"Jiang Chen of the Jianghan Territory?" Madam Yu murmured, savoring the name. Suddenly, those seductive eyes shot out a startling light. "The Jianghan Territory! Jiang Chen!"
Madam Yu slapped her thigh and sighed. "Zi Qi, you've missed a fated opportunity. This Jiang Chen—could he be the young marquis of the Jianghan Territory?"
"Young marquis?" The girls of Star Phoenix Palace had recovered their energy by now. Since no one was in the cave, they weren't in any hurry to get dressed.
Hearing the words "young marquis," several of the young women wore lovestruck expressions.
They might be sect disciples, talented members of their sect, but Star Phoenix Palace was still just a sect within the Tianhu Territory.
The Tianhu Territory ranked in the lower-middle tier among the Kingdom's one hundred and eight feudal lords.
But Marquis Jianghan—he was a second-rank feudal lord, guardian of the Kingdom's southern frontier. His position was exalted, his power immense. Compared to them, he was in the heavens while they were on the earth.
Setting that aside, they had all witnessed what that man could do just moments ago.
The once-invincible Lotus Picker had been like a toddler learning to walk before him. A single flying knife, and the Lotus Picker who had terrorized the Tianhu Territory was finished.
"Young marquis—is he really a young marquis?" A female disciple on the left gently stroked her own jade-white shoulder, her voice thick with infatuation. "How infuriating—why didn't he look at me more? Master, do you think this young marquis has rather... *refined* tastes? He seemed only to have eyes for you."
Madam Yu's pretty face darkened. "Am I old?"
"Hee hee, well, a little older than us, at least." These disciples were clearly well-favored and spoke to Madam Yu with casual familiarity.
Wen Ziqi, however, had been silent the whole time, showing none of the lovestruck expressions. Her delicate, easily-flushed face seemed lost in thought.
Madam Yu glanced at Wen Ziqi and sighed. "Zi Qi, jokes aside, be careful. Don't let yourself fall in. Some people are destined to exist far beyond our reach."
Wen Ziqi blushed again. "Master, what are you saying? He merely crossed paths with us by chance. He was on a mission to hunt down the Lotus Picker and simply saved us along the way. I'm only grateful for his life-saving kindness—there's nothing more to it."
"Is that so?" Madam Yu sighed softly. "You silly girl, you've been this way since you were little. I'm afraid that once a seed is planted in your heart, you may never be free of it for the rest of your life."
Wen Ziqi said nothing, but in her mind, that dashing figure lingered, impossible to shake.
"It seems this young lord of the Jiang family is participating in the Hidden Dragon Trial. He must have been carrying out a task related to the trial when he came here." As the head of her sect, Madam Yu had her share of insight.
"The Hidden Dragon Trial? What's that?"
"It's the national competition that determines whether each feudal lord gets to keep their title. The young people who participate in the Hidden Dragon Trial are the elite of the elite. A girl like Zi Qi, with six-meridian True Qi, is considered a once-in-a-century genius in our sect. But in the Hidden Dragon Trial, I've heard that six-meridian True Qi is only considered bottom-tier."
When Madam Yu spoke of the Hidden Dragon Trial, even she felt a sense of reverence.
That infatuated disciple asked, "Master, then what level is this young Lord Jiang?"
"I can't tell for certain. But anyone who can slay the Lotus Picker must at least possess comparable strength. That would put him at eight or nine meridians at minimum. And with one more step forward, he might be a True Qi Grandmaster!"
"What? A True Qi Grandmaster?" The infatuated disciple was completely stunned, then said dejectedly, "Master, I really wish this young Lord Jiang were a frivolous man. That way, I, Ouyang Fei, could at least offer myself to a future True Qi Grandmaster."
"Hee hee, Fei, keep dreaming. Even if young Lord Jiang wanted to take a *favor*, Master would come first, or Junior Sister Zi Qi. You were stripped bare just now and he barely gave you a second glance."
"Hmph! Qiao'er, you're just jealous. Sure, I didn't get to offer myself to young Lord Jiang, but I can proudly say that the first man to see me naked was the noble young marquis himself—a future True Qi Grandmaster. But what about you? You didn't even take your clothes off just now, did you? Regret it? Feel left out? Hahaha…"
This Ouyang Fei was truly a first-rate flirt, using this as a point of pride. As if having Jiang Chen see her body was some great honor.
Hearing Ouyang Fei's shameless words, Madam Yu shook her head with a wry smile. She knew her own disciples well enough.
But when that disciple called Qiao'er mentioned Jiang Chen being the first to see *her*—Madam Yu—naked, something stirred in her mind unbidden.
The thought of such a scene sent a trace of springtime warmth flashing through Madam Yu's eyes, and she felt a subtle, almost eager anticipation.
Her mind even conjured some mortifying images—Jiang Chen being as wanton as the Lotus Picker, taking advantage of them in their vulnerable state…
If she hadn't known Jiang Chen's identity, Madam Yu would have found such thoughts shameful.
But now that she knew who he was, a strong admiration for the powerful made her feel that serving such a young genius alongside her disciple… wasn't entirely unacceptable.
The more excited she became, the more her whole body trembled as if struck by lightning. Madam Yu shook her head forcefully, casting those absurd fantasies from her mind.
"Jiang Chen of the Jianghan Territory…" Wen Ziqi was pure and innocent, repeating the name over and over in her mind.
She knew her master had seen through her.
Some seeds, once planted without intention, take root and sprout, and you can never be free of them.
But why would she want to be free? Wasn't this kind of falling also a kind of happiness? A sweet, tender feeling rose in Wen Ziqi's heart.
Every young woman carries a dream of a youthful hero in her heart—especially when danger strikes and that hero appears at just the right moment to turn the tide.
Wen Ziqi was no exception.
Therefore, that dashing figure Jiang Chen presented as he departed was destined to become an indelible mark in Wen Ziqi's heart.
…
After completing his first mission, Jiang Chen pressed on without rest, heading back to the Royal Capital.
As he rode at full speed, Jiang Chen did not let his guard down. The closer he got to the Royal Capital, the more vigilant he became. He knew that when leaving the capital, he could use various methods to shake off anyone tracking him.
But returning to the capital—this was the only route. There was no way around it.
"If my enemy wants to set a trap for me, an ambush along the return road would be the most likely approach."