Chapter 6: I Am Willing to Be Tested Again
Yun Sheng stood quietly at the edge of the crowd, watching Lin Yueyao, who was the center of the Zhou Family’s attention.
A slightly cool hand suddenly tapped her arm gently.
She turned her head and met Su Wan’s hesitant gaze.
Her biological mother’s face was a mixture of lingering fear, concern, and a clear touch of helplessness.
"Yun Sheng, are you all right? Are you hurt?"
Yun Sheng shook her head. "I’m fine, Madam. I’m just a little tired and would like to go back and rest, if that’s okay."
The address "Madam" made Su Wan’s eyes flicker, as if stung, yet also as if in relief.
"Alright, I’ll take you to your room now."
Lin Hao, who had been watching coldly from the sidelines, immediately sneered. "So delicate. Sister Yue Yao has to go perform a deep guidance for Zhou Lin. Now *that’s* what I call exhausting."
Yun Sheng ignored him and followed Su Wan away from the bustling lawn.
Her room was on the second floor of the Lin Family’s main residence. It was spacious and bright, with warm and exquisite decor.
The wardrobe was filled with new clothes and dresses, the dressing table was lined with a dazzling array of skincare products and jewelry, and there were even a few cute stuffed animals on the bed...
It was clear that a lot of thought had gone into it, an attempt to make up for the missing eighteen years.
"See if there’s anything you’re missing, and be sure to... tell me," Su Wan said softly.
"Thank you, Madam. It’s very nice. I’m not missing anything."
Su Wan gave a few more instructions before closing the door and leaving.
The moment the door closed, the layer of forced calm on Yun Sheng’s face instantly vanished.
She closed her eyes and focused all her mental energy, trying to sense that power again.
But her body felt completely empty.
No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t detect the slightest trace of the White Tiger’s power, as if the life-or-death outburst from before had just been a hallucination.
’Just as I thought. Borrowed power disappears after one use.’
Yun Sheng slowly exhaled, suppressing the frustration in her heart.
’Now, I can only wait for the next night.’
Outside the window, the sky had darkened without her noticing, and the evening light cast a hazy golden glow over the room.
From downstairs, she faintly heard the soft sound of a hovercar entering the manor. Not long after, there was a light knock on her door.
A maid’s voice came through the door. "Miss, the master is back. The madam has asked for you to come downstairs."
Yun Sheng’s gaze flickered. She quickly composed herself, opened the door, and followed the maid downstairs.
The living room was brightly lit, but the atmosphere was somewhat heavy.
Su Wan sat on the main sofa. Beside her sat a middle-aged man with a stern face and a naturally imposing air.
He wore well-tailored, dark loungewear, and even while sitting casually, his back was as straight as a pine. He exuded the steady aura of someone long accustomed to a position of power.
Without a doubt, this was the man at the helm of the Lin Family—her biological father, Lin Zhenye.
Lin Hao was slouching against a decorative pillar by the stairs. Seeing Yun Sheng come down, he immediately snorted.
"Taking your sweet time, making the whole family wait. Do you really think you’re the young miss now?"
"Xiao Hao!" Su Wan frowned. "Watch your mouth! Sit down properly."
Lin Hao pouted and reluctantly shuffled over to a nearby armchair.
At that moment, Lin Zhenye’s gaze turned toward her.
His gaze was heavy, carrying a sharpness accustomed to scrutiny and assessment, yet it wasn’t urgent. He simply looked Yun Sheng over calmly from head to toe.
"Was the journey smooth?" he asked. His voice was low and even, and though the question was ordinary, it demanded a serious answer.
"It was. General Bai made thorough arrangements."
"How have you been all these years in the Eighth District?"
"All right." Yun Sheng’s reply was brief. After a pause, she added, "My adoptive parents... provided basic food and clothing."
She didn’t complain, nor did she make a show of being strong. She was simply stating a fact.
This attitude, however, made Lin Zhenye give her a second look.
"Did you take an awakening test when you came of age?" he asked, getting straight to the point.
"Yes, a month ago, at the public testing center in the Eighth District." Yun Sheng lowered her gaze, her voice clear. "They detected a faint guide hormone reaction, but I couldn’t form a spiritual body. The final verdict was... a failed awakening."
She said it calmly, as if she were talking about someone else.
The living room fell silent for a moment.
Just then, the sound of light footsteps approached.
Lin Yueyao walked in from outside. There was a trace of weariness on her face, but her bearing was still perfect.
"Father, Mother," she greeted them softly, her gaze sweeping over Yun Sheng for a second.
"Father," she said, turning to Lin Zhenye, her voice gentle yet clear, "the public testing equipment in the Eighth Star Zone might be rather basic, with limited precision. Since Yun Sheng is home now, why don’t we arrange for her to take a more comprehensive and precise test? Perhaps... the original result was mistaken."
As she said this, her gaze fell back on Yun Sheng, filled with complex scrutiny.
Yun Sheng kept her eyelids lowered and didn’t respond immediately.
’I know perfectly well that Lin Yueyao’s suggestion stems from the lingering doubts she has from this afternoon’s "accident."’
’She wants to use the most authoritative method to confirm whether I’m truly a "failure."’
"Sister Yue Yao!" Lin Hao immediately piped up. "What’s the point of another test? The public report is already out! Won’t she still be useless trash after another test? Then the entire Capital Star will know our family brought back a piece of useless trash who can’t even form a spiritual body..."
"Lin Hao!" Su Wan cut him off sharply.
Hearing Yun Sheng speak so calmly about her life in the Eighth Star Zone had already made her heart ache.
Now, hearing her son call her "useless trash" over and over, the suppressed anguish surged up inside her.
"She’s your sister, how can you speak to her like that! She’s been lost all these years, think of all the hardships she’s suffered, you..."
"Why can’t I say it?" Lin Hao, having been scolded by his mother in public, couldn’t take the loss of face and retorted with his neck stiffened, "I’m telling the truth! She’s just a piece of usele—"
"That’s enough," Lin Zhenye cut off their argument with a sharp voice.
The living room fell silent instantly.
Lin Zhenye didn’t look at his defiant son or his emotional wife. His gaze fell once more on Yun Sheng.
From beginning to end, this newly returned daughter had been abnormally calm, neither angered by her brother’s insults nor moved by her mother’s defense.
"Yun Sheng," Lin Zhenye said, looking at her. "What are your thoughts? Are you willing to be tested again?"
’The question has been thrown back to me.’
Yun Sheng’s heart tightened slightly.
’I’m not sure what to make of the power I "borrowed" through my dreams. Is it a mutation from my transmigration, or is it a latent ability of this body?’
’If I get retested, under the most precise instruments on the Capital Star, will something be exposed?’
’But if I don’t agree... Lin Yueyao’s suspicions will never be put to rest. She’ll always be on guard, maybe even watch me, and that won’t do me any good.’
Under several gazes, each with a different meaning, Yun Sheng raised her eyes and calmly met Lin Zhenye’s scrutinizing stare.
"I’m willing to be tested again."