Chapter 1: Damn Deceiver

City A.

Early April, the air was clean and devoid of smoke.

Within the deep forest, a strong smell of paint filled the air, reaching up into the sky.

"Zhou Yao, she seems lifeless. Maybe we should leave quickly," a trembling female voice sounded with a hint of panic.

The girl called Zhou Yao glared at the speaking girl with displeasure. "What's there to be afraid of? She's just a mute."

"But..."

Before she could finish her sentence, the girl standing to Zhou Yao's left spoke up, her tone filled with disdain. "Zhao Xiaoxiu, if you're scared, then get lost. Don't stand here wasting our time and making things difficult for us."

The three of them were so absorbed in their conversation that they didn't notice the figure on the ground move.

Aching all over, Gu Qingning's first reaction upon waking up was discomfort.

Her tightly closed eyes suddenly opened, and the bright light pierced her vision, reflecting glimmers of light.

Suddenly, a pungent smell rushed into her nostrils, causing her to squint.

Sense of smell?

She had a sense of smell?

Gu Qingning was dumbfounded, waves of shock and astonishment rising in her heart.

However, before she could gather her thoughts, a murderous aura approached.

"Gu Qingning, playing dead in front of me, you're still too naive." The voice was sharp and sinister.

Zhou Yao reached out towards the figure on the ground, her fingers painted with red nail polish aiming for the girl's disheveled hair.

Unexpectedly, before her fingers could touch a single strand, her hand swiped empty air.

Zhou Yao froze, and the two girls standing behind her were also dumbfounded.

The girl curled up on the ground rolled once and then slowly stood up, supporting herself with one hand.

Seeing this, Fang Yiyi sneered, "I told you, she wouldn't just stop breathing so easily."

Ignoring their mockery, Gu Qingning lowered her head, her eyes reflecting her own sorry state.

She shook her hand, and paint mixed with mud splashed out.

It was a real sensation!

She was no longer just a wandering soul.

"Hehe."

She smiled instead of getting angry, her laughter cold and clear, carrying a sense of triumphant relief.

She could still laugh? Zhao Xiaoxiu's face revealed surprise as she stared at Gu Qingning with a strange gaze. "Is Gu Qingning, is she crazy?"

"Whether she's truly crazy or just pretending, we'll find out soon enough." Zhou Yao sneered and walked confidently towards Gu Qingning.

Once again, that murderous aura.

Gu Qingning lifted her eyelids, her face covered in dirt making it hard to see her expression.

Her pale lips moved slightly, "You're all seeking death."

The voice, cold and hoarse, neither loud nor soft, forced Zhou Yao to stop in her tracks.

She widened her eyes, her expression unpleasant. "You, Gu Qingning, how can you speak?"

Everyone in City A First High School knew that the new transfer student, Gu Qingning, was mute. Since she entered the school, no one had ever heard her speak. She communicated through sign language.

"You're not mute? You've been pretending?" Zhou Yao raised her voice, her facial expression becoming grim. "You deceived us?"

Gu Qingning glanced at her and spoke one word, sparingly, "Noisy."

The word fell.

A chill ran down Zhou Yao's back. Before she could react, her neck was suddenly gripped by a powerful force.

"Gu..." Her face showed terror as she collided with those cold ink-black eyes, her broken voice caught in her throat.

At the same time, Gu Qingning grabbed her collar and flung Zhou Yao away like a rag.

Damn deceivers.

Witnessing this scene, Fang Yiyi and the others were struck with fear, their eyes flickering with terror.

Was that person really the Gu Qingning they knew?

"Bang!"

After being thrown a distance away, Zhou Yao crashed heavily to the ground and passed out before she could let out a scream.

Silence filled the surroundings.

Suddenly, a cold light shone.

Fang Yiyi and Zhao Xiaoxiu both turned their heads, meeting the chilling gaze of those tempered ink-black eyes. Their breathing abruptly stopped.

Just when they thought they were about to be beaten, the girl in front suddenly turned around and ran, heading straight into the depths of the dense forest.

Her footsteps were fast, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

Zhao Xiaoxiu looked at Fang Yiyi in a daze. "Why did she run away?"

Gu Qingning had just looked like a murderous deity, so why did she suddenly run?

Could it be that she had a change of heart and spared them?

"If she didn't run, we would be in trouble," Fang Yiyi scolded her with a glare. "Do you want to stay here and let her beat you?"

After speaking, she ran towards Zhou Yao's direction.

Zhao Xiaoxiu gazed in the direction the girl had disappeared, feeling dazed.

It was really bizarre.

Could it be that Gu Qingning had truly gone crazy?

...

The wind passed by, fragments of golden light danced among the green trees.

With injuries all over her body, the girl slowed down her fast pace.

With only a trace of consciousness remaining, her vision darkened, and she misstepped, falling down the slope.

The mountain path twisted, and her frail body rolled all the way down, finally crashing into the dense green bushes.

The rustling sound alarmed the figures not far away who were engaged in conversation.

"Who is it?"

The man who spoke was dressed in dark blue clothes, with sharp eyebrows and fierce eyes, and a robust physique.

One of Fu Juncheng's right-hand men, Yun Zheng.

Yun Zheng glanced in the direction of the commotion and then respectfully looked at the man opposite him.

Against the light, the man turned his head. His skin was cold and pale, his eyebrows frosty, and he surpassed the beauty of autumn moon and spring flowers. He appeared aloof and restrained, yet exuded an air of solitude.

"Master, let me go and check..." 

Without waiting for Yun Zheng to finish speaking, the man took long strides and walked towards the source of the disturbance.

Yun Zheng closed his mouth and followed closely behind.

The lush green grass was low and dense, and a slender figure appeared and disappeared intermittently.

Yun Zheng frowned. "Master, it seems to be a person."

Judging from the long hair and the outline of the figure, it seemed to be a woman.

His master had only recently arrived at the estate. Could it be that the old master on the other side had quickly learned of the news and couldn't stay idle, so he sent a woman to his master?

But that shouldn't be the case. His master had just had his beard trimmed, so logically, the old master should be quiet for a few days and wouldn't play such a trick again.

Then who was this woman who suddenly appeared at the estate?

While he was deeply puzzled, Fu Juncheng had already approached.

As he got closer, a strong smell of paint mixed with a hint of blood assaulted his senses.

Fu Juncheng remained calm, his gaze sliding over the girl's disheveled appearance.

The red paint and blood mixed together, and her clothes had long lost their original color. Her face was hidden beneath the messy long hair, making it impossible to see her features.

Beside him, Yun Zheng clicked his tongue, his eyes filled with astonishment. "What...?"

What was going on here?

Was this person being chased by enemies, resulting in such a miserable state?

Fu Juncheng stooped down, his elegant jade-like hand reaching towards the girl's head.

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