Page 266

"You said that wench’s daughter was eliminated, didn’t you? Why are they still taking a government ship? And why a private one at that?"

The woman in black observing at the dock, watching squadrons of the Warrior Army escort the mother and daughter onto a merchant ship, suddenly had her face darken to an extreme!

"It shouldn’t be..." The woman who came to report was also somewhat panicked and hurriedly said, "I made sure to collect reliable information. The Lyuzhou Academy exam is tomorrow. Their leaving the city today certainly means they were eliminated for various reasons."

"I’m afraid it’s not as simple as you think.

.." The woman frowned and looked at the large ship, saying, "This military ship seems to be the latest model, capable of moving upstream without adjusting the sails or rowing the oars. I’ve heard there is some secret technique or Array inside that can directly drive the ship forward, and its speed is much faster than ordinary ships. I’ve inquired about it, and all the naval forces throughout the seven prefectures of Jiangnan are vying for it.

Using such a ship to transport people...

especially those who have been eliminated, hardly seems realistic. "

"What does that mean?"

"Perhaps..." The leading woman narrowed her eyes and said, "Perhaps Cheng Qing’s people discovered the relationship between this mother and daughter and our master and want to use them for something. We must report back to Madam at once!"

At last, some valuable clues had been found. Though her task was not complete, at least she should not face severe punishment upon returning.

The woman thought this, and so did the others with her. Their hearts did not tighten with concern for the master possibly being targeted but relaxed instead.

Clearly, for them, Madam’s punishment was far more nerve-wracking...

"Sir..." On the cabin of the ship, after half a day’s interaction, Yun Yuye realized that the seemingly cold Minister Shen was actually not difficult to approach and began to boldly inquire about other matters.

"You mentioned before about the Array Master. For a girl like Ke’er, would that be appropriate?"

Shen Yuan rarely took the patience to explain, "Madam, our academy cultivates Magicians. The Magicians that graduate from our academy are different from before, specializing in pioneering new trades. Hence you’ve seen all kinds of novel objects created by the Academy Magicians.

They are both respected and coveted by the public, unlike the past, where only a few knew of the Magicians’ existence.

Those who did know, be they officials or local merchants, treated the Magicians with more of fear than respect. "

"The reason lies in the power that Magicians wield.

The power I speak of is something very tangible.

.." Shen Yuan gestured towards the tea beside him, and the entire cup of tea levitated under his control, turning into a sparkling, tea-colored sphere.

In the next instant, with a squeeze of his hand, the tea was split by a force into countless droplets.

Upon closer inspection, one could see that the sphere. .. was cut into countless facets.

"Wow!!" The little girl’s eyes widened in excitement and envy!

Yun Yuye took a deep breath and instinctively shrank back, although she had heard of the miraculous powers wielded by the academy’s teachers, this was her first direct encounter.

"This is the Blade Edge Formation, a basic defensive Array for the disciples of the Heavenly Institute, which can be used for personal defense.

.." Shen Yuan demonstrated, then put the water sphere back in place.

Following that, the teacup and the table and chairs where the teacup had been were instantly cut into countless facets—slices even smoother than the sharpest knife—sending a chill through the onlooker.

"The disciples of the academy possess power ordinary people do not have, and those of the Heavenly Institute even more so.

" Shen Yuan said sternly, "Because the disciples of the Heavenly Institute study military secret projects, they are the nation’s powerful weapons. This is why the academy invests more resources in cultivating the disciples of the Heavenly Institute, and why in the future, their status is bound to be that of high-ranking military officials. This can be seen even now at the Imperial Court. Which of the high-ranking officials isn’t of Magician origin? "

"Your daughter has outstanding talent. If she were to join our Heavenly Institute, she might even have the chance to become Dean Chen’s right-hand man in the future. Such prospects are incomparable to those of an ordinary student. Madam, you must not hinder your daughter’s future!"

"This..." Yun Yuye was baffled, but being intelligent, she quickly grasped much of it.

The disciples of the Heavenly Institute mentioned by the other party wield the power of life and death!

"But she is a girl..."

"Our academy’s Dean Chen is also a woman.

And Dean Chen’s background is not simple.

Back in the Capital City, Dean Chen was the outstanding student of the Capital City Yin Yang Academy.

If nothing goes wrong, she is very likely to become Great Jin’s first female Academic Commissioner, holding the rank of Third Rank official.

Dean Chen is very open-minded, and she does not discriminate against anyone based on their background.

Why would she give up such a talented child based on gender? "

"Is that so?" Upon hearing this, Yun Yuye covered her chest, unable to calm down for a long time.

If that’s the case, her own Ke’er... could she also become an official?

If it were true, marrying that conscienceless man as a concubine, might she hinder her daughter’s prospects?

With that thought, Yun Yuye became deeply conflicted.

What should she do!

"Sir, there’s new information."

As Chen Qing was getting dressed for the evening banquet, Chen Ying suddenly arrived, resulting in an embarrassing situation for Chen Qing. The big red underpants his mother had sewn for him were plainly visible.

Because Chen Ying was not within the range of spiritual communication, she couldn’t know his whereabouts at all times. It looked like she needed to learn some manners, like not entering the master’s room without knocking.

But seeing Chen Qing’s disheveled state, Chen Ying was also slightly startled. After a brief hesitancy, she stepped forward directly to help Chen Qing dress.

"You know how to do all this?" Chen Qing looked at Chen Ying’s skilled movements with curiosity.

"All women should learn how to serve their husbands, should they not?" As she arranged his clothing, Chen Ying spoke in a low voice.

"Um..." Chen Qing pursed his lips.

Indeed, the ancient times are better; even a woman with such extraordinary talent as Chen Ying has such awareness, tsk tsk.....

"Let’s talk business first," Chen Qing coughed lightly and said.

"Two pieces of news, one good and one bad.

" Chen Ying didn’t wait for Chen Qing to choose which to hear first and went straight on, "The good news is that the person with the Innate Spiritual Eye you’ve been looking for has been found.

Shen Yuan has sent a letter; she is currently on her way and should arrive at Nanming Prefecture by midnight tonight. "

"That is indeed good news!" Chen Qing’s spirits lifted upon hearing this.

It’s like getting a pillow when one is dozing off.

Now the grand array is consuming a lot of energy, and several places are experiencing a disruption of spiritual energy.

Fortunately, the barrier is large, so it’s unlikely that people will watch it all the time, but over time, there will be a slip-up.

We need to find the vulnerabilities promptly and repair them quickly with Rune Stones.

And by manual search, there are only fifty students from the Heavenly Institute who understand Arrays well enough, which is nowhere near enough to precisely locate the problem in such a large Array in a short time.

If by chance someone else discovers it, that would be troublesome.

However, it’s different with a person who has the Spirit Eye. A natural Spirit Eye can see the energy flow of the entire grand Array clearly and without interference. With just a bit of guidance, she can help find the vulnerabilities, at least providing a temporary solution!

Chen Qing had just started to smile, but Chen Ying’s next words made his smile freeze.

"The bad news is, the girl who has the talent of the Spirit Eye is the very daughter of the widow whom Lord City God was ordered by His Majesty to watch over, the one who took in Lumings!"

"Uh..." Chen Qing’s entire face went rigid, "Such a coincidence?"

This world is so vast, yet why do some things feel like they happen in a small village, involving the same people all the time?

"It is quite a coincidence, Your Majesty, what do you think?"

"I..." Chen Qing choked up for a moment, unusually indecisive.

I’m out to make trouble for Lumings, and now I need the daughter of the widow who likes Lumings to help find the Array’s vulnerabilities, damn it.....

To use... or not to use?

Could it... be a trap set up by Lumings on purpose?

But with talent like that, how can one design it?

To say that Lumings had predicted the girl’s talent and made calculations ahead of time doesn’t seem realistic.

After all, the grand Array project started only recently, but Lumings moving in with the widow happened a year ago.

That good-for-nothing moneygrubber couldn’t have known the future, right?

"First, bring her in, separate that mother and daughter, and monitor the girl to see if she has any entanglements with Lumings."

"Yes!"

"By the way..." Chen Qing suddenly thought of something, "I heard your master set up her own faction because she was persecuted by Madam Lu, right?"

"Yes..." Mentioning her master’s past, a glimmer of sorrow flashed across Chen Ying’s face, "Master has had a hard life. It’s said... her mother and sister suffered inhumane torture. That Madam Lu, utterly heartless!"

"Lumings can’t even protect his women and his own born child, yet he has the nerve to fool around with other women?"

"Heh... men..."

"Hey hey, what’s that supposed to mean? What’s wrong with men?"

"My lord..." Chen Ying looked at Chen Qing with a profound gaze, "If in the future Your Highness, the Princess, cannot tolerate me, what would you do then?"

Uh...

Cold sweat immediately broke out on Chen Qing’s forehead. Women... really bring up the most critical questions at any given moment.

*Cough*... "What Princess? Who is more important than you?" Chen Qing laughed dryly, hastily changing the subject, "Back to the matter at hand... it is indeed strange that someone of Lumings’ status and position can’t even protect his concubines and daughters."

"That..." Chen Ying spoke softly, "Master once let something slip."

"Oh?"

"Master said that the Duke of Qin’s lawful wife is a demon!"

"What did you say??"

Chen Qing’s body shook, suddenly feeling like he missed a crucial piece of information!