---o---
Those inside want to get out, and those outside want to get in.
Such was the case with Theresa, who questioned Kiana and the others daily, desperate to enter Ye Feng's world.
Meanwhile, for Ji Lin, who was forced to play the jade xiao, every second spent in that peach-hued, seductive secret chamber felt like an entire year.
Unfortunately, it seemed the more one desired something, the more it remained out of reach.
Theresa was never able to get in.
And Kiana certainly couldn't tell her great-aunt that she was getting her back blown out every day inside. She could only stammer and prevaricate.
However, Kiana's special training inside was indeed yielding results; she had even achieved the second-highest rank in her grade.
This was solid, undeniable proof. Theresa had even specifically pulled the surveillance footage to review the exam process, and Kiana truly hadn't cheated.
This only made Theresa's desire to enter reach its absolute peak.
If even Kiana could achieve the second-best score in the entire grade through this special training, what kind of terrifying results could be achieved if all the students of St. Freya Academy were sent in?
Theresa was filled with infinite yearning, her azure pupils practically glowing.
"No wonder Kiana has been going to bed earlier and earlier. My dear niece may seem idle on the surface, but she's actually working very hard."
Theresa was very pleased.
A Valkyrie's victory is not won through brute force alone.
In many situations, academic knowledge could play an unexpected, even battle-altering, role.
Knowledge is power!
"Yae Sakura, what is it? Why are you staring at me like that?"
Yae Sakura had also moved into the Valkyrie dorms, eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner with everyone else.
For some reason, Theresa felt a natural sense of affinity for this Pseudo-Herrscher.
The existence of Yae Sakura and Higokumaru had also given Theresa a new perspective on Herrschers.
Higokumaru, in particular, was basically just a little brat.
At this moment, seeing the hidden desire in Theresa's eyes, Yae Sakura's mood was extremely complicated.
This little girl, who so closely resembled Kallen... she reminded her of those beautiful memories.
"No, it's nothing. Please pay it no mind."
But she wouldn't betray her Benefactor over it.
After all, she had been given "instructions" by her Benefactor.
"You can go there too, can't you, Yae Sakura? Could you tell me your thoughts on it in detail?"
The Principal strode over, standing on her tiptoes and gazing up at Yae Sakura with shining eyes.
"This..."
Yae Sakura hesitated. "Principal, why do you wish to enter the Benefactor's world?"
"Because it is my duty as Principal," Theresa declared, placing a hand on her hip and giving a thumbs-up. "—If the training effects there are truly that good. Hmm? Yae Sakura, why are you sighing?"
"...It's nothing. I was born this way."
"Ah, speaking of which, I must thank you, Sakura," Mei chimed in as she walked over.
"Through my sparring sessions with Sakura, I have gained many new insights into the 'North Star One-Blade Style'."
Theresa's eyes widened. "Sparring? Can't you two spar in the real world? We even have simulation training rooms."
"It's different," Mei explained. "The degree of experience accumulation is worlds apart. There, we spar with real blades, because even if we get injured, we can recover instantly."
Yae Sakura's fox ears twitched. That was because the Benefactor had applied a "status effect" to Mei.
Sakura just didn't understand why the Benefactor wanted her to train Mei to the death, with the intensity cranked as high as possible.
Their battles were almost nonstop, always at the highest intensity.
Their hearts pounded furiously, feeling as if they would leap out of their throats.
However, even if Yae Sakura didn't fully understand, she would resolutely carry out her Benefactor's task.
---o---
Just then, Ji Lin had just finished her evening bath. Draped in a light inner robe, a sheer gauze cloak floated around her, seemingly still emitting steam that flushed her cheeks a rosy pink.
She returned to her room, an antique and elegant attic that Ye Feng had specially prepared for her.
Ji Lin lit the bronze lamp on the small table and, under its golden glow, unrolled an ancient book of woven wooden slips.
She would read by lamplight to dispel the... scorching heat in her heart.
Yet, no matter how she tried, she couldn't immerse herself in the world of the book as she once could. The moment she closed her eyes, the absurd scene from earlier replayed in her mind automatically.
Ji Lin felt... sullied.
She put down the ancient book and went to the small stream outside the attic. Squatting down, she raised a slender, fair wrist, cupped a handful of water, and washed her eyes.
The cool, flowing water could not wash away the agitation in her heart; on the contrary, it seemed to grow even more intense.
Ji Lin felt as if she were back in that moment again.
She had stood there, her face crimson, nearly fainting on the spot from the sheer heat of her embarrassment.
Even so, she had to continue playing the jade xiao with her mouth.
And that bastard Ye Feng was even more of a scoundrel. For every wrong note, he made her take a step forward.
Ji Lin had already reached the edge of the large bed. Her snow-white feet, treading on the damp floor, were pressed against the base of the bedframe, unable to advance any further.
One more wrong note, and she would be on the bed.
Panic mounted in Ji Lin's heart, causing her to make mistakes with increasing frequency.
In the end, she stepped onto it.
The pristine white bed was soft, like stepping on clouds, as if her entire body would sink into it.
The surface of the bed was like a roiling sea. The wind howled as it pitched violently, and Ji Lin felt like a lone skiff tossed in a tempest, now thrust to the crest of a wave, now plunging into a trough.
Just like her emotions.
A classical and traditional maiden, standing on the great bed, her mind nearly boiled into mush.
Her five senses grew hazy. Her vision could only make out two intertwined snakes.
And there stood Ji Lin, dressed in a pure white silk robe, chaste and holy, as ethereal as a goddess emerging from the water, poised to become an immortal.
Her slender feet were planted on the bed. The arches were smooth and delicate, her skin like jade—so crystal clear and snow-white it was almost translucent. From time to time, a few drops of sweat would splash onto them.
At this, Ji Lin would flinch like a startled rabbit, her toes curling adorably.
She tried to cover one foot with the other, but the smooth, snow-white arches could not be completely hidden.
The stray droplets of sweat were like a fine coat of wax, covering her arches and making her feet glisten with an even more crystalline sheen.
Through the delicate, translucent skin on the tops of her feet, the faint blue of her veins could just be seen.
Even now, Ji Lin's jade feet still felt like they were on fire.
She had already washed them meticulously once before, and now she had submerged them in the cool, flowing stream, but those searing little specks of heat felt as if they had been branded into her very soul, impossible to banish.
The classical maiden's heart trembled from the scorching sensation.
"Red Kite..."
Under the moonlight, Ji Lin let the cool water flow over her delicate hands.
She clenched her fists, her fine hair swaying. With a desolate gaze, she looked in the direction of the golden birdcage.
"What am I to do..."