When Jin Yuntao sent a message to World Tower the last time, the head of the tower moved Jin Yuntao up two floors right away. What would happen this time?Jin Yuntao smiled bitterly. “This is a big deal. I’m sure His Royal Highness already knows, even if I didn’t tell him.”

However, His Royal Highness hadn’t responded…

“Xuanyuan Yi! Xuanyuan Yi! Xuanyuan Yi —”

The crowd kept cheering, which was quite electrifying and exciting.

Just then, there was a commotion outside.

“Is Feng Wu coming?”

With that question, everyone turned their heads to the main gate, only to see —

The bright yellow color that was unique to the royal family walked into the courtyard.

The color of the royal family?!

Which member of the royal family was here?

Could it be a prince or a princess?!

“All hail Her Majesty, the empress dowager —”

The empress dowager?!

Everyone present cried out in surprise!

The empress dowager was known to have little contact with the outside world, and very few people had seen her. What brought the old lady here?

Mr Fang didn’t have to be here today, but then, the empress dowager was here… Chief Yu sent someone to find Mr Fang, while she rushed over to greet the old lady.

Of course, Qiao Yi wouldn’t miss out on such a great opportunity. Quickening her pace, she followed the crowd as well.

“Your Majesty —” Chief Yu bowed to the empress dowager.

The empress dowager only glanced at her, and continued walking without stopping.

Rising to her feet, Chief Yu followed the old lady hastily with her head still lowered, so that she could clear the space in front of the arena for the empress dowager.

Naturally, the empress dowager hadn’t come on her own.

Empress Dugu was with her, and so was Lady Northern Feng. Even the third princess, Jun Wuxia, was here as an onlooker.

As soon as they took their seats, Jun Wuxia stared at Chief Yu. “Where’s Mr Fang, the principal?”

Chief Yu broke out in a sweat and nodded repeatedly. “Mr Fang will be here in a minute. He’ll be here.”

One couldn’t begin to imagine how awestruck she felt.

The women in front of her could be considered the most respected women in the empire. No one was as close to the seat of power as they were.

Taking advantage of her special status, Jun Wuxia spoke to Chief Yu in a condescending tone, “What now? It’s time for the duel. Why isn’t it starting?”

Chief Yu had a bitter taste in her mouth…

These VIPs had arrived so out of the blue that she had been taken by surprise.

“We have 5 minutes before the start of the duel.”

Jun Wuxia waved her off. “Go and tell them to hurry up!”

Chief Yu said, “Yes, yes…”

Chief Yu left, but Qiao Yi stayed. Seeing the way the latter’s eyes were darting around, Jun Wuxia couldn’t help but frown. “Who are you, then?”

Qiao Yi bowed immediately, then smiled and spoke in a cloying voice, “Your Royal Highness, I’m Feng Wu’s teacher.”

Jun Wuxia knitted her eyebrows right away.

Qiao Yi immediately saw that the princess here didn’t like Feng Wu.

Moreover, upon close observation, Qiao Yi noticed that the princess wasn’t the only one who didn’t like Feng Wu; the empress dowager and the empress looked equally disgruntled.

This is perfect!

Qiao Yi sighed. “But this Feng Wu… well… I don’t know what to say about her.”

That tone…

Jun Wuxia took the hint right away. She smirked inwardly, but asked immediately, “What are you saying? What kind of student is Feng Wu? The empress dowager and the empress are here. You have to tell the truth!”

Qiao Yi was here to make false accusations, so of course she would make use of this great opportunity.

“Of course… of course I’ll tell the truth…” Qiao Yi feigned a regretful tone. “Miss Feng Wu has received a lot of complaints from her fellow classmates.”

Jun Wuxia was excited to hear that, but she still pretended to be confused. “Really? Feng Wu isn’t popular with her classmates? What’s her problem?”

Fighting back her excitement, Qiao Yi said, “I assume that you know that Feng Wu was admitted into the college with the highest mark?”

Jun Wuxia said, “That’s right. Not only did she receive the top mark, she also got full marks, which is unheard of.”

Qiao Yi smirked. “But why didn’t she dare take the ranking test after she got in, even if she got full marks?”

Jun Wuxia’s eyes lit up. “Are you saying that she cheated in the entrance exam?”

Qiao Yi waved her hands immediately. “Princess, I didn’t say that. That wasn’t what I meant.”

Jun Wuxia threw a dirty look at Qiao Yi. She couldn’t have made it any clearer, but she still tried to deny it. This Qiao Yi really was a piece of work.

“However…” Qiao Yi seemed to want to say something, but hesitated. “It’s just that because of that, Feng Wu has never shown up on the billboard, which made some of the students question her ability.”

Jun Wuxia snorted. “If she really has the ability, why didn’t she dare take the ranking test? She must have something to hide!”

Jun Wuxia stole a glance at her mother and grandmother as she spoke.

Empress Dugu was sipping tea from the cup she was holding, acting as if she had nothing to do with this. She hid her satisfaction over Feng Wu’s predicament very well.

The empress dowager, on the other hand, looked furious!

Qiao Yi and Jun Wuxia exchanged looks, and reached a tacit agreement.

“What else has everyone been saying about this Feng Wu?” Jun Wuxia tried to create more opportunities for Qiao Yi.

Qiao Yi pretended to hesitate over the question, but said in the end, “Apart from that, I guess Miss Feng Wu is… alright…”

Jun Wuxia smirked. “What do you mean by ‘alright’? If there really is nothing wrong with her, why did you hesitate? Qiao Yi, you’re facing the empress dowager and the empress here. Are you trying to withhold information from them?”

Qiao Yi apologized immediately, then sighed. “Actually, Feng Wu doesn’t come to the college that often. School has been in session for a while, but as her class teacher, I’ve only seen her twice.”

The empress dowager’s face darkened right away.

Before, when Qiao Yi hinted that Feng Wu had cheated, the empress dowager had still found that statement dubious, but this information convinced her completely!

“How arrogant!” The empress dowager snorted.

Lady Northern Feng felt her throat tighten.

She wondered what kind of grudge this Qiao Yi had against Feng Wu. Why was she slandering Feng Wu like this?

Qiao Yi smiled bitterly. “The last time I saw her, she almost beat a new student to death. She was so merciless…”

Jun Wuxia timed her questions perfectly. She asked, “What?! Feng Wu almost killed a classmate?!”

“That’s right. That day…” Qiao Yi described what happened the other day, interpreting it in her own way and focusing on how arrogant Feng Wu was. As a result…

Mu Yaoyao sounded perfectly innocent in her narration, while Feng Wu was completely at fault.

“And the next time I saw her was a few days later…” Qiao Yi looked like she was about to cry.

“That time, it was like a nightmare for me… I don’t know how I’m going to teach such a student…”Qiao Yi broke into tears.

Jun Wuxia frowned. “What happened?”

Qiao Yi said between broken sobs, “This Feng Wu is so out of line. She insisted that she would become an independent day student, and as her class teacher, I didn’t agree, so she slapped me…”

“What?!”

Not only Jun Wuxia, but even the empress dowager cried out in surprise.

The empress dowager’s face was livid as she stared at Qiao Yi with a ferocious look in her eyes. “What did you say? As a student, Feng Wu hit her teacher?!”

Qiao Yi put a hand on the cheek Feng Wu had slapped and nodded with a sob. “She’s so well-connected that there was nothing I could do. Although I’m the teacher, I have to swallow the humiliation.”

The empress dowager snorted.

All land under heaven belonged to the emperor, and all within the land were the emperor’s servants. He was the ultimate boss!

How dare someone as petty as Feng Wu act so arrogantly?!

At that thought, the empress dowager glared at Lady Northern Feng.

She was convinced that Lady Northern Feng was the reason why Feng Wu was so willful.

Before Lady Northern Feng could speak, Qiao Yi went on in her teary voice. “Mr Fang, our principal, has always been good to Feng Wu. He treats her even better than Mu Yaoyao, his own granddaughter.”

So, it was Grand Secretary Fang.

The empress dowager frowned.

Grand Secretary Fang was a well-respected and experienced minister who used to be the emperor’s teacher. Even the empress dowager had to respect the old man, not to mention that Grand Secretary Fang had made another breakthrough and had become an even mightier cultivator.

The empress dowager winced.

Lady Northern Feng sighed inwardly. Poor Feng Wu. She hadn’t even shown her face yet and these people were already slandering her like this. She worried that the empress dowager might finish the girl off as soon as she arrived.

“Your Majesty, please don’t be mad. That’s only one side of the story. We’ll have to look more carefully into it if we want to find out the truth…”

However, the empress dowager sneered before Lady Northern Feng could finish. “Yaya, you can stop trying to make excuses for her!”

Hearing that from the empress dowager, there was nothing else Lady Northern Feng could say.

Jun Wuxia and Empress Dugu exchanged gloating looks.

They had no idea where this Qiao Yi had come from, but she had just proven herself very helpful. How interesting. They made a mental note to reward her generously later.

Seeing this, Jun Wuxia added fuel to the flames. “Isn’t it about time? Why is Feng Wu still not here?”

The empress dowager looked up at the arena and saw that it was indeed the case.

With a long sword on his back, Xuanyuan Yi looked like he had become one with it. Sword energy filled the air.

Standing on one side of the stage, he had a solemn look on his face. He was ready to fight and kill!

However, the other side of the stage remained empty…

The frown on the empress dowager’s face grew bigger!

That Feng Wu!

Not only was she arrogant and domineering, she also disrespected her teachers and couldn’t see beyond her nose!

The empress dowager had thought that if Feng Wu had a pleasant temperament, she would turn a blind eye and let the crown prince have her as a concubine.

But by the looks of it, that wasn’t an option anymore!

Jun Wuxia grinned. “Is Feng Wu too afraid to come?”

A hush fell over the arena.

Apparently, a lot of people were thinking the same thing.What about Feng Wu? What was she doing at the moment?

She had used up all her energy the night before to master a single stance, Flying Dragon!

She was completely drained and utterly exhausted.

Feng Wu had thought several times that she was going to die. She couldn’t even lift a finger… But whenever she felt that way, a generous amount of spiritual essence would flow through her veins.

The morning sun shone through the window onto Feng Wu’s translucent skin, casting little shadows under her eyes.

Her long, thick eyelashes flickered, which reminded one of raindrops falling on butterfly wings, creating tiny ripples.

Feng Wu opened her eyes slightly, her mind virtually blank at that moment.

Soon, she came back to herself and bolted upright!

“Xiao Wu, you’re awake!” Both Chaoge and Qiuling were thrilled.

Feng Xun was the most excited of them all!

He had been pacing around the room in circles, checking the time. Now that Feng Wu had woken up, he was over the moon!

Rushing over, he took Feng Wu’s hand. “Xiao Wu, you’re really awake! How do you feel? Are you feeling alright?”

Feng Xun put a hand on Feng Wu’s forehead to check her temperature.

After all, Feng Wu had looked like a broken china doll the night before. She had been covered in blood, as if every bone in her body was broken. It had been the most wretched sight.

However, Feng Wu’s eyes were clear and bright, and her cheeks were flushed prettily.

There was only one question that Feng Wu wanted to ask. “What time is it now?”

Qiuling told her the time.

Feng Wu paused for a minute, then realized what was going on.

Wasn’t that the time —

“My duel!” Crying out, Feng Wu jumped out of bed, grabbed a robe, then rushed out the door!

“Xiao Wu —”

That was the only thing Feng Xun could utter before Feng Wu was out of sight!

Feng Xun was distraught. Exchanging looks with Xuan Yi, he said, “Hurry up! Let’s go!”

Feng Wu ran as fast as she could, but her legs could only take her so far. Little Phoenix also wasn’t big enough to be her mount.

Feng Xun caught up to her from behind and gave her a hand. “Get up here!”

Seeing that she was running out of time, Feng Wu didn’t have time to think. Taking Feng Xun’s hand, she used the momentum to jump onto his horse.

“Hyah —”

The white horse galloped forward!

Meanwhile, in Imperial College —

It was almost the designated time, but Feng Wu was still nowhere to be seen!

Everyone in the audience was talking.

“Is Feng Wu too afraid to come?”

“If she knew that she was going to lose, why did she sound so confident in the first place?”

“Well, what a waste of time! The entire Year 1 was given half a day off for this. All the things we could have done with that much time!”

“It wouldn’t be such a big deal if Feng Wu lost today, but just deciding not to show up like this… what a shame.”

“Fine, then. We’ll just leave.”

“That’s right. We should go…”

The crowd began to disperse.

In her VIP seat, the empress dowager already looked furious!

Suddenly, she got to her feet.

“Your Majesty…” The empress dowager glared at Lady Northern Feng before the latter could say another word.

Seeing this, Empress Dugu hurried over and offered her hand to the empress dowager.

Resting her right hand on the back of Empress Dugu’s hand, the empress dowager flipped her handkerchief, and was about to leave.

Lady Northern Feng frowned.

That couldn’t happen!

After all the false accusations Qiao Yi made against Feng Wu, if Feng Wu was going to lose without putting up a fight, the empress dowager would think very poorly of the girl from now on…

Lady Northern Feng was worried sick when —

She heard the swift clip-clops of a horse!

“Is Feng Wu coming?”

Everyone’s eyes widened in surprise when they heard the sound, and they looked expectantly in the direction of the entrance!

However, they only saw a teenage boy on a tall horse.

“Feng Xun?” The crowd cried out in surprise, but looked disappointed.

“I thought it was Feng Wu… Sigh, I guess Feng Wu really is going to lose by not showing up today… What a shame.”

With a livid face, the empress dowager turned to leave.

However, when the horse ran through the arena, a teenage girl jumped down from behind Feng Xun. She dashed forward and landed steadily in the arena.

“Feng Wu?!”

Everyone cried out in surprise when they saw the girl, whose clothes flapped in the wind.

She had delicate features, thick eyelashes, and bright, clear eyes. Standing there, she reminded one of a tender early morning bud.

“Feng Wu! Feng Wu! Feng Wu!”

“Oh god! It really is Feng Wu! It really is her!”

“She’s actually here! She was bold enough to come!”

Everyone pushed forward in surprise!

Meanwhile, in the VIP seat, the empress dowager didn’t look any happier. Throwing a dirty look at Feng Wu, she turned to leave.

She really didn’t like Feng Wu at all!

Feng Xun had sharp eyes, and he spotted the empress dowager immediately. He was shocked when he saw the displeased look on the old lady’s face and how she was leaving!

He gave Lady Northern Feng a bewildered look, and his mother pointed at Qiao Yi and Jun Wuxia, then shrugged.

Feng Xun tooked the hint immediately!

“Your Majesty, how have you been?” Jumping off the horse, Feng Xun crouched down in front of the empress dowager as he made a silly face.

The empress dowager had looked rather angry before that. However, she burst out laughing as soon as she saw Feng Xun’s funny actions.

The old lady liked Feng Xun a lot.

Come to think of it, since Lady Northern Feng was the empress dowager’s goddaughter, Feng Xun could call the empress dowager his grandmother.

Feng Xun grew up with Jun Linyuan. While the latter had always been a poker-faced boy, Feng Xun was the cheerful and happy one, and the empress dowager adored him.

Seeing Feng Xun, the empress dowager didn’t feel as vexed anymore. Rolling her eyes at him, she said, “How old are you now? Get up already.”

Feng Xun threw his arms around the empress dowager’s leg. “Grandma, I’m never getting up if you leave now. I won’t! I swear!”

The empress dowager patted him on the head, sounding a little grumpy. “Aren’t you too old for this?”

“Ah Xun is always three years old when Your Majesty is around. Oh my, Your Majesty, please sit down. It’s going to be a very interesting duel.”

Rising to his feet, Feng Xun practically pressed the empress dowager back down into the chair.

Had it been anyone else, the empress dowager would’ve been furious. However, the person just happened to be Feng Xun.

The teenager had two slightly protruding canine teeth, which gave him a cheerful look when he grinned. No one could stay mad at a face like that.

Next to them, Jun Wuxia and Empress Dugu were furious!

Jun Linyuan finally wasn’t around, but Feng Xun just had to decide to show up!

They couldn’t understand the empress dowager. She had so many real grandsons to choose from, but her favorite was this Feng Xun, who wasn’t even related to the royal family!The empress dowager affectionately jabbed Feng Xun’s forehead with a finger. “Just like when you were little. Such a naughty boy.”

Feng Xun bent down, poured the empress dowager a cup of tea, and handed it to her with a smile. “Your Majesty, have some faith in me. The duel later is going to be amazing!”

He then patted his chest. “I promise! On my honor!”

The empress dowager was already appeased, and she rolled her eyes at him. “Your honor? You lost all of that when you were still a boy!”

Qiao Yi had been standing next to them the whole time. She watched as Feng Xun cheered the empress dowager up, then looked at the teenager’s exquisite, handsome face… She was instantly infatuated.