Xue Yonghui still had his doubts, but the voice was unmistakably Ye Lanshan's—he could never be wrong about it.
"I know Elder Xue must have many questions, but even though no one's here, this isn't really a good place to talk." Ye Lanshan glanced around. The area was empty, with no one else besides the three of them, but since they were at the academy gate, there was no telling when someone might show up.
"That's simple." Xue Yonghui led them straight into the school without any hesitation.
"Now can you speak?" Elder Xue sat in his office, a faint, oppressive aura radiating from him.
But Ye Lanshan didn't mind. Instead, she smiled and, with a wave of her hand, reverted to her original appearance.
"I'm being hunted by enemies right now, so it's not safe to go around in my true form. I have no choice but to disguise myself."
Xue Yonghui looked at her in astonishment. He had seen many forms of disguise—human skin masks, paints smeared on faces—but never one that could change a person's appearance with just a wave, altering even bone structure and height.
"Where did you learn this disguise technique? It's incredible, even changing your bones and stature."
Seeing Xue Yonghui's interest, Ye Lanshan generously shared the method with him. But even if he knew the incantation, it was useless—he didn't cultivate immortality, so he couldn't use it even if he tried.
"Huh, is this your younger brother?" Xue Yonghui finally noticed Fu Feng and asked casually.
Ye Lanshan gave a vague reply: "You could say he's like a brother to me."
"Oh, right. You mentioned earlier that you changed your appearance because of enemies hunting you. Who exactly is after you?" Xue Yonghui recalled the earlier incident of Ye Lanshan's disappearance.
"It's the Moon Kingdom and the Holy Land." Ye Lanshan hesitated but ultimately told the truth.
Even if she wanted to hide it, she couldn't. Xue Yonghui, having risen to his position, was no simple figure. A little investigation would reveal that both the Holy Land and the Moon Kingdom had put bounties on her head. Besides, she trusted that Xue Yonghui wouldn't harm her and might even be able to help.
"What? The Holy Land is going too far! They've already captured several geniuses, and now they want to take you too?" Xue Yonghui was furious upon hearing this.
"Elder Xue, has the Holy Land captured others before me?" Ye Lanshan was surprised. She had thought the Holy Land only targeted her father and her, but it seemed there were more.
Xue Yonghui nodded. "Yes. Several geniuses graduated from our Xuanling Academy and became too conspicuous, drawing the Holy Land's attention. They were taken directly."
Seeing his anger, Ye Lanshan asked, "Isn't Xuanling Academy the top institution on the continent? Countless people fight tooth and nail to get in. How could you just let those geniuses be taken without doing anything?"
"Alas!" He sighed, helpless. "By then, they had already left the academy and were no longer our students. Even if we wanted to protect them, we couldn't."
Fu Feng, noticing how engrossed the two were in their conversation, tugged at Ye Lanshan's sleeve to remind her of their purpose.
Feeling the pull, Ye Lanshan asked calmly, "Elder Xue, we need to see the principal. Is that possible?"
"Well, taking you to see him isn't out of the question." Xue Yonghui pondered for a moment and nodded.
Fu Feng's eyes lit up, his face beaming with joy, as if a glimmer of hope had emerged after despair.
"Su Muyang, are you in there? If you are, I'm coming in." Xue Yonghui's tone was bold this time, completely lacking the respect he had shown when first bringing Ye Lanshan to see the principal.
Ye Lanshan shot him a suspicious glance. Was this really Xue Yonghui? She knew he was a low-key powerhouse, but he had always been respectful toward the principal before—not arrogant like this.
"Come in." A deep, authoritative voice came from inside the room, showing no sign of displeasure.
"Alright, what is it this time? Don't tell me you've given up guarding the gate to become a janitor. A dignified elder wanting to do that—there's really no one else like you." The principal was reading a book, his tone laced with deep exasperation.
"Is that any way to talk? Embarrassing me in front of outsiders." Xue Yonghui grinned, shedding the composure he had shown earlier.
"Oh? Ye Lanshan?" Su Muyang looked up and saw Ye Lanshan standing there steadily, a hint of surprise in his eyes.
He had thought she was dead, lamenting that such a prodigy had perished—truly a case of heaven's jealousy. Yet here she was, alive and well.
"What, Principal, are you surprised to see me?" Ye Lanshan noticed his astonishment and was puzzled.
Xue Yonghui explained, "We all thought you were dead. Finding out you're still alive is naturally shocking."
"Oh, is that so? But you didn't seem surprised when you saw me." Ye Lanshan glanced at Xue Yonghui coolly.
Xue Yonghui burst into laughter. "Because I believed you couldn't be dead. Looks like my intuition was right."
Ye Lanshan stood straight, her gaze sharp. "I want to know why you all thought I was dead."
"At the time, we assumed you'd faced Zhou Haiming and were doomed. How could we have guessed you'd escape?" Xue Yonghui's head ached just thinking about that period.
"How did you know I faced Zhou Haiming? Did Chu Liuxiang tell you?" Ye Lanshan recalled that night upon hearing this.
To be honest, she was grateful for encountering Zhou Haiming that night. If not for him, she wouldn't have been severely injured and ended up in Cloud Town. And if not for Cloud Town, she might never have found the real Sikong Kuang. Plus, if she hadn't changed her mind and returned to the Ye family from Cloud Town, her grandfather would have been nothing but bones by now.
"That day scared me half to death. The young master of the Demon Sect was lying on the ground, covered in blood. He'd taken some pills, but his injuries were so severe he was still unconscious."
Ye Lanshan recalled the scene from that day—it was truly a gruesome sight.
Xue Yonghui continued, "When Mo Ran woke up, he refused to say how he got hurt. It took several days before Chu Liuxiang stammered out the general story."
"At the time, we thought that even the young master of the Demon Sect was so badly injured, and Lord Ye's men had searched for days without finding you. Naturally, we all assumed you were dead."
"I see." Ye Lanshan nodded.