Mountain and River Festival

Chapter 198 A Mess

The Demon Suppression Division did indeed capture the assassin, took the corpse back to report, and investigated its origins in detail.

The First Lord, who had feigned illness and claimed to have been assassinated, inexplicably came to a real conclusion, even startling him awake from his sickbed. It was unbelievable.

Pei Qingyan, who was also present, heard the report: Lu Xingzhou and Pei Chuyun were having a secret meeting at Qingyao Garden, and this person was looking for an opportunity to assassinate them, but was caught red-handed by Madam Ye of the Dan Academy...

Pei Qingyan's smile vanished.

Who is having a secret rendezvous with whom at Qingyao Garden?
Isn't this during class time?

The two old men looked at each other, their hearts filled with sympathy.

One skipped work, one skipped class; one said his father was sick, one was having a secret rendezvous with blondie, so don't laugh it off.

Two influential figures in the Great Qian Dynasty simultaneously uttered the same words: "Just you wait."

The despicable couple over there are unaware of the tragic end that is about to befall them.

As Sheng Yuanyao stepped into Qingyao Garden, she saw Madam Ye standing in front of the adulterous couple and saying, "Because of the large number of people and distractions, I didn't have the Dan Academy send more people... This is my dereliction of duty."

In fact, Ye Tinglan's real dereliction of duty was that she didn't want to expose the strength of the Super Grade.

If we only consider the first rank, the third rank and the first rank, according to ancient methods, actually belong to the same major realm, just a difference between the early and late stages. Their combat power might differ greatly, perhaps even several times greater than the difference between the ninth rank and the third rank, but there is no difference in their realms.

If she were of superior quality, she could instantly kill the assassin, or have a way to restrict space so that the opponent couldn't teleport at all. But at first quality, she could only catch up. Although her speed was already incredibly strong enough to catch up with teleportation, it also gave the opponent room to commit suicide.

Ye Tinglan never expected the other party to commit suicide so decisively... She had indeed failed in her duty.

Lu Xingzhou didn't seem to care: "It's already very kind of you, sir, to lend a hand. The other party can teleport, so even if the other teachers from the Dan Academy surround them, they won't be able to stop them."

Ye Tinglan knew that wasn't the problem, but felt guilty: "If someone dies, it might be impossible to track down the person behind it all. Your crisis isn't completely over."

"At least we'll have some clues, which is much better than being completely clueless before," Lu Xingzhou said with a smile. "I'll also go check out the Demon Suppression Division later; maybe we'll find something."

Ye Tinglan knew there would be no gain. A basic quality of a death warrior is to leave no trace that can reveal their identity; otherwise, death would be in vain. His ring was empty, containing almost nothing except some basic spirit stones and pills.

The only clue is the address, but most people would probably think that address points to the Prince of Jin.

She remained silent for a moment, then glanced at Sheng Yuanyao approaching and said no more, only, "In such a crisis, are you still going to play around outside?"

Lu Xingzhou laughed and said, "Right now is the safest time."

That's the theory, but who can remain so calm after just being assassinated by assassins... Ye Tinglan left a comment in annoyance: "Preferring lust to life."

After saying that, he disappeared immediately, and no one knew whether he was going to investigate a case or what. Was he just going to stand there and watch his disciple fooling around with a woman right in front of him?
Only after she disappeared did Pei Chuyun finally relax and say her first words: "I can't think of who it could be, but it's definitely not my father."

"If you can't figure it out, then don't think about it. I have a rough idea, but it's not important right now." Lu Xingzhou leisurely put his arm around her: "It's really unexpected that I'm worthy of someone using a third-rank assassin. I only realized my great value today."

To be honest, Pei Chuyun didn't think her lover was that valuable. She really didn't know which lunatic would go to such lengths. She probably didn't think that the assassins might get into trouble.
Pei Chuyun also sensed Ye Tinglan's exasperated mood: "Someone is trying to kill you and you say 'it's not important right now'? Then what do you think is important right now?"

"Of course, it's most important to get intimate with my Ah Yi now that we're all alone." Lu Xingzhou kissed her.

Pei Chuyun responded gracefully.

"Lu Xingzhou!" Sheng Yuanyao rushed to his side like a gust of wind, furious: "I told you you were going to ambush assassins, and I even sold my father to come and help you, and you just sit here drinking tea!"

"Heh..." Pei Chuyun nestled in Lu Xingzhou's arms and said leisurely, "If I were waiting for you to come and help, I would have assassinated you eight hundred times already. Whether it was the assassin to him or him to me."

Lu Xingzhou: “…”

Feeling emboldened by her home turf, Sheng Yuanyao declared, "I don't care how you stab me, this is my garden. Vixens aren't welcome here. This way, please!"

Pei Chuyun said, "I won't, are you trying to kick me out?"

Sheng Yuanyao sneered, "I saw it long ago. You pretend to be a cold and aloof noblewoman and a pure and innocent flower in front of outsiders."

"What's the matter?"

"Do you know how many servants I keep in this garden?" Sheng Yuanyao whistled, "No need to hide anymore, come out, come out!"

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh~" By the lakeside and in the mountains, countless flower growers, gardeners, receptionists, managers, and security personnel suddenly appeared out of nowhere, looking at the once empty Qingyao Garden suddenly filled with people: "Hello, boss."

Startled, Pei Chuyun jumped back a foot from Lu Xingzhou, both angry and anxious: "Sheng Yuanyao! Are you flipping the table!"

"Huh? What do you mean by flipping the table? There's no table here." Sheng Yuanyao walked up to Lu Xingzhou in a refreshed manner, putting his arm around his shoulder like a buddy: "Do you want to see what the trumpet creeper looks like when it blooms? Come on, brother will take you to see it."

Dressed in official uniform, their open and aboveboard demeanor revealed no hint of ambiguity; they truly appeared to be close brothers. Bystanders generally didn't react, simply admiring the boss's masculine spirit.

Pei Chuyun was dumbfounded. She never imagined that after eighteen years of dominating the Hehuan Sect and studying countless tea ceremonies, she would actually lose to the legendary female brother in the matter of stealing a man, and she couldn't find a solution for the time being.

As expected, Anuo was right; this kind of creature is the most terrifying. Lu Xingzhou said helplessly to Sheng Yuanyao, "You shouldn't have come over. If this happens to be the moment the assassins strike, you will be in great danger."

"I'm a fourth-rank official now, so why do you all think I'm so stupid?" Sheng Yuanyao protested. "Should I go find Qi Tuizhi to practice with too?"

Lu Xingzhou laughed out loud: "I think we should let Qi Tuizhi go..."

"Then tell me, can I beat Qi Tuizhi?"

Lu Xingzhou pondered for a moment and felt that he might not be able to defeat Sheng Yuanyao at the moment. He would have to be promoted to the upper level of the fourth rank. Qi Tuizhi was really not weak.

He said tactfully, "I estimate it's about the same, maybe slightly weaker in strength, but he'll be more stable after some more training. Qi Tuizhi is stuck at the third rank, and it's hard for him to make any progress in the short term, so he's easy to catch up with."

Sheng Yuanyao understood his attempt to save face, and pouted, "I wouldn't even consider competing with him. My goal is to reach the top three ranks."

She paused, then added, "But if I want to reach the third rank, I'll most likely have to go out and gain experience. But I don't want to be sent out..."

"What, haven't you had enough fun since you got back to Beijing? I think you just can't suppress your restless heart and can't stay still."

Sheng Yuanyao glanced at him with a look that seemed both melancholy and resentful.

It's not that I'm reluctant to leave the capital or haven't had enough fun...

It's because you're in Beijing.

Lu Xingzhou quickly realized this and said in a low voice, "I... should be leaving the capital in the next few days."

Sheng Yuanyao blurted out, "Why? You've only been enrolled for a month!"

“I have a mentor… My mentor thinks that the general courses at Dan Academy don’t meet my needs, and that I should study with her alone. She also thinks that studying at the academy is not very meaningful, and I should go out and try more things… Hmm, we should go back to the capital from time to time.”

“I see…” Sheng Yuanyao paused, stood in front of the stone tablet with Lu Xingzhou’s poem “Jian Zi Mu Lan Hua”, stared at it for a while, and smiled with relief: “That’s right, you shouldn’t have stayed in the capital for so long in the first place.”

At this moment, the girl felt a mix of emotions that were hard to describe, but like Pei Chuyun, they both felt that it wasn't so bad for him to leave for a while.

I've been here all this time, completely captivated, but I can't possibly be anyone's mistress. It's a vicious cycle of internal conflict and endless turmoil.

It's better to let things cool down for a while; maybe things will turn out differently when we reach the end of the road.

Neither the little vixen nor the head constable had enough experience to realize that the more people spend time together, the more likely they are to get tired of each other or have conflicts. They might even have a fight break out sooner or later because of the love triangle.

But the shorter the separation, the more intense the longing becomes. Distance can mask all the little flaws and magnify the good in the other person.

Just like Shen Tang now, she's going crazy thinking about Lu Xingzhou.

In a mountain village in the south, he tossed and turned for who knows how long.

“If that’s the case…” Sheng Yuanyao turned to Pei Chuyun and smiled brightly, “Shall we drink a few cups of farewell wine together as a way to send him off?”

Pei Chuyun tilted her head and glanced at her, appreciating the girl's forthright and spirited demeanor for the first time, and then smiled and said, "Okay."

The three of them, along with a dog named Anuo, sat down at the square table under the tree. Sheng Yuanyao ordered someone to bring out wine and poured a cup for each of them.

He immediately raised his glass to Pei Chuyun: "I know you've also reached the third rank, so I'm a step behind, but I will catch up. One day, just like the poem inscribed on the monument, we will both be towering heroes."

This "step behind" refers to something else, whether it's cultivation or something else... But Pei Chuyun was too lazy to ponder the deeper meaning at the moment, and raised her glass to clink: "The trumpet creeper likes to climb, are you sure you want to learn?"

Sheng Yuanyao said nonchalantly, "Climbing is not necessarily clinging... We cultivators, aren't we climbing mountains and rocks, or the heavenly path?"

"Well said." Pei Chuyun tilted her head back and drank it all.

I never expected that this girl, who I always thought was a bit silly, would be so interesting... provided we don't talk about men.

Just as Pei Chuyun was about to say something, a voice came from below the hill: "Where is Yuan Yao!"

Where is the original charm?

The two women's faces turned green instantly. They turned to look and saw Sheng Qingfeng and Pei Qingyan storming up the mountain in a rage.

The two women disappeared in a flash, but they couldn't outrun their own husband. They were each grabbed and dragged home like cats.

"You're so filial, aren't you, cursing your father to get sick?"

"I sent you to the Imperial Academy, but you skipped class and drank!"

The high-class conversation between them had just begun, and Lu Xingzhou hadn't even finished savoring it when it turned into a complete mess.

(End of this chapter)