Chapter 136: Yulunca

Late February.

The school elections began, and with Nancy’s help, Yulunca easily understood all the hidden maneuvers.

Using some shady methods, she successfully gained control over representatives from several other grades; as for her own classmates, through performative displays and small-group networking, she had already established a friendly image and won their support.

And she used her class as a focal point, letting her classmates radiate influence to their friends.

At the same time, she quietly mobilized Emma at a minor personal cost—Emma, who had long been the unchallenged queen of the girls in Louis’s class, naturally brought her another wave of support.

When the election commenced.

Yulunca instantly became the frontrunner.

Added to that, she had deliberately dressed up—wearing glasses, her golden hair cascading over her shoulders—exuding an air of intellectual grace; though less fiery than other candidates, she better suited the image of a student council president.

Especially after Christina had caused so much trouble, the board had developed a bias against Zhangyang and flashy girls.

Yulunca’s strategy was precisely the opposite.

In Lakeview High’s election, students held seventy percent of the voting weight, while the board held thirty percent.

In the end, Yulunca won with an absolute majority of sixty-eight percent, becoming the new president of Lakeview High’s student council.

Standing on stage, Yulunca held flowers, smiling with restrained grace, as countless teachers and students turned their gazes toward her.

Yulunca savored the feeling—the sensation of being the center of attention.

Especially when she saw Emma’s envious gaze from the front row, her satisfaction deepened.

“Thank you all for electing me…”

After her speech, Yulunca was officially inaugurated as student council president.

Below.

Emma’s teeth clenched with envy; she suddenly regretted not running for president herself.

“Louis, do you think it’s still possible for me to run for president now?”

Louis, who had been closing his eyes to rest, rolled his eyes and refused to answer, tilting his head to continue napping.

These past days, he had perfected the highest level of the Divine Steed Technique and was now crafting the Mid-Harm poison; this thing resembled a chemical toxin—different combinations of venomous insects and herbs produced entirely different effects.

This fascinated him, so he devoted extra effort to developing several variants of Mid-Harm poison with distinct effects.

At the same time, he kept his eyes closed, expending mental energy to further calculate types; as for Emma’s question, he had no intention of answering.

Beside him, Emma pouted, already pondering what she would say when she took the stage as top student in her grade.

Soon, the speeches ended.

The crowd erupted in thunderous applause.

As people dispersed, Yulunca came from behind to the front, walking toward Louis amid greetings from many.

She extended her hand to Emma. “Interested in becoming vice president, Emma?”

Emma froze, then smiled politely, reaching out to grasp Yulunca’s hand. “Of course.”

Yulunca turned her gaze to Louis. Louis immediately raised an eyebrow—what, now you want me to join the student council as your subordinate?

“Louis, would you be interested in serving as an advisor to our student council? I feel our budget management for clubs is still too crude—we need someone to oversee it.”

Louis immediately caught Principal Gilmore frantically signaling to him.

Whatever. He’d give them both some face. He yawned. “Fine.”

Yulunca smiled.

…

Becoming president of Lakeview High, as long as her grades weren’t abysmal, meant Yulunca had already set her sights on top universities.

More importantly, this position was about connections; Yulunca believed that with a year or two of careful cultivation, she would reap enormous benefits—and when she graduated in a year and a half, she could hand the position over to Emma.

That way, the network she built would remain intact, not dissipating after she left.

Louis was pleased with this outcome—or rather, he had secretly pushed for Yulunca’s victory, otherwise the board wouldn’t have all voted for her.

As a future asset in politics or business, Yulunca needed proper positioning; the presidency was an excellent opportunity to accumulate connections.

Now that Yulunca had everything arranged, Louis turned his attention to Emma.

Emma was striking a pose, chattering away.

“Louis, is this right?”

“I feel a slight qi inside me,” Emma rubbed her stomach, looking mysterious.

“You’re bloated.”

“Really!”

“Enough with the shortcuts. Train slowly. When you truly cultivate qi, I’ll teach you techniques.”

“Tch, fine. By the way, Louis, did you know? Jiali is moving.”

“Hmm?”

“Jiali told me. She also told Maria and Madison, and asked me to tell you.”

Jiali is moving.

Louis nodded. He thought it was better for that kind, timid girl to move away from his group of troublemakers.

“Aren’t you going to say anything?” Emma elbowed Louis.

“Say what?”

Emma frowned. That wasn’t like Louis.

Shouldn’t he try to keep Jiali here? Didn’t he see that Jiali liked him?

At that moment, Louis’s phone rang.

“I’ll take this call.”

Soon, Louis returned. “I’m going outside. Keep training. As for Jiali, go talk to her when you have time.”

Then he left.

Emma slumped, propping her cheek in her hand, bored—Louis’s reaction was far too calm.

“Fine, I’ll go see Jiali.”

She headed to Jiali’s house.

Just then, Jiali’s family was moving—a pickup truck was parked outside.

Jiali was carrying her belongings to the truck; there wasn’t much—this house was rented, and very little truly belonged to her and her mother.

“Jiali!”

Jiali, lifting a table, instinctively turned—and saw Emma. Embarrassed, she didn’t want Emma to see what she was doing; it was the self-consciousness of a teenage girl.

Emma saw it, but walked over anyway, without sarcasm—she offered to help. As her hand touched the table, her eyes narrowed slightly.

“You’re really leaving?”

“Mm.”

“Where to?”

“Next neighborhood. We rented an apartment—not far. Emma, can I still visit you?”

“Sure.” To her surprise, Emma answered so readily.

Jiali beamed. “That’s great, Emma, thank you.”

Emma smiled indifferently.

After chatting a while longer, Emma glanced at Margaret, who was peeking from the corner. She hugged Jiali, then strolled home.

Watching Emma’s back, Jiali grinned foolishly—until a hand smacked her head. It was her mother, frowning at her.

“Hurry up and move.”

Once they left and moved, Jiali was forbidden from contacting that little demon!

Yes, later she’d make Jiali take a bath too!

Margaret thought viciously.

Jiali gritted her teeth and kept moving things—lifting a table as easily as if it weighed nothing.

…

Back home, Emma didn’t rest. Instead, she crept to the window, quietly watching Jiali’s house as they moved. When she saw Jiali lift another table.

Emma’s eyes narrowed. “I wasn’t mistaken after all.”

Earlier, she had noticed that beneath the table, Jiali’s hand didn’t actually touch it—there was a gap!

And Jiali was frail, not malnourished, but certainly no athlete—where did she get such strength?

These details, once noticed and considered, were all clear to Emma.

Now, observing closely again, she was certain she hadn’t been wrong.

So the question arose:

Why was this happening?

“Looks like Jiali has a secret~”

Emma smiled meaningfully.

She decided she would stay in close contact with Jiali—ideally become her best friend.

As for telling Louis? After brief hesitation, she decided to keep this secret for herself—for now. She’d give Louis a surprise someday.

See how he reacts then.

Ha, it’ll be fun!

Emma smiled as she prepared a fruit platter and poured herself a glass of milk, then settled comfortably onto the sofa.

As for cultivation?

What she just said was true—that feeling was definitely not bloating!

……

On the other side, Louis did not know Emma was still preparing a surprise for him; he was now being led by the driver toward a cemetery.

The reason he came to such a place was naturally to find a yin-sha site.

Small sha sites were actually quite common in America, you could say they were everywhere, since deaths by violence or suicide happened far too frequently here and there, so sha sites naturally accumulated.

But a yin-sha site—and especially a large one—was truly rare.

This cemetery was the place most suited to Louis’s requirements, found after the family exerted its influence near Orlando.

“The owner of this cemetery was supposedly a black farmer and his family from long ago; their life had been fairly good until the wife died accidentally, and then the farmer…”

Louis’s expression turned strange. Black? Farmer?

How did those two words even go together?

“...Afterward, a rumor spread that the farmer’s spirit still lingered here, and anyone who tried to take over the land would be killed by him using scarecrows.”

“Young Master, this is the place.”

The driver stopped outside the fence.

Louis looked up—it did indeed look promising: dark, withered trees, a rotting fence, a dilapidated wooden shack, dry weeds, tombstones, vast, cold wind blowing…

A desolate scene.

Any normal person who came to take a look would consider this place unlucky.

Louis first examined it with his rudimentary feng shui knowledge, confirmed it was a yin site, then dripped cow’s tears and looked again.

At a glance, the shack faintly shimmered with flowing light, and at Louis’s feet, the ever-alert Coal Ball began barking furiously at the broken wooden shack.

Seeing this, Louis smiled.

Perfect—the right place has been found!

(End of Chapter)