Study Room
Qiu An stood by the window, gazing at the sky. His mind kept replaying the scene of Guo Xue shedding tears earlier in the pavilion.
“Darling, just what have you been through… to tear up at the mention of your parents, and have such murderous intent in your eyes?”
He murmured to himself as he looked at the twinkling stars above.
“Your Highness,”
Just as Qiu An was deep in thought, Qiu Jian entered the study and walked up to him.
“Mm.”
Qiu An nodded, then moved to sit at the desk.
“How is the development of Tianwang going? Has it spread throughout the Tianqian Empire?”
Two years ago, Qiu An had instructed Qiu Jian to build Tianwang, an intelligence network. Since then, he hadn’t followed up. Now that he needed to use it, he suddenly remembered what he had ordered.
“Your Highness, Tianwang now has informants in both large and small cities across the empire. Are you planning something big?”
Qiu Jian looked at Qiu An with excitement. To others, Qiu An might seem like a fallen noble, but in Qiu Jian’s eyes, he was a man of boundless wisdom and ability.
Hearing that, Qiu An couldn’t help but smile.
“Something big? That’s right. I have something very important for you to do.”
“Please give the order, Your Highness,”
Qiu Jian saluted with enthusiasm.
“I want you to investigate the background of the future princess consort. Find out where she came from, and what happened to her parents.”
Since Guo Xue didn’t want to talk about it, Qiu An hadn’t intended to dig deeper. But after seeing her pain, he couldn’t bear it—he wanted to find out the truth and help her.
“Your Highness, do you suspect something’s wrong with her? Should we…”
Before Qiu Jian could finish, Qiu An cut him off.
“Qiu Jian, enough. I don’t ever want to hear you slandering her again. If you do, don’t blame me for being harsh.”
Qiu An’s tone was cold and stern.
The system had chosen Guo Xue for him. Out of trust in the system, Qiu An believed there was no way she would harm him.
Since she was his chosen wife, he would trust her completely and never allow anyone to speak ill of her.
It was the first time Qiu Jian had seen Qiu An this angry. He turned pale and immediately knelt.
“I deserve to die. Please forgive me, Your Highness. I will never do it again.”
Seeing Qiu Jian in such fear, Qiu An couldn’t help but soften. Over the past three years, Qiu Jian had been by his side more than even his own family. Many things he couldn’t do publicly had been handled by Qiu Jian.
Qiu An got up and walked over to help him up.
“Get up.”
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
With Qiu An’s help, Qiu Jian stood.
“Qiu Jian, let me say this again. I didn’t choose Guo Xue on a whim. She will be the future Princess Consort, and eventually, the Duchess of the Borderlands.”
“What I told you earlier is true—she’s the only woman for me in this life.”
“I trust her, and from now on, you must treat her with the same respect you treat me.”
Qiu An spoke seriously.
“Yes, I understand. It won’t happen again,”
Qiu Jian bowed.
“Mm.”
Qiu An nodded.
“This will be a good test for Tianwang. I’ll give you half a month to find out her background and what happened to her family.”
“Yes, Your Highness. I’ll get to the bottom of it within half a month.”
“Alright, you may go.”
“Yes, I take my leave.”
Qiu Jian bowed and turned to leave. As Qiu An watched him go, he suddenly remembered the pills in his storage ring.
“Wait—come back.”
Qiu Jian turned and returned to the desk.
“What else can I do for you, Your Highness?”
“I have 1,000 Qi-Gathering and Mind-Focusing Pills in 100 bottles, and 100 Supreme Rank Breakthrough Pills. Take them for the Tiger Guard.”
Qiu An began pulling out porcelain bottles from his robe, quickly filling the desk.
Qiu Jian stared at the bottles in shock, then glanced at Qiu An’s robe. He couldn’t imagine how so many bottles fit inside.
“What? Something wrong?”
Qiu An looked at him, puzzled.
“Your Highness, I can’t carry all of these at once…”
Qiu Jian gave a bitter smile. It was the first time he’d ever had too many pills to handle.
“Just wrap them with that!”
Qiu An pointed to the tablecloth nearby.
Qiu Jian looked at the yellow cloth and smiled helplessly, but followed the order.
Soon, he had bundled all the bottles into a large yellow sack.
“Qiu Jian, with these pills, can you push another hundred Tiger Guards to Martial Master level?”
Qiu An smiled.
“Rest assured, Your Highness. I won’t let you down.”
Qiu Jian bowed deeply.
“Good. I believe in you.”
“I’ll take my leave now.”
With that, Qiu Jian left the study with the bulky bundle.
“Darling, don’t worry—I’ll take care of everything for you.”
Qiu An murmured by the candlelight.
Morning – Hour of the Dragon (Around 7–9 AM)
Knock, knock, knock.
Qiu An knocked on Guo Xue’s door and called out.
“Darling, darling.”
Creak.
Soon the door opened, and Guo Xue, dressed in a light yellow gauze robe, appeared.
She said nothing, simply stared at him.
Qiu An, unnerved by her stare, gave an awkward smile.
“Hehe… Darling, don’t look at me like that—it’s scary.”
“You? Scared?”
Hearing that he was afraid, Guo Xue’s emotionless face suddenly lit up with a smile.
“What are you doing here so early? If it’s nothing important, please leave. I want to continue cultivating.”
Guo Xue’s dedication to cultivation was good. Once she advanced another level, she’d reach the Martial Master realm, and Qiu An would receive a reward. But he didn’t want her to do nothing but train all day.
“Hehe, didn’t you say last night I was too scared to leave the manor?”
“Well, today I’d like to invite you to go shopping with me.”
“What? You want me to go out shopping with you? Aren’t you afraid I’ll embarrass the Duke’s manor?”
Guo Xue looked at him in disbelief and gestured to the two scars on her face.
“That’s right, I want you to come with me.”
Qiu An nodded, then looked at her playfully.
“If anyone dares to say anything, I’ll let Qiu Jian bite them!”
Pfft.
Guo Xue burst out laughing at his serious tone.
“Qiu Jian is a dog now?”
“No, he’s my servant—but he’s good at biting.”
Qiu An responded with a straight face.
Guo Xue didn’t believe him, but didn’t argue.
After the joke, Qiu An continued.
“Today, the Four Seas Merchant Guild is hosting an auction. I want to take you there. If you see anything you like, I’ll buy it for you.”
“No thanks. You’ve already given me enough. I don’t need anything else.”
Guo Xue shook her head. After enjoying cultivation yesterday, she was eager to continue and break through to the next realm.
“Oh? But I heard… there’s a Youth-Fixing Pill at this auction. Once taken, it halts aging and keeps you forever young as long as you live.”
Qiu An looked at her with a sly smile.
“Are you sure you don’t want to go? I also heard it can remove scars…”
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