Chapter 65: Sin
On purpose! Chu Liuyue did it on purpose! Rong Jin was not a fool and understood everything after seeing Chu Liuyue’s present att.i.tude. She wanted to dissolve the marriage agreement a long time ago. If not, why would she even sell the hunting ground on her own and trigger the entire series of events?
Rong Jin looked at the smiling young girl in front of him, and her eyes were sparkling brightly as if she long knew this day would come.
“If Your Highness doesn’t have anything else to say, I’ll take my leave,” said Chu Liuyue as she walked by him. There were no signs of reminiscence or regret from the start till the end.
Rong Jin’s heart was harshly p.r.i.c.ked as if he had suddenly lost something important at this moment. Rong Jin clenched his fists tightly and relied on his last bit of rationality to prevent himself from rus.h.i.+ng over to hold her back.
What position did he have now?
Everyone was taking him as a laughingstock.
“Brother Jin… Brother Jin… Please help me… I’m in pain. Brother Jin…” Chu Xianmin miserably cried while she stared at Rong Jin as though she was looking at her last straw of life. She wanted to walk towards Rong Jin, but her body was paralyzed. She laid on the floor uncontrollably and could not use any of her body’s strength.
She suddenly fell on the floor again after struggling for a while, and her body was dirtied with dust and dirt. Together with her messy hair, frightening wounds, and bloodstains, she looked as creepy as a scary ghost.
Chu Xianmin currently no longer looked like that talented young girl—who was once proud and highly sought after.
Many people looked at her with contempt.
“Pfft, Chu Xianmin has completely lost the match.”
“Hehe, didn’t you like her a lot in the past? Why are…?”
“Pui! I don’t dare to like such a pompous woman. Her reputation is completely ruined. She will never have good days like before, no matter whether it’s in the academy or the entire Imperial City.”
“If not, how could she attract the Crown Prince? There are too many women in the Imperial City who want to suck up to the Crown Prince. However, Chu Xianmin is the most—and only—successful one. The Crown Prince’s taste is pretty feisty… Hahaha!”
“Hey, do you think the Crown Prince will still marry Chu Xianmin after today?”
“I don’t know if the Crown Prince will marry her. I only know that Chu Liuyue will immediately become the most sought after distinguished woman in the entire Imperial City after today. Now that she has regained her freedom after dissolving her marriage agreement with the Crown Princ, the Chu family’s gate will definitely be struck until it’s broken. Besides, she’s originally a very pretty girl. She is also talented, both as a warrior and a Xuan Master.”
The whispers started spreading.
Rong Jin’s body suddenly became cold. At the same time, he felt as if lava was rolling around his chest, burning him. It was like he would explode in the next second. Rong Jin glared at Chu Xianmin with a deadly gaze filled with hatred.
“Someone! Bring her away and let her rest!” commanded Rong Jin while grinding his teeth.
Someone immediately stepped forward from behind Rong Jin and carried Chu Xianmin away.
When Chu Xianmin pa.s.sed by Rong Jin, Chu Xianmin stretched out her hand, seeking some comfort from him. “Brother Jin, Bro—”
Rong Jin glared at her warningly. “You should rest and recuperate during this period. Don’t come out if you have nothing to do. Do you understand?”
Rong Jin had never directed such a cold and nonchalant gaze at Chu Xianmin. He looked at her as if she was useless trash.
Chu Xianmin started shaking and retracted her hand fearfully, suppressing the horror and indignance in her heart. “Y-Yes…”
“Little Liuyue, way to go! I said you were a rare talent, yet those old fellows didn’t believe me!” On the other end, Bai Chen had already rushed to Chu Liuyue’s side and excitedly raised his chin toward that group of teachers. “Do you have anything else to say about her results? Second in the Xuan Master a.s.sessment and first in the warrior a.s.sessment!”
The teachers looked at each other and laughed helplessly.
Capabilities would forever be the most powerful evidence.
If they did not see it for themselves, they would never believe that the once good-for-nothing Chu Liuyue—who was mocked by the entire Imperial City—could actually have such skills.
Sun Zhongyan smiled and shook his head. “Okay, Bai Chen. From now on, n.o.body will suspect that you purposely made it easy for Liuyue to get in. On the other hand, people will praise you for not making the academy lose a true talent.”
Thinking of his previous stony att.i.tude towards Chu Liuyue, Bai Chen immediately felt guilty and scratched his head. “Pfft, that was nothing much! The main point is that Little Liuyue is outstanding herself!”
The way many students gazed at Chu Liuyue now had already changed from their initial contempt to their current curiosity and admiration.
“Teacher Bai Chen, tell us what exactly happened at the entrance examination!” shouted a student suddenly.
This sentence garnered several screams from the crowd.
“Yeah! Tell us!”
“How exactly did she pa.s.s all three of the examination’s a.s.sessments?”
Bai Chen playfully scolded, “Are you guys trying to start a revolt? I’m a teacher, not a storyteller! The incident is already spreading like wildfire in public. Go and find out for yourself!”
The crowd burst into laughter.
…
Chu Xianmin only felt that this laughter was very harsh to her ears.
At a point in time, she was in the limelight, and she was the one that everyone envied.
However, Chu Liuyue had completely replaced her now. Chu Liuyue had even attained more than what Chu Xianmin originally had.
And her?
Now, she could only be carried away from the arena and leave doggedly, miserably, and pitifully.
She closed her eyes with much hatred and almost crushed her silver teeth. Chu Liuyue, it’s not over between us!
Rong Jin was also in an equally awkward position as Chu Xianmin. He stood rooted to the ground and felt even worse when he heard the bustling laughter.
“I still have something to do in the palace. I’ll take my leave first.” Rong Jin turned around to bow to Sun Zhongyan and the rest of the teachers before leaving at lightning speed. He did not turn back even once.
…
“Liuyue, it’s your first day in the academy. Since you pa.s.sed all three of the entrance examination’s a.s.sessments, you can choose whichever one you want to specialize in. Since you’ve partic.i.p.ated in two a.s.sessments, I think you should have a deeper understanding of those two aspects. Have you thought about which you would like to specialize in?” asked Sun Zhongyan.
Once he said this, the crowd instantly quietened down and looked at Chu Liuyue curiously.
Bai Chen gulped down a mouthful of saliva nervously. He originally thought that Chu Liuyue had the most talent as a Xuan Master. However, he now understood that Chu Liuyue’s Yuan meridian was completely fine after the earlier battle and that she also had outstanding cultivation talent as a warrior.
She had no obstacles in front of her. A bright future laid ahead of her, no matter which path she chose.
Chu Liuyue smiled. “I choose… Xuan Master!”
…
The Chu family estate.
In the living room, all the seats were filled up. All the distinguished members of the Chu family were gathered in one place.
Suffocating silence filled the s.p.a.cious living room.
Everyone sat quietly, and their expressions were strange. They came here upon hearing the news, so they knew why they had gathered here.
Finally, Third Elder stroked his beard and said, “The news has spread throughout the entire Imperial City, and many people have sent numerous gifts over… According to the rules, we should celebrate Liuyue’s entry into Tian Lu Academy—”
“What’s there to celebrate?” First Elder looked terrible and slammed the table harshly. “We first need to punish her for lying and hiding the truth from her elders when she comes back!”