Am I a Bad Woman Who Disappointed You? (5K)

He Wei Ni Ya had thought she would be able to get a good night's sleep.

The series of battles she had experienced in recent days had pushed her to her physical and mental limits. She was so weak that she could barely walk steadily and would fall asleep the moment her head hit the pillow.

But that wasn't actually the case; as soon as He Wei Ni Ya closed her eyes, all sorts of sounds came to mind.

Ariana's dying screams, Daphne calling her name with a smile, Ha Duo Ke's Puppet Thread weaving through the air... all echoed in her mind like an unstoppable noise, almost driving her mad.

Until an undeniable voice resounded from the deepest part of my brain.

"Okay, let's go to sleep."

Then the noise disappeared.

Only then was He Wei Ni Ya able to fall into a deep sleep.

When I opened my eyes again, it was already dawn.

He Wei Ni Ya stared blankly at the rising sun, and after a long while, she spoke softly, "Mr. Visas."

"Hmm?" Bai Wei responded.

"Was the voice that rang in my heart last night, the one that lulled me to sleep, your power?" He Wei Ni Ya asked.

"Oh? You still remember?" Bai Wei said with a smile. "Don't worry about it, it's just some insignificant little trick."

"...Yeah?"

"Yes," Bai Wei said slowly. "I don't know why, but the people I work with don't sleep very well. And I didn't have any solutions. But now it's different. I think I've found the trick. Next time you can't sleep, I can sing you a lullaby."

Bai Wei's two short sentences left He Wei Ni Ya with a lot to complain about, but she didn't know where to vent. In the end, she gave up the idea, simply thanked him, and got out of bed.

"Won't you sleep a little longer?" Bai Wei asked. "Today is still the Seven Sound Festival, right? You probably don't have to go to class, right?"

He Wei Ni Ya shook her head. "No, we should prepare to face another troublesome person."

"Another troublesome person?"

"Finnis," He Wei Ni Ya said, "The Primordial Family has sent people to win me over. It's impossible that Finnis is completely unaware of this. I don't think that, given his personality, he would wait for me at the Second Academy as planned after learning about this. So he is very likely to come today, or even more likely he arrived last night. We must prepare to deal with him in advance."

"So you've already thought of all this? That's quite a clever mind," Bai Wei exclaimed. "But you're not just preparing to deal with him, are you? Shouldn't you be choosing your first target?"

He Wei Ni Ya nodded slightly.

To be honest, this is also what makes things difficult for her.

At first, He Wei Ni Ya planned to start with the easy Golden Sound, and leave Finnis, who looked like a tough guy, for later.

However, Daniel, who appeared yesterday, is an even more dangerous and troublesome figure, even one that has been certified by Bai Wei.

So what happens next? The Primordial Family already has two members. Will there be even more powerful ones later? After all, those who can become Golden Sound are mostly extraordinary. If they continue to hesitate and be timid like this, they will definitely achieve nothing.

Hesitation was not in He Wei Ni Ya's nature.

So now is the time to prepare, and the first target is... Finnis.

Having made her decision, He Wei Ni Ya immediately got out of bed, quickly composed herself, and then went out.

If Finnis really comes to the Three Academies to find her, it will be a good opportunity, at least better than taking action in the Second Academy where she is unfamiliar with the place.

So He Wei Ni Ya's first task was to find a suitable place to carry out her plan and come up with a reason that wouldn't arouse suspicion, lest she be caught as soon as she made her move, which would be too foolish.

However, He Wei Ni Ya didn't start from scratch in this regard. After all, when she first arrived at the academy a year ago, she was already thinking about how to collect those Golden Sound. This led her to travel to every corner of the Three Academies and select several suitable places to start.

The Forbidden Forest, where Ayman was attacked, and the Small Church where Ariana was ambushed, were both locations that He Wei Ni Ya had chosen as auspicious sites.

However, the Small Church is no longer usable, but the school staff are still guarding it.

The Forbidden Forest still usable, since it's too big to guard properly, and there's a Snowthorn Beast wandering around inside that hasn't been dealt with yet.

But isn't inviting Finnis to the Forbidden Forest a bit too blatant? If Finnis knows there are Snowthorn Beast in the Forbidden Forest, then things become very suspicious.

As He Wei Ni Ya pondered, she walked to the lobby on the first floor.

Just as she was thinking of sitting by the fire to sort out her thoughts, she suddenly felt a chill on her face. She subconsciously looked up and found that the dormitory door had been pushed open, and a person with a tired face and covered in snowflakes walked in.

And this person was none other than Olenna.

He Wei Ni Ya immediately remembered seeing Olenna here last night, and Olena looked just as tired then.

No, she was even more exhausted now than she was last night; she looked like a lifeless corpse.

Moreover, judging from Olenna's current state, it seems she has been outside all night.

She stayed there all night... what was she trying to do?

He Wei Ni Ya narrowed her eyes slightly.

She didn't like leaving such a suspicious matter until the next day, so she abandoned the idea of sitting by the fire and immediately stood in front of Olenna.

"Miss Olenna," He Wei Ni Ya said with a smile, cutting straight to the point, "What are you doing?"

Olenna didn't react at first, and after a few seconds of stunned silence, she belatedly realized who was blocking her way.

"He Wei Ni Ya!" she immediately became alert. "What do you want?"

"That's the question I should be asking," He Wei Ni Ya, standing on the steps and looking down at Olenna. "You haven't been back to your dorm all night, and you're in this state. What are you trying to do?"

Although it was early morning, there were already quite a few people in the lobby, and they immediately looked over after hearing the commotion. When they saw that it was He Wei Ni Ya and Olenna, they became even more concerned.

Olenna, who was being questioned, was stunned for a moment before her anger finally surged up.

"Who do you think you are?!" Olenna demanded. "What I do is none of your business!"

"Originally, it was none of a problem," He Wei Ni Ya said calmly, "But your furtive behavior has made me uneasy, Miss Olenna. You know, the Grand Ceremony is approaching, and the academy is not as peaceful as it used to be. Yesterday, an innocent student was poisoned."

"What does this have to do with me?" Olenna hadn't quite grasped the situation yet.

He Wei Ni Ya looked into Olenna's eyes and said, word by word, "Some people will resort to underhanded means to climb the social ladder. That's why yesterday, Teacher Adele kept reminding us to be careful of people with strange behavior, especially... people who belong to the same musical scale as us."

He Wei Ni Ya had put it this way, and even if Olenna was slow to react, she would understand what she meant.

Then, even more anger surged forth, and everyone in the hall heard Olenna roar at He Wei Ni Ya, "You think I would murder you?! He Wei Ni Ya, you think I would murder you?! Murder you by the most despicable means?!"

"To be honest, I didn't mean to assume the worst of you, classmate." He Wei Ni Ya's tone remained calm, but her words were sharp and cutting. "However, Olenna, you have a history of misconduct with me, don't you?"

He Wei Ni Ya's words made Olenna's eyes widen, and her body trembled uncontrollably.

"I didn't do it..." she screamed in a hoarse, trembling voice. "I didn't do it last time either, and this time... no, not this time! I would never do such a thing! I would never!"

After saying that, she walked straight past He Wei Ni Ya and headed upstairs.

But He Wei Ni Ya grabbed her wrist directly.

"If you didn't do any of it, then what are you rejecting?" He Wei Ni Ya stared at Olenna's collar. "Don't you dare let me see what you're hiding in your clothes? Who knows if you've been out all night tinkering with some contraband? Like Temperance Worm, Poison Dart Frog, and Three-Step Snake..."

As He Wei Ni Ya rattled off one poison name after another, one by one, the people in the hall stood up.

Most of the people here witnessed Aimiya's gruesome death yesterday, or at least heard about it, and were naturally deeply disturbed. Everyone was on high alert regarding the possibility of poisoning.

Now that He Wei Ni Ya has used this reason to stop Olenna, whom they already have a precedent for, they are naturally even more wary and concerned.

"Olenna, if you're okay with it, let everyone see."

It's unclear who in the crowd uttered those words first.

As a result, the herd mentality caused this argument to spread like wildfire.

"Yes, Olenna, if you're okay with it, let us take a look."

"Why are you staying out all night at a time like this? What are you trying to do?"

"Don't blame He Wei Ni Ya for being wary of you; you've set a precedent."

Olenna hadn't expected to suddenly find herself in such a predicament. She wasn't good with words to begin with, and in this situation, she had no idea how to defend herself. As a result, her already pale face became even paler.

Finally, with a "smack," she shook off He Wei Ni Ya's hand.

"He Wei Ni Ya!" She stared intently at He Wei Ni Ya, her eyes seemingly glistening with tears. "Remember this, I, Olenna Lawrence, would never resort to such despicable methods."

"But I will defeat you! Remember that, I will defeat you, and I will defeat you honorably!"

"Today... no, all the pain and humiliation you've brought me so far, I will repay you! I will repay you tenfold!"

"And that day... won't be long!"

After saying that, she turned and went upstairs, ignoring everyone else.

Then, the lobby fell into a deathly silence.

Slowly, sounds began to emerge.

"What's with this guy's arrogance?"

"I think she's trying to poison me, Miss He Wei Ni Ya, you must be careful of her."

The discussion intensified.

"She and Lord Finnis don't seem like siblings at all."

"Besides, after talking for so long, she still hasn't shown us anything. I think she's just feeling guilty. Why don't we just rush into her room and search it up right now!"

While everyone was engaged in a heated discussion, He Wei Ni Ya remained silent.

She lowered her head and looked at her palms.

His palms were covered in bloodstains... naturally, they belonged to Olenna.

Moreover, when Olenna turned around, He Wei Ni Ya also saw Olena's body through her collar.

They discovered that the musical scale patterns, which should have been silver, were emitting a faint golden light.

A dozen minutes later, He Wei Ni Ya was strolling along the edge of the Forbidden Forest again.

Bai Wei's voice echoed in her mind, "What a bad woman. You could have just used my eyes to see, couldn't you?"

He Wei Ni Ya, who was pondering the changes in Olenna's notes, paused slightly upon hearing Bai Wei's words before replying, "Are you referring to what I did just now? Indeed, I could use your eyes to see, but that would incur an additional cost. To be honest, I don't want to waste too much of my life force on her."

"You can also ask me to take a look for you."

"Perhaps I'd rather see it with my own eyes, and also want to test her reaction," He Wei Ni Ya said. "But you're right, I am indeed a bad woman, which disappoints you, doesn't it?"

"Disappointed? Why would I be disappointed?" Bai Wei said with a smile. "Wasn't I praising you?"

"...Yeah?"

"You're willing to do anything to achieve your goals, that's why you were able to wait for me to come," Bai Wei said. "Otherwise, I would be working with someone else now."

"Wouldn't someone else be better?" He Wei Ni Ya said. "In your eyes, shouldn't an uncontrollable, disobedient bad woman like me be a good partner?"

"Well..." Bai Wei said slowly, "Who knows?"

... He's started being a riddle teller again.

He Wei Ni Ya wasn't sure if she should have asked more questions.

But at that moment, footsteps suddenly came from the Forbidden Forest, instantly making He Wei Ni Ya tense up.

Who will emerge from the Forbidden Forest?

She immediately took out her staff, turned her head to look, and then...

"Mr. Daniel?"

The person who came out was Daniel, who was holding a staff.

"Oh ho ho, it's great to see you here, Miss He Wei Ni Ya." Daniel greeted He Wei Ni Ya with a smile. "We really are destined to meet... but it's also a pity that we have to run into you at this time. I was planning to tidy myself up after I was done before I went to see you."

Although she didn't sense any hostility from Daniel, He Wei Ni Ya remained sufficiently vigilant.

After all, he came from the Forbidden Forest.

He Wei Ni Ya came to the Forbidden Forest to find a good place to kill, and she had a legitimate reason for it.

But what is Daniel here for?

Daniel noticed He Wei Ni Ya's wariness, then smiled and put his staff away.

"Don't be nervous, Miss He Wei Ni Ya," he said with a smile. "I'm just helping to clean up the trash at your teacher's request."

"Clean up the trash?"

"Yes," Daniel said, "It's that... Snowthorn Beast, you should know it, right?"

"Everyone in the college knows."

"I think so, after all, it's already caused several deaths." Daniel said with a smile, brushing the snow off his clothes. "To be honest, when I heard about the Snowthorn Beast, I thought I had traveled back more than ten years. Wasn't that thing supposed to be gone a long time ago? How did it suddenly reappear? Then your teacher told me that there was only one, and it was not easy to deal with. After all, the Grand Ceremony was approaching, and they couldn't spare any manpower, so they asked me to come and take a look."

Hearing Daniel say this, He Wei Ni Ya relaxed her guard slightly and put away her staff.

Of course, that was only on the surface. In reality, she had put the staff back into her sleeve, making sure she could draw it out at any time.

"Does the young master of the prestigious Primordial Family have to do this kind of work?" He Wei Ni Ya asked. "Aren't you afraid of the danger?"

"What's so dangerous about a Snowthorn Beast?" Daniel said with a smile. "I had nothing else to do, so I just came to take a look around. Besides, even if I'm not afraid of death, there are plenty of people in your academy who aren't."

He Wei Ni Ya keenly discerned something from Daniel's words.

What do you mean by that?

"Because I've noticed quite a few people wandering around in the woods here," Daniel said. "I saw a few when I came over this morning."

Early morning?

He Wei Ni Ya immediately thought of Olenna, so she feigned surprise and asked, "Really? What are they doing?"

"What else can we do?" Daniel said casually. "It's a regular event at every Grand Ceremony, Advancement Magic, of course."

Advancement Magic?

The image of Olenna's golden light floating above the silver musical notes instantly flashed into He Wei Ni Ya's mind.

"What is that?" she asked immediately, then added as if realizing something was amiss, "I was just asking casually. If it's something private..."

"It's not exactly private, but it is indeed Forbidden Magic." Daniel clearly didn't mind sharing with He Wei Ni Ya, and he said with a smile, "Besides, it has nothing to do with us. After all, it's Advancement Magic, and everyone knows what it does, and we've already reached the top. Of course, it's not impossible to use it if you really want to, but there's no need."

Advancement Magic... This wasn't the first time He Wei Ni Ya had heard this term.

She had heard the term in many places long before the Seven Sound Festival.

They even came into contact with someone who seemed to use the same magic— Ayman.

But at that time she didn't care much about this magic. After all, she was already Golden Sound, and there was still a lot she needed to learn, so she put this aside for the time being.

It was also because she had never heard of anyone being able to reach the Gold rank through this magic.

"Is it really possible?" He Wei Ni Ya asked, "To advance from the silver rank to the gold rank?"

"Of course," Daniel replied with a smile.