Jinghua University, the foremost institution of higher learning in Hua Nation.
Ye Ling, having just been released from the police station, stood beneath a tree at the entrance of Jinghua University, trying to calm his turbulent emotions.
After being mistakenly believed to have attempted suicide, Ye Ling was brought into the police station for a stern lecture. Facing the earnest advice of the police officers, who were outwardly stern but inwardly kind, Ye Ling did not wish to erase their memories.
After all, memory manipulation was an operation at the soul level, and a slight misstep could harm the soul. Furthermore, the incident of jumping from the skyscraper had already become a trending topic across the entire internet. Ye Ling, for sitting motionless on the rooftop, had even been given the nickname "Sleeping Handsome Man" by netizens.
Under these circumstances, even if Ye Ling were to erase some people's memories, it would be meaningless.
Thus, through this series of coincidences, Ye Ling spent the entire afternoon at the police station. It was only when Wang Liren personally brought people to bail Ye Ling out that he was released.
As Wang Liren escorted Ye Ling out, his pupils were trembling the entire time, his mouth agape, as if the image of Emperor Ye Ling had completely collapsed in his mind.
Even Ye Ling's divine soldiers and Ye You, upon hearing about the incident, burst into laughter and mercilessly mocked Ye Ling.
Ye Ling had nothing to say about it and could only order that no one mention this matter again in the future.
"Forget it, I should focus on the important matters at hand..." Ye Ling shook his head, casting aside the series of farces that had occurred during the day, and turned his gaze to Jinghua University.
Ye Ling had learned from the Heavenly Dao that the daughter of that Sword Immortal from the Primordial Era, who had gone missing, was very fortunate. After experiencing many calamities, her soul had not scattered, and she had successfully reincarnated into the modern era.
In this era, the Sword Immortal's daughter was named Bai Qiao. She was born into a poor family in a remote mountainous area. Her mother died during childbirth, and her father died in a truck accident when she was five years old. She was raised by her grandmother alone.
Logically speaking, given Bai Qiao's background, she would most likely never leave that mountain village. Fortunately, Bai Qiao was ambitious. She attended school with her peers during the day and helped her grandmother with farm work at night, managing to break through the fiercely competitive "single-plank bridge" of the college entrance examination and get admitted to Jinghua University.
Bai Qiao's story had caused a sensation throughout the province at the time. Even provincial leaders had specially visited Bai Qiao's home to see her, and various sectors of society had continuously donated to Bai Qiao, greatly improving her family's living conditions.
Alas, fate was not always kind. The day before Bai Qiao's admission notice was mailed home, her grandmother, due to years of hard work, had long suffered from chronic illness. Moreover, her grandmother had never been to a hospital. In the end, she did not live to see her granddaughter's admission notice arrive.
Although the villagers had collectively given her grandmother a grand funeral, Bai Qiao lost her last relative and became increasingly self-conscious and introverted.
Recalling Bai Qiao's experiences in this life, Ye Ling couldn't help but sigh, "This girl is truly pitiful. I don't know if it's because she's a congenital sword embryo, and her mortal body cannot withstand her power. Every mother she's had in every life has died in childbirth... Since reincarnating from the Primordial Era, she doesn't seem to have had many good days..."
She was clearly the offspring of a Primordial Saint, and moreover, a congenital sword embryo. She should have become a peerless empress who would shock the Primordial Era with her fame. Yet, due to a small accident, she had fallen to this point. Ye Ling couldn't help but lament the impermanence of fate.
As Ye Ling was lamenting Bai Qiao's fate, Bai Qiao, wearing thick glasses and looking sallow and thin, walked out of the school gate clutching a copy of "Introduction to Algorithms."
Although Bai Qiao had prominent shoulder blades and her appearance showed some beauty, due to years of labor and malnutrition, even the best beauty embryo was wasted.
Now, Bai Qiao looked plain. It was already a miracle that she could look stunning with a little bit of effort in dressing up.
Of course, no matter how bad Bai Qiao's previous encounters were, everything would be different after she met Ye Ling.
"It's that girl."
Seeing Bai Qiao emerge from the school gate, Ye Ling's face broke into a smile. Just as he was about to step forward to greet her, he saw three girls from other schools surround Bai Qiao.
The three girls all had fierce expressions. The one leading them was nearly 1.8 meters tall, and half of a tattoo could be vaguely seen on their chests. They clearly looked like delinquent troublemakers from society.
Ye Ling was taken aback and then concealed himself, preparing to observe the situation from the shadows.
Bai Qiao was clearly a bit intimidated by the three female thugs. Upon seeing them surround her, fear flashed in her eyes, and she was about to turn and run back into the school.
"Stop!"
The tall female thug, nearly 1.8 meters, grabbed Bai Qiao and said unhappily, "What are you running for? We're not going to eat you!"
A slightly thinner female thug with a pockmarked face also giggled sharply, "That's right, we sisters are just borrowing some money from you, not refusing to return it!"
Another rather plump female thug blocked Bai Qiao's rear, obscuring the view of the school gate security guards.
Bai Qiao said timidly, "I, I really don't have any money..."
"No money?" The leading female thug pulled Bai Qiao closer. "I saw the news. Society gave you so much in donations, and even provincial leaders visited you. You're telling me you have no money?"
"Don't you consider us friends?"
"N-no, I wouldn't dare..." Bai Qiao felt a bit of pain from the grip of the tall female thug, tears welling up in her eyes. "The scholarship is only fifteen hundred yuan a month. I already gave you a thousand last time, I really can't..."
"Isn't there still five hundred?" The tall female thug interrupted. "Lend us the remaining money too!"
Bai Qiao said nervously, "I, I need to eat too..."
"Eat your ass!"
The tall female thug dragged Bai Qiao away from the school gate, cursing as she walked, "You cheap bitch! It's your fortune that we sisters are willing to be friends with you. If you don't want to lend us money, then go sell yourself!"
Bai Qiao couldn't break free from the tall female thug's grip and could only cry and beg, "Please... let me go!"
She had thought that by attending Jinghua University, she could change her destiny. She never expected that shortly after enrolling, she would be harassed by these three female thugs, being tormented endlessly every month.
The key was that she was poor and ugly. Her roommates isolated her, and the school teachers did nothing about it. If she reported the three thugs to the police, they would be locked up for a little over ten days, pretend to be well-behaved, apologize, and then be released through connections, only to face even more severe retaliation from Bai Qiao.
Under this severe torment, Bai Qiao was on the verge of collapse!
Unfortunately, Bai Qiao's pleas only drew the loud laughter of the three female thugs. The passersby also thought it was a quarrel between classmates, and no one offered any help.
Soon, Bai Qiao was dragged into a deserted alley.
The tall female thug pushed Bai Qiao to the ground and used her knee to press down on her neck, preventing Bai Qiao from making a sound. Then, she instructed her two followers, "You two search her, find the money!"
"Got it!"
The two follower female thugs responded with cheerful smiles and then leaned forward, brazenly searching Bai Qiao's bag.
Bai Qiao, pinned to the ground, could only cry hoarsely. With her neck pressed down, she could barely breathe, and her consciousness gradually blurred.
"Boss, this cheap bitch only has a meal card. I guess all the money was put into it..." The pockmarked female thug reported to the tall female thug after feeling a meal card from Bai Qiao.
"This slut!" The tall female thug, having not found any money, got up impatiently and stomped towards Bai Qiao's head. "Who told you to put all the money on the card? I'm going to drag you out to sell today!"
Just as the tall female thug's foot was about to stomp on Bai Qiao's head, a black light flashed past.
A pair of bare, white legs flew out.
An unpleasant, piercing scream echoed throughout the entire alley.
In her dazed state, Bai Qiao could only vaguely see a man in a black suit standing at the entrance of the alley.