So what?

So what?

A sixteen-year-old Houtian Ninth Level martial artist-her brilliance was enough to eclipse everything else!

In this world where strength reigned supreme, geniuses never needed to explain why they were geniuses. Her standing here was the best answer.

But there was one thing Dingbei Hou had to establish.

His gaze was sharp as he scrutinized Jiang Mi. "You're from Great Xia, aren't you?"

His question was serious, but before Jiang Mi could answer, he waved a hand himself and muttered, "Who cares whether you were before? From today onward, you're one of us in Great Xia."

Jiang Mi: ...

This marquis's way of thinking was far simpler and more blunt than she had imagined, and it fit her stereotype of martial artists perfectly.

Dingbei Hou leaned back against his chair again and tapped the desk twice, his fingers keeping a light rhythm that betrayed his pleasure.

His eyes swept over Jiang Mi several times, from her coarse clothing to the soapberry stains on her cuffs, from the youthfulness of her face to the composure in her eyes. The more he looked, the more pleased he became.

"Sixteen years old. Houtian Ninth Level."

Dingbei Hou repeated the words, then began counting on his fingers. "You've got talent, and you've got nerve. After all, you're the first person who's dared to beat up a whole string of people in my residence and still come to see me."

"You've got poise, too. You stand before me neither servile nor overbearing, far better than those youngsters in my family who tremble at the sight of me."

He paused, then suddenly leaned forward and lowered his voice. "Tell me the truth. Are you the last disciple of some reclusive old monster, sent out to gain experience?"

Jiang Mi fell silent for a moment.

If I really had such an impressive background, why would I still be working as a maid?

But Dingbei Hou clearly did not need her explanation.

That long string of guesses had been less a question for her than an attempt to come up with a reasonable explanation on her behalf.

Dingbei Hou's position was clear. He paid no heed to the tangled factions in the capital and stood unwaveringly on Great Xia's side.

Loyalty to the sovereign and love for his country were Dingbei Hou's creed in life.

In his view, as long as Jiang Mi did not collude with the enemy or betray the country, everything was negotiable.

In fact-

Even if Jiang Mi really were a spy sent by another country, Dingbei Hou would have to find a way to keep her here first.

But if Jiang Mi really were a spy sent by another country, Dingbei Hou would truly have to give that country a good mocking. Sending a sixteen-year-old Houtian Ninth Level martial artist to be a spy-wasn't that a sign of something wrong with their brains?

What country could bear to squander a genius like that?

So Dingbei Hou had already settled the matter in his mind.

This girl was either an overlooked pearl native to Great Xia, or a self-taught genius who had emerged from some obscure nook or cranny.

Whichever it was, her coming to his residence was a blessing for him, and a blessing for Great Xia!

Every year at the Five Nations Martial Arts Tournament, Great Xia's youth team was merely there to make up the numbers, losing so badly that not even a scrap remained to cover their shame.

No one said anything at court, but who did not sigh over it in private?

Dingbei Hou knew that the root of the problem was not that Great Xia's children did not work hard. Rather, their resources, legacies, and foundations could not compare with those of the others.

Moreover, Great Xia had clearly suffered a break between generations in recent years. Apart from that girl from the Zuo Household, there was not a single talented child among the great aristocratic clans.

Now Jiang Mi had appeared. If this was not Heaven blessing Great Xia, what was?

No matter what, he would persuade His Majesty to let Jiang Mi enter Haoji Palace and devote the entire nation's strength to nurturing her!

Dingbei Hou took a deep breath, looking even more nervous than Jiang Mi.

Jiang Mi knew nothing of Dingbei Hou's resolve. She only felt that his gaze was growing more and more fervent.

Dingbei Hou was thirty-two this year, with neither son nor daughter, and he had never been anxious about it. Yet as he looked at Jiang Mi now, a thought rose unbidden in his mind: How wonderful it would be if she were my daughter.

Her courage, her poise, her talent-who knew how many times better they were than those of his unborn child.

Unfortunately, she was not.

But that was all right. As long as Jiang Mi stayed, it did not matter what her surname was. He would even take her surname himself!

Dingbei Hou drew a deep breath and tried to make his expression look a little more normal.

But in Jiang Mi's eyes, his expression already had absolutely nothing to do with the word "normal."

Dingbei Hou cleared his throat, trying to make his voice sound steadier. "All right, don't keep standing there. Sit down and we'll talk."

Once Jiang Mi was seated, he spoke again, brimming with anticipation. "You came to see me because you want something, surely? Resources? Cultivation methods? Or my family's martial techniques? As long as you're willing-"

As long as Jiang Mi wanted something, Dingbei Hou would have the confidence to keep her here.

But before he could finish, Jiang Mi interrupted him. "I want my indenture contract."

Dingbei Hou's mouth remained open, but he forcibly swallowed the rest of his words.

He blinked, seemingly unable to believe what he had heard.

Resources, cultivation methods, martial techniques-he had been ready to hand them all over, yet what this girl asked for was-

Her indenture contract?

No, that was an indenture contract!

It might be something of earth-shattering importance to an ordinary person, but who was Jiang Mi?

She was a Houtian Ninth Level martial artist!

Was a flimsy sheet of paper like an indenture contract important?!

Dingbei Hou frowned and repeated, "You don't want cultivation methods? Or resources? Or even my family's martial techniques? You only want-" "My indenture contract," Jiang Mi repeated as well, her tone utterly certain.

Dingbei Hou: ...

She really was an oddball.

He looked at Jiang Mi, and Jiang Mi looked back at him. Their gazes met in the air, neither yielding.

After a long while, Dingbei Hou conceded defeat.

Give it to her.

This promising seedling who had come from who knew where had asked for it. How could he refuse?

"-Fine."

Dingbei Hou turned and walked over to the display shelves by the wall, pulled open a small drawer, and rummaged out a stack of documents.

He searched through them for quite some time before finally drawing a yellowed sheet from the very bottom. Written on it were Jiang Mi's name, place of origin, and the month and year she had sold herself into servitude, along with a handprint that had already blurred.

It was indeed Jiang Mi's indenture contract.

"Just this?" Dingbei Hou held up the sheet for one final confirmation.

"Just that," Jiang Mi said.

Dingbei Hou held out his hand, but just as he was about to place the indenture contract in Jiang Mi's hands, he withdrew it.

Jiang Mi: "..."

What are you doing? How could a marquis go back on his word at the last moment?

Dingbei Hou seemed a little flushed, too. He gave a light cough, looked at the ceiling, then at the floor tiles-anywhere but at Jiang Mi's questioning eyes.

He cleared his throat. "I can give this to you, but I have one condition you must agree to."

"What condition?"

"You must represent Great Xia at the Five Nations Martial Arts Tournament of the Northern Region in one month's time."

The Five Nations Martial Arts Tournament of the Northern Region? Jiang Mi knew of it.

It was a grand event held in the Northern Region once every five years. Young martial artists under twenty from the Five Nations of the Northern Region gathered to determine the victors and the vanquished. To the martial artists of each country, being able to fight for their nation was itself a supreme honor.

But Jiang Mi did not think that way.

She only wanted to retrieve her indenture contract quickly, complete the guidance task, and then begin her next simulation.

But after a moment's thought, Jiang Mi nodded all the same.

This was a temporary expedient. As for whether she would actually take part in the tournament, she would know after running a simulation to see how things stood.

Dingbei Hou burst into laughter and stuffed the indenture contract into Jiang Mi's hands.

He took the opportunity to pat Jiang Mi on the shoulder. "Stay here in my residence for this month. Once the Five Nations Martial Arts Tournament is over, you can go wherever you like. I absolutely won't stop you."