Of course, he had no need to chase trends. He was the trendsetter.

The state preceptor’s camp was guarded by armored attendants, but the sandbar was impossibly crowded today. Outside the security perimeter, people pressed together shoulder to shoulder. For He Lingchuan, slipping into the crowd was the best cover he could ask for.

A moment later, Li Qingge arrived.

Today she wore a fiery-red cloak with a white fur collar. Her lips were as bright as flame, and a vivid coral hairpin gleamed in her dark, cloudlike coiffure[1]. She was such a graceful beauty, yet she walked with an air of arrogance and command.

Nian Zanli came as well, dressed in violet-blue brocade, striding over with broad steps.

The two kept a distance of three meters from each other, both cold-faced and silent.

A guard entered the tent to report their request.

Before long, someone emerged from within.

He wore a white jade crown and maple-red robes. His long brows and phoenix eyes were elegant, his posture straight and tall.

The instant he appeared, even the autumn wind blowing through the grove seemed to slow.

The surrounding crowd stirred.

“The state preceptor! State Preceptor Shuang Ye has come out!”

Beijia was rich beyond measure and powerful for an age, but it had only four state preceptors. In the eyes of most commoners, the state preceptors, who...