Chapter 263 
“Itill a month?” Lily looked at Anya skeptically. What kind of vegetables took half a month to sell? 

“Yes,” Anya replied earnestly. “After harvesting the vegetables, my parents sell them in other regions. Once they leave, they’re usually gone for abour hall a month.” 
Lily didn’t cominent further, but her eyes narrowed thoughtfully. 
As soon as Anya and lan returned to Ember Creek, their presence caused an uproar 
Students who saw them reacted as if they had seen ghosts. 
“Oh my goodness, is that Anya and lan?” 
“Yeah, it’s them, no doubt!” 
“How’s that possible? Weren’t they One student looked around nervously and lowered their voi… Weren’t they crippled by Zoey’s people? How are they walking around just fine?” 
“I saw the incident myself that day. They were carried out on stretchers,” another student chimed in. 
“Could they have met the miracle–worlding doctor or something?” 
“That must be it!” 
On their way back to the classroom, both lan and Anya were quite anxious, worried that Zoey might find out they had returned and come to cause trouble. 
Just as they were thinking about this, Zoey appeared. 
Their bodies instinctively tensed up at the sight of her, a reflex bom from the fear she instilled in them. They didn’t even dare to exchange glances with each other. 
Lily observed the girl approaching. She was dressed provocatively, wearing a short beige fur coat over a tight–fitting camisole dress and long boots. Her long, black hair was sleek and smooth. 
their files 
Lily’s memory was excellent. She had already memorized the entire student body of Ember Creek when she went through their files. She recognized the girl as Zoey. 
The files contained only her name and a photo–no records of her academic history or age. 
Zoey noticed Lily too. She paused, slightly taken aback. In her recollection, there wasn’t a girl like Lily in Ember Creek 
As she studied Lily’s face, a flash of jealousy crossed her eyes. She had always prided herself on her beauty, confident that no one could surpass her. But today, someone had outshone her. 
and untainted 
Despite her jealousy, Zoey had to admit that the girl in front of her was truly stunning. She had a beauty that captivated attention–pure an with an ethereal grace and a hint of coldness 
She had seen many beautiful women, but none could compare to Lily. 
Lily stood there with her hands in her pockets, gazing at Zoey with a calm, indifferent expression. 
The two locked eyes for a long r 
e moment. 
Eventually, Zoey looked away, only to narrow her eyes slightly. That gaze from Lily was 
so sharp that even she felt a chill. 
She turned her attention to lan and Anya. Seeing them standing there unharmed, she was initially surprised. Then, in a cold voice, she said, “How dare you still come to school? It seems like you don’t take my words seriously!” 
Anya kept her head down as she was too afraid to speak. 
Ian felt a wave of fear but didn’t want Anya to feel embarrassed. Summoning his courage, he spoke up, “Anya only bumped into you by accident. We’ve been hospitalized for a few days because of it. Isn’t that enough? You don’t own Ember Creek.” 
“Huh?” Zoey reacted as if she had just heard the most ridiculous jole. “What did you just say? I didn’t quite catch that. Say it again.” 
Ian’s body tensed, and fear gripped him. He didn’t dare to repeat his words. 
Suddenly, Zoey grabbed his hair with a swift, vicious motion. Her voice turned icy and menacing. “I said, say it again!” 
lan winced in pain but hit back any reaction. When Zoey decided to be ruthless, she was truly terrifying. It was far beyond what an average person could 
endure. 
She tightened her grip on his hair and slapped his face with her other hand. “Not spealding? In that case, your whole family’s going to die!” Raising her hand, she almed a palm strike at his leg 
Lily narrowed her eyes, swiftly moving to stand in front of Tan. With a light touch, she grabbed Zoey’s wrist and exerted force on it, flinging her backward 
Zoey looked up in astonishment at Lily. She hadn’t expected anyone to block her strike. 
That palm strike was not ordinary. She had infused it with vital energy, and there were only a few people in the world who could withstand it Who exactly was this girl?