Liu Ruyan gracefully took her seat. The rest of the class passed in relative calm, but as soon as the bell rang, she was surrounded by a group of students who had come out of curiosity.
Most young people revere the strong. Although Liu Ruyan's spiritual power was also at the Yellow Rank, the title of the reincarnation of the Mysterious Lady added a touch of mystery to her, making everyone extremely curious about her.
Under everyone's gazes, Liu Ruyan stood up with a smile and walked straight up to Shen Cuiyu.
Most people were unaware of the feud between Liu Ruyan and Shen Cuiyu. They only vaguely felt that the atmosphere between the two was a bit strange.
Although Liu Ruyan was smiling, her eyes sized Shen Cuiyu up and down, as if evaluating an unsatisfactory item, full of contempt.
"Long time no see, Shen Cuiyu. You're doing well, I hope?" She glanced at the Yellow Rank jade token on Shen Cuiyu's waist and suddenly curled her lips. Her tone was exaggerated as she said, "You're still at the Yellow Rank? You should practice harder. The Shen family of the Xuan Sect is well - known far and wide. I'm sure the Prime Minister Shen has high expectations for you! Don't disgrace him!"
Liu Ruyan's words sounded like kind advice, but in fact, every sentence was a soft knife, implying that Shen Cuiyu had only entered the academy because of her family background and had poor talent.
Hearing this, everyone looked at Shen Cuiyu in surprise.
Although they had previously guessed that Shen Cuiyu came from a prominent family, they never expected that she was actually the daughter of Shen Zanghai, the Director of the Imperial Observatory!
For a moment, envy, jealousy, disdain... all kinds of complex emotions filled the crowd.
A female disciple crowding around Liu Ruyan immediately let out a cold laugh and sneered:
"What good is a good family background? A good smith must have his own strength! Ruyan is our role model!"
"Exactly! Ruyan is the reincarnation of the Mysterious Lady of the Ninth Heaven. She is destined for greatness! How amazing!"
Hearing this, Liu Ruyan drooped her eyelids at the right moment, showing a shy and modest smile:
"You all flatter me too much. The greater the ability, the greater the responsibility. In the future, I will surely fulfill my duties as a Celestial Master and encourage each other with all my fellow disciples."
Cui Rui couldn't stand it anymore and said indignantly, "Hey, you're also at the Yellow Rank. What are you so proud of..."
Liu Ruyan snorted and laughed boldly, "How can I be compared to her? My spiritual power just hasn't awakened yet, while she will probably be stuck at the Yellow Rank for the rest of her life!"
Finally, Shen Cuiyu looked up at Liu Ruyan and returned a smile:
"Thank you for your concern, Miss Liu. But I notice that you seem to have lost a lot of weight. Is the food in the farm not to your taste?"
The people around were confused, but the gentle smile on Liu Ruyan's face instantly stiffened.
The disciples of the Myriad Phenomena Academy came from all over the country. Most of them didn't know about the incident in the women's mansion in the capital. Therefore, the confinement in the farm was a stain that Liu Ruyan desperately wanted to cover up!
She was about to speak again when her eyes suddenly caught sight of the person beside Shen Cuiyu who had been pretending to sleep with his head propped up—Pei Yu!
He had opened his eyes at some point. There was an obvious look of impatience and hostility in his delicate eyebrows and eyes, like a fierce beast awakened by the noisy sounds. His cold eyes swept over.
The crowd that had been watching and whispering immediately scattered quickly and returned to their seats, silent as if frozen.
Liu Ruyan's heart tightened, and the words on the tip of her tongue were swallowed back forcefully.
Pei Yu was definitely someone she couldn't afford to provoke. After the incident at the Shen Mansion, she was even more convinced that Pei Yu had a close relationship with the Shen family. But...
When had Shen Cuiyu become so familiar with Pei Yu that they could sit together?
She suppressed the surging doubts and unwillingness and barely maintained her composure before turning around and returning to her seat.
Throughout the whole class, Shen Cuiyu could feel a faint and persistent gaze on her.
The scrutinizing look in that gaze was too strong. Without looking, she knew it was from Liu Ruyan.
Shen Cuiyu lowered her eyes, and her fingertips unconsciously traced the edge of the book page. Doubts filled her mind.
She didn't believe Liu Ruyan's nonsense about her spiritual power not having awakened yet. This might deceive the new disciples, but not her.
However, Liu Ruyan clearly had no trace of spiritual power on her. How did she pass the spirit - testing stone...
Now that she was in the same academy as Liu Ruyan, it actually gave Shen Cuiyu a chance. She would surely find out the secret hidden behind Liu Ruyan!
...
One day, the academy was having a normal class when the huge bronze bell hanging in the center of the square rang without warning.
"Dang—"
The deep sound carried an inescapable penetrating power. The teacher who was giving the lesson frowned slightly, put down the book, and said to the students in the classroom:
"The bell has rung. There must be a neighboring village in urgent trouble. Suspend today's lessons. Go to the square and assemble."
The listless students were stunned at first, and then their faces showed curiosity and excitement. They rushed out of the classroom in a flash.
For them, anything that could temporarily get them away from the boring scriptures was infinitely attractive.
The person who came to ring the bell was an old man. He looked honest, with the typical dark skin of a farmer. At the moment, his face was full of panic and anxiety.
A young academy teacher was gently patting his back to help him calm down. "Don't be in a hurry, Uncle. Take your time and tell us what happened."
The mountain gate of Chaoyao Mountain was too high. It took the old man a while to catch his breath. Then, with a strong local accent, he began to tremble as he told his story.
The old man's surname was Guo. He was a villager from Yongding Village at the foot of Chaoyao Mountain and also the caretaker of the only charity mortuary within a ten - mile radius.
As the saying goes, the dead should be buried in the ground to rest in peace. After a person dies, they should be buried after three days, so that the living can live well and the dead can be free from worldly affairs.
However, not all the dead can be buried in time. That's why the charity mortuary exists.
The corpses there are either those who haven't found a place to be buried yet, or foreigners who died in a foreign land and are waiting for their relatives to claim them. Besides, there are also some poor people who can't even afford a thin coffin.
Old Man Guo had run this charity mortuary to do good deeds and accumulate virtue. For many years, there had never been any problems.
But not long ago, a group of laborers from other places went up the mountain to quarry. Unfortunately, the mine collapsed, and none of the thirteen people survived.
Most of these corpses were smashed beyond recognition. The government had no choice but to place these corpses in the charity mortuary first, identify them one by one, and then notify their families to claim them.
For the first three days, everything was peaceful. But on the fourth night, the old man who patrolled and struck the watch counted the corpses as usual and was shocked to find that one was missing!
The old man was so scared out of his wits that he didn't sleep all night. He could only tremble and huddle in the corner.
Until a faint glimmer of dawn appeared on the horizon, he saw a stiff figure in the distance, hopping towards the charity mortuary!
By the weak morning light, he took a closer look - the thing was covered in blood and had no sign of life. Wasn't it the missing corpse?!
It, it had actually come back by itself before dawn!