Behind and in front

Yi Shen's kiss was too intense, and Wu Qi felt her lips were swollen and red, and there might even be injuries. Taking advantage of Yi Shen's inattention, she picked up a mirror and looked at herself. There wasn't a single wound on her lips, nor was it swollen; her lips were simply a bit redder than before.

Yi Shen, how exactly did they kiss?

Wu Qi looked at himself in the mirror from left to right. He saw Yi Shen standing behind him in the mirror. Yi Shen's eyes were also smiling, his expression was gentle, his lips were red, and there was a line on his lips...

Wu Qi looked closely in the mirror, then turned back to stare at Yi Shen's lips, and hurriedly asked, "Why is there a wound? Did I bite it?"

Yi Shentai was so good at kissing that she was completely bewitched and didn't even realize when she bit his lip.

Yi Shen approached, bent down slightly, and used the mirror in Wu Qi's hand to examine the injury on his lips.

The mirror reflected two faces. Yi Shen seemed to want to see the wound on his lip more clearly, so he moved closer to Wu Qi, and Wu Qi naturally did not shy away from his approach.

Their faces were almost touching. Wu Qi stared intently at the wound on Yi Shen's lip, wondering what kind of medicine should be applied to it.

"It's alright," Yi Shen said.

The injury was neither shallow nor deep.

But the fact that this wound appeared on the lips of the exemplary young master of a noble family, the pure and innocent Yi San Gongzi, was enough to arouse people's imaginations and make them think all sorts of things.

"Wei Chong," Lin Kuo squinted and took a step forward, "what happened to your mouth!?"

Upon hearing this, Song Yinxing abruptly turned to look at Lin Kuo, wondering what this man's brain was made of, as he was truly incredibly stupid when he was being foolish.

Everyone in Ci Zi Pavilion couldn't help but look at Yi Shen, especially at his lips. The men and women in Ci Zi Pavilion had many admirers, and they were already used to the injury on his lips.

However, the wound appeared on Yi Shen's lip...

Everyone turned their attention to Wu Qi, who had come with Yi Shen. Wu Qi looked around, puzzled, and then unconsciously followed everyone's gaze to look behind him.

Master Sun didn't come.

Even the Emperor didn't come to check on the classes.

Why were they so surprised?

Are they really that surprised that she kissed Yi Shen twice?

Yi Shen said, "I've been eating too much spicy food."

Everyone has told this kind of lie, and some have even lied to their parents, saying, "I accidentally fell and broke my mouth." Logically speaking, no one would believe this kind of lie, but among the people present, there were indeed two who did: Lin Kuo and He Qi.

Lin Kuo patted Yi Shen on the shoulder and advised, "If you can't eat spicy food, then don't eat it. Why make yourself suffer?"

Song Yinxing sighed and rubbed his forehead in exasperation.

He Qi secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He took two steps forward, stared at Wu Qi in silence for a few seconds, and then mustered his courage, as if he had made a million decisions, and said to Wu Qi, "Wu Qi, I've figured it out. I love you, I like you, and I want to be with you!"

Upon hearing this, Yi Shen frowned and looked at He Qi.

Lin Kuo and Song Yinxing exchanged a glance, and even Ning Xunxu, who had been forced to attend class by her sister today, was somewhat bewildered, wondering what He Qi was thinking.

Anyone with eyes could see that Wu Qi and Yi Shen were destined to be together sooner or later...

What happened? Can't you tell?

Everyone forgot about the injury on Yi Shen's lip and was completely caught off guard by the news. He Qi actually liked Wu Qi! At nearly twenty years old, and in Ci Zi Pavilion, He Qi confessed his feelings to Wu Qi in front of so many people; his courage was truly commendable.

However, this is not something to be celebrated or happy about.

If Wu Qi agrees, it's not too late for them to clap and cheer. But if Wu Qi never intended to agree, their private cheering and clapping would be as if they were forcing Wu Qi.

Wu Qi stood in the crowd and said helplessly, "I'm sorry, I seem to have forgotten to tell you that I had already made a private engagement with Yi Shen back in Pingwu City."

"As it stands, I'll like him for a long time."

Her words were clear enough, without any beating around the bush, and everyone understood.

The men laughed and comforted He Qi. One of them patted He Qi on the shoulder and said, "Xiao Qi is indeed very likable. You have good taste in liking her." Another person chimed in, "Yes, yes, but it's a good thing that Weichong and Xiao Qi are in love."

Seeing He Qi's sorrowful expression, Lin Kuo said, "This is all Weichong's fault! He's been in love with Xiao Qi for too long, and after being with Xiao Qi, he was so happy that he forgot to tell us. He should be punished! He should be punished to treat us to a meal at Langyue Tower after school and eat us out of house and home!"

Everyone hurriedly chimed in, "Alright, alright, let's give Weichong a good beating!"

The group chatted away, dispelling the awkward atmosphere from before. However, ever since that day when she and Yi Shen had almost locked eyes while painting red plum blossoms, she had been thinking about this matter constantly, feeling that she couldn't just let go of Wu Qi.

He finally mustered the courage to confess his feelings to Wu Qi, only to be rejected. Although the rejection was exactly what he expected, he didn't want to give up.

He Qi's gaze swept over the crowd and landed on Wu Qi. She said, word by word, "I won't give up. I will pursue you properly!"

Yi Shen remained standing in place, glanced at He Qi, and said on behalf of Wu Qi, "Do as you please."

"What are you all doing gathered here! If you want to fly to the heavens, go outside!" Master Sun stood at the door, his face cold. "If I hadn't come, were you planning to chat until the end of the school term?"

"No, no!"

Everyone bowed to Master Sun and hurriedly returned to their seats, afraid that they would be the first to speak out and be scolded by Master Sun for an hour.

Master Sun stood before the crowd, staring at their young and energetic faces. He put away his earlier intimidating aura and casually said, "Do you know why His Majesty gathered you all together to form the Ci Zi Pavilion?"

A woman thought for a moment and said, "Family background, talent, unmarried."

Master Sun said, "That's right."

Family background is a prerequisite for marriage.

All three are indispensable.

Master Sun then asked, "Do you know why His Majesty took these three conditions into consideration?"

Ning Xunxu said, “They’re easy to control. Putting aside talent, just the fact that we’re from a good family and unmarried is enough for His Majesty to control us. We have large families and great wealth, so we dare not take any risks. Because we are still unmarried, every student of Cizige Middle School must have His Majesty’s approval for marriage.”

"Besides talent, isn't that a given? Who would want to spend so much money to support a fool?"

Ning Xunxu often skipped classes. He was able to attend this time because his sister forced him to, and because Lin Kuo kindly relayed what Master Sun had said in class to him. He didn't want the master to come to the Ning residence to teach him, so he had no choice but to come.

Everyone was already used to Ning Xunxu's sharp tongue.

Lin Kuo clicked his tongue twice, whether in praise or a reminder, and said, "Han Su, be careful with your words and actions."

Ning Xunxu sighed, sat up straight, looked back at Lin Kuo, and whispered, "Don't tell my sister."

“That’s right,” Master Sun said. “Then why did His Majesty gather you all together?”

A man mumbled, "Serving the country? Serving the country and its people?"

Another woman said, "That's not right. If His Majesty wants us to serve the country, then naturally he should appoint us to positions in the court. But there are also children from aristocratic families in the cabinet. Isn't it common knowledge that children from aristocratic families don't enter officialdom? How can this be explained?"

That makes sense; the room fell silent.

Wu Qi sat in her seat, wondering what Master Sun was trying to say with his series of questions, until she saw him nod slightly at her, and then she realized what was going on.

“It’s not that one can’t enter officialdom,” Wu Qi said, breaking the silence.

Facing the gazes of the crowd, she took out the Moonfall Camp token and waved it in front of them, "Although it has no rank, I have indeed joined the Moonfall Camp."

When everyone first saw the Moonfall Camp's token, their eyes widened as they tried to examine it closely. Their curiosity seemed less about official rank and more about the exquisite patterns on the token.

Birds, fish, insects, beasts, butterflies, bells, the bright moon, mountains, and rivers are all engraved on this small token. What's even more ingenious is that these patterns are raised and connected, like interlocking, strange gears. Even the rope hanging on the token is not a common rope, but a string that is difficult to cut even with swords.

A woman said, "The Moonfall Camp's token is so exquisite! Yao Ling, may I touch it!"

"Of course you can." Wu Qi tossed the token to the woman without a second thought.

Another woman said, "I want to touch it too!"

Wu Qi generously said, "Touch!"

The woman touched the butterfly wings connected to the bright moon, using a bit too much force, causing the patterns on the wings to droop slightly. Unexpectedly, the bright moon began to rotate, along with the birds, fish, insects, and beasts, while only the bell at the center of the token remained motionless.

Wu Qi pulled Yi Shen and Song Yinxing, and together with the others, they gathered around the woman's table, intently staring at the token, which was no bigger than the palm of their hand.

Wu Qi then realized that the patterns on the token had this function; they were actually strange gears, one of which could rotate and cause nearby objects to rotate. All the patterns on the token, except for the bell, were rotating and rearranging, eventually forming another exquisite and bizarre set of patterns.

The rotation stopped, and the bell, which had been still for a long time, suddenly bulged upwards, emitting a pleasant and melodious sound, like the wind blowing through the willows or the rain falling on the ephemeral flowers.

Wu Qi asked, "What is that sound?"

Yi Shen said, "Chime bells."

As soon as he finished speaking, the surface of the token bounced slightly. Because the outer layer was connected to the main body of the token on the side, the surface covered by the pattern did not bounce off. After Wu Qi opened the outer layer of the token, everyone saw the two characters "Wu Qi" written inside, slender and upright, with strokes like bamboo.

Furthermore, there is a gold medal in the lower right corner.

The Emperor inscribed the words.

"Are you all stunned?" Master Sun stood there, watching them gather in a group, holding the tokens as if they were some kind of treasure. "I have four more here."

Everyone looked back.

Master Sun produced a token for the four months of camp abandonment from who-knows-where and said, “By order of the Emperor, the four daughters of noble families in the Pavilion who have obtained this token must obey Wu Qi’s orders and assist her in developing the Liuge Iron Armor and Liuge Iron Wings.”

His Majesty's intention is to truly allow the children of aristocratic families to enter officialdom.

“However, I forgot whose token it is. Take it and check the name yourselves.” Master Sun handed all the tokens in his hand to Yi Shen, clapped his hands as if the tokens were something dirty. “Alright, those tokens are nothing special. If you want to look at them again, then you can look as much as you want. After you’ve looked enough, draw the tokens down.”

Upon hearing this, everyone returned to their seats, not daring to utter any nonsense.

After the lesson, Master Sun summoned Yi Shen to the inner chamber, seemingly to give him instructions. However, the group hadn't forgotten their plan to kill Yi Shen. Some people slowly packed their things, gazing at the sky and the ground, occasionally chatting idly, but refusing to leave.

Some people even approached Wu Qi, wanting to touch her Ci Zi Ge token. Among them, some secretly asked Wu Qi how she made up her mind to pledge her life to her.

When this topic came up, Wu Qi had something to say.

She let others touch her token, and said to herself, "Yi Shen is such a wonderful person. If you asked me to find fault with him, I couldn't find a single one. When we were little, he always carried me home when I fell down..."

Wu Qi went on and on, but the other protagonist in his story was Yi Shen, who was not fond of talking. Everyone became interested and listened attentively.

This is the first time I've seen such a lively atmosphere since leaving the Zige Pavilion.

Ning Xunxu, who always left Cizi Pavilion first after school to go home, was not in a hurry today. He propped his face up with one hand and tossed the Cizi Pavilion token in his hand with the other. Seeing Lin Kuo and Song Yinxing not far away, he approached Lin Kuo, first bowed to Song Yinxing, and said with a smile, "It's been a few days, Sister Zhiyun has become even more beautiful."

Before Song Yinxing could speak, Lin Kuo glanced at Ning Xunxu and said with a forced smile, "You know how to greet Sister Zhiyun, but why don't you know how to greet me?"

"Hello, Brother Lian Shi," Ning Xunxu said. "I'd like to ask if my sister is entitled to this token?"

Song Yinxing said, "It shouldn't be something given by His Majesty."

“That’s perfect, my sister can play with mine,” Ning Xunxu said.

The place was bustling with noise and laughter.

When Yi Shen returned and saw this scene, he was stunned for a moment. Then, looking at Wu Qi, who was talking non-stop in the crowd, he smiled helplessly.

He stood at the door, curled his fingers, and knocked.

Seeing everyone looking at him, Yi Shen said, "Didn't we say we were going to Langyue Tower for dinner?"

After a moment of silence, the crowd cheered and jumped for joy, the noise nearly lifting the roof off. The woman straightened her clothes and stood up with a smile. The man walked out with his arm around Yi Shen's shoulder, not forgetting to congratulate him as he passed by. Only He Qi remained seated.

Wu Qi smiled at He Qi and said, "Let's go, you'll regret it if you don't eat at Langyue Tower!"

"Okay... alright." He Qi stood up and followed the others out. He bowed to Yi Shenshi as he passed him. "I'm sorry, but I don't want to give up."

"Yes, it's alright."

Yi Shen held Wu Qi's hand and followed behind the group. Ahead of them were Lin Kuo and Song Yinxing chatting and laughing. Beside Lin Kuo was Ning Xunxu, who was tossing his token as he walked. Further ahead were groups of Ci Zi Ge students.

Among them were many from wealthy and powerful families, and many whose parents held high positions. They were all prominent people, yet they were traveling together just to rip off Yi Shen for a meal.

Behind the twenty people was the Cizi Pavilion, and in front of them was the human world.