Phoenix Destiny

Under the candlelight, Lu Mingshu went through the book that Xie Lianzhen gave her.

The book was thick, with detailed records about a wide collection of people. It was hard to believe that such a book on the participants existed.

There’s a very high chance that this is one of the most important secrets of the Seventh Truth Platform. A normal Seventh Truth Platform disciple might not even have access to this information; only those with enough potential to do well would be able to see it.

Despite that, Xie Lianzhen gave it to her unconditionally.

This action sent Lu Mingshu thoughts spinning.

She remembered the piece of jade he gave her, and she remembered how Yan Wugui once said that whoever Xie Lianzhen had his eyes on, he would give him or her a piece of jade as an investment, and then when he or she grew up, he would start collecting interest. Is it the same in my case too?

She didn’t know why, but the eye contact they made before she left replayed in her mind.

The starry night and the fresh flowers were complements to his looks. Especially when the lantern light shone on his face, which showed his charm even more. Under the pretty night sky, it turned his elegance into an enticing gloominess.

To have a fleeting glimpse… a magnificent style unmatched in his generation. Such a scene could only be seen by those who were fated.

She felt a weird feeling in her heart, as if she had a unique privilege to pry into some secret, and that she was the only one able to do so.

And what he said replayed in her mind as well.

“Do you want to reconsider it?”

When he initially suggested it a while ago, he was cool and easygoing about it, like he was merely suggesting collaboration. However, today, his tone was way different; he sounded warm and soft as if he was… pleading with her? It made her waver.

An absurd thought popped into her mind. Does he actually have feelings for me?

No way. She shook her head and mocked herself. How many times had they even met? And like what Yan Wugui said, she was as stubborn as an ox and unfeminine, unlike other girls of her age – affectionate and soft. What’s there for him to like? If he does like me, he must have weird tastes.

Nevermind. Even if he does, I can’t afford to put my heart into a relationship, so stop thinking about it.

Lu Mingshu continued to flip through the book.

All the people she met earlier tonight were in the book. From the amount of information they had in the book, it was obvious that the Seventh Truth Platform had been keeping an eye on them for a long period of time.

She stopped when she got to the Nine Jade Palace page.

“Lu Mingshu: eldest daughter of Fu Shangqin. A family destroyed by the Nine Jade Palace’s Zhou family. Entered Nine Jade Palace at seven, when her mother died, and had Liu Jizhen as her master. All her resources were cut off. Got into the Inner Breath Realm at eleven, Harmonization Realm at fifteen. After three months, she fought eighteen disciples during the Heavenly Door competition and became a genuine successor disciple.

“Expert in the sword. Skills passed down from Xiang Hongfei. Mastered Physical Manifestation of Sword Intent, and good accuracy. Character does not match her age – firm and cold, would do anything to win. Don’t get cheated by her appearance.”

After that, there was a long description of her ability: “She’s good at finding flaws since she has been fighting for many years. She’s much fiercer compared to other martial artists of her age.”

The last sentence was, “Skilled at rune-carving, and can use it to freeze the opponent’s mystic force.”

They graded her as grade A, a grade just below the top fighter Kou Wei, and on par with Yue Lingyin and Bo Zhong.

She never expected herself to be valued so highly in the eyes of the Seventh Truth Platform. However, Lu Mingshu felt a tinge of worry; if she was thought of so highly in the eyes of an opponent, it would be harder for her to win since they would have their guards up. Let’s just hope that the other sects don’t have such information.

When she reached the last page, she was shocked.

The ink on the last page looked new, and the font looked different.

It was the name list for the challenger’s fight. The name list was split into different rows. The first was for the best, or in other words, the ones trying to get on the New Ranking. The second was for the people with ordinary abilities, but who still stood a chance of being on the New Generation Ranking. The third was for the weakest, or to put it simply, people that one doesn’t need to worry about.

The name list was followed by a detailed strategy on when to start and how much to fight, information that shouldn’t be made known to outsiders.

A weird feeling rushed up in her heart. Lu Mingshu bit her lips while trying to figure it out.

It wasn’t as if nobody had ever treated her this way before. However, the way Liu Jizhen and Gao Xiang treated her felt different. Kou Wei, who she only met recently, treated her like a younger sibling that he needed to take care of. They weren’t as patient and caring as Xie Lianzhen… as if he was trying to make her happy.

What the hell does he want? Asking me to meet him at such places, saying those kinds of words, and even arranging this book. Does he really…?

The more she thought about it, the more frustrated she became. Lu Mingshu just shut the book and went to rest.

Who cares what he wants? I’m not going to change my decision!

…

In the palace of the king of Zhongzhou, the queen sat in front of the dressing table, brushing her hair and removing her makeup.

Ding Qingqing walked in. “Your Highness.”

“It’s late. What’s wrong?” the queen asked impatiently.

Ding Qingqing glanced at the servants, and they left the room shortly.

When they all left, Ding Qingqing then started, “Young Master invited Miss Lu to the greenhouse.”

The queen stopped in her tracks. She made eye contact with Ding Qingqing through the mirror.

“What did they say?”

“Young Master didn’t let anyone get close.”

The queen nodded. She knew her eldest son well. There was something strange about him; he may look gentle, but when he was upset, it was a different story. Even Ding Qingqing and Xiahou Shan dared not anger him.

“But,” Ding Qingqing continued, “Miss Lu left the greenhouse first, and when Young Master left, he was smiling.”

Ding Qingqing said that he was smiling, which was something hardly seen.

The queen shut her eyes and sighed. She threw the comb on the dressing table and sneered, “That kid only knows how to worry me.”

“Your Highness…”

“As soon as he starts playing mind games, that means he really has his heart on this.” The queen had a thin smile. “I don’t want to force anyone, but I have no choice. I saw this! Does he want me to be an evil person?”

Ding Qingqing remained silent. She did not have any rights to comment at this point.

“Whatever.” The queen picked up her comb again and started to comb her dark and long hair. “What can I do? He’s my son. For her son, a mother can even cut her own flesh to feed him just so he doesn’t starve.”

Ding Qingqing lowered her head, listening to rants that nobody else would.

“Back then, I gave him whatever I felt was best for him, but he proved to me with his illness that he didn’t value any of that. Since that’s the case, just let him be. I’ll give him whatever he wants, as long as it makes him happy.”

“But, Miss Lu…”

The queen sneered. “Do you think he isn’t aware? I know my son well. He knows for sure, he just wants what he wants.”

Ding Qingqing kept quiet. She felt sorry for that girl. When Young Master didn’t want something, her view was the most important, but when he wanted something, her views were absolutely nothing