Take His Life

He Wei Ni Ya wasn't sure if it was just her imagination, but the sun seemed to rise later than usual today.

It was already past midnight when she returned to her room, but it still felt like a long time had passed before the first rays of dawn shone on the snow-covered land, which was covered in perpetual winter snow.

He Wei Ni Ya looked at herself in the mirror.

At this moment, she showed no signs of fatigue from not having slept all night. She was dressed in the cleanest and most dignified formal attire, with the most exquisite and elegant makeup, looking like a young lady who had stepped out of a painting.

"It seems you've made your decision." Bai Wei noticed that He Wei Ni Ya's attire was preparation for going to the First Academy. "You're not planning to cooperate with that guy anymore?"

"Yes." He Wei Ni Ya nodded. "If we want to cooperate with him, we need to refuse the Lawrence Family and stay at this academy. But I already promised Finnis yesterday, and changing my mind now could easily arouse their suspicion."

"Hmm, a very thorough consideration." Bai Wei also pointed his finger. "However, in doing so, you'll be leaving the entire Third Academy to him. Is that really a good idea? You still don't know how many wishes the Lord of Holy Sound will grant, right? If two Seven Sound Divine Song Melodies really do appear, then you might still be in competition."

"That's true, but from another perspective, if we keep him in the Third Academy, then no one in the First Academy will compete with me."

"...I see." Bai Wei smiled. "A ranch can't hold two wild beasts. Leave this less valuable academy to him, let him help you attract attention, while you go to the First Academy to collect more valuable notes according to the original plan. Is this the result of your sleepless night? You've thought of it very thoroughly."

He Wei Ni Ya shook her head. "This is not a very comprehensive consideration, and in essence, I don't have many choices. At this stage, the benefits of not cooperating with him are far greater than the benefits of cooperating with him."

After Bai Wei expressed his agreement again, he remained silent, but continued to observe He Wei Ni Ya quietly.

It must be said that He Wei Ni Ya's choice was indeed correct and rational.

After experiencing so much yesterday, being able to maintain the most rational thinking even after a sleepless night truly makes him what Bai Wei called a "qualified predator."

Cold, elegant, and subtle.

As always.

But... is that really the case?

Bai Wei waited quietly.

As the sun fully rises, the bells, silent all day, slowly begin to toll.

This means the school lockdown has ended.

Students and teachers will continue with their classes, work, and... preparations for the Grand Ceremony.

The Grand Ceremony absolutely cannot be delayed; during the Grand Ceremony, closing the school for one day is already the limit.

He Wei Ni Ya sat in the lobby on the first floor, watching the students come downstairs and leave their dormitories one after another.

Most of them had their brows furrowed and spoke in hushed tones, as if afraid of being overheard by outsiders.

Even if you can't hear them, you can roughly guess what they're talking about—whether or not the Xi Ze behind all this has been dealt with.

But they would soon find out the answer, because when they stepped out of the dormitory, they could see Magic Power lines drawn around the Forbidden Forest, and their faces turned ashen.

Obviously, if the problem is solved, these things are not needed.

These Magic Power boundaries do not provide them with much security. Although they are effective for the vast majority of players, can they really restrict players who are hunting down Golden Sound?

Only a very small number of players with poor scales felt optimistic, thinking that the other party would not be interested in them. However, they were soon refuted by others who said that the other party was not only hunting down Golden Sound, but also killing many silver-tone players.

For a time, people were filled with anxiety, and no one knew what the situation was.

The only consolation was that since the academy had returned to normal and even set up Magic Power barrier, it should mean that things were under control... right?

Only He Wei Ni Ya could see the whole picture.

Since she didn't have to attend classes, she sat in the far corner of the lobby on the first floor, watching the hunting band members, who had just returned from the Forbidden Forest, discussing something with heavy expressions.

Why the sudden withdrawal?

"What else could it be? We failed."

"Yes, all the bands that met with that guy were crushed. Two of the Golden Sound bands are confirmed dead at his hands, and two more are out of contact, probably..."

"How could there be such a guy? What do we do now?"

"We can only rely on the Primordial Two Great Families."

"Don't they need to prepare for the Grand Ceremony?"

"That's the problem. Only the Primordial Two Great Families can deal with that guy, but they have to be in charge of the Grand Ceremony. I think that's why that guy is so emboldened. In that case, we have no choice but to retreat. We can't keep throwing our lives away. We'll wait until the Grand Ceremony is over."

"What about the Third Academy?"

"The Third Academy is under lockdown."

"Blockade? What does that mean?"

"Literally, do whatever you want, we're withdrawing anyway. From tomorrow until the Grand Ceremony, no one is allowed to leave the Third Academy," the man said in a low voice. "That guy can transform into other people's appearances, so starting tomorrow, the Primordial Two Great Families will send people to guard the main road. Anyone who wants to leave the Third Academy will be considered as him, and they will take action directly."

"... So, in effect, the Three Academies have been banned from participating in the Grand Ceremony? Will the students be notified?"

"Idiot, how could you tell the students about something like this? If they leave, who will distract that guy?"

He Wei Ni Ya listened silently to the sound of her reflection in her teacup, which was now remarkably blurry.

Then, she felt a darkness in front of her, and someone walked up to her side.

She looked up and saw an elderly man with a full head of silver hair, wearing the Lawrence Family crest on his chest.

"Good morning, Miss He Wei Ni Ya." The old man smiled and patted his chest. "Young Master Finnis sent me to fetch you."

Twenty minutes later, He Wei Ni Ya arrived at the dock of Thousand Snow Lake.

"Shall we leave by boat?" He Wei Ni Ya asked.

"Yes, Miss He Wei Ni Ya," the old man replied with a smile. "It takes about a whole day to cross the entire Thousand Snow Lake from the Three Academies to the One Academy."

Is it that far?

"Of course, after all, this is Pilgrimage Road," the old man said. "It is indeed a bit troublesome on ordinary days, but right now it is the most suitable route, isn't it?"

He Wei Ni Ya looked at the old man.

"With the natural barrier of Thousand Snow Lake, that troublesome fellow has no chance of getting into the One Academy," the old man said. "Of course, even if he does get there, the Lawrence Family will guarantee your safety. Please believe that. We have already assured your father."

Upon hearing the old man's words, He Wei Ni Ya immediately responded with a grateful expression.

There were quite a few people on the dock, the vast majority of whom were musicians from the band that came to hunt down Xi Ze yesterday, and a small number were high-ranking professors from the Three Academies, such as He Wei Ni Ya's Mentor, Lai Ang Na, and the Third Dean Gu Qi.

This scene surprised He Wei Ni Ya somewhat.

In other words...

He Wei Ni Ya turned her head again and looked at the Three Academies.

This magnificent academy, with its history spanning thousands of years, is now shrouded in wind and snow, as if it has been abandoned by the world.

He Wei Ni Ya suddenly thought of Adele. She looked around and, sure enough, didn't see her at the dock.

"I killed my best friend, but I still wasn't selected for the band."

"None of this... makes any sense."

Adele's words from last night echoed in He Wei Ni Ya's mind, and only then did He Wei Ni Ya realize that Adele clearly already knew about the academy's decision today.

"It's time to board, Miss He Wei Ni Ya." The old man's voice brought He Wei Ni Ya from her rather chaotic thoughts. She turned her head and saw the old man, who had boarded the ship first, extending his hand to He Wei Ni Ya. "It's a bit bumpy, please hold my hand."

He Wei Ni Ya nodded.

She also put aside the jumbled thoughts in her mind, quickly stepped forward, and extended her hand to the old man.

Then she heard conversations coming from another ship.

"Where's Hughes? Why hasn't he arrived yet?"

"Don't you know? Hughes is dead."

"Ah?"

"They hunted that guy in the library last night, and they were all wiped out. There was only one Silver Rank Night Watchman left at the scene."

"Are there still survivors?"

"Yes, but they've gone mad."

"... Crazy? How crazy?"

"He's sitting alone in the blood, performing Advancement Magic." The man shrugged. "Don't you think he's crazy?"

He Wei Ni Ya's pupils narrowed slightly.

The outstretched hand stopped in mid-air.

The old man looked at He Wei Ni Ya with some confusion. "What's wrong, Miss He Wei Ni Ya?"

After a brief silence, He Wei Ni Ya slowly withdrew her hand, then smiled and said, "Sorry, I think I forgot something very important and need to go back and get it."

Then, she turned around and stepped into the abandoned academy under everyone's gaze.

The smell of blood.

A strong smell of blood.

The last time I came here, the place smelled of books, and the only trace of blood was from He Wei Ni Ya herself.

He Wei Ni Ya walked through the library, and the mess and blood she saw clearly indicated what had happened there.

Clearly, the musician on the ship's talk about "disposing of the scene" simply meant taking the body away.

They even took away most of the corpses, leaving the broken internal organs and severed limbs inside the facility, completely untreated, making the place look like a living hell.

He Wei Ni Ya could imagine the man's fear; taking away most of the corpses was already the limit of what she could do.

Nobody wants to stay here forever.

Apart from...

He Wei Ni Ya stopped and looked at the boy who was writing furiously in the pool of blood, completely out of place in this place.

Suddenly, she breathed a sigh of relief.

I breathed a sigh of relief; I'd been holding my breath since yesterday.

"What are you doing at this hour?" He Wei Ni Ya asked. "Do you have an exam tomorrow?"

The boy, who was writing furiously, suddenly stiffened and immediately raised his head.

When he saw He Wei Ni Ya, his cloudy eyes were filled with disbelief.

"He Wei Ni Ya!" Auger exclaimed joyfully, "You've finally come!"

"I just came to take a look," He Wei Ni Ya said casually. "I'll be leaving soon."

"That's enough, that's enough." Auger nodded repeatedly, pointing to his notebook. "I was just wondering how to give these to you, and they wouldn't let me bring them to you."

"What's that? A cheat sheet?" He Wei Ni Ya frowned, then subconsciously took two steps toward Auger. "I don't need to take exams anymore..."

She paused halfway through her sentence.

As she got closer, she saw that the silver musical notes on Auger's body were now covered in blood and twisted beyond recognition.

It looked like bones that had been broken.

Auger noticed He Wei Ni Ya's gaze and then forced a smile.

"I'm sorry, He Wei Ni Ya."

"I failed to advance, and all the musical notes are destroyed."

"I am no longer a performer."

"According to the rules, I'm leaving the academy today and heading back to the Seeds... hometown."

"That guy is powerful and ruthless; he said he's going to deal with you."

"I wanted to help you, but I'm just too weak, and I failed to advance... I'm sorry, I couldn't help you."

"But I believe, He Wei Ni Ya, you can do it."

"Please, please don't let that guy kill you."

He Wei Ni Ya couldn't remember how long she had been standing there.

She seemed to be asleep, or as if she were having a dream.

It wasn't until Bai Wei's voice woke her up. "He Wei Ni Ya, if we go any further, we'll be going to find that guy."

She then came to her senses and realized that she had left the library at some point and was standing on the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest, with the Magic Power boundary line standing in front of her.

"You're in bad shape, He Wei Ni Ya," Bai Wei said. "You need to get some rest... Don't forget those people are still waiting for you at the docks."

He Wei Ni Ya opened her mouth as if to say something, but suddenly felt a heavy weight in her hand.

She looked down and saw that it was Auger's old notebook.

The notebook, which looked as if it had been pulled from blood, was slowly seeping blood from He Wei Ni Ya's hands, staining her clean and dignified formal attire beyond recognition.

She opened her notebook.

The above contains various excerpts of sentences and documents, as well as handwritten warnings.

"The weaknesses of the musical spectral system".

"How should a performer resist when faced with a holder of the musical score?"

"The body won't be destroyed; it can even be restored after being crushed into mincemeat!!"

"The spectrum is silver, and it was plundered."

There are many more, including the golden notes that Xi Ze currently possesses, and the Seven Sound Song that he copied from who-knows-where.

"It seems he's really worried that you'll get killed by that guy," Bai Wei said. "If he had more time, I think he would have copied every banned book he could find for you."

He Wei Ni Ya didn't speak; she simply flipped through the pages in silence.

So Bai Wei stopped bothering them.

I don't know how much time passed before she finally spoke.

"Mr. Visas, I don't understand."

"Um?"

"Why would he go to such lengths?" He Wei Ni Ya said. "He came from the same place as me, you know what kind of place that is, you can imagine what we've been through... so why?"

She lowered her head, looking at the notes in her hand, her own eyes filled with confusion.

"I don't understand why he would become... such a person, someone completely different from me."

"I can't understand it," she said softly. "Really, I can't understand it."

The first time.

He Wei Ni Ya felt lost.

There was no pain, no disdain, no pretense.

Only confusion, the purest kind of confusion, as if about to get lost in this heavy snow.

Then she heard Bai Wei's voice. "It's a very interesting question, because a few months ago, I said something similar to someone, and I think... he might be able to answer you."

"You became like this because you met He Wei Ni Ya."

Bai Wei paused.

"He became like that because he met you."

He Wei Ni Ya opened her mouth.

"Please, Miss He Wei Ni Ya, don't kill me, please."

"Hehe, sorry, I can't do that."

"Oh, yes, I'm sorry! Miss He Wei Ni Ya!"

"Oh, it's alright. Why are you so scared? And please call me He Wei Ni Ya!"

Snowflakes drifted down slowly.

It landed on He Wei Ni Ya's face, and on the notebook in her hand.

Time seemed to stand still.

I don't know how much time has passed.

"Is... that really how it is?"

She slowly closed her notebook, gazing at the distant Forbidden Forest, as if she had understood something.

"Mr. Visas".

"Um?"

"What can I give in return?" she said softly, "Enough for you to take that guy's life."