Chapter 46: I Knew It Earlier
Lu Yunxi stared at the blue-grade martial arts manual in her hand, caught in a dilemma. It felt wrong to throw it away, yet keeping it felt like settling for less.
Finally, reminding herself that the supervisor had acted out of genuine concern for her well-being, she sighed and carefully opened the book.
Wait…
This set of skills was actually incredible!
Contrary to her expectations, while the manual was only blue-grade, it was a specialized defensive technique. It allowed the user to manifest a protective barrier around their body, granting total immunity to all incoming attacks. In other words, as long as this shield was active, she no longer had to fear being bludgeoned to death in a fight.
Of course, the shield had its limitations. Its durability depended entirely on the strength of its master. It could only nullify attacks one tier higher than the user’s own level. For instance, if a beginner used the shield, it could block intermediate-level strikes. If a high-level master launched an attack against a beginner’s shield, the barrier would shatter instantly.
It was precisely because of this power-scaling limit that the skill was ranked as blue-grade.
Lu Yunxi nodded in satisfaction. Without wasting another moment, she sat down and began to practice.
While Yunxi was busy mastering her new defense, Luo Qi had arrived outside Miss Gu’s courtyard.
“Miss Gu? Are you in there?” He knocked loudly on the door, but the only response was silence.
After waiting a moment and confirming no one was watching, he quietly pushed the door open and slipped inside. A woman’s private chambers were a world away from a man’s quarters. Soft gauze curtains draped from the ceiling, and every piece of furniture—from the table to the stools—was crafted from fine, dark wood and etched with gorgeous, intricate patterns.
Luo Qi’s eyes swept over the expensive decorations, a sharp pang of jealousy flashing through him. He quickly shoved the feeling aside and began a frantic search of the room. He was looking for any valuables the Gu family might have sent her.
However, his eyes snagged on a letter lying on the table, and he froze in terror.
[Yasi… Zhou Xiaoyu…]
The Gu family was investigating his past! Damn it! Are those two women still alive?!
His face turned a sickly shade of ash. He looked around the room like a trapped animal, cold sweat drenching his brow. Forgetting all about the valuables, he scrambled out of the room, shut the door behind him, and sprinted back to his own quarters.
With trembling hands, he pulled out his hidden stash of money. He counted the coins twice with a pained expression before shoving the heavy purse into his robes and rushing out the door.
He headed straight for a certain establishment in the city. “Welcome, honored guest—”
“Quiet! Help me find these two women: one named Yasi and the other Zhou Xiaoyu. The moment you find them, kill them!” Luo Qi interrupted the shopkeeper, slamming his purse onto the counter. “How much do you want?”
The shopkeeper paused, his smile shifting into something more professional. “Excuse me, sir, but do you have any other information? If it’s just their names…”
Luo Qi was so consumed by panic that he failed to notice a familiar figure watching him intently from the second-floor window of the building across the street.
After a long silence, Miss Gu spoke. “Inform my parents that Mr. Luo is a man of low character and a poor match for me. Find a way to dissolve the engagement. Also, go to the shop across the street and warn them not to take any contracts that would endanger those two girls.”
She stood up and walked away, her face a mask of cold indifference. Before leaving the balcony, she cast one final, lingering look at the frantic man across the street.
“What happened? Where did Miss Lu go?”
“Sister Gu, why are you still asking about her? She’s a wicked woman! We’ve already driven her out of the academy, so you don’t have to worry about her trying to steal Brother Luo away anymore!”
Miss Gu glanced at the girl who had spoken, her eyes unreadable. She ignored the comment and focused on the group of girls gathered before her. She gave a few sharp instructions to her subordinates before turning her icy gaze back to the crowd.
“I have completed my investigation. Brother Luo has absolutely nothing to do with Miss Lu. Instead, it seems his ‘interests’ lie with some of you…” She looked pointedly at several girls whose eyes began to shift nervously, though she didn’t name them. “I have decided to cancel my engagement with Master Luo. From this moment on, he and I are strangers.”
The crowd gasped, staring at her in stunned disbelief. Miss Gu didn’t care for their reactions; she turned and walked away with calm, measured steps.
A few days later.
Lu Yunxi emerged from the deep mountain forests, her new skills thoroughly practiced. As she entered the city, the first person she encountered was Miss Gu, dressed in a striking red gown.
The beauty in red looked more delicate and refined than ever. In contrast, Yunxi’s clothes were caked in mud and grime; she looked like she had rolled through a swamp a hundred times over.
Lu Yunxi stood in awkward silence for a moment before speaking. “Miss Gu, is something the matter?”
“Miss Lu, I’ve come to apologize to you.”
“Apologize?” Yunxi asked, confused.
“Yes. The girls who followed me acted with extreme malice and had you expelled. It happened because I failed to manage them properly.” Miss Gu’s eyes were heavy with guilt. “I brought a small gift as a token of my apology. I am truly sorry.”
Lu Yunxi looked at the noblewoman bowing deeply before her and smiled. “There’s no need for gifts. After all, how can you be blamed for their choices? You aren’t responsible for the actions of others.”
The two women locked eyes, sharing a moment of mutual relief and respect.
Meanwhile, back at the academy…
“Let me go! What are you doing?! I am the Gu family’s future son-in-law! You’d better not touch me!” Luo Qi screamed in a frenzy, struggling against the two powerful guards pinning his arms.
The guards remained unmoved. “The Gu family’s son-in-law? How dare a boastful fraud like you say that! You’re nothing but a liar who deliberately drove his ex-fiancées to the brink of death!”
“Quiet! You got in through the back door with lies, and now you’re done! You are hereby expelled from this academy!”
As he was hurled out of the gates, Luo Qi felt like his world was collapsing. He tried to crawl back and beg for mercy, but the guards simply turned their backs and walked away.
Hatred burned in his chest. Yasi, Zhou Xiaoyu… this feud is irreconcilable! I am not a man if I don’t make you pay for this!
Elsewhere, the girls who had been… a little too close with Luo Qi had also turned pale. They scrambled to contact their families, hoping for protection. However, the replies from their homes arrived faster than their pleas could be sent.
[…Because of that scoundrel, you actually dared to offend the Gu family. To ensure the rest of our lineage is not implicated, you are hereby disowned. Find your own way to survive; do not use the family name ever again!]
The letters they received were all the same. After reading them, the girls collapsed to the ground.
They had been abandoned. They had originally come to the academy to gain prestige and secure high-tier marriages according to their families’ wishes. But now, what did they have left? Their families wouldn’t give them another copper.
They sat in the dirt with blank, hollow eyes, their hearts consumed by a crushing, unstoppable regret. If only they had known, they never would have looked at Luo Qi. Just for the sake of a petty desire to surpass the Gu family’s daughter, they had ruined their entire lives.
