The next day, the bureau conducted a thorough investigation.
Gu Ren stood at the entrance of the main hall, his expression grim as he surveyed the scene once more.
"Begin the examination," he ordered quietly.
Unlike ordinary guards, these men were trained to read not just wounds—but energy, residue, and intent.
"This…" he muttered.
"What is it?" Gu Ren asked.
"It's corrosion," the examiner said. "Internal decay caused by elemental influence."
"Dark element?" Gu Ren asked.
The man nodded.
The bodies showed clear signs of being affected by dark elements—not just ordinary darkness, but a high-affinity dark element.
Anyone who came into contact with such
energy would have their body corroded from within. From the condition of the corpses, it was certain that this was the work of a high-affinity dark awakener, at least at the 6th level.
As for Bai Qingran, based on observation, she appeared to be only a Level 1 awakener, though her element was still unknown.
Moreover, there were no physical wounds on the bodies. This suggested that the attackers were dark mages.
There could even have been two of them.
The logic behind this was simple, and Gu Ren quickly understood it. Mages required time to cast their attacks. The priests in the temple were all low-affinity awakeners with light-element abilities, while the High Priest was a high-affinity, 6th level, light healer. To eliminate all of them at once, at least two attackers would have been necessary.
High-affinity dark awakeners were extremely rare—and most of them resided in the Imperial Capital, Yuejing.
It seemed that Gu Ren would once again need Li Yanshu's assistance.
That evening, during dinner, the two sat across from each other.
"Do you have any enemies?" he asked cautiously.
"What do you mean, Mr. Gu?"
"I mean… have you ever made enemies in your life? Someone who would want you dead so badly that, when they couldn't find you at the temple, they killed everyone else to silence any witnesses?"
Li Yanshu gave a faint smile.
"I must say, your imagination is quite wild. But no—I don't have any enemies. My daily routine was simple. I woke up at sunrise, said my prayers, did my chores, spent time with the seniors, and slept early. Occasionally, I visited the town, but that's all. I've never made any enemies."
"Did you have any friends in town?"
"No. I never formed close relationships with outsiders. The only person I was close to… was Li Yanshu."
Her voice softened.
"She was my first friend."
Gu Ren watched her carefully.
"Do you suspect anything about her? Perhaps someone might have been after her?"
"I don't think so."
"Why? Did you find something?"
Gu Ren leaned forward slightly.
"We don't know their exact identities yet, but we have a general idea about the killers."
"And what is your guess?"
"When we examined the bodies, it confirmed our suspicion. There were likely two attackers, both high-affinity awakeners. Based on the damage, we believe they were 6th level dark mages—possibly from the Imperial Capital."
He paused before continuing.
"That's why I strongly suspect they might be your enemies. You are the only one from the capital. However, we don't know much about this girl, Li Yanshu. So our second guess is that they might have been after her."
For a brief moment, Li Yanshu was surprised.
She hadn't expected them to deduce so much so quickly.
"If you find them, please tell me, Mr. Gu," she said quietly. "I want to bring justice to my seniors."
"Don't worry," he replied. "If I find any clues, I'll inform you immediately."
"What about the bodies?" he asked. "We can bury them together. Where would you like them to rest?"
"The Tianlong Temple is their home," she said softly. "I'm sure they will feel at peace there."
"Very well. We'll bury them there at dusk."
At dusk, the orange light spread slowly across the sky.
The temple grounds were silent.
The guards worked in quiet coordination, digging graves one after another. Their usual discipline remained—but their expressions were heavy. Even they could feel the weight of what had happened here.
Li Yanshu stood among them.
Her gaze lingered on each body as it was carried forward, as if trying to memorize every face… afraid that if she looked away, they would disappear completely.
One by one, the priests were laid to rest.
Until finally—
Bai Qingran, her body was brought forward last.
Even in death, her face looked peaceful.
The guards lowered Bai Qingran's body into the grave.
Li Yanshu knelt beside the grave. From within her sleeve, she took out the pendant.
With trembling hands, she placed the pendant gently into Bai Qingran's palm.
Then, without waiting for the guards, Li Yanshu reached for the soil. And began to bury her. With her own hands.
A wooden plank was placed at the head of the grave.
The name carved into it read:
Li Yanshu.
Two names.
Two lives.
Now… exchanged.
She tightly clutched the identification badge—the one bearing the name Bai Qingran.
In her heart, she made a silent promise:
When everything is over… I will return your name to you.
Her eyes filled with tears. An indescribable sadness spread across her face.
It felt like her final goodbye.
Goodbye… Bai Qingran, she whispered silently in her heart.
The sun slowly began to descend. Shadows stretched across the ground, brushing against the graves like silent hands. She stood there for a long time.
After a while, Gu Ren came and stood beside her.
"Don't dwell on the past," he said gently. "Move forward. The living must continue to live. You still have your whole life ahead of you."
"I know."
"What will you do now?" he asked. "The temple is destroyed—you can't stay here. Will you return to your family in the capital? I can arrange the transportation."
"Thank you, Mr. Gu. But I won't be going home.
I want to enroll in the Imperial Academy.
Admissions open in two days. My friend Li Yanshu and I had planned to go together… but now, I'll have to go alone."
"If you want to enter the Imperial Academy, you'll need a recommendation letter. Do you have one?"
"Yes. The High Priest wrote one for us. I have it with me."
"Good. Tomorrow morning, I'll take you to the portal in Yuelin Town. It's safe and convenient. It won't take you directly to the Imperial City, but it will take you to Fengli City nearby."
"How long will it take to reach the academy from there?"
"Two days by beast carriage. You'll make it in time. Flying beasts are faster, but expensive. Carriages are cheaper and more practical."
"Thank you, Mr. Gu. I don't know what I would have done without you."
He smiled faintly.
"You remind me of my daughter."
"Is she also preparing for the Imperial Academy?"
"No… she's only fifteen. Not old enough yet."
"I see."
"Let's head back. You have a long journey ahead."
Li Yanshu took one last look at Bai Qingran's grave before leaving with Gu Ren.
For a moment, the thought of teleporting directly to the Imperial Academy crossed her mind.
But she quickly dismissed it.
Her father's words echoed in her ears. When she was young, her mother had discovered that her affinity with the Void element was extremely high—beyond high affinity.
It was Supreme Affinity.
An affinity so rare that only a few people even knew it existed.
Her father's bloodline helped suppress her awakening. But if she ever fully awakened…
The Void within her could bring pure chaos to the earth.
That was why her mother had sealed her mana core with a protective barrier deep within her subconscious—to protect others from her power.
To outsiders, she appeared to have only low-level affinity.
Her father had warned her:
Only use your power when absolutely necessary.
If the same people who attacked her grandfather came after her, everything would be in vain.
She clenched her fists.
She had to become stronger.
Strong enough to kill those who harmed her grandfather, grandmother, her mother…
And Bai Qingran.
When she gained full control over her power, the barrier would disappear on its own.
The Imperial Academy was the perfect place for her to grow stronger.
To stay hidden.
To train quietly.
With that resolve in her heart, she continued walking forward.
The road ahead was long.
Difficult.
But step by step…
She would overcome every obstacle in her path.