Above the heavens, Lu Xingzhou slowly flew in his wheelchair, with Anu sitting in his lap, turning a *Da Shen Bian* over and over, examining it.

What does that old white-haired man understand? As long as the women aren’t around, his master’s side belongs to Anu. Why bother being so conflicted?

Can you really stick with your master twenty-four hours a day?

Children need their space too, okay?

While Master and Mistress were “doing things,” Anu found Elder Feng and learned how to refine this *Da Shen Bian*. Now it belongs to Anu.

Anu believes in destiny. Whether it was her meeting Master, or Master meeting Sister Yu, it was all predestined.

Before, Anu didn’t know what kind of weapon she should use. Sister Yu said to wear heavy armor and carry a big hammer, but Anu absolutely refused. No one likes children like that. Children should be soft and squishy.

As for fighting bare-handed, Master likes it, but Anu herself doesn’t. She feels that her short arms and legs put her at a disadvantage, so she definitely needed a weapon. But sharp weapons weren’t suitable for Anu; no swords or blades matched her characteristics, and she didn’t want a big hammer, so the matter had been put aside for years.

Then, suddenly, this steel whip appeared.

Anu swung it, and the feel was quite good. It could be used as a weapon to hit people’s heads, or as a *fa bao* to strike at people’s primordial spirits. It served both as a weapon and a *fa bao*, making things convenient.

So, this was destiny arriving. From now on, Anu would be the Queen of Whips!

But speaking of which…

“Master…” Anu suddenly asked, “Why are you still going to the capital? Could it be because your alchemy academy studies aren’t finished? If it’s just for that, you might as well continue learning from *Xiansheng*.”

“No need to learn anymore… Tinglan always felt she hadn’t taught me much, feeling guilty about her mentorship duties. In reality, back in Tianshuang Kingdom, she made me memorize a huge pile of *Danyao Shengdi* alchemy classics, and she explained what I didn’t understand. For me, that’s enough knowledge; all that’s lacking is practical experience. I don’t think the alchemy academy can teach me more…”

“Wait a minute, what did you just call *Xiansheng*?”

Lu Xingzhou closed his mouth.

Anu turned her head, her big eyes scanning her master’s face up and down for a long time, then she tried to call out, “Xingzhou?”

Lu Xingzhou almost threw her out of his arms. Then he remembered they were in the sky, so he flipped her over onto his lap and gave her a good spanking. “Learning bad things instead of good! Is ‘Xingzhou’ something you should call me?”

“Then, A-Qing?”

*Pa pa pa*…

Anu cried out, “I learned it all from you! The beam above is crooked, so why are you hitting me?”

Lu Xingzhou couldn’t explain, and his hand hovered in the air, unable to strike.

Anu lay motionless on his lap, like a salted fish.

“As for why we’re going to the capital…” Lu Xingzhou finally found a topic to deflect the awkwardness. “Always following Ting… following *Xiansheng*, she’s too strong. We feel no pressure at all, which isn’t good for cultivation. In the past few months, our progress has been unremarkable. So, *Xiansheng* originally wanted to take us back to the capital for a report, but after much thought, she decided to take us to *Tianyiao Shengdi* first, hoping that the cultivation methods and spiritual energy there would make up for our deficiencies during this period. Otherwise, why would we go to *Tianyiao Shengdi*…”

Anu said, “So that’s how it is… Then what are we going to the capital for?”

“Originally, I planned to go out for trials, and there was no need to return to the capital. However, the Demon Clan is sharpening their swords for war, and I always feel that this matter has something to do with me… Would it seem heartless if I went out for trials at such a time? It’s better to go back to the capital and see…”

Anu looked at him askance, with a look of disdain.

It was as if her eyes were writing “femme fatale.”

Lu Xingzhou himself was incredibly embarrassed. Who would have thought he’d become a “femme fatale” one day…

“Why are you looking at me like that? The Demon Emperor sending troops must be due to multiple factors. Maybe the main reason is that Gu Zhanting has tricked him several times and he’s furious. Why does it have anything to do with me?”

Anu still looked at him with disdain, saying nothing.

As Lu Xingzhou spoke, he himself sorted things out a bit. Yes, this matter shouldn’t have too much to do with him, at most it was one of the factors.

The real factor was that Long Qinghuang, through this battle, realized that Ye Tinglan would find it difficult to manage both ends, and Gu Zhanting’s injuries did not seem to have healed. This was a rare opportunity.

The ironic thing was that the very reason Ye Tinglan found it hard to manage both ends was Gu Zhanting’s “inviting wolves into his house.”

And then it caused his own empire to be threatened by the Demon Clan.

How amusing.

Currently, Long Qinghuang was only “preparing for war,” and she deliberately let this news reach Ye Tinglan’s ears, most likely with the intention of probing. Could some manipulation be done here to prevent this war from breaking out?

He always felt this matter was related to him. If it truly led to a major war, he would feel very strange inside…

Of course, the “war not breaking out” referred only to a major war. Small-scale military conflicts between the two sides had not stopped for many years. It was said that Gua Mei had already accumulated quite a few military merits…

This time returning to the capital, he probably wouldn’t see Gua Mei, leaving only Qingyao Yuan for reminiscence.

Lu Xingzhou’s wheelchair flew countless times slower than Ye Tinglan’s phoenix carriage. The East Sea was vast; it would take several days to fly back to the capital.

At this time, the Zhenmo Si in the capital was also discussing Sheng Yuanyao.

“Since Editor Sheng resigned to join the army, this *Da Gan Qunxiong Bang* has become increasingly difficult to compile…” The new editor-in-chief of the *Qunxiong Bang* complained to Sheng Qingfeng, “Before, what kind of fancy commentary did the *Qunxiong Bang* have? Ever since Editor Sheng started doing it, the public loves it. If we cancel it now, people will scold us.”

Sheng Qingfeng sipped his tea. “Then just add it. What’s the big deal?”

The editor-in-chief looked distressed.

Don’t look at Sheng Yuanyao’s simple appearance; she came from an official family. From a young age, Sheng Qingfeng had hired several tutors for her, so her literary talent was quite good compared to ordinary people. Most of the Zhenmo Si were martial artists. Although there were specialized civil officials among them, their literary talent was truly subpar. Comparing them, Sheng Yuanyao’s literary talent was actually the best.

Moreover, Sheng Yuanyao had the backing of her official family to criticize and comment on various heroes and valiant figures. How could others dare to be so presumptuous?

If it were up to the current editor-in-chief, the first thing he would do is delete Lu Xingzhou’s “The Gentleman is like jade on the path.” But would he dare?

“I am ashamed; my literary talent cannot compare to Editor Sheng’s,” the current editor-in-chief had to admit truthfully. “Why don’t we recruit some literati?”

Sheng Qingfeng was waiting for him to praise his daughter. His old face beamed with pleasure as he sipped his tea and said, “Although this thing is no longer a semi-annual publication like before, it’s still a quarterly one, compiled every three months. Why recruit anyone specifically? It’s better to temporarily hire people to refine it when it’s time for compilation.”

“It is time for compilation now.”

“…It’s been three months already, how time flies.”

“Actually, it’s been more than three months,” the editor-in-chief sighed. “If we hire outsiders, our information involves a lot of secrets and privacy. Is that convenient?”

“Some people can…” Sheng Qingfeng thought for a moment, then suddenly smiled, “I’ll teach you a trick: go invite the capital’s number one talented woman.”

“Miss Pei?” The editor-in-chief’s expression changed dramatically. “That would naturally be good, but can she be persuaded? It is said she keeps people at a thousand *li* distance, so arrogant… I don’t know if she will give face to our Zhenmo Si.”

“She will come… You just need to say that you want to see whose literary talent is better, hers or the former Editor Sheng’s. I’ll bet she won’t even ask you for a salary.”

Editor-in-chief: “?”

“Has it been three months?” At the entrance of the Imperial Academy, Pei Chuyun was courteously stopped by the editor-in-chief. After hearing his intention, the little demoness sighed with a hint of melancholy, “Time passes so quickly.”

Normally, students of the Alchemy Academy who went out for trials with their mentors would stay for less than a month. Occasionally, some would exceed that, but rarely more than two months—that was already very uncommon. It was just alchemy teaching and trials; what would take more than two months?

Yet, that scoundrel Lu Xingzhou went and never came back. It had been more than three months, and no one had seen him.

But it was alright… All her romantic grievances had vanished without a trace after his letter.

“Why would you come to me to compile the *Qunxiong Bang*?” Pei Chuyun regained her composure and asked, somewhat perplexed.

The editor-in-chief said, “Uh, we want to know how much the capital’s number one talented woman’s literary talent surpasses our Editor Sheng’s.”

Pei Chuyun’s face turned slightly green. “Did she teach you to say that? How dare she! Let’s go! I’ll show you how commentary should be written!”

Editor-in-chief: “…”

Upon reaching the office, there wasn’t actually much information. There was a reason why it used to be a semi-annual publication—in cultivation, it was perfectly normal for things not to change much in a few months. This time was no different; there were hardly any changes to the people on the *Qunxiong Bang*. Even the New Talent List, which should have seen faster progress, had very few changes. So, the data that needed updating was put together, amounting to only a small stack.

Pei Chuyun casually flipped through it. The first piece of information on top was about Sheng Yuanyao herself.

“Oh, peak Fourth Grade, preparing to break through to Third Grade? That’s quite fast.” Pei Chuyun commented leisurely, “It seems she really worked hard in the Northern Frontier these past few months… Is it true that battle formations suit her better?”

The editor-in-chief found it hard to respond directly, only saying, “Given Miss Sheng’s current cultivation, we intend to rank her among the top three new talents. What commentary do you think Miss Pei should give?”

Pei Chuyun picked up her pen and wrote six characters: “A forced melon is not sweet.”

Editor-in-chief: “?”

Is this all the capital’s number one talented woman has? She’s not even as good as our Editor Sheng!

No, no, a talented woman writing like this must have a deeper meaning…

While the editor-in-chief was pondering the deeper meaning, Pei Chuyun had already turned to the second piece of information, her pupils suddenly contracting. “He and his disciple are in Third Grade?”

The editor-in-chief glanced at it. It was indeed the report from the Great Sea Competition, stating that Lu Xingzhou and his disciple Lu Nuonuo had broken through to Third Grade and participated in the competition on behalf of *Tianyiao Shengdi*, displaying considerable grace and style in the arena.

“Yes,” the editor-in-chief sighed. “Lu Xingzhou and his disciple are truly prodigies… I don’t understand why such geniuses were stuck in Seventh Grade before last year. It’s simply incomprehensible.”

Pei Chuyun pressed her lips together, her thoughts somewhat adrift.

The editor-in-chief continued, “Originally, we thought that Qi Tuizhi, the number one new talent, had successively been defeated by Dugu Qingli, you Miss Pei, and Young Master Lu Xingzhou. Afterward, Miss Dugu and Miss Pei both entered Third Grade and are no longer on the New Talent List, so the first new talent should have been Young Master Lu. But now, when it’s time to re-rank, Young Master Lu has also reached Third Grade…”

Pei Chuyun casually said, “He would never have the leisure to contend for such fleeting fame as a new talent. From long ago, his gaze has been fixed on the ranks of the Yama King. The competition among new talents is like child’s play in his eyes, utterly meaningless.”

“Young Master Lu has high aspirations, and we understand that. But how should we rank the number one new talent this time? Still Qi Tuizhi?”

Pei Chuyun’s expression also became very strange.

A new talent who had just become number one only to be challenged and defeated by three others, and who, in the eyes of the world, held no real value as the number one new talent… Yet, after the list was revamped, he was still the number one new talent.

Did this prove that Qi Tuizhi’s status as the number one new talent actually held significant value, but he just happened to encounter abnormal opponents?

Indeed, that was the truth. Qi Tuizhi’s actual value was not low… But the public doesn’t care about all that. If he continued to be listed as number one, the *Qunxiong Bang* would become a laughingstock, and its credibility would collapse.

“So…” Pei Chuyun murmured, “This time’s number one new talent should be Sheng Yuanyao? So you invited me not for my literary talent, but to endorse this candidate?”

The editor-in-chief also realized, and thinking of Chief Sheng sipping tea leisurely, he secretly gave a thumbs up in his heart.

What does it mean to be cunning and sly? This is it.