“Just because you don’t know him doesn’t mean someone you do know doesn’t.” Chen Wen implied, his gaze meaningful. “You mean…” Zhong Yun hesitated for a moment, “Yunqi?” It wasn't that he was slow, but that Yang Tianlie’s reputation was too immense, and he was known for keeping a low profile.

From childhood, Zhong Yun had never heard a single news story about him. His understanding of the man came entirely from history books, legends, and films.

To be honest, Zhong Yun hadn't even been sure if Grand Marshal Yang Tianlie was still alive in this world. To Zhong Yun, Grand Marshal Yang Tianlie was more like a figure from myth.

Yet, today, someone was telling him that someone close to him actually knew the Grand Marshal. His hesitation was perfectly understandable.

“Marshal Yang Tianlie is the ancestor of the Yang family. In that great national salvation campaign, he was the only direct descendant left,” Chen Wen chuckled.

“The generation of Liu Yunqi’s father were all his children.” “Oh.” Tian Hai truly felt his horizons expanding. Grand Marshal Yang Tianlie had been his idol since childhood.

Hearing an unknown facet of his idol today, he became quite enthusiastic. “The Marshal must have been over fifty during the salvation campaign.

How many children did he have afterward?” Chen Wen actually knew this detail. “He was fifty-eight that year.

After the war ended, to ensure the continuation of the Yang bloodline, he took five more wives and eventually fathered eight sons and one daughter. Liu Yunqi’s father ranks third among them.” “Wow, truly old but robust,” Tian Hai laughed with a hint of mischief; people always enjoyed hearing such sensational gossip.

For some inexplicable reason, a spark of insight flashed through Zhong Yun’s mind, recalling a certain person. “Are all nine of his children still alive?” Chen Wen was about to nod but suddenly recalled a rumor that had shaken society years ago.

He paused before saying, “They should all be alive, yes.” “‘Should be’?” Tian Hai questioned, intrigued. “You don’t know for sure?” “I heard that twenty years ago, Old Marshal Yang banished one of his sons from the family home,” Chen Wen murmured softly.

“Really?” Tian Hai’s eyes lit up. Secret history!

Real insider information! He exclaimed with excitement, “Tell me everything.” Zhong Yun also perked up his ears.

He wanted to know if that person was truly who he suspected. “Actually, I don’t know the full details,” Tian Hai spread his hands.

“I overheard my aunt chatting idly. Apparently, Old Marshal Yang’s eldest son was an astonishingly brilliant prodigy, possessing unparalleled innate talent, much like Xiao Yun.” “By the time he was thirty, he was piloting the Seventh Form Mecha, representing Davo in the Interstellar Mecha Competition of the Omi Star System, and brought back the tenth-place trophy, becoming a hero to the people of Davo.” “What?

He’s Fang-Tooth?” Hearing this, Tian Hai nearly jumped up. ‘Fang-Tooth’ was the codename of the pilot who won the Interstellar Mecha Competition driving the ‘Seventh Form’ Mecha.

No one knew his real name; everyone just called him ‘Fang-Tooth.’ To this day, he remained the undisputed King of Mecha. The mysterious ‘Fang-Tooth’ had always been Tian Hai’s greatest idol, second only to Marshal Yang Tianlie.

He never imagined that one day he would learn the identities of both his idols, and even more bizarrely, that his two idols were father and son. His excitement was considerable.

Tian Hai glanced at Chen Wen, thinking that while he knew Fang-Tooth was his idol, he didn’t need to react so extravagantly. “Then why was Fang-Tooth expelled by Old Marshal Yang?” Seeing them veer off-topic, Zhong Yun interjected.

“Because of a woman,” Chen Wen held up a single finger. A woman?

Zhong Yun smiled faintly as the name of that person surfaced in his mind. “Did Fang-Tooth betray the family for a woman?” Tian Hai’s eyes widened, completely overwhelmed by the succession of bombshell revelations.

“To be precise, he betrayed Old Marshal Yang,” Chen Wen corrected. “It is said that in order to save that woman, Fang-Tooth stole the Old Marshal’s most treasured possession.” “This caused a huge stir at the time, but since it wasn't leaked to the media, the general public never found out.” Zhong Yun was about to ask who the woman was when the shuttle car slowed to a stop.

The driver announced that they had arrived at the school. Zhong Yun and Tian Hai got out, bidding each other farewell as they separated.

The first year courses were relatively light, with only three sessions in the morning, each lasting about an hour. This morning featured two elective courses requiring them to move to different classrooms.

Since this was an aristocratic school, quite a few students chose the fine arts major, most of whom were female, which was unexpected for Zhong Yun. The instructor for Basic Art was a graceful middle-aged woman.

Though time had etched undeniable marks on her face, her quiet, elegant temperament was still instantly appealing. After the customary brief self-introduction, Zhong Yun found a seat in a corner.

This teacher, surnamed Wei, had a captivating way of speaking—unhurried yet rhythmic, making even the purely theoretical knowledge she lectured on feel far from dull. One class passed quickly, followed by the Art History course, taught by the same elegant woman.

After the noon dismissal, Zhong Yun did not return home, as his parents had informed him they would be staying at the company overnight. Zhong Yun exited the school gates and entered Mingzhu School.

Despite its vast size, he had already memorized the campus map and headed directly toward the College of Music. Mingzhu School’s College of Music was renowned, considered the best in the nation.

Its Dean was the celebrated Maestro Gro, the only musician to have ever won all four major music awards. Furthermore, in his youth, Maestro Gro had studied under the advanced civilization of the Gaan Empire.

With Maestro Gro presiding, this college was the most coveted ivory tower for music enthusiasts. Even the currently reigning Heavenly Queen singer, Ming Yunyu, had studied here for a period.

Now, Liu Yunqi was also enrolled as a student here. At the entrance to the College of Music, a group of over a dozen boys waited, clutching flowers.

Some looked relaxed, others smug, and a few appeared quite nervous. Zhong Yun hesitated, wondering if he should buy a bouquet, and asked a nearby gentleman anxiously peering toward the entrance while holding flowers, “Excuse me, which way is the flower shop?” That young man turned with impatience.

He first noticed Zhong Yun’s clothes—he was now wearing the school uniform issued by the academy—and his expression immediately shifted to one of vigilance and hostility. Looking up and seeing Zhong Yun’s face, the man became stunned, with a trace of disdain mixed in.

This man’s facial expressions were quite theatrical; perhaps he was in the acting program, Zhong Yun thought amusedly. Out of politeness, he repeated his question.

“Go down that alley, and take the first left; it’s right there.” Zhong Yun thanked him and, as he turned to leave, he heard the man muttering behind him, “What kind of riff-raff dares to come to the College of Music to pick up girls…” The flower shop was quite large, offering a wide variety of blooms. It seemed the demand from Mingzhu School was robust.

Zhong Yun casually selected a few delicate and understated flowers and asked the attendant to wrap them. “You have excellent taste,” the female attendant remarked, looking surprised at Zhong Yun’s selection.

Flower arrangement was an art, of course, but it was also possible the attendant was simply trying to curry favor. Holding the flowers, he returned to the entrance of the College of Music.

In the short time he was gone, a few more boys had joined the waiting crowd. The music college doors were tightly shut.

Upon inquiry, Zhong Yun learned that non-college students were strictly forbidden entry. Seeing the imposing, unyielding demeanor of the tall gatekeeper, Zhong Yun knew there was little room for negotiation.

“Then at least announce my arrival,” he conceded. “Who are you looking for?” The gatekeeper nimbly produced a small communication device.

“Liu Yunqi.” Though Zhong Yun spoke quietly, the Mingzhu School students who were already paying attention heard him, causing an immediate stir. Liu Yunqi had only been enrolled for half a year—and hadn't attended classes for the first five months, only setting foot on campus the day before yesterday—yet in an incredibly short time, she had ascended to the position of Mingzhu School’s number one campus beauty.

The sensation she caused rivaled the furor surrounding Ming Yunyu in her prime. For the past two days, the hottest topic at Mingzhu School had been Liu Yunqi, a girl whose beauty seemed otherworldly.

While different from Ming Yunyu’s mesmerizing allure, it drove everyone to equal degrees of infatuation. A male student, and an exceedingly ordinary-looking one at that, wearing the uniform of Yuehu Academy, was showing up at the entrance of the Mingzhu School College of Music demanding to see Liu Yunqi, and judging by his tone, he seemed quite familiar with her.

Why wouldn’t this cause an uproar? Mingzhu School and Yuehu Academy were separated only by a wide road.

Both were prestigious schools and had been rivals from the start. The students of the two academies naturally eyed each other with suspicion; if you didn't like the look of them, they certainly didn't like the look of you.

Zhong Yun wandering around the Mingzhu campus in the Yuehu uniform was already conspicuous enough. Now, to openly attempt to court their campus beauty?

It was far too arrogant! All the Mingzhu School boys present grew indignant and glared fiercely at Zhong Yun.

The student who had directed Zhong Yun to the flower shop earlier was now utterly astonished. This guy certainly had guts.

To approach the College of Music to pursue a girl with that appearance was already impressive enough. But to have set his sights on Liu Yunqi?

He truly was something else. So thick-skinned, indeed.

Liu Yunqi, of all people? That student shook his head.

He had heard that just yesterday, Li Zhipeng, the star player of the school team who was hugely popular with the girls, had asked Liu Yunqi to accompany him to a musical at the Mingzhou Grand Theater, only to be flatly rejected to her face. If even the handsome Li Zhipeng failed, this fellow, with his humble looks, should just give up and go home, the student thought.

Many of the boys present seemed to grasp this context and smirked, anticipating the show. They fully expected to mock the Yuehu Academy boy mercilessly when he was inevitably sent packing.

The door to the College of Music suddenly creaked open. Because the door was made of shifting mist, a vague silhouette could be seen, but no clear features were visible.

The hearts of the Mingzhu School boys waiting outside leaped into their throats. Could it be…?

When the door opened fully, a very pretty girl stepped out. Seeing the commotion, she flinched, nearly retreating back inside.

Seeing that the person emerging was not Liu Yunqi, the boys relaxed, thinking they had scared themselves. There was no way Liu Yunqi would know some boy from Yuehu.