Second Case 09: Alone

Alas, luck didn't side with Zhao Yu this time. When Liu Meifeng entered the room there stood Zhao Yan and his subordinates. Liu Meifeng still remembered Zhao Yan but she didn't know that Zhao Yan had recognized her as well. Ever since Liu Meifeng arrived in the room, Zhao Yan nearly never blinked his eyes. He carefully watched every gesture she made as if she would disappear if he blinks. This of course caught the attention of the political teacher, Hu Zhang.

Hu Zhang looked at Liu Meifeng and then back to Zhao Yan. Knowing that Zhao Yan had an interest in the new disciple, he smirked and continued to instruct Liu Meifeng about the procedures.

"So, you're named Xu Haoran?", Hu Zhang asked.

Liu Meifeng gave a salute and said, "It is the name. It's an honor to be here.",

"Hoo, I'm gonna like you.", Hu Zhang chuckled and continued, "First, please step forward to the circle and then touch the crystal ball with both of your hands.",

Liu Meifeng nodded and did exactly what Hu Zhang asked. A few seconds later, the crystal ball emitted a pure white light from its core. Zhao Yan and his subordinates who were present in the room showed a look of surprise.

"N-no way…", said Hu Zhang dumbfounded, he blinked thrice to make sure if he didn't see it wrong. He also made sure to look at the other subordinates, apparently, they all had a similar expression as he did.

"Um…", Liu Meifeng smiled awkwardly, "Is this… alright?",

"It's more than 'alright'.", Zhao Yan suddenly rose from his seat, jumped down, and walked towards Liu Meifeng.

"You, young… man. You had an unusual talent… for the crystal ball to glow with a clear light like this, you had to be a very special one… one that only showed up once in a hundred years.",

Hearing Zhao Yan described the light that she got, Liu Meifeng suddenly recalled what Feng Mingxu had said earlier.

"I-Is it… Zhongli house…?", Liu Meifeng asked timidly, yet her face didn't show any surprise. After all, she had been training for 10 years under Duan Gen's instruction. The theory was harsh, the training almost got her killed several times, and more importantly, Duan Gen often feed her a prolonged life pill to survive until she reach 18 years old. The obstacles are real, the lesson is one to be remembered for lifetimes, of course, she isn't too surprised knowing that she will be appointed into a rare class. Since the class is so rare, of course, she will get the attention of many people even outside of the Zuguo kingdom. This of course had already been predicted by her to make her parents realize how amazing she is. But of course, in the end, it's a big gamble that she ain't sure to win.

"Um… is there another student who got appointed in the same house as me?",

Zhao Yan stroked his beard and shook his head, "As far as I remember… no… except you, most of the new disciples were appointed to the Jingong house. Are you uncomfortable for being the only one who is worthy as a disciple of Zhongli house?",

"No, no. Of course not… it's just… I can't imagine living alone in the big and spacious dormitory all by myself.",

"Oh, you need not worry about that. Although, it is true that you'll be the only disciple who stayed there. However, there were few people who lived there to take care of the dormitory. So, you won't be alone."

"Are there any seniors living there?",

"No. Except you, not a single disciple lives there and the former Zhongli disciples all already died a hundred years ago during the war."

"I see… then, I as the new disciple of the Zhongli house, I won't let you down.", Liu Meifeng bowed and saluted Zhao Yan.

Although, Zhao Yan is very happy that he has found a new successor for Zhongli house. However, the fact that this kid is Duan Gen's grandchild somehow felt complicated. Especially about their real gender… is it a boy or a girl?

Zhao Yan shook his head in distress and told Liu Meifeng to get ready to move to Zhongli's dormitory. Liu Meifeng bowed and then took her to leave.

When Liu Meifeng retreated from the room, her friends including Zhao Yu were waiting for her. When they saw Liu Meifeng coming out of the room, they immediately surrounded her and flooded her ears with the same questions.

"Which houses were you in?",

Liu Meifeng smiled wryly and took a step back to maintain a proper distance. She coughed and then awkwardly told them that she had been appointed to Zhongli house. This of course shocked her friends, especially Zhao Yu.

As someone who had been together with him in the past, she's shocked to know how strong Xu Haoran had become in this life. In their previous lives, Xu Haoran was only proficient in theory and logic, but never an active one. Even in sports, he barely put any effort into it. She thought that he would be the same in this life, however, facts prove her wrong and she had to accept the fact that he won't be in the same house as hers.

"Wow, I knew that you were smart and hardworking, but I didn't expect you to get appointed to the Zhongli house." Although the words were a bit discouraging, Gu Yunxi said them in a tone full of admiration.

"Yeah, I thought you'd be in the same house as me." Feng Mingxu pretended to be disappointed, apparently, he was still not satisfied with his outcome.

"Although we're going to live in different houses, I'll make sure to come and visit you, Haoran!", Zhu You patted Liu Meifeng's shoulder as if trying to reassure her.

Liu Meifeng nodded and said, "Yeah, I'll make sure to visit you and the others too… when I have free time.",

"You'd better!", Gu Yunxi smiled and showed her pearly teeth.

"Will you… visit me too?",

Suddenly, Zhao Yu asked in a low voice from behind. Liu Meifeng turned to Zhao Yu and found her standing next to her while hiding her arms behind her back. This gesture is somehow quite similar to her former best friend, Huang Liangjin in her previous life as Xu Haoran. However, Liu Meifeng quickly dissipated the idea of thinking that Huang Liangjin also got reincarnated in this world.

Yeah, there is no way he'd become Zhao Yu. Counting her and Zhao Yu's ages were only divided by 1 year, of course, he didn't believe Huang Liangjin would die a year after she got executed. Yep, no matter how you think about it, it's impossible… unless he got into an accident…

Liu Meifeng who was thinking suddenly got worried. What if Huang Liangjin actually got reincarnated into this world? Or is it just a coincidence?

"Hao– Brother Xu?",

"Eh… ah, yes of course! I'll visit you… too.",

Zhao Yu who was unsure about Liu Meifeng's response, now suddenly became happy and showed the brightest smile, "Thank you… I'll… visit you too.",

"Yeah, that would be great.", Liu Meifeng saw her smiling and couldn't help smiling too. The atmosphere between the two suddenly becomes subtle and hard to be ignored by the people around them. Especially, Gu Yunxi…

"Okay, okay! Let us go back to the inn and pack our things!", Gu Yunxi pulled Liu Meifeng's sleeve and forcefully dragged her along.

"Ah, right. Yunxi, please wait for me!", Zhu You immediately dashed away to catch up with Gu Yunxi and Liu Meifeng.

Feng Mingxu also bid his farewell to Zhao Yu and then left. When everyone had left, Zhao Yu was the only one who was still standing there. She looked in the direction where Liu Meifeng and the others went. She who was used to being alone, now somehow felt a bit sad and lonely. Even the quiet wind that passed by somehow felt a bit cruel…

…

...

The next day, the students of Xue Hu sect were told to gather at the main hall for the ceremony. All of the students who got accepted were all wearing the uniform based on their assigned house. The students of Jingong house wore a red and black uniform, while the students of Fangshou house wore a blue and black uniform. The students were praising each other's uniforms, saying that they looked good. Suddenly, Liu Meifeng came in a white and black uniform. Since her uniform is the only one who's different, she becomes the main attention of the crowd.

"Who is she…? Which house did he belong to?",

"Hey, isn't that Xu Haoran?",

"You mean the handsome guy who performed splendidly during the mock battle?",

"He's really good looking!",

There were many students who murmured gossip about Liu Meifeng. However, she didn't care about them. All she needs is to finish her mission given by Duan Gen, and obtained longevity. Although she did think like that, she couldn't help feeling a bit separated from the other students.

Soon, all the teachers showed up inside the hall along with Zhao Yan. One of the teachers rearranged the students according to their houses. The disciples of Jingong form a line on the right, Fangshou in the middle, and Zhongli on the left. Due to this arrangement, Liu Meifeng stood out once again. How could she not? She's the only one who's standing on the left alone.

"Ahem. First, I'd like to congratulate you for passing the test and joining our sect family. As all you may know, this year we have obtained someone who is more than a prodigy joined the Zhongli house. That extraordinary… boy and his unlimited talents have brought him to this sect to become even better for the greater good. And that boy is standing on the left side right now, you may all want to take a look at him. His name was… Xu Haoran.",

After Zhao Yan's short speech, everyone suddenly turned their gazes towards Liu Meifeng. Liu Meifeng felt a cold sweat from her back and smiled wryly, "Thank you, Zhangmen. I'm really grateful to be a disciple of Xue Hu sect. I hope I won't let you down.",

Zhao Yan smiled and replied, "Yes. Although you are alone in the Zhongli house, however, your other friends are here, together with your seniors. I hope you won't get too lonely.",

"Yes, thank you very much, Zhangmen.", Liu Meifeng gave a salute to Zhao Yan. Zhao Yan gave a slight nod as a response, then continue to give a briefing speech for the other students.

The speech has been going on for an hour and a half. The teachers were assigned to show the new students around the sect, such as their dormitories, classrooms, practice hall, bathroom, library, alchemy room, and the sect's garden. Zhao Yan was known for his talents and gardening hobbies. This is why in Xue Hu sect there is a garden where you can find rare plants and trees.

The tour lasted about 2 hours, and since their belongings have been sent to their rooms. The students were given the freedom to walk around the sect or the village. Liu Meifeng who had no interest in going outside had made her way to the Zhongli house's library. Needless to say, each dormitory has its own library, this is happen due to the far distances between the main building and the dormitories. This is why Zhao Yan decided to build a library in each dormitory and stocked some treasures there based on each house.

Liu Meifeng entered the library and began to browse the bookshelves. She found a book called 'The Sea Goddess", she didn't know why this book seemed so appealing as the other books. So, she took the book, walked toward the bench, and began reading the fairy tale. When she first opened the book and saw the content, she was surprised by the detailed information regarding the sea goddess.

"Have a rare eye color, long blue hair, and have the ability to read a person's heart.",

Liu Meifeng flipped to the next page and fortunately, there was an illustration of the sea goddess's appearance.

"No way…",

In the illustration, the face of the sea goddess and her match. Not only the face, even the eye color, ability, and height. It's as if they were twins…

"I don't remember being a goddess in my past life… what the heck is this supposed to mean?",

"What goddess?", Zhu You who had just arrived come to pick Liu Meifeng. Since the students were given the freedom to do anything for a day. Gu Yunxi and Feng Mingxu planned to eat lunch at Xue Hu sect's cafeteria together. Who knows that Zhu You had offered himself to pick Liu Meifeng by himself.

"Oh… brother Zhu. What are you doing here?",

"Well, aren't you lonely living in this large building by yourself? I've decided to move here with you.",

"Oh, sure thing. You can be my study buddy here, I easily get bored when I'm studying alone. So, how about we start to memorize some herbs?",

"Hahaha, no thanks. I was just kidding! You know that I'm bad at those kinds of stuff. Besides, I'm here to come to pick you up. Yunxi and Mingxu were waiting at the cafeteria, they said they sell various food from various places. Isn't it too unique to have that kind of festive in a cultivation sect?",

"Well, I guess you're right. Let me put this book back first.",

"Oh, what were you reading? Oh, it's about our goddess.",

"Huh? You know her?",

"Everyone in Qianghai kingdom knows about the sea goddess. You're a mixed blood between the people of the sea and earth, were you?",

"Well, yes… but, I didn't specifically know about the sea goddess.",

"Well, that's because the people these days rarely worshiped her. The only one who's still worshipping the goddess is either an elder or the royal family. So, it's natural that you don't know.",

"I see. Anyway, let's go to the cafeteria. I bet Yunxi got pissed off for waiting too long.",

"Hahaha, she is!",

Liu Meifeng and Zhu You went together to the cafeteria. When they arrived, just as Liu Meifeng had predicted, the moment the two showed up, Gu Yunxi immediately threw a tantrum at them for being as slow as a snail. Both Liu Meifeng and Zhu You tried to calm her down, since Gu Yunxi is so hungry, she let them go and was finally able to eat the food she had ordered. No matter, everyone's happy!