Hua Qiyue stood up and looked at Caiqing indifferently. "Are you Caining?"

Caiqing was at a loss for words. "I am Caiqing!"

"Oh, so you are Caiqing. How dare you ignore His Majesty's orders? Looks like I have to let His Majesty know that you two aren't interested to serve as my guards. You are here simply for Long Red. In other words, both of you are here just to sneak a look at the divine herb!"

Hua Qiyue smiled radiantly. Caiqing and Caining's faces turned ashen. "You... Hua Qiyue, how dare you blabber nonsense, pretending you can read our thoughts!"

Caiqing cried out coldly, clenching his fists tightly in rage.

Tianci scampered gingerly over and tugged at Hua Qiyue's sleeve. Hua Qiyue looked into his big eyes, dark as ink, and nonchalantly caressed his head. "We don't need guards who don't respect their Mistress. Tianci, understand this. If your subordinates were ever disobedient to you, you must make them submit by every means. Otherwise, get them to scram!"

Lv Xin mumbled. "First Miss, Caiqing and his brother... are just too young... "

Hua Qiyue ignored Lv Xin. These two maids had not come into contact with many handsome guys. Obviously, they were smitten by these two young, handsome, high-level Qi Artists, sauntering in and out of the courtyard every day.

They were naive and young girls. Their hearts were like spring breezes, easily fluttered.

"Hua Qiyue, we don't respect you because you have no capability! We will only submit to a higher-level Qi Artist! If you want to be respected, show us some true skills! Otherwise... don't think you can beguile us with your beauty!"

Caining cried coldly. Although the brothers looked exactly alike, Caiqing was the deeper one. Caining was more forthright.

Hua Qiyue smiled lightly. She had been waiting for him to say this!

"Fine. Stand by your words!" After hearing these words, everyone felt a figure whizzed past their eyes. Hua Qiyue had executed the Mourning Steps in the blink of an eye, streaking to the brothers' side. She lifted her arms and s.n.a.t.c.hed the swords from their hands at once.

Caining and Caiqing were astounded. They had always thought that Hua Qiyue's victory on the arena was purely thanks to luck.

Well, they had not expected her to have true abilities!

They released their hands. When they came to themselves again, they heard the sound of swords being unsheathed. Hua Qiyue had a sword in each hand. A few strands of hair were on the sword tips. They drifted down in the breeze.

Caiqing and Caining were thoroughly astounded. They looked into their hands and found them empty. Then, they looked at their shoulder-length hair, slashed a little by Hua Qiyue.

Although Hua Qiyue did not know how to wield a sword, she was a Qi Artist at the Grand Completion level of the Soaring Cloud Realm. She could easily learn how to.

Hua Qiyue hurled the swords over and the brothers received them numbly. Incredulity and shock were written all over their faces. Even Lv Xin and Youshui had been stunned into immobility.

Tianci recovered quickly. He quickly clapped his little hands and dashed over to hug Hua Qiyue.

Hua Qiyue stared at Caiqing and Caining indifferently. "Well, will you submit?"

Caiqing and Caining's countenances looked even more ghastly. Hua Qiyue could easily have killed them with the abilities she had shown. So she knew Qi Art!

First Miss, the renowned "useless trash", actually knew Qi Art!

When Hua Qiyue moved, they could clearly sense a powerful Spiritual Qi flowing. Since she wasn't a swordswoman, she must have used her Spiritual Qi to brandish these swords. Otherwise, she could not have lifted such heavy swords!

"We... submit!"

Although resentment were in Caiqing and Caining's eyes, they had to bow their heads and pretend to submit.

Hua Qiyue lifted her brows nonchalantly. These two boys were hot-blooded youths. Although they pretended to submit, their hearts had not really conceded defeat.

Although she had reached the Soaring Cloud Grand Completion Realm, she had to rely on Mourning Steps or she could not quickly defeat these two Qi Artists in the middle levels of the Soaring Cloud Realm. She would require a long time and a fierce battle. However, she had an easy advantage now since she knew this mysterious and profound footwork.

"Good heavens! You are so powerful now, First Miss!" Lv Xin could only gasp.

Youshui was also full of awe. "So, Miss, how did you end up becoming so powerful?"

Hua Qiyue did not speak and smiled instead. She was quiet as a flower. Tianci's small hands in hers, she was about to leave when the boy suddenly tugged her hand. He wrote characters on her palm.

Hua Qiyue stopped to observe. Tianci had written these characters, "I heard that Dad is dead?"

Although the boy was only six, he was not stupid. Zhou Zhicheng had killed five people in succession. His was the bloodiest, most shocking news in the capital.

Tianci had obviously heard some talk from the people. So he inquired Hua Qiyue.

Hua Qiyue's face sank somewhat. She remembered what Princess Huizhen said just before she died. She shook her head. "Tianci, he's not your father."

Tianci's eyes widened and he stared at Hua Qiyue in disbelief.

Hua Qiyue smiled, as quiet as the bright moon in the night. "Tianci, he's not your father. One day, you will understand. You don't need to get upset over such a person."

Zhou Zhicheng allowed Princess Huizhen to torture Tianci. His cruelty, although it could be understood, made him a wicked person. There was no need to show sympathy to this man.

As for him bringing Tianci up, Hua Qiyue had expended several dozen times more effort in her previous life. Wasn't Dong Hai Restaurant so prosperous because of her efforts?

Tianci seemed to have only half-understood.

A loud round of applause rang out from outside the courtyard.

Hua Qiyue raised her eyes. She saw Ji Feng, all in cyan, and Ji Jing, completely in red, striding in. Their faces were beaming with gentle smiles.

"Qiyue, you were so powerful just now!"

Hua Qiyue lifted her brows. She knew that there were people outside the yard, but wasn't curious enough to see who they were. She had not expected them to be Ji Feng and Ji Jing.

Butler w.a.n.g came forward quickly. He said in a quiet voice, "First Miss, I know Young Master Ji and you are close friends. So I did not let you know... "

"Never mind. You may leave." Hua Qiyue waved her hand indifferently. Ji Feng gazed gently at her and coldly at Caiqing and Caining.

The two guards whom the Emperor had bestowed Hua Qiyue were young and handsome, with extraordinary demeanors. Although they had hailed from commoners' families, their Qi Art was in the middle level of the Soaring Cloud Realm. It had not been easy for them.

"Sister Qiyue, these two guards were so rude. Why did you let them stay? My brother and I have seen how rude they were. We will act as witnesses if His Majesty blames you for throwing them out!" As she said this, Ji Jing glared coldly at the two guards.

The faces of the two guards turned deathly pale. Indeed, if anyone acted as witnesses and proved their rudeness to Hua Qiyue, their act would be seen as a defiance against the Emperor's arrangement.

If they offended royalty, their family would be in deep trouble too. After all, only two genius Qi Artists had emerged from the Cai family.

They stared at each other, unwilling to submit, yet having to kneel and say in unison, "Miss Hua, we have gone too far. We were too arrogant. Please punish us, Miss Hua!"

Ji Jing and Ji Feng heard them and turned to gaze smilingly at each other. Their mood had improved greatly after helping Hua Qiyue vent her anger.

Hua Qiyue did not keep their rudeness to heart. The strong would always prevail in Tianyuan Continent. Untrained people would always be looked down upon by Qi Artists. This had been the unwavering law for millennia.

"Get up. Lv Xin, prepare tea at once."

Lv Xin acquiesced. Hua Qiyue invited Ji Feng and Ji Jing to the hall. She had not yet had breakfast. When Lv Xin and the other maids brought in the breakfast and the tea, Ji Feng's face showed all his heartache.

"Qiyue, haven't you had your breakfast? Where did you go?"

Ji Jing too nodded. "Yes, Sister Qiyue, how can you do this to yourself? You must be starving now!"

Hua Qiyue smiled faintly. "It's alright. It's simply because I... ha ha... I overslept. I was sleeping like a log!"

Of course, she could not tell them she had been cultivating in the second mysterious world.

Ji Feng heard her and did not know whether to smile or to frown. He stared indulgently at Hua Qiyue. He liked this woman more and more. She had hidden depths, did not look down on others and was not shocked when granted favors or subjected to humiliations. She was priceless!

"Why don't the two of you take your breakfast with me a second time?" Hua Qiyue smiled, pointing at the pot of red-flower ginseng chicken soup. "This soup was brewed with Long Red. It's very tasty. Why don't we sample it together?"

Ji Feng and Ji Jing heard her and decided to help themselves. They took bowls and chopsticks. Hua Qiyue made her servants prepare superior soups every day to help replenish her Spiritual Qi and build up Tianci's body.

Caiqing and Caining by their sides stared at each other, stunned.

Even the Emperor was not so lucky. Yet Ji Feng and Ji Jing had the chance to eat the Long Red ginseng chicken soup!

This divine herb was priceless, usually reserved for brewing medicines. Hua Qiyue had to waste it in this way!

"Ermm, it tastes... great, just great!" Ji Jing exclaimed excitedly, almost jumping up.

Ji Feng smiled faintly and knitted his brows in dissatisfaction. "Jing'er, girls must be reserved. Don't get so excited over nothing."

"Hey, Brother, why tell me this? I'm not a Royal Concubine-to-be. Humph! I don't care for all these protocols and niceties!" Ji Jing smiled, teasing Tianci at the same time.

Tianci's florid little face and bright, intelligent eyes were so adorable. Hua Qiyue only wanted to the finals to come soon.

"By the way, Brother Ji, when do the finals start?" Hua Qiyue asked in a low voice.

Ji Feng gazed at her, his eyes full of tenderness. "In another three days. The name list for the second round will soon be out. The final arena compet.i.tion will take place on the eighth day of the eighth month. All the duels will be completed in a day."

That day would soon arrive!

Hua Qiyue's heart started to thump. She knew that she was already in the Grand Completion of the Soaring Cloud Realm, while no other compet.i.tor had reached the Soaring Cloud Realm. She was extremely confident.

"Sister Qiyue, you seem to be somewhat anxious. Why don't I let you have a Purple Lotus Phoenix Ice first?" Ji Jing's lips were crimson like rouge. She smiled zealously at her.

"Don't. That will violate the rules. Besides, Tianci needs a few days more before he can expel all the poison from his body. The time will be just right... if I win, I will earn a Phoenix Ice. It benefits everyone if we keep to the rules." Hua Qiyue smiled.

At this moment, Qiuyun's voice rang out from outside the door. "Second Miss... is it you?"

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