Qin Qi replied, “You’re welcome, Ms. Chu.”
Chu Liuyue then put the letter away and turned around to leave. Though after taking two steps, she stopped upon recalling something and turned her head backward to look at Qin Qi. “Oh right, I have some things that I want to send back after packing. However, I heard that some things aren’t allowed to cross Heaven’s Canopy. Could you go back with me to take a look at them?”
Qin Qi looked at the man who had spoken earlier.
The man waved his hand coolly, saying, “You’ve completed all your tasks for the day anyway. Just go with Ms. Chu to take a look at the items!” Chu Liuyue is the most popular figure in the entire Xi Ling right now! According to hearsay, she’s extraordinarily wealthy! Everyone wants to claim some sort of a connection with her now. Who knows? She might pay us much more than other people!
After thanking him, Qin Qi walked over to Chu Liuyue’s side. “Let’s go, Ms. Chu.”
…
The two of them said nothing throughout the journey. When they arrived at Chu Liuyue’s residence, she invited Qin Qi into the front hall.
It was only after making sure that the coast was clear that she turned around and briskly walked over to him, whispering, “Qi Han?”
Qin Qi’s eyes moved slightly as he bobbed his head. “Your Highness.”
It’s really him! Surprise surfaced on Chu Liuyue’s face. “What are you doing here?”
Right from the start, she could tell that this person wasn’t the Qin Qi she had met previously. When their gazes met, she became certain that he was none other than Qi Han, who was supposed to be stationed at Yao Chen.
“I can’t help but worry about you being alone in Xi Ling. After receiving your letter, I took Qin Qi’s place and returned as him.”
Chu Liuyue knitted her brows slightly. “W-what you’re doing… is too risky!”
Qi Han immediately said, “Don’t worry, Your Highness. I came after doing all the necessary preparations. They won’t notice anything unusual.”
The reaction of the man who praised him earlier said everything.
“I know you’re well-versed in this, so I’m sure there won’t be any problems. But what I’m worried about is…” Chu Liuyue rubbed her glabella. “Didn’t you say that Jiang Yucheng gave the order to capture you guys at all costs? If they find out—”
The Thirteen Yue Guard members have unique auras, so it’s very easy for those who are familiar with them to recognize them. It’s too dangerous for Qi Han to appear in Xi Ling and move about right under Jiang Yucheng’s nose!
“Your Highness, I concealed my aura before I came. Even if I stand in front of him with this appearance right now, he may not be able to recognize me.” There was absolute confidence in Qi Han’s aloof voice.
Chu Liuyue was surprised to hear that. It was only then that she realized there were indeed some changes about him. Although they were very subtle, it was enough to make his aura seem completely different. If it wasn’t because she was very familiar with his eyes, she might not have been able to recognize him so quickly.
“H-how did you do it?” she asked in surprise as she sized him up. Due to their own respective cultivation and stuff, all cultivators exude a different aura. It’s because of this that Jiang Yucheng dared to order a full-scale pursuit of the Thirteen Yue Guard and forced them out of Heaven’s Canopy. It was also exactly because of this that I didn’t allow Qi Han to accompany me here, but I didn’t expect that… He seems like a totally different person now.
Qi Han explained, “Actually, Xiao Ba has been studying this problem in the past year or so. He recently said that he had come up with a new formula that might work, so I sought him out to get a pill from him to test it out. As it turns out, it really works!”
Each of the Thirteen Yue Guard members is talented in different aspects, so it’s actually not much of a surprise that Xiao Ba managed to accomplish this. Chu Liuyue fell deep in thought for a moment before asking, “Are you sure that this thing will always be effective?”
Qi Han nodded and then added, “Xiao Ba thought I was just testing it out. He doesn’t know that I’ve already found you and have, in fact, come to Xi Ling.” If he knew, he’d surely want to tag along.
“Well done. It’s indeed not the time to tell the rest yet.” Chu Liuyue crossed her arms in front of her chest as she fell deep in thought for a long time. “Since you’re already here, then just stay in Xi Ling. It’s much easier to do things with Qin Qi’s identity anyway.”
Qi Han nodded in acknowledgment.
Feeling much more settled now, Chu Liuyue sat down and asked, “What’s the situation like in Country Yao Chen?”
Qi Han solemnly replied, “Everything is fine there. It’s just that… Tai Yan Academy suffered heavy casualties from an attack two weeks ago. Many students have left to go to the other schools instead.”
This piece of news came as a great surprise to Chu Liuyu as nobody dared to offend Tai Yan Academy—the top school in Country Xing Luo—easily. Hence, it was a wonder how it came under attack and got reduced to such a state.
She instantly looked at Qi Han. “How did that happen?”
“Country Xing Luo has classified this matter as strictly confidential, so I can’t find out much about it. They’ve been trying to find the mastermind, but it doesn’t seem like they’ve found any useful clues thus far,” said Qi Han with a shake of his head.
A thought suddenly came to Chu Liuyue’s mind, and she asked, “What about that matter regarding Yang Jianqing and Heng Jingchuo? How is the investigation going?”
Qi Han shook his head once more. “After what happened, everyone is concerned about their own safety. Thus, the investigation of that matter naturally came to a halt.”
Chu Liuyue’s heart sank at the news. Just as I expected… Someone is trying to stop the investigation. I’m currently based in Xi Ling, so there’s no way I can find out more.
Qi Han staying here for too long would inevitably attract unwanted attention, so she only asked him a few more questions before quickly sending him back and returning to Chong Xu Cabinet.
But upon reaching the mountain peak, she saw Ye Ranran running over to her with her eyes sparkling with excitement. “Liuyue, you have a friend looking for you!”
Friend? I don’t have many friends in Xi Ling, so who could that be? wondered Chu Liuyue in surprise. “Who is it? Jian Fengchi?”
Ye Ranran shook her head hard. “No, no! We’ve never met him before! He’s waited for you for quite some time already!”
Feeling puzzled, Chu Liuyue walked ahead.
