The moonlight shone on the Imperial Capital's Pavilion of Raindrops, and a soothing melody could be heard from the pavilion. The melody rose and fell, as though it was narrating a young lady's state of mind.
Chu Huaiyin stood in front of the curtain in a daze, as though he was intoxicated by the melody. He recalled all the hardships he had experienced over the years, and he could not help but feel emotional. It was as though the melody could read his mind and caress the softest part of his heart. Today, all his pursuits seemed to have changed. His grandfather was killed, and Chu Yao came to the capital. Everything was like a dream. What was he pursuing? The pinnacle of martial arts?
He sighed softly. Where was the pinnacle of martial arts?
Not long after, the melody ended.
The beaded curtain was slowly lifted, and a maid smiled and said, "Sir Chu Huaiyin, my lady invites you in for a chat!"
Chu Huaiyin was flattered and nodded. "Yes!"
Another royal guard patted his shoulder and smiled. "Go, go. It's your fortune that Lady Zhenxiang is willing to meet you. To be honest, I'm so envious of you!"
Chu Huaiying smiled awkwardly and stepped into the inner courtyard. He saw a beautiful young girl sitting next to a zither. Her beautiful eyes were staring at him. This was none other than the daughter of the Deity Marquis, Zeng Yifan — Zeng Xiang!
"Sir Chu, please take a seat!" Zhenxiang smiled and ordered, "Prepare some tea for Sir Chu."
"Yes."
The maid walked over slowly and poured a cup of tea for Chu Huaiyin.
"Sir Chu, what do you think of the song I played?" Zhenxiang asked with a faint smile.
Chu Huaiyin was a little absent-minded and hurriedly said, "This song should only be heard in the heavens. Lady Zhenxiang, how do you know me? I … I'm just a small royal guard. "
Zhenxiang laughed and said, "Sir Chu, do you remember the Sword Duel Tournament three years ago? You used the Star Plucking Finger to consecutively defeat more than ten experts, but ultimately lost to Feng Jixing's Wind Walking Saber Technique. What a pity. At that time, this little girl was at the side of the stage, and personally witnessed Lord Chu's unparalleled talent. "
Chu Huaiying couldn't help but blush. "That was just a small trick. It's nothing compared to Miss Zhenxiang's zither music."
Cheng Xiang gently smiled, "Among the outstanding talents of the imperial capital, Feng Jixing and Qin Lei's martial arts can be said to be the best, but they are not proficient in music. Only Lord Chu is a true all-rounder. Today, I have invited Lord Chu here so that you can give me some pointers on my zither melody!"
"I don't dare."
Chu Huaijin cupped his fists in fear and said, "I don't dare to guide Miss with my shallow music. I've lived in the capital for so many years, and Miss Zhenxiang's music can be considered the best. Only Her Highness Yin's Song of Lanyan can compete with it."
"Hehe, it's Xiao Yin …"
Zhenxiang covered her mouth and chuckled. "It's no wonder that it's her. Xiao Yin is exceptionally intelligent and has excellent comprehension skills. Her attainments in music are definitely above mine. Oh right, Official Chu, I heard that your younger sister, Chu Yao, is already in the capital?"
"Yes."
Chu Huaimian said, "Miss, why are you asking about Yao?"
Zhen Xiang's gaze was somewhat gloomy. "Lord Chu should also understand that the conflict between the Divine Marquis Residence and the Imperial Guard is becoming more and more intense. Father and brother are extremely angry because of this every day. This time, I have invited you here in order to resolve the conflict between the Divine Marquis Residence, the Imperial Guard and the Divine Temple."
Chu Huaijin's heart trembled. "May I ask what Miss is thinking?"
Zhenxiang sighed faintly and looked deeply at Chu Huaijin with her beautiful eyes. "I won't hide it from you. After we parted at the Sword Competition three years ago, I still can't forget you. Perhaps you don't even know of my existence, but I have you in my heart. These few days, father has been forcing me to marry the military police commander, Xiang Yu. Zhenxiang knows that Xiang Yu is arrogant and ruthless. If Lord Chu also has me in his heart, I hope that Lord …"
As she spoke, Zhenxiang's face turned red. She stood up and bowed like a virtuous lady. Her voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz. "I hope that Lord Chu can come to the Divine Marquis Residence to propose marriage. I … I am willing to spend the rest of my life with you."
Chu Huaijin's body trembled. Joy and shock mixed together.
After a while, he cupped his fists and said, "Chu Huaijin is just a commoner. I'm afraid that his status is not good enough for Miss …"
Zhenxiang was stunned. She sat down and said with a desolate look on her face, "Since Lord Chu doesn't allow it, I'll forget about it …"
The servant beside her looked indignant and said, "Lord Chu, my Miss has poured her heart out to you. Why are you so heartless? Don't you have Miss in your heart at all? My Miss … in terms of appearance and talent, she is one of the few in Lanyan City. I remember that a year ago, my Miss was ranked third in the ranking of beauties in Lanyan City. Chu Ze, do you know that two years ago, my Miss went to the Emperor's hunting expedition from afar just to take a look at you? In the end, you didn't go. She stood in the first snow of Lanyan City for eight hours. A year ago, my Miss still insisted on going to the Imperial Guards' martial arts competition to select new talents. This time, she saw you, but you didn't take a look at her. My Miss is so devoted to you, but why is my Lord so heartless? "
Chu Huaijin was also anxious. In fact, he had already fallen in love with Zhenxiang's music. However, this had happened so suddenly that he wasn't mentally prepared at all.
"It's not that Chu Huaijin doesn't have Miss in his heart, it's just that …"
Chu Huaijin frowned and muttered to himself, "Lin Muyu is my brother. He and the Young Marquis are enemies. If I go to the Divine Marquis' residence to propose marriage now, I'm afraid it won't be appropriate. Chu Huaijin doesn't want to betray Miss, but he also doesn't want to betray Lin Muyu's brotherhood!"
His words made Zhenxiang blush. After a long time, she raised her face and smiled. "There's no rush to propose marriage. It's fine as long as Lord Chu has me in his heart …"
Chu Huaijin cupped his fists and said, "I hope Miss won't blame me for being rude. Give me a little more time, I won't disappoint you."
Zhenxiang smiled sweetly, but she was so shy that her face was flushed. She wanted to look at Chu Huaiyin, but she didn't dare to. She lowered her head and stammered for a while before saying, "Then … then can Lord Chu come again tomorrow?"
Chu Huaijin was stunned. "Miss, I'm on duty tomorrow …"
"When will Lord Chu be free?"
"The day after tomorrow …"
"Then let's meet here the day after tomorrow. What does Lord Chu think?"
Chu Huaijin blushed and said awkwardly, "This … Chu Huaijin is a commoner. His salary as a Royal Guard is only average. Why don't we meet at a cheaper place next time? I'm afraid it'll be unfair to Miss."
Zhenxiang giggled and looked at him deeply. "It's not unfair at all. Wherever you are, it's a wonderful place."
"Then … Chu Huaijin will return to Ze Tian Palace. We can't delay for too long."
"Mm, Zhenxiang will send you off …"
In the night, Chu Huaijin and Zhenxiang walked out of the Pavilion of Raindrops side by side. They didn't know that a pair of eyes was staring at them from the pavilion. It was a skinny man around 30 years old. His face was filled with jealousy and hatred. "Chu Huaijin, you bastard. How dare you try to get your hands on my Miss. If the Divine Marquis finds out, he'll make you wish you were dead!"
Zhenxiang and Chu Huaijin naturally didn't know that danger was approaching. They were still immersed in the joy of their first love.
This day was very important to both of them.
The happiest thing in the world was knowing that the person you love also loves you.
…
The cries of wild pheasants broke the silence of the night. A ray of sunlight pierced through the clouds. The sky was bright.
Lin Muyu woke up from her sleep. She had a good sleep. She had replenished all the energy she had lost in the Tower of Babel. She sat up and waved her arms. She felt that her body was full of battle energy. Her body had reached its peak. It was just enough for her to put her strength to good use in the upcoming Eagle Guard mission.
"Sir, you're awake?"
Wei Chou smiled respectfully from afar. "The Spiritual Fire Division has prepared breakfast. We can continue our journey after we finish eating."
"Alright!"
The Spiritual Fire Division was actually the name of the Empire's army's kitchen. It just sounded nicer. In the team of 50 people led by Lin Muyu, five of them were responsible for cooking. Hence, there were only five Spiritual Fire Division members in this team. However, it was still very important. After all, food was very important when the army was on the move.
Breakfast was not bad. There were two pieces of army biscuits and a bowl of meat soup. The meat soup was made from the meat of the Swift Wolves they killed yesterday. The meat tasted a little fishy, but it was already good enough to have a bite of meat to eat.
Lin Muyu finished her breakfast in a few bites. She clapped her hands and said, "Wei Chou, bring the map of the Dragon Seeking Forest over."
"Yes, Sir!"
She opened the map. This was a royal map. Every team in the Eagle Guard had one. The details of the map were very detailed. Lin Muyu took out the mission list and smiled. "I really don't know where to start …"
Wei Chou also smiled. He pointed at the map and said, "The autumn leaves have withered. The fire-type spirit beasts will start hibernating in the next few days. The autumn wind is biting cold. I think winter will come very early this year. Let's go to the southeast side of the Dragon Seeking Forest to look for fire-type spirit beasts? There's no rush for the rest. "
"Mm, where are the fire-type spirit beasts mainly concentrated?"
"The Dead Wood Stone Forest."
"That's good. Wei Chou, you lead the way."
"Yes, Sir!"
… …
After breakfast, everyone got on their horses and set off after extinguishing the bonfire.
The spirit beasts they met along the way were not very strong. The strongest one was no more than 2000 years old. Therefore, Wei Chou and the other Imperial Guards were in charge of taking care of them. As for the Imperial Guards, most of them were in the Human Realm. Their mission was basically to carry things and shoot arrows from afar. When they really met a strong spirit beast, they could not directly participate in the battle because it was too easy to be killed.
Lin Muyu had already made up her mind to stay in the Eagle Nest Camp. Therefore, these people would be her bodyguards in the future. She could not let them die so easily. Otherwise, she would be a failure as a centurion.
In the middle of the night, a 2400-year-old wild bear ambushed the hunting party, but Lin Muyu pierced through its heart with her Pear Blossom Spear. With just one strike, she killed a 2400-year-old spirit beast. Everyone was immediately convinced, and the unity of the whole group naturally became stronger.
Marching, resting, and cultivating. This had completely become Lin Muyu's life here.
… …
Unknowingly, three days had passed. The team finally arrived at a very barren forest. It was the Dead Wood Stone Forest. There were burn marks everywhere. There were many fire-type spirit beasts living here. It was also a good place to hunt 4000 + years old fire-type spirit beasts.
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
