“May, let's not talk about it,” Peng Chen replied dismissively, which was clearly out of character for him.

  However, she decided not to stop pressing him. She suspected his sister of murder, which was certainly not easy for him, but...

  Should I just leave it alone? I want their parents to be punished. Abusing children and getting Zu addicted to drugs is unforgivable. But just who was the slaughtered cousin?

  “Who was this cousin?” May asked interrogatively, not intending to pretend that nothing had happened.

  “What difference does it make?” he replied, clearly flabbergasted. “May, it's late, so I think I should go...”

  May stood right in front of the door, blocking the way. She invited him to her room for tea, but she had a hidden agenda. Whether or not she liked it, May was also involved. It was her fault, but she had to know the truth. And what she would do with it was a mystery even to herself.

  “It changes a lot,” she replied. “Justified revenge or a blind attack of rage against an innocent person to hurt the oppressors.”

  This time he was no longer disgusted, but offended. May, however, was not bothered by this. If her suspicions were true, she could also get hurt. Knowledge was a curse in this case.

  “I don't know what you're talking about,” he replied, narrowing his eyes and trying to get to the door. “Get away from that door, I want to leave.”

  May continued to block the door.

  “You know what I'm talking about,” she said curtly and with unusual seriousness. After a moment, however, she realized that perhaps he just wanted to protect his sister, so she quickly decided to soften her tone. “If you know the truth, please tell me. My ignorance only complicates everything.”

  The boy seemed confused. “I... I don't know, and I don't want to know.”

  Is he telling the truth or bluffing? Well, if I were in his place, I would want to know if my sister had killed someone, and I would definitely find out. And he doesn't seem so different from me.

  “Are you telling me that you, Peng Chen, who wanted to find out what happened to your sister at all costs and asked me for help many times, didn't even bother to ask your own sister about it?”

  “I've told you this before. I promised her that I trust her completely,” he replied, not looking her in the eye. If he was lying, he was certainly more suited to being an actor than a cultivator.

  If I were in his shoes again... I wouldn't tell a stranger that my sister had killed someone either, I would just pretend not to know... Of course, it cannot be ruled out that he is telling the truth. Damn, I could use the ability to distinguish between lies and truth.

  “May, if that's all, I'll be going. It's really quite late, and I have to get up early tomorrow.” He grabbed her arm. Normally, he wouldn't do something like that, but it was clear that he was under a lot of stress.

  May thought for a moment. His grip was getting stronger and stronger; he really wanted to leave her room. May, however, smiled at him, which threw him off his guard a little.

  “Peng, do you really want me to find out the truth myself?” she asked sharply. She decided to change tactics. “I have a few contacts, so...”

  “Let it go,” he replied, loosening his grip slightly. “I wasn't lying when I said I didn't know the truth. But you know what? I can guess what the truth is. I think you can too, right?”

  May frowned. “Damn it.”

  “Yes. Let's keep it that way. I'll pretend our conversation today never happened.” He said with a warm smile, as if he had suddenly returned to his former self.

  May moved away from the door. Peng opened it contemptuously and left her room hastily, as if he was afraid that May would lock it if he didn't leave quickly enough. Once he was out in the hallway, he seemed a little more relaxed.

  “Good night, May,” he said as he left.

  “Good night...” she replied quietly, watching his receding figure. Then she sighed as he disappeared at the end of the hallway and closed the door behind her.

  ───── ??☆?? ─────

  The time has come for the next stage of the test for the chance to become a disciple of Alchemy Path Master Hua Tang.

  May went to the same place as last time. Ma Long failed to advance to the next stage. Including her, only five people made it through.

  “We meet again, Junior May Shang.” She heard someone's voice. Turning around, she saw the same woman with green hair. May bowed gracefully.

  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  “Senior...”

  “Nadine Albrecht, come to think of it, I haven't introduced myself yet, haha, how silly of me.” She smiled. “Is everything okay with Junior Zu Chen?” she asked.

  May furrowed her eyebrows. Nadine was her neighbor in the dormitory and lived across from her. They first met when May was looking for Zu. Unfortunately, the subject of that person was not a pleasant one for her at the moment.

  “Well, I think so,” she replied reluctantly, especially since Zu was still very much alive in her mind. “She’s definitely doing better than I originally thought.”

  Nadine kept smiling. However, she did not continue the conversation. “Good to hear.”

  May was about to ask her something, but suddenly someone appeared behind them. She saw him for the first time, but guessed that it must be Sung Haoyu, who had the second-best score in the first stage.

  He had long black hair tied into two poorly tangled ponytails and bound with red beads. His face was delicate and flawless. There was something feminine about him. However, what attracted the most attention was the tiger-like leather robe on his shoulders.

  “Nadine Albrecht, you've beaten me once again,” he said with a smirk directed at her. May sensed venomous sarcasm in his words. Were they rivals? Suddenly, he turned his gaze toward May. “And who's this? Did you have a baby?”

  “Don't be ridiculous,” Nadine replied coldly. “This is May Shang, but I'm sure you already know that.”

  He laughed quietly.

  “Yes, I've heard something about that,” he replied coldly. This time he addressed her directly. “I'm sorry, but this is no place for children.”

  May didn't understand his words. “What do you mean? I've moved on to the next stage just like you, and age doesn't matter here.”

  “But it does matter. We know who will become Tang's student,” he replied calmly.

  “Oh, really? Then perhaps you can enlighten us? I'd also like to hear what you have to say,” Nadine replied aggressively, no longer even hiding her negative attitude towards the man.

  He just rolled his eyes and leaned against the wall.

  “I'm not saying this to be malicious, but I think it's worth making things clear.” He replied. “Apart from us, those two don't count. They don't stand a chance. As for us... May is too young. Experience matters, and she's only in her first year. Although I admit she has talent, Senior Tang won't accept someone so young, maybe in a few years? So it's a competition between us.”

  “Oh, so you think you're better than me?” Nadine asked. “Don't forget that I scored better than you on the test.”

  “That's debatable,” he smiled. “But unfortunately for you, it's not just about ability. Choosing you is too risky, but I think you already know that, Miss Nadine Albrecht.” He said, emphasizing her strange-sounding name.

  She blushed, but secretly knew he was right. After a moment, Sung Haoyu continued.

  “So, as I said, your participation is a waste of time,” he said, without even looking at them. “The result is already decided.”

  This time, May decided to speak up.

  “So I'm too young, Nadine is a foreigner, and those two are trash?”

  “That's what I said. Do you want me to repeat it a second time, but slower?” He asked sharply, looking down on her. “You may think I'm an asshole, but at least I'm a realistic asshole.”

  May didn't know Tang Hua, so she couldn't tell if he actually took such things into consideration. He could be right, but he could be wrong, and she couldn't tell.

  “No, it's all right.” She replied. “It will be fun to see you lose your confidence when you lose to me.”

  She provoked him a little. After all, life would be too boring if she played the good girl all the time.

  Nadine chuckled at her hopeless provocation, and Sung smiled as if he were looking at a small child having a tantrum. After all, there was a nearly five-year age difference between them, so he had a hard time taking May seriously.

  “Haha, I like your attitude,” he said to her as if she were a child. “I don't like to destroy children's dreams... But in that case, I won't hold back, May Shang, and I'll take your challenge seriously! Just don't cry later when I destroy you.”

  “Sung...” Nadine said. “Don't overdo it...”

  “No. It's fine,” May replied. “That's exactly what I expected. I don't like it when people look down on me. I'd rather be completely destroyed by my opponent than have them give me a head start.”

  “Oh... Interesting,” he said with a smile. “Your defeat will be sweet then, when you regret it and realize the stupidity of your own words.”

  “What are you guys talking about?” The other two, a man and a woman who had been watching from a distance, finally approached them.

  They were both around the same age as Haoyu and Nadine, so it was possible that they already knew each other. The girl looked a bit like Snow White, while the boy seemed eccentric, dressed in overly old-fashioned clothes that were out of style, as even May knew.

  “Oh, it's none of your business,” Sung replied, mocking them. “Even that brat is better than you,” he said, pointing at May. They seemed to be angry at both him and May.

  But I didn't do anything...

  “Sung Haoyu, you haven't changed at all! Okay, Huanhuan, let's get out of here! We don't need to talk to them!” he said and walked away offended.

  They left them, and May had no complaints about them; in their place, she would probably have done the same.

  “Sung Haoyu... What's his problem?” She asked Nadine when they were both alone for a moment.

  She just sighed and shrugged.

  “Grumpiness is in his blood. He's a hopeless case, but that's just how he was born,” she replied with audible resentment in her voice. “You don't have to worry about him too much.”

  She didn't particularly care about his words, but he didn't seem like someone she wanted to be around. There were already too many people with problems and negative attitudes around her.

  May believed that you become like the people you associate with. So she preferred talking to Nadine, who was friendly towards May and offered her some good advice. She preferred to forget about Sung.

  Suddenly, the door opened and Hua Tang came out. Today, he was still wearing rich robes that were more suited to a royal feast than an alchemy laboratory. On his head he also wore something like a Glengarry cap, but with the orange colours of the sect. May reluctantly had to admit that he had a talent for choosing stylish clothes.

  “The second and final stage has just begun,” he said briefly, then turned on his heel and started walking ahead. The five gathered began to follow him.

  It was terribly short speech...