Long Yifan fell silent. If what Little White was saying was true, then...
"How many lives had she lived? And does she have any purpose that she needs to fulfill because of which she is getting reborn so many times?"
Little White looked at the sky, his voice low.
"We don’t know the exact number. Maybe ten. Maybe a hundred. Only the heavens know the truth. But yes... she has a purpose."
Long Yifan turned his eyes to her, serious. "What kind of purpose?"
That one sentence dropped like a stone into a still lake, sending ripples through Long Yifan’s thoughts.
Little White continued,
"In her first life, she made a choice that broke one of the divine rules. No one knows what exactly she did, but the punishment was harsh. As for the curse, even I don’t know. The only thing that I know is... she is cursed."
Long Yifan clenched his jaw. "That’s not fair."
Little White gave a small smile, but it was a sad one. "When are the heavens ever fair?"
The Water Dragon finally opened his eyes. He still couldn’t speak, but his gaze was filled with guilt.
Long Yifan looked at him, then asked Little White, "Then this curse... is there a way to break it?"
Little White hesitated.
"We don’t even know what the curse is."
Long Yifan remained silent. Taking a deep breath, he threw away the Water Dragon and asked,
"How did she die in her last life?"
At his question, Little White shook his head,
"Even I don’t know. However, it was related to Chang Yin."
The moment those words were spoken, Long Yifan’s eyes narrowed.
How was that possible?
If Chang Yin were a human, Long Yifan might have killed him right away. But... Chang Yin was the god of the Magic World!
He was the god protected by the Mighty Mage.
How could someone related to Chang Yin kill Gu Jin?
Nothing was making sense.
Why would a god want to kill Gu Jin?
Long Yifan massaged his temple.
"No...I need to tell Gu Jin everything." He thought.
If Chang Yin was a threat to Gu Jin’s life, then he would make sure to keep them at a distance. But for that, he needs to ensure that Gu Jin knows everything,
Just as Long Yifan turned to leave and take a step toward Gu Jin’s room, a strange humming noise echoed in the air. The ground beneath his feet vibrated, and a crack of golden light tore through the space in front of him like someone had ripped the sky open.
A glowing portal formed—round, swirling, and unstable. The edges flickered with energy, almost alive, sparking with thin strands of lightning and ancient runes he couldn’t read.
His eyes widened. "No..."
The winds shifted suddenly, sharp and fierce, as if the world itself was pushing him back. He didn’t need anyone to explain it to him. He knew.
This wasn’t a coincidence.
They were stopping him.
"You’ve got to be kidding me!" he growled, stepping back as the portal expanded with a roar.
The air bent unnaturally around it, pulling dust, leaves, and even pebbles toward its glowing core.
Little White’s fur bristled, and he jumped back.
The Water Dragon, now completely terrified, screamed silently.
Long Yifan’s eyes burned with defiance. He pointed at the sky.
"You cowards! You’d rather open a portal and drag me away than let me speak the truth to her?!" His voice was full of fury.
The portal pulsed like it was answering him, and suddenly a massive wave of force rushed forward.
Long Yifan gritted his teeth and activated his thunder element.
Sparks danced across his skin, his body glowing faintly with power. He dug his heels into the ground, trying to resist the pull.
"I won’t go quietly!" he shouted, summoning a burst of thunder to ground himself.
But the heavens had already decided.
A violent wind wrapped around him, lifting him off the ground. He struggled, throwing lightning bolts into the swirling portal, but they vanished like pebbles in a storm.
"Gu Jin needs to know!" he roared. "You can’t keep her in the dark forever! I will return and tell her the truth! Just you wait!"
But before he could say anything more, the pull became too strong. The space around him shattered like glass, and in a blink...
The portal snapped shut with a boom, leaving nothing but silence behind.
Little White stood frozen, eyes wide in shock.
The Water Dragon lay flat on the ground, trembling.
But Long Yifan was nowhere to be seen.
Inside her room, Gu Jin stirred again in her sleep.
Her brows furrowed slightly, as if her soul had felt something tear away. But the moment passed, and she remained still.
...................................
Gu Jin returned to Beijing University.
Though she had gone to the university yesterday too, she was only there to tell Master Qiao about her arrival, and today was the day she was resuming all of her lectures.
What made her frown was the way everyone looked at her.
"Is she Gu Jin, the alchemist genius? I heard she has just returned from training?"
"Yes! Though it isn’t a big deal for a representative of Beijing University to go for training, it is her rank that is surprising."
"Indeed. From her rank, it won’t be a problem for China to win the competition this year."
"Maybe. I heard they lost to the England Team."
"Eh? Really? Then isn’t her rank a waste?"
"Indeed. I heard it was her team members who dragged her down. If it were a solo alchemy competition, maybe she would have won, but now...I think we don’t stand a chance."
Gu Jin walked past the murmuring students, her face calm as always, but her steps a little heavier than usual. She heard every word—some whispered, some openly said—but she didn’t react.
Rumors, doubts, praise, jealousy... She had heard it all before.
Still, there was something about today that felt different.
Maybe it was because she hadn’t seen Long Yifan that morning. Maybe it was because her chest felt tight for no reason.
Or maybe it was because she had a strange dream last night—a dream she couldn’t remember clearly, but one that left her feeling... hollow.
As she walked into the lecture hall, a group of students moved out of her way without being asked.
Some looked at her with admiration, others with envy. No one dared to speak directly to her.
She took her seat near the front, placing her bag quietly on the desk. As she opened her notebook, the lecturer entered.
A strict, sharp-eyed man who rarely smiled.
He looked around the room and nodded slightly. "Good. Everyone’s here. Let’s begin."
Gu Jin forced herself to focus as the lesson began, but she couldn’t help glancing toward the door now and then.
No sign of Long Yifan.
Wasn’t he the teacher?
Usually, he would’ve greeted her by now, brought her breakfast, and even flirted with her.
Not even a whisper of his presence.
An hour passed. Then another. By the time lunch break came around, Gu Jin stood up quickly and headed outside.
She didn’t know why she was hurrying.
She just needed to see him. Confirm he was okay.
Reaching the teacher’s office, she walked up to Professor Lin and asked,
"Where is Long Yifan?"
Professor Lin looked up from his desk, surprised by her question. He adjusted his glasses and gave her a strange look.
"Long Yifan?" he repeated.
"Yes," Gu Jin said firmly. "He hasn’t shown up all morning. I just want to know where he is."
Professor Lin frowned slightly. "He didn’t notify me of any absence. In fact, he was scheduled to assist with my afternoon lecture today."
Gu Jin’s heart skipped a beat.
"He’s not answering his phone either," she said.
Professor Lin raised an eyebrow.
"Strange. He’s usually quite responsible. And he also looked quite happy to assist me, so him not showing up was indeed a surprise for me."
In fact, he knew why Long Yifan wanted to assist. Wasn’t it because of the certain red eyes, black hair, beautiful genius alchemist?
He got to know from some rumors how Long Yifan openly flirts with Gu Jin during the classes and couldn’t help but admire the young man’s courage.
’To think that young man had challenged the principal just to get the chance to become Gu Jin’s teacher and flirt with her openly... sigh! Youngster nowadays were indeed... too bold.’
He looked at her for a moment, then said, "Perhaps something urgent came up. I’ll ask the administration to check."
Gu Jin nodded, but the worry in her chest only grew.
"Thank you, Professor," she said quietly, then turned and left the office.