Rebirth: The Time-locked Girl
Chapter 499: The Death of the 499th Female Prime Minister, Shenzhou University! [1 more update]

Chapter 499: The Death of the 499th Female Prime Minister, Shenzhou University! [1 more update]

She was not saddened or distressed by this, nor would she kneel and beg for mercy from the enemy. To die standing was an honor unprecedented.

The enemy could kill her flesh, but they could never extinguish her spirit.

Shen Mingshu’s calm and undisturbed gaze completely infuriated the enemy general. He violently grabbed her hair, forcefully making her raise her head.

"I really hate that look in your eyes," the enemy general said with venomous eyes, "so stubborn, refusing to submit, as if there’s truly nothing that could completely kill you."

Shen Mingshu closed her eyes and remained silent.

Her heart, in fact, was filled with immense joy.

Because if she could hold them off for even one second longer, it meant saving the life of one more person.

"If Minister Shen is not afraid of death," said the enemy general, as if a thought struck him and he suddenly burst into laughter, "then I will make you wish for death." "Minister Shen, you’ve been proudly aloof all your life, what a pity that it ends here."

"Swish!"

A short sword appeared in his hand, placed horizontally in front of Shen Mingshu’s face.

The chilling coldness did not shake Shen Mingshu in the slightest, even as her face felt the sharp, bone-deep pain.

Ye Wanlan could see clearly, the enemy general used the short sword to carve the word "cheap" on Shen Mingshu’s face.

The characters were crooked and jagged, fresh blood oozing out copiously.

At that moment, Ye Wanlan felt an uncontrollable hatred growing from the depths of her bones, sweeping over her like a tidal wave, threatening to drown her senses.

Shen Mingshu’s pride had been unyielding in life, truly embodying the essence of "lofty" integrity.

She had no martial arts skills, but her heart was stronger than anyone else’s.

Yet to be so humiliated by these enemies.

The enemy’s laughter rang in her ears, and Ye Wanlan’s pupils were dyed a deep red: "Teacher..."

But this was still only a replay of history.

Ye Wanlan could only watch with open eyes, powerless to stop anything.

Time is a river that flows in one direction, and the fixed history cannot be altered.

Though Shen Mingshu’s eyes were closed, her senses were unusually sharp. Her body shuddered, but she never uttered a word of supplication.

Like a punch hitting thin air, the enemy general threw down the short sword, losing interest in humiliating Shen Mingshu: "Kill her, advance to Fengyuan, the general doesn’t believe everyone else is as stubborn and unyielding."

Instead of bloodshed, he preferred to see the People of Shenzhou with their backbones broken, kneeling before them begging for mercy; that is where the fun lies.

Shen Mingshu’s head was severed, her hands and feet still bound in shackles.

To the enemy’s surprise, her body remained standing even after death, not falling to the ground.

This scene made the enemy soldiers involuntarily take three steps back.

"What’s there to panic about? It’s broad daylight, ghosts won’t come haunting!" the enemy general swung his sword, splitting the body of Shen Mingshu in two with a harsh command, "If there really are ghosts, with so many people we’ve killed, we would already be haunted!"

This remark reignited the morale of the enemy soldiers.

They stepped forward one by one, swinging their weapons at Shen Mingshu’s body until it was beyond recognition.

"I had respected Minister Shen as a heroic woman, but she was an utter fool!" sneered the enemy general, "We never intended to slaughter these common people of Shenzhou. Even if you hadn’t come forward to delay us, as long as the commoners didn’t resist, the general wouldn’t have killed them."

Those he wished to kill were the resisters. By exterminating them all, Shenzhou would naturally fall into their hands.

Otherwise, senseless slaughter would indeed bring repercussion, which they did not want to see.

"Move out, to Fengyuan," the enemy general remounted his horse, "But first, we have to deal with the people from the Highest Heaven Tower. I want to see how long they can hold out."

The windblown sand quickly buried the bodies.

Shackles adorned the fallen.

Bones turned to dust.

Everything was silent, stirring not a single ripple.

On this day, the Ning Dynasty lost two of its loyal ministers.

...

Hua Yingyue saw Ye Wanlan kneeling on the ground, hand trembling, wanting to help her up, but unable to do so.

"Ah Lan?" Hua Yingyue saw her shedding tears, the droplets falling to the ground, creating ripples, her body also trembling uncontrollably.

Princess Yongning was a very strong person, never crying even if the pain penetrated to the bone.

In all the time she had known her, Hua Yingyue had only seen her cry twice.

Once in the East Desolate City, and now.

Hua Yingyue quickly understood: "Ah Lan, you saw it again..."

"Yes, I saw it," Ye Wanlan steadied her emotions and slowly began, "The teacher... before she died, she was humiliated by the enemy, and I..."

She closed her eyes forcefully, as tears once again spilled from the corners of her eyes.

Ye Wanlan knew clearly that Shen Mingshu’s death was inevitable.

For with the Ning Dynasty fallen, even if she could survive along with the common people, her heart would no longer have anything to sustain it.

And it was obvious that this group of enemies was very familiar with the Ning Dynasty, from top to bottom. As the Eternal Female Prime Minister, Shen Mingshu was also on their priority list.

If she could not be subjugated, then she must be killed.

If Shen Mingshu were to seek refuge with the people, the enemies would not spare her and would kill even more civilians.

Ye Wanlan had thought that after witnessing historical retrospection many times, she would be able to bear the death of her loved ones.

Yet she still could not tolerate Shen Mingshu being humiliated this way.

Ye Wanlan lowered her head, looking at the jade pendant in her palm.

This jade pendant had been passed down from Shen Mingshu’s ancestors, but because she was too poor when she was young, Shen Mingshu pawned the jade pendant in order to afford her education.

Later, when she had money, she bought back the jade pendant at a high price.

What gave Ye Wanlan a bad premonition was that the jade pendant could not speak, and Shen Mingshu did not have any weapons.

Ye Wanlan murmured to herself, "Is my guess wrong, or..."

If her guess was wrong, it meant that it was not by relying on weapons and her blood that Xie Linyuan and Hua Yingyue were able to return to Shenzhou.

If it was correct, then Shen Mingshu had no way to come back.

In that case, she would rather that she was mistaken.

"Ah Lan..." Hua Yingyue’s voice softened, "The pressure on you is still too great. It’s not your fault, and none of us ever blamed you."

Many people had said the same thing to her.

Ye Wanlan silently gazed at the crystalline jade pendant in her hand.

She certainly knew that none of it was her fault; it was those cruel, inhumane enemy soldiers.

But every time she saw the historical retrospection, she always hated that she couldn’t kill those bandits to avenge the millions of Shenzhou people who had perished.

"Yingyue, I think I’ll go back first," Ye Wanlan said slowly as she rose to her feet. "I need some rest; let the eldest martial brother show you around this era."

Hua Yingyue looked worried and refused to leave, "I’ll accompany you."

**

That evening, Lin Huaijin, as promised, prepared a table full of dishes.

"Quick, go call Ah Lan down," he said to Lin Wenli. "She has locked herself in her room ever since she came back; she needs to replenish her energy."

Lin Wenli nodded and went upstairs to call Ye Wanlan.

Right at this moment, uninvited guests arrived at the Lin Family Old House.

"You again?" Lin Huaijin coldly regarded Old Master Kang, "I’ve said it before, Ah Lan is definitely not going back with you!"

He harbored not an ounce of goodwill towards anyone from the Kang Family.

Old Master Kang first cautiously scanned the hall, and when he realized that Yan Tingfeng was not in sight, he relaxed.

"Mr. Lin, you misunderstand," Old Master Kang said with a smile. "We are not here to take Wanlan back, but to share some good news with her."

Lin Huaijin still blocked the door, showing no intention of letting him in, "I’ll say again, you never cared for her before, don’t try to cozy up now!"

"Mr. Lin!" Old Master Kang became anxious. "I came specially because of Shenzhou University."

The words "Shenzhou University" made Lin Huaijin pause.

"Le Jia can accompany Wanlan to Shenzhou University for an interview," Old Master Kang said in a friendly tone. "Yunjing University has indeed developed well over the years, but it still can’t compare to Shenzhou University, which has nearly three hundred years of history."

Shenzhou University was the dream academic sanctum for students worldwide.

If one could enter Shenzhou University, their future would shine bright and dazzling. In other words, one foot would already be in the door of the Global Center’s top powers, and one wouldn’t have to worry about anything afterward.

Old Master Kang played his cards well.

He advanced by retreating, conquering firmness with softness.

Offering the chance of a Shenzhou University interview to Ye Wanlan meant that, even if she wasn’t accepted, he would have done her a favor.

The soft approach was often the best; rushing things wouldn’t do.

Although the Kang Family paled in comparison to the Lin Family Main House, unfortunately for them, the Lin Family Main House had no intention of accepting Ye Wanlan back.

Without the support of the main house, Lin Huaijin and his wife could offer Ye Wanlan very few resources.

Old Master Kang was convinced that before long, Ye Wanlan would surely return to the Kang Family.

People are animals driven by self-interest, after all.

"I’m not going," Ye Wanlan’s voice descended from upstairs. She stood behind Lin Wenli. "Leave immediately."

Kang Lejia "jumped" out, fuming with rage, "Ye Wanlan, don’t be so shameless. Your grandmother is gone, your sister and aunt were taken back by the Lin Family Main House, you’re an abandoned child, what are you arrogant about here?"