Shocking! The female protagonist unlocked her powers by killing people!

"Teacher, I still have some things to take care of." Ling Yi said, "As for cultivation, I will not neglect it."

Since Ling Yi had already said that, Teacher Mu didn't say anything more.

Two weeks later, the white feather bird stopped at the National Capital Academy.

Teacher Mu looked at Ling Yi and the other two who had disembarked from the white-feathered bird's back and said, "Ling Yi, since you have something to do, go ahead and do it. Let us know when you leave."

"Mm." Ling nodded.

After Teacher Mu finished speaking, she looked at Ye Qingshuang and Lin Chengtian and said, "You've worked hard this time. I'll give you three days off so you can rest well."

Ye Qingshuang immediately said, "Teacher, you are the best."

"Let's not talk about this anymore." Teacher Mu waved her hand. "Everyone, go home."

"Okay." The three said goodbye to Teacher Mu and then left.

Ye Qingshuang asked, "Ling Yi, are you going back to the dormitory or somewhere else?"

Ling Yi glanced at Lin Chengtian, then said, "I'm not going back to the dormitory."

"Alright." Ye Qingshuang looked a little sad. "I didn't expect we'd have to part ways so soon."

"Once you leave, I'll be all alone again."

Ling Yi said calmly, "Cultivate diligently and reach the Imperial Academy's standards, then you can go to the Imperial Academy."

Ye Qingshuang nodded: "Okay."

"I will definitely cultivate diligently and come find you as soon as possible."

"Okay." Ling Yi responded. When they reached the fork in the road, Ling Yi walked out of the academy, Lin Chengtian followed, while Ye Qingshuang went towards the dormitory.

As they left the academy, Ling Yi turned to look at Lin Chengtian beside her: "Where is he?"

“Ling Yi…” Lin Chengtian looked at Ling Yi, a pleading look in his eyes: “He doesn’t remember anymore.”

Ling Yi looked at Lin Chengtian without saying a word.

Lin Chengtian continued, "I'm willing to trade him."

Ling Yi finally spoke: "What are you afraid of?"

“If I insist on killing him, he will die at the Lin residence that day.”

A glimmer of hope appeared in Lin Chengtian's eyes: "Ling Yi, you won't kill Chengze?"

"Not necessarily," Ling Yi said casually. "If I don't kill him, what if he regains his memories one day and comes looking for revenge? Should I not kill him then?"

Ling Yi thought Lin Chengtian would be in a difficult position, but Lin Chengtian breathed a sigh of relief instead: "No, it won't."

“If it weren’t for…” Thinking of the Lin family’s past, Lin Chengtian frowned, but didn’t say much, only saying, “Chengze will understand.”

“No one can guarantee that,” Ling Yi said calmly. “Take me to see him.”

"Okay." Lin Chengtian didn't hesitate this time.

The two rented two horses and then headed out of the capital.

...

As darkness fell, Lin Chengtian stopped in front of a mountain. There was a village at the foot of the mountain, but Lin Chengtian did not go to the village; instead, he went up the mountain.

About half an hour later, the two reached the mountainside and saw a somewhat dilapidated thatched hut under the moonlight.

A sliver of light peeked through the half-open window, and Ling Yi's gaze swept across the courtyard, where she saw a child sitting outside the main house.

The child was tiny and exquisitely beautiful, with round eyes filled with bright stars. At this moment, those eyes were looking expectantly towards the entrance of the courtyard, as if waiting for someone.

Lin Chengtian, hidden in the darkness, lowered his voice and said to Ling Yi, "This is what Chengze looked like when he was a child."

"He once hoped so much..." He hoped that his father would notice him and that his mother would give him some love.

But his father didn't care about him, and after his mother had Chengyu and Lin Zhuyu, she stopped paying attention to him.

He became the least noticeable child in the household. In order to get his mother's attention, he played with his younger siblings from the time he was old enough to understand. Even when his younger siblings bullied him because of their mother's favor, he endured it, because at least that way his mother could see him.

“Chengze did something wrong, but he…” is not a bad person at heart.

He just cared too much about his mother and his younger siblings, because only then would his mother praise him as a good older brother, and his younger siblings would genuinely call him "Second Brother."

That's why he has that little bit of presence.

Ling Yi listened quietly without answering.

Looking at that tiny bundle, Ling Yi thought of Lin Chengze from her past life. Lin Chengze wasn't particularly close to her in her past life either, but in the end, he died for her.

"Are you planning to leave him here indefinitely?" Ling Yi asked.

Lin Chengtian said, "There was nothing I could do about it. After that day, you returned to the academy and the Lin family couldn't do anything to you, so they tried to use me and Chengze to threaten you. I had no choice but to leave the Lin family with Chengze and hide all the way here."

"The person living here is someone Chengze once saved. She fell ill as a child, and because she was a girl, her family was unwilling to treat her. Although she survived, her voice was damaged, and she could not speak. Her family wanted to sell her. When Chengze, who was still young at the time, encountered this situation, he begged his wet nurse to buy her with his own money. The wet nurse felt sorry for Chengze and bought her."

“The mute servant is very grateful to Chengze and wants to go back to the manor with him, but Chengze is unwilling to take her back.” Lin Chengtian said slowly, “A second young master who has no presence in his parents’ eyes, even the favored maids around his younger siblings can give him attitude. If he takes the mute servant back, she will definitely be bullied. Chengze knows this well, so he is unwilling to take the mute servant back.”

"But the mute slave was sold by her family. Chengze wouldn't take her back to the manor, and she had nowhere to go. In the end, the wet nurse couldn't bear to see Chengze troubled, so she pointed out a place for the mute slave, which is here."

“Years ago, when Chengze’s wet nurse was still alive, the mute servant would occasionally ask someone to send some food he grew himself to the wet nurse. The wet nurse told Chengze about this. Later, after the wet nurse passed away, Chengze told the mute servant not to send it anymore, so the mute servant stopped sending it. But he always thought about Chengze, so after the accident, he sent Chengze here.”

When Lin Chengze rescued the mute slave, he was already over three years old, but he was still a child. His appearance was obvious at a glance. When he came, Lin Chengtian originally wanted to say that this was Chengze's child in order to deceive the mute slave.

Unexpectedly, the mute servant recognized Chengze as soon as he saw him.

She couldn't speak, but looking at the shrinking Chengze, she whimpered anxiously. After observing her carefully, Lin Chengtian understood what she meant.

She wanted to ask if Chengze had some kind of illness.

How come after all these years, not only have they not grown up, but they've even gotten smaller?

Lin Chengtian didn't know how to answer, so he could only tell the mute slave that Chengze was indeed seriously ill and that he was going to find a doctor for Chengze and wanted her to take care of Chengze for a while.

At the same time, Lin Chengtian also told the mute servant that something had happened to the Lin family, and that someone outside was looking for Chengze. Chengze was not safe, so he left Chengze here and would try to prevent Chengze from contacting other people until he returned.

The mute servant said he would take good care of Chengze. Lin Chengtian left them enough money for living expenses and some silver, enough for them to stay on the mountain for half a year, before leaving.

Before leaving, Lin Chengtian told Lin Chengze that he would come back to pick him up as soon as possible.

Lin Chengze was already sensible at the age of three. Although he had lost his past memories, he remembered the people around him after he shrank, who said they were his older brothers. So after Lin Chengtian left, Lin Chengze always looked forward to his older brother coming back to pick him up.

“Sending him here was out of necessity. Although that matter has been resolved, it is still inconvenient for me to keep him by my side.” Lin Chengtian looked at Ling Yi: “There are too many people in the Lin family in the country. If I take him back, people will find out. If it gets to Chengze’s ears, I will have no way to explain.”

Ling Yi understood upon hearing this.

Lin Chengtian planned to leave the person here.

"When do you plan to take him away?" Ling Yi looked at Lin Chengtian: "When you meet the requirements of the Dongyang Empire and are ready to go to the Dongyang Empire, then take him with you?"

Lin Chengtian nodded: "Mm."

Nobody in the Dongyang Empire knows about the Lin family. Once Chengze goes there, he won't have to hide anymore.

"By the time your cultivation level increases, who knows when it will be?"

Lin Chengtian said, "There's nothing we can do about it..."

"I'll take him away first," Ling Yi said.

“This…” Lin Chengtian didn’t know how to answer.

"What?" Ling Yi looked at Lin Chengtian: "Are you afraid I'll take him away and kill him?"

"No," Lin Chengtian said. "Ling Yi, I do not want Chengze to go with you, but it's not because I'm afraid you will kill Chengze."

"Since you have promised not to kill Chengze, I will not doubt you."

"Then what is it for?" Ling Yi asked with a half-smile.

Lin Chengtian said, "Chengze is only three years old and still needs someone to take care of him."

"You think I'm going to take care of him myself?" Ling Yi sneered. "Lin Chengtian, are you out of your mind?"

"I can find someone to do this kind of thing; I don't have time to waste."

"Find someone to take care of him, and you don't need to worry about me abusing him."

“Ling Yi, you’re not that kind of person. I don’t want him to come with you because I’m afraid of troubling you. Since you said you can find someone to take care of him…” Lin Chengtian thought for a moment, “If Chengze is willing to go with you, then let him go with you first.”

"Hmm." Ling Yi responded indifferently, without saying anything more.

After they had agreed on what to do, Lin Chengtian stepped out from the shadows and deliberately made a commotion.

Hearing the sound, Lin Chengze, who was sitting outside, looked over. When he saw Lin Chengtian, his eyes lit up and he got up and ran towards Lin Chengtian.

"Big brother!"

Lin Chengze ran up to Lin Chengtian and stopped, grabbing his robe with both hands and looking up at Lin Chengtian: "Big brother, did you come to pick me up?"

Lin Chengtian squatted down, reached out and touched Lin Chengze's head. Just as he was about to say something, Ling Yi came out.

Lin Chengze looked over and, upon seeing Ling Yi, instinctively called out, "Little sister."

Upon hearing this exclamation of shock, Lin Chengtian froze, his eyes filled with astonishment as he looked at Lin Chengze.

how come?

Chengze clearly has no memory of anything, he doesn't even remember anything, so why would he blurt out "little sister" when he sees Ling Yi?

Ling Yi looked at Lin Chengze with a calm expression. In the dim light, a flash of red light disappeared from her eyes. Ling Yi looked at Lin Chengze and asked, "Why do you call me sister?"

Under the influence of the Truth-Telling Technique, Lin Chengze, whose cultivation was inferior to Ling Yi's, was unable to resist and could only answer with the truth.

Soon, Ling Yi and Lin Chengtian heard Lin Chengze's reply.

Lin Chengze said, "You are my younger sister."