So It Was a Half-Human, Half-Bird Hybrid

The crowd looked over.

They saw a disheveled girl, wearing a veil, staggering towards them.

Meng Xiuchen frowned. He couldn't tell who it was and was about to issue another order.

Meng Anli ran up to the household retainer, lifted her veil, revealing a dirty little face. Traces of wind and frost had cracked her skin, her lips were dry and peeling, with wounds, some of which were bleeding.

Lu Yao froze, unable to believe her eyes.

How could her beautiful and noble little Anli have become like this?

Meng Xiuchen was also stunned.

Meng Shiwan's eyes held even more satisfaction.

Meng Anli ignored them for the moment, clinging to the retainer's arm. "Let her go!"

The retainers recognized her and released their grip.

Meng Anli embraced her tightly. "A'Yao!"

She had finally seen A'Yao again.

Her best friend, who had died saving her in their past life.

She dared not delve too deep into the memories, fearing she would get lost in them.

Meng Anli only held her for a moment before quickly letting go, taking her hand and looking at Meng Xiuchen and Meng Shiwan.

"Meng Xiuchen, Meng Shiwan, I'm back."

All the way here, she had told herself countless times to control her hatred, to not lose her reason.

But she still wished she could rush over and tear them apart.

Before they could speak, she preemptively shouted.

"Teacher, Meng Shiwan colluded with the three young masters of the Meng family and the head of the Meng family to steal my inner core and my cultivation. Meng Shiwan participated unfairly in the entrance test against other disciples. I suggest that the academy never admit disciples with such poor character."

As soon as she said this.

The crowd gasped in low voices.

"What?"

"Something like that actually happened?"

"No wonder she looks so disheveled."

"When Lu Yao shouted earlier, I thought she was spouting nonsense, because it was too unbelievable. I didn't expect it to be true."

Meng Xiuchen anxiously retorted, "Meng Anli, don't slander me!"

"Oh?" Meng Anli sneered. "You dare to do it but not admit it? Or should we call the immortal officials from the academy's medical department? Let them verify if the inner core belongs to me?"

Meng Xiuchen naturally did not dare.

He wanted to speak but stopped, unable to utter a rebuttal.

Seeing his reaction, Meng Shiwan knew that it was indeed possible to test and confirm that the inner core was not hers.

Her eyes darted, and she sobbed softly, "Sister, don't you know why brother took your inner core?"

Meng Anli raised an eyebrow. She wondered what story she would concoct.

Meng Xiuchen also remembered her releasing eighty-one people.

He breathed a sigh of relief, his gaze towards Meng Anli growing more disgusted. She had almost fooled him.

He was about to speak.

Meng Shiwan spoke first, accusing, "Sister, it was you who, dissatisfied that father and brother treated me a little better, destroyed my inner core. That's why they dug out yours in anger."

Meng Xiuchen looked at her with some confusion, then quickly agreed.

"Meng Anli, you grew up pampered by us since childhood. If you hadn't made a mistake, why would we have dug out your inner core?"

The crowd began to discuss heatedly again.

"Oh, so Meng Anli destroyed her inner core first."

"Good thing I didn't scold Meng Shiwan just now. She looks so frail, she couldn't possibly do something like that."

"What the third young master of the Meng family said makes sense. The three elder brothers of the Meng family doted on Meng Anli excessively before. When she took the entrance test, all three brothers were present. Now, this younger sister appears, and only the third young master has come."

Meng Anli applauded and praised, "You're quick to react. Are you saying that you formed an inner core within half a year of arriving at the Meng family? And I destroyed it?"

Meng Shiwan naturally knew that forming an inner core in half a year was too outrageous.

She pouted, her eyes reddening, and tears began to fall as soon as she spoke.

"Does Sister mean that one can only form an inner core in the Meng family? I had already formed my inner core before I joined the Meng family, I just didn't have access to the same spiritual elixirs as Sister, so my cultivation level was lower than yours, and you destroyed my inner core."

This statement naturally received the approval of many.

After all, there were quite a few mortal cultivators among those taking the entrance test.

Meng Xiuchen tenderly wiped away her tears, but her tears only flowed more profusely.

He cursed Meng Anli with disgust, "How can you be so vicious? Always bullying Wanwan."

Lu Yao immediately retorted, "You're the vicious one! Not only vicious but also stupid. Anli hasn't even spoken, and you've already condemned her? I don't believe Anli would be the type to destroy someone's inner core."

Meng Anli's heart, which had been aching slightly because of Meng Xiuchen, was healed again by Lu Yao's trust.

She pulled Lu Yao behind her, "I'm going to the North Sea, and on my way back, I passed through the mortal world and visited Meng Shiwan's birthplace."

Meng Shiwan's face instantly turned ashen, "You..."

Meng Anli chuckled lightly at her, as bright as the morning sun in March, but her words sent a chill through Meng Shiwan.

"I asked your human mother, and she said you never cultivated in the sixteen years you were in the mortal world. Did your inner core grow on its own?"

"The mortal world?"

Lu Yao asked Meng Anli, "Didn't your mother ascend to godhood? Isn't she your sister?"

"Who knows?" Meng Anli said indifferently, "Maybe one father?"

Lu Yao grew even more indignant, "Sixteen years ago, your mother hadn't ascended yet. Your father was having an affair?"

Meng Anli nodded, feeling heartbroken for her mother.

Meng Shiwan had been in the mortal world for sixteen years, and had been here for a year and a half, making her seventeen and a half, only half a year younger than her.

If calculated, the affair happened while her mother was pregnant.

"So she's a half-human, half-bird hybrid!"

Someone in the crowd shouted, followed by bursts of laughter.

The crowd started discussing enthusiastically again.

Their gazes towards Meng Shiwan were now tinged with contempt.

The world was divided into seven major races: gods, Buddhas, immortals, humans, demons, monsters, and ghosts.

While the races outwardly maintained peace, they all adhered to the principle that "those not of our kind will surely have different intentions."

Open and covert conflicts occurred frequently, and the offspring of unions between two races were not recognized by either.

Moreover, Meng Shiwan was the product of an affair.

Xuantian Academy accepted anyone with ability, regardless of race, admitting only a hundred disciples every two years.

Therefore, besides the god race, all other six races were present.

Lu Yao was both angry and heartbroken, "What kind of father and brother do you have? To protect such a lying hybrid, they'd even dig out your inner core."

Meng Shiwan's face was truly bloodless, and her body swayed precariously.

She grabbed Meng Xiuchen's sleeve, "Third Brother, I'm so scared."

"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid," Meng Xiuchen shouted loudly, "Everyone shut up!"

But everyone was engrossed in their discussion and ignored him.

He then cursed Meng Anli again, "Meng Anli, you're jealous that Wanwan has gained our favor, so you want to ruin her. Bullying her like this will only make us hate you more."

Meng Shiwan buried her face in his chest, biting her lip, "Sister, are you trying to force me to my death?"

"Wanwan, we will stand up for you. Don't do anything rash," Meng Xiuchen quickly coaxed her.

"I won't do anything rash."

Meng Shiwan wiped away her tears, her eyes still glistening, but her face was filled with stubbornness.

"My origins are not something I could control, Sister. Since you are a demon, do you feel superior and trample on mortals?"