The master suite was a sea of pastel pinks, expensive silks, and the cloying scent of designer perfumes. It was Sofia’s sanctuary. Or it had been, until ten minutes ago.
Lin Ran stood in the center of the room, looking at a $20,000 vanity mirror. She didn't look at the expensive creams or the gold-plated brushes. She looked at the reflection of the girl in the glass.
The black veins—the "Curse of the Rotting Soul"—were still there, tracing jagged paths from her collarbone up to her left temple. In the modern world, it looked like a terrifying skin disease. To Lin Ran, it was a familiar seal.
"Still too weak," she murmured, touching a vein. "But at least the eyes are mine."
Suddenly, the door burst open. Two burly maids, Sofia’s personal "enforcers," marched in, followed by a trembling butler carrying a steaming bowl of noodles.
"Miss Sofia says you have exactly one minute to get out of this room," the head maid barked, grabbing a handful of Lin Ran’s torn clothes to throw them out. "This isn't a dump for countryside trash!"
Lin Ran didn't move. She didn't even look at them. She reached out and took the bowl of noodles from the butler.
"The noodles are late," Lin Ran said. She took a sip of the broth. "And they're bland. But they’ll do for now."
"Are you deaf?!" The maid reached out to grab Lin Ran’s arm.
Snap.
In a movement too fast for the human eye to track, Lin Ran had twisted the maid’s wrist. The woman screamed, dropping to her knees. Lin Ran didn't let go; she used the maid’s hand as a literal sidewalk bench, sitting back on the edge of the vanity while continuing to eat her noodles.
"I said I was taking this room," Lin Ran said between bites. "Go tell your mistress that if she wants her jewelry back, she can find it in the garden pond. I found the clutter... distracting."
"You... you monster!" the other maid shrieked, running out to call for help.
The School of Ancient Arts: The Morning After
The news of Lin Ran’s "miraculous" return had spread through the capital’s elite circles like wildfire, but nowhere was the gossip hotter than at the Academy of Ancient Arts.
Lin Ran walked through the high-tech gates of the school wearing her old, oversized hoodie and a pair of $2 flip-flops. While other students stepped out of limousines in tailored uniforms, she looked like a ghost that had wandered into a fashion show.
"Is that her? The ugly one from the Lin family?"
"I heard she survived a cliff fall. Look at her face... it’s even creepier than before."
Lin Ran ignored the whispers. She was looking for a specific spot. She found it—a long, sun-drenched stone bench near the main fountain, the "Golden Spot" usually reserved for the student council.
She sat down, pulled a bag of spicy dried squid from her pocket, and put her feet up on the marble table.
"Hey! Get off there!"
A group of three students approached. At the center was Lu Han, the scumbag fiancé. He was tall, handsome in a generic way, and wearing a watch that cost more than a small house. Beside him was Sofia, looking pale and fragile, her eyes red from "crying" all night.
"Lin Ran," Lu Han said, his voice dripping with disgust. "Coming back to the city was a mistake. But coming to this school? You’re a stain on the Lu family’s reputation. We’re breaking the engagement. Today."
Lin Ran slowly chewed a piece of squid. She looked at Lu Han, then at Sofia, then back to her squid.
"You’re blocking my sun, Junior," she said calmly.
"Did you hear me?!" Lu Han slammed his hand on the marble table. "The engagement is over! You're lucky I'm even speaking to you. Look at yourself! You’re a freak!"
Lin Ran finally looked up. A cold, predatory glint appeared in her golden eyes. She stood up slowly, the flip-flops making a sharp thwack against the stone.
"You want to break the engagement?" she asked.
"Yes! I'm marrying Sofia. She’s the one with the talent, the beauty—"
"Fine," Lin Ran interrupted. She reached into her hoodie and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper—the original marriage contract. "But in my world, when a servant wants to leave their master, they have to pay a 'Departure Fee.'"
"Servant?! I’m the heir to the Lu family!"
"You're a loud-mouthed brat with a mediocre aura," Lin Ran countered. She stepped into his space. The air temperature around Lu Han suddenly plummeted. He felt his breath hitch as a layer of frost began to form on his expensive watch.
"If you want to marry this lily-scented snake, you have to do one thing," Lin Ran whispered, her voice carrying across the entire plaza.
"What?" Lu Han stammered, his teeth beginning to chatter.
"Kneel. Right here. On the sidewalk. And tell everyone that you aren't worthy of being Lin Ran’s footstool."
The crowd gasped. Sofia stepped forward, her voice trembling. "Sister, how can you be so cruel? Brother Han is just trying to be honest—"
"Shut up, Sofia," Lin Ran said, not even glancing at her. "I can smell the 'Death Qi' on your hands from the ravine. If you speak again, I’ll tell everyone exactly what you paid those two thugs."
Sofia froze, her face turning a ghostly white.
Lin Ran turned back to Lu Han. She tapped the marriage contract against his chest.
"Kneel. Or I'll drain the 'Fire Essence' out of your body right now and leave you as a block of ice for the janitors to sweep up."
To the shock of the hundreds of watching students, Lu Han’s legs actually began to buckle. It wasn't just fear—it was a literal, crushing pressure from the girl in the flip-flops.
Thump.
The "Prince" of the Academy hit the pavement.
Lin Ran smiled, a terrifying, beautiful expression that didn't reach her eyes. She tore the marriage contract into tiny pieces and let them flutter down onto his head like confetti.
"Engagement broken," she announced. She sat back down on the bench and reopened her bag of squid. "Now, someone get me a cold soda. This sun is making me thirsty."
As the crowd stood in stunned silence, a black military SUV pulled up to the curb. The door opened, and a pair of polished boots stepped out.
The "Cursed God of War," Mo Jue, looked across the plaza. His eyes locked onto the girl eating squid on the "Golden Bench."
For the first time in his life, his frozen heart gave a tiny, painful thud.
"Ancestor..." he whispered to himself. "I found you."
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