Chapter Thirty-One: Chen Qiluo!

The official ceremony was scheduled for the evening, so there was little to do after lunch. Xue Yuan went to the pool for his usual soak.

Under the willow tree by the pool, Qin Santai scrubbed Xue Yuan’s back, while Jian Qi read a book in the pavilion. The garden was filled with the fragrance of flowers and the occasional sound of cicadas, creating a peaceful atmosphere.

"Your Highness," Qin Santai reported, "Wang Yu'er spent the entire morning in the kitchen making some kind of small pastry. They were round, and I snuck a taste—they were actually quite delicious."

Xue Yuan nodded. "Keep watching her. If she tries to leave, stop her."

Xue Yuan intended to keep the "Wang Yu'er card" to play after the ceremony. However, given the disappearance of Lin Nanshan and the fact that the cargo had been moved to the Prince's estate, she was likely being suspected as a "traitor" by the Elder Council. Xue Yuan decided she was safer staying inside the estate.

Qin Santai acknowledged the order and headed ashore to fetch some fruit for Xue Yuan.

Just then, Jian Qi suddenly said in a cold voice, "Who dares trespass on the Prince's estate?"

Almost simultaneously, Xue Yuan caught a flicker in the corner of his eye and saw what appeared to be a streak of purple light drifting in from over the wall!

He was startled. *What is this? An auspicious omen? "Purple light appears, Prince Ning prospers"?*

Only when the purple light landed on the roof of the pavilion could it be seen that it was a woman, around twenty years of age.

She wore a long purple dress with a cyan sash cinched at her waist, perfectly accentuating her tall, slender, and well-proportioned figure. Her hair was styled in a bun, held loosely by a wooden hairpin, with a few stray strands falling across her forehead. She appeared somewhat languid, yet her exceptionally clear, beautiful eyes held an unspeakable, vibrant heroic spirit.

In her lily-white hand, she gripped a sixty-seven-centimeter saber. The scabbard was embroidered with a dragon and phoenix design, clearly a treasure bestowed by the Emperor.

Xue Yuan had seen women described as "heavenly beauties with a masculine edge" on the internet before. He hadn't thought much of it then, but now he felt the description fit her perfectly.

Jian Qi, already standing beside Xue Yuan, fixed his gaze on the woman and said, "Fine martial arts, Miss! May I ask for your name?"

Jian Qi looked excited; his face was flushed, his eyes sparkling. He usually only wore this expression when he saw the protagonists of his storybooks finally meet in the flesh—especially if there were illustrations. Xue Yuan couldn't fathom why he was so worked up.

The woman on the roof replied, "Chen Qiluo."

Then, Jian Qi flashed a smile he had never even shown to Xue Yuan.

"So it is Miss Chen, one of the Four Great Divine Constables! A pleasure to meet you!"

Jian Qi cupped his hands, his tone urgent. "Is Miss Chen here to arrest me? Shall we fight here, or shall we go outside?"

Only then did Xue Yuan realize that this was the legendary Chen Qiluo, one of the Four Great Divine Constables of the Divine Constable Bureau. It was said her father was Chen Qiansheng, the Duke of Anguo of the Great Qian and one of the Empire's top ten martial artists. It seemed the father-daughter duo spent their whole lives competing for rankings.

Xue Yuan was curious, wondering if the Divine Constable Bureau was so short-staffed that they had to send such a high-level expert just to catch a Jian Qi.

Chen Qiluo yawned, rubbed her nose with her hand, and then plopped down on the roof of the pavilion. She spoke with a lazy air.

"Listen, I have a few things to say."

Xue Yuan’s mouth twitched, and he quickly replied, "Please speak, Officer."

Chen Qiluo looked at Xue Yuan strangely but quickly turned her gaze back to Jian Qi. "Jian Qi, it is said you wounded the guards of the Prince's estate and have been bewitching and holding the Prince captive with ill intent. What do you have to say for yourself?"

Jian Qi shook his head decisively. "Nothing. Please hurry and arrest me." He wanted to spar with Chen Qiluo—he wanted to desperately.

His sword was different from others; he could only gain insight and improve by fighting opponents who were evenly matched or stronger than him. In ordinary times, meeting such an opponent was far too difficult.

Chen Qiluo clearly hadn't expected such a response, as if she were already sick of life. She pointed at Jian Qi and asked Xue Yuan, "Is he always like this?"

Xue Yuan grinned. "I don't know. I’m an idiot, remember?"

"Oh, my apologies!" Chen Qiluo thought both of these guys were abnormal.

She continued, "I’m not here to arrest Jian Qi; one of my seniors is in charge of his case. I came here to deliver a message to Your Highness. According to our investigation, a group of people may cause trouble at the ceremony tonight. You need to strengthen your defenses."

Xue Yuan’s heart skipped a beat. "Who dares to cause trouble? I’ll hack them to pieces!"

"I don't know yet; we are still investigating." Chen Qiluo used her hand as a fan to cool herself off and added, "But don't worry, Your Highness. With us around, nothing should happen."

"But I'm afraid. Can I just not go?"

Chen Qiluo shot him a look of disdain. "No. You are the chief officiant. If you don't go, how can we lure them out and round them all up?"

*So, they’re using me as bait?* Xue Yuan thought.

Seeing Xue Yuan hesitate, Chen Qiluo put on a smile. "Be a good boy. If you go, big sister will give you a piece of candy!" She smiled beautifully, like a blooming crabapple flower by the pond. It was a bit perfunctory, the kind of smile one gives to comfort the mentally disabled.

Xue Yuan laughed. "Is big sister an idiot too? Trying to lure a Prince with a piece of candy? What kind of Prince wouldn't be able to resist such a temptation?"

Chen Qiluo paused, then glared at him. "If you don't go, I'll beat you up!"

This fell right back into Jian Qi’s department. He said happily, "Fine, but you have to get past me first!"

Chen Qiluo sighed, a trace of impatience finally crossing her pretty face. "You two are so annoying!"

With that, her figure flickered. She leapt silently from the roof, her body gliding through the air like a bird—a streak of purple brilliance! In the blink of an eye, she was right in front of Jian Qi!

*Clang!*

Chen Qiluo’s saber left its scabbard, casting a shimmering, chilly light in the sunlight!

*Hum!*

Jian Qi’s sword also flew from its sheath, carving out a frost-like edge!

The two overflowing streams of internal energy collided, causing the air to churn violently. The garden was suddenly filled with flying sand and stones; grass and trees were flattened!

Xue Yuan jumped into the pond immediately. *Damn, they're too fierce!*

Then, shadows of blades appeared, thick as a web! And shadows of swords, vast and boundless!

The two figures turned into blurs, crossing paths!

*Clang!*

A crisp sound echoed! A wave of tangible pressure rippled out, causing a massive surge of water from the pool that looked like it was about to slap Xue Yuan in the face!

Qin Santai flashed over and opened his arms to shield Xue Yuan. "Your Highness, be careful!"

Xue Yuan pushed his head aside, but the purple figure had already gracefully departed, vanishing over the wall.

Yet, Chen Qiluo’s voice echoed in the air. "No time to play with you anymore! Be careful tonight!"

Jian Qi sheathed his sword, looking unfulfilled.

Xue Yuan climbed onto the shore and asked, "Why did you stop halfway? Who is actually stronger?"

"She is a bit stronger," Jian Qi said, "but soon I will be stronger than her!"

"Did this spark your fighting spirit? Are you going to strive for improvement now?"

"No, it’s that I’ve gained insight! In the moment we clashed, I understood!"

"Improvement through combat, right? I'm familiar with that; I’ve read storybooks like that too!"

"Your Highness understands me!" Jian Qi looked at Xue Yuan with gratitude. "I want to go provoke her again!"

"Provoke?"

"Just chase after her and pretend to ambush her. She will definitely fight back, and then we can have another round!"

"Jian Qi, I can tell you're very lonely! But my life is also quite important, isn't it?"

Qin Santai interjected, "Your Highness's life is worth ten thousand gold; it is far more important than a sparring match. If the villains attack while Master Jian is away, what are we to do?"

Jian Qi finally sighed and dropped the idea.

Xue Yuan felt uneasy. He didn't really want to go to the ceremony, but he remembered the original plan was to take out Li Yuanwang there. If he didn't go, he didn't know how long it would drag on.

He turned to Qin Santai. "Santai, do you think I, with my golden body, should take the risk at the Ascension Festival?"

"Your Highness, this student believes that nothing in this world is more important than your safety!"

"Aside from the flattery?"

"Then, this student believes that since Chen Qiluo is so confident, and you have Jian Qi as your guard, and the great scholar Chu Yanxiu will also be present, Your Highness should be safe. Furthermore, if you are willing to take this small risk to befriend Chen Qiluo, I believe it will be of great benefit to you!"

"What benefit?"

"It is said that Chen Qiluo is extremely loyal, and her entire family consists of high-ranking imperial officials. Her eldest sister is even the Empress..."

"I see... Actually, whether it's a risk or not is irrelevant. I am mainly just admiring her dedication to duty; I can't bear to disappoint her!"

"Your Highness is wise and martial! This student is moved to tears!"

Xue Yuan made up his mind and said to Jian Qi, "I have a group of suspects in mind. While there is still time, go investigate. If we happen to be right, we’ll give Chen Qiluo a big gift."