“What’s wrong?”

Sensing the strange expression on Shen Qinghan’s face, Yuan Dongzhi asked her curiously.

“Master…”

Because she had acknowledged her as master under such strange circumstances, Shen Qinghan still wasn’t used to calling her that. It sounded awkward and unnatural. After hesitating for a moment, she asked, “Um… what’s Senior Sister’s name?”

“Luo Qianxue,” Yuan Dongzhi replied calmly.

Afraid Shen Qinghan might not know which three characters made up the name, Yuan Dongzhi even typed out “Luo Qianxue” in WeChat and sent it to her.

Not Bai Xue.

But the name contained the character Xue…

Shen Qinghan felt that her senior sister might very well be Bai Xue.

Yuan Dongzhi asked, “You were looking at your senior sister’s photo like that… did you know her before?”

“When I was in second grade, I had a good friend named Bai Xue. She looks just like Senior Sister,” Shen Qinghan said, “That friend of mine had only transferred in less than half a semester before she suddenly transferred out again. I never saw her after that.”

Yuan Dongzhi raised an eyebrow, “Is that so?”

After a brief hesitation, Shen Qinghan voiced her guess, “Master, it’s been exactly ten years since I was in second grade. Do you think… Senior Sister could be that friend of mine?”

“Impossible.”

Yuan Dongzhi denied it without even thinking.

As for why, she didn’t explain.

Shen Qinghan, being soft-hearted, didn’t dare to press further. She simply looked back at the photo quietly.

Only then did she notice something strange about the photo’s background.

The plants growing on the ground were all bizarre and distorted.

Some had black leaves and branches.

Some had tree trunks covered in veins.

And some were grotesque, alluring flowers with mouths.

They were completely different from any plants she knew, looking fake, as if they had been edited in.

At that moment, Yuan Dongzhi said, “Qinghan, your Gene Fusion Adaptability is far beyond anything I’ve ever seen. Let me give you a full-body examination right now, to see if there’s something special about your body that’s causing this.”

As she spoke, Yuan Dongzhi got up and sat down in front of Shen Qinghan, slipping her hand into Qinghan’s clothes and pressing it against her abdomen.

Then she injected a wisp of her spiritual power into Shen Qinghan’s body, carefully examining her condition.

After about ten minutes, Yuan Dongzhi frowned and withdrew her hand.

Shen Qinghan’s body was completely normal, no different from that of an ordinary person.

Which made it even stranger.

‘How could such an ordinary body have a Gene Fusion Adaptability as high as 21%?’

Yuan Dongzhi couldn’t make sense of it.

Seeing her frown, Shen Qinghan thought there might be something wrong with her body and asked anxiously, “Master, is there something wrong with me?”

“There’s nothing wrong with you. You’re perfectly healthy, no different from a normal person. Every part of your body is normal,” Yuan Dongzhi replied, “But that’s what makes it strange. A body with a Gene Fusion Adaptability of 21% shouldn’t be this ordinary.”

Shen Qinghan breathed a sigh of relief.

When Yuan Dongzhi suddenly frowned, the first thought that popped into her head was that she might have some kind of terminal illness.

It was the result of watching too many melodramatic romance dramas—her mind always jumped to the most dramatic conclusions.

“It’s past twelve already. Come on, I’ll take you to the cafeteria for lunch.”

“My childhood friend is still waiting for me outside. Can he come too?”

“Of course.”

The two soon left the office.

As they walked out, Yuan Dongzhi casually restored the office’s disabled electronic devices with a thought.

Earlier, when she brought Shen Qinghan in, she had blocked all the devices with her spiritual power to prevent their conversation from being leaked.

* * *

Outside, Shen Qinghan waved and called out, “Xiao Chen, come on, let’s go to the cafeteria!”

“Coming!” Lin Zichen replied, standing up and walking toward them.

On the way to the cafeteria,

Yuan Dongzhi walked in front, while Lin Zichen and Shen Qinghan followed behind.

Yuan Dongzhi’s high heels clicked crisply against the floor, but the sound wasn’t noisy—it was almost musical.

Even more captivating were her long, full, snow-white legs and the curves beneath the silken fabric of her dress that swayed enticingly with every step.

Walking behind her, Lin Zichen tried his best to restrain himself, but he couldn’t help glancing a few times.

Humans were rational creatures, superior to other species in intellect, yet reason often gave way to desire.

Before long, the three arrived at the cafeteria.

After finding a seat, Yuan Dongzhi immediately called over the head chef and asked Shen Qinghan, “Qinghan, what do you want to eat? Just tell the chef.”

“Anything’s fine,” Shen Qinghan said timidly, too shy to make any requests.

Seeing this, Yuan Dongzhi turned to Lin Zichen, “You grew up with her, so you should know what she likes. Help her order.”

“Sure,” Lin Zichen nodded, then told the chef, “One tomato scrambled egg, soy-braised chicken, soy-braised shrimp, shredded cabbage and carrot-and-corn soup.”

Four dishes and a soup were enough for three people.

* * *

As they ate, the three chatted casually.

When Lin Zichen learned that Shen Qinghan had accepted Yuan Dongzhi as her master, he was stunned.

‘What? How did that happen so suddenly?’

But he quickly figured it out.

It must be because Shen Qinghan’s Gene Fusion Adaptability was extraordinary—Yuan Dongzhi was getting ahead of the curve by taking her as a disciple.

Meanwhile, Yuan Dongzhi herself was equally surprised when she found out Lin Zichen was the examinee with a 15% Gene Fusion Adaptability.

These two childhood friends had taken the top two spots in the Southern River Province martial arts entrance exams?

Wasn’t that a little too coincidental?

Yuan Dongzhi couldn’t shake off a sense that something was off.

* * *

An hour later, after the meal, Yuan Dongzhi had someone drive Lin Zichen and Shen Qinghan home.

As soon as they left, she ordered her trusted aide to investigate both of their family backgrounds—especially Shen Qinghan’s—to see what kind of lineage could produce such a gifted daughter.

Her aide worked fast. Within an hour, they had compiled complete information on both Lin Zichen’s and Shen Qinghan’s families and sent it to Yuan Dongzhi.

After reading it, Yuan Dongzhi was even more puzzled.

Both sets of parents were completely ordinary, neither Gene Fusers nor Cyborgs.

So how did such normal parents produce children with such extraordinary talent?

Was it a genetic mutation?

Yuan Dongzhi couldn’t figure it out.

She then took out her phone and called her father at home.

Her father was a well-informed man and she wanted his insight on the matter.

The call connected quickly and a deep middle-aged man’s voice came through.

“What is it, Dongzhi?”

“Dad, I accepted an exceptionally gifted disciple today—her Gene Fusion Adaptability is 21%.”

“What did you say?! 21% Gene Fusion Adaptability? That’s impossible! Quick, tell me the details!”

His voice was filled with shock.

Yuan Dongzhi organized her thoughts and explained everything, emphasizing that Shen Qinghan’s parents were ordinary people.

Even her experienced father had never encountered such an anomaly and couldn’t give her a definite explanation.

He could only say it might be a genetic mutation.

Then, with a very serious tone, he warned her, “Dongzhi, you must cultivate this genius disciple of yours carefully! With a Gene Fusion Adaptability of 21%, she’s destined for greatness. The benefits we could gain from her success are beyond imagination! And one more thing—never let anyone else know about her terrifying talent!”

“I understand, Father.”