All this sneaking around and beating around the bush really damages the image of the Azure Dragon Lord's Manor in Lucia Lu's mind.
......
Before the end of the school day, the Celestial Emperor announced the results.
Sean Shaw took first place again.
Lucia Lu smiled to herself, thinking, he's so outstanding—he might as well present flowers to himself.
Most people passed the exam.
Only a dozen or so have to stay behind tomorrow.
But there was one person with no result at all.
"Divine Lady Lucia," the Celestial Emperor called out. "What's going on with you?"
Lucia Lu was puzzled. "Your Majesty, what's wrong?"
"These blank exam sheets—are any of them yours?" the Celestial Emperor asked.
Lucia Lu got up, walked over, and took a look. The blank sheet had not a single word on it—not even a name.
But one of the sheets showed faint crumpling marks.
That one was hers.
"This is my exam paper," Lucia Lu said. "But I filled it to the brim—why is there not a single word left?"
"Did someone swap my senior's paper with a blank one?" Adrian Drake asked angrily.
"Impossible," said the Celestial Emperor. "Ever since you all turned in your exams, they've been in my hands! No one alive could swap them under my nose."
Ryan Lu said, "Then what happened? Did we run into a ghost or something?"
"I can testify—I saw Divine Lady Lucia writing nonstop," said Lucia Lu's deskmate from the exam. "I even tried to sneak a peek, but I couldn't make out a single answer."
The Celestial Emperor said, "Hmm? Could it be...?"
"It might be Ink-Eater Gu!" said a goddess from the Lumina Realm. "Your Majesty, may I examine the papers?"
The Celestial Emperor nodded and floated the blank sheets over to her.
So-called gu are actually special spirit insects.
They're tiny—so small you can't see them with the naked eye.
But their abilities are just as powerful as the biggest spirit beasts—some are even downright terrifying.
Some can kill instantly.
Some can make you sick—so sick you'll wish you were dead.
Others can heal, or help with cultivation...
People who raise gu use special methods to control these invisible spirit bugs and get what they want.
Lots of folks in the Lumina Realm raise gu.
Many in the Lumina Realm know how to raise gu.
And this goddess is one of them.
She cast a spell and examined the sheets. "Your Majesty, someone put Ink-Eater Gu on these papers. Those bugs ate all the words she wrote."
"What are Ink-Eater Gu?" someone asked.
"Ink-Eater Gu are bugs that love to eat ink," the gu goddess explained. "They’re mostly used on precious paper made from Goldenreed or Silversilk. The bugs eat the old writing, so the paper can be reused."
Lucia Lu doesn’t practice gu arts.
So there’s no way she could’ve done this herself.
Where did the Ink-Eater Gu come from, then?
She suddenly glanced at Jenna Summers.
Just now, when Lucia was handing in her exam, Jenna suddenly leaned toward her.
At the time, Lucia blocked her with the hand holding her test paper.
Could it... have been her?
Jenna sat there, perfectly composed, not a hint of extra emotion on her face.
Wow, she’s a real actress.
"Can you trace who released the gu?" the Celestial Emperor asked the goddess.
The goddess shook her head. "With this type of gu, it’s impossible to track down the person who used it."
"Then there’s nothing we can do..." The Celestial Emperor looked at Lucia. "With no answers on your test, I can only count it as zero—"
"Your Majesty!" Lucia called out. "Could you please give me another exam paper? I’ll write it again!"
She hadn’t seen her parents for days, and now that they’d finally come all this way, she had to see them no matter what.