Chapter 511: Academy FFF4

The woman gave a bitter smile.

“I’m the city lord’s abandoned wife.”

This one sentence brought the awkward conversation to an abrupt halt. After that, Ye Wenxin followed the matron into the city. They returned to the same inn and waited for Wu Yong’s arrival.

The matron felt a surge of emotions. Her resolve to change everything strengthened.

She had once been a submissive woman. She couldn’t even perform the simplest tasks like lighting a fire. However, after being forced to survive on her own, she managed to maintain her current situation.

Ye Wenxin smiled. She didn’t dislike the weak, but had little patience for those who refused to make an effort. Seeing how hardworking the matron was, Ye Wenxin thought that once Liu City returned to normal, it might just gain a true female city lord.

However, that was a matter for the future. Ye Wenxin continued to chat with the matron in her juvenile voice. Before long, Wu Yong reappeared.

At first, he looked pleasantly surprised, but it turned to faint disappointment when he saw Ye Wenxin.

It wasn’t just due to thirteen-year-old Ye Wenxin’s deliberately plain appearance. She also naturally wouldn’t attract male attention. But if it were Fairy Fengya, she would still captivate everyone even with a plain face.

The more Ye Wenxin thought about it, the more annoyed she became. She curiously stared at Wu Yong and timidly addressed him, “Sir.”

The matron composed herself and recited everything Ye Wenxin had taught her yesterday. Soon, Wu Yong took Ye Wenxin away. The matron didn’t follow them to Cosmos Academy and left the city. The furballs escorted her along the way to prevent any unexpected incidents.

“So you’re a servant of the Ye family?” Wu Yong’s tone was slightly cold, but he still spoke to Ye Wenxin as they traveled.

“Yes, sir.”

“In the academy, you and your young mistress are equals. You must abandon the servant’s mindset, understand?” Wu Yong continued to instruct her.

His view seemed quite progressive. Ye Wenxin was surprised that someone in this place would advocate for equality.

“In the academy, you are all our students. There are no distinctions between high and low status. We teach without discrimination.”

Wu Yong chattered incessantly. At least eighty percent of what he said was irrelevant. Ye Wenxin listened attentively at first, but eventually, her mind wandered.

After a short while, they finally arrived at Cosmos Academy. Its previously closed gate slowly opened. Strangely, there was no one pushing it. It opened of its own accord, as if it had a consciousness.

This mystical touch surprised Ye Wenxin, but then she remembered that Cosmos Academy had become the kitsune’s lair. The academy’s reputation seemed less impressive now.

No matter how refined the culture was, it was still no match for brute force.

Ye Wenxin sighed inwardly and was about to follow Wu Yong closer.

The gate suddenly slammed shut, startling her. She was using the Bone-shrinking Technique Long Qingyue had taught her. It enabled her to evade anyone or anything detecting her true nature. However, the sudden closing of the gate had Ye Wenxin’s danger sense tingling.

“Do you have any weapons on you?” Wu Yong asked casually.

Ye Wenxin thought her hidden bag of holding had been detected. She searched through her belongings and found a dagger.

It was a gift from the matron, who was worried about her safety. So Ye Wenxin hadn’t bothered putting it away in her bag of holding. She hadn’t expected it to be discovered.

“Give it to me.”

Wu Yong extended his hand. Ye Wenxin obediently handed over the dagger. This time, the gate no longer refused her entry. Apparently, while it could detect weapons, it didn’t react to items cultivators used. Pondering the gate’s peculiar mechanism, Ye Wenxin walked on. She soon saw a stone statue in the distance.

The statue depicted a vague figure holding a book. It was likely a revered historical figure to Cosmos Academy. But the statue was of a woman, which was unusual in this male-chauvinistic realm.

Ye Wenxin found it odd and couldn’t resist asking Wu Yong, “Sir, whose statue is this?”

“Oh, that’s the Heavenly Book.”

Ye Wenxin nodded slightly, though she felt something was off. However, she didn’t want to ask any foolish questions. They might annoy Wu Yong and jeopardize her upcoming plans at the academy.

“Your young mistress’s room is over here. Yours is right next to hers. The students are still in class, so you can explore the area. But remember, the ancestral hall is off-limits. You’re absolutely forbidden from entering it.”

Hearing this warning, Ye Wenxin immediately decided to investigate the so-called ancestral hall later that night. She would check if any dark secrets were hidden in this place, like the remains of young boys and girls.

Outwardly, she agreed and followed Wu Yong while mentally mapping the paths they took. She hoped to resolve everything here as quickly as possible.

Wu Yong left after giving her instructions. He seemed unconcerned that Ye Wenxin might get into trouble. She pretended to stay quietly in her room for a while and only ventured out when it was nearly mealtime.

While wandering around, she saw a crowd of young men and women dressed in Cosmos Academy student uniforms.

The students were lively and cheerful. They were different from the gloomy aura that the outside rumors had suggested.

As Ye Wenxin observed, she found no lack of Yin energy in their bodies. On the contrary, each student seemed to have a mysterious kind of energy within them. It kept them from losing themselves, giving them a certain spiritual aura.

Ye Wenxin sat there waiting. She wondered why Fairy Fengya hadn’t appeared yet.

Suddenly, she heard a commotion and thought it might be Fairy Fengya making an entrance. She was surprised to see a group of female students screaming instead.

Four male students who stood out from the rest had appeared in the dining hall. They walked in a line, each holding books Ye Wenxin couldn’t understand.

The female disciples were going wild for them. They seemed to lack discernment for what actual pretty boys should be. Perhaps since they were young, their beauty standards were a bit low.

Ye Wenxin rolled her eyes, but this mundane scene reminded her of her past life on Earth. She thought of the illusion the peach blossom had created before. Ye Wenxin began to wonder if there was any way to travel back to Earth for some vacation.

While she was lost in these thoughts, someone quietly sat beside her. Ye Wenxin was still eating when she glanced to the side. She almost choked.

It was none other than Fairy Fengya, whom she had been searching for. Fairy Fengya was also having her meal. She appeared to blend in seamlessly with the surroundings.

The other woman’s calm demeanor had Ye Wenxin’s anxiety finally subsiding. She grinned and said, “That outfit really suits you.”

In truth, what she wanted to say was, “It’s so good to see you.” But Ye Wenxin couldn’t bring herself to utter those words. Her pride and stubbornness wouldn’t allow it.

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TL: The chapter title is a reference to F4 from Boys Over Flowers. Now that’s a nostalgic one. I only watched the Korean drama adaptation when it aired many years ago. The original is a Japanese shoujo manga called “Hana Yori Dango”.

I think it’s a trope? (I’m not that deep into tropes). It basically refers to a group of four pretty boys/handsome men that everyone worships.