Great Qi's Star of Literature, Lu Yunshu

"Brother Xiao, it's been a long time. I trust you've been well."

"Thank you for coming to welcome me, Brother Ning."

Ning Yan and Xiao Chen exchanged polite greetings.

Gu Yuan had no interest in their conversation. He turned to look at the two women behind Xiao Chen.

Hong Ni and Lü Luo.

They were the only two survivors among the ten thousand test subjects the King of Qingzhou fed drugs to.

Third-rank deathsworn, they were immensely powerful, in no way inferior to the commanders of the Mystic Shadow Guard.

They'd been at Xiao Chen's side since childhood, ready to die for him at any moment... And later, they did get their wish. In the final battle against Qi Yueli, they were mercilessly slain by the empress...

Sadly, even in death, they never learned that their supposed adoption had been a complete deception.

To cultivate deathsworn, the King of Qingzhou had martial arts prodigies hunted down on a massive scale. Whenever a suitable target was found, he sent people to their home, orchestrating massacre after massacre.

Hong Ni and Lü Luo were among them. Their entire families were slaughtered, and even Wangcai, the dog guarding the house, wasn't spared.

Yet the two thought the King of Qingzhou had saved them, and swore to repay him for saving their lives, even at the cost of their own...

Poor things!

Hong Ni frowned slightly.

As Gu Yuan studied her, she was studying him in turn.

But... there was no confusion, fear, or improper thoughts in Gu Yuan's eyes... Only a fleeting trace of pity.

It was brief, but it had definitely been there.

Gu Yuan pitied her?

Why?

Hong Ni was puzzled.

This was clearly the first time she and Gu Yuan had met, and they hadn't even exchanged a word... What on earth did he pity her for?

Lü Luo seemed to have noticed nothing. She stood there quietly, without moving.

"Brother Xiao, allow me to introduce you. This is Gu Yuan, heir to the Marquis of Pingxiang, whom the empress personally appointed as a fourth-rank imperial captain."

Xiao Chen looked over and spoke.

"I've long heard of your great name, Heir Gu."

Gu Yuan frowned.

Xiao Chen's tone seemed mild, but for some reason it rubbed him the wrong way... Deep down, too...

It was as if the two of them were naturally as incompatible as fire and water.

"Likewise," Gu Yuan replied indifferently.

System, why do I have the urge to beat Xiao Chen up?

Ding! Xiao Chen possesses the fortune of a heavenly mandate and is naturally at odds with the host.

? Then what do I possess?

Ding! The host possesses this system!

All right, I'll let that answer pass.

Ning Yan was quite puzzled.

Gu Yuan and Xiao Chen were both geniuses of their generation. Surely they should have plenty to talk about, so why were they so distant?

They even seemed unwilling to say much to each other.

"Princess, is that the heir to the King of Qingzhou? He doesn't seem as easy to get along with as Heir Gu..." Xiaoyun shared her impression.

Those in high positions always carried an air of superiority. She had been a palace servant since childhood, and was sensitive to it.

Many of the important figures in the capital carried that air.

Princess Huai'an, whom she served, was among them.

And now, she could sense that the air around Xiao Chen was especially pronounced.

So far, Gu Yuan was the only person from whom she had never sensed that air of superiority...

Huai'an looked into the distance and snorted. "He's not as good-looking as Gu Yuan, either."

"Huh? Xiaoyun, what's that?"

Xiaoyun froze and looked toward the horizon.

A black speck was rapidly growing larger.

"Princess, is that... a spear?"

Boom!

A cold gleam flashed.

A long spear crashed down and embedded itself in the ground before the crowd, kicking up thick clouds of dust.

Hong Ni and Lü Luo's expressions darkened at the same time.

"Well, the people from Qingzhou got here fast!"

A carefree chuckle came from within the dust.

Xiao Chen smiled faintly. "Brother Lu, your way of making an entrance is as unusual as ever."

"Who the hell are you calling brother?!"

The dust cleared, revealing a spirited, masculine face.

The spear swept across the air and pointed straight at Xiao Chen.

"Xiao, I hear you've reached the fifth rank. Lu Zhaoming has come to test your skills!"

Xiao Chen slowly shook his head. "You're no match for me. It's best we don't fight, lest we spoil the harmony between us."

Lu Zhaoming spat. "Tch, you conceited bastard. We won't know whether I'm a match for you until we fight!"

The spear flashed through the air, true qi surging.

Just as Lu Zhaoming was about to strike, a girl's clear voice rang out:

"Second Brother, Eldest Sister said not to fight!"

The tip of Lu Zhaoming's spear stalled.

"Tch, you're lucky."

A carriage approached from the distance.

Ning Yan came to Gu Yuan's side and spoke slowly:

"Lu Zhaoming, heir to the King of Shuzhou, has never been willing to submit to anyone. He'll even talk back to the King of Shuzhou, but there's one person whose word he always obeys."

"Who is that, Brother Ning?"

"The King of Shuzhou's eldest legitimate daughter, Great Qi's Star of Literature, an extraordinary woman skilled in every kind of craft and ingenious art: Lu Yunshu."

Lu Yunshu... the quest queen!

At that moment, Gu Yuan recalled the terror of being at Lu Yunshu's mercy.

A puzzle quest with a full hundred stages had taken him an entire month of working day and night to finish...!

The carriage stopped in front of them.

Two women stepped out.

Gu Yuan took a closer look.

One wore a bell on her wrist and looked lively and spirited.

She should be Lu Ling, the King of Shuzhou's third daughter, who had studied under the Gu Dao Medical Immortal.

Beside Lu Ling, a graceful, refined woman stood quietly, the faintest hint of a smile about her eyes. She gave off an especially pleasant impression.

"Yunshu greets you all."

Xiao Chen's breath caught slightly.

Ning Yan was excited as well.

"I've long heard of the Immortal of Shuzhou. Seeing you today, you truly are like a fairy from a painting-impossible to forget."

"Eldest Sister, he wants to court you."

Lu Ling suddenly spoke up.

Ning Yan froze.

"Heir Ning, the people who want to court my eldest sister could form a line all the way from Shuzhou to the Qi Capital. If you want to court her, it won't be that easy!"

"Ling'er, don't be rude."

Ning Yan couldn't help smiling. "Forgive me, Miss Lu. I was presumptuous."

Lu Yunshu's gaze swept over the group and finally settled on Gu Yuan.

"And this is?"

Ning Yan immediately laughed. "Miss Lu, allow me to introduce him. This is Gu Yuan, Heir Gu, the man who's recently caused a sensation in the Qi Capital."

"Yunshu greets you, Heir Gu. I've long heard of your great name, and now that I've had the chance to meet you, I have no regrets."

"You're too kind, Miss Lu."

On the city wall.

Huai'an gritted her teeth.

"Who is she?"

Xiaoyun said, "Princess, she's the King of Shuzhou's eldest daughter. I've heard she's very talented and the dream woman of many gifted scholars in the capital."

A talented woman...

For some reason, Huai'an felt an inexplicable sense of crisis.

"Come on, Xiaoyun, we're going over there."

"Huh, Princess, aren't we going to wait for Heir Gu to come over?"

"No, we're not waiting. Hurry!"

Huai'an rushed down from the city wall.

"Princess, please slow down!"

Gu Yuan: ...

Can't she act a little more like a princess?!

As a martial artist, his five senses were sharp, so he could naturally hear Huai'an and Xiaoyun.

The corners of Xiao Chen's lips rose.

Before he set out, the King of Qingzhou had told him that the empress dowager intended to marry the princess to someone from Qingzhou.

One of the important things he had come to the Qi Capital to do was win the princess's heart.

Now was an excellent opportunity.