C77 Chosen 149

Since Xie Jin was demoted, Xie Ruxuan hadn't been to the Martial Academy for practice in five days after hearing a few mocking remarks from new students.

When Feng Xueyao arrived, Xie Ruxuan was in her room, polishing her Seven Locks Blade. It's clear that Xie Jin had high hopes for his daughter, evident from the weapon he prepared for her. While the Seven Locks Blade isn't as renowned as "Broken Shadow" or "Wind Slash," it still ranks as a top-tier weapon at number forty-nine.

"I heard from the maids outside that you were here. I was surprised; shouldn't you be at the Martial Academy at this hour?" Feng Xueyao remarked as she walked in, clearly taken aback.

No matter how upset Xie Ruxuan might be, she wouldn't show it in front of Feng Xueyao. She would go to great lengths for her friends but didn't want them to worry about her.

"The Martial Academy can't compare to how important you are!" Xie Ruxuan instructed the maids to bring some pastries and then pulled Feng Xueyao to sit by the table.

Earlier that morning, Feng Xueyao had overheard her father mention that Xie Jin seemed to have made a significant mistake, one that would be hard to recover from. She had been unsure whether it was worth her time to visit, but seeing Xie Ruxuan now, she felt she made the right choice.

Despite Xie Jin's troubles, he was still an official in the Ministry of War. And given Xie Ruxuan's trust in her, as long as she showed a bit of kindness, this naive girl would become a useful ally.

"Check out my seven-lock knife. Pretty impressive, right?" Ruxuan forced a smile, casually twirling the knife in her hand.

Xueyao watched intently before her gaze settled on Ruxuan. Her voice was soft but carried a heavy weight, "I heard about your father."

With just those words, Ruxuan's facade crumbled, and her face flushed with embarrassment.

"Do you look down on me like the others do..."

Before she could finish, Xueyao grasped Ruxuan's hand tightly. "Do you think I don't know who's behind all this? If you weren't my friend, Qin Luoyi wouldn't hold a grudge against you... I stayed away because I didn't know how to face you. I'm sorry..."

Seeing Xueyao in tears, Ruxuan's spirit ignited. "It's not your fault. It's that scoundrel Qin Luoyi who's deceitful and despicable! Xueyao, don't cry. I'm fine! One day, I'll make her pay for everything she owes me!"

Xueyao wiped her tears and nodded encouragingly, "I believe in you!"

To help Ruxuan regain her strength, Xueyao began to motivate her. To outmatch Qin Luoyi, Ruxuan needed to excel at the Martial Academy. If she could pass the Academy's two assessments, she'd naturally gain the government's favor, while Qin Luoyi's arrogance was only backed by the Marquis.

After the Marquis of Martial Peace passed away, what did Qin Luoyi have left? Later, when Xie Ruxuan recalled this moment, she was filled with emotion. Even if Feng Xueyao had been using her all along, she would still be grateful for this moment.

At the South Suppressing Marquis Mansion, Feng Tiange had timed his departure to the palace perfectly, but at the gate, he encountered Feng Ranxiu.

"Stop, who are you?" Feng Ranxiu, just returning from outside, blocked the way and raised an eyebrow.

Compared to the rest of the family, Feng Tiange found this younger brother at least visually tolerable.

"Second Young Master, this is my lady!" said Yueya quickly from behind.

Upon hearing this, Feng Ranxiu's eyes widened noticeably, and if his eye sockets weren't deep enough, his eyeballs might have popped out.

"Yueya, when did you change your master?" Feng Ranxiu hadn't been home for a couple of years, but he remembered his older sister's appearance clearly. Others might not be sure, but Feng Tiange would never mistake her.

"It's been a while, and you've developed quite the sense of humor, little brother." Feng Tiange stepped closer, his eyes calm and unreadable.

As the distance closed, Feng Ranxiu suddenly remembered hearing from Yanzhi that this year, two new students from the South Suppressing Marquis Mansion had been admitted to the Imperial Academy, making quite a splash.

My sister ranked third in the Imperial Academy, while Tiange excelled in both academics and martial arts. I had already confirmed this with my sister, but no one mentioned that the eldest sister had also become quite beautiful.

"Who would have thought the eldest sister would have such a transformation? Though it's late, I still want to offer my congratulations," Ranxiu said with genuine sincerity, surprising Tiange.

Oddly, she felt a bit of regret.

"Thank you," Tiange replied, eager to enter the palace, so she didn't linger in conversation with Ranxiu.

As Tiange expected, Beiming Yuan went to the Happiness Prolonging Hall after court, but he didn't find Bai Yushuang there.

In the main hall, Empress Dowager Chu was leisurely sipping her tea from the main seat. Beiming Yuan sat respectfully on the side, with Lee Chengrui standing behind him.

"Are you saying that last night Bai Yushuang stole the Wind Slash Sword from the Drum Tower and, along with Silver Mask, killed many people?" Empress Dowager Chu handed her teacup to Nanny Sunn and looked up.

Beiming Yuan turned around. "According to Xie Jin, that's indeed the case."

The Empress Dowager frowned, pondering for a moment. "Bai Yushuang and Dugu Yan are sworn enemies. If she stole the Wind Slash Sword, that could be explained, but her collusion with Silver Mask... I find that hard to understand."

If it were just the theft of the Wind Slash Sword, Beiming Yuan wouldn't have brought up last night's events at all.

When it came to the Silver Mask, he had to get to the bottom of it.

“I don’t quite understand it myself, which is why I wanted to ask General Bai for confirmation.”

If Bai Yushuang really was in cahoots with the Silver Mask, then regardless of King Ping’s stance, he wouldn’t let Bai Yushuang leave alive.

Anything or anyone connected to Dugu Yan had to be eradicated completely.

Just then, Lee Chengrui instinctively leaned closer to Beiming Yuan and pointed toward the entrance.

Bai Yushuang walked in, dressed in a bright red robe, with something wrapped in gray cloth slung over her back, though it was hard to tell what it was.

“The Crown Prince is here? That’s perfect!”

Before Beiming Yuan could speak, Bai Yushuang launched into a recount of the previous night’s events.

According to her, she had felt restless and decided to take a walk to clear her mind. During her stroll, she encountered a thief running toward her with the Wind Slash Sword.

She recognized the sword immediately! And she’d heard that Beiming Yuan had decided to have it destroyed.

There was no doubt in her mind that the person before her was a remnant of the corrupt concubine’s faction, unwilling to see the sword melted down.

That was intolerable. Bai Yushuang claimed she fought the thief in a fierce battle, finally managing to reclaim the Wind Slash Sword after a long struggle.

As she spoke, she untied the object from her back and, in front of Empress Dowager Chu and Beiming Yuan, unwrapped the gray cloth to reveal the Wind Slash Sword.

As her final words, Bai Yushuang looked earnestly at Beiming Yuan, "Your Highness, there's no need to thank me."

Beiming Yuan had no intention of thanking Bai Yushuang; he just wanted to ask her one thing.

What are you talking about?

From start to finish, Beiming Yuan didn't believe a single word!

What was the deal with being in a bad mood in the middle of the night? And what was with taking a stroll to the outskirts of the capital?

But the reason Beiming Yuan had to abandon his suspicion that Bai Yushuang was in cahoots with Silver Mask was that she brought back the Wind Slash Sword.

If it were truly Silver Mask, he would never have let the Wind Slash Sword return to the palace...