Fu Rong woke up in the middle of the night from a nightmare, pale from fright. She immediately looked around and confirmed she was still in her house and still alive. "No, I can't delay any longer," she panted, trying to stabilize her mood.
She had dreamt about her past life—how she was helpless during her father's death, how her relatives chased her and her brother out of the house and made her sign the transfer document, how her brother was troubled in his mind and committed suicide, and how she was tormented by Bai Yan and Fu Guhua.
She couldn't forget all her misfortunes and didn't want them to repeat in this life. She could feel her yang energy destabilizing and her control over it slipping due to her stolen luck. She needed to take action to break the array. "But where is the array? Where did the warlock and Fu Guhua hide the keepsake for borrowing luck?" she wondered. "This is the only way. But will they check the array?"
She folded a piece of paper into a bird shape, bit her finger and drew a talisman with blood, sticking it to the paper bird. Immediately, the paper bird came to life and flew out of the window. She had attached her spiritual string to it, allowing her to see everything the bird saw. She sent it to Fu Guhua's house, hoping to catch clues about the keepsake and the array's location.
"I can monitor them for now and make the necessary preparations for breaking the array," she thought.
The next day, she went to class with panda eyes. One of her classmates and good friends, Ji Yu, saw Fu Rong walking in sleepily and laughed. "My dear friend Rong'er, did you go out last night and save the world? Why do you look like you've just come straight out of the zombie apocalypse?"
Fu Rong narrowed her eyes and smiled at her. "No, I had a nightmare and couldn't sleep after that," she replied expressionlessly and lay down on her desk.
The homeroom teacher came in and glanced at the students. Fu Rong sat with her hands supporting her head.
"Class, attention! I have a very important announcement to make. Everyone, perk your ears and listen closely. Don't come to me later saying you didn't pay attention to what I said," she commanded.
Chi Yang, the homeroom teacher of the normal class, was a middle-aged woman who came from a modest background but had graduated from Imperial Capital University. She had taken every step through hard work and appreciated anyone who didn't depend on their background.
Unlike the teachers in the elite and international classes, she treated everyone equally. She put in great effort to help students with their studies and supported them whenever they needed her. As a result, the students liked and respected her.
"In a week, there is a grade exam. Prepare yourselves well. If you need any help, you can reach me in the staff office. Don't lower the overall score. All the other class teachers are watching us this time. I hope everyone can improve since this exam contributes 20 marks toward your college entrance exam," she said, looking around the class.
"Teacher Chi, can you explain how it contributes 20 marks to our college entrance exam?" Mo Tian, a studious student, asked. Getting 20 extra marks on the college entrance exam would be a huge blessing and make it easier to get into their dream colleges and disciplines.
"All the students in the class that ranks first will receive 20 marks toward their college entrance exam, and the student who ranks first across all three classes will receive an additional 20 marks," Teacher Chi smiled and continued. "That's why I said don't lower the overall score. I hope you all study well this time, as this exam will make it easier for you to get into your dream colleges and disciplines." She finished and left the class.
After she left, the students started chattering, mostly about the upcoming grade exam.