Mountain and River Festival

Chapter 322 The Striving Melon Girl

High in the sky, Lu Xingzhou flew slowly in his wheelchair, with A Nuo sitting in his lap, studying a God-Slaying Whip over and over.

What does Old White Hair know? As long as the women are gone, Master will always have Ah Nuo by his side. What's the point of worrying about it?
Can you really stay with your master for twelve hours?
Children need their own space too, okay?
While Master and Mistress were making love, A-Nuo sought out Elder Feng and learned how to refine the God-Slaying Whip. Now it belongs to A-Nuo.

Ah Nuo believes in fate; whether it's her meeting her master or her master meeting Sister Yu, it's all destiny.

Previously, Ah Nuo didn't know what kind of weapon she should use. Sister Yu suggested wearing heavy armor and wielding a big hammer, but Ah Nuo refused. No one likes a child like that; children should be soft and cuddly.

Master prefers fighting bare-handed, but Ah Nuo himself doesn't. He feels that his short arms and legs put him at a disadvantage in a fight, so he has to find a weapon. However, Ah Nuo isn't suited to sharp weapons; swords and knives don't suit his characteristics, and he doesn't want to use a hammer, so it's been sitting there for many years.

Then suddenly a steel whip appeared.

Ah Nuo swung it around, feeling quite pleased with its grip. It could be used as a weapon to strike someone's head, or as a magical artifact to attack their spirit; it served as both a weapon and a magical artifact, making it convenient.

So this is fate, and from now on, Anuo will be the Whip Queen!

But then again...

“Master…” Anuo suddenly asked, “Why are you still going to the capital? Is it because you haven’t finished your studies at the Alchemy Academy? If that’s all, you might as well continue studying with your teacher.”

"No need to learn anymore... Tinglan always felt she hadn't taught me much and was unworthy of her responsibility as a mentor. Actually, back in Tianshuang Kingdom, she had me memorize a huge amount of alchemy classics from the Tianyao Holy Land, and she even explained the parts I didn't understand. That's enough knowledge for me; all I lacked was practical experience. I don't think I can learn much more at the Alchemy Academy..."

"Wait a minute, what did you just call 'sir'?"

Lu Xingzhou shut his mouth.

Ah Nuo turned her head, her big eyes scanning her master's face up and down for a long time, before trying to call out, "Xing Zhou?"

Lu Xingzhou nearly threw her out of his arms. Then, remembering they were in the sky, he flipped her over, pressed her onto his lap, and gave her a good thrashing: "You're learning bad things instead of good ones! Who told you to call me Xingzhou?"

"What about Aqing?"

clap clap clap...

Ah Nuo cried out, "I learned all this from you! The upper beam is crooked, why are you hitting me?!"

Lu Xingzhou couldn't explain it, and he couldn't bring himself to strike with his hand hanging in the air.

Ah Nuo lay motionless on his lap, like a salted fish.

"As for why we went to the capital..." Lu Xingzhou finally found a way to change the awkwardness: "Following...following our teacher, she's too strong. We feel no pressure at all, which isn't good for our cultivation. Our progress over the past few months has been lackluster, so our teacher originally wanted to take us back to the capital to report on our duties. But after thinking it over, she decided to take us to the Tianyao Holy Land first, hoping that the Holy Land's cultivation methods and spiritual energy would make up for our lack of progress during this period. Otherwise, why would we go to the Tianyao Holy Land..."

Ah Nuo said, "I see... So why go to the capital?"

"Originally, I planned to go out and gain experience, so there was really no need to return to the capital. However, the demon race is sharpening their swords for war, and I have a feeling that this matter has something to do with me... Wouldn't it seem a bit heartless for me to go out and gain experience at a time like this? It would be better to go back to the capital and take a look..."

Ah Nuo glanced at him sideways, her eyes filled with disdain.

Her eyes seemed to say, "A beautiful woman is a source of trouble."

Lu Xingzhou himself was extremely embarrassed; who would have thought that one day he would become a source of trouble...

"Why are you looking at me like that? The Demon Emperor's dispatch of troops must be due to a variety of factors. Maybe the main factor is that he has been tricked by Gu Zhanting several times and is furious. Why should it be related to me?"

Ah Nuo still looked at him with disdain and didn't say anything.

As Lu Xingzhou spoke, he began to sort things out. That's right, this matter shouldn't have much to do with him; at most, it was just one of the factors.

The real reason was that Long Qinghuang realized through this battle that Ye Tinglan was unable to attend to both matters, and Gu Zhanting's injuries did not seem to have healed yet. This was a golden opportunity.

Ironically, what made it difficult for Ye Tinglan to manage both ends was Gu Zhanting's act of letting a wolf into the house.

Then he brought trouble upon himself, causing his kingdom to be threatened by the demon race.

How funny.

At present, Long Qinghuang is only "preparing for war" and has not shied away from passing this news to Ye Tinglan's ears, which is mostly a test. I wonder if there is any way to prevent this war from starting.

I feel like this matter is somehow related to me, and it would feel really strange if it actually led to a major war...

Of course, the so-called "no major war" refers only to large-scale conflicts. Small-scale skirmishes have continued for years, and it's said that Gua Mei has accumulated quite a few "battle achievements"...

I probably won't be able to see Gua Mei this time I return to Beijing; I'll just have to stay at Qingyao Garden to reminisce.

…………

Lu Xingzhou's wheelchair flew much slower than Ye Tinglan's imperial carriage; the East Sea was a long way away, and it would take several days to fly back to the capital.

At this time, the Demon Suppression Division of the capital was also discussing Sheng Yuanyao.

"Since Editor-in-Chief Sheng resigned to join the army, it has become increasingly difficult to compile the Great Qian Heroes List..." The new editor-in-chief of the Heroes List complained to Sheng Qingfeng: "The previous Heroes List didn't have any fancy comments or annotations. Since Editor-in-Chief Sheng made these changes, the masses have been very happy with them. If we cancel these compilations in the future, we will be criticized by the people."

Sheng Qingfeng sipped his tea: "Then just add it, what's the big deal?" The editor-in-chief looked very distressed.

Despite her seemingly simple appearance, Sheng Yuanyao comes from an official family. From a young age, Sheng Qingfeng hired tutors to teach her, so her literary talent is better than most. The Demon Suppression Division is mostly composed of martial artists, and although there are some professional clerks among them, their literary talent is really not that great. In comparison, Sheng Yuanyao's literary talent is the best.

Besides, what powerful figure like Sheng Yuanyao would dare to criticize and judge heroes and valiant figures? Who else would dare to act recklessly?

If the current editor-in-chief really had to make the decision, the first thing he'd do is delete Lu Xingzhou's "陌上人如玉" (A gentleman as jade on the road). Dare he?
"I'm ashamed to say that our writing skills are no match for Editor-in-Chief Sheng's." The current editor-in-chief had no choice but to tell the truth: "How about we hire some writers?"

Sheng Qingfeng was just waiting for him to praise his daughter, and he was beaming with pride as he sipped his tea and said, "Although this is no longer a semi-annual publication like before, it's still a quarterly publication, once every three months. Why bother hiring someone? It would be better to just have someone polish it when it's time to edit it."

"Now is the time to compile it."

"...Three months already, how fast time flies."

"Actually, it's been more than three months." The editor-in-chief sighed. "If we're talking about hiring someone temporarily, our data involves a lot of confidential or private information. Would that be convenient?"

“Some people can…” Sheng Qingfeng thought for a moment, then suddenly laughed and said, “I’ll teach you a lesson: go and invite the most talented woman in the capital.”

"Miss Pei?" The editor-in-chief's expression changed drastically. "That would be great, but can she really get us to come? I've heard she's incredibly arrogant and keeps people at arm's length... I wonder if she'll give our Demon Suppression Division any face."

“She will come… Just tell her you want to see who has better writing skills, her or the former editor-in-chief. I bet she won’t even ask you for your salary.”

Editor-in-Chief: "?"

"Three months already?" At the entrance of the Imperial Academy, Pei Chuyun was politely stopped by the editor-in-chief. After hearing the reason for her visit, the little enchantress sighed wistfully, "Time flies so fast."

Generally, students from the Alchemy Academy accompany their mentors on trials for no more than a month. Occasionally, some may exceed this period, but it rarely exceeds two months; those are extremely rare. It's just an alchemy teaching trial; what kind of thing would take more than two months?
As a result, Lu Xingzhou, that nemesis, never returned and has not been seen for more than three months.

But thankfully... all the resentment and grievances vanished without a trace after receiving his letter.

"Why did the compilation of the Heroes Ranking come to me?" Pei Chuyun asked, somewhat puzzled, as she came to her senses.

The editor-in-chief said, "Well, we'd like to know how much better the literary talent of the most talented woman in the capital can surpass that of our Editor-in-Chief Sheng."

Pei Chuyun's face turned green: "Did she teach you to say those words? She doesn't even deserve to! Come on! Let me show you how a proper comment should be written!"

Editor-in-Chief: "..."

Upon arriving at the office, there wasn't much data. The usual semi-annual publication made sense—it's like cultivating immortality; months without changes are perfectly normal. This time was no exception; the rankings of heroes remained almost unchanged, even the rookie rankings, which should have seen faster progress, showed very little variation. So, the data that needed updating was gathered together, totaling only a small stack.

Pei Chuyun casually flipped through the documents, and the first one on top was Sheng Yuanyao herself.

"Oh, the peak of the fourth rank, preparing to break through to the third rank? Pretty fast." Pei Chuyun commented leisurely, "Looks like she's really been working hard in the Northern Frontier these past few months... I heard that battle formations suit her better?"

The editor-in-chief didn't know how to respond, so he simply said, "Given Miss Sheng's current level of cultivation, we intend to include her in the top three of the new talents. Miss Pei, what kind of comment do you think we should give her?"

Pei Chuyun picked up her pen and wrote six characters: "A forced melon is not sweet."

Editor-in-Chief: "?"

Is this all the most talented woman in the capital is like? She's not even as good as our Editor-in-Chief Sheng!

No, no, this talented woman must have a deeper meaning in what she wrote...

While the editor-in-chief was pondering the deeper meaning, Pei Chuyun had already turned to the second document, her pupils suddenly shrinking: "He and his apprentice have reached the third rank?"

The editor glanced at it and saw it was a report on the Grand Competition in the Sea. It stated that Lu Xingzhou and his disciple Lu Nuonuo had broken through to the third rank and were participating in the competition on behalf of the Tianyao Holy Land, where they displayed great prowess.

"Yes," the editor-in-chief sighed, "Lu Xingzhou and his apprentice are truly geniuses... I don't know why such a talented person was stuck at the seventh rank before last year. It's simply incomprehensible."

Pei Chuyun pursed her lips, her thoughts drifting.

The editor-in-chief continued, "Originally, we thought that the top new talent, Qi Huizhi, had been defeated by Dugu Qingli, Miss Pei, and Young Master Lu Xingzhou in succession. Afterwards, Miss Dugu and Miss Pei both entered the third rank and were no longer on the new talent list, so the top new talent should have been Young Master Lu. But now, when it came time to re-rank the list, Young Master Lu has also entered the third rank..."

Pei Chuyun casually said, "He wouldn't have the time to compete for such a fleeting title of rising star. For many years, his sights have been set on the King of Hell. The competition for rising stars is just child's play in his eyes, utterly meaningless."

“Young Master Lu has high standards, we understand that. But how should we rank the new talents this time? Should we still choose Qi Tuizhi?”

Pei Chuyun's expression also became very strange.

A rookie number one who had just been dethroned by three challengers and whose status was considered worthless by everyone... but after the rankings changed, he was still number one.

Shouldn't we prove that Qi Tuizhi's first place as a rookie is actually quite valuable, but he just encountered some freaks?
Yes, that's true. Qi Tuizhi's achievements are actually quite significant... but the public doesn't care about this or that. If they continue to rank him as number one, the ranking of heroes will become a laughing stock, and its credibility will collapse.

“So…” Pei Chuyun murmured, “This time, the top new talent should be Sheng Yuanyao? So you invited me here not for my literary talent, but to endorse this candidate?”

The editor-in-chief also realized what was happening and, thinking of the way Sheng Shouzuo leisurely sipped his tea, secretly gave him a thumbs up in his heart.

This is what it means to be cunning and treacherous.

(End of this chapter)