86 Wen Canglan, Ling Fei, and Yu Die
To be honest, Yan Zhen didn’t want to run into Wen Canglan. It wasn’t time for their showdown yet, but that guy kept pestering his Zi Ji, and he was worried he might lose control and attack him.
Unfortunately, as soon as Zi Xunyi appeared, Wen Canglan showed up, and not just him, but also a dozen of his society members, all wearing broken mirror badges on their chests.
This was the symbol of “Broken Mirror,” one of the top ten societies in the Inner Academy.
The Broken Mirror society was an old and established society with over a hundred years of history. Each generation’s leader was a member of the Wen family. The current leader was Wen Canglan, and under his command were twelve Mystic General officers, the most of any society in the Inner Academy. Their overall strength was second only to Gu Tiange’s “Seven Stars” society.
A group of Mystic Generals walking together, their combined aura was quite intimidating.
“Zi Ji.” Wen Canglan adjusted his glasses and greeted her politely. “It’s been a while. You’ve become even more beautiful.”
Before, Zi Xunyi would have responded with a polite nod, but now, she didn’t even want to acknowledge him.
Wen Canglan had sneak-attacked Yan Zhen, injuring him severely. She didn’t even want to deal with such a despicable person and hid behind Yan Zhen.
Wen Canglan’s expression faltered, a hint of resentment in his eyes as they reflected Yan Zhen’s image.
—If it weren’t for him…
But he knew that if he continued to antagonize Yan Zhen, Zi Xunyi would only dislike him more.
“I apologize. I acted impulsively and injured Junior Brother Yan Zhen. Please don’t be angry, Zi Ji.”
Zi Xunyi frowned slightly. “Enough. If you’re truly sorry, you should apologize to Yan Zhen, not say these meaningless things to me.”
“Zi Ji, I—”
“—Shut up!” Yan Zhen, unable to stand Wen Canglan’s behavior, interrupted him rudely. “Stop pretending. I’ll settle the score with you later for your sneak attack.”
“That’s right!” Long Ying chimed in, glaring at Wen Canglan. “If you dare bully Zhenzhen, I won’t let you off either!”
Hearing their words, the Broken Mirror members’ faces darkened.
“What did you say? Do you think you can disrespect our leader like this?”
Wen Canglan raised his hand, silencing his subordinates, then said sincerely, “I was in the wrong. I apologize to Junior Brother Yan Zhen. I hope you won’t hold it against me.”
Yan Zhen narrowed his eyes, a cold glint within.
Sneak-attacking him, injuring him severely, and thinking a simple apology was enough?
He was even more annoying than described in the script. Was it because he was now experiencing it firsthand, not as a bystander?
“Hmph.”
Yan Zhen didn’t want to deal with him.
“…My, what a lively gathering!”
A cheerful female voice rang out, and the crowd parted again as Yu Die and members of her “Transformation” society approached.
Transformation, the only all-female society in the Inner Academy, where the male-to-female ratio was ten to one, was a unique presence.
Yu Die, with her shoulder-length hair and academy uniform, exuded the aura of a society leader.
“Morning, Cousin-in-law,” Yu Die greeted Yan Zhen, patting his shoulder casually. “Are you also entering the Yang Polar Secret Realm for cultivation?”
“Greetings, Cousin Yu Die.” Yan Zhen responded politely. “I’m curious about the Yang Polar Secret Realm, so I came to take a look.”
“It can be quite dangerous inside. Would you like to join us?”
“Thank you for the offer, Cousin, but we can handle it ourselves.”
Yu Die’s gaze shifted to Huangfu Wenqing, a playful glint in her eyes, then to Zi Xunyi, her playfulness turning into surprise. Finally, her gaze landed on Long Ying, her confident demeanor melting into adoration as she leaned down. “Little Long Ying, you’re here too! Come here, let big sister hug you~”
Long Ying quickly hid behind Yan Zhen, just like Zi Xunyi, and warned, her voice cute yet menacing, “Go away! Don’t touch me!”
Having been bribed with food and pills and then… petted countless times in her previous life, Long Ying had developed a trauma.
“Little Long Ying…”
Seeing her wariness, Yu Die’s heart broke. She was the one who found Long Ying, so why wasn’t she closer to her, instead favoring Yan Zhen?
A wave of unrequited love swept through the air.
The Transformation society officers, seeing this, exchanged knowing glances, thinking that their leader’s girlish heart was truly unpredictable.
—Wait, did she just call that handsome junior “Cousin-in-law”?
Not just the Transformation members, but the surrounding students also heard it and became curious.
Cousin-in-law? Was there such a connection between Yan Zhen and Senior Sister Yu Die? And speaking of her cousin, that would be Yu Xuan, right?
The former belle of the Outer Academy, forced to teach in a remote area due to the conflict between the Yu, Wen, and Han families. Otherwise, she would also be a top student on the Inner Academy’s Rising Star List now.
Wen Canglan, having already heard about this from Yu Die, wasn’t surprised, further convinced that Yan Zhen and Zi Xunyi were just close friends. He also felt even more regret for his impulsive actions, which had caused Zi Xunyi to distance herself from him.
“Hey, Wen,” Yu Die turned to Wen Canglan and said bluntly, “don’t you dare bully my cousin-in-law just because you’re stronger. Otherwise, I won’t let you off the hook.”
Having heard about the conflict between Wen Canglan and Yan Zhen, she naturally took her cousin-in-law’s side.
“It was just a misunderstanding,” Wen Canglan said indifferently. “I’ve already apologized. He’s the one unwilling to reconcile. There’s nothing I can do.”
“Is an apology enough? What about compensation? Sincerity?”
“…”
Wen Canglan remained silent.
“—Well, well, well, look who’s here!”
Ling Fei, ranked third on the Rising Star List, also arrived with his group. Handsome and cheerful, he was quite popular with the girls in the Inner Academy, his appearance causing a stir among them.
“Morning, you two,” Ling Fei greeted Yu Die and Wen Canglan. “Why the long faces?”
No one answered him.
“Uh, is Gu Tiange still not here? What special training is he doing?”
No one answered him.
“…”
Ling Fei scratched his head awkwardly, then noticed the purple figure behind Yan Zhen and froze.
—Why is this esteemed goddess here? How rare.
Ling Fei felt uncomfortable.
He had witnessed Zi Xunyi sending Wen Canglan flying with a single palm strike.
Others assumed that Wen Canglan had simply let her win because he liked her, but Ling Fei, who had been standing nearby, knew how terrifying her power was at that moment.
Perhaps only Gu Tiange in the entire Inner Academy could match her, so Ling Fei had no intention of provoking her. He didn’t want to end up like Wen Canglan, sent flying for simply stepping too close.
“…”
As they talked, the plaza gradually filled with people, mostly Mystic Generals in small groups, including members of the White Fang, Black Horn, and other societies. Most of the Mystic Generals on the Rising Star List were present.
—Cultivating in the Celestial Dome Pagoda was the same regardless of the time, but arriving late at the Polar Secret Realms meant missing out on the denser essence. Therefore, everyone who was eligible came.
The crowd waited for a long time. The two elders guarding the Yang Polar Secret Realm finally arrived and, together, opened the entrance to the secret realm.
The waiting students immediately filed in.
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