Starting with being handed over to the Imperial Concubine, building a family with a thousand-year hi

A moment later, Xiao Anran pushed open the window and wrinkled her nose. The cold wind rushed in, sweeping away the already thin warmth in the room, but it also brought a refreshing chill, making her feel much more comfortable.

As a martial artist with innate abilities, she was not afraid of this bit of cold air.

She had no intention of sleeping, and even if she did, she wouldn't be able to. Sitting cross-legged on the couch, letting the cold wind caress her face, she gradually entered a meditative state. The surrounding spiritual energy slowly flowed into her body.

Su Mu went to check on Feng Bao—his injuries had healed quite quickly, and he was no longer in serious danger. He then left and returned to the library.

The pavilion was cold, but no biting wind blew in. Su Mu sat cross-legged by the window on the first floor and began his evening lessons as usual. The difference was that he was absorbing not the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, but the aura of an emperor.

As night deepened and the weather grew colder, the snow continued to fall.

Su Mu, who was concentrating on his cultivation, suddenly opened his eyes.

—Someone has sneaked into the library courtyard.

His divine sense swept across the area and he saw a dark shadow silently darting to the window of his original room.

That was the room where Xiao Anran was at that moment.

"Who?!" Although Xiao Anran lacked divine consciousness, her spiritual senses were extremely sharp. She noticed the figure approaching the window as soon as it arrived, and she stood up sharply, looking out the window.

"Huh?" The dark figure seemed to be taken aback as well—not expecting that there was a woman inside the house.

Xiao Anran reacted extremely quickly. With her long sword in hand and true energy flowing through her, she raised her hand and unleashed a sharp sword light that slashed out the window!

The dark figure dodged it.

Xiao Anran leaped out and landed in the courtyard.

"Assassin, don't run!"

"Little girl, who said I was leaving?" The dark figure didn't run away but laughed, his words laced with mockery.

"Take this!" Xiao Anran was annoyed by his contempt, and her sword strikes became even faster as she lunged forward. She was using her most proficient "Drifting Sword Technique." This sword technique is known for its agility and versatility, and is especially adept at close-quarters combat. The sword light unfolded like willow branches swaying in the wind, seemingly gentle, yet dense and difficult to defend against, like a net of swords enveloping the opponent.

"Little girl, I don't have time to play with you. Don't make trouble for yourself." The dark figure neither dodged nor avoided the attack. As soon as he finished speaking, a thick yellow light rose from his body.

The sword light struck the yellow light, causing only a slight ripple in the light barrier, failing to penetrate it. Even when Xiao Anran's longsword thrust forward, it was blocked by the yellow light.

"Protective True Essence!" Xiao Anran's expression changed. "You... are a Grandmaster?!"

"Good eye, too bad there's no reward." The dark figure unleashed a punch, his powerful true energy condensing into a fist shadow that tore through the air and struck!

Xiao Anran parried with his sword, but was thrown back by the force of the punch, flying with his sword until he crashed into a tree trunk and came to a stop.

"Pfft—" A mouthful of blood spurted out.

She was injured in just one move. The difference in their cultivation levels was like heaven and earth.

No wonder the shadowy figure didn't rush to escape after being discovered.

Even if Xiao Anran is exceptionally talented, she is far from being able to contend with a Grandmaster while only at the Innate Realm level—not to mention her, there is no such person in the entire Great Qian Dynasty.

The greatest advantage of a Grandmaster over a Primordial One lies in the qualitative change of their soul and the refinement of their true essence. Primordial Ones cultivate true qi, while Grandmasters refine true essence; this is a fundamental difference.

"Young lady, where is Eunuch Su?" The dark figure slowly approached and asked in a deep voice.

Xiao Anran then realized—the other party was coming for Su Mu!

Clearly, this person knew where Su Mu was staying, but hadn't expected him to be away from his room tonight. Xiao Anran was both angry and regretful that she had become Su Mu's substitute.

If I had known this would happen, I would never have occupied that room!

"Did you give him so many pills?" Xiao Anran wiped the blood from her lips and asked coldly.

"Pills?" The figure in black seemed slightly puzzled, but made no further inquiry. This was the imperial palace; lingering here would easily attract the attention of the palace's experts. He clearly did not recognize Xiao Anran, nor did he know her identity, so he was unwilling to say more.

Five steps away from Xiao Anran, he threw another punch. The yellow fist shadow, accompanied by a gust of wind, rushed in, sealing off all her escape routes.

Severely injured, Xiao Anran could no longer dodge. Her intuition told her that the force of the punch had locked onto her—this was the effect of suppressing her soul. Even without a condensed divine consciousness, a grandmaster's control over the power of heaven and earth was far beyond that of an innate being.

"It's over..." Xiao Anran's face turned deathly pale. If hit by this punch, he would either die or be crippled, and his cultivation might even be completely destroyed.

Just then, a golden light shot out from inside the library, precisely piercing through the yellow fist shadow!

Immediately afterwards, a golden handprint, seemingly solid, slammed down from mid-air, striking the dark figure directly!

"Bang!"

The protective true energy shattered instantly!

The dark figure was terrified and leaped back, soaring into the air. A quick glance revealed Su Mu standing in front of the library.

—As expected, this is the real deal.

If it weren't for this princess causing trouble, he could have negotiated with Su Mu alone. Now that things have escalated, it's not wise to stay any longer.

With a thought racing, the dark figure threw the iron box he had prepared earlier toward the pavilion door, and then moved like lightning, rushing out of the palace.

A martial artist with innate talent can glide for short distances by fully activating their true energy; a grandmaster, however, can fly for extended periods at speeds several times faster.

Su Mu was unaware of the other party's background and hesitated for a moment before deciding not to give chase—a hasty pursuit might fall into a trap.

"Clang!"

The iron box landed in front of the pavilion door.

Su Mu covered his hand with his true energy, carefully picked it up, and brought it back to the pavilion to hide it properly.

A short while later, Xiao Anran followed her in and asked Su Mu, "What happened just now?"

"I don't know," Su Mu shook his head. It wasn't that he intended to hide it; he himself was completely baffled.

"An assassin infiltrated, and I fought him, but he was a grandmaster, and I was no match for him," Xiao Anran said breathlessly. "Just as his fist was about to strike, a golden light shattered his fist's shadow, and then a large golden hand knocked him back, and he escaped."

"Are they here to assassinate the princess?" Su Mu asked.

"Obviously not." Xiao Anran sneered. "I only moved in yesterday. If someone really wanted to kill me, they wouldn't have bothered chasing me all the way here."

"Perhaps the news leaked from the palace, allowing the assassin to discover the princess's residence," Su Mu speculated, feigning seriousness. In reality, he knew perfectly well that the dark figure was coming for him. Throughout the entire exchange, he had been keeping a close eye on it with his divine sense.

"No," Xiao Anran said decisively. "If that assassin wanted to kill me, he could have simply broken through the window. Why would he have lingered outside? He even specifically asked about your whereabouts."

"Oh?" Su Mu feigned surprise. "Could it be that the Empress has sent another expert to test us?"

If they were the Empress's people, why leave behind the iron box? Having found their target and unharmed, why retreat in such a hurry? Were they afraid the Grandmaster from the palace would arrive? Perhaps.

"Regardless of his reason for coming," Xiao Anran stared at Su Mu, "the key question now is—who was it that helped me just now? The golden light and the golden hand both originated from the direction of the library, and you were the only one here. Of course, it's also possible that it was some expert from the palace who didn't want to show himself, who intervened from afar."

"Which possibility does the princess think is more likely?"

"It's very likely you." Xiao Anran paused. "Since you have so many pills, you might also have secret techniques to conceal your true cultivation level. But I am, after all, a princess, the emperor's own sister. Once I leave the Hall of Mental Cultivation, I should theoretically be under the protection of secret guards."

No sooner had the words been spoken than several figures appeared in the courtyard—the royal experts who had rushed over upon hearing the news.

Su Mu said no more. Xiao Anran was shrewd and knew that some things were best left unsaid.

The visitor spoke with Xiao Anran for a while, while Su Mu listened quietly from the side. Xiao Anran did not mention that the assassin was actually looking for Su Mu, only saying that she had encountered a powerful enemy and suffered some injuries. After a short while, the visitor left behind healing pills and respectfully withdrew.

The pavilion returned to silence.

Su Mu glanced at Feng Bao briefly—he had already woken up, but obediently stayed inside the room. He then returned to the first floor and retrieved the iron box.

The box was over a foot long and about three fingers thick, quite heavy, and unlocked. Su Mu slowly opened it with his inner energy—there was no mechanism.

There was only one letter inside.