Steps

The Dean watched He Wei Ni Ya's figure disappear from sight.

However, he did not return to the boys' dormitory. Instead, after handing over the remaining work to his subordinates, he quickly left.

There is only one place he wants to go.

After quickly walking along the dangerous mountain path, the Dean saw Anita standing in front of the hut.

The latter was clearly waiting here for the Dean to arrive.

"... Anita." The Dean narrowed his eyes slightly. "It seems the principal is indeed still awake."

"The principal is very worried about what happened tonight," Anita said calmly. "He doesn't want the Lord's Grand Ceremony to be affected, so, Dean, please resolve these troublesome matters as soon as possible."

"That's exactly why I'm here," the Dean said. "Miss Anita, may I come in?"

Before Anita could speak, Ulysses' aged voice came from inside the room. "Let him in, Anita."

With Ulysses' permission, Anita stepped aside and opened the door for the Dean.

The Dean immediately entered and saw Ulysses sitting behind his desk, holding a cane, with his eyes half-closed, as if he had fallen asleep.

Although there were many things the Dean wanted to ask directly, he took a deep breath and lowered his head when he saw this scene.

"I'm sorry to have disturbed your rest, Principal."

Upon hearing this, Ulysses widened his eyes slightly, looked at the Dean in front of him, and said softly, "You are still as energetic as you were twenty years ago, La Wu Er. The notes haven't faded yet. It's truly remarkable that you can participate in two consecutive Grand Ceremony."

"After all, I was once your student," the Dean replied respectfully.

"Oh... really? I thought you'd forgotten."

"I will never forget your teachings and kindness in my life," the Dean said. "That's why I came directly to you tonight."

"Oh?"

"If it weren't for your kindness, I would have examined He Wei Ni Ya myself just now," the Dean said, emphasizing each word. "You should know what that means."

"Oh?" Ulysses asked. "What does that mean?"

"...Please stop joking, Principal," the Dean said. "You're already this old. In this academy...no, in the entire Holy Sound, no one doesn't regard you as the greatest performer. You shouldn't let that title be tarnished."

Ulysses laughed.

It wasn't a mocking laugh, nor did it carry any sarcasm; it was just an ordinary laugh from an ordinary old man.

Even so, the smile still sent a chill down the Dean's spine.

"I understand, La Wu Er, I understand what you mean." Ulysses tapped the ground lightly with his cane, making a crisp sound. "You mean I condoned He Wei Ni Ya's murder and theft of her voice in the academy, and even had Anita cover for her. And you didn't expose her on the spot to save face for me, not wanting me to tarnish my reputation in my later years... Is that what you mean?"

The Dean dared not reply, but the meaning conveyed in his expression was obvious.

"La Wu Er, you're always like this." Ulysses sighed softly. "Why can't you be more straightforward? Always beating around the bush and looking back and forth. It was like this twenty years ago, and it's still like this now."

"... I don't understand what you mean."

"No, of course you understand." Ulysses looked into the Dean's eyes. "You don't dare to expose He Wei Ni Ya because you can't be 100% sure that all of this was really at my behest. If you're wrong, if you overturn Anita's examination in front of everyone and then find that He Wei Ni Ya is innocent, how will everyone view you, who has always claimed to be my disciple? Admit it, La Wu Er, you don't care about me as much as you say you do; you care more about yourself."

The Dean's expression stiffened for a moment, and he lowered his head and said, "So this is how you've always seen me?"

"Am I wrong, La Wu Er?" Ulysses said calmly, "Have you forgotten what you did twenty years ago? If it weren't for your..."

"I have not betrayed you!" the Dean shouted. "Never! I have always been by your side. Twenty years ago, what you lacked was the Seventh Sound, not me!"

"Oh, don't be so hasty, La Wu Er. I never said you betrayed me. I know you don't have the guts," Ulysses said. "You dare not disobey me, but you also dare not offend the Primordial Two Great Families. So, twenty years ago, you knew that the Primordial Two Great Families would make a move against my Seventh Sound before the Grand Ceremony, preventing me from completing the Divine Song, but you never told me and watched it happen."

The Dean's face was grim. He knew it was an undeniable fact, but he still gritted his teeth and said, "Principal, why are you so obsessed with becoming the composer of the divine song? You already have everything, so why are you still fixated on that final step? Is that step really that important to you?"

Upon hearing the Dean's question, Ulysses smiled again, "La Wu Er, are you asking me this question as a former disciple or as the Dean?"

"...Both!" the Dean said. "He was your former student and is now the Dean."

"Even a future principal, right?" Ulysses' smile faded slightly. "To be honest, it's quite remarkable that you, coming from humble beginnings, have managed to get to where you are today. But you're too fixated on this path, and you've forgotten what the essence of a musician is."

"...The performer is the one who brings the music to life," the Dean said in a low voice. "You said this in your first class with me, and I know it's what you've been pursuing all your life, and I even think it's what every performer should be pursuing all their life."

"Yes, La Wu Er," Ulysses nodded. "Since you remember, why did you ask such a question?"

"I just didn't expect you to go to this lengths for it." The Dean also mustered his courage, raising his head to meet Ulysses's gaze. "So what exactly is your goal? To have that guy collect all the notes for you, and then play your 'Sound' to make up for the regret of twenty years ago, or is it..."

"She's nothing but a sheep you've raised. You intend to take everything away just as things are about to settle down? And in the end... to play the symphony for the Lord yourself?"

Faced with the Dean's questioning, Ulysses' expression didn't change much. He simply stared at him calmly, and then slowly asked in return, "What do you think?"

"... No matter which one it is, I will not let you have your way." The Dean straightened his body little by little. "The Holy Sound should no longer produce divine songs, and the Lord should not grant wishes to specific people. Because this could very well lead to the downfall of the Holy Sound that has been passed down for thousands of years, and I will absolutely not allow such a thing to happen."

Ulysses chuckled and shook his head, "La Wu Er, you've really changed. I'm not talking about twenty years ago, but much earlier, when I first met you. Back then, your eyes were so pure, so full of light, but now, all of that is gone. What has blinded you, making you lose even your initial purity and turn you into a liar?"

The Dean's eyelids twitched, but he tried his best to remain calm. "Even if you say that, it won't change my decision, and I will try my best not to involve you in this matter. Pretend I was never here tonight. You don't know who He Wei Ni Ya really is, but at least tonight, she is He Wei Ni Ya, and Xi Ze is still on the run. But what happens after that..."

He paused.

"Principal Ulysses, you are old now, this is no longer your era."

"In that case, you should enjoy your later years and live a life that only exists in other people's memories and textbooks."

After saying that, the Dean turned and left.

Ulysses remained seated, seemingly lost in thought.

After a while, Anita came in and stood quietly beside Ulysses.

"We're almost there," Ulysses said slowly.

"Yes, we'll be there soon."

Anita softly echoed.

"This time, your 'The Roar' will surely become the greatest hymn."

"And that child will be your best stepping stone."

Ulysses smiled at Anita, then extended his hand.

So Anita slowly bent down, half-kneeling in front of Ulysses, and placed her face on his hand, like an obedient lamb.

"Of course," she said softly, "Me too."

What exactly happened?

Back in her dormitory, He Wei Ni Ya immediately pondered this question.

She didn't use [Dominate] on Anita, so why would Anita help her?

Moreover, judging from the Dean's reaction, he had obviously guessed that I was the one who did it. So why didn't he check me again on the spot, but just let me come back like that?

These are two issues.

However, the latter question could only be answered with a degree of certainty from the Dean, so he dared not overturn Anita's explanation on the spot, who symbolized the Principal.

The main issue is the first one.

Why did Anita, or more specifically, why did Ulysses help her?

Since he came to help her, it must mean that Ulysses knew He Wei Ni Ya's identity, and that he knew it from the beginning.

But why is that?

If her "father" Yi Wen helped her to gain greater benefits for the family, then what was Ulysses' purpose in doing so?

He Wei Ni Ya pondered deeply.

Then I realized that the answer should be pretty much the same. As long as we start from the perspective of "it's all for themselves", then Ulysses's motives can be explained.

His goal was also the Seven Sound Divine Song, fulfilling the wish of the Lord of Holy Sound.

He failed twenty years ago, so he hopes to achieve it through He Wei Ni Ya twenty years later.

Or rather...

"Is he waiting for me to collect enough before making a move against me?" He Wei Ni Ya whispered.

It was obvious that she was asking Bai Wei.

"There's no problem starting from this angle," Bai Wei said with a smile. "Anyway, it's all for the sake of the Lord of Holy Sound's wish, so we don't need to think too much about the specific reasons. Let's focus on the more pressing matters at hand."

"What's the current situation?"

"Yes, no matter what the reason, even if that old man wants to take action against you, he will do it last." Bai Wei said, "But what will you do before that, when you have two notes left? That Dean has clearly become suspicious of you... no, not suspicious, but he has already decided on you. However, he is afraid to take action without evidence because of the pressure from that old man. But what if he finds evidence?"

He Wei Ni Ya also came to her senses.

Indeed, as Bai Wei said, whatever Ulysses' purpose, he was at least helping her tonight, and most likely he was waiting until she had collected enough before making any further plans.

However, the Dean is different.

He Wei Ni Ya also knew quite a bit about the Dean.

He knew that the reason this Dean, who came from a commoner background, had achieved his current position was because of his identity as "Ulysses' disciple," or at least he had used this identity to gain the support of the Primordial Two Great Families. That was why he had been so kind to He Wei Ni Ya before, but now, even though he was extremely certain that He Wei Ni Ya was Xi Ze, he dared not take that last bit of risk and turn against Ulysses.

But once he finds solid evidence, he will no longer hesitate.

He Wei Ni Ya thought of the Tuning Master that the dean had deliberately mentioned to her when they Dean.

If he can truly awaken the Tuning Master, and with the Tuning Master's guidance, then He Wei Ni Ya will have no way to hide anymore.

Before this, the Dean would definitely be on high alert against He Wei Ni Ya, making her actions even more difficult.

Unfortunately, the Dean's voice wasn't the two voices He Wei Ni Ya needed.

If she could, He Wei Ni Ya really wanted to bypass the Dean, because she wasn't very confident she could win without using Bai Wei's power.

If she continues to use the power of Bai Wei, He Wei Ni Ya is not sure how long she can hold out.

Especially tonight's unexpected situation forced her to use Bai Wei's power, which she hadn't originally planned to do.

So much so that now...

"Don't worry," Bai Wei said with a smile, "You probably won't have that many people to deal with."

He Wei Ni Ya frowned slightly, and just as she was about to ask for clarification, her vision suddenly blurred.

Pain, intense pain surged into my brain.

He Wei Ni Ya knew the price was coming, and although she tried her best to stay conscious, it was to no avail.

In the end, she didn't even get into bed; she just collapsed on the table and passed out.

But a few minutes later, she woke up again.

"Your body has already reached this point."

Bai Wei looked down at her slender hands and said with a light laugh.

"Well, it seems I should hurry up too... before she completely breaks down."

I'm recommending a friend's book! Those interested can check it out!

Synopsis: "Throughout my life, I have walked on thin ice, upholding my vow to remain pure, and have never broken it!"

"... You asked them what happened?"