Emperor Jiawen was stunned, and he jumped to his feet. “What? Didn’t they say it would take a while longer? Why did he arrive so suddenly?”
They weren’t prepared yet!
Eunuch Min wiped the sweat from his forehead. “Your Majesty, I don’t know either! Whwhat should we do?”
What to do? What else can we do?!
Emperor Jiawen hurried forward. “Of course, I’ll go forward and receive him personally!”
The Empress followed suit when she heard that, and she looked at Rong Jin and Rong Qi. “Your Majesty! Your Majesty, the Crown Prince and I will join you!”
Emperor Jiawen thought about it and agreed. If more people came, the event would seem grander and more important.
The Empress and Crown Prince’s statuses were a good fit too.
They hurried forward, their usually stoic faces revealing a hint of nervousness.
The others got to their feet when they saw Emperor Jiawen’s reaction.
Other than Rong Jin, the other princes and princesses stood up and followed after the group.
The three academies’ elders were stunned, and they had strange expressions on their faces.
But most of the people present in the square didn’t know what kind of existence the Tianling Dynasty was. They were all confused by the scene before them.
“Tianling Dynasty? What’s that? Why haven’t I heard of it before?”
“Looking at His Majesty’s nervous manner, I wonder what their background is. Are they even more important than His Majesty?”
“…Gosh, I previously heard that there’s an existence countless times stronger than Country Yao Chen, which is tens of thousands of miles away. Could it be..”
“Shh! This is not the kind of thing that we can talk about! You might get in trouble!”
Perhaps influenced by Emperor Jiawen, the atmosphere in the square was strange and tense.
Sun Zhongyan pondered for a moment before saying, “Bai Chen, bring the students back. I’ll follow His Majesty.”
Bai Chen and the others nodded. Since it concerned the Tianling Dynasty, they couldn’t help but get nervous. But at the same time, they were curious.
This was the first time the Tianling Dynasty had sent someone to Country Yao Chen in a century! If they got the chance to meet, they might benefit from it!
Sun Zhongyan looked at Fu Yunshan and Cheng Han. To no surprise, the two were surprised and stunned.
He couldn’t be bothered, and he spoke to them quickly. “Brother Cheng Han, Brother Fu Yunshan, this matter is important, so I think it’s better if you bring your students back first. If anything, I’ll…”
“People from the Tianling Dynasty are coming?!” Cheng Han couldn’t help but walk over to Sun Zhongyan. He could hardly believe what he had heard. Why did a legendary top class empire send someone to a small place like Country Yao Chen?!
Sun Zhongyan paused. “They’re not coming; they’re already here!”
Not many knew of it beforehand, and Emperor Jiawen had instructed everyone to keep quiet about it before the envoy arrived.
Therefore, it was rather normal for Cheng Han and the others not to know about it.
Cheng Han sucked in his breath, and it took him lots of effort to calm down. However, Eunuch Min’s earlier words kept replaying in his head.
The Tianling Dynasty’s envoy was ten kilometers away!
“I’ll come too!” Cheng Han blurted out.
“What?” Sun Zhongyan raised his eyebrows.
Cheng Han straightened his coat and sternly said, “As the director of Tai Yan Academy, don’t I have the right to request for an audience?”
Sun Zhongyan was about to rebut when Fu Yunshan spoke up. “Me too!
“It’s fine if we weren’t here since they’re here to visit Country Yao Chen! However, we happen to be here! What’s wrong with asking His Majesty to introduce us?” Cheng Han said sharply.
The matter concerned the Tianling Dynasty. He naturally couldn’t let things go just like this!
When he saw that Sun Zhongyan was about to turn him down, Cheng Han turned and headed straight for Emperor Jiawen. “Your Majesty, my Tai Yan Academy…”
“Director Cheng Han and Director Fu Yunshan can come along!” Emperor Jiawen promptly gave an answer. He continuously gave orders to the people around him as he hurried forward.
He had heard Cheng Han and Fu Yunshan’s words clearly. No matter how unwilling he was for others to get involved, he couldn’t turn them down in public. Thus, he had no choice but to agree to it quickly.
But this was enough for Fu Yunshan and Cheng Han.
They quickly instructed the other elders to bring the students back while they caught up with Emperor Jiawen and the others.
Sun Zhongyan had no choice but to give in.
Bai Chen was doing a headcount when he turned and saw Chu Liuyue standing around dazedly.
“Liuyue?” Bai Chen called out, but Chu Liuyue didn’t respond. “Liuyue? It’s time to go!”
Chu Liuyue only looked over then. Her expression was the same, but her eyes were terrifyingly deep and cold.
Bai Chen paused, and respect grew from the bottom of his heart. Chu Liuyue seems… a little different.
She looked the same, but Bai Chen felt that an oppressive aura was coming from her. To put it accurately, it was the oppressive authority from a high-ranking leader.
Bai Chen closed his eyes. When he looked again, he saw that Chu Liuyue was already heading their way.
The aura had disappeared entirely; it was like it had never existed.
“Teacher Bai Chen.” Chu Liuyue called out to him.
Bai Chen looked at her. Chu Liuyue seemed quite normal, and he thought that he could’ve been imagining things. “Liuyue, the Qing Jiao Competition is over. You can head back and rest…”
Chu Liuyue suddenly asked softly, “It’s the people from there?”
Bai Chen paused then nodded. He didn’t notice the light that flashed at the back of Chu Liuyue’s eyes.
“I heard that… everyone from there is strong?” Chu Liuyue’s voice was soft, making it seem like she was asking out of curiosity.
Bai Chen wouldn’t answer if it were someone else asking, but things were different since it was Chu Liuyue who was asking.
He really admired her before, and her performance at the Qing Jiao Competition really amazed him. He truly admired her, and he was naturally happy to answer all her questions.
“Yes! It’s an unattainable place for us! Now that they’ve sent someone here, it’s a rare chance!”
Chu Liuyue nodded and then spoke in a joking manner. “Didn’t you previously say that the person who placed first in the assessment could pay their respects too?”
Not only had she come in first in the assessment, but she had also taken first place in the Qing Jiao Competition. She should be more than qualified, no?
Chu Liuyue laughed to herself. She had never imagined that it would be so tough for her to meet someone from the Tianling Dynasty one day.
Bai Chen was a little stumped. “That’s true, but the situation now…”
Buzz!
The buzzing of a sword resonated in the air.
Chu Liuyue looked up and saw a slender silhouette heading toward them while standing on his sword!
A familiar aura headed straight for her!
Chu Liuyue’s heart beat wildly as if it would fly out of her mouth at any moment!
The air was squeezed out of her chest, leaving gloominess and oppression.
Chu Liuyue clenched her fists, and her knuckles turned white as she stared intently at the person. That’s…