For as long as she could remember, Xiao Qing had almost never been refused. As the legitimate daughter of a second-rank Grandmaster, if she wanted something, all she had to do was say the word, and someone would obediently deliver it into her hands.
Having indulged her every whim for so long, she had practically forgotten that rejection even existed in this world.
She had come reluctantly from the provincial capital to Kunyun Commandery, originally intending to return the moment she laid eyes on Huang Tian. Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined that he would refuse to see her at all. It was an utter inversion of the proper order!
*I haven't even rejected you yet—how dare you reject me?!*
Xiao Qing's fair, delicate face instantly flushed bright red. Her slender brows shot up, and she glared furiously at the silk-robed servant. "Did he truly refuse?"
"He did."
Feeling the Third Miss's fury, fine beads of sweat broke out across the servant's forehead, and he replied trembling with fear.
"Did you not tell him who I am?"
"I did. I said you were from the provincial Xiao family, but..."
Even so, he had still refused—without the slightest hint of hesitation.
"What nerve! What arrogant insolence!" Xiao Qing grew even angrier. "He is nothing more than a backwater country genius, yet he dares to turn me away!"
The silk-robed servant dared not make a sound. Zhou Miaosu chose that moment to interject softly, "Do not be angry. Perhaps he truly has urgent business and simply cannot tear himself away."
Xiao Qing sneered. "No matter how urgent his business, he should still attend my gathering first!"
Zhou Miaosu was struck momentarily speechless.
"People from petty little places truly have no manners!"
Xiao Qing hurled a few more curses, almost tempted to order the old woman accompanying her to teach Huang Tian a lesson. But she was merely arrogant, not stupid. She could not bear the consequences of forcefully attacking a Battalion Commander of the Martial Restraint Guard, so she had no choice but to seethe in impotent rage, stewing in her frustration.
Seeing that Xiao Qing had not lost her mind or done anything reckless, Zhou Miaosu felt a wave of relief. She said gently, "In any case, didn't you want to avoid getting tangled up with him? Isn't it for the best that he isn't coming?"
"How can that be the same?" Xiao Qing wanted to retort.
*One is me not wanting to see him, and the other is him rejecting me!*
Yet the words remained stuck in her throat. After sulking for a few moments, she finally huffed, "Hmph. So be it. There is no point in seeing an arrogant genius like that anyway. Tomorrow, I'm heading back to the provincial capital. I'll never come to such a wretched backwater ever again!"
She turned her head to look at Zhou Miaosu. "Miaosu, are you coming back with me?"
Zhou Miaosu shook her head slightly. "I will probably stay in Kunyun Commandery for a while longer."
"Why?" Xiao Qing's eyes went wide. Suddenly thinking of something, she asked suspiciously, "You're not staying behind for that ill-mannered fellow, are you?"
"I merely feel that although Kunyun Commandery isn't as bustling as the provincial capital, it has a rustic charm of its own. I plan to stay and take a good look around."
"Really?"
"Really."
Xiao Qing scrutinized Zhou Miaosu from head to toe with a strange look, then suddenly said, "Then I won't leave tomorrow either. Before we left, Father told me to stay in Kunyun Commandery for several days. If he sees me rushing back so quickly, a scolding is inevitable.
"Besides, since you're staying, Miaosu, I might as well keep you company."
Zhou Miaosu pressed her lips together and nodded slowly. "All right."
Within Yueyun Garden, the atmosphere grew increasingly peculiar.
***
In an elegant courtyard near Yueyun Garden, Xue Ting—who had accompanied Xiao Qing and Zhou Miaosu to the commandery seat—stood before a cluster of blooming flowers, his brow slightly furrowed.
"Uncle Li, are you saying that Huang Tian declined the garden gathering my cousin is hosting tomorrow?"
Behind him, a solidly built middle-aged man nodded. "That is correct. It is said he declined on the pretext of urgent business. The young miss was thoroughly infuriated and extremely displeased."
"Hmph, my dear cousin has been pampered and spoiled all her life. When has anyone ever rejected her? She came to Kunyun Commandery grudgingly in the first place, and now that Huang Tian turned her down, of course she flew into a rage."
Xue Ting clicked his tongue, then added with regret, "It's just that our plan has fallen through. If Huang Tian doesn't attend tomorrow's garden gathering, we'll have no way to make contact with him, let alone investigate the so-called secrets he carries."
Uncle Li suggested, "What if we pay a direct visit to his doorstep?"
Xue Ting waved his hand. "He rarely receives outside guests, and what excuse would I even have to call on him? It wouldn't do."
With his hands behind his back, he paced a few steps, then leaned down to gently inhale the scent of a radiant blossom. His eyes suddenly lit up. "I remember when he first entered the Guard Academy, wasn't there a dorm-mate named He Xu?"
Uncle Li thought back to the intelligence they had gathered. "There was indeed such a person."
"Excellent!"
Xue Ting lightly clapped his hands. "I looked into it carefully. Huang Tian's true rise began precisely when he entered the Guard Academy; from then on, he advanced by leaps and bounds. If he truly obtained some secret treasure, it must have been around that time. He Xu ate and lived with him for many days—perhaps he noticed something."
Uncle Li nodded slowly. "That is indeed very likely!"
"It has been about two months since He Xu and that batch of martial students entered the academy. Has he developed force yet?"
"According to my investigation, no."
"Which means he is about to be expelled from the Guard Academy?"
Xue Ting chuckled softly. "Talk about a pillow handed to a sleepy man! If He Xu were still inside the Guard Academy, it wouldn't be convenient for me to make a move on him.
"Now that he is about to be expelled, capturing him won't raise any ripples. Uncle Li, to ensure nothing goes wrong, go personally and bring him back to me."
"Understood!"
Uncle Li was a fourth-rank martial artist. Capturing someone who had not even developed force would be as effortless as lifting a hand.
***
The following afternoon, after eating his final meal in the Guard Academy's dining hall, He Xu returned to Room 32 of Block B, spiritless and dejected. He sat on the wooden bed planks in a daze.
"Huang Tian has become a Battalion Commander, Jiang Hou has developed force, and I... I have accomplished nothing..."
He recalled two months ago, when the three of them had chatted in this room. Back then, he had boasted that developing force was nothing, and that one had to enter the ranks and become a squad commander to truly be formidable. Yet now...
"I... If I go beg Huang Tian, perhaps he can help me..."
The moment that thought crossed his mind, He Xu felt tempted. But on second thought, his relationship with Huang Tian had never been particularly good, and going to beg at his door might not yield anything.
*...No, I still have to try. What if he agrees? I don't want to go back to my old life, dealing with mud and fields all day long. I want to become an exalted martial artist!*
Gritting his teeth, he made up his mind. Just then, a loud knocking pounded against the door: *bang, bang, bang!*
He stood up and opened the door. A stern-faced clerk stood in the doorway. "You're He Xu, right? Have you packed your things?"
"P-packed. All packed."
"Then leave once you're ready. Two months without developing force means it's time for you to leave the Guard Academy. Vacate this room as soon as possible."
He Xu took a deep breath. "I understand. I'll leave right now."
*The moment I step out of the Guard Academy, I'll go straight to Huang Tian! For the sake of our time as roommates, I'll beg him to give me a hand!*
Hoisting his bundle onto his back, he followed the scattered few who had also been expelled out the front gates of the Guard Academy.
After lingering before the main entrance in a daze for a long while, he finally took a step toward Qinghui Garden.
Yet just as Qinghui Garden came into view in the distance, a cold gust of force swept against the back of his neck, and his body went completely limp, collapsing toward the ground.
Chapter 96