Silence.
The entire arena was silent. No one had expected Zhou Xuanba, who had carried such high hopes, to be defeated in such a… ridiculous way.
Hmm!
On the high platform, Prime Minister Zhao Shoucheng was very satisfied with both the duel and its outcome. He picked up his teacup and took a sip.
“This tea is quite good. Prepare a whole crate for me later.”
Zhao Shoucheng said to the official beside him.
The official looked completely dumbfounded.
Was this tea really to the Prime Minister’s liking… or not?
Before long, one of the officials stood up and announced,
“The winner of this match: Heaven’s Pinnacle Sect!”
There was a brief pause in the audience, followed by an explosion of angry shouts.
“This… This was definitely a fixed match! I object!”
“Zhou Xuanba! Stop pretending to be dead! Get up already!”
“We bet all our spirit stones on you! How could you do this to us?!”
“I’m so freaking disappointed!”
“Refund our spirit stones, dammit!”
The spectator stands were now filled with colorful language and righteous fury.
On the high platform—
Chu Feng was utterly confused.
What just happened?
Sword qi? What sword qi?
He hadn’t even activated his true qi!
Could it be…
His mighty presence shocked Zhou Xuanba so badly that the man fainted from sheer awe?
Chu Feng couldn’t make sense of it no matter how hard he tried.
It wasn’t until many years later that he finally solved one of the many unsolved mysteries from his youth.
But that’s a story for another time.
Even after returning to the Heaven’s Pinnacle Sect’s gathering area, Chu Feng still felt like the match had ended far too easily. He had expected another tough battle today.
“Congratulations on your win again, Junior Brother!”
Bai Yuyan blinked her bright, beautiful eyes and spoke softly.
“Senior Sister Yuyan, it was just dumb luck this time.”
Chu Feng said while scratching his cheek.
After all, he didn’t even make a move. He didn’t even take a single step. Somehow, he had won in a complete daze.
“Luck is a part of strength too. Don’t underestimate yourself, Junior Brother~”
Bai Yuyan smiled faintly.
Actually, once she heard his opponent was someone from the imperial side, she had already felt at ease.
With that woman’s personality, there was no way she’d let anything happen to her Junior Brother.
“It was just good luck this time. Who knows about next time? My luck’s usually awful,”
Chu Feng replied.
He definitely didn’t believe he’d keep getting this lucky.
If that really were the case, maybe he should go all-in at the betting tables!
“Do you know why your luck suddenly turned around today?”
Bai Yuyan asked playfully.
“Maybe… a turn of fortune?”
“Wrong~”
She shook her head and pointed at herself.
“Junior Brother, there’s a saying…‘Marry a good wife and your fortune lasts three generations’. Last night, you and I slept in the same bed. That’s why your luck skyrocketed today~”
After saying that, a soft blush appeared on Bai Yuyan’s fair cheeks.
Hehe! Ji Yuhuang, I really have to thank you for the assist this time~
“Huh? Is there really any basis for that kind of thing?”
Chu Feng asked doubtfully.
He had never heard of such a method to improve one’s luck.
Even if it were true, wouldn’t it only count as boosting his romantic luck?
“Whether it’s true or not… why don’t you sleep with Senior Sister again tonight and see how your luck turns out tomorrow?”
Bai Yuyan smiled sweetly, her beautiful eyes shimmering with a hint of seductiveness.
“T-Tonight… We’ll talk about it tonight… yeah, tonight…”
Chu Feng wiped the sweat from his forehead.
He really hadn’t expected that this could actually be a way to boost his luck.
So wait. Could his past bad luck all be because he’d been single this whole time?!
But if good luck helps you meet someone you like, and you’ve had bad luck all along, that just means you never had the chance to meet the right girl in the first place.
Hmm…
His head started to itch, as if a brain was finally starting to grow in there.
Seeing Chu Feng sweating bullets, Bai Yuyan took out a handkerchief and gently wiped the sweat from his forehead.
“What’s wrong, Junior Brother? Why are you sweating so much?”
Bai Yuyan looked puzzled.
That shouldn’t be right. She hadn’t drawn that much from him last night.
So why did Junior Brother look so drained and weak?
“I’m fine, Senior Sister Yuyan.”
Chu Feng replied.
He hadn’t expected that one random thought would trap him in an endless mental loop.
This calls for Teacher Luo to come and “Luo” it through.
If one “Luo” doesn’t work, just keep “Luoing”
Eventually, it’ll get “Luo-ed” out!
(TN: Teacher Luo must be some famous figure like Sherlock Holmes.)
What? You say this isn’t a proper solution?
You must believe. All things are solvable with enough Luo!
***
Imperial Palace.
Now it was Liu Qinggong’s turn to kneel on the floor, trembling with fear.
He hadn’t expected it either. Lin Ruo was still alive.
He had personally done the job last night and even double-checked afterward. There shouldn’t have been any mistakes.
Damn it!
That bastard Zhao Shoucheng!
His report to the throne was submitted way too fast.
If it hadn’t been, maybe the Emperor wouldn’t have found out so soon, and Liu might have had a chance to fix things.
Ji Yuhuang twirled the red string on her right ring finger, casting a glance at Liu Qinggong.
“Liu Qinggong, regarding the matter of Lin Ruo… it seems you didn’t complete the task I gave you.”
Upon hearing this, Liu Qinggong immediately said,
“Your Majesty, it was my mistake. I am willing to accept any punishment.”
Ji Yuhuang didn’t respond right away, continuing to toy with the red string.
She had already felt a bit suspicious this morning when Liu Qinggong informed her that Lin Ruo had been eliminated.
Someone blessed with the fortune of the Heavenly Dao wouldn’t be that easy to kill.
As for why Ji Yuhuang hadn’t taken action herself—
It was because she knew the timing wasn’t right yet.
Although Lin Ruo’s Heavenly fortune had weakened somewhat, it was still significant.
Even if she acted personally, she couldn’t be sure of Lin Ruo’s death.
“Enough, there’s no need to ask for forgiveness. You’re one of my trusted aides. It’s a small matter; let’s just move on. Now, tell me what happened at the time.”
Liu Qinggong immediately kowtowed in gratitude, then said,
“Your Majesty, when I snuck into Lin Ruo’s room, I killed him with a single strike. I even shattered his divine soul. I never imagined he’d survive!”
When Liu Qinggong first heard that Lin Ruo was still alive, he felt like he’d seen a ghost!
No, even ghosts need a soul to exist. Lin Ruo’s soul had been completely destroyed by him.
“There weren’t any abnormalities?”
Ji Yuhuang still trusted Liu Qinggong’s skills. If the problem didn’t lie with him, then it had to be with Lin Ruo.
“Now that you mention it, there was something. He was talking to the air. It was very strange.”
At the time, Liu Qinggong thought maybe it was what the Imperial physicians called multiple personality disorder.
“Oh?”
Ji Yuhuang’s phoenix-like eyes narrowed slightly.
If that was the case, it sounded a bit like the story Chu Feng had told her in her past life. About someone who carried an old grandmaster around with them.
Come to think of it, in her past life, there really had been a powerful figure at Lin Ruo’s side.
“That’s enough. You may go.”
Having obtained the information she needed, Ji Yuhuang waved her hand.
“As you command!”
Liu Qinggong rose and took his leave.
“Mmm~~~”
Ji Yuhuang stretched her waist, showing off a body full of mature charm.
Unfortunately, there was no one present to admire it and no one who would dare to.
Last night’s experiment had thrilled Ji Yuhuang.
She hadn’t expected the artifact she had painstakingly crafted over this period to work so well!
In the dream she successfully constructed, she saw her husband’s face and it made her genuinely happy.
If the emotions she had suppressed for so long hadn’t spilled over a little, she wouldn’t have ended the dream so abruptly last night.
Ji Yuhuang twirled the red thread in her fingers.
She needed to carefully consider—
What kind of dream should she craft for her husband tonight?
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