“I want a promise from Your Majesty.”
“Hm?” Emperor Ying frowned.
“I once swore that I will destroy the Zhu family within three years.”
“The Zhu family? One of the five most powerful families in the Imperial City?”
“That’s right. I hope that Your Majesty will not hinder me from doing that.”
Emperor Ying remained expressionless as he crossed his arms behind his back. He stared into the distance.
Lou Qianxue silently waited.
“Even if I stop you, you’ll still insist on doing it, right?”
“Yes.”
“Hah! Jade-Masked Blast, although I’ve just known you, I understand your character well. Go, then. These families are too old, stubborn, and stagnant. It’s time for some fresh blood. However, Jade-Masked Blast, you must take note of something. Although the evil are guilty, women and children are innocent. Do you understand?”
Lou Qianxue paused for a while before nodding. “Yes. Thank you for your teachings, Your Majesty.”
***
Half an hour later.
Standing at the entrance of the palace, Lou Qianxue touched her face. “I can’t return like this! Luckily, I got some herbs that can help me disguise myself.”
As she spoke, her body disappeared into thin air. She entered the Mountain River Space.
When she re-emerged outside, she looked like the same person she had been two years ago when she had left.
“Now, Grandfather won’t be worried anymore.”
Lou Qianxue’s lips curved upward into a smile. Her fair face looked lively and natural, displaying no signs of any fakeness.
“I wonder where Dan Taiyuan went… Forget it. I have a feeling that he’ll appear soon. I should report to the Imperial Academy first!”
After asking a royal guard for directions, she walked toward the Imperial Academy.
“I heard that Jade-Masked Blast destroyed Ying Guogong’s mansion immediately after arriving in the city!”
“She’s extremely ruthless and powerful. She not only destroyed the mansion but also gave Yin Guogong a miserable fate! On the other hand, the people who offended Third Prince and Fourth Royal Uncle left the mansion unscathed…”
“It seems she’s really powerful! It’s a pity that the people who went to the mansion are tight-lipped. They refuse to talk about the details. However, it looks like Jade-Masked Blast won.”
“Yeah! When I stole a glimpse at Ying Guogong’s mansion, I saw an altar erected there. Everyone in the mansion was bawling their eyes out. I wonder if someone died…”
“She fought Third Royal Highness and the men of Yin Guogong’s mansion on her own, yet she still won… How unbelievable! After this incident, everyone will know that Jade-Masked Blast is a grim reaper. She’s not one to be messed with.”
“Yeah, that’s true.”
The people on the streets were discussing Jade-Masked Blast. When she overheard these discussions throughout her journey, Lou Qianxue could not help but shake her head and smile in exasperation.
Although these people were talking about her, she felt like she had become another person…
As she thought about it, a few men dressed in brocades walked in her direction.
One of them exclaimed, “Oh my God! I heard that Jade-Masked Blast, the person everyone is talking about, is the woman who beat us up at Liuyun Prefecture!”
“I heard that she not only created a ruckus at Lingxi Prefecture’s Alchemy Union but also achieved an overwhelming victory at the life-or-death battle stage and killed a fourth-grade alchemist. On her first day in the Imperial City, she even destroyed the oldest family in the city!”
“How terrifying! I wanted to take revenge on her and beat her up after arriving in the Imperial City. But now, I’m going to give it up! We should not provoke a grim reaper like her. She’s someone who conquered the life-or-death battle stage! If we anger her, we might even die!”
“Exactly! Exactly!”
The other men vigorously nodded.
“…” Lou Qianxue, who had just brushed past them, oddly glanced at them before averting her gaze.