The next day, Lu Xingzhou then moved out of the inn and hid in the secret residence arranged by Sheng Qingfeng. That place was much better than the inn. The spiritual energy was abundant, and there was also a Dan furnace and earth fire, essentially creating a cultivation cave mansion in a place like the capital.

Lu Xingzhou no longer involved himself in the hustle and bustle of the capital, wholeheartedly studying Dan books to prepare for the upcoming assessment. Originally, the Dan Academy usually enrolled in early April with assessments in March. This year, for some unknown reason, it was brought forward to late February, leaving only a few days.

Actually, the reason for the early assessment was very much related to him… His answers to Meng Li’s questions at Meng Li’s home were given to Gu Zhan Ting by Meng Li. Gu Zhan Ting read the paper and felt that this was truly an alchemy talent, so he shouldn’t spend all day doing nothing in the capital. He should enroll early. Look at this fellow; he’s only been in the capital for a few days and has already accomplished things others couldn’t in a year. He should be given some proper tasks to do.

Thus, the entire Dan Academy assessment was moved forward, and some people were still on the road rushing.

Of course, the main reason was still that Gu Zhan Ting now prioritized alchemy over other matters. Half of the students failed the final assessment of the Dan Academy this academic year, which greatly angered and deeply disappointed him. At this juncture, a Lu Xingzhou like this popped out, and Gu Zhan Ting was very interested.

So, the emperor’s impression of Lu Xingzhou was already very good before this first meeting, and it was even better after this meeting. The premise was that he didn’t know his daughter had already used both hands and feet; otherwise, the meeting might not have been at the Dan Academy assessment, but at the entrance of the vegetable market.

Lu Xingzhou wholeheartedly studied his books, and Pei Chuyun no longer followed him into the secret room.

In mid-February, the head of the top aristocratic family Pei clan, the Great Qian Prime Minister Pei Qingyan, declared that his daughter, lost for many years, had now been found and was extremely doted upon. He held a grand ancestor recognition ceremony for her, widely inviting capital celebrities to witness the rite and introduce the found daughter to the entire capital’s upper class.

No one knew how this daughter suddenly appeared…

Furthermore, even in the cultivation world, not everyone has the qualification for cultivation. For example, Pei Qingyan’s principal wife was a delicate young lady from a good family with excellent cultural knowledge, but unfortunately, she had no cultivation. As a result, when she gave birth to Pei Yu, she had a difficult labor and heavy bleeding and couldn’t be saved. After that, Pei Qingyan, whether to establish an image of devotion or because cultivating to the upper three grades reduced much of his male-female desires, never remarried. Pei Yu then became his only child.

You didn’t remarry, so where did a daughter two or three years younger than Pei Yu magically appear from?

Thinking kindly, she should have been born to an accompanying maid and then wasn’t valued, leading to her being lost and wandering. Thinking maliciously, she was born from an affair outside, and if it wasn’t handled well, she might have been from a brothel…

Fortunately, the most malicious didn’t think this darn girl was a female bodhisattva from the Yaonu Hehuan Sect.

But no matter which kind, with the emperor’s grace as a foundation, plus the Imperial Academy’s golden body plating, rumors were meaningless. The emperor himself acknowledged that this daughter was legitimate and proper; her mother could be viewed as remarried, so who were you to object?

However, under normal circumstances, considering his own reputation, even if he found this daughter, he would only quietly take her back and not widely announce it for people to discuss. Unexpectedly, Pei Qingyan was truly willing to discard his old face and made the ceremony very grand, obviously just to avoid wronging this daughter and to declare her status to the world.

Thus, everyone knew how much Pei Qingyan doted on this daughter.

In order to clear away Pei Chuyun’s “not glorious past” as Lu Xingzhou’s maid, and even more afraid that others would question her purity, Lu Xingzhou did not participate in this ceremony. Even if others discussed it, it was only because Pei Qingyan publicly said he was “helping search for relatives,” minimizing the ambiguous feeling.

Those who went to participate in the ceremony and gossip were Sheng Yuanyao, bringing A Nuo.

“You didn’t see that scene, tsk tsk, those who knew said it was a recognition ceremony, those who didn’t know thought it was an imperial sacrifice. It was so luxurious… truly rich.” In the secret room, Lu Xingzhou was refining pills. Sheng Yuanyao sat cross-legged beside him in a relaxed manner, describing the sights with great interest: “And they read some documents. My goodness, I didn’t understand at least half of the words in one article.”

Lu Xingzhou was very helpless: “My Commander Sheng, if I remember correctly, you have duties, shouldn’t you be working?”

“I’m recuperating.”

“Your injury was fine a few days ago.”

“No matter how I say it, I am a person in charge. The matters under my purview are up to me to decide. If I say I’m recuperating, then I’m recuperating. If you’re not convinced, go report to Vice Commander Sheng.”

“…” Lu Xingzhou couldn’t help but laugh and cry: “Hey, where did your serious and responsible attitude from before go?”

“Everyone said I came back to the capital to slack off. If it wasn’t for Ye Wufeng, I would originally have nothing to do. I was still hunting before.” Sheng Yuanyao arched his shoulder: “Want to go hunting with me?”

“Sorry, I’m crippled.”

“Tch.” Sheng Yuanyao’s topic unconsciously returned to Pei Chuyun: “Hey, wasn’t your green tea girl before still disguised to hide her beauty? Seeing her true face at today’s ceremony, plus the grand dress up, she truly is good-looking! You don’t know how many young masters on the scene had their eyes straightened. There were even people proposing marriage on the spot, and they were thrown out by Prime Minister Pei.”

Lu Xingzhou smiled slightly: “Very good.”

“No, you still say ‘very good’?” Sheng Yuanyao reached out to touch his forehead: “You’re not sick, are you? This means someone is competing with you, not that little maid you can play with as you please.”

“After she returned to the Pei family, she was already not someone I could casually touch.”

Lu Xingzhou said calmly: “That’s not important… What I mean by ‘very good’ is that she deserves to be treated well by her family and is worthy of being pursued by thousands and being the crown of the capital’s fame.”

Sheng Yuanyao sized him up and down with her eyes, not speaking.

“What’s with that expression?”

“Nothing,” Sheng Yuanyao said leisurely: “No wonder she grabbed A Nuo and just asked where you were. You are also considered worthy of her miss.”

“Instead, it’s you, ah, weren’t you and her not on good terms? Yet you’re saying good things about her.”

“As you said… After she returns to the Pei family, you basically have no share. You have Shen Tang. Playing with a maid is fine, but the daughter of the Pei family is impossible, haha. What’s the point of competing with her anymore… Uh…”

Speaking to the end, she suddenly felt like she had let something slip. Sheng Yuanyao blushed and made no sound. This meant that the fundamental reason for not being on good terms with Pei Chuyun was jealousy, right? Once she realized the other person was no threat, there was nothing to compete about…

Her heart raced, and she hurriedly made up: “Anyway, I just don’t like the look of her. She was clearly flirtatious like that before, but today she’s pretending to be dignified!”

Lu Xingzhou turned his head to look at her pretty face, flushed and pouting, and said in a low voice: “To be honest, you may not be inferior to her in looks.”

Sheng Yuanyao stammered: “Hey, you…”

Suddenly, a sound came from the door: “Is that so? I don’t believe it.”

The door was pushed open. Pei Chuyun stood there clapping her hands. A Nuo was lying on the side, looking beaten with dark circles under her eyes.

“Little kid, do you really think you can stop me and create opportunities for your Sister Yao? Pah, who’s been eating and living with you longer? Ungrateful wretch.”

Pei Chuyun clapped her hands and entered gracefully.

Lu Xingzhou turned his head to look, and his eyes also involuntarily flashed with a stunning color. Before, he knew how devastatingly beautiful Pei Chuyun’s true face was, but it was ultimately not as grandly dressed up and lightly made up as it was now. So, in addition to the usual enchanting appearance, there was an added dignity and elegance. That kind of noble lady from a famous family who kept people a thousand miles away suddenly appeared, creating a particularly striking contrast.

Just discussing beauty, the little demon girl truly could compete for the top three beauties in the land, if such a list existed.

Even the gossip girl had her eyes glued. This beauty truly killed both men and women.

“Why are you here?” Lu Xingzhou came back to his senses, somewhat surprised: “This should be after the banquet, right? As the main character, aren’t you busy?”

“You also know it’s after the banquet. At this time, a noble lady from a famous family should be resting in her boudoir. Unfortunately, I’m a little demon girl, so it’s okay to sneak out, right?”

Lu Xingzhou laughed: “Why bother, at least act dignified for a few days, ah. You ran out like this, and no one blocked you on the surface. I think your dad knows what’s going on in his heart. He is a first-grade fierce person.”

“It’s not okay. If I don’t run out, will I let you flirt with people here, ah?” Pei Chuyun elegantly lifted her skirt and squatted down, leaning in to sit cross-legged in front of Sheng Yuanyao. She squinted and said with a smile: “Miss Sheng said my little maid only knows how to flirt and has no manners. I thought Miss Sheng had deep family learning and a righteous demeanor, but originally, she also stayed in a dark room with a lonely man and woman. Where are the manners, ah?”

Sheng Yuanyao said angrily: “He and I are innocent, just friends interacting. Some people have dirty minds and see everything as dirty!”

Pei Chuyun sneered: “Don’t know under the melon field under the plum tree…”

Sheng Yuanyao: “Where are the melons?”

Pei Chuyun: “?”

The two women looked at each other and glared for a long time. Pei Chuyun finally put on a smile again: “Miss Sheng, the little maid wants to attend to the young master. Will you join us?”

Sheng Yuanyao really couldn’t stand it: “You are now a noble lady of the Pei family. Have some face, okay?”

Pei Chuyun started to use her big move: “I know we, as maids, have no right to compete with the miss. Miss, please don’t be angry. I’ll just leave…”

“You…” Sheng Yuanyao almost exploded. She could argue with Pei Chuyun day and night, but she really couldn’t stand even a cup of tea.

She originally thought that taking advantage of the dead maid being recognized and returning home, no one on Lu Xingzhou’s side could occupy him. She didn’t expect this shameless girl to still sneak out at night for a private meeting with her lover. What was annoying was that she couldn’t even make Lu Xingzhou say a word, because she truly wasn’t suitable to stay here and had no confidence at all. If she wanted Lu Xingzhou to speak, Lu Xingzhou would only tell her, Sheng Yuanyao, to go back. If she stayed too late, Sheng Qingfeng would explode.

Sheng Yuanyao held a belly full of anger, got up angrily, and flashed away: “I’ll just wait and see when you two capsize. Don’t let Pei Qingyan bring people to block the door and expel the noble lady who was just recognized by her family!”

Watching Sheng Yuanyao run away angrily, Pei Chuyun curled her lips: “Can’t withstand a single blow.”

Lu Xingzhou sighed: “Why bother, ah…”

“Can’t I be jealous, ah?” Pei Chuyun turned to his back, reached out and lightly pinched his shoulder: “Young master… A Zhu misses you…”

“I see Prime Minister Pei is truly good to you, wishing he could pick stars from the sky to give you. Shouldn’t you be happy and not think about the boat?”

Pei Chuyun bit her lower lip, bent down, leaned into his ear, and whispered softly: “But during the ceremony, under the eyes of ten thousand people, all I could think about was… if Young Master saw me like this, wouldn’t the evening be even more fun? It’s a pity I waited and waited, but Young Master never came… Thus, my heart was empty.”

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