s reputation and telling her that she didn''t deserve to inherit even 1 percent of the company.


    Looking at her half-brother, who didn''t even have a hint of a beard but had started believing himself to be a big shot, Liu Fengying slapped him in the face (a real face slap), then she informed him that even if their father didn''t leave her anything in his inheritance, she already owned 70 percent of the company''s shares, as she was the only person mentioned in her mother''s will, and when she turned 18, her father, who currently administered them on her behalf, would be obliged to hand them over. Thus, she would become the majority shareholder in the company.


    Because the conflict occurred on the upper floor, Liu Fengying, who was heading to the kitchen on the ground floor when she was interrupted by Liu Zihao, continued on her way after putting him in his place, but as she began descending the stairs, she was suddenly pushed from behind by Liu Zihao, who, furious beyond control, had become unhinged. As a result of the fall, she fractured her left leg and suffered a deep cut on her right cheek, as she had hit a piece of glass from the staircase''s balustrade with her head.


    After this fall, Liu Fengying had to spend nearly a month in the hospital, and despite receiving the best treatment, she didn''t fully recover, as the knee from the broken leg bothered her every time she put weight on it and she remained with a 4-centimeter-long scar on her face, these facts making her hate her half-brother more and more.


    After Liu Fengying returned home from the hospital, conflicts between her on one side and her half-brother and stepmother, who tried to defend her son, on the other side, continued in a chain, as Liu Fengying insisted that Liu Zihao be sent to a correctional center for delinquent children and that he be disowned by her father to prevent him from ever setting foot in the company created by her mother. Liu Zihan, caught in the middle between the two parties, tried to make them find a middle ground every time they met and started arguing, but her interventions weren''t appreciated by either side as Liu Fengying glared at her every time with reproach, and Liu Zihao began scolding her, reminding her that he was her true brother.


    This situation continued for more than half a year until one day when Liu Fengying had a fierce argument with her father in which she accused him of never loving her or her mother, suggesting that he might be the one who killed her mother, given that his son, who resembled him so much in appearance, had shown criminal tendencies from an early age, and then she decided to move into the apartment her mother had given her as a gift for her 8th birthday, the place Liu Fengying was heading at the moment while analyzing these events using the experience she had gained in her previous life and trying to decide the best way to get revenge.


    ''I''ve always thought that death is too gentle for such bastards. To truly get my revenge, I''ll have to take everything precious to them. But what do they value most? Is it reputation? Is it their loved ones? Is it money?... Anyway, it doesn''t matter. I''ll take it all... I will make sure that all they have left is suffering...'', Liu Fengying concluded as she reached the door of her apartment.

 Chapter 3. A Small Step on the Path to Immortality

    After entering the apartment, the first thing Liu Fengying did was prepare a hearty meal, using an amount of ingredients that would have lasted her for 2-3 days before recovering her memories from her previous life when she never ate to satiety because she saved most of the money she earned from part-time jobs to hire a lawyer when she turned 18 to sue her father and force him to hand over her inheritance left by her mother.


    While eating, Liu Fengying continued to analyze the events that had taken place in her current life, focusing mainly on those that occurred after she started living alone and made her realize that in this world, she had no allies to rely on.


    Liu Fengying''s first major disappointment occurred when she tried to seek help from the Jiang family, the family to which her late mother belonged. Relying on the fact that she had a very good relationship with most members of the Jiang family, who always treated her kindly and gave her gifts not only on her birthday but also on any festive occasion, Liu Fengying expected them to decide to help her confront her father without hesitation when they learned about her situation. However, Liu Fengying, who was not aware at that moment that the prosperity of the Jiang family depended heavily on the business their company conducted with her father''s company, found no compassion in the eyes of the Jiang family members. They bluntly told her that they had no means to help her and that it would be best for her to return home and make peace with her father.


    Other disappointments Liu Fengying experienced were caused by both the changing attitudes of those she knew, who seemed to increasingly disdain her, and the fact that all her academic achievements and awards she had won in various artistic competitions were seen as the last struggles of a bird with its head cut off.


    However, all these things were nothing compared to the disappointment caused by the coldness with which her half-sister had started treating her from the evening she left home when Liu Zihan had refused to answer her calls, even though she had tried to call her dozens of times. Liu Fengying, who suspected that Liu Zihan was upset because she had broken her promise made about two years ago when she had told her that they would be together forever, tried for half a year to explain to Liu Zihan that her reasons for leaving home were well-founded and that she did not want her to be caught in the daily quarrels that occurred almost daily before she moved out to live on her own.


    Unfortunately for Liu Fengying, her efforts did not succeed in repairing her relationship with Liu Zihan, who treated her with indifference or interrupted her with mocking comments every time. Furthermore, Liu Zihan began to surround herself with people who did not hesitate to show their contempt for Liu Fengying, either to gain her favor or simply because they enjoyed targeting someone in a bad situation.


    Although Liu Fengying had a lot of affection for her half-sister, Liu Zihan''s continuous disregard for her feelings and lack of effort to understand her changed Liu Fengying''s attitude toward Liu Zihan, eventually causing her to treat her in the same way she was treated.


    ''After so many disappointments, it''s no wonder I was always irritated, and most of the decisions I made recently were based more on emotions. A representative example of them is the decision to sue my father as soon as I turn 18. How did I convince myself that such a plan had any chance of success? Not only would the money I had saved from part-time work be enough to hire the cheapest lawyer, but also the fact that my father has an army of loyal lawyers and is a highly influential person with connections to politicians and law enforcement officials would render all my efforts in vain. And even if by some miracle, I managed to obtain my inheritance left by my mother and gain control of the company, how long would I be able to maintain my position considering my father had plenty of time to place loyal people in all key positions? Furthermore, if my suspicions are true and he indeed played a role in my mother''s death, what would stop him from taking action against me when he finds out what I intend to do? Well, maybe he wouldn''t kill me to avoid arousing more suspicion, but he might capture me and forcibly institutionalize me in a mental asylum... No... I don''t like to admit it, but a fight to take over the company from my father is lost before it even begins. But that doesn''t mean I''ll let him continue to enjoy my mother''s hard work, which he not only betrayed but might have also ended her life! No, if I can''t get my mother''s inheritance, I''ll make sure no one else does! I''ll destroy everything! I''ll purify everything through blood and fire!'', Liu Fengying thought, who had just finished eating, and was lying down in bed to rest for a few minutes.


    Returning to her thoughts on the relationship between her and Liu Zihan, Liu Fengying, who had realized that the affection she had for her half-sister in the past had far exceeded normal boundaries and that she was most likely in love with her, couldn''t decide whether she should treat her as an enemy in the future or try to involve her as little as possible in the war between her and her father.


    ''Even with all the experience I have from my previous life, it''s quite difficult for me to figure out what''s going on in Liu Zihan''s mind. Is she just upset with me, or has she genuinely started to hate me? Is she being pressured by her parents to keep her distance from me, or was the way she behaved in the past just an act to get closer to me, and her current personality is the real one? Is it possible that she also has some romantic feelings for me and is trying to keep me away because she believes there can be no love story between us?... Well, I guess I''ll have the opportunity in the future to find out the answers to all these questions when I start to take revenge on both her parents and her younger brother. If she tries not to get involved and doesn''t support them, I think I''ll try to protect her, if not out of the affection I still have for her, which seems to be diminishing with every second since I regained my memories from my past life, at least for the sake of the pleasant memories she offered me in the past. But if she tries to oppose me... well, I''ll see what measures I''ll take then. Anyway, now I have something more important to think about, which is whether it''s possible in this world to embark on the path to immortality again. Although I would be capable of seeking revenge and living a decent life even if I don''t start cultivating, as long as I know that my life will always be at the mercy of fate and under the tyranny of time, I will never truly be happy. Yes, for someone who has tasted the power and freedom offered by cultivation, there is no greater punishment than losing the ability to cultivate. Unfortunately, at the moment, I have no way of knowing if I possess a constitution favorable to cultivation, and I don''t know which elements my constitution has an affinity for, because these things can only be discovered by me when I enter the Qi Refining Realm, so I have no way of knowing which cultivation technique would be most suitable for me. So, to ensure that I don''t suffer any adverse reactions, I''ll have to use a simple cultivation technique for the time being, one that is suitable for any type of constitution and one that I can remember as accurately as possible... Hmm, I think the Qi Gathering Technique meets all these conditions. Although I''ve never used it, because, in my previous life, my constitution was identified at birth by my parents, so I knew from the beginning which cultivation technique was most suitable for me, I still know it quite well because, during my military campaigns, I often taught it to ordinary people who wanted to join my army... Well, now that I''ve settled all these things, the only thing that could still bother me in my first cultivation session is the density of spiritual energy in this world, which I don''t expect to be too great. Anyway, depending on the results I''ll achieve in the next few hours, I''ll be able to get a clearer picture of the current situation... So, let''s get to work...''


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    Although assuming a specific meditation posture during cultivation had a relatively strong effect on concentration, the fact that her body was not very flexible and she couldn''t relax in such a position led Liu Fengying to start cultivating while lying in bed. So, if someone had seen her at that moment, they might have thought she had fallen asleep because, apart from the movements of her chest caused by breathing, she didn''t move at all, with all her muscles being completely relaxed.


    Liu Fengying remained in this position and cultivated for nearly 8 hours, so when she opened her eyes again, it was already past midnight.


    ''Well, I think the situation is much worse than I expected. If in the world where I lived in my previous life, the density of spiritual energy could be compared to an ocean, in this world, it can only be compared to a pond...'', Liu Fengying thought as she headed to the bathroom to take a shower.


    Looking in the mirror after removing the bandage from around her head and seeing that the wound had already healed, Liu Fengying concluded that her work over the past 8 hours had not been in vain. Even though she was still far from entering the Qi Refining Realm, her body was much healthier at that moment than before the cultivation session.


    ''Although spiritual energy is quite scarce in this world, I think I should be grateful that cultivation is still possible. Plus, with a little effort, I believe I can solve this problem. Yes, perhaps for billions of big fish, an ocean might seem cramped, but for a single small fish, a pond is more than enough...'' Liu Fengying thought, and then began to undress to take a shower.


    ''Hmmm, I think I look pretty good... Although I think I should add a bit more flesh in some places...,'' Liu Fengying thought as she admired her completely naked body.


    While Liu Fengying was a bit too slim because she had been too busy lately and wasn''t eating enough, it was quite evident that she had the potential to become a true beauty, with her long legs and her breasts, which were quite voluminous despite her low body mass, serving as irrefutable evidence.


    Looking in the mirror again and examining her face more closely, Liu Fengying concluded that, apart from the color of her eyes, which were now black instead of green, and the scar on one of her cheeks, she looked almost identical to how she did in her previous life when she was considered one of the most beautiful women on the entire continent where she lived.


    ''In my previous life, my high level of cultivation allowed me to always look perfect, and my beauty was enhanced by it, but I believe that with a bit of effort, I could bring my body back to a level comparable to the one I had for over 300 years. Anyway, I''m glad that the face I have now is almost identical to the one I had in my previous life because it gives me a sense of continuity...''


    After analyzing her body for a few more minutes, Liu Fengying took a long and relaxing shower, and then got back into bed, intending to spend the rest of the night sleeping because, although her body was in good shape after the hours of cultivation, her mind was quite tired from all the events of the day.


    ''Although the hours I spent cultivating helped me heal and strengthen my body to some extent, if I continue at the same pace, it will take me almost a year to enter the Qi Refining Realm. That''s not very good... I think the best thing to do tomorrow is to try to create a rudimentary formation for collecting spiritual energy to make the cultivation sessions much more efficient. Although such a formation will not be elegant at all, relying more on material elements than spiritual ones, considering that my cultivation level is almost zero, I can''t create something more advanced... Anyway, I hope my savings will be enough to buy all the things I need...''


    Liu Fengying wanted to continue thinking for a few more minutes about the materials she would need to create a formation for collecting spiritual energy, but in the end, the mental fatigue she had accumulated throughout the day took its toll, causing her to slip into a deep sleep, a sleep that would send her to relive some of the events from her previous life that had marked her the most and transformed her into a person willing to sacrifice her own life for the sake of revenge.

 Chapter 4. Haunted by Memories

    "Father, what is the reason you asked me to return home urgently? Although after the recent battles, almost the entire Wild Territory is under our control, I believe it would be wise not to underestimate our enemies and to remain vigilant. The best course of action would be to continue strengthening our positions to easily resist in case the Fire Emperor''s army launches an offensive in the future and..."


    "Enough, Yu Fengying!", interrupted the Lightning Emperor from his throne. "I know how much this war means to you and that you''ve dedicated more than half of your life to conquering the entire Wild Territory. However, you must understand that this war, like anything else in this world, cannot go on indefinitely..."


    "But father, victory is almost ours. If..."


    "Yu Fengying, you still lack the necessary experience to question my decisions. Do you think the Fire Emperor will endlessly tolerate watching his army being humiliated? Although both the Fire Emperor and I do not wish to directly confront each other as it would jeopardize our path to ascension and immortality, neither of us will accept being disrespected by our adversaries. Otherwise, what purpose would immortality serve if one had to spend it in shame? In any case, I have already signed a peace agreement with the Fire Emperor before ordering you to return, in which a third of the Wild Territory will be ceded to him. This agreement will be implemented in three days, coinciding with the beginning of your wedding to the youngest son of the Fire Emperor.


    "Congratulations, older sister. I''ve been looking forward to toasting at your wedding...", chuckled Yu Tao, the only son of the Thunder Emperor, who sat on a throne to the right of his father, while Yu Fengying remained stunned, struggling to understand what she had heard.


    "What? What wedding are you talking about? You''re not joking, are you?", Yu Fengying asked, full of confusion, scanning the faces of those present in the throne room, trying to find any clue that this entire affair was just a well-elaborated prank.


    Unfortunately, neither her parents nor the others present seemed to be in the mood for jokes; well, except for her younger brother, who appeared highly amused by what was happening.


    "So, this is my reward after so many years of hard work? To become the wife of a wretched dog who can''t keep his drool in check every time he sees me? No, I told you long ago that I have no intention of becoming anyone''s wife. No... I will never accept such a thing...", Yu Fengying finally said, preparing to leave the throne room as soon as possible, realizing that no one in that place was her ally.


    "It seems your wings have hardened, Yu Fengying! Daring to turn your back on your father...", thundered the Lightning Emperor, letting all the pressure exerted by his cultivation, which had reached the Mahayana Realm for over seven thousand years, fall onto Yu Fengying.


    With no chance of resisting the pressure of her father''s cultivation, which was two levels higher than hers, Yu Fengying fell to her knees, her mouth filling with blood due to internal injuries that continued to accumulate with each passing fraction of a second, feeling as if she was crushed by a huge mountain.


    Considering that his daughter had gravely insulted him since he was accustomed to having his decisions treated as laws by the citizens of his empire and by all those around him, the Lightning Emperor continued to press Yu Fengying with his cultivation for a full minute, until cracks began to appear in her dantian, a sign that she was on the verge of losing her life.


    "Hmph, is it enough for you, Yu Fengying? Will you continue to insult your father with your stubbornness?", asked the Lightning Emperor, his tone more suitable for a father who had punished his daughter by denying her access to her favorite things or sentencing her to spend a day confined to her room, not for one who had almost brought his daughter to the brink of death, a sign that his anger had somewhat subsided.


    "Cough! Cough... I''d rather... die...", Yu Fengying replied as she choked on her own blood, aware that her chances of escaping her father''s gaze in her current condition were zero. Her only hope of avoiding an unacceptable future for her was to convince her father to change his mind by showing him that her determination was unyielding, thinking that her father had at least a little affection for her and wouldn''t risk losing her forever.


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    "Why do you continue to be stubborn, Yu Fengying? Are you not aware of the trouble you will cause your father by refusing this marriage?", asked the Lightning Emperor coldly, but no longer controlled by fury. He then rose from his throne and walked towards his daughter, in front of whom a pool of blood had formed as she opened her mouth to refuse him again.


    Arriving in front of Yu Fengying and seeing her condition, the Lightning Emperor sighed resignedly and began to gently stroke her head, like a rider caressing the head of his horse that had only a few moments left to live.


    "My daughter... I believe you are aware that, thanks to the resources discovered in the Wild Territory, I, your father, have the chance to become the first immortal this world has seen in the last million years. But can I fully retire and dedicate myself to cultivation as long as a lasting peace is not guaranteed, allowing your brother to take my place at the helm of the empire? Of course, the answer to this question is no. So, it was mandatory to conclude a peace treaty that would shield your brother from a conflict with the Fire Emperor for at least 500 years, during which time, I am confident that I will successfully ascend. As for your marriage to the youngest son of the Fire Emperor, it was one of the things the Fire Emperor had no intention of giving up. He said that only by uniting our blood could a lasting peace be guaranteed, so, in the end, I had to accept, even at the risk of making you consider me cruel..."


    After uttering these words, seemingly aimed only at justifying his decision in front of those present rather than convincing Yu Fengying to accept the marriage to the Fire Emperor''s youngest son, the Lightning Emperor drew a few symbols in the air with the hand that, until then, had been caressing his daughter''s head. These symbols activated a formation around Yu Fengying, generating dozens of shining chains that seemed to be formed by interwoven lightning bolts.


    "I didn''t want to use such a drastic measure as sealing your cultivation, but you left me no choice...", the Lightning Emperor continued in the same resigned tone, and after making another brief sign in the air, the lightning chains began to penetrate Yu Fengying''s body from all directions, advancing at high speed toward her dantian, their purpose being to completely cut off her access to spiritual energy, turning her from a perfected warrior into a harmless beauty with no ability to defend herself against another cultivator.


    "Aaaaahhh!!!"


    ....................................


    "Aaaahhh!!!", Liu Fengying screamed in her sleep as she dreamed of the moment when her father from her past life sealed her cultivation. The pain she endured during that process was so intense that even the memory of it seemed to have the power to tear her soul apart.


    "Bang!"


    "Damn it, I''ll kill him, I''ll kill them all! Kill...kill...", Liu Fengying began to repeat with eyes full of obsession. She woke up suddenly, accidentally hitting a nightstand near her bed as she squirmed in her sleep.


    It took Liu Fengying almost 2 minutes to realize where she was and that everything she had dreamt of were events that happened in a time and place she might never have access to again. However, this realization did not seem to help her control her anger at all; on the contrary, it managed to amplify it, because seeking revenge with her own hands against those who betrayed her would likely remain an eternal dream.


    "No, I won''t accept this. I''ve turned the impossible into reality before... Everyone said that because of my constitution, I would have no chance to advance beyond the Nascent Soul Realm, but I showed them all how much they underestimated me. I am the cultivator who reached the Body Fusion Realm the fastest in the last hundred thousand years. Yes, maybe this world is not conducive to cultivation, but as long as I''m still alive, there''s a chance I''ll discover something that will allow me to return to my former world. And then, everyone will pay...", Liu Fengying finally said, but whether she truly believed in these words or just tried to deceive herself to calm down, she couldn''t tell.


    After managing to calm down somewhat, Liu Fengying laid her head back on the pillow, and while she was watching a spider casually assembling a fly trap between the light bulb and the ceiling, she began to organize the memories she relived during her sleep, trying to mimic its cold-blooded criminal temperament to avoid being controlled by emotions again.


    The first memory she relived in the dream was the moment her younger brother was born, witnessing, for the first time in her life, what her parents looked like when they were truly happy.


    Yu Fengying, who was only ten years old at that time, couldn''t recall ever receiving so much praise as her brother did in the first few hours after his birth when all he did was cry and be ugly, while she was often ignored or treated with indifference no matter what accomplishments she achieved.


    ''Heh, it didn''t take long after that day for me to find out why Yu Tao''s treatment was so different from mine, as I often overheard my maids whispering in corners, thinking I wasn''t around, about how my constitution, Blooming Lotus by Day, wasn''t one that would take me far on the cultivation path, and how Yu Tao, with the same constitution as my father, Lightning-Eating Dragon, was considered a talent that appears only once every 10,000 years, and they were certain he would be the one to succeed the empire in the future...''

 Chapter 5. A Soup That Is Too Hot

    In the world where Liu Fengying spent her previous life, having any constitution favorable to cultivation was considered a true blessing, being found in fewer than 5-6 individuals out of a thousand. However, for the daughter of the Lightning Emperor and his wife Xin Tianyang, also known as the Goddess of Light, having merely a constitution favorable to cultivation was far from sufficient, as everyone expected her to possess a constitution with a great affinity for a celestial element, either lightning like her father or light like her mother, one that would enable her to soar through the levels of cultivation. Therefore, it''s not surprising that everyone, including her parents, considered Yu Fengying a great disappointment, as her constitution, Blooming Lotus by Day, had a higher affinity with the earthly elements of earth and water, which formed the foundation of plant creation, while having only a superficial affinity with light and air elements, and didn''t guarantee that Yu Fengying would go far on the path to immortality.


    Perhaps the opinion they all held about Yu Fengying could be best summarized by her brother, Yu Tao, who often made remarks about her constitution, suggesting that a lotus flower''s place was in a swamp full of filth, not in the high sky. He did this almost every time his sister achieved something, wanting to remind everyone that her success was only temporary, and she would not be able to resist her destiny forever¡ªa destiny of being just a mediocre cultivator, not one with a real chance of becoming immortal.


    ''Both in this life and in the previous one, my younger brother was a real garbage...'', Liu Fengying thought, recalling how much Yu Tao had tried to destroy all her accomplishments and steal everything precious from her.


    If Liu Fengying were to make a list of the people she hated the most in both her lives, Yu Tao would easily occupy not only the first place but also the second and third places, because, while everyone else she hated had entered into conflict with her due to certain interests, Yu Tao seemed to have the sole purpose of erasing any trace of happiness from her life, which he unintentionally achieved when he was just a baby, enjoying all the affection of their parents while she was treated almost like a stranger, and deliberately as an adult, stealing her lover while she was on the front lines.


    Recalling the moment when she returned from the Wild Territory after 20 years, where she fought almost every day against the armies of the Fire Emperor and the beasts inhabiting the area, and she learned that her younger brother had taken her secret lover as a concubine, Liu Fengying vividly remembered how much she had come to hate her younger brother, often dreaming of having the opportunity to literally turn him into flower fertilizer.


    ''I don''t know how I managed to keep my sanity that day... But, considering my ending, maybe it would have been better to let rage guide me and try to kill him. Yes, I might not have succeeded in finishing the job, given how many cultivators protected him from the shadows and how many artifacts he possessed, but, at least, I would have had fewer regrets...''


    In her previous life, apart from the moment when she decided to forcibly raise her cultivation level to escape the seal placed on her cultivation by her father, knowing she wouldn''t live more than 2-3 hours, Liu Fengying didn''t recall any other instances of letting herself be controlled by anger, as she realized from a young age that no one was willing to help her out of trouble, as frequently happened with her brother.


    Aware that she couldn''t rely on anyone but herself, Yu Fengying always tried to be the best version of herself and she carefully analyzed every decision she made, not wanting to leave anything to chance. This attitude extended to her cultivation.


    Since her parents believed she had no potential, they almost entirely neglected her initiation into the secrets of cultivation and they only provided her with a teacher when she turned 14, who, although he had an affinity only with fire, knew a bit about constitutions related to plants due to his past apprenticeship in an alchemist sect, and some cultivation manuals to choose from, which, although related to plants, were more suitable for a future alchemist than a warrior.


    With such unremarkable resources, Yu Fengying would have preferred to become an apprentice in a sect, as she thought that in such a place she would have a better chance of finding something more useful than in her father''s palace library, which, despite containing many high-level cultivation methods and techniques, mostly focused on those with an affinity for the lightning or light elements. However, she was aware that her parents would never accept such a decision, as they didn''t want their daughter, with a constitution found everywhere, to reach the foreground again and diminish their prestige. So, Yu Fengying had no choice but to try to compensate for the lack of appropriate resources with hard work, spending most of the night hours in meditation positions, cultivating according to the method that allowed her the highest offensive capabilities among those available to her, while, during the day, she was trying to master all the skills characteristic to her constitution, such as creating pills and potions and accelerating the growth of plants with beneficial cultivation properties, and common skills to enhance her offensive abilities, such as close combat and mastery of all types of weapons.


    On one hand, Yu Fengying''s hard work yielded results, as in less than a year, she became a skilled fighter and mastered all the basic knowledge of alchemy. Unfortunately, the same couldn''t be said for her cultivation level, as it took her over six months to enter the Qi Refining Realm, an unusually long time for someone who daily consumed food made from the meat of spiritual beasts and had access to as many pills as she desired.


    Yu Fengying didn''t believe that the slow progress of her cultivation was necessarily due to her constitution. Instead, she suspected that the cultivation methods available to her, while suitable, were not of a very high level, as even if she had used the most common qi-gathering technique, she speculated it would have taken only an additional 2-3 months to reach the Qi Refining Realm. However, finding a cultivation technique of a higher level proved challenging. She initially thought her parents'' cultivation methods were unimpressive because they never bothered to collect high-level cultivation methods suitable for constitutions different from theirs, yet, after some research, she concluded that there were hardly any better methods suitable for her, mainly due to the complexity of creating a cultivation method for a constitution with affinities for more than three elements, such as those related to plants. Additionally, even though plant-related constitutions were quite common, they varied greatly, making it almost impossible to create a cultivation method perfect for each one.


    Seeing that her cultivation level was increasingly difficult to raise, Yu Fengying eventually decided to halve the time spent cultivating and training, dedicating the remaining time to the palace library to find solutions to her predicament.


    For over two years, Yu Fengying continued to analyze various cultivation methods, both somewhat suitable for her, trying to uncover anything useful, and completely unsuitable but of a higher grade, as she desired to understand the reasons behind their effectiveness. However, all these new insights didn''t help her make significant progress, and she even began to consider if it might be better to choose a cultivation method focused solely on the water element, the element with which her constitution had the highest affinity, as suppressing some affinities was relatively common among cultivators with constitutions having affinities with multiple elements. However, after hearing her teacher''s explanations about the potential adverse effects of such a method, especially in constitutions like hers where the affinities formed a whole, she realized that this option wasn''t a solution either.


    In the end, Yu Fengying accidentally found a way to solve her cultivation issues while studying some books on plant structures to better understand her constitution, specifically, while reading a book written by her great-great-granduncle from her mother''s side¡ªa man who also had a constitution with an affinity for plants and, although he only reached the Golden Core Stage, he was an expert in growing plants, as that was the sole focus of his life.


    While reading that book, Yu Fengying was initially surprised by the author''s description of his interaction with the plants he grew, as she got the impression that the author saw his plants as pets, taking care of both their material well-being, providing them with the right amount of water and fertilizer and shading them during midday, and their spiritual well-being, often playing tunes on a flute for them and telling them jokes.


    Initially, Yu Fengying found the author''s attitude amusing, thinking he might not have all the tiles on the house when writing that book. However, as she continued reading his notes, she began to take him more seriously, suspecting that there might be a chance he could see certain things that others couldn''t or chose to ignore.


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    Eventually, after many days of contemplating the book and implementing the plant-growing techniques the author discussed, Yu Fengying started to grasp some of the ideas he wanted to convey, the most important and useful insight for her being that plants could be considered the bridge between the material and spiritual worlds, as they could harbor both the purest form of energy and the purest emotions.


    Based on that idea, Yu Fengying began to work on her own cultivation method, using fragments from various high-level cultivation methods related to the elements of water, earth, light, and air, which she combined into something similar to a soul-strengthening technique, aiming to illustrate the process of the emanation of the spirit from the matter. This work was done secretly over almost 8 years, during which Yu Fengying created and tested various versions of the cultivation method. Some had some success, encouraging her to go further, while others were catastrophic failures, sometimes not only almost rendering her unable to cultivate but also endangering her life.


    However, Yu Fengying was determined not to give up, even though she knew she was putting her life at risk. Progressing slowly, she eventually arrived at a version of the cultivation method she had been working on, which could be considered of the highest level, and she believed it would allow her to increase her cultivation level even faster than her parents did, naming this new cultivation method the "Light Devouring Technique."


    Around the same time Yu Fengying finalized her own cultivation technique, her younger brother, who had reached the age of 14¡ªthe ideal age to begin cultivation¡ªbegan to be personally taught by their father the high-level cultivation technique he used, everyone believing he would surpass his sister, who had made almost no progress in the past 10 years, within just 1-2 months.


    However, this didn''t happen because, once Yu Fengying started practicing the cultivation method she had created, she made remarkable progress and, in less than two years, her cultivation advanced three levels, reaching the Golden Core Realm. This rapid progress was due to her new cultivation method being perfect for her and to the fact that, during the eight years she worked on it, both her understanding of cultivation and her mental power significantly increased.


    Upon learning from Yu Fengying''s teacher about the significant advancement in her cultivation, Yu Fengying''s parents began to suspect that she might be using some demonic cultivation technique, so her father sent a large group of cultivators to spy on her, and her mother ordered Yu Fengying to let her check her dantian on several occasions, but all these investigations found nothing suspicious and they concluded that it was possible that Yu Fengying had inherited knowledge from a cultivator who had successfully ascended in the past or had experienced a revelation sent by Heaven¡ªevents that had occurred in the known history of that world.


    However, the fact that Yu Fengying had overnight become a cultivation genius did not bring her much closer to her parents, as she had secretly hoped. Instead, their relationship went from almost non-existent to awkward, as her father had already decided in his mind many years ago that Yu Tao would be his successor, and the fact that Yu Fengying appeared to be a greater talent irritated him because it demonstrated his ignorance, and Yu Fengying''s mother, who had seen her daughter as the biggest failure in her life, didn''t quite know how to communicate with her since she had almost completely ignored her since birth.


    In preventing the normalization of relations between Yu Fengying and her parents, Yu Tao also made a big contribution, as he was not at all satisfied with the situation he was in, having to cultivate almost all day, thus not having any free time to have fun, the main reason being the fact that the place as the future ruler of his father''s empire, which he considered to belong to him all his life, was going to be taken from him by his sister, because, in cultivator families, the age and gender of the heir were irrelevant; only the cultivation level mattered.


    Yu Fengying was not too disappointed with her parents'' attitude, as she had low expectations of them and was accustomed to not seeking approval from others. So, she continued to progress at the same pace, and after about five years, she managed to enter the Nascent Soul Realm, easily passing her third tribulation. This achievement was more noticeable to all the palace residents and its surroundings because almost the entire sky was covered with dark clouds before Heaven sent nine lightning bolts to test Yu Fengying, this event changing the way everyone perceived Yu Fengying.


    The following period was quite peaceful for Yu Fengying as no one dared to disrespect her anymore, and her brother couldn''t irritate her since he was sent by their father to live in the Crystal Caves, a place filled with spiritual energy, because his progress in cultivation didn''t meet expectations.


    During this time, Yu Fengying also experienced what it was like to have someone close, as she secretly started a relationship with the granddaughter of an elder who was a subordinate of her father. In cultivator circles, it wasn''t uncommon for two women to be in a relationship. However, this didn''t align with the position she desired as the future ruler of the empire, as that position required her and her future partner to have heirs, which was impossible if her partner was also a woman, so Yu Fengying concluded that it would be better to make the relationship public when she would have more achievements and would enjoy the support of the majority of the empire''s residents, to reduce the opposition.


    Yu Fengying didn''t have to think too much about how to become more popular, as the war for the possession of the Wild Territory between her father and the Fire Emperor began, this being the perfect opportunity to prove to everyone what she was capable of. Although there was a treaty stating the Wild Territories should be considered neutral ground, and each party could exploit it as long as it didn''t affect others, the appearance of fragments from the legacy of a sect contemporary with the last cultivators who successfully ascended reignited the conflict for that territory, both the Lightning Emperor and the Fire Emperor wanting to seize the majority of the resources to ensure their chance at ascension.


    Since the Lightning Emperor, like the Fire Emperor, couldn''t directly involve himself in exploiting the Wild Territory to avoid a direct confrontation, as both would have more to lose, he readily accepted his daughter''s proposal to go to war, as he believed her participation would keep the army of cultivators he would send more united, the presence of someone from the imperial family boosting the enthusiasm of the truly loyal ones and making the less loyal ones think twice when they found a treasure that tempted them to keep it only for themselves.


    The first few months in the Wild Territory were very challenging for Yu Fengying, as she had never left her father''s palace and she never made contact with the wild and violent side of life, not taking even a fly''s life until then. If, before leaving for the Wild Territory, she believed that the qualities of a good warrior were honor and heroism, as written in the books about past cultivators who rose above all, her first battle proved that everything she believed was just a layer of paint over reality, as, in the midst of a battle, nothing else mattered for a warrior than the ability to kill without being killed.


    Seeing that she couldn''t sleep for an entire night after killing her first spiritual beast, and almost a whole week after killing her first human, Yu Fengying began to believe that she might not be suitable for such an environment. However, aware that if she gave up, all her dreams would have no chance of coming true, and she would be seen by everyone as a coward, she had no choice but to learn to live with both the feelings of guilt and the fear of the next confrontation, where the curses of those she had killed might catch up with her, and she could lose her life.


    As both factions wanted to seize as large an area as possible from the beginning, leading to almost daily battles, Yu Fengying was able to return home only after 20 years had passed, but, instead of the admiration of everyone and the embrace of her loved one, she was met with only a hostile atmosphere and a lot of disappointment, as her father had started to show in recent years his desire for his son to succeed him at the helm of the empire, and her beloved betrayed her feelings by accepting to become the concubine of her brother.


    Fed up with all the plots and calculations taking place within the walls of her father''s palace and because she wanted to escape from her father''s control, Yu Fengying decided to give up all claims to the throne, negotiating with her father that if she managed to conquer the entire Wild Territory, a third of those lands bordering the empire ruled by the Fire Emperor should belong to her, as she wanted a place where she could be the absolute leader and not answer to anyone.


    Having nothing to lose, the Lightning Emperor accepted his daughter''s proposal, so Yu Fengying headed back to the Wild Territory, determined to achieve her goal at any cost, even if it meant staining all the rivers that flowed through it with the blood of those who opposed her.


    Yu Fengying spent more than a quarter of a millennium on the front lines. During this time, due to her understanding of cultivation and the abundant resources she discovered in the Wild Territory, her cultivation continued to make great progress, as she ascended three levels and entered the Body Fusion realm, and her ability to lead an army and annihilate her enemies increased directly proportional to the time she spent in battle, many people, both from the opposing camp and her own, referring to her in the last years as The Bloody Lotus.


    However, looking back at the events of her previous life, Liu Fengying couldn''t help but think that her many achievements paved the way for the end of her life because they made the Lightning Emperor consider her a threat to the takeover of power by his son, he ultimately deciding to get rid of her by forcefully marrying her to the youngest son of the Fire Emperor.


    ''Whether you''re seen as good-for-nothing or the best, you have a lot of enemies. Yes, the soup for drinking shouldn''t be too cold or too hot, just a little warm... Heh, it''s good to know that the dead can''t hold grudges... or drink soup...'', Liu Fengying said in her mind after managing to sort out all the emotions stirred up by the dream about her previous life, intending to live her life from then on without letting anyone have the power to influence her destiny.

 Chapter 6. A Good Samaritan

    Being aware that if she continued to wander through memories, she would have nothing to gain but a bad mood, Liu Fengying decided to shift her focus to the current issues she faced, the most urgent one being the creation of a formation for attracting spiritual energy, to make her cultivation sessions much more effective.


    Although in her previous life, creating formations wasn''t one of her main occupations, during her time in the Wild Territory, she gained enough knowledge in this field, as she often collaborated with cultivators with experience in creating formations to set traps for enemies or establish defense barriers. Therefore, creating simple formations posed no problem for her.


    However, in her previous life, acquiring the necessary materials for forming a formation wasn''t very difficult, because there were many places where a cultivator could find them independently, and many sect-owned stores where they could be purchased, but in the world she currently found herself in, about which she had no information that would have anything to do with cultivation, finding everything she needed, even for a simple formation, might take quite some time.


    ''Hmm, even though I can use the internet for research, I think it would be best to buy the materials I need for the formation in person, to ensure their authenticity and quality. I believe the cheapest and quickest option would be to visit the city''s large market and some antique shops...'', thought Liu Fengying, still lying in bed, not intending to get up until she found information about all the necessary materials on the internet.


    Although for Liu Fengying, the existence of smartphones was as ordinary as the existence of the sun in the sky, having always been a part of her life, once she got the memories of her previous life, she couldn''t help but marvel at the ingenuity of the people in the world she currently inhabited every time she used her smartphone, a state she had at that moment as well, after she picked up the phone from the bedside table and started entering the names of the materials she needed in the search bar.


    ''Even though people lived in my former world for over 5 million years, I never heard of them creating such complex devices unrelated to spiritual energy. But it''s not surprising if you know human nature. Yes, people will never bother to solve a problem for which a solution already exists, and the existence of a high concentration of spiritual energy in my former world made many of the problems people faced easily solvable...'', Liu Fengying thought, imagining how her former world would have looked if people had also focused on technological development.


    ''I can almost see my father as the emperor of a galactic empire... Lightning Galactic Emperor... with such a position, he probably wouldn''t have hurried to try ascending...'', Liu Fengying continued to fantasize, unable to suppress a burst of laughter when such a scenario came to her mind.


    ..........................................


    ''As expected, searching for information about materials related to spirituality on the internet is like looking for a feng shui expert at a carnival. How can someone believe that a 1000-year-old ginseng root is real when the products next to it are werewolf hair and mermaid tears? Anyway, from what I''ve seen, the only spiritual energy gathering formation for which I could find the necessary materials is the Jade Flowers Formation, but it won''t be cheap to obtain enough jade, and the effect of this formation will start to diminish after a month...'', Liu Fengying concluded at the end of two hours of internet searches that led her to various dubious websites.


    With no excuse to laze around anymore, Liu Fengying finally got out of bed, and after putting her smartphone on charge, which had started to have battery problems due to being over 3 years old, she began preparing to go out.


    ''Hmmm, consuming only foods suitable for a monk''s diet rather than a teenager''s in the last few months, it''s no wonder I reached enlightenment and gained memories from my previous life... Well, I think it would be good to stop by a supermarket today to buy some higher-quality ingredients... and some ice cream...'', Liu Fengying said to herself after finishing her breakfast, which consisted only of a bowl of oatmeal, as there wasn''t much else suitable to prepare.


    After getting up from the table and washing the bowl she ate from, Liu Fengying went into the bathroom for a quick shower, at the end of which she tidied up for a few minutes and tied most of her hair into a ponytail without paying much attention to the fact that the scar on her face was easily noticeable.


    Aware that she had a lot of ground to cover, Liu Fengying chose to dress in a very comfortable sportswear set, and then, taking three-quarters of the total money she had, she left the apartment, heading towards one of the antique shops she had researched online.


    ...................................


    "Young lady, even though this vase is cracked, the jade it''s made of is of superior quality. It''s impossible to sell it for less than 20,000 ruans," the seller from the second antique shop Liu Fengying visited continued to insist full of irritation, refusing her offer of 15,000 ruans.


    Since she hadn''t found anything suitable within her budget in the first antique shop, Liu Fengying decided to try her luck at a shop on the outskirts of the city, which, despite not having very good reviews from customers, many of whom were dissatisfied with their purchases, it had a greater variety of products than the better-reputed stores, as it didn''t prioritize the quality of the items it sold. Once inside, Liu Fengying immediately spotted a vase that she was sure was made of jade of sufficient quality for creating the formation, and after noticing a discreet but fairly long crack on the bottom, she tried to convince the seller to sell it to her for half the displayed price of 30,000 ruans.


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    "Well, it''s your store, so you decide. I guess I''ll keep looking until I find something that fits both my needs and budget...", said Liu Fengying with a hint of disappointment in her voice, giving the impression that she had completely given up on buying the vase.


    "Hmph, do as you wish...", the seller replied, not intending to sell the vase without making almost any profit, then he took the vase from the counter and headed towards the showcase where it had been displayed, his movements being very sharp as he was very dissatisfied with wasting more than five minutes on such a difficult customer who, despite being very young, haggled like an old aunt.


    Liu Fengying, not very surprised that the seller didn''t want to lower the price, as he didn''t seem like the type to engage in charity, began casually browsing through the shop''s display cases, giving the impression that she had no intention of leaving empty-handed.


    "Darling, what do you think of this pearl necklace? I think it would go very well with the pair of earrings I bought last month...", Liu Fengying overheard a middle-aged woman saying to her husband, both standing next to a secured display case containing various exposed jewelry.


    "Yes, that''s true. I think it will suit you very well. I''ll go fetch the seller immediately and..."


    "Hmm, 50,000 ruans... I''m not sure if this necklace is worth that much...", suddenly came Liu Fengying''s voice from the other side of the secured showcase, her words instantly grabbing the attention of the couple who intended to buy the necklace.


    "Uh, excuse me, young lady? What do you mean? I''m sure the pearls are genuine...", the man asked Liu Fengying, not wanting to take any risks, as he wasn''t the type of person to throw money out the window.


    "Oh, are you also looking at this necklace? Yes, it''s true that the pearls are real, but the nacre layer on them is very thin, and I think it will start peeling off soon from some of the pearls..."


    Hearing Liu Fengying''s words, the couple began to scrutinize the necklace more carefully, and following Liu Fengying''s guidance, they were able to discover the clues that revealed the pearls were not of high quality.


    "Thank you, young lady. If it weren''t for you, we might have been fooled. As a reward, I would like you to accept this voucher. With it, you can spend three days at the spa center on the other side of the city owned by us...", the man said, handing Liu Fengying a golden coupon she made no effort to refuse.


    "Um, excuse me for a moment. I see that you''re quite knowledgeable about jewelry. What do you think about these earrings?", a young woman nearby asked Liu Fengying after the middle-aged couple moved away, present when Liu Fengying was describing the defects of the necklace.


    "These earrings? Hmmm, they look pretty good, but their price is a bit exaggerated... Considering that the two rubies they''re decorated with are not natural, I don''t think they''re worth more than 20,000 ruans."


    "Uhh, so the rubies are not natural... Anyway, I like how they look, so I''ll go ask the seller if he''s willing to cut the price. Thank you for helping me....", the young woman said, then headed to the counter where the seller was to discuss the price of the pair of earrings.


    After the young woman walked away and she saw that no one was around the jewelry showcase, Liu Fengying didn''t linger in the same place where she had no interest. Instead, she headed towards other parts of the store that were more populated, where she might find others who needed assistance.


    ....................................


    "Young lady, haven''t you found anything you like yet? If not, I can recommend another shop on the other side of the city...", the seller told Liu Fengying about an hour after she helped the couple who wanted to buy the pearl necklace, his benevolent smile not matching the irritation in his gaze.


    Having learned that Liu Fengying was the reason dozens of customers had come to negotiate prices or left without buying anything in the past hour, the seller had initially considered asking security to throw her out. However, not wanting to cause a scene in front of dozens of customers, he decided to try to convince her to leave using words.


    "Uhh, not yet, but I haven''t seen even a quarter of the products displayed. Anyway, when I find something, I''ll call you immediately...", replied Liu Fengying, seemingly unable to grasp the subtext of the seller''s words.


    Recalling how he saw Liu Fengying on surveillance camera footage flying from customer to customer like a bee from flower to flower, leaving behind losses of tens of thousands of ruans for his business, the seller couldn''t risk letting her stay one more minute in his store. Otherwise, the losses she might cause in that day wouldn''t be covered even in a week.


    "Young lady, I''ve reconsidered what you said about the jade vase you wanted, and I''ve come to the conclusion that you were right. I believe 15,000 ruans would be a fair price for it... So, I don''t think you have any reason to continue searching...", the seller finally said, willing to sell the vase almost without any profit rather than let Liu Fengying stay longer in his store.


    "Hmm, I don''t know what to say... Maybe if you add a set of tools for carving jade, I think I can accept...", said Liu Fengying without much enthusiasm, as if she were making a concession to the seller.


    Since she had received almost 7,000 ruans and several coupons for restaurants or relaxation centers from various business owners as a reward for her help in the last hour, she might have been willing to spend a few more hours in that antique shop to increase her earnings. Hence, she felt like she had the most to lose by accepting the seller''s offer. However, being aware that everyone''s patience has limits and that the seller might resort to more drastic measures, she decided it would be wise not to be too greedy and stop at what she had earned so far.


    "Yes, I think I have a set of tools for carving jade in the storage. You can take the vase and go to the counter; I''ll be right there with it...", said the seller through gritted teeth, willing to take a loss in that transaction just to see Liu Fengying leave.


    ''Hmm, it seems I was wrong about this seller, thinking he doesn''t know how to be kind to customers. Maybe I can overlook his earlier behavior, and I''ll come back to this store in the future...'', Liu Fengying thought as she watched the seller heading almost in a rush toward the storage, then she made her way to the showcase where the jade vase was displayed, for which she had finally managed to obtain a 50 percent discount.

 Chapter 7. A White-Eyed Wolf

    After leaving the antique shop on the outskirts of the city, with a large enough jade vase in her possession to allow her to craft all nine flowers needed to create the Jade Flowers Formation, along with a set of tools for jade processing that would greatly ease her work, Liu Fengying decided to head towards a nearby market to buy the plants necessary for creating the ink for drawing the formation.


    The main characteristic of the plants Liu Fengying needed wasn''t to look very good or to be very fresh, but to be grown in as natural conditions as possible. So, once at the market, Liu Fengying went through the stands owned by some old people, whose products were either grown in their own yards or collected from the forests.


    Since the prices the old people asked for their goods seemed fair enough to Liu Fengying, she didn''t waste time haggling with them. Thus, in an hour and a half, she managed to buy everything she needed, the amount spent being less than 1000 ruans.


    Although she wanted to buy enough food to last her for a week, the fact that she had four full bags with her prompted Liu Fengying to take a taxi back to her apartment to deposit everything she bought. Once back home, she put all the plants she had bought in the fridge, and after resting for about a quarter of an hour, she left the apartment again, heading to the nearest supermarket.


    Glancing at the shelves full of food, Liu Fengying couldn''t help but swallow dryly, noticing that she was much hungrier that day than usual.


    ''I don''t know why I''m so hungry since I regained memories from my previous life. Is it because in most of those memories, I no longer felt the need to eat due to my advanced cultivation? Or maybe the reason is that my body is a bit undernourished...,'' Liu Fengying wondered in her mind, beginning to put in the cart she was pushing all the things she craved.


    "Liu Fengying, is that you? Why aren''t you at school at this hour?", Liu Fengying heard a voice behind her as she compared two flavors of ice cream, turning her head to spot a middle-aged, somewhat plump woman.


    "Yes, hello... I''m on sick leave...", Liu Fengying replied without enthusiasm, not wanting to waste time engaging in conversation with someone who always tested her patience whenever they met.


    "Huh, you''re sick? Why didn''t you contact me to tell me? I would have immediately sent Chenchen to help you. Just a second. I''ll call him right away...", the middle-aged woman said, immediately starting to search for her phone in her purse.


    "No need to call your son. As far as I remember, he''s not a doctor, so I don''t see how he could help me...", Liu Fengying said, eventually putting a box of each flavor of ice cream in the cart because she couldn''t decide which one to choose. Then, she moved on, completely ignoring the woman who had begun to praise her son as if he were the tenth reincarnation of Buddha.


    "Liu Fengying, where are you going? I have something else to tell you...", the woman began to shout after Liu Fengying, then started to walk quickly after her, seemingly unable to understand that Liu Fengying wasn''t in the mood for conversation.


    ''Heh, you can''t escape from people like these with just kind words...'', Liu Fengying thought, remembering how many times the woman following her had kept her engaged in conversation for tens of minutes trying to convince her how wonderful her son was.


    "If it''s still about your son, I want to inform you that I''m not interested. How can I put it without offending you? Hmmm..., let''s say that every time I remember him, I feel sick to my stomach...", Liu Fengying said bluntly, who had stopped in front of a cookie display case and started to analyze the prices of the varieties that interested her.


    "You, you... How can you say such a thing? After everything I''ve done for you?", the middle-aged woman shouted, her face turning red with anger at Liu Fengying''s words, attracting the attention of everyone around.


    "Huh, what have you done? Do you think I should be grateful that you paid me less than the minimum wage for the hours I worked at your restaurant?", Liu Fengying asked in turn, unaffected by the stares of those present and having no intention of calming the woman down.


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    "You, you... you''re truly shameless... And to think I agreed for you to be with my son. I must have been truly blind...", the middle-aged woman continued to shout, completely infuriated by Liu Fengying''s indifferent attitude, who was treating her as if she were just a stray dog in her eyes.


    "Yes, I think so too. Plus, I suspect that the fact that you found out my family is very wealthy contributed the most to your blindness...", Liu Fengying added, and, no longer willing to engage in conversation, she put three plates of cookies she believed contained the tastiest varieties into the cart and walked away, completely ignoring the middle-aged woman who began to tell the people gathered as if it were a spectacle that Liu Fengying is a vixen who seduced her son and a white-eyed wolf who doesn''t know how to be grateful to those who helped her in hard times.


    ''It''s probably my fault for ending up in this situation. I shouldn''t have gotten involved with such a person from the beginning...'', Liu Fengying thought, recalling how unpleasant her days had been while working part-time at the restaurant owned by the woman she had just encountered.


    Because the woman believed in the first few days when Liu Fengying worked for her that she belonged to a poor family, she was not at all pleased when she saw that her 20-year-old son was trying to get close to her, so she started to reproach Liu Fengying every day, both about her material situation and about the fact that she walked with a limp and that her face was destroyed. Although Liu Fengying was bothered by these comments, she tried to ignore them because, with her attitude, the woman prevented her son from bothering her all the time while she was at work, so she continued to work in the woman''s restaurant for a total of two months until one day she noticed that the woman''s attitude had completely changed, as she began to treat her as a future daughter-in-law and to encourage her son to contact her more often.


    Suspecting that the woman had found out something about her true identity and that she had started making all sorts of plans to bring her together with her son, Liu Fengying resigned without much thought, using as a pretext the fact that she had fallen behind in her studies. However, the fact that Liu Fengying no longer worked in her restaurant didn''t seem to discourage the woman at all, who began to regularly appear in the areas frequented most by Liu Fengying to engage her in endless discussions about how good her son was and how lucky she should consider herself because her son cared so much about her.


    Although all the unpleasant memories brought to the surface by the encounter with the middle-aged woman had somewhat diminished her good mood, Liu Fengying didn''t intend to interrupt her shopping session without buying all the things she wanted, so she spent another quarter of an hour among the shelves until she managed to fill the cart she was pushing, having to pay about 1500 ruans for all her purchases.


    ''Ughh, my body is way too weak... Maybe I should dedicate a couple of hours every day to body training...'', Liu Fengying said to herself, barely lifting the five bags of groceries she had just paid for and already feeling her hands tearing up from the shoulders.


    Although her apartment was less than 300 meters from the supermarket she had visited, it took Liu Fengying almost a quarter of an hour to return with her purchases, being so sweaty that it looked like she had walked the whole way in the rain.


    ''Well, I guess I''ve had enough training for today carrying these bags...'', Liu Fengying thought after placing the five full bags of groceries in the middle of the kitchen and drinking a large glass of water, intending to take a shower immediately after putting everything she bought in its proper place.


    ............................


    After about an hour, Liu Fengying, who had just come out of the shower, sat down at the table, with enough food in the three plates in front of her to satisfy two construction workers.


    ''Hmm, it looks quite good. Maybe it would have been cheaper and healthier if instead of ready-made meals I had bought just the ingredients and cooked myself, but I can''t waste time in the kitchen when I have so many things to do...''


    Because she wanted to start training the next day to get her body back in shape as quickly as possible, Liu Fengying ordered several sports items online while eating, including a fairly complete set of dumbbells, a workout mat, and a striking dummy, as she planned not only to work on her muscle mass but to start practicing some hand-to-hand combat techniques as well.


    ''Although my mind is full of various fighting techniques, it will take some time for my body to be able to execute them correctly, so I think I should start with some simple movements, like punching and kicking...'', Liu Fengying thought, aware that for a martial artist one of the most important things was the connection between mind and body, the improvement of which starts with mastering the basics.


    After finishing eating everything on the plates, Liu Fengying also served herself a large bowl of ice cream, which she enjoyed quietly, then she took the jade vase and the jade processing tools and started carving the nine flowers she needed to create the Jade Flowers Formation, hoping to finish this task as well as the preparation of the ink for drawing the formation by evening.

 Chapter 8. Just a Girl and Her Will to Be Strong

    Liu Fengying believed she would finish preparing all the materials for creating the formation by nightfall. However, carving the jade flowers proved to be much more difficult than she expected as her hands were not accustomed to such meticulous work, so she set down the chisel and the last flower when the clock struck 10 in the evening.


    ''Ugh, my hands. I don''t think I can even lift a glass of water to my mouth anymore...'', Liu Fengying complained in her mind as she massaged the wrist of the hand that had been holding the chisel. She began to regret not taking longer and more frequent breaks while sculpting the nine jade flowers, only pausing for a maximum of 10 minutes every two hours, a time insufficient for her hands to rest, but merely enough to relieve numbness so she could continue working.


    Feeling incapable of preparing the ink needed for drawing the formation, Liu Fengying decided to cultivate for about two hours to help her hands recover as quickly as possible. So, she rose from her chair and headed towards the bedroom, intending to proceed as she did the day before when she cultivated while lying in bed, doubting that her body had made any progress regarding flexibility.


    .....................................


    "Ring! Ring! Ring!...."


    Hearing the alarm from her phone set for 1 a.m., Liu Fengying stopped cultivating and opened her eyes. As she reached for the phone to turn off the alarm, she noticed only a slight discomfort in her joints and found that she could use her hands without any problems.


    ''Much better. Not only have my hands recovered almost completely, but I''ve also shaken off the mental fatigue from the nine hours of work on the jade flowers. But it''s quite late... If I want to catch a few hours of sleep tonight, I should get back to work as soon as possible...'', Liu Fengying thought, intending to finish the formation before going to bed so it would have enough time to gather spiritual energy for the next day, allowing her to start cultivating as soon as she woke up.


    After struggling for a few minutes to get off the bed, which seemed determined not to let her rise until morning, Liu Fengying headed to the kitchen to prepare the ink for drawing the formation.


    ''Maybe I should eat something first...'', Liu Fengying said to herself after opening the refrigerator door to take out the bags of herbs, as she noticed the shelves full of food and realized she was quite hungry.


    Not wanting to waste too much time, Liu Fengying took out a container from the refrigerator containing a portion of General Tso''s Chicken and she put its contents in a pan on the electric stove to heat. Then she began preparing the plants needed to create the ink, washing and cleaning them of any impurities.


    ''Hmm, if I put them in a pot and start grinding them, it will take quite a while to turn them into a paste. I think it would be much more efficient if I use the blender...'', Liu Fengying thought, looking at the pile of plants that had begun to accumulate. She had no reservations about using modern technology to expedite the process of obtaining the ink.


    Sensing the aroma emanating from the pan in which she had placed the food to heat, Liu Fengying interrupted her work and went to take out the food before it got too hot. Sitting at the table with a full plate in front of her, Liu Fengying quickly started eating, her chopsticks leaving afterimages, finishing everything in less than 5 minutes.


    ''Even though I''ve eaten a full plate, I still feel hungry... Hmm... Maybe I should also open a tray of cookies...'', Liu Fengying thought, no longer intending to analyze why her appetite had increased so much after regaining memories from her previous life.


    After eating half a tray of cookies, Liu Fengying resumed preparing the plants for the ink, spending almost an hour until she managed to empty all four bags. Then, after using a kitchen scale to ensure she adhered to the recipe she remembered, she put everything into the blender to grind.


    "Bzzzzzzzzttt...."


    ''It seems fine. Let''s prepare a pot of water to put the mixture in when it''s ready...'', Liu Fengying said to herself, seeing that the blender had no trouble pulverizing the plants.


    While the blender turned all the plants into a paste, Liu Fengying prepared a large pot filled a quarter of the way with water, into which she then added the blended plant mixture and placed it on the electric stove to boil.


    ''I think I look more like a young witch than an alchemist...'', Liu Fengying thought as she stirred with a large wooden spoon in the pot containing a green mixture over which large air bubbles had begun to form, the entire kitchen being flooded with a strong smell that made breathing difficult.


    After keeping the pot on fire for half an hour, Liu Fengying passed its entire contents through a strainer because she only needed the soluble part to create the ink. Then, she cut her finger and added a few drops of blood to the vessel containing the liquid obtained through straining to ensure that it contained enough spiritual energy to activate the formation.


    ''I never thought I would ever consider my own blood as a spiritual treasure...'', Liu Fengying said to herself, aware that she would have to resort to the same method in the future every time she created a formation until she managed to enter the Qi Refining Realm and could manipulate spiritual energy outside her body, the chances of finding a plant or an object with enough spiritual energy to activate a formation by adding it being almost non-existent at that moment.


    With the ink almost ready, needing only to cool down and for the spiritual energy from her blood to be absorbed by the other ingredients, Liu Fengying entered the bedroom and prepared the place where she would create the formation. After thoroughly wiping an area near the bed with a wet cloth and then drying it well using a hairdryer, Liu Fengying placed the nine jade flowers in a circle in that spot, which no longer had a trace of dust, then she brought the vessel with the still-warm ink and began to draw the formation with the help of a new brush.


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    Although in her previous life, Liu Fengying had only created the Jade Flowers Formation once, after spending a night in an inn owned by mortals, where she created that formation as a gesture of gratitude for the owners'' services, she had no trouble remembering the symbols she needed to draw, as the formation had a fairly intuitive design. Moreover, even if she hadn''t remembered exactly what the formation looked like, she would have been able to improvise to make it work because formations were capable of undergoing modifications. However, this would have taken her a little longer as she needed to ensure that the resulting formation would be effective enough.


    After finishing drawing all the symbols, Liu Fengying breathed a sigh of relief seeing that the nine jade flowers had started to glow green because this indicated that the formation had begun to work.


    ''From what I can see, the formation is working as it should, but it will take a few hours before I can tell how effective it is. Well, I''ll see when I wake up because I don''t want the sunrise to catch me awake. I think it''s already past four in the morning...'', Liu Fengying thought, intending to get into bed immediately after taking a quick shower.


    ..................................


    Waking up around 10 o''clock, Liu Fengying had a hearty breakfast consisting of a 7-egg omelet (like in Piedone''s movies) and the remaining cookies from the tray started at midnight. Then, she quickly got down to cultivating, wanting to spend as much time as possible in the days to come while the effect of the formation was at its peak, in order to become more powerful.


    Liu Fengying spent almost 6 hours cultivating, so deeply immersed in cultivation that her body seemed to belong to a person in a coma, until she was interrupted by a phone call informing her that the sports equipment she had ordered would be delivered in half an hour.


    ''Much, much better. The concentration of spiritual energy in the bedroom is almost as high as it was in the world where I spent my previous life. It was worth spending a quarter of my savings and working for a whole day to create this formation...'', Liu Fengying said to herself, very satisfied with the progress she had made during the 6 hours of cultivation.


    Although she used a simple cultivation technique suitable for all types of constitutions but not very efficient, Liu Fengying noticed that with enough spiritual energy, she could progress three times faster than in her former life. She suspected that the reasons behind this were her profound knowledge of cultivation and the fact that her soul was much stronger than that of a person who had just started cultivating.


    ''If I maintain this pace, I think it''s possible to enter the Qi Refining Realm in about 3 months, but in two weeks, I''ll have to start going back to school, so the time I can allocate to cultivation will be halved for almost a month. Besides, I need to find a source of money... Well, there''s no point in thinking about these things. It''s best to focus on what I have to do now...''


    With these thoughts in mind, Liu Fengying entered the living room and began to make space for the sports equipment, sticking all the furniture to the walls. Then, when the courier called again, she went downstairs to receive the packages, needing about a quarter of an hour to carry everything up to the apartment, many of the ordered items being quite heavy and bulky.


    After unpacking all the packages and inspecting the sports equipment, Liu Fengying couldn''t say she was very impressed with its quality, but knowing that she had only paid around 6000 ruans for everything, she was aware that she couldn''t have too high expectations.


    ''Maybe this sports equipment isn''t of the best quality, but it will do its job. Anyway, I don''t need it to last me a lifetime, just 2-3 months...''


    After putting everything in order, Liu Fengying went to the bedroom to change into a set of sports gear, then returned to the living room, which looked more like a gym, and started the training routine she had planned. For the first half-hour, she performed stretching exercises to increase her mobility, then spent an hour doing muscle-building exercises to make her body stronger, and finally, for about 40 minutes, she practiced the combat moves she knew from her previous life, hitting the striking dummy hundreds of times with her fists and feet.


    Even though her body had started to contain spiritual energy, the fact that she hadn''t done much sports since she had knee problems caused Liu Fengying to be very tired at the end of the training session, so she consumed a large amount of water and food to rehydrate and replenish her body''s energy reserves.


    After getting up from the table, Liu Fengying filled a bowl with mint ice cream and sat on the couch with it in hand to enjoy it quietly, planning to relax for half an hour to prepare for the 8-hour cultivation session ahead.


    ''It''s kind of boring to spend so much time cultivating, but this is the only way I can make up for the lack of cultivation resources... Yes, it''s better to be bored now than to have regrets later...'', Liu Fengying said to herself, aware that she needed to take advantage of the free time she would have over the next 14 days to become as powerful as possible.


    ............................


    Wake up, breakfast, cultivate, workout, shower, lunch, bowl of ice cream, cultivate, snack before bed, sleep.


    That''s how Liu Fengying''s schedule looked like for the next seven days. During this time, she didn''t leave her apartment at all because she didn''t want to waste the time she had available for cultivation, nor did she want to meet anyone who could cause her problems or irritate her. She was isolated from the rest of the world like a cultivator barricaded in a cave, unwilling to leave until their cultivation succeeded in entering a higher realm.


    However, the fact that the food in her apartment had almost run out and that she finished all the ice cream on the seventh day prompted her to leave the apartment on the morning of the eighth day to go shopping.


    Being a Monday, there were few chances of meeting someone she knew, so Liu Fengying hoped that she wouldn''t be interrupted by anyone during that trip and could return home as quickly as possible.


    Liu Fengying thought to visit a store containing traditional medicine items before going to the supermarket, as she wanted to buy a set of acupuncture needles, which were recommended for use in treating old wounds. She had noticed that her foot hadn''t fully healed even after cultivating for 8 days and doing numerous exercises to stimulate its recovery, so she thought it would be a good idea to use acupuncture to channel more spiritual energy into it to enhance its healing, not wanting to limp until she managed to enter the Qi Refining Realm, when such a wound would heal on its own.


    "Sister Liu Fengying! Sister Liu Fengying! Look here!", Liu Fengying heard as she headed towards the store specializing in traditional medicine, discovering that the one calling her was a boy behind the wheel of a car that could have been considered vintage if it weren''t for the rust, parking 5 meters in front of her.


    It didn''t take long for Liu Fengying to realize that the one calling her was Jiang Wei, her cousin from her mother''s side and one of the few people who had been on her side when she was at the Jiang family''s house asking for help to confront her father, although she didn''t expect to ever see him in a car that seemed to be worth less than 10,000 ruans.


    "Sister, get in quickly! I''m not allowed to park here!"


    Seeing that Jiang Wei seemed very eager to talk to her and considering the fact that he was among the few people she still had a good relationship with, even though he wasn''t very useful to her, Liu Fengying decided to get into his car, hoping that it could withstand the weight of two people.

 Chapter 9. Two Tigers

    "Clunk!!!"


    "Clunk!!!"


    ............


    "Clunk!!!"


    "Vrummmmm!!!"


    "Brother Wei, are you sure this car is allowed on public roads?", Liu Fengying asked loudly as Jiang Wei tried to maneuver the car back into traffic, the noises from the vehicle making a normal conversation impossible.


    "Of course. The person who sold it to me said the car passed its technical inspection two months ago with flying colors...", Jiang Wei reassured her, wrestling with the steering wheel as if driving a truck, as the car lacked power steering and was much harder to control.


    "Most likely in a place not marked on the map...", Liu Fengying added, doubting that the technical inspection was done by professionals.


    "Ha, ha! Sister Yingying, our country is very vast. It''s only natural that not all places can be marked on the map, otherwise it would be too confusing. Besides..."


    "Clunk!!! Clunk!!! Whack!!"


    Unfortunately, Jiang Wei''s new car was a very jealous type, and it didn''t like the driver paying attention to others while driving, so it started making even louder noises to prevent him from speaking.


    "Ugh... We''ll talk more in detail after we reach our destination. Today, your big brother will take you to the best restaurant..."


    ........................


    Fortunately, the restaurant Jiang Wei wanted to take Liu Fengying to was only 4-5 kilometers away, so they managed to reach their destination before the car started to fall apart.


    After they entered the restaurant and seated themselves at a table, Jiang Wei told Liu Fengying to order anything she wanted without any worry, assuring her that he would cover the bill. Therefore, Liu Fengying ordered three meals, which, although not among the most expensive, were very filling.


    Seeing how much food Liu Fengying ordered, Jiang Wei felt sorry for her, thinking that she must be very hungry because she didn''t eat enough to save money. So, he swore in his mind to take Liu Fengying out to a restaurant at least once a week from then on.


    "Don''t look at me like that... I''m not a stray dog. It''s just that lately, I''ve been more hungry...", Liu Fengying said after she saw the pity for her in Jiang Wei''s eyes.


    "No, no, you''ve got it wrong! I''m just emotional because I haven''t seen you in a long time...", Jiang Wei averted his gaze as he didn''t want to make Liu Fengying feel uncomfortable.


    Seeing her cousin''s awkward attempts to protect her pride, Liu Fengying gave up trying to convince him that she had been doing well lately because she knew that no matter what she said, she wouldn''t be able to make him believe it, so she decided to change the subject.


    "So, what''s the reason you''re driving that old car? Did you play truth or dare or something?"


    "No..., I bought it on my own initiative...", Jiang Wei replied, starting to lose his self-confidence after realizing that his cousin seemed to consider his gesture childish.


    "Oh, to each their own tastes...", Liu Fengying excused him, not the type to discriminate against someone for their preferences.


    "No, no... I don''t drive this car because I like it, but just to protest...", Jiang Wei quickly said, not wanting his cousin to think he was weird. "I don''t know if you remember, but when my older brother turned 20, he received a car worth 1 million ruans from my father, so I expected to receive the same. But it''s been over two months since my birthday, and my father hasn''t shown any signs of intending to buy me an expensive car... so I thought I''d show everyone how stingy he is by driving the cheapest car I could find..."


    Hearing Jiang Wei''s explanations, Liu Fengying had to admit to herself that her cousin was not the type to shy away from trouble and that he was capable of losing 800 to ensure that his opponent would lose 1000.


    Even though Jiang Wei''s plan seemed rather foolish at first glance, Liu Fengying couldn''t deny that it was quite effective. She was pretty sure that once Jiang Wei''s father found out that his son was driving a car that looked like it came from a junkyard, he would be furious because not only would he be embarrassed, but there was a good chance that the value of his company''s stocks would suffer, as people would start to wonder if their businesses had suffered and they had run out of money.


    Liu Fengying was aware that the conflict between Jiang Wei and his father was not triggered by an expensive car, but because Jiang Wei wanted to help her in the fight for her mother''s inheritance, which led to Jiang Wei''s accounts being frozen by his parents, who didn''t want to enter into conflict with her father to avoid jeopardizing the businesses they collaborated on, Jiang Wei''s only income in the last year being the salary he earned working part-time in his family''s company. Taking all this into consideration, Liu Fengying couldn''t say she wasn''t impressed by how far her cousin was willing to go for her, which made her see him in a favorable light even though most of his plans were childish and not very useful to her.


    "So, what''s the reason you didn''t go to school today? Are you all right? Knowing that you had to be at school at this time and with your change of look, I almost didn''t recognize you...", Jiang Wei changed the subject, not wanting to give Liu Fengying a chance to start analyzing his plan.


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    "Don''t worry, Brother Wei. I''m perfectly healthy. Well. maybe I had a minor accident a week ago, but the reason I insisted on taking such a long medical leave is that I had some things to sort out..."


    Hearing that Liu Fengying had an accident, Jiang Wei started to examine her from all angles, but to his relief, he found no trace that she was injured.


    "Thank goodness you''re okay, although I hope in the future you won''t forget to contact me if you have an accident. I''ll go through hell and high water to come and help you... Anyway, Sister Yingying, I''m glad I met you today because I wanted to talk about something. I found out that in two weeks, my sister will be returning from abroad to open a branch of her company in the country. I''m sure that if you contact her and tell her everything that''s happened to you, she''ll do everything in her power to help you fight against Liu Yichen..."


    Seeing Jiang Wei''s enthusiasm, who had sworn many times in the past that he would stand by her in the fight against her father no matter what, Liu Fengying didn''t really know how to break the news that she no longer intended to obtain the company founded by her mother.


    "...Brother Wei Wei, there''s no need to burden Sister Lan with my problems. Anyway, I no longer intend to try to obtain the inheritance left by my mother...", Liu Fengying eventually said in a calm tone, hoping that Jiang Wei would be influenced by her attitude and not start to get agitated.


    Unfortunately, Jiang Wei wasn''t the type of person to be easily influenced.


    "What? But why? What happened? Sister Yingying, did Liu Yichen find a way to blackmail you?", Jiang Wei started to shout, attracting the attention of everyone in the restaurant to them.


    "Calm down, Brother Wei. Nobody is blackmailing me..."


    Seeing that Liu Fengying really didn''t seem affected by what she said, Jiang Wei started to become even more confused.


    "Then what happened? Don''t tell me you want to make peace with him?", he asked again, this time in a calmer tone.


    "Don''t worry, I don''t intend to do that. I assure you that Liu Yichen will end up with nothing but his underpants. I''ll make sure he loses everything! However, I won''t achieve this by attempting to take over the company, but by driving him into bankruptcy...", Liu Fengying replied, her eyes reminding Jiang Wei of the tiger that used to scare him in childhood when visiting the zoo with his parents.


    "Sister Yingying, I assure you that I''ll stand by whatever you plan to do... but I want to remind you that killing someone is punished with life imprisonment...", Jiang Wei blurted out, afraid that Liu Fengying might consider committing a crime if her plans didn''t succeed to satisfy her thirst for revenge.


    "Well, only if there''s evidence..."


    Hearing Liu Fengying''s words, Jiang Wei could only try to convince himself that she was joking to protect his mental health.


    "Ha, ha, Sister Yingying! You always know how to tease me...", he began to laugh, but in his mind, he was already praying that his cousin wouldn''t turn black in the future.


    For the rest of the time they waited for their ordered food, the two avoided talking about their problems, focusing their discussion on the latest events that happened to their mutual acquaintances and what was happening in the world.


    When the waiter brought the food and saw how full the table was, Jiang Wei couldn''t imagine how Liu Fengying would manage to eat everything she had ordered and thought he would have to talk to the waiter to bring her some containers so she could take the leftovers. Well, what followed proved to Jiang Wei that he still hadn''t seen enough in life, as his cousin transformed in front of him into a hungry shark seemingly capable of devouring even him after finishing all the food on the plates.


    ''It''s not even lunchtime yet, and she''s already this hungry? Maybe she didn''t eat anything in the morning... No, even if she hadn''t eaten anything until now, it doesn''t explain where all this food is going...'', Jiang Wei thought, unable to find any explanation for what was unfolding before him.


    No matter how little he had seen of the world, even Jiang Wei knew that it wasn''t wise to tell a girl she eats too much, so he pretended not to see anything and started to eat his own food without looking at Liu Fengying until he didn''t hear any more utensil noises, a sign that she had finished eating.


    "So, how was the food? I guess you liked it...", Jiang Wei opened the discussion again, his words drawing a squinty look from Liu Fengying.


    "Oh, you mean I ate too much? Are you afraid I''ll surpass 100 kilograms?"


    "How is that possible? To me, you''ve always been the most graceful... even more graceful than a swan, no, not a swan... a ballerina!", Jiang Wei immediately denied the accusations Liu Fengying made, cursing himself in his mind for not being able to choose his words better.


    "Haha, I was just teasing you... Anyway, it''s true that lately I''ve been eating a bit more. Ever since I started exercising, my appetite has increased a lot...", Liu Fengying reassured him, finding Jiang Wei''s awkward compliments very amusing.


    "Sister Yingying, I think if you don''t make me stutter when you meet me, you can''t sleep peacefully at night...", Jiang Wei complained, not understanding how his cousin, who used to be as quiet as an angel in childhood and used to hug him every time she saw him, had come to enjoy teasing him so much.


    Since Jiang Wei had to be at college by 12 o''clock, the two only had a few minutes left to chat after they finished eating, and then, after Jiang Wei paid the bill, they left the restaurant and headed towards where Jiang Wei had parked the car.


    "Sister Yingying, do you need me to take you somewhere?", Jiang Wei asked after spinning around the car twice to make sure it was intact.


    "No, thank you. This hill isn''t big enough for two tigers..."


    "Ha, ha! You''re right! Two tigers, indeed... Anyway, before you go, I want to give you something...", Jiang Wei said, taking a card out of his wallet and handing it to Liu Fengying. "Well, you know I''m not very good with gifts, so I''ve put 50,000 ruans in an account for you to buy whatever you want until next month when it''s your birthday..."


    Liu Fengying was aware that the reason Jiang Wei decided to give her money as a gift wasn''t because he was too lazy to buy her something, but because he knew she wanted to save enough money to be able to sue her father. Considering that he didn''t have access to his parents'' money, the fact that he managed to gather such a sum of money to offer her without expecting anything in return was clear proof that Jiang Wei really cared a lot about her.


    "Thank you, Brother Wei...", Liu Fengying said, then she gave him a hug, which moved Jiang Wei to tears.


    "...Alright, Yingying. I have to go. That old professor goes crazy when someone enters the classroom late...", Jiang Wei said after Liu Fengying retreated, quickly getting into the car so as not to give Liu Fengying a chance to start teasing him again.


    "Clunk!!!"


    "Clunk!!!"


    "Bang!!!"


    "Vrummmmm!!!"


    Watching the departing car, Liu Fengying had to admit that Jiang Wei''s gesture really impressed her, realizing that she had never enjoyed such familial affection in both of her lives.


    ''He is truly a good person. But in a world where kindness is seen as a weakness, he''ll face many challenges in life. Well, then it will be my turn to stand by him...''


    With this thought in mind, Liu Fengying set off again towards the traditional medicine store, her good mood being in harmony with the weather of that day, where the sun managed to shine undisturbed even though it was surrounded on all sides by clouds.

 Chapter 10. Beauty Treatments

    Since the traditional medicine store was only about 3 kilometers away from the restaurant Jiang Wei took her to, Liu Fengying decided to walk there, the weather being perfect for a stroll.


    Upon reaching the traditional medicine store, Liu Fengying wandered among the shelves filled with ointments and potions to assess the quality of the products and their prices. However, she wasn''t very impressed by what she saw. Since those products hadn''t been exposed to spiritual energy during their creation, they had only a tenth of the effect described on the label, and their prices were tens of times higher than the cost of the ingredients they were composed of.


    ''Hmm, if a person were to buy the ingredients of such a product and mix them at home, they would likely achieve something with a similar effect. Given the very high prices as well, it''s no wonder that most of the customers in these stores are tourists...''


    After forming a fairly clear idea of the situation of widely marketed traditional medicine, Liu Fengying headed towards the counter where the seller was located to ask him to present the types of acupuncture needles available for sale.


    As the acupuncture needles needed to be of high quality, Liu Fengying didn''t skimp and bought the most expensive set, which contained 50 silver needles, a type of needle not very popular because they don''t last as long as those made of steel, but are very effective in directing Qi through the body.


    Seeing that it was almost noon, Liu Fengying took a taxi after leaving the traditional medicine store to the supermarket near her apartment, where she usually did her shopping, intending to buy enough food for another week.


    The supermarket was not crowded at all because it wasn''t a peak shopping hour, so Liu Fengying left the supermarket with no less than 6 bags of groceries in less than half an hour. Fortunately, her physical condition had greatly improved in the past week, so apart from being bulky, the bags hardly bothered her at all, and she could move at the same speed as if her hands were in her pockets.


    After returning to her apartment and stowing away the groceries, Liu Fengying placed the acupuncture needles in a pressure cooker with boiling water to disinfect them, then she filled a bowl with coffee-flavored ice cream to eat while waiting for them to be ready for use.


    Once the needles were disinfected and the ice cream was eaten, Liu Fengying went into the bedroom and sat on the bed completely naked, then she began to insert the silver needles into her body to facilitate the transmission of spiritual energy during the upcoming cultivation session towards the leg that made her limp.


    Since Liu Fengying didn''t have a fear of needles, this process wasn''t too difficult for her, so in less than 5 minutes, she began cultivating, trying to direct as much spiritual energy as possible toward her leg to accelerate its healing.


    If this method had been attempted by anyone else who hadn''t even entered the Qi Refining Realm, there would have been more chances to damage their meridians than to stimulate healing, requiring both a lot of experience in handling spiritual energy and a lot of mental power. Fortunately for Liu Fengying, she lacked neither of these, so she encountered no problems while directing the majority of the spiritual energy entering her body towards her leg. Well, the process was by no means comfortable, as her leg seemed to have cramps one after the other due to the reconstruction of the affected ligaments, but as pain is something every cultivator must face and learn to manage, Liu Fengying wasn''t too affected.


    Liu Fengying continued to send spiritual energy to her leg for almost two hours until she noticed that it no longer caused her any discomfort, a sign that whatever was wrong had been repaired.


    After removing all the silver needles from her body, Liu Fengying began to do some jumps and practice some kicks around the room, and as she expected, her leg no longer gave her any trouble.


    ''It worked wonders. And even faster than I expected. Probably my current constitution is similar to the one I had in my previous life, one that allows me to heal quite rapidly...''. Liu Fengying thought to herself, intending to take advantage of the fact that she could heal quickly to get rid of the scar on her face. Although it didn''t interfere with her plans, and she could have waited until she entered the Qi Refining Realm when it would disappear on its own in a few days, it irritated her every time she looked in the mirror because it reminded her of how weak she was when she lived without the memories from her past life.


    The method used to heal the leg wasn''t quite suitable for this, as an old scar needed to be exposed to spiritual energy for several days to make it disappear. So, Liu Fengying decided it would be much more efficient to replace the scar with a new wound that would heal perfectly in just a few hours of cultivation, even if she didn''t use acupuncture needles.


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    Not intending to turn her bedroom into a bloodbath, Liu Fengying entered the bathroom and settled into a tub filled with water, then, with a mirror in one hand and a shaving blade in the other, she began to excise the scar from her cheek, intending to remove a strip of skin five centimeters long and one centimeter wide.


    With her fingers quite dexterous, the so-called cosmetic surgery lasted less than 1 minute, Liu Fengying immediately starting to cultivate afterwards to stop the bleeding. Since in the bathroom the concentration of spiritual energy was only 15-20 percent weaker than in the bedroom and it was not recommended to move her face to avoid breaking the thin crust formed over the wound, Liu Fengying intended to stay and cultivate in the tub until the wound on her cheek was completely healed.


    After nearly 3 hours spent in the tub, Liu Fengying felt the crust on her right cheek fall off, a sign that the wound was almost healed. After another half an hour, she got out of the now completely cooled water and took a shower to get rid of the traces of blood. Then, she headed to the large mirror above the sink, which showed her the image of a girl with a flawless face and an enviable body.


    ''Hmm, it''s hard to imagine that just a few hours ago there was a scar on my face because there''s not even the slightest difference in pigment between the newly grown skin and the rest of my face. Probably many will wonder which renowned doctor performed my plastic surgery and what kind of beauty products I used after...'' Liu Fengying said to herself, aware of how superior the use of spiritual energy is to eliminate any skin imperfection.


    In her mind, the plan to use her knowledge of alchemy to shatter the beauty products industry was taking shape more and more. She was confident that the products containing spiritual energy she would create would not only surpass the existing ones but also couldn''t be imitated by anyone else, thus utterly vanquishing her competition.


    ..................................


    In the next 5 days, Liu Fengying didn''t leave her apartment at all, as she wanted to make the most of her remaining free time to increase her cultivation and improve her physical condition, aware that she was still far from being powerful enough to start implementing any plans without worry.


    Although the final exams were approaching, Liu Fengying barely studied during the two weeks of medical leave, as she was confident that the knowledge accumulated throughout the school year would be enough to rank among the top students. As for the university entrance exam, Liu Fengying wasn''t too worried because she no longer intended to follow in her mother''s footsteps and attend a famous university to study chemistry, but only to get into a nearby second-rate university to study finance, her goal being to obtain a college degree without much hassle.


    Having gained almost 7 kilograms during her so-called seclusion, Liu Fengying thought it would be a good idea to renew her wardrobe, as both her underwear and many of her clothes were a bit too tight. So, on her last day off, Liu Fengying headed to the largest mall in the city.


    Remembering that she had a coupon for a beauty salon near the mall obtained during her so-called charity work at the antique shop, Liu Fengying thought it wouldn''t be a bad idea to go there first to get her hair styled and eyebrows done, things she hadn''t paid much attention to in the past few months.


    "Miss, you look truly stunning. I''m sure if you were to debut in the entertainment industry, you would become famous overnight...", Liu Fengying heard the hairstylist woman, who had just finished cutting her hair, say as she prepared to apply a hair mask.


    Although Liu Fengying had entered based on a coupon and hadn''t paid anything, the salon staff seemed very enthusiastic to serve her, demonstrating that the saying "a beautiful face can open many doors" is true.


    "Well, for now, I don''t have any plans, but you never know in the future. Anyway, thank you for the compliment...", Liu Fengying said, her smile causing the hairstylist to drop the hairbrush from her hand.


    To use up all the points on the coupon, Liu Fengying decided to also enjoy a massage to relax her muscles, which had been very stressed in the past two weeks. The one who gave her the massage was a young woman, small in stature and very cute, but with very strong hands.


    "Miss, do you practice any sports? The muscles on your back seem very strong..."


    Having her back massaged by a beautiful woman who seemed to admire her a lot, Liu Fengying was in a very good mood, so she didn''t hesitate to share a few details about herself.


    "Hmmm... yes... I''ve been practicing kung fu for some time now..."


    "No wonder... If you ever hold lessons in the future, please let me know. I''ve always dreamed of being able to break bricks with my bare hands..."


    "Maybe... But, if I become your master, you''ll be obliged to give me massages for free whenever I want... You know what they say, the master''s thought is the student''s deed...", Liu Fengying said, posing as a very strict master.


    "Ha, ha! That wouldn''t be a bother at all. In fact, it would be a reward..."


    After the massage was over, Liu Fengying bid farewell to the salon staff, promising that she would visit them again soon, then she headed towards the mall entrance, feeling much more relaxed than when she left home.


    ''It was a pleasant experience. I don''t think it would be bad to dedicate a day each week just for relaxation...'', Liu Fengying thought, not remembering having too many of these moments in her past life or her current one, as she was always under pressure to carry out her plans.


    Very excited about this idea, Liu Fengying stepped into the mall, a place full of things for the wealthy and full of dreams for the poor.

 Chapter 11. After the Rabbits Have Grown

    Liu Fengying wasn''t concerned about her clothes being from famous brands, but rather about them being comfortable and looking good, so the stores she intended to visit were all known for their good quality-to-price ratio. Additionally, she didn''t have money to throw out the window; the price of a luxury clothing set was higher than the cost of the food that could last her a month.


    Although Liu Fengying was dressed quite conservatively in sportswear, she had no difficulty becoming the center of attention in any store she entered. The fact that her muscle mass had significantly increased in the last two weeks made the clothes fit tightly on her, accentuating her perfect curves, and her otherworldly beauty emitted a special radiance, with a subtle mix of grace and seduction, so it was no wonder many couldn''t take their eyes off her.


    Having stood in front of thousands of people in her previous life, Liu Fengying didn''t suffer from stage fright, so she wasn''t too affected by the gazes of those around her while shopping. Of course, from time to time, a young man would try to strike up a conversation with Liu Fengying, but she seemed to have a real talent for making them give up using just 2-3 words, as she had no desire to engage in conversations with people who didn''t interest her.


    After Liu Fengying bought clothes worth almost 10,000 ruans, she headed to the lingerie store, wanting to buy some regular sets and some specifically for sports activities.


    Like every Sunday, the store was quite crowded that day, but that didn''t stop Liu Fengying from discovering that Liu Zihan, her half-sister, was standing in front of a section, together with Zhang Mei, the girl who caused her head injury.


    Liu Fengying was aware that she eventually had to have a serious discussion with Liu Zihan, but she didn''t intend to do it that day because she suspected she would probably lose her good mood. Not wanting to intersect with her, Liu Fengying headed to the opposite side of the store, to the area designated for sports lingerie, intending to choose 2-3 sports bras.


    To ensure that her half-sister would be gone by the time she finished selecting, Liu Fengying spent almost half an hour analyzing the bras on display, enough time to become an expert in identifying the quality and price of one with just a glance.


    ''I wouldn''t be surprised if I dream about sports bras tonight...'', Liu Fengying said to herself, taking 3 samples and heading to the other side of the store after noticing that Liu Zihan was no longer there.


    Arriving in front of the section where she had seen Liu Zihan, Liu Fengying couldn''t help but frown upon seeing the types of lingerie sets displayed, most of them being black or purple, with portions of transparent material. Moreover, the designer who created them seemed to want to save on materials, and Liu Fengying didn''t believe that was done to reduce the carbon footprint. Anyway, they seemed way too sexy for someone who hadn''t turned 18 yet.


    ''Since when did Liu Zihan start wearing stuff like this? I remember two years ago her favorite set was a pink one with bunnies...''


    Taking a hanger with a set in her free hand and examining it from all sides, Liu Fengying couldn''t help but imagine the stark contrast between Liu Zihan''s very fair skin and the material of such lingerie sets, likely highlighting even more how much her body had developed in the past year.


    But Liu Fengying couldn''t spend too much time absorbed in such an image, as she felt someone behind her beginning to analyze the displayed products as well, so she put the set back and turned to leave, as she didn''t intend to inconvenience others for no reason.


    Well, that was her plan, but making eye contact with the person next to her, Liu Fengying couldn''t help but freeze for a second, feeling caught red-handed, as it was none other than Liu Zihan, whom she had just imagined posing in sexy lingerie a few moments ago.


    ''No, I have no reason to feel ashamed. If she doesn''t know I saw her at this section, she can''t suspect that I was thinking about her...''


    Relieved by this thought, Liu Fengying regained her composure, her gaze betraying no emotion.


    "Hello.", she greeted Liu Zihan briefly, her attitude neither warm nor cold.


    "...Sister?"


    Unlike Liu Fengying, Liu Zihan found it much harder to recover from the shock of this unexpected encounter because until she heard Liu Fengying''s voice, she couldn''t be sure that the girl in front of her was indeed her half-sister. She was more inclined to believe that it was someone who looked very much like her because the girl in front of her not only had a face without any scars but also was no longer undernourished but brimming with vitality, changes that were hard to imagine happening in just two weeks since she last saw Liu Fengying.


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    "Yes...", Liu Fengying confirmed her identity, seeing that Liu Zihan continued to look at her like she was a ghost.


    "You, your face... how?", Liu Zihan stuttered, still not able to believe what she was seeing was real.


    Liu Fengying wasn''t surprised to hear these words because she was aware that getting rid of a scar so quickly was impossible using modern medicine, so it was expected that many would be amazed when they saw her.


    "Oh, with traditional medicine...", she replied, her plan being to attribute her miraculous healing to procedures belonging to a field that many didn''t understand.


    Like most young people born in the era of digitization, Liu Zihan didn''t really believe in the effectiveness of traditional medicine, but since she hadn''t heard of any aesthetician capable of removing a scar so quickly and without leaving any trace, she had no choice but to accept this explanation.


    Liu Fengying didn''t intend to continue the conversation with Liu Zihan because she found it difficult to decide what attitude to adopt towards her. Continuing to argue with Liu Zihan as she had in recent months wasn''t acceptable to her. How could someone who had lived for over 300 years argue with a girl not even 18? However, was she capable of having a normal discussion with her?


    Liu Fengying could imagine how much pressure Liu Zihan was under from her mother and brother, but she didn''t believe that was a sufficient reason to excuse how Liu Zihan had treated her since she left home. Furthermore, she suspected that Liu Zihan was somehow connected to the rumors that had surfaced about her in recent months on the school forum, alleging that she spent every weekend in clubs trying to seduce any member of the second-rich generation she encountered, regardless of age or gender, because she couldn''t bear to live without the luxury she was born into. Even though everyone knew she had argued with her father, would anyone dare to say such things about her if they weren''t sure they wouldn''t face any consequences? Most likely not, so the chances of Liu Zihan being involved in this defamation process against her were quite high.


    And even if she had no involvement, shouldn''t Liu Zihan be on her side and try to help her refute these rumors? Liu Fengying couldn''t imagine that Liu Zihan didn''t know that all these things were false, so she couldn''t find any excuse for her silence every time other students asked her about these rumors, giving the impression that she knew they were true but didn''t want to admit it because she was ashamed of her sister''s actions.


    Taking all these things into consideration, Liu Fengying couldn''t pretend that everything was fine between them. Moreover, the fact that she had just seen Liu Zihan having no problem spending her free time with Zhang Mei, the cause of her head injury, made her even less patient.


    "Anyway, I still have some shopping to do, so I won''t keep you any longer...", Liu Fengying said goodbye, avoiding Liu Zihan at a distance of one meter so as not to bump into her with the shopping bags.


    "Yingying, you seem to be acting strangely. Are you sure you''re okay?", Liu Zihan stopped her, confused by the unfamiliarity with which Liu Fengying interacted with her. She couldn''t help but wonder if Liu Fengying might be suffering from a mild form of amnesia following the blow to her head.


    "What do you mean?", Liu Fengying asked, not understanding why in Liu Zihan''s eyes was so much concern for her.


    "You... you''re treating me like just an acquaintance..."


    Upon hearing these words, Liu Fengying became increasingly confused about what was happening in Liu Zihan''s mind.


    "And how would you like me to treat you, Zihan? I''m tired of trying to please you as well as arguing with you. I''m tired of trying to figure out what''s going on in your mind... Maybe you want things to be the same as before and you''re trying to convince me to come back home and make peace, or maybe... Anyway, now I have more important things to do...", Liu Fengying explained her attitude, however, avoiding accusing Liu Zihan of having malicious intentions against her.


    "Yingying, I..."


    Unfortunately, before Liu Zihan could say anything, she was interrupted by Zhang Mei, who had spent more time in the bathroom fixing her makeup.


    "Sister Zihan, have you not decided yet?"


    Since Zhang Mei wasn''t very familiar with Liu Fengying, it''s no wonder she didn''t recognize her, so she completely ignored her and started talking to Liu Zihan, complimenting her or praising her every five words.


    Seeing this scene, Liu Fengying just smiled ironically, then headed to another section intending to continue her shopping, without paying any attention to them, although she felt that Liu Zihan spent most of her time watching her.


    After choosing three sets of daywear lingerie, Liu Fengying headed to the checkout counter to pay for the chosen items, and once the transaction was completed, she left the store and headed to a shoe store, intending to buy 3-4 pairs of casual shoes and 1-2 pairs of sports shoes.


    "Sister Zihan, are you waiting for someone?", Zhang Mei asked, noticing that Liu Zihan was watching the exit of the store.


    "That''s none of your business. And I don''t remember ever giving you permission to call me sister...", Liu Zihan finally lost her patience. She always made an effort not to show too many emotions in front of others, except for her family members, but at that moment she felt too tired to entertain Zhang Mei, whose stupidity had proven to be a weapon too difficult to control many times.

 Chapter 12. Leaving the Seclusion

    As long as she remained in the mall, Liu Fengying avoided analyzing Liu Zihan''s behavior during their meeting, fully aware that she would likely find more questions than answers regarding what thoughts were in Liu Zihan''s mind.


    Moreover, she didn''t see why she should be the one to try to resolve the conflict between them. After all, she wasn''t the one who started this conflict; it was Liu Zihan. Even though she had moved out, that couldn''t be considered the first step toward cooling their relationship since she had tried to maintain as close a connection as possible with Liu Zihan after she left. As for the promise she had made to Liu Zihan four years ago¡ªthat they would be together forever¡ªLiu Fengying believed it meant that they would remain best friends forever and wouldn''t let anything come between them, not that they would sleep together in the same bed for the rest of their lives.


    There was also the possibility that, before she left, Liu Zihan might have realized from how she had treated her that she had other feelings for her besides friendship, which would have given her promise a completely different meaning for Liu Zihan, something akin to a declaration of love. But even assuming that Liu Zihan had the same feelings for her, Liu Fengying couldn''t understand why Liu Zihan would be so upset that they no longer lived together as they couldn''t start a relationship while living under the same roof with their parents and Liu Zihao. In fact, for them to start a relationship, the fact that Liu Fengying had moved out was a good thing, a vacant apartment being the ideal place to hide a relationship forbidden by the rest of the world.


    Anyway, no matter how ambiguous her relationship with Liu Zihan had been two years ago, Liu Fengying didn''t believe she owed her anything. The fact that she didn''t add Liu Zihan to her list of enemies was more than enough, considering how Liu Zihan had treated her since she moved out.


    Moreover, Liu Fengying wasn''t motivated to try to make her relationship with Liu Zihan the same as before because, at that point, a platonic love was more of a reason for irritation than something that could make her feel satisfied.


    Perhaps two years ago, when she was just a girl of almost 16, she was happy simply holding hands with Liu Zihan on the street and sometimes sleeping with Liu Zihan in her arms. But now, with the memories of her previous life, one full of decisive decisions, she could no longer be content with half measures.


    But was there any chance that Liu Zihan would accept becoming her girlfriend? Liu Fengying could bet that she wouldn¡¯t, even if she were sure that Liu Zihan had feelings for her as well, because there were far too many obstacles to a romantic relationship between them, with the most challenging being the fact that they were half-sisters.


    Perhaps it was easier for Liu Fengying to overlook the fact that there is a blood relation between them because she no longer saw Liu Yichen as a father after discovering that he had cheated on her mother, and she was no longer constrained by familial ties, but the same could not be said for Liu Zihan, whose mother reminded her daily after the revelation of Liu Yichen¡¯s affair that she should start considering Liu Yichen her real father.


    Moreover, there was a much greater likelihood that Liu Zihan had never wanted to be anything more than a sister to her. It¡¯s true that Liu Zihan continued to accept her attentions and to be surrounded by her possessiveness as long as they lived together after discovering they were half-sisters, but what other option did she have? Liu Fengying thought it would have been difficult for her to refuse, given the difference in their identities.


    Taking all these factors into consideration, it was quite clear that the kind of relationship she wanted with Liu Zihan was almost impossible to achieve. Therefore, Liu Fengying began to think it would be best to treat Liu Zihan as an ex-girlfriend from now on and not to attach any importance to what she does or says, even though the relationship between them most likely existed only in her mind.


    ''...Or maybe my relationship with Zihan didn''t even exist in my mind, but only in my subconscious, because only after I regained my memories from my previous life was I able to sort out the feelings I had for her and realized that I had probably fallen in love with her. Anyway, it could have been worse. For example, like in my previous life, when my first love abandoned me for my brother...'', Liu Fengying told herself as she headed toward the mall exit with her hands full of shopping bags, trying to convince herself that she had no reason to be frustrated with the situation between her and Liu Zihan; perhaps this was the best outcome.


    Since she had a lot of luggage that she didn''t want to risk damaging because it had cost her a large sum of money, and because she wanted to get home as quickly as possible to start her usual physical training, Liu Fengying decided to take a taxi on the way back, so nothing noteworthy happened during the return trip.


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    Knowing it was her last free day and that in the coming month the time she could spend training and cultivating would be halved, she was much more motivated during her workout, so she performed all the weight exercises with the maximum weights she had available. Unfortunately, her enthusiasm also translated into much stronger strikes on the striking dummy, which broke in two after a spinning kick.


    Looking at the two halves of the striking dummy, Liu Fengying felt both a sense of regret, as she had grown accustomed to its presence in the middle of the living room, and a sense of pride, as the progress she had made in the two weeks of training was truly remarkable.


    ''It may have had a short life, but it fulfilled its purpose...Now I¡¯m confident I can defend myself even if attacked by five trained men at the same time...'', Liu Fengying thought to herself, deciding to end her training session earlier to have more time for cultivation.


    She didn''t plan to repair the striking dummy because it was unlikely to withstand her strikes any longer; instead, she intended to order three or four higher-quality striking dummies, as she wanted to continue her training until she reached her maximum potential.


    However, remembering that she would return to society the next day, she amused herself with the thought that perhaps it wouldn''t be necessary to spend money on striking dummies, as she expected many striking dummies to come to her on their own.


    ............................


    "Look over there! Who is that girl?... Damn! I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen a more beautiful girl in my life..."


    "...I don¡¯t know... But I¡¯m sure she¡¯s not from this town because such a beauty... Yeah, it¡¯s impossible that she wouldn¡¯t have been famous. Did she transfer to our high school today? But who would transfer when there¡¯s only a month left until the final exams?... She must have a solid background..."


    "Well, if that¡¯s the case, maybe she needs a guide.... Could you please carry my bag to class?"


    "Heh, don¡¯t tell me you want to offer yourself as a guide. Do you think this high school is a swamp? If not, why would you think she¡¯d want a frog as a guide... But it¡¯s a bit strange, she seems quite familiar with this place..."


    This was the kind of conversation that could be heard all around Linghua High School on Monday morning, as the appearance of an extremely beautiful girl that no one recognized replaced everyone¡¯s, especially the boys¡¯, depression at the start of a new school week with curiosity about her identity.


    Although many secretly took pictures of the mysterious girl and uploaded them to the school forum to see if anyone knew who she was, all that could be discovered was that she had been seen at the city¡¯s largest mall the day before, her identity being completely unknown as if she had sprung up from the ground.


    But before anyone could muster the courage to approach the girl who was the center of attention wherever she went, she entered a science classroom and made her way to the back, where she sat in the seat assigned to Liu Fengying.


    "...Is it even possible? Could she be Liu Fengying?" whispered the students who had already entered the classroom and learned about the appearance of the stunning newcomer from the forum.


    Although Liu Fengying was aware that everyone¡¯s attention was on her, she didn¡¯t feel obligated to offer any explanation, finding the gossiping tendencies of these rich kids quite boring. They were even worse than old aunts as they were capable of gossiping not only verbally but also virtually, often doing both at the same time.


    Liu Fengying hadn¡¯t put much effort into her appearance that morning, allowing her hair to fall freely and wearing clothes that were loose and unrestricted, reminiscent of a rapper¡¯s style. Although Linghua High School had uniforms like almost all high schools in the country, they weren¡¯t mandatory, as it was extremely difficult to get these rich kids, who made up the majority of the students, to wear clothes worth less than 1,000 Ruans when they were used to wearing outfits worth tens of thousands. So, not being restricted by any dress code, Liu Fengying dressed in the most comfortable clothes, feeling no desire to impress anyone.


    However, as extremely beautiful girls look perfect in anything they wear, Liu Fengying¡¯s outfit didn¡¯t make her any less attractive as her otherworldly gorgeous face was enough to fascinate everyone who laid eyes on her. Moreover, it wasn¡¯t difficult to discern her extremely seductive figure through her loose clothes whenever she made a broader movement.


    Liu Fengying wasn¡¯t surprised by the attention she was receiving, not only because she was aware of how attractive she was but also because she knew how obsessed people in this modern world were with beauty, a testament to this being the popularity of beauty filters and the rising fame of AI-generated influencers, who always looked perfect.


    So if people could be fascinated by something soulless, as long as it looked good, how could they resist Liu Fengying, who, in addition to being unrealistically beautiful and flawless as if she belonged to the virtual world, also radiated vitality?


    ¡®It¡¯s a bit boring to have so many pairs of eyes on me, but unlike in my previous life, where it wasn¡¯t hard to make such people who didn¡¯t know how to restrain themselves too scared for their lives to care about how I looked, here I don¡¯t have that option. Well, at least not yet... But maybe I shouldn¡¯t see all this attention as a bad thing. It wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea to use this situation to promote the business I¡¯m planning to start...¡¯, Liu Fengying thought, fully aware of how important marketing is for a successful business.

 Chapter 13. Back to School I

    Perhaps for Liu Fengying, studying was no longer a priority, but while she was stuck at school, she had nothing more productive to do. So, as soon as she sat down at her desk and arranged her belongings, she took out a math workbook and began refreshing her memory on some solving methods.


    However, apart from Liu Fengying, the others seemed to have forgotten where they were, showing no interest in the books and notebooks before them. Not only were they watching her every move, trying to find a clue to confirm if she was indeed Liu Fengying, but some seemed to have turned into reporters, keeping the entire school updated on her actions.


    [Attention! There is a chance that the girl everyone is talking about might be Liu Fengying!!! She entered my class, Class 1 of Science, and sat in the seat Liu Fengying usually occupies. Could we be witnessing a rebirth from the ashes??], one of Liu Fengying¡¯s male classmates posted on the school forum, where many were seeking information about the mysterious beauty who had unexpectedly appeared that morning at their school.


    The one who posted the message was confident that this incident would significantly boost his popularity on the school forum. However, within less than 5 seconds, about seven similar messages appeared, rendering his identity, like those of the other impromptu reporters, irrelevant. Consequently, he had to settle for the large number of likes his post received.


    If the forum was buzzing before the posts from Liu Fengying¡¯s classmates, now it could be said to have exploded, as everyone was taken by surprise by the unexpected turn of events.


    Some expressed amazement at the possibility described, while others insisted it was impossible. Yet, what they all had in common was urging those in Liu Fengying¡¯s class to quickly ask her if she was indeed the person they suspected.


    However, giving advice online was much easier than putting it into practice in reality. Was there a way to ask this question without seeming ridiculous?


    If she were Liu Fengying, she would likely look at the person asking as if they were foolish. Was this really a question you could ask someone you''d been classmates with for nearly three years? And if she wasn¡¯t Liu Fengying, she would probably think the person confusing her with someone else was crazy. No one wanted to make such an impression on a very beautiful girl destined to be very popular at their school.


    Moreover, Liu Fengying¡¯s indifferent demeanor and aura of superiority were quite intimidating; they feared they wouldn''t even be able to open their mouths to say anything in her presence.


    But while Liu Fengying¡¯s classmates were waiting for a hero to emerge among them to rescue them from this predicament, a girl darted past, who, judging by her messy hair and wrinkled clothes, had probably spent no more than two minutes getting ready after waking up. Without noticing the strange atmosphere in the classroom, she sat down next to Liu Fengying.


    "Luckily, I made it in time! Last week, Mr. L¨ª (Raccoon) said he¡¯d keep me at the blackboard for an hour if I were late again on Monday morning...", Liu Fengying¡¯s deskmate sighed with relief, rummaging through her backpack for the necessary books and notebooks.


    "Honestly, I envied you these past two weeks for not having to come to school. With each day closer to the college entrance exam, Mr. L¨ª gets more rabid. Let¡¯s hope he doesn¡¯t bite any students before the end of the year...", she complained, continuing to search through her backpack even after pulling out the study materials, now looking for a comb and mirror to tidy up before math class started.


    "Damn, I think I left my mirror in my purse. Liu Fengying, do you have a mirror on you?", she finally turned her gaze to Liu Fengying. She wasn¡¯t very optimistic that Liu Fengying would have a mirror to lend her, as she hadn¡¯t seen her fix her appearance in the past two years since returning to school after the disfiguring accident. However, she decided to try her luck, not wanting to ask any of the other girls, with whom she had a tense relationship due to her blunt nature.


    But when she laid eyes on Liu Fengying, not only was she unable to continue speaking, but she completely forgot her intention, shocked by the stunning visual impact of her gorgeous face from less than a meter away.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    "Thud!", Liu Fengying¡¯s deskmate dropped the comb she had just pulled out of her backpack, the sound echoing throughout the silent classroom, where everyone was attentively observing the interaction between her and Liu Fengying.


    This accident somewhat brought Liu Fengying¡¯s deskmate back to her senses, who, for a few seconds, was convinced she had probably fallen asleep at her desk and started dreaming. She breathed a sigh of relief, thinking it hadn¡¯t happened, as there was a high chance of being woken up by a marker cap thrown at her by the infamous Mr. L¨ª.


    "...Liu Fengying? Is that you? I almost didn¡¯t recognize you with this makeup. But I must admit, you look stunning! Did you go to some specialist who works with celebrities?"


    Liu Fengying¡¯s deskmate couldn¡¯t explain the rapid transformation except by assuming she had gone to a beauty salon first thing in the morning. As for why Liu Fengying would do such a thing and what kind of makeup could perfectly conceal her scar, she didn¡¯t ponder much, as her mind was still drowsy.


    "I¡¯m not wearing any makeup...", Liu Fengying hadn¡¯t expected anyone to come to such a conclusion about her change. If she had used enough foundation to hide her scar, would her facial features still be recognizable? She would probably have looked like a Ji¨¡ng Sh¨© (Chinese vampire). Besides, what sane person would sacrifice sleep to go to a salon before school?


    "Huh? Really?" Liu Fengying¡¯s deskmate couldn¡¯t believe she had been mistaken. Thinking Liu Fengying might be playing a prank on her, she reached out and poked her cheek with a finger.


    Liu Fengying was used to her deskmate¡¯s tactless actions, so she didn¡¯t take offense at being touched without warning. Honestly, compared to the hypocrisy of her other classmates, Liu Fengying preferred the way she behaved. She wasn¡¯t the type to flatter someone to their face and gossip behind their back; if she had a problem with someone, she would say it directly.


    Moreover, after Liu Fengying¡¯s accident, this classmate hadn¡¯t changed her attitude towards her, paying no attention to the intrigues surrounding her. True, she hadn¡¯t tried to comfort her either¡ªin fact, she had once yelled at her for walking too slowly because her leg hurt and was slowing down traffic on the stairs. But this made Liu Fengying feel normal when interacting with her, a feeling she longed for, as she was tired of being treated like a bird with broken wings that would never fly again. Perhaps that was why Liu Fengying had communicated the most with her in the past two years.


    As for how they became desk neighbors, it was because, unlike the others in the class, neither of them had any preference to sit next to anyone else when the seats were assigned at the beginning of the school year, so they were left as the only ones without a desk partner. This brought them even closer, and although both were a bit antisocial and didn¡¯t become friends who would hang out together in their free time, they could rely on each other if they ever needed anything.


    "It seems you¡¯re telling the truth...", Liu Fengying¡¯s deskmate said after noticing no powder residue on her fingertip. Now completely puzzled, she couldn¡¯t figure out why Liu Fengying looked so good that day. Finding no other explanation, she began to wonder if her vision was playing tricks on her due to lack of sleep, so she started rubbing her eyes vigorously to see more clearly.


    "No, you look even better now...", she said after opening her eyes, the increased clarity of her vision reducing her resistance to Liu Fengying¡¯s beauty even more. Now, she looked at her as if hypnotized. It¡¯s true that this was also helped by the fact that Liu Fengying started smiling, amused by her antics, which made her charm grow exponentially.


    "ShuShu, if you''re curious about the improvements in my appearance, you can simply ask me what caused them...", Liu Fengying intended to provide an explanation for her changes, aware that the more mysterious something was, the more attention it attracted.


    Furthermore, she wanted to control the narrative to her advantage, not wanting others to spread rumors about her healing in order to promote their businesses. Why let others advertise for free at her expense when she could do it herself? Even though it would take some time before she could start a business selling traditional medicine products, it was beneficial for people to start talking about the miraculous effects of these products, creating demand before their launch and allowing her to reap significant profits right from the start.


    Of course, Liu Fengying knew that spreading rumors about miraculous treatments would increase attention on her, as many would want to find out if her claims were true or learn more about their origin. But this didn¡¯t worry her, as long as creating truly effective traditional remedies depended solely on her; no one could steal her business idea.


    Naturally, the person who would watch her most closely would be her father, who would likely think that these rumors about miraculous treatments were part of her strategy to claim the business her mother had created. However, Liu Fengying was confident that whatever measures he took against her, she had the means to counter them.


    Moreover, the fact that her enemies would begin to worry about losing control made her feel great. She didn¡¯t want swift revenge but rather to make their lives miserable for as long as possible, gradually taking away everything they valued most.

 Chapter 14. Back to School II

    If Hua Shu had been shocked by Liu Fengying''s improved appearance, the affectionate tone with which she addressed her made her freeze. In all the time they had known each other, Liu Fengying had never once addressed her by her first name, so how had she suddenly started using a pet name? Hua Shu was beginning to fear that Liu Fengying had been replaced by someone else.


    "¡­Liu Fengying, do you remember what phone model I had last year?", Hua Shu decided to test the so-called Liu Fengying standing before her. She was certain the real Liu Fengying would know the answer because she had often handed her that phone to watch funny short videos. Hua Shu resolved that if the Liu Fengying in front of her didn¡¯t answer within seconds, she would immediately call the police.


    "Are you talking about the phone you kept in a ladybug case? I think it was an OP 12. Why are you suddenly bringing it up?", Liu Fengying was taken aback by her deskmate¡¯s abrupt change of topic. While this wasn¡¯t entirely out of character for Hua Shu, who often jumped quickly between subjects, Liu Fengying had sensed her deskmate was deeply curious about what had happened to her and expected her to press for an explanation.


    Hua Shu breathed a sigh of relief, seeing that Liu Fengying had answered her question correctly. She believed the chances of someone disguised as Liu Fengying knowing such an insignificant detail as the model of her phone were almost nonexistent. So, the Liu Fengying before her was indeed the real one.


    However, she felt a little embarrassed to share these thoughts with Liu Fengying. Wouldn¡¯t it make her seem paranoid? Still, Hua Shu firmly believed her theory wasn¡¯t entirely far-fetched. Not only were the physical changes striking, but the psychological ones Liu Fengying had undergone were unusually significant for the short time she had been away from school. Moreover, based on what Hua Shu had heard about Liu Fengying¡¯s father, he seemed the type of man who could lock Liu Fengying away and replace her with someone who would do whatever he wanted, ensuring his position as the leader of the company left by Liu Fengying¡¯s mother would remain unthreatened. Yet, she was aware that most people wouldn¡¯t immediately jump to the worst-case scenario.


    "Well, I just remembered that a newer version of it was recently released, and I wanted to ask for your opinion on whether I should buy it¡­ Anyway, let¡¯s leave that for another time. Now tell me, what happened¡­", Hua Shu ultimately decided to conceal her true intentions behind the question she had asked Liu Fengying.


    Although she didn¡¯t think Liu Fengying would mock her, Hua Shu had subconsciously started wanting Liu Fengying to see her in the best possible light, perhaps because of a sense of inferiority triggered by her perfection. Exceptionally beautiful, with an enviable figure and the demeanor of a royal sister, Liu Fengying seemed to Hua Shu like the embodiment of the person she had always wished to be.


    ¡®She really is a scatterbrain¡­¡¯, Liu Fengying thought, gazing at Hua Shu. She couldn¡¯t tell if Hua Shu had always been like this and she had never noticed, or if she was simply more absent-minded that morning than usual.


    Hua Shu¡¯s messy hair and wrinkled clothes that morning also contributed to the label Liu Fengying had mentally placed on her. Sure, Hua Shu¡¯s doll-like features like her delicate frame, ginger hair, and large eyes that resembled a sunlit autumn field, blended perfectly into a strikingly attractive whole, but at that moment, she looked like a doll that had spent an hour tumbling in a washing machine.


    ¡°¡­Alright.¡±, Liu Fengying finally said, her preconceptions about Hua Shu preventing her from probing deeper into the meaning behind her question.


    So, it could be said Hua Shu avoided being labeled as paranoid. But at what cost? If she had known that this episode would reinforce Liu Fengying¡¯s image of her as scatterbrained, she would probably have been more upset than if the situation she was trying to avoid had occurred.


    Liu Fengying found it a little odd that Hua Shu suddenly relaxed just as their conversation was about to reach its peak. For a moment, she wondered if she had missed something in their interaction. However, thinking that Hua Shu¡¯s mental detours wouldn¡¯t have much bearing on her own future, she chose to let it go and began recounting the story she had prepared to explain her transformation.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    ¡°So, I didn¡¯t do anything out of the ordinary, even though the result might seem almost magical. I just tried some traditional treatments last week from a newly founded company. For now, they¡¯re still studying the effects of the products they¡¯re developing, but I heard they plan to launch them on the market in a year, two at most¡­¡±


    Hua Shu didn¡¯t know what to make of Liu Fengying¡¯s explanation. Everything she knew about traditional medicine came from movies, where it often had miraculous effects. But surely that couldn¡¯t apply to real life¡ªif it did, what would be the point of hospitals?


    ¡°Are there really traditional treatments that effective? If so, why hasn¡¯t anyone heard of them?¡±, Hua Shu asked after realizing that Liu Fengying was completely serious. She didn¡¯t think Liu Fengying had any reason to lie to her, but her explanation seemed far too unscientific.


    ¡°They don¡¯t exist now, but apparently, they did in the past. From what I understand, the recipes for these traditional treatments were discovered in some manuscripts from the time of the Q¨©ngl¨®ng dynasty, which ruled about 3,000 years ago¡­¡± Liu Fengying had no trouble adding extra details, as she already had a fairly complete story in mind about the origin of the traditional treatments she wanted to promote.


    ¡°Huh? Was there really such an archaeological discovery? Why wasn¡¯t there any news about it? Plus, if someone finds an artifact of historical value, aren¡¯t they obligated to hand it over to the state?¡±, Hua Shu was skeptical of the information Liu Fengying had provided.


    If the treatments Liu Fengying had taken hadn¡¯t yet shown results, Hua Shu would have thought she had fallen victim to a scam. However, since they had clearly worked, Hua Shu began to suspect that Liu Fengying might have been tricked into taking some risky treatments based on nanotechnology or other sci-fi-level technologies.


    ¡®Whatever experimental drugs they might be, it¡¯s impossible for them not to have side effects. Maybe I should try to convince her to go to the hospital as soon as possible for a thorough check-up¡­,¡¯ Hua Shu thought, her concern for Liu Fengying growing.


    Although Liu Fengying didn''t know how far Hua Shu''s assumptions had gone, she was quite certain from her questions that the chances of Hua Shu believing her story were slim.


    ¡®How have I not noticed until now that she¡¯s this perceptive? Maybe it¡¯s because I¡¯ve never seen her so passionate about a subject? Well, I could take it as a compliment that I¡¯ve managed to capture her interest so intensely, but in this situation, it¡¯s only going to cause me trouble¡­¡¯, Liu Fengying wasn¡¯t particularly pleased with how things were unfolding. If Hua Shu kept trying to poke holes in her story, the chances of others around them doubting her narrative would increase significantly. If that happened, would there still be any chance to steer the rumors about her recovery in the direction she wanted?


    ¡°ShuShu, with so many celebrity news stories out there, who even pays attention to an archaeology report?¡±, Liu Fengying discreetly winked at Hua Shu; she knew that without Hua Shu¡¯s cooperation, there was no way to manage this situation smoothly.


    Since their friendship wasn¡¯t close enough for them to understand each other at a glance, Hua Shu didn¡¯t immediately grasp what Liu Fengying was trying to communicate, so Liu Fengying then subtly gestured with her eyes toward the rest of the class so Hua Shu could see that everyone else was staring at them.


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±, Hua Shu froze for a moment when she turned her gaze in the direction Liu Fengying had indicated. Because she had rushed into the classroom and then focused entirely on Liu Fengying, she hadn¡¯t noticed until now how strangely everyone else was behaving.


    Hua Shu wasn¡¯t particularly happy at that moment. Not only did she feel uncomfortable being the center of attention, but she also realized that Liu Fengying was most likely lying to her in an attempt to spread false information about her recovery. Since two of the things Hua Shu found most irritating were being used by someone and being taken for a fool, she probably would have snapped if anyone else had put her in this position, except for Liu Fengying, the only person she was close to in the entire school and someone she knew was going through a difficult time.


    Besides, Liu Fengying looked stunning that morning; when Hua Shu turned back to her and met her remorseful gaze, she not only couldn¡¯t bring herself to frown at her, but she even started to feel flattered.


    ''Damn it. When a girl is that gorgeous, she can really get away with anything¡­¡¯, Hua Shu finally decided to play the role of the knight rescuing the princess by going along with Liu Fengying¡¯s story. However, for making her compromise her principles, Hua Shu figured Liu Fengying should remain indebted to her for a long time, at least until the school year was over.

 Chapter 15. Back to School III

    Hua Shu understood that Liu Fengying wanted to keep secret the method by which she got rid of her scars and improved her overall appearance. However, she was confused as to why Liu Fengying chose, out of all known treatment methods, to credit traditional medicine for her recovery, especially since it was the most controversial option.


    She thought that if Liu Fengying wanted to avoid the spotlight, she could have come up with a more believable story. For example, she could have claimed that she underwent treatment at a state-of-the-art clinic in Country K, known for its advancements in cosmetic surgery. Even if the truth came out a few days later, by then, the topic of her recovery would no longer be trending, so it wouldn¡¯t cause much of a stir.


    However, now that everyone in the class was watching them, it was too late to advise Liu Fengying. The only way she could help her was by working together to make the story about traditional treatments as credible as possible.


    "Hmm, now that I think about it, I think I heard something last year. Wasn''t there an archaeological discovery near a village at the foot of Mount Yunshan? I remember the news mentioning the discovery of a secret passage beneath the ruins of a temple..."


    Liu Fengying was taken aback by her deskmate¡¯s addition. However, since nothing she had said contradicted her own story and because it would be much more convincing if someone else confirmed her words, she figured it wouldn¡¯t hurt to agree.


    "Yes, that''s pretty much what I was told too...", Liu Fengying gestured to Hua Shu, signaling that she had done a good job. She was fairly certain that, for most people, this explanation of her recovery method would suffice. As for those who remained skeptical, they were free to investigate on their own if they had nothing better to do. Since the story was deliberately vague, disproving her claims would be difficult.


    However, it seemed that Hua Shu didn¡¯t share the same opinion. Encouraged by Liu Fengying¡¯s approving look, she let her imagination run wild, embellishing the story with details about the discovery of manuscripts containing traditional remedies.


    "From what I understand, the discovery was made by following clues from a legend known to the locals. According to the legend, beneath a temple at the foot of Mount Yunshan lies the tomb of a great emperor..."


    "...Huh?", Liu Fengying didn¡¯t understand what Hua Shu was trying to do. A vague story was much harder to disprove, so Liu Fengying didn¡¯t want to discuss the source of these miraculous traditional treatment recipes in too much detail.


    ''No, I have to stop her...'', she thought, fearing the situation was getting out of hand.


    Unfortunately, once Hua Shu became passionate about something, she lost touch with reality and failed to notice Liu Fengying¡¯s attempts to stop her, continuing to elaborate on the story she was making up on the spot.


    "The legend says that when that emperor was just a prince competing for the throne, he was wounded in an ambush while traveling to inspect a gold mine... no, it was a salt mine. Back then, salt was extremely valuable. Anyway, although he managed to escape with his life thanks to the sacrifice of his guards, who stayed behind to fend off the attackers, after a day of traveling while bleeding, he lost consciousness upon reaching a small clearing. His wound wasn¡¯t too serious¡ªjust a sword cut on his arm¡ªbut he had no survival skills and couldn¡¯t find any food or water.


    Luckily, before he could be eaten by a leopard or a bear, he was discovered by a young girl who had brought her flock of sheep to graze. Seeing that the prince was still breathing, she tended to his wound as best she could, gave him water, and after he regained consciousness, she led him to the cabin where she lived. No, she wasn¡¯t alone; she lived with her grandmother. As for her parents, they had been killed when invaders ravaged the area.


    After spending a month with the girl and her grandmother, the prince was finally found by a patrol sent by the emperor to discover his fate. However, before leaving, he promised the girl that as soon as he defeated his brothers in the battle for the throne and could guarantee her safety, he would return to take her as his wife. You see, he had been deeply moved by the care she had shown him. Plus, she was truly a great beauty, probably thanks to her diet rich in dairy products and the physical labor she did every day.


    So the prince returned to the capital, determined to win the fight for the throne. He spent nearly three years achieving as much as possible to gain favor in the eyes of the people and his father while also scheming to cast his brothers in a bad light. Basically, something similar to what happens in palace dramas..."


    "What is she talking about?", Liu Fengying looked at her deskmate with a bewildered expression.


    Not only her, but even those eavesdropping on their conversation were very confused; they wanted to learn more about Liu Fengying, not to get a history lesson. However, Hua Shu didn¡¯t care at all about what was happening around her as she was too absorbed in her own storytelling.


    "In the end, his efforts were rewarded, and he was named crown prince, while his brothers were exiled to the outskirts of the empire and given positions without any real power.


    Now that he had no threats left, he decided it was finally time to reunite with the girl he loved. For the past three years, the only news he had of her came from reports sent by the secret guards he had stationed to protect her. So, he prepared a grand procession and set off for Mount Yunshan to ask for her hand in marriage.


    The journey there was peaceful, but the return had to be postponed for over half a year because the girl¡¯s grandmother was on her deathbed, and she wanted to be by her side in her final moments. During this time, the prince ordered the construction of a temple in the clearing where he had collapsed years before, as a way of thanking Heaven for allowing him to meet the girl who saved his life and whom he fell in love with, which, surprise, turned out to be the very temple under whose ruins the secret passage was discovered.


    So, where was I? Oh, right. The girl¡¯s grandmother eventually passed away, but she left this world at peace, knowing her granddaughter would be in good hands. After a month of mourning, the girl accepted the prince¡¯s proposal, and together, they set off for the capital.


    However, I forgot to mention that things in the capital were not as smooth as the prince had imagined. Although he had his father¡¯s support, some of the noble families did not look favorably upon him¡ªone reason being that he had refused to take their daughters as wives or concubines.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    Furthermore, when rumors spread that the prince intended for his future empress to be a simple girl, many began to fear that he wanted to have as much power as possible once he became emperor.


    As a result, two or three influential noble families decided to back one of the prince¡¯s exiled brothers. Together, they plotted an assassination attempt, hiring professional killers from a neighboring country to make it harder to trace back to them.


    But it seemed that the prince was truly blessed by Heaven, or rather, he had been blessed the moment he met the young shepherdess because she saved his life once again. Specifically, while dining outdoors with the prince, she noticed that the birds around them were more restless than usual, and looking through the branches of the trees to find out why, she caught sight of the light reflecting off the tips of the assassins¡¯ arrows. Realizing what was happening, she jumped without hesitation and pushed the prince to the ground, causing the assassins'' arrows to miss their target and giving the prince¡¯s guards enough time to surround him with shields for protection.


    Although there were no casualties, the attack was not without consequences. Unfortunately, the young shepherdess paid a steep price for saving her beloved as the tip of an arrow pierced one cheek and exited through the other, leaving her face permanently scarred. Her only bit of luck was that she had been screaming at the time, her mouth open, which prevented the arrow from damaging her teeth.


    The prince was furious after this incident. Not only did he have to see the person he loved in great pain, but he was also tormented by guilt for breaking the promise he had made to her grandmother before she passed that he would keep her safe. After staying awake for 24 hours to watch over his fianc¨¦e until he was certain she was out of danger, he spent another two full days torturing the assassins that his guards had captured, trying to find out who had sent them.


    Of course, he couldn¡¯t learn much from them, as their leader had not revealed their employer¡¯s identity. However, he did manage to gather some clues about, umm, where they came from, so the prince didn¡¯t have to start his investigation from scratch upon returning to the capital.


    Long story short, by the time the young shepherdess¡¯s wounds had healed, the prince had discovered who had orchestrated the assassination. Using the excuse that they had collaborated with people from a foreign country, an act considered high treason, he had them all executed, including his brother, while their families were stripped of everything they owned.


    After these events, things proceeded smoothly. The prince married the young shepherdess without further opposition, and when the emperor passed away, the prince succeeded him on the throne, making the girl his empress, just as he had promised.


    However, for almost the rest of his life, the prince could never feel truly fulfilled, as he couldn¡¯t move past the suffering his wife had endured. How could he forget when he saw, every day, her cheeks with two round scars that turned red in the cold? I wonder if she was the inspiration for the character Pikachu.


    But the reason for his frustration was not that his wife was no longer as beautiful as when he first met her, it was the guilt he carried, knowing that she had been hurt because of him. She had thrown herself in front of those arrows to save his life, and he had been the one to underestimate their enemies.


    So it¡¯s no surprise that not only did he try to fulfill his wife¡¯s every wish, but he also never took another wife or a concubine, a rare thing for emperors of that time, who sought to strengthen their power through marriages and wanted to have as many heirs as possible. He feared having anyone around her who might mock her appearance.


    Additionally, he poured vast amounts of money into medicine, determined to find a treatment that could completely erase his wife¡¯s scars. Because of this, it¡¯s no wonder that highly effective treatments emerged during his reign.


    Legend has it that the emperor eventually managed to find a cure for his wife, but when exactly this happened remains uncertain, as multiple versions of the story exist. The most well-known version says that this happened when the emperor was already old and sick, and that he lived just long enough to see his wife healed on his final day. Another, more optimistic version says that he was so overjoyed upon seeing his wife cured that he recovered and lived for another ten years.


    "However, in all versions of the story, the emperor wished to be buried at the temple at the foot of Mount Yunshan, which he had ordered to be built in his youth. As for his wife, after ensuring that one of their sons could govern the empire without issue, she left the palace and retired to that very temple, spending the rest of her days beside her husband''s resting place."


    Liu Fengying didn¡¯t know what to say when her deskmate finally fell silent. She understood that Hua Shu had been trying to make her recovery story sound as believable as possible, but the chances of such a long-winded tale actually spreading were close to zero.


    ¡®Well, maybe she didn¡¯t talk so much for nothing. At least the rest of the class isn¡¯t staring at me anymore...¡¯, Liu Fengying thought, noticing that, aside from a few girls still engrossed in Hua Shu¡¯s story, most of the class had their eyes glued to their phones.


    Regardless, Liu Fengying had to admit that Hua Shu¡¯s imagination was truly impressive. Even though the love story she had crafted between a prince and a shepherd girl had quite a few plot holes and seemed more like a movie script than a legend, it was remarkable that someone could come up with something so intricate almost instantly.


    ¡®Compared to her performance in science classes, you could say she¡¯s wasting her talent being in this class. Maybe a career as a screenwriter or a podcaster would suit her better...¡¯


    But despite Liu Fengying¡¯s conflicting thoughts about Hua Shu¡¯s storytelling, she couldn¡¯t ignore the proud expression on her face, practically screaming, ''Praise me!'' Resigned, she simply gave her another nod of approval, letting her know she had done a great job.


    That said, Liu Fengying was now hesitant to let Hua Shu continue helping her make her story more convincing. What she had said so far was vague enough that it wouldn¡¯t cause trouble, but now that she had gained confidence, there was a real risk she might say something that contradicted her own plans. Besides, it was already suspicious enough that she had suddenly "remembered" so many details out of nowhere.


    "You really have a great memory, ShuShu! Well, we¡¯ll talk more another time. Didn¡¯t you say you wanted a mirror? Fortunately, I have one with me. But you¡¯d better hurry up because it¡¯s almost 8 o¡¯clock. I¡¯m guessing you want to look presentable when the teacher calls you to the board..."


    "Maybe he''s not crazy! And I made it on time today...", Hua Shu jumped like a cat splashed with water. Considering that the math teacher had called on her more than anyone else over the past month, if he singled her out again without a good reason, she could only conclude that he had it out for her.


    Honestly, just thinking about being called to the board again killed any motivation she had to fix herself up. If anything, the worse she looked, the better; maybe then the math teacher wouldn¡¯t want to look at her either.


    But when she looked at Liu Fengying, who that morning looked flawless from every angle, she was overwhelmed by a sense of inferiority imagining how she must look next to her. More precisely, she thought that if their lives were part of a novel where Liu Fengying was the protagonist, then she would most likely be the clumsy sidekick, the one whose sole purpose was to highlight the heroine¡¯s perfection by comparison.


    So in the end, she took the mirror from Liu Fengying¡¯s hand and, without wasting any more time, started battling her tangled hair.


    ¡®She¡¯s like a child...¡¯, Liu Fengying thought, watching Hua Shu¡¯s pouty face. The way she fumbled with the comb, struggling to untangle her hair with just one hand, was almost comical; she looked like a little princess sulking at the entire world.


    "Give me the comb and turn around...", Liu Fengying sighed, finally deciding to step in. After all, Hua Shu had just helped her so it wouldn¡¯t feel right to watch her struggle now.


    Besides, she didn¡¯t mind spoiling such a cute girl.

 Chapter 16. Back to School IV

    Even though Hua Shu had tested Liu Fengying to see if she was truly herself and not someone who had stolen her identity, it was still hard for her to believe that this was the same Liu Fengying she had sat next to that year.


    Until that day, if someone had told her that Liu Fengying had been seen combing a girl''s hair, she probably would have thought it was a lie without a second thought. Since Liu Fengying saw almost everyone as a potential enemy, it was impossible to imagine her in such a friendly situation.


    As for herself, even though Liu Fengying seemed much more relaxed when interacting with her than with the rest of the school, she had never tried to be more than just a seatmate for her. Physical contact between them had been nearly nonexistent, so how come Liu Fengying suddenly took the initiative to help her comb her hair? Could it be that Liu Fengying had suddenly realized how amazing she was and wanted to get closer to her?


    ''I don¡¯t really think that¡¯s it. It¡¯s not exactly one of my best days¡­'', Hua Shu told herself, aware that she didn¡¯t look very presentable that morning.


    If they were to grow closer, logically, it should have been her initiative, since Liu Fengying was the one attracting everyone''s attention at that moment.


    "Come on, ShuShu! Don¡¯t be shy¡­", said Liu Fengying, noticing that Hua Shu was looking at her like a stray cat being lured with food¡ªtempted but too distrustful to approach.


    Liu Fengying knew that, due to her inability to open up and bend, Hua Shu had been forced to become a lone wolf, unable to integrate into a pack. So, she wasn¡¯t used to interactions like these, which were quite common among girls. To get her to accept affection, she needed to be very patient with her.


    Hua Shu was slightly irritated by Liu Fengying¡¯s words. Shy? Wasn¡¯t Liu Fengying aware of how abnormal her behavior was right now? She had every right not to know how to react, didn¡¯t she?


    However, in this situation, where Hua Shu would normally have bared her fangs immediately, she couldn¡¯t even bring herself to frown at Liu Fengying. It wasn¡¯t like she was mesmerized by her beauty. Well, maybe just a little. But the most important factor was that Liu Fengying¡¯s big-sister aura was too overwhelming; Hua Shu had never been looked at with such patience and compassion before.


    ''If she wants to serve me, then so be it¡­'', Hua Shu thought to herself, unwilling to admit that deep down, she was happy about Liu Fengying¡¯s offer. As for why Liu Fengying was being so kind to her at that moment, she figured it was most likely because she was in a good mood after recovering and wanted to repay her for helping make her recovery story more believable.


    In reality, she wasn¡¯t that full of herself; she simply muttered a short, "Alright¡­" before timidly placing the comb into Liu Fengying¡¯s outstretched hand and turning her back to her to give her easier access to her hair. Since she did all this with a flushed face, Liu Fengying found her to be quite adorable.


    "Relax! You look like you''re sitting in an electric chair¡­", Liu Fengying couldn¡¯t help but tease Hua Shu, pressing her fingertips lightly against her tense shoulders. This action made Hua Shu jolt as if a strong current had spread from the spots where Liu Fengying touched her throughout her entire body.


    "I¡­ I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll pull my hair¡­", Hua Shu found an excuse for her state. She didn¡¯t want Liu Fengying to think she was shy again.


    Liu Fengying could barely hold back a chuckle after hearing her. Rather than tensing up from the fear of pain, she looked as if she were about to receive her first kiss.


    "Don¡¯t worry. I promise you¡¯ll feel very comfortable¡­", Liu Fengying whispered into Hua Shu¡¯s ear, as one of her hands ran through her hair.


    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    Although Liu Fengying was aware that it was somewhat dishonorable to amuse herself at the expense of a girl who was mentally hundreds of years younger than her, she couldn¡¯t deny that she genuinely enjoyed seeing her flustered.


    "!!!!!!!!", Hua Shu panicked; it was the first time anyone had said such ambiguous words to her. She couldn¡¯t even process why she was so affected when the culprit was a girl too.


    To the relief of Hua Shu¡¯s young heart, however, Liu Fengying managed to contain her enthusiasm and began combing her hair in silence. Her skilled movements not only caused no discomfort but even made Hua Shu feel as if someone were gently massaging her scalp.


    ''She¡¯s really good at this. If she combed my hair every morning after I got to school, I probably wouldn¡¯t be so depressed about having to wake up so early¡­'', Hua Shu almost started purring under Liu Fengying¡¯s care.


    Of course, once she calmed down, it didn¡¯t take long for her imagination to take over her mind.


    "And her breath is so fresh¡­ Well, it matches her bright smile. She¡¯d probably be perfect for a toothpaste commercial¡­ Wait, Hua Shu? What the hell are you thinking? Why does her breath even matter? Or¡­ does it? I suppose it wouldn¡¯t be pleasant if someone with bad breath was breathing over my head¡­'', a storm of thoughts stirred in Hua Shu¡¯s mind, all provoked by Liu Fengying¡¯s close presence.


    But even though Hua Shu was restless, the scene between her and Liu Fengying appeared perfectly harmonious. The classmates, who had been busy posting on the school blog and other social media about Liu Fengying¡¯s transformation, were once again drawn to them.


    Seeing how kindly Liu Fengying treated her seatmate, many assumed she was much more approachable than before¡ªprobably because she was in a good mood after fixing her face. Two of them, first a boy and then a girl, even attempted to strike up a conversation with her. However, to their disappointment, Liu Fengying dismissed both, claiming she was busy.


    "Heh, heh! Last week, she was talking behind your back, and now she¡¯s greeting you like you¡¯ve known each other since you wore diapers. Good job putting her in her place¡­," Hua Shu remarked as the girl Liu Fengying had rejected walked away. She made no effort to lower her voice, having no patience for hypocrites.


    Since the classroom was quiet, it was no surprise that the girl overheard Hua Shu¡¯s remark. Another predictable outcome was that she wasn¡¯t particularly pleased about it.


    "Hua Shu! Can¡¯t you go a single day without attacking someone? Why are you so rabid? Did Professor Hua raise you in a pack of hyenas?", she snapped. It wasn¡¯t the first time she¡¯d had a conflict with Hua Shu, but usually, she brushed her off, trying to prove that she was the better person. However, after already being irritated by how Liu Fengying had treated her, she couldn¡¯t tolerate Hua Shu rubbing salt in the wound in front of the whole class.


    Hua Shu wasn¡¯t the type to only pick fights with the weak and back down when faced with opposition. In an instant, she transformed from a Persian cat into a fierce tiger with a venomous tongue, fully prepared to unleash her sharpest insults.


    "What hyenas are you talking about, Zhang Ruoxi? Maybe you and your family¡­ mmph"


    Unfortunately, Hua Shu found her abilities sealed before she could go after her classmate¡¯s last seven generations, as Liu Fengying pressed the tip of her fingers against her lips.


    "Alright, alright¡­ Don¡¯t play with bad things...", Liu Fengying soothed her, shooting Zhang Ruoxi a warning look. At that moment, Hua Shu was her source of entertainment, and she had become a bit possessive of her.


    Even though Liu Fengying¡¯s words weren¡¯t much kinder than Hua Shu¡¯s, Zhang Ruoxi didn¡¯t dare to retaliate against her. First of all, she had no idea what Liu Fengying¡¯s current situation was. If she had reconciled with her family, it wouldn¡¯t be wise to get on her bad side.


    Secondly, Liu Fengying seemed terrifying. Maybe she had kept her battle-hardened bloodlust in check, but the moment she got serious, she was intimidating enough to frighten a girl who had probably never killed anything bigger than a fly.


    "Class is starting¡­ I don¡¯t have time to argue with you...", Zhang Ruoxi decided to withdraw, trying to appear indifferent. Unfortunately for her, the tremble in her lips and the hurried steps she took back to her seat significantly undermined her performance.


    Normally, Hua Shu would have been thrilled to witness such a scene. However, at that moment, she was too distracted by the fact that Liu Fengying was still covering her lips with her fingers.


    Although the gesture was far from intimate, the way Liu Fengying did it was incredibly alluring. Her aura no longer felt like that of an older sister but rather like that of a fox who had taken human form.


    Hua Shu didn¡¯t feel ready to have such a seatmate. To build immunity, she figured she¡¯d have to start watching videos of female idols who had made a habit of teasing young girls who admired them.

 Chapter 17. Back to School V

    Although they were initially surprised by the preferential treatment Liu Fengying gave to Hua Shu, her classmates eventually found it reasonable. Even if the two weren¡¯t close enough to be glued to each other all day, they still had a pretty good relationship. Now that Liu Fengying had recovered, it was understandable that she wanted to share her joy with someone close.


    However, that definitely wouldn¡¯t have been the case if they knew Liu Fengying¡¯s true character better. For example, Liu Zihan, who had been secretly watching from the slightly open classroom door for about two minutes without anyone noticing, was left in shock after witnessing the last part of Liu Fengying¡¯s interaction with Hua Shu.


    ''There¡¯s definitely something wrong with her head...'' Liu Zihan thought to herself. She had never seen her half-sister act so intimately with anyone before, not even with herself.


    Sure, they had hugged countless times, kissed each other on the cheek, and even playfully bitten one another during their scuffles, but all of those actions were innocent¡ªthe kind of normal interactions between two sisters. Never had there been such a strange atmosphere between them as there was now between Liu Fengying and her deskmate.


    The others didn¡¯t notice, but Liu Zihan was sure that Liu Fengying was deliberately teasing Hua Shu. Honestly, she hadn¡¯t expected to find her sister in this situation when she decided to check in and see how things were going.


    Seeing how much of a stir Liu Fengying¡¯s transformation had caused and having a rough idea of her plans to fight her father for control of her late mother¡¯s inheritance, Liu Zihan had thought Liu Fengying would take this opportunity to increase her influence among the children of other wealthy families in town.


    Instead, not only was Liu Fengying ignoring everyone except Hua Shu, but she had even argued with someone fairly well-connected within the rich kids'' social circles for Hua Shu¡¯s sake. What was she gaining from this? Could Hua Shu offer her anything? Liu Zihan was fairly certain she couldn¡¯t. Even though Hua Shu¡¯s father was a respected man, he held no sway over the city¡¯s business world.


    So, the only explanation was that Liu Fengying had suddenly developed an interest in Hua Shu.


    ''But that doesn¡¯t make any sense. Why now? They¡¯ve known each other for years...'', Liu Zihan couldn¡¯t wrap her head around it. Though she was fairly certain that Liu Fengying was attracted to girls, she didn¡¯t think Hua Shu was her type.


    She couldn¡¯t deny that Hua Shu was truly beautiful, but she was also well aware of how absentminded and sharp-tongued she could be.


    ''Yeah, Yingying should be into elegant, well-mannered, cheerful girls¡ªnot someone like Hua Shu, a walking time bomb ready to explode at any moment...''


    Liu Zihan was about to step into the classroom and go straight to Liu Fengying, thinking it would be easier to figure out what was wrong if they had a conversation. But just as she reached for the door handle, a shadow fell over her.


    "Student, if I¡¯m not mistaken, this isn¡¯t your classroom. Class is about to begin, so unless this is a life-or-death situation, I believe whatever you¡¯re planning can wait until the next break...", said the middle-aged man standing behind Liu Zihan. With graying hair, a gray suit, and a pair of thick black-rimmed glasses perched on his nose, it wasn¡¯t hard for Liu Zihan to recognize him as the math teacher known among students as Professor L¨ª (Raccoon).


    His words did nothing to calm Liu Zihan. On the contrary, they only made her more anxious. Thinking about the possible complications of an untreated head injury, she began to fear that Liu Fengying might actually be in serious danger.


    But what could she do? Liu Fengying seemed healthier than ever, so no one would believe her if she claimed something was wrong with her half-sister. Moreover, they were currently in a cold war, so her chances of convincing Liu Fengying to undergo a thorough medical check-up were slim. Liu Fengying might even suspect that she was plotting against her to undermine her newfound glory.


    So, Liu Zihan had no choice but to put her plans on hold until the lesson was over. In the meantime, she intended to figure out a way to make Liu Fengying listen to her.


    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    "Kids these days... Back in my time, when there were only a few weeks left until the final exams, we didn¡¯t even take lunch breaks...", the math teacher muttered under his breath as Liu Zihan apologized and hurried back to her classroom.


    What he saw upon entering only deepened his disappointment in the new generation. Not a single student was reading a book or working on an exercise. Some were whispering in small groups, others were glued to their phones, and most striking of all¡ªat the very back of the classroom¡ªLiu Fengying was combing Hua Shu¡¯s hair.


    The math teacher took a deep breath, trying to maintain his composure. He wasn¡¯t doing this because he feared the students¡¯ backgrounds, but because he was concerned for his own health. With his blood pressure on the rise in recent years, there was always a risk that a vein in his head might burst if he got too angry.


    His presence did manage to settle the students down somewhat, but the boredom that quickly spread across their faces made it painfully clear that none of them had any interest in studying.


    "I''m glad you''re all so relaxed. You must have already mastered the entire curriculum for the exams. Too bad I can¡¯t take a vacation during the last month of school...", the math teacher could no longer suppress his dissatisfaction as he watched his students look at him like he was the ultimate party pooper.


    If anyone had the right to be frustrated, it was him. He was the one being treated as the villain, despite doing everything in his power to ensure that the new generation had enough brainpower if not to propel the country to new heights of development, then at least to preserve the achievements of the previous generations, who had sacrificed their health and dreams to lift the nation out of poverty.


    The students were well aware that their situation was far from as favorable as their teacher sarcastically described, so they quickly buried their noses in their exercise books. They didn¡¯t want the math teacher to think they were overconfident about their exam preparation and call them up to the board to test them.


    Everyone except Liu Fengying, who was left with a bitter taste in her mouth after being forced to abruptly stop brushing Hua Shu¡¯s hair. It was as if she had been given a large bowl of ice cream but wasn¡¯t allowed to take more than two spoonfuls. So she had no intention of pretending to be intimidated by the mention of the final exams just to stroke the math teacher¡¯s ego. Besides, for someone who had seen all kinds of things, it would be shameful to be swayed by a teacher¡¯s bad mood.


    The math teacher was pleased that he had managed to put the students in their place with just a few words, but when his eyes landed on Liu Fengying, who was sitting relaxed as if she were at the cinema, he was irritated once again.


    In the past, he had had high expectations for Liu Fengying, confident that if she didn¡¯t slack off, she could achieve some of the highest math scores in the country. To his disappointment, not only had she stopped being 100% focused on her studies over the past year, resulting in high but not excellent test scores, but she had also taken medical leave with less than two months left before the university entrance exams. If it had been a serious health issue, it would have been understandable for her to take such a long break. But since Liu Fengying now appeared to be in even better shape than before her medical leave, it was clear that she could have returned to school much sooner.


    "Student Liu, it seems you¡¯re not too worried about the upcoming exams...", the math teacher said in an accusatory tone. He could ignore someone who had no talent for math, but Liu Fengying didn¡¯t fall into that category, and to him, wasted potential was the greatest sin.


    Liu Fengying wasn¡¯t particularly surprised that the math teacher had singled her out; from her experience as a leader, she knew that the best way for someone to assert their authority was to go after the person who refused to follow the herd.


    "You¡¯re right...", she replied, her voice devoid of emotion. Though she didn¡¯t want to get into a conflict with the teacher, she didn¡¯t intend to play along with him either.


    The teacher hadn¡¯t expected Liu Fengying to be so unaffected by his words. Wasn¡¯t it obvious that he was criticizing her?


    "Oh? So you¡¯re saying you know how to solve every type of problem that could appear on the exam?", the teacher pressed further. He didn¡¯t believe that anyone could claim to have mastered the entire curriculum perfectly.


    "Not exactly, but being stressed wouldn¡¯t help the class¡¯s morale...", Liu Fengying quickly came up with an explanation for her indifference toward the exams, not intending to reveal the improvements in her cognitive abilities. Since excellence is usually rewarded with even more work, there was a high chance she wouldn¡¯t escape the math teacher¡¯s constant encouragement for the rest of the school year if she admitted to her full capabilities.


    "What do you mean?", the teacher didn¡¯t understand what she was getting at.


    "If I, who have had some of the highest grades so far, were to show fear that I might not get a good score on the exam, how could those who have always scored lower than me still have confidence in themselves?", Liu Fengying said, casting a pitying glance at her classmates, who were pretending not to pay attention to the conversation between her and the teacher in hopes of avoiding being called on next.


    "......", the math teacher was left speechless.


    It was the first time he had ever heard someone present their lack of motivation to study as a sacrifice made for the good of their classmates.