Not long after Lolita and Isaac arrived in Yunjin Prefecture on an international flight, several of their companions disembarked from another airship.
The man with the cantaloupe-pattern tattoo frowned. “Too many people. It’s annoying.”
“Even if they’re annoying, you can’t just start cleaning them out. There are two very dangerous figures in this territory. We can’t afford to provoke them,” said an old man in a white tank top. He was holding the hand of a child who looked seven or eight years old and was happily licking a lollipop.
The IT guy adjusted his glasses and said, “The White Tiger and the six-winged angel. They’re both ranked among the strongest Atavists in the world, aren’t they?”
“That’s right. But the place is in chaos because of what happened a few days ago, which gives us the perfect opportunity to stir up some trouble.” A bloodthirsty grin appeared in the old man’s cloudy eyes. “Pulling off something huge right under the noses of two living gods? That’s exciting.”
The tattooed man snorted. “The dignity of the Trident Mercenary Corps cannot be trampled on. Two of our brothers were killed, and not only that, the footage got spread across the entire world. If we don’t restore our reputation, how are we supposed to survive in this business?”
That was exactly what had brought them here.
If their men had simply been killed, that would have been one thing. The real problem was that the video had gone viral worldwide. In Western countries, fans of the angel race even used it as proof that angels were stronger than demons, causing immense humiliation to the demon-atavist families. The two Demon Atavists who had been burned alive were nailed to the pillar of shame, and the Trident Mercenary Corps became infamous within their circles, reduced to a laughingstock.
They had lost both face and money. As the saying went, cutting off someone’s livelihood was like killing their parents. There was no way they could swallow such an insult. They had to reclaim their honor.
Pushing up his glasses, the IT guy said, “That’s not why I came. I won’t be acting together with you after this. Be careful. Try not to get yourselves burned to death. And don’t forget about the trackers.”
When they had passed through customs, each of them had been fitted with a Hualan tracking device. It was mandatory for all foreign Atavists entering or leaving the country. After all, every Atavist was a potential high-risk threat. The authorities couldn’t just let them wander around unmonitored.
The group split up outside the dockyard and departed in different vehicles.
“Things are already hectic, and now there are even more foreign Atavists entering the country. What a headache.”
Inside the Tribunal Division, a staff member looked at the customs report listing newly arrived Atavists in Yunjin Prefecture. There were more than twenty names on it. He felt his head start to pound.
“Summer vacation has started overseas, hasn’t it?” another staff member said. “Every year around this time, there are tons of foreign tourists. Naturally, the number of Atavists goes up as well.”
“That’s true, but our workload is insane. We have to keep track of every single foreign Atavist’s movements.”
The Zhou family’s case was consuming enormous resources. Evidence and documentation had to be prepared as quickly as possible before the trial process could begin. Those deserving execution had to be sentenced to death, and those deserving prison had to be sent away. Everyone was so busy their feet barely touched the ground.
Perhaps because criminals knew how overwhelmed the authorities were, many Atavist offenders seized the opportunity to cause trouble. They all seemed desperate for attention, and police sirens echoed throughout the city.
Mei Yanlan grumbled to Qiu Fa.
“My dead first love has suddenly reappeared, my husband has been drowned himself in jealousy, and I’m so busy I haven’t even had time to find out what’s going on. I can’t keep up with all these criminals. Get me some backup already.”
Her assistant quietly whispered from the side, “Is that why you twisted that suspect’s arms and legs into pretzels? He’s going to file a complaint against you.”
“Haha. Then I’ll just twist his head off too,” Mei Yanlan said with a laugh.
“…”
Another one who had gone completely insane from overwork.
After signing two documents, Qiu Fa said, “I’ll have the Twelve Zodiac Academy send some students over to assist.”
“Are you sure? I’ve heard the Atavist families are planning to film a documentary as a public-relations campaign. They might start shooting at any time.”
“The public comes first,” Qiu Fa said without much concern.
The political tug-of-war between the government and the Atavist families had nothing to do with him. The Tribunal Division’s duty was simple: stop Atavist crime and protect ordinary citizens from harm.
Early the next morning, Jing Pei was summoned online by the heads of various Atavist families to attend a meeting.
It was about the documentary project Chen Mo and Feng Yilian had mentioned the previous day.
The convenience of online meetings was that Atavist families from all over the country could participate.
Looking at the rows of video windows, Jing Pei spotted quite a few families she didn’t recognize at all.
“A documentary? What now? Are we supposed to surrender?”
“The glory of the Atavist families is going to be preserved by currying favor with ordinary people?”
“Hmph! I refuse!”
“Ridiculous!”
“You can’t quite put it that way…”
“Shut up! Your Ling family has fallen so far that of course you’re desperate enough to resort to underhanded tactics to revive it. I don’t even know how you still have the face to attend this meeting!”
“…”
As expected, after the Feng family head proposed the public-relations campaign, strong opposition erupted from many families.
They felt such behavior lowered the dignity of the Atavist families. To them, it was no different from ordinary corporations flattering the masses to sell products. Their pride simply couldn’t accept it.
“Long Jin, you’re the youngest one here. Your perspective is different from ours old-timers. What do you think?”
In the end, the Feng family head turned toward Jing Pei, who was eating breakfast.
Holding a bowl and slurping noodles, Jing Pei calmly swallowed her mouthful under everyone’s gaze. She wiped her mouth and said,
“I think Family Head Feng’s idea is pretty good. From the perspective of admiring strength, the more Atavists showcase how powerful they are, the more admiration and support they’ll gain.”
“So you support it?”
Pairs of eyes immediately turned toward her, as though she had betrayed her own kind.
“Whatever.” Jing Pei smiled and leaned back in her chair.
“I’m just a junior. Naturally, I’ll follow the decisions of my elders.”
Then her tone shifted.
“Besides, our Long family hasn’t done anything wrong for the past two hundred years. No matter how the government targets the Atavist families, they won’t be able to touch us. As for the privileges enjoyed by the Atavist families? If everybody loses them together, I’m perfectly fine with that.”
Her tone was gentle, but her words hit like needles.
Her words immediately reminded everyone of the meeting she’d called over Wen Yuxian and Zhang Simiao. Their hearts tightened and irritation surged up again.
Without realizing it, they had already begun to regard Jing Pei as someone whose opinions mattered. She was no longer just another junior from their households.
So despite their annoyance, they couldn’t help thinking carefully about what she had said.
Could this actually be a good idea?
“Well then, uncles, take your time thinking about it. I need to head to school. Summer vacation is almost here, and I still don’t have enough credits. I can’t afford to keep skipping class.”
Jing Pei rose to her feet.
“Since this matter is partly connected to Young Heir Long Jin, you’ll have to participate if we go through with filming, won’t you?” the Feng family head quickly said.
Her popularity was simply too high to waste. If she appeared, then not only Chu Xusheng, but perhaps even Lou Ting might end up on camera as well.
“Hm… Since I’m a member of the Atavist families too, if everyone wants me to participate, then of course I’ll do my part.”
As she spoke, Jing Pei glanced toward the Ling family window.
The Ling family head looked absolutely miserable.
He had barely spoken before another family rebuked him in front of everyone, as though he were inferior to them.
Jing Pei withdrew her gaze, exited the online meeting room, and left.
Even before the end of the Great Cosmic Convergence, Atavists already existed.
The Atavist families possessed histories stretching back thousands of years. In all that time, families like the Long family, which declined because no one awakened their Atavist bloodline for generations, were rare.
Far more common was another kind of decline: generation after generation producing Atavists of very poor quality.
The Ling family was exactly such a case.
For centuries, not a single member of the family had ever achieved an atavist purity above fifteen percent.
Unlike the Long family, the Ling family never possessed thousands of years of accumulated wealth and influence. They lacked exceptional business talent as well. Before long, their businesses were swallowed up whole by other Atavist families, and the family gradually fell into ruin.
Today, they had declined to the point where preserving their luxurious lifestyle depended on marrying family members into wealthy households.
Naturally, a situation that looked as though they were selling off the family’s genetic value for comfort only invited even greater contempt from the other Atavist families.
After the meeting ended, the Ling family head slammed a hand against the table and shot to his feet.
“This is outrageous! They humiliated me in public! Even that yellow-haired brat has more influence than I do now. They’re all shameless opportunists who follow power wherever it goes. Back then, they were the ones begging us!”
“Dad, calm down.”
A young man hurried over to soothe him before he collapsed from anger.
“They’ll regret it. Once Yilan returns, won’t they all come crawling back to flatter us?”
At the mention of Ling Yilan, the family head’s expression improved.
“She joined the Tribunal Division and her combat ability is extraordinary. Bringing her back won’t be easy. That short-sighted fool. We prepared so many outstanding young men for her, but she refused them all. Instead she married an ordinary person and wasted the genetics we gave her!”
“Fortunately, she still has feelings for that boy from years ago. After learning he was alive, she spent an entire night smoking on her balcony. With that trap in place, she won’t be able to stay away forever. Once she’s back, our family’s status, our family’s glory, and the great plan on the organization’s side will finally become reality!”
Father and son sank into visions of a glorious future, smiles spreading across their faces.
Then the father turned serious.
“We can’t let word of this spread. It has to stay secret. If too many people find out she’s a hybrid, it’ll make things difficult for us. Most of all, Qiu Fa must never learn about it.”
“Once we’ve caught her, what can Qiu Fa do even if he finds out? It’s a family matter. He has no authority over it.”
Tang Woxue arrived at the school infirmary early that morning.
Hearing the clinking of bottles and containers, Chu Xusheng opened his eyes and saw Tang Woxue mixing some kind of liquid.
“What time is it?” he asked with a yawn.
Tang Woxue gently swirled the solution in his hand.
“Not time for school yet. Besides, you need more rest. Here, drink this. It’ll help your bones recover.”
He handed over the cup.
Chu Xusheng sniffed it.
“That smells really bitter.”
“Good medicine is always bitter.”
Wanting to recover as quickly as possible, Chu Xusheng obediently followed the doctor’s orders and drank it all while pinching his nose.
Soon, drowsiness washed over him.
“Don’t worry, just sleep,” Tang Woxue said. “All the medications have sedative effects. This one is especially strong.”
Chu Xusheng’s eyes slowly closed, and his breathing became deep and steady.
Tang Woxue stared at his sleeping face and stroked his chin.
“The drug’s taking effect too quickly.”
Then he turned back and began preparing another mixture.
With summer vacation approaching, students throughout the Twelve Zodiac Academy had entered a frenzy of earning credits and preparing for final exams.
No one wanted to repeat a year.
Even the bonus-question boards now had crowds of students gathered around solving problems.
Everyone in class had their noses buried in books, desperately preparing for finals.
Only Jing Pei looked completely relaxed.
“Long Jin, don’t underestimate final exams! The finals are brutal every year. Every single question reveals the teachers’ malicious intent! And you barely earn any credits even if you score well. If you do badly, they actually deduct credits! The deducted amount is even higher than what you can earn! It’s utterly inhumane! This school’s promotion system has no regard for human rights. I protest!” Chen Mo ranted.
Jing Pei said,
“To advance from seventh grade to eighth grade, you need 1,100 credits, right?”
To advance from first grade to second grade required only 50 credits. From second to third required 100, from third to fourth 300. After that, each grade promotion required another 200 credits on top of the previous amount. That meant advancing from seventh grade to eighth grade required exactly 1,100 credits.
“Exactly! It’s inhuman! How far are they planning to squeeze us dry? It’s was evil! And you had one less semester than the rest of us…”
Jing Pei counted on her fingers.
“I earned about 500 credits from solving problems whenever I had free time between classes. Then there were the 10 credits we got for investigating the human-bone case. During the Teacher Wen incident, I helped the Tribunal Division capture a large number of criminals from the Atavist Serum Organization, which earned me another 500 credits. Add in my Atavist-power control credits, daily-evaluation credits, exam credits…”
“Please stop.” Chen Mo clutched his chest. “I was out of line. Goodbye.”
“Are you an idiot? Why humiliate yourself first thing in the morning?” Tang Qiaoqiao fired back without looking up from her problem set.
Looking to her left, Jing Pei saw that even Tao Ying, who normally spent half her day dozing off, was literally holding her eyelids open while cramming from her textbook.
Her fiancé, who loved braiding hair ties for her, was still busy making hair ties as usual. He was probably the second person in the class, after Jing Pei, who had absolutely no reason to worry about the final exams.
As long as students passed their exams, they wouldn’t lose any credits. Any missing credits could also be earned during summer vacation by assisting the Tribunal Division. That way, they could advance smoothly when the next semester began.
But if they failed their exams and still hadn’t accumulated enough credits by the end of the semester, they’d end up repeating the year.
Which made passing the exams very important.
Jing Pei got up and headed for the training grounds.
She wasn’t worried about academics, but the Twelve Zodiac Academy still had plenty to teach her. The academy’s combat arts, sparring exercises against different types of Atavists, and similar training were all really useful to her.
The Dragon Atavists possessed tremendous innate advantages, but there were also people like Wen Yuxian, whose atavist purity was low yet could defeat stronger opponents through exceptional combat skills and a sharp mind.
That was why accumulating enough combat experience was so important.
Most of the younger students were busy preparing for exams, so the training grounds were nearly empty. Jing Pei headed straight to the senior section and happened to catch sight of Wu Ying and Jiang Qing disappearing around a corner.
“Hm…”
She glanced toward the equipment storage room used for physical-combat training where they had disappeared.
“Things are certainly heated over there. Better pretend I didn’t see anything.”
Jing Pei thoughtfully acted as though she had noticed nothing. Of all the couples she’d written into the Twelve Zodiac Academy setting, those two were probably the most passionate pair.
After all, according to normal-school standards, both were already college-aged adults. Young, energetic, and full of vitality. It wasn’t surprising that sparks would fly.
It was another busy yet peaceful day.
The only question was how long that peace would last.
Inside the storage room…
Wu Ying pinned Jiang Qing down, covering his mouth as he listened closely to the footsteps outside. Hearing Jing Pei’s steps fade away, he let out a slight sigh of relief.
Then she felt something lick her palm.
She looked down and saw her brother’s innocent, clear eyes… The low voice that echoed in her ear seemed to have a bewitching spell. While Wu Ying was dazed, Jiang Qing pressed the back of her head and kissed her.
After a long sleep, Chu Xusheng woke feeling completely refreshed, as though he was back to normal. He was about to get out of bed when Tang Woxue said,
“Not bad. You should be able to spend the next few days reviewing and still make it in time for finals.”
Chu Xusheng froze.
An image instantly appeared in his head: himself sitting among a group of elementary-school children during an exam, only to rank lower than many of them.
His foot immediately retreated back onto the bed.
“On second thought, I think I need a little more time to recover.”
Wuuuu…
That would be far too embarrassing.
So when Jing Pei came to visit after school, Chu Xusheng was still wrapped head to toe in bandages, looking like he’d been through hell.
“How are you feeling today?”
“M-Much better. Just… need a little more rest…”
Lying to Jing Pei was far too difficult for Chu Xusheng. His face flushed with guilt, and his beautiful eyes darted about, unable to meet hers.
Tang Woxue smoothly took over the conversation.
“His injuries are more serious than we initially thought. It would be best for him to stay here a few more days before you take him back. The Long family doesn’t have a family doctor, after all, right?”
“Sounds like Doctor Tang still hasn’t gotten over the fact that he never became our family doctor.”
“People tend to hold on to dreams they never managed to realize.”
He smiled and offered her a glass of water.
“Thank you, but that’s not necessary.”
Jing Pei gently pushed the glass back.
“Then I’ll be heading off.”
Tang Woxue looked down at the cup in his hand, then at Jing Pei’s departing figure.
This was proving far more difficult than he had expected.
How exactly was he supposed to get her to drink the medicated water?
Night fell.
After spending the entire day running around the city hunting criminals, a physically and mentally exhausted Mei Yanlan finally returned home.
The moment she reached the entrance to her residential complex, she froze.
A tall, slender figure stood leaning against the wall.
In his hand was a red balloon shaped like a little devil, complete with two tiny horns on top. It looked kinda cute.
Noticing her car, he raised his head.
His face emerged from the shadows, revealing features that felt both familiar and unfamiliar to Mei Yanlan.
Wen Can…
“Mei Yanlan, do you really have no heart? Look at me. I’ve ended up like this and you didn’t even come see me.”
“Mei Yanlan, you’ve really done it. This is the first time in my life a woman has made me cry. You have to take responsibility.”
“Be a little nicer to me. Take care of me, won’t you?”
“Mei Yanlan… from now on, let me take care of you.”
“I won’t be able to walk the rest of the road with you anymore…”
One memory after another resurfaced in her mind.
A sharp pain twisted through Mei Yanlan’s chest.
Before she could stop herself, she opened the car door and stepped out.
Wen Can began walking toward her.
Upstairs, Xiao Cheng had been standing on the balcony reading documents while keeping an eye out for his wife. The moment he sensed something was wrong, he threw down the papers and rushed downstairs.
“Long time no see, Lanlan.”
Wen Can smiled as he looked at Mei Yanlan.
Mei Yanlan stared at his face. Emotions seemed on the verge of overflowing from her eyes as she carefully traced every familiar contour.
Look at that.
She still loves me.
Wen Can’s smile deepened.
“I’ve been waiting for you to come find me. I waited and waited, but you never came, so in the end I had to come find you.”
Mei Yanlan gazed at him.
“But I’m already married.”
“I know. You thought I was dead, so I don’t blame you. The only thing I blame is myself for coming back too late. Will you come away with me?”
By the time Xiao Cheng reached them, those were the words he heard.
He stopped dead in his tracks
So did his breathing.
So did his heartbeat.
He had never seen Mei Yanlan wear such an expression before.
An expression that made it painfully obvious she loved someone.
His heart sank.
He felt as though he already knew her answer.
She would follow him without hesitation, even to the ends of the earth.
Then Mei Yanlan caught his hand and asked softly:
“Would you be willing to stay instead?”
“What? S-Stay?”
Wen Can froze.
Xiao Cheng froze too.
“You see, my husband is wealthy, handsome, and in pretty good shape. I’m quite satisfied with him, so getting divorced doesn’t seem very cost-effective. Would you be willing to stay instead?”
Mei Yanlan gazed at him with apparent sincerity.
“I’d like to have the best of both worlds.”
It sounded like she had just said something completely outrageous.
This was the last thing Wen Can had expected.
He stood there dumbfounded.
“MEI YANLAN!”
Xiao Cheng almost exploded.
He stormed over and pulled her behind him.
“What did you just say? Have the best of both worlds? Keep dreaming! You only get to choose one! I’m the bear’s paw!”
The phrase comes from the ancient philosopher Mencius. He compared two highly desired foods: fish and bear paws. He stated that if a person cannot have both at the same time, they should choose the bear paw because it is rarer and more valuable
Then he rounded on Wen Can.
“Wen Can, I don’t care what happened between you two in the past. She’s my wife now. If you keep pestering her, you’re trying to be the other man. Don’t blame me if I’m not polite about it!”
If he weren’t currently pregnant and relying entirely on the baby for marital security, he would have loved nothing more than to punch him.
After delivering his warning, Xiao Cheng dragged Mei Yanlan toward the residential complex.
Mei Yanlan still turned back and called out,
“Wen Can, think about it, okay?”
“MEI YANLAN!!”
Wen Can remained rooted to the spot, watching their bickering figures disappear into the distance.
The disbelief on his face lingered for a very long time before slowly fading away.
Meanwhile, the moment Mei Yanlan stepped into the elevator, all warmth vanished from her eyes.
