Chapter 19: The Master Has Returned

Cheng Guang carefully reviewed the task the system had assigned him once more at midnight.

Aside from noting that the Heir of the Duke of Zhen's household was very likely an as-yet-unawakened lovesick fool, he also paid attention to another detail the system mentioned.

"The Heir refused the excellent marriage proposal his mother, Lady Wu, arranged for him..."

Cheng Guang was well aware that Lady Wu had already begun to worry about his marriage. No matter whether the Heir returned or not, the matter would ultimately fall upon his shoulders.

As for who this excellent marriage was meant for, Cheng Guang had no idea for the time being. Still, since the system itself called it an excellent match, it was likely not a bad choice.

He went over every word the system had spoken, and finally set his gaze on the mission objective: Bai Shuxuan, the Saintess of the Qingqiu Fox Clan.

"For this Saintess to ensnare someone as worldly and indifferent to beauty as the Heir, to the point that he's willing to debase himself into a lovesick fool, she must either possess remarkable means or extraordinary beauty..."

"Now that I've chosen to play the Heir's role, it's inevitable that I'll meet this Bai Shuxuan in the future..."

"It's a pity the system didn't reveal when or where the Heir first encounters Bai Shuxuan, or I could have prepared in advance," Cheng Guang murmured to himself.

After pondering for a moment, he concluded that he was unlikely to meet Bai Shuxuan anytime soon, so he decided to set the task aside for now.

As for the reward for this mission—a supernatural ability called the Eyes of Enchantment—Cheng Guang naturally coveted it deeply.

Every supernatural ability was exceedingly rare. Generally, only when a martial artist reached the rank of the Fourth Realm, merging their vital energy and martial arts to form an imprint, could they manifest such supernatural techniques and perform wondrous feats.

That was just one way martial artists obtained supernatural abilities; other paths of cultivation offered different methods. For example, spiritual cultivators inherited such powers through their bloodline from their ancestors—these so-called bloodline abilities were often both rare and powerful.

Cheng Guang speculated that this Eyes of Enchantment was probably a bloodline ability, intimately tied to the Qingqiu Fox Clan, likely one awakened from their lineage.

The thought of a human like himself obtaining a supernatural power from the Fox Clan's bloodline intrigued him—it would be quite something indeed.

Yet, for now, he had no clue how to complete the mission. Even though he coveted the reward, he could only look on helplessly.

He rose, dressed, washed up quickly, and stepped into the courtyard.

Lin Cheng was there, practicing his martial arts with the force and posture of a tiger descending the mountain. Each movement set his muscles and bones vibrating ever so slightly, forging his physique and vital force.

Such was the path of martial cultivation: a constant tempering of body and blood.

Cheng Guang watched Lin Cheng for a while.

Soon enough, Lin Cheng noticed his presence, stopped at once, and hurried over to greet him.

"My lord."

Seeing Lin Cheng still guarding his courtyard, Cheng Guang nodded with satisfaction. Though Lin Cheng was a bit slow-witted, his loyalty was beyond question.

Cheng Guang nodded slightly. "Come with me to the Library Pavilion."

Lin Cheng nodded quickly, asking no questions, and silently followed in Cheng Guang's wake.

When they reached the Library Pavilion, Lin Cheng halted at once. He didn't dare step inside.

Cheng Guang paid him no mind and entered alone, continuing his search through the texts.

These days, he planned to come here daily—first, to continue learning about this world's history and customs, broadening his store of knowledge; second, to prepare for the Heir's father, Cheng Zhihai, returning home.

Now that the issue of his bloodline had been resolved, all he needed to do was explain how he had healed his hidden injuries, and he could deceive Cheng Zhihai.

Of course, Cheng Zhihai was no fool. Cheng Guang didn't expect to hoodwink him easily—he would need concrete evidence to convince him the bloodline rejection had been resolved through his own efforts, and not simply faded away on its own.

Thus, he spent these days in the Library Pavilion, constructing the appearance of someone diligently researching a solution to the bloodline rejection.

"The Heir isn't stupid—on the contrary, he's shrewd. Otherwise, he never could have slipped out of the Cheng estate under the noses of both Cheng Zhihai and Wu Yuemei..."

"Even so, it's a stretch to say he could resolve the bloodline rejection alone. I need to think of a more persuasive explanation," Cheng Guang mused.

In truth, he needn't worry so much.

In terms of aura and bearing, he was now indistinguishable from the Heir—he could deceive Cheng Zhihai's eyes. Given the man's love for his son, even if he offered only a perfunctory explanation for how the bloodline rejection vanished, Cheng Zhihai would likely just laugh heartily and say, "My son, you are truly destined for greatness!"

But caution never hurts—Cheng Guang wanted everything airtight, leaving no loopholes.

Thus, three days passed.

Early that morning, Cheng Guang went to the Library Pavilion again, feigning his search through the books.

By noon, as he returned to his courtyard, he found Qingluan waiting, her strikingly beautiful face clouded with concern.

She hurried over. "My lord, the master has returned."

"He's in the main hall, and wishes to see you."

Cheng Guang arched a brow, then smiled. "So he's finally back—later than I expected."

Without hesitating, he made his way toward the main hall.

Qingluan quickly fell in step behind him, careful to keep a respectful distance.

As they walked, Qingluan's worry was plain—her brows knit together. "Are you sure you'll be all right? I've found some medicines that can mimic injuries—if you take them, your wounds will resemble the Heir's, and you might fool the master."

Cheng Guang shook his head. "No need. I'm confident. Taking fake medicines would only backfire."

Qingluan knew nothing of his true condition. She still believed the Heir's injuries came from the assassin who wounded him in childhood, not realizing they were the aftereffects of forcibly fusing a royal bloodline.

After all, forcibly extracting and fusing royal blood was a capital crime throughout the Four Realms—if exposed, the entire realm's dynasties would crush them.

Even Duke Cheng Shiyuan, the nation's pillar, dared not let this secret slip.

The only ones who knew the truth were Duke Cheng Shiyuan and his son Cheng Zhihai. No one else—not even the Heir himself—was aware.

This, too, was something Cheng Guang could use.

The fused blood of the Great Xia royal family within him was his trump card for deceiving Cheng Zhihai—he might even extract a spiritual cultivation method from him, sparing himself the trouble of seeking it from Wu Ling.

With such thoughts, Cheng Guang felt no anxiety.

Qingluan, however, was clearly uneasy.

In the past, she paid little mind to Cheng Guang. Since that night, though, she had grown anxious for his safety, offering advice and instructions on how the Heir should behave with Cheng Zhihai.

Her concern was unmistakable.

Cheng Guang listened with a faint smile, neither refuting nor responding.

In this era, a woman's chastity was more precious than life. Once a woman gave herself to a man, she would follow him through life and death—Qingluan's change in attitude was entirely expected.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have risked everything that night, treating her as he did.

It had cost him some effort, but the result was worth it.

Before long—barely a quarter of an hour—they reached the main hall.

As they approached, the presence of the guards grew increasingly formidable, the air thick with oppressive authority.

Solemn, cold, austere.

Qingluan said no more, pressing her lips together as she stopped outside, watching Cheng Guang enter.

Just as he was about to step across the threshold, Qingluan deftly pressed a handful of pills into his hand.

"If things go wrong, take one. At least it'll help a little," she whispered.

Cheng Guang chuckled and shook his head, pocketing the medicine without further explanation, then strode into the hall.

The moment he entered, a figure came into view before him.

...