Hearing the passersby whisper, Mo Yunxuan suddenly remembered that his memories had indeed mentioned the Imperial Guard Recognition Trial.
Rather than a trial for the Imperial Guard, it was more accurately an assessment for the heir to the Wei State Duke Mansion. It was just that once the assessment was complete, the Imperial Guard would swear their allegiance, so outsiders had started calling it the Imperial Guard Recognition Trial.
There were generally two requirements for passing the Heir Assessment:
First, the heir had to reach the Spirit Transformation Realm. After all, the Wei State Duke Mansion was a Martial Merit Noble Family, and strength was the most basic requirement.
Second, the heir had to earn the approval of the current Duke of Wei. That approval was a rather broad matter.
If the current Duke of Wei was strict, the heir was out of luck. The assessment might begin at the Nascent Soul Realm, and they could fail to pass for hundreds of years;
But if the current Duke of Wei was more easygoing and had high hopes for the next generation, then the heir could basically complete the assessment as soon as they reached the Spirit Transformation Realm.
But Mo Yunxuan had never gone through any of the assessments just described. When he'd first transmigrated, Wang Yuan had brought him news of his father's death. He hadn't even been given time to see the body before they went straight ahead with the full Imperial Guard's oath of allegiance.
Come to think of it, he'd practically offered up his father to heaven. Skipping the Heir Assessment and getting the Imperial Guard's loyalty outright shouldn't be too much, right?
Besides, he was the only one left in the main line of the Wei State Duke Mansion. If they didn't swear allegiance to him, who would they swear allegiance to?
As the procession passed Anle Marquis Manor, a crowd had gathered at the gates and along the walls, craning their necks to peer inside.
They packed the entire street so tightly that even the Elite Vanguard at the front couldn't push the pedestrians out of the way.
Just as Wang Yuan was about to turn onto another road, a commotion suddenly rose from the crowd.
"Exactly! Like Marquis Anle said, if she didn't like it, she could've just refused!"
"Right! She didn't refuse, and she accepted the gifts. Isn't that just shameless?"
"She wants to have her cake and eat it too!"
"I never expected Li Qinghan, such a cold and aloof immortal maiden, to be so vain behind closed doors."
At that, Mo Yunxuan caught a whiff of juicy gossip and hurriedly spoke up:
"Uncle Wang, pull the carriage over first. Let's see what's going on."
Wang Yuan looked at Mo Yunxuan's eager expression, the corner of his mouth twitching. He knew at once what the young lord wanted to do.
Looks like the young lord still hasn't matured enough! Wang Yuan sighed inwardly.
Still, he deliberately parked the carriage beside the wall of Anle Marquis Manor.
Mo Yunxuan said with satisfaction, "Uncle Wang, you really know what I like!"
"My lord, as long as you're happy."
Wang Yuan hadn't expected Mo Yunxuan to have such a mischievous side. Had he started letting loose after the Old Duke passed away?
Mo Yunxuan had no idea what Wang Yuan was thinking. In a flash, he scrambled onto the carriage roof and channeled spiritual power into his eyes, giving him a clear view of the drama unfolding inside Anle Marquis Manor.
He saw a handsome, dashing man coldly watching a woman in a pale blue dress. Disdain and anger showed in his eyes.
Mo Yunxuan quickly matched them to the figures in his memories.
The man, who was just a little less handsome than him, was the current Marquis Anle, Jun Tianxiao. Like Mo Yunxuan, he was the only son in his family.
The aloof woman under his gaze was Li Qinghan, the daughter of Li Xian, the current vice censor-in-chief.
But soon a strange thought surfaced in Mo Yunxuan's mind: Wait a minute! Wasn't Jun Tianxiao Li Qinghan's devoted admirer? The kind who couldn't be driven away no matter how hard she tried? How come he was so bold now?
And demanding that Li Qinghan return all the gifts he'd given her? Why did that feel so much like a newly transmigrated villain? Would there be a Child of Destiny nearby, too?
At that thought, Mo Yunxuan scanned Anle Marquis Manor.
Sure enough, in a corner, he spotted an unremarkable-looking man watching quietly, his face full of defiance.
Mo Yunxuan couldn't help grumbling to himself:
This has to be the Child of Destiny, right? Tsk, that expression is a dead giveaway!
But are all the people in Anle Marquis Manor blind?
There's an outsider standing right there. How has nobody noticed him?
Not one person's tried to chase him out. That's ridiculous!
If this happened at my Duke's mansion, at best they'd cripple his cultivation; at worst, they'd execute him on the spot and wipe out his entire clan.
Before Mo Yunxuan could think further, Jun Tianxiao spoke in a frigid voice:
"If Miss Li wants to break off the engagement, then let's do it properly. Return everything I gave you before!"
"I'm sure Miss Li wouldn't ruin her reputation just to pocket a few trifles, would she?"
Watching Jun Tianxiao's perfectly villainous performance, Mo Yunxuan rolled his eyes.
Sure enough, judging by that tone, he's a completely different person from before! He's definitely a transmigrator!
Hearing Jun Tianxiao's words and sensing his uncharacteristic attitude, Li Qinghan froze for a moment.
That moment seemed to give Jun Tianxiao an opening. He laughed loudly at her:
"No way! You're telling me that Miss Li, one of the four great beauties of the Imperial City, would turn deadbeat over a few cultivation resources?"
I remember Li Qinghan comes from a decent background. Her family's served as officials for generations. Jun Tianxiao gave her a lot, sure, but nowhere near enough to make the Li family covet it. Is this transmigrator an idiot?
This is clearly nothing like a typical villain novel. He didn't even think through their backgrounds before blindly copying the usual lines and mocking her. You're Marquis Anle—aren't you afraid Li Xian will report you to the Emperor?
At that, Li Qinghan, who had still been somewhat stunned, came to her senses. She'd never dreamed this would happen. She'd come alone and quietly, hoping to have a proper talk with Marquis Anle, Jun Tianxiao, and then announce that they'd ended the engagement amicably. That way, both families could save face.
But after just a couple of sentences, Jun Tianxiao had started yelling like a rabid dog.
He'd drawn every servant in the manor, and even the passersby outside had heard every word he said.
It was utterly outrageous!
Li Qinghan looked at the swaggering Jun Tianxiao with disgust and said through gritted teeth:
"I'll return those resources to Anle Marquis Manor, every last one of them, along with the betrothal contract!"
Seeing that things weren't going the way he'd expected, Li Qinghan didn't look worried at all.
Jun Tianxiao furrowed his brow, unable to figure out what had gone wrong.
But there was no turning back now. He raised a hand and pointed straight at Li Qinghan, shouting:
"Fine! I'll wait at the manor for you to send everything over. If anything's missing, don't blame me for saying your family swindled me out of my betrothal gifts!"
LOL, has Jun Tianxiao still not caught on? Li Qinghan's reaction is clearly nothing like that of other Green Teas!
Watching Jun Tianxiao continue to act so brazenly, Mo Yunxuan almost burst out laughing.
Seeing Jun Tianxiao raise his hand, the Protagonist stepped forward and jumped between him and Li Qinghan. His coat fluttered in the breeze, and his pose was strikingly handsome.
Then he spun around, fixed his gaze on Jun Tianxiao, and shouted, "Stop! What kind of man picks on a woman?"
The inexplicable words left not only Mo Yunxuan, who was watching the show, confused, but even Jun Tianxiao looked bewildered.
Judging by Jun Tianxiao's expression, Mo Yunxuan guessed he must be thinking: Who am I? Where am I? When did I pick on Li Qinghan?
Even Li Qinghan looked at the Protagonist strangely. But since he'd come to help her, she could only say:
"Lin Fan, this is my business. Don't get involved!"
"It's all right, Qinghan. What's yours is mine. Don't worry, I'll take care of it."
Watching Lin Fan and Li Qinghan exchange words, Jun Tianxiao cut in again:
"So that's it! You really are a wanton woman. No wonder you hesitated when I said you had to return the resources!"
"Tell me! Did you give all the resources I gave you to this other man?"
Before you continue