Su Cheng's brain stopped working for a few seconds.
She kept shifting the mirror in her hand, carefully observing her left eye from every angle.
Su Cheng watched blankly as the pattern began to flicker until it gradually faded away.
This was normal.
A Favored's mark naturally wouldn't glow all the time.
Su Cheng asked, "Do you know the true name of the God of Illusions?"
Kai shook his head slightly. "I am not familiar with people from that era."
Su Cheng subconsciously thought he meant the era when the God of Illusions was born was too long ago. "...Let's put that aside for now. Does this mean I can use illusion magic?"
In theory, this was certainly a good thing.
The Church wouldn't go so far as to exterminate illusionists, because this power could be learned independently, and there were many within the Church who had mastered illusions.
But a Favored of the God of Illusions was different.
They were basically enemies of the Church.
After all, the Illusion God was an ally of the Dark God.
"...Yes, but be careful."
Kai thought for a moment. "Among all the unorthodox mages, illusionists are probably the most prone to falling into madness."
Su Cheng immediately recalled those bizarre texts from before.
She touched the corner of her eye. "I wonder how this one's power is triggered. Sigh, it's a pity I didn't bring those illusion scrolls out, otherwise I could have used them as a reference."
"Actually—"
Kai suddenly tightened his arms and hoisted her up a bit.
Su Cheng turned slightly, her back sinking completely into his chest, her legs pressing against the man's firm forearm muscles.
At the same time, he raised his other hand and handed her a bracelet inlaid with an unstable crystal. "I brought all those scrolls with me."
"A Rift Bracelet!" Su Cheng recognized it. "This is the kind from last time..."
Last time backstage at the Marigold Palace auction house, those people had used Rift Bracelets to hold goods. This kind of time-limited storage item was very convenient for temporarily holding things.
"You're amazing!"
Su Cheng cheered. "Wait, you took all of them? Some of the things inside aren't quite right."
"You can take your time to—"
Before he could finish speaking, the shop door was pushed open.
A few young people stood outside, peering inside.
"I don't think I noticed this place before..."
"It feels a bit uncomfortable, maybe we should just leave..."
They muttered in low voices, and then retreated outside.
"There's a 'temporarily closed' sign hanging outside," Kai said as he watched them close the door. "There is also some suggestive mental magic that makes people not want to approach, but its effect has weakened now."
They were still incredibly close.
Speaking at this distance, his breath brushed past her hair, lingering and seeping into the skin of her shoulder.
"Right," Su Cheng spoke almost with difficulty, "I'm fine now, I'll get down first."
Kai relaxed his arms at the same time.
"Where is this?" Su Cheng asked as she walked outside after landing on her feet. "I mean outside, which city?"
"Redbridge Town, northwest of the imperial capital."
"Uh, the one next to Nanhe Academy?"
"Yes." He nodded slightly. "If you don't want to—"
"I don't mind," Su Cheng shrugged. "If you want to get a drink, I can go with you. I won't be timid just because of something like my ex-fiance possibly showing up here. What do I have to be afraid of?"
"No," Kai curled his lips into a smile. "I don't think you'd be afraid, I just don't want you to feel annoyed. If you're not in a hurry to go back to class, we can go stroll somewhere else."
"Sure," Su Cheng nodded with interest. "Where to?"
They walked out of the shop. Outside was an ancient slate street. The bluestone uphill path was rugged and uneven, with the green of moss seeping out at the edges.
A group of young people walked past the end of the road. They originally hadn't paid much attention to this side, but one of them casually looked back and caught a glimpse of the black-haired girl down the slope.
That person's gaze fixed, a flash of stunning amazement in his eyes. "Is she from our school? So pretty!"
"Huh?"
The companion next to him yawned and turned to look over. "Among the freshmen in our year—holy crap?!"
This person looked closely, and the expression on his face gradually changed. "How does this look like..."
Their commotion attracted more attention. A group of youths turned their heads one after another, and one of them cried out in alarm.
"It's that..."
Someone's expression changed drastically. "I saw her in Golden Amber City. She killed Lux—no, you can't say that, that was a punishment sent down by the gods."
The surroundings immediately erupted into an uproar.
Everyone understood who this was talking about.
There were many experts in Nanhe Academy, and Murong Yue was still quite famous, because among his peers, he truly was outstanding.
Not to mention that the Dean of the Sword Martial Arts Academy also appreciated him quite a bit. It was said that he was even going to participate in the Dragon Knight trials.
Normally, when people remembered he had an ex-fiancee, they would probably think that person was unlucky to have lost such a good marriage prospect.
However, that person was a Favored of the gods, had close ties with the Church, and had previously been invited to the Aulu Duke's mansion.
"Did you guys know? I heard the husband of the previous Duke Aulu was a Favored of the God of Contracts—"
"Hiss, you mean—"
The person speaking winked and made faces.
"Really?" Someone else sneered. "If that's really the case..."
In terms of background and ability, Murong Yue naturally couldn't compare to Galen VII; there wasn't even any comparability.
The power and wealth of Duke Aulu could be considered the head of the great nobles in the entire Silver Moon Empire, and even the entire Northern Continent.
"Even if it's not," the person next to him whispered, "does Her Excellency the Favored lack men? Look at the guy next to her dressed like a savage—"
Su Cheng walked closer and closer, and happened to hear this sentence. She couldn't help but look over.
That entire group of people went dead silent.
They had either seen it with their own eyes or heard about the tragic state of Miss Lucas's death.
"Uh," that person immediately coughed repeatedly. "I didn't mean that. I meant to say your companion is very good-looking, Your Excellency."
Su Cheng couldn't help but curl her lips into a smile.
She tilted her head slightly and exchanged a glance with the black-haired man behind her. "...You're right."
Su Cheng said with a smile, "I think so too."
That group of people didn't make a sound. She looked at them as she spoke, "Right?"
After a brief silence, everyone nodded one after another, as if afraid that some divine punishment would appear if they answered too late.
A group of the proud children of heaven from Nanhe Academy all restrained their arrogant postures at this moment, seemingly trying their best to display their politeness and courtesy.
"Thank you."
Su Cheng said with a beaming smile, then pulled the man beside her and walked straight towards a side fork in the road.
Kai remained calm and let her pull him, just like the day they first met, being dragged forward by her slender fingers, even deliberately slowing his pace.
Su Cheng walked down a street with her head held high, suddenly realizing she was still dragging someone.
Just as she wanted to let go, she caught a glimpse of Murong Yue.
The latter was still dressed in white, looking quite eye-catching among a few students. They were further away, stopping at the entrance of a certain shop.
Murong Yue was standing sideways to her. Su Cheng had almost completely forgotten about this person, and it took her a few seconds of looking to confirm his identity.
A classmate nearby whispered something. Murong Yue frowned, turned his head, and spotted the black-haired girl from afar at the intersection.
And the tall, burly black-haired man standing beside her.
As a warrior, the first thing Murong Yue noticed wasn't the man's appearance or build.
Su Cheng stood with the man, her shoulder brushing against his arm. They looked intimate and familiar with each other.
The two of them wore completely different styles of clothing, yet both carried weapons on their backs. Judging by the length, they were both greatswords.
Moreover, the two swords were of different lengths, and the two people had a significant height difference, but the ratio of weapon to body size was strikingly similar.
A second later, Murong Yue suddenly remembered who the man was.
Previously, at the Mercenary Guild in Golden Amber City, Su Cheng had left with this very man. The way they held hands back then was exactly the same as their posture now.
His face involuntarily turned slightly cold, suddenly feeling that these two must be old acquaintances.
The few classmates around him also could not help but take a step back.
Ever since the matters concerning Her Excellency, the God-blessed, spread throughout the imperial capital, those from good backgrounds with well-informed sources basically knew most of the details.
Some people could still be friends after breaking off an engagement, but these two former fiances did not end things peacefully.
Elder Li had gone and never returned, and Miss Lux had died tragically at the Mercenary Guild. It was obvious that Her Excellency Su Cheng was not even willing to keep up appearances.
As for the reason...
It was mostly likely because Murong Yue had deeply offended her.
Everyone knew that this young marquis was not a smooth and tactful person. In other words, he did not know how to conduct himself well in social situations, so it was not surprising that this happened.
If it were anyone else, they might have been willing to give him some face. But she was the God-blessed, and she had countless ties with the Holy Church.
At that moment, Murong Yue could almost feel the gazes cast by the nearby classmates.
Pity, mockery, curiosity, and schadenfreude.
...
Su Cheng had originally been wondering if this was too much of a coincidence.
On second thought, Nanhe Academy was not Cross Star; their school was not up in the sky.
It was very convenient for students to hang out in the nearby towns. Furthermore, Murong Yue seemed to be heading into a potion shop, perhaps preparing for the Dragon Knight Trial.
Su Cheng had absolutely no desire to join the fun.
She only wanted to stay far away from people she disliked. She was just about to turn and leave, but then she felt as if doing so would make it seem like she was afraid of him. Thus, she decided to just walk straight ahead without looking sideways.
The kind of walking where she wouldn't even pause if she passed by him.
Kai had remained silent and obediently let her pull him along. When she stopped, he also halted at the same time, and even followed her in turning around again and again.
However, before they could take more than a few steps, Murong Yue came over.
He looked like he had already bought what he wanted.
But right at the moment they were about to brush past each other, Murong Yue suddenly stopped. "...Su Cheng."
Su Cheng shot him a sidelong glance. "You should call me Your Excellency."
Murong Yue's expression grew even more gloomy. "You two have known each other for a long time, haven't you?"
Su Cheng: "Us?"
Many beautiful faces suddenly popped into her mind.
Then she realized what the other party was talking about.
Su Cheng: "Do you think you have the right to pry into my affairs, young marquis?"
Murong Yue could not help but take a step forward. "Before breaking off my engagement with you, I rejected everyone who expressed affection for me. I had absolutely no—"
"You never had any thoughts about them to begin with," Su Cheng interrupted him. "You just used our engagement as an excuse. That way, you didn't have to offend anyone by saying 'I don't like you,' and you could also build a good image for yourself. You weren't preserving your chastity for me. You didn't think I was unaware of that, did you?"
This was also mentioned in the original novel. Murong Yue was arrogant and truly focused solely on his cultivation, so he had never dated anyone.
Although he had many suitors, he never gave them the time of day.
Su Cheng said, curling her lips into a smile. "Or swear to me that you once rejected someone you had feelings for because of our engagement. You liked her, but you remembered you had a fiancee, so you rejected her. Come on, swear it."
Murong Yue was instantly rendered speechless. "Why should I swear to you?"
Su Cheng raised an eyebrow. "Hah? You were the one making insinuations first, implying that I got involved with someone else while still under our engagement. Wasn't that what you meant?"
She was not going to prove her innocence about anything.
Who did he think he was?
Su Cheng: "Then swear to me first before you say anything else!"
How could Murong Yue dare to swear to her?
He had indeed rejected more than one person, but he had truly never been moved by anyone. The engagement was just an excuse; the real reason was that he only wanted to cultivate.
For a brief moment, he felt that there was something wrong with her logic.
However, the oppressive presence of the God-blessed was right there, especially when she brought up words like swearing an oath. He suddenly found himself unable to think clearly.
For a moment, he only regretted why he had provoked her again.
Murong Yue was in a bad mood. Even if it was not intentional, the battle aura circulating around his body at this moment faintly formed a somewhat intimidating pressure.
If it were anyone else standing here, they might have felt their chest tighten and breath shorten.
However...
Su Cheng was someone who had directly faced a deity, and she had seen more than one top human expert. Any one of them could easily beat up the guy in front of her.
She sneered. "What, you want to fight?"
Hitting someone first was against the law, after all.
If Murong Yue dared to lay a hand on her, she could instantly make him die right here.
However, perhaps because he did not want to do so, or perhaps because he knew the consequences, Murong Yue quickly restrained his battle aura and slowly took a step back.
There were quite a few people watching from near and far. Some were whispering, and others were explaining their relationship, but no one dared to intervene in their conversation.
Or step between them.
Su Cheng raised her chin, revealing an expression full of villainous flair, and haughtily pulled the man beside her away.
Murong Yue frowned as he watched them, his gaze landing on the young girl's back.
However...
The next second, the man who had been silent and obediently led away like some sort of giant dog suddenly turned his head.
The tall, black-haired man slightly tilted his head. Those cold golden eyes looked toward him, and the dark vertical pupils suddenly contracted.
That gaze was extremely sharp, like a sharp blade pressing against his throat.
Murong Yue froze in place.
An indescribably powerful sense of oppression surged forward like thick fog, enveloping him.
His face turned deathly pale, and he found it hard to breathe. His entire chest felt as if it were going to be crushed by a massive force.
"...By the way, where were we going again?"
After walking half a block, Su Cheng suddenly asked with belated realization.
She tilted her head up to look at the person beside her.
Kai smiled, lowering his head to meet her gaze. His expression was as gentle as ever. "I'm going to buy some wine, and then we will go on an adventure."
