Volume 3, Chapter 401 – Second Miss Chi, You Do Not Want Your Sister’s Identity Exposed, Do You?

Lu Zhuxin watched the man before her slowly draw closer, her expression wary.

She was not surprised that Wei Ziqing had been able to confirm her identity with such certainty.

Chi Xiyan had exposed far too much during the day. If Wei Ziqing, with a golden finger pointing him in the right direction, still could not have figured out Chi Xiyan’s identity, then he did not deserve to be called the heaven mandated male lead at all.

But what Lu Zhuxin could not understand was why Wei Ziqing had appeared here.

He had not gone to seek out the heaven mandated woman, Bu Lianshuang. He had not gone to seek out Chi Xiyan, the peerless master of both pill and sword. Why had he come looking for Lu Zhuxin, a woman of no consequence?

Could it be that he had some sort of unusual preference?

At the thought, Lu Zhuxin’s gaze toward Wei Ziqing turned somewhat unkind.

“Noble Consort.” Lu Zhuxin rose from where she had been sitting in the corridor and gave Wei Ziqing a crooked, clumsy bow.

“I do not understand what the Noble Consort means.”

Wei Ziqing chuckled softly. “The Chi family of Beihe Commandery, first merchants under heaven, renowned throughout Shangjing. I once had the honor of a brief acquaintance with your father.”

As he spoke, Wei Ziqing looked Lu Zhuxin up and down.

Though the girl before him looked nothing at all like that old fox Chi Jingwen.

But that mattered little. Wei Ziqing continued, “When your father acknowledged you back into the Chi family, he invited only the noble clans of Beihe Commandery. But that does not mean Shangjing knows nothing of it.”

“To find out your identity was not difficult for me at all.”

This man was talking nonsense.

Lu Zhuxin grumbled inwardly.

Chi Muxue, the second young miss of the Chi family, had no such widespread fame. She had only been uncovered incidentally while people were investigating Chi Xiyan.

But that was exactly what Lu Zhuxin could not understand.

Wei Ziqing already knew both of their identities. Why had he not gone to find Chi Xiyan instead of her?

However one looked at it, surely Chi Xiyan, the legitimate eldest daughter of the Chi family, held far more value.

Could it be that Wei Ziqing had believed those rumors and truly thought she was the reincarnation of the Sword Venerable?

No, that could not be right.

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The lie that Chi Muxue was the reincarnation of the Sword Venerable was known only to Lingxiao Sword Sect and a small handful of higher ups within the Chi family.

The rumors circulating outside merely said that the Chi family had produced someone with a sacred sword body, without naming who it was.

Wei Ziqing did not seem the type to believe such baseless gossip easily either.

So then, was his coming to find her purely a matter of his own judgment?

At the thought, Lu Zhuxin’s gaze darkened further.

She glanced left and right and found that aside from the two of them, there was no one else present.

She took half a step back.

“Noble Consort, I still do not understand what you mean.”

As she spoke, Lu Zhuxin lifted her head to look at Wei Ziqing, her small face full of caution.

“Your Highness is a man. Surely you understand that men and women should keep their distance.”

“As a male consort, meeting privately with a woman, would that not be improper?”

Wei Ziqing saw through Lu Zhuxin’s wariness.

Understanding dawned in his eyes. So this girl was worried about that.

Wei Ziqing walked slowly forward. “There is only you and I here. Whatever passes between us, no third person will ever know.”

He looked at Lu Zhuxin, his eyes so gentle they seemed almost ready to drip water.

“So, there is no need to worry.”

Being looked at that way by this man sent a chill crawling through Lu Zhuxin’s heart.

The small hand hidden in her sleeve shifted ever so slightly, and the hilt of the Yuzhen Immortal Sword slid partway out from her storage space.

The hard, cold hilt pressed into her palm, and that icy touch gave Lu Zhuxin a tremendous sense of security.

She took a deep breath. “Your Highness, please conduct yourself with dignity!”

Her gaze dropped ever so slightly.

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If this man dared take even one more step forward, she would not mind giving him a bit more common ground to share with one of his predecessors.

An inexplicable chill crept up Wei Ziqing’s spine.

He stopped where he was and gave an awkward laugh.

“Second Miss Chi misunderstands. I mean no harm.”

He paused for a moment before continuing, “I already know what has befallen the Chi family.”

“I think Second Miss Chi may be in need of help.”

Lu Zhuxin said nothing, only retreating another two steps.

Wei Ziqing looked somewhat taken aback, unable to understand why the girl before him guarded against him as though he were a thief.

“Second Miss Chi, if I truly meant you ill, I would not have come to see you in private,” Wei Ziqing said. “Forging an identity, impersonating another to take part in the consort selection, is a grave crime.”

“By the laws of our dynasty, not only would you never see the Empress, you could well be charged and imprisoned for it.”

“Second Miss Chi, surely you do not want your sister’s matter exposed either.”

As Wei Ziqing’s words fell, Lu Zhuxin finally stopped retreating.

The wariness and alarm from before had faded, leaving only a trace of coldness in her eyes.

“Noble Consort, is this a threat?” Lu Zhuxin said coldly, mockery in her voice. “Threatening a powerless little girl like me?”

Wei Ziqing shook his head. “Second Miss Chi is a clever woman. You should understand the position you and your sister are in.”

“You wish to pass the selection, you wish to see the Empress. That does not conflict with my own goals.”

“And as it happens, I am in a position to help you.”

Lu Zhuxin narrowed her eyes at Wei Ziqing. “The Noble Consort is so kind hearted.”

“Then what is the price?”

Lu Zhuxin’s grip on the sword hilt tightened. “Before a consort candidate enters the palace, her body is inspected. Only those who are still… intact are permitted to enter.”

At this, she raised her eyes to look at Wei Ziqing and said nothing more.

Wei Ziqing’s eye twitched.

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What did this girl take him for?

Was he, Wei Ziqing, truly the kind of shallow man who would grab at anything within reach?

Just then, the phoenix ring on Wei Ziqing’s hand gave a faint tremor. “Boy, I think this girl has a point. Only those who are intact are permitted to enter the palace. You had best think this through carefully.”

Wei Ziqing pressed a hand to his forehead, calming his spirit, and said to the person within the phoenix ring, “Immortal Sister, I am not so shortsighted as that.”

“The Empress’s cultivation runs deep. If she were to summon me to her bed and discover that I had already spent my primordial yang, that truly would be an unrecoverable disaster.”

The person within the ring said teasingly, “Oh, so you do know.”

Wei Ziqing wiped at nonexistent sweat on his forehead.

He composed himself and looked back at Lu Zhuxin before him.

“Second Miss Chi, Wei Ziqing is not such a shallow man.”

“My coming here today was only to form a good connection with Second Miss Chi.”

Saying this, Wei Ziqing gave a bitter smile. “It seems I was indeed a bit too rash today.”

“If I have caused offense, I hope Second Miss Chi will forgive me.”

“After today, Second Miss Chi may consider that you have never met Wei Ziqing at all.”

With that, Wei Ziqing cupped his hands toward Lu Zhuxin in a parting gesture.

He turned to leave.

The person within the ring, puzzled, asked, “That is all? You are giving up the Dragon Phoenix Scarlet Yang Pill just like that?”

“No rush,” Wei Ziqing replied. “With or without the Dragon Phoenix Scarlet Yang Pill, I will break through to the Fifth Realm sooner or later.”

“It is this girl I am more concerned about. If I leave her with a bad impression, that would be far harder to make up for.”

The person within the ring grew even more confused. “You do not even know who your fated one truly is. You would give up the Dragon Phoenix Scarlet Yang Pill just to leave this girl with a good impression? Is that really worth it?”

Wei Ziqing said, “My instincts tell me she is.”

“Besides, who said I was giving up?”

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Lu Zhuxin watched Wei Ziqing’s retreating back. She pondered for a moment, then suddenly spoke. “Wait! Noble Consort, I have a question.”

Wei Ziqing stopped in his tracks. With his back still to Lu Zhuxin, the corner of his mouth curled into a smile.

Retreating in order to advance. That, too, was a strategy.

He turned around and looked at Lu Zhuxin. “What does Second Miss Chi wish to ask?”

Lu Zhuxin narrowed her eyes. “Noble Consort, do you show this same kindness to every noble clan disciple who passes the selection?”

Wei Ziqing’s expression did not change.

He understood what the girl before him was really asking. She wanted to know whether, aside from her, he had approached anyone else.

“No.” Wei Ziqing shook his head. “Second Miss Chi is the first.”

At this, a hint of deeper meaning crept into Wei Ziqing’s eyes. “Perhaps, the only one as well.”

Lu Zhuxin felt her fists clench of their own accord.

Setting aside the innuendo dripping from this scoundrel’s words, there was still one more question Lu Zhuxin badly wanted answered.

“Why me?”

There was a note of suspicion in Lu Zhuxin’s eyes. “Anyone would know that Chi Xiyan, the eldest daughter of the Chi family, is the true heir.”

Whereas Chi Muxue, as far as the outside world was concerned, was merely a girl who had struck lucky.

Hearing this, Wei Ziqing smiled warmly. “Because Second Miss Chi is worth it.”

“…”

Wei Ziqing left.

In the end, he had not made any concrete promise of any kind.

Lu Zhuxin looked at the now empty corridor, twirling a strand of her hair between her fingers.

A moment later, she let out a soft scoff.

“Well now… have I become a hot commodity?”