Chapter 21
Finishing her words, Ye Qianli suddenly leaped and passed through that huge crowd of people before turning in an alley and disappearing from sight.
All of this happened too suddenly. From the sudden disappearance of the things that were hurled at Ye Qianli, to her words, to her sudden leap and departure… Everything was too unexpected.
As a result, although she did not speak quickly or leave in a hurry, everyone present was still in a daze after she had left for a while.
Even the scouts from those various large factions did not understand the situation…
Why did those things that were hurled at Ye Qianli disappear into thin air? They did not hit her.
Why did she suddenly say those words? What was she planning to do by participating in the Prodigy Convention?
Why was she able to leap up and fly like a powerful martial artist? Could it be that she wasn’t crippled?
As Ye Qianli entered the capital city, many scattered questions—one by one—began to surface in the minds of the people who were still paying attention to her—or should they say, the Ye family.
Among them, the Su family—who was paying the most attention to Ye Qianli—had the biggest reaction!
“You didn’t find any traces of her afterward?”
“Reporting to Madam, no,” Family Steward Su, who was in charge of this incident that the Su family had orchestrated, knelt on the ground with an ugly expression and replied. He also felt very embarrassed that he had actually lost a cripple while chasing her.
However…
“I’m afraid Eldest Young Lady Ye hasn’t become crippled. Moreover, since she announced that she’s participating in the Prodigy Convention in the name of the Northern Territory King’s granddaughter, this subordinate guessed that the old Northern Territory King could be supporting her from the dark,” Steward Su defended himself without leaving a trace.
“Impossible! Who is Doctor Jiang? How could his judgment be wrong?” Cheng Meihua—the mother of Su Lianhua, who was honorably addressed as Madam—retorted vehemently.
“This subordinate is incompetent,” Family Steward Su hurriedly kowtowed and said.
“Hmph! But a point that you mentioned is possible. The old Northern Territory King values this granddaughter of his very much. Every year, he sends her many good things from the border of the Northern Territory.”
Cheng Meihua narrowed her eyes—which were raised charmingly—and thought about her husband’s older sister who had married into the Ye residence and had always been embezzling the good stuff and moving them back to her parents’ home. The former then felt much better.
“How about this? Continue to investigate. That useless girl must still have some good stuff on her. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been able to fly past the crowd like that. Keep a close eye on her! But don’t make any more moves. Let’s see what she can do,” Cheng Meihua instructed.
“Yes, Madam!” Family Steward Su hurriedly nodded and went to carry out her instructions.
Cheng Meihua, on the other hand, rubbed the center of her eyebrows lightly after her trusted steward left. She actually did not dare to agree blindly to her daughter’s letter, telling her to humiliate and trample on Ye Qianli’s conduct for sure.
It was not that Cheng Meihua felt outraged by the injustice for Ye Qianli. It was just that she considered things from the long run. When she thought of that old Northern Territory King who was very famous for his prowess even though he was far away at the border of the northern frontier, she still felt a little fearful.
However, after thinking about it carefully, she felt that what she did with her daughter did not leave any evidence against her so she did not take it to heart. Thinking about how her daughter had also awakened her talent, she smiled.
…
At this moment, Ye Qianli—who had disappeared from everyone’s sight—was in a certain small tavern outside the Su Residence. She was looking at Family Steward Su who had rushed into the alley of the Su Residence previously and then came out again in a hurry.
“Young Master, do you have a grudge with Steward Su?” The manager of the tavern who had just reported the information to Ye Qianli could not help but ask when he saw the pink-faced young man staring at Steward Su.
“Of course. He stole my little lover from the Drunken Flower Shop. Thank you for telling me everything, Manager. This Young Master will take his leave first.” As Ye Qianli finished speaking, she tossed a piece of silver and left.
Dressed in a white robe with wide sleeves and a thick layer of fragrant powder on her face, she looked like a degenerate playboy. As she walked through the crowd, no one recognized her as Ye Qianli.
After all, not only did she disguise herself well, but her aura was also very realistic. In addition, with the help of the magic box to hide her aura, no one in this capital city would be able to track her unless she revealed herself.
When she appeared again, it was naturally three days later.
The Vermilion Bird Dynasty’s Prodigy Convention—that took place once every five years—would convene on the Vermilion Bird Platform in the royal capital today. The talents selected from all over the dynasty would ascend the Vermilion Bird Platform to display their strength.
However, it was said that the Vermilion Bird Platform was divided into two parts: one was the main platform, and the other was the secondary platform. According to the rules of the previous Prodigy Convention, only talent cultivators could ascend onto the main platform.
If there were no talent cultivators, then the Vermilion Bird Platform’s main platform would not be opened, and on the last two occasions of the Prodigy Convention, the main platform had never been opened! In other words, within the previous ten years of the Vermilion Bird Dynasty, no new talent cultivators had appeared.
From this, it could be seen just how rare talent cultivators were! It was no wonder that the former Ye Qianli thought that the current Vermilion Bird Dynasty did not have any talent cultivators.
“However, these are only the numbers on the surface. After all, talent cultivators are all super-geniuses. They are specially protected by the dynasty and are also the main targets of assassinations from enemy kingdoms. Therefore, although talent cultivators might exist, they are secretly protected by the Imperial Court.”
“Tch, please read more books. How did you survive to such an old age without any common sense? Who doesn’t know that, when talent cultivators awaken their talents, there will be natural phenomena that cannot be concealed?!”
“Oh, that’s right! Anyone with innate talent will be exposed for sure! That’s why truly no new talent cultivators have been born in the past ten years. No wonder I heard that the fighting on the frontier is in a dire situation.”
“…”
Ye Qianli walked through the crowd that had gathered in front of the Vermilion Bird Platform early in the morning. As she listened to the discussion, her understanding of the entire dynasty and the talent cultivators increased.
Don’t blame her for being ignorant either. When she was in her residence—other than cultivating, playing with her sc*mbag younger cousin, and cultivating; she really didn’t know anything else.
The teachers that Ye Fengtian hired for her were all very strict and serious people. Other than giving her pointers on her cultivation of profound energy, they would not talk about anything else.
Of course, it was also possible that other than cultivating profound energy, the teachers did not know anything else as well…
All of Ye Qianli’s knowledge of talent cultivators came from the story of her second uncle, from the old granny who used to serve her. However, that old granny was no longer around either. The incident at Clear Wind Palace had ended the lives of all the servants around her.
Clang!
Clang! Clang!
At this moment, the ringing of an ancient bell that shook one’s soul suddenly flowed out from the direction of the Sacred Palace, causing everyone to subconsciously stop their discussions.
Clang!
Clang! Clang!
The sound of that bell rose once more, accompanied by the sound of drums and chimes. It sounded grand and majestic! It swept into the hearts of everyone in the Vermilion Bird City, giving off an ancient feeling! It felt dignified yet strangely hot-blooded.
Such ringing music indicated that the Prodigy Convention of the Vermilion Bird Dynasty—which took place every five years—had begun! The Holy Emperor of the Dynasty from within the Sacred Palace and all the high-ranking officials and nobles in the dynasty were about to enter.
“Quick, look!”
Amidst the passionate rhythm of this ancient music, the originally dull-looking Vermilion Bird Platform suddenly shook its heavy bronze feathers like a living creature.
Immediately after, Ye Qianli’s eyes lit up!
