C36 Establishing Prestige

Dugu Rou's eyes grew colder as she closed the window and returned to her seat at the intricately carved mahogany half-moon table, picking up her teacup.

The door opened, and Mo Hua ushered in an elderly man dressed in a brown robe. His beard, streaked with gray, hung beneath his chin, yet he stood as sturdy as a pine. His features were rugged, his eyes sharp as a hawk's, and his movements were accompanied by the jingling of his accessories, his robe billowing with each step.

Qin Chun, the Martial Peace Marquis, was the foremost among the four great marquises of the nation, renowned for his unmatched bravery and prowess on the battlefield. To others, war was a means to peace; to him, it was a path to dominance.

As the Marquis entered the private room, Mo Hua respectfully withdrew. The atmosphere in the room was tense. The Marquis did not greet Dugu Rou with the customary bow but took a seat directly.

Dugu Rou didn't challenge him. Strictly speaking, she was currently without any official standing. "Did the Marquis summon me for something important?" While the Marquis might look down on her, Dugu Rou refused to diminish her own status, thus she continued to refer to herself formally.

"Not particularly urgent, just wanted to discuss the matter of the Commander of the Palace Guards," Qin Chun's voice boomed like a bell, his expression stern and clearly agitated.

"The events have already transpired; what's left to discuss?" Dugu Rou replied, her crimson lips moving with a calm indifference.

Wu An paused for a moment, then chuckled, "It seems Miss Rou isn't interested in our previous agreement anymore, so let's just forget it."

Dugu Rou had gained the support of Marquis Wu An by promising that once she became the Crown Prince's consort, she would persuade Beiming Yuan to send troops to unify the nation. Back then, Dugu Yan had strongly opposed this idea.

But now, with Dugu Yan gone and the Crown Prince delaying in making Dugu Rou his consort, the petitions Wu An had submitted seemed to vanish without a trace. Coupled with recent events at the Green Garden, Marquis Wu An was here today to settle things with Dugu Rou.

"Is the Marquis no longer interested in supporting me?" Dugu Rou set down her teacup, her expression indifferent.

Qin Chun's face was fierce. "It's already a courtesy that I'm not demanding anything from you. If I were my old self, I'd have gone to the Dugu residence and demanded an explanation from Dugu Jin!"

"Feel free to go whenever you like. I don't care about that worthless life," Dugu Rou replied softly, retrieving a neatly folded letter from her sleeve and placing it on the table, sliding it toward Qin Chun. "As for whether you want to support me, you might want to read this first."

Qin Chun frowned, picked up the letter, and as his eyes scanned its contents, his expression darkened immediately.

‘Bang—’

Qin Chun suddenly stood up, slamming the table in anger. “This is slander!”

“Whether it’s slander or not, the Marquis knows best.” Dugu Rou lifted her head, her icy eyes piercing like daggers at Qin Chun. “This is just a copy. Would the Marquis like to see the original?”

“How did it end up in your hands?” Qin Chun gritted his teeth, veins bulging.

Dugu Rou chuckled, “Well, I’m not sure what my sister was thinking. She had the evidence to bring you down but kept it hidden. If it were up to me, I wouldn’t have let you stay around this long.”

Qin Chun was stunned. “She knew... she actually knew!”

“Surprised, aren’t you? She knew all along.” Dugu Rou found it hard to describe how comical Qin Chun’s expression was at that moment. The rival he thought he had was silently protecting the Marquis Mansion for years.

Even after Dugu Rou left, Qin Chun kept asking himself that question.

Why...

Dark clouds hung low at dusk, and the swirling snow danced in the wind.

Feng Tiange walked slowly on the cobblestone streets of the fish market, letting the wind and snow rage around her, her heart cold and desolate.

This was a place she frequented in her past life, where three leaders of the Thirteen Sects resided.

Azure Dragon, Phoenix, Bai Ze...

The snow covered the path she came from but couldn’t hide the world’s past sorrows. In an instant, Feng Tiange’s tears fell like rain.

This was the first time she lost her composure after being reborn.

Inside the No-south House, Lyi Jing's whip was about to strike Ruxuan's face when Lyi Xiaotian intercepted it midway.

“Dad! Why are you stopping me? You know what that jerk Xie Jin did to us!” Lyi Jing growled, his eyes blazing with anger.

Lyi Xiaotian was well aware. If it weren't for a benefactor swooping in, the Fish Market would have long been without the No-south House, and survival for him and his son would have been uncertain.

Yet, despite everything, he couldn't let anything happen to Ruxuan on their turf. He couldn't risk causing trouble for their future benefactor.

“You... you all must be crazy! How dare you insult my dad?” Ruxuan's face was pale, completely clueless about what was happening.

She had only wanted to find Lyi Xiaotian to deal with Tiange again, but as soon as she walked in, Lyi Jing chased her down, leaving her breathless and defenseless.

“Insult your dad? If Xie Jin dares to show up, I'll tear him apart!” Lyi Jing was so furious his eyes nearly popped out, veins bulging in his neck.

“This is outrageous! None of you are leaving! I'm going back to get my dad, and we'll see how he deals with you!” Ruxuan, though a bit naive, wasn't so oblivious that she couldn't see the tension in the room.

You better get out of here before things get worse!

Just as Xie Ruxuan was making a quick exit from the No-south House, a flash of white zipped past her, and suddenly, she couldn't move.

"Tie her up and have Xie Jin come to get her," Feng Tiange commanded, her red lips barely moving. Her voice was as clear and serene as raindrops falling from the eaves, yet as deep and mysterious as a stone sinking into a still lake, inspiring an instinctive sense of awe.

The hall of the No-south House fell silent. Feng Tiange, dressed in a pure white robe, ascended to the main seat, her gaze icy as she turned and sat down.

"Take her to the back room," Lyi Xiaotian was the first to react, calling his men to follow the order before turning to Feng Tiange with a respectful bow. "And you are?"

Feng Tiange remained silent, pulling a badge from her robe that boldly read "Carefree."

Lyi Xiaotian, a seasoned veteran, immediately understood and dropped to his knees. "I pay my respects to the Carefree King!"

Seeing the badge was as good as seeing the person themselves.

Following Lyi Xiaotian's lead, Lyi Jing also knelt.

"From now on, the No-south House is under the protection of the Carefree King Mansion. Business will continue as usual, both on the surface and behind the scenes," Feng Tiange said, putting away the badge. "You know the rules of the Fish Market, Lyi. I don't need to spell it out for you."

“Rest assured, young lady, I won't let the Carefree King down.” The old voice was filled with gratitude as Lyi Xiaotian knelt, his body trembling uncontrollably.

Feng Tiange understood the old man's feelings; the No-south House had also undergone a rebirth...

Just as Feng Tiange was about to ask Lyi Xiaotian and his son to rise, a group of people suddenly burst in. Leading them was Huang Qing from the Azure Jade Sect.

“Hand over the person!”

Huang Qing had brought a lot of people, so the few brothers outside the No-south House were beaten by him.

Lyi Xiaotian first bowed apologetically to those seated, then turned to glare angrily at Huang Qing. He was about to speak when a white figure flashed by his side.

“Dad?” Lyi Jing instinctively moved closer, looking confused.

In a past life, Feng Tiange had heard about Huang Qing from Qinglong; he had a fierce streak.

“Who are you? Get out of...” Huang Qing was about to push Feng Tiange aside when a sharp gust of wind forced him back several steps.