Chapter 2 0002: Ye Linglong

In the evening, Chu Yun walked out of the martial arts school gate with his backpack slung over his shoulder. One of his closest friends was standing on a hoverboard and passed by him. “Hey Yun, let me give you a ride home.”

As he spoke, the hoverboard extended a section so another person could stand on it.

Chu Yun shook his head. He needed some quiet to think about his future plans.

“Forget it, Mo. You go ahead,” Chu Yun replied.

His roommate, Mo Yu, already knew about the incident with the teacher, but not wanting Chu Yun to feel embarrassed, he didn't mention it. Instead, he just patted his shoulder and said, “Once I get stronger, we’ll get our revenge together!”

With that, Mo Yu left first.

Chu Yun watched him leave, then noticed a man standing at the school gate.

When Chu Yun stepped out, the man approached him. “My lady would like to speak with you. Please, this way.”

He gestured toward a parked floating car at the corner.

Chu Yun walked over and got into the back seat.

Inside, a woman with skin pale as snow and a striking, almost unreal beauty lounged with her long legs stretched out. Just from her cold side profile, it was clear she was the type who kept people at a distance.

She didn’t even glance at Chu Yun as he sat down.

From the color of her uniform, Chu Yun could immediately see the gap between them. The academy issued uniforms based on students’ abilities and talents—the color denoting their rank. Chu Yun’s uniform was green, the second-lowest tier. The ranking went white, green, yellow, blue, red, black, and purple. The woman before him wore blue, marking her as one of the most elite students of her age group.

If not for her age holding her back, she could have already applied for the advanced classes.

She was a prodigy, a chosen daughter of the heavens. Not just in Sentinel City, but across the entire continent of Hope, she was a rising star.

A woman like her, indeed, had every reason to disregard someone like Chu Yun.

“Three days ago, I already spoke to those seniors who attacked you. If you want to back out of our agreement, just say so.” Her tone was cool as she stared straight ahead, never once meeting his eyes.

After sifting through Chu Yun’s memories, Ye Xinghe couldn’t help but give a bitter laugh.

What a cliché drama—an arranged childhood engagement.

After the decline of the Chu family, they’d all but forgotten about it, but unexpectedly, the Ye family brought it up again with a condition: Chu Yun would have to marry into the Ye family.

Chu Yun’s single mother, seeing the chance for her son to find security, agreed without hesitation. She was gravely ill, and to her, finding a reliable support for her son was a blessing. In a world like this, with Chu Yun’s family background and abilities, no one would care if he died unnoticed.

A mother could only beg her son to accept the arrangement, desperately hoping it would be fulfilled before she passed away.

Filial as he was, Chu Yun didn’t want to upset his mother and worsen her illness, so he relented.

The Ye family, acting decisively, sent Chu Yun to the best academy in Sentinel City and hired the finest doctors to stabilize his mother’s condition. As soon as both he and Ye Linglong turned eighteen, they would be officially engaged.

But what his mother didn’t know was the price Chu Yun paid for her medical bills—how much bullying and humiliation he endured at the academy for the Ye family’s sake.

Ye Linglong’s family wasn’t the most powerful in Sentinel City, but her talent was exceptional. Because of her, the Ye family thrived. In this era where alliances meant survival, countless young men dreamed of marrying Ye Linglong to strengthen their own clans. Yet, the Ye family had no intention of marrying her off but sought a son-in-law to join them. This was unacceptable to the other families who wanted her as a daughter-in-law.

As a result, the elite students in the upper classes, all coveting Ye Linglong, tormented Chu Yun daily, trying to force him to give up. He suffered in silence, never telling his mother. If he gave up, he would never be able to afford her medical treatment. He couldn’t lose her.

But the pressure built up over time, and three days ago, after one humiliation too many, he finally fought back. In the ensuing rage, his tormentors accidentally killed him, bringing Ye Xinghe to this world.

Ye Xinghe sighed in pity for this poor soul.

“I can handle it,” Chu Yun said to Ye Linglong.

She nodded, then added, “If it really doesn’t work out, maybe try switching majors? I mean no offense—I just don’t want you wasting your years. While you’re still young, another path might suit you better. When we marry, you won’t need to do anything strenuous.”

Besides the martial arts track, there were other specialized fields.

For instance, apothecaries.

Or engineers.

Or magicians.

Apothecaries specialized in gene-based medicines. With enough skill, they never lacked employment and could work in pharmacies or hospitals. Those who mastered the craft and became alchemists earned even greater respect.

Engineers started out dealing with machines in various industries. The most talented could become master craftsmen or even weapon masters, whom powerful warriors from across the stars would vie to recruit.

As for magicians, they were advanced scholars, harnessing scientific and natural mysteries to cast spells. The most gifted could become card-makers, able to summon fierce beasts from across the universe. In times of planetary war, these magicians acted as strategists, opening portals and leading armies into battle.

Even if one couldn’t reach the pinnacle, mid-level magicians were always in demand to maintain interplanetary portals—a technical field with a bright future.

Chu Yun said nothing.

Ye Linglong continued, “I’m sixteen now. After the next assessment, I’ll advance to the elite class. I won’t be able to look after you as often. Think it over. Maybe try another specialty—at least you won’t be bullied so easily. When I’m eighteen, we can get married.”

At sixteen, students took a major exam. Anyone reaching the fourth level as a warrior could move up to the advanced elite class.

Last year, Chu Yun failed to reach fourth-level and was held back. Others were held back as third-level warriors—he was only first-level, a laughingstock. He should have been expelled, but the Ye family pulled strings to keep him enrolled.

It was obvious Ye Linglong had already reached fourth level and was progressing steadily to fifth; she would certainly enter the elite class this year.

“You talk as if I wouldn’t get bullied if you were around.” Chu Yun gave a cold laugh. “Whether you stay or leave, it makes no difference to me. From now on, I’ll look after myself. Those who humiliated me will one day show me the respect I deserve.”

With that, Chu Yun pushed open the hovercar door and stepped out.

In all those days of suffering, this woman had never truly understood what he endured.

Ye Linglong stared after him in a daze, disturbed by the change in his attitude.

“Miss, wouldn’t it be better to marry into another, more powerful family? Why stay with the Ye family?” the driver asked curiously.

“If my two brothers were even half as competent, would I have to do this?” Ye Linglong sighed. “The Ye family isn’t among the great houses on Hope Continent. If I marry out, who will look after them?”

There was an old saying: a married daughter is like water poured out. In this precarious world, once she was gone, no one would protect the Ye family. Her two brothers were good-for-nothings, dreaming of inheriting the family and marrying her off, but were nothing but a pair of useless fools.

Ye Linglong gazed at Chu Yun’s departing figure, lost in thought. In her memory, Chu Yun had always been meek and obedient—that was why she had volunteered to take on the engagement. But she’d heard he fought back for the first time three days ago, and now, after those harsh words, he had left so decisively. These changes seemed almost unimaginable to her.