Chapter 34 Chapter 34 "Okay, then I will wait for your guidance, Your Highness. ...

Before Jiu Zhao finished speaking, the huge light silver bell hanging on the ceiling of Qichen Palace began to ring.

The bell announced the arrival of noon, and also notified all irrelevant people wandering in the hall to leave quickly.

The candidates heading toward the main hall and the servants retreating toward the barrier's entrance formed a stark distinction. Only two figures, symbolizing their different statuses, stood with their hands behind their backs beneath the veranda, one seemingly preparing, the other waiting.

After a few breaths, most of the people had left.

Zhu Yan still did not respond to Jiu Zhao's invitation. His narrow blue eyes were illuminated by the haze of the eaves, and two blurred boundaries were cut out. His expression in the light was still bright and clear, but in the dark, there was a sudden and unspeakable sinister look.

Jiu Zhao wanted to understand the source of that sinister aura, but the young man suddenly moved. He turned around, pretending to leave, then bowed sincerely, saying, "With that, I will take my leave. I wish Your Highness success in the Immortal Examination and a smooth ascent."

Not answering is often equivalent to rejection.

Jiu Zhao was rarely angry even though the other party changed the subject twice.

She smiled back, a smile bright and intense, with the calm demeanor of a queen. "I'll do my best."

…

Taking into account the relationship between Jiu Zhao and Fu Xu, the chief examiner of this celestial immortal examination was replaced by the God of Mount Yi.

He stood in front of the main seat of Qichen Palace on time, with assistant immortal officials on both sides to maintain order and assist with other matters.

The candidates stood in the audience, five rows horizontally and six columns vertically. They had different appearances, some were older and some were younger, and they all had a solemn attitude.

Jiu Zhao was one of the last few to come in. There was no place for her in the front row, but she didn't care and stayed quietly at the end of the crowd - once you enter here, there is no official position, and regardless of your background, everyone's common identity is a competitor for the celestial immortal level.

Yishan's calm eyes swept across the steps below, silently corresponding to the list of candidates activated on the Heavenly Ranking, ready to proceed to the next step after confirmation.

That kind of composure, as if Mount Tai were to collapse, made Jiuzhao think of Fuxu for no reason.

Come to think of it, in all these years, she had never seen what Fu Xu looked like when he was engaged in official business.

A few days ago, when the master and servant were chatting, Jiangyu held her face with her hands and told her in a crazy way that serious men are the most charming. Jiuzhao decided to choose a day another time to see the most charming moment of Fuxu.

"Your Highness, please don't be distracted. The God on Mount Yi was watching you just now."

A whisper reached her ears, a sweet, girlish voice reminding Jiu Zhao to pull herself away from her ethereal thoughts. She followed the source of the whisper and saw that the candidate to her right was Princess Chongyao of Nanling. Her cheeks were slightly dimpled, and she smiled kindly at her.

Jiu Zhao also smiled at her.

At the same time, the voice of the God of Mount Yi was heard in the hall reading out the regulations for the preparation for the examination in Qichen Palace.

The man's voice was faint, like a stone thrown into a deep pool without causing any ripples. Jiu Zhao's attention inevitably drifted away as he listened - his unfocused eyes wandered around, and suddenly he caught sight of Ying Luo and Meng Chu standing side by side in the front row of the crowd.

Ying Luo has a peerless appearance and is pure and elegant.

As long as Meng Chu doesn't do anything wrong, he can be considered a handsome man with an elegant appearance.

Looking from behind, the two looked at each other and smiled, looking like a perfect match.

...When did they end up standing in the same position?

Or is it just a coincidence?

When people I don't like get together, it becomes more and more annoying. Maybe they are planning to plot against me during the exam.

Jiu Zhao assumed the utmost malice towards them, but a strange feeling of discomfort welled up in his heart.

She stared at the two of them, wanting to see how long Ying Luo would continue to smile at Meng Chu.

This second instance of her mind wandering back to its old ways wasn't as fortunate as Chongyao's reminder. Yishan's magnetic voice finished reading the final rule for the exam preparation day, paused briefly, and then called out her name: "Golden Immortal Jiu Zhao—"

"Golden Immortal Jiu Zhao——"

There was a trace of divine power mixed in the calling of the name, which made the absent Jiu Zhao's eardrums buzz.

She scratched her ears uncomfortably and immediately looked up.

"Have you remembered all the precautions I just mentioned?"

The handsome god standing on a high position asked indifferently.

Jiu Zhao nodded immediately.

She didn't hear a word, but luckily Zhu Ying had explained it to her several times before coming, and the general rules were already imprinted in her mind.

Yishan looked at her for a few moments without saying a word.

Although there was no emotion in his eyes, Jiu Zhao could sense some suspicion in them.

You don't want me to memorize it on the spot, do you?

Jiu Zhao's heart was lifted, and his brain was working at high speed to recall Zhu Ying's words.

To her surprise, the God of Mount Yi didn't make things difficult for her and quickly let the matter go. He turned to the two assistant immortal officials on his left and right and instructed, "I have finished my work here. You will lead them to the resting place before the immortal examination, sorting them by gender."

…

After walking in the narrow corridor for a while, the candidates in front of him entered the houses one after another, and Jiu Zhao finally got his own corner of the room.

The entire Qichen Palace is surrounded by a spirit-clearing formation, helping candidates clear their minds before the exam and perform at a better level.

As soon as she entered, Jiu Zhao's heart subconsciously calmed down. She frowned, trying to forget the lingering image of Ying Luo and Meng Chu side by side. After a stick of incense, she finally sank into the realm of cultivation.

When I regained consciousness, it was almost evening dinner time.

Candidates do not have to go out to find the dining hall, as there will be immortal slaves knocking on the door and delivering food to them one by one.

Trapped in this world without entertainment, Jiu Zhao, who had just finished her training, felt quite bored. She stretched herself and focused her attention on the closed wooden door a few feet away from the bed. She decided to take a walk in the courtyard connecting the houses to relax her muscles and bones that had been sitting for so long.

To prevent the mistakes of the previous Immortal Examination, the candidates' residences and courtyards were each individually enclosed. Both the windows and the fences dividing the courtyards were enclosed by an invisible barrier. They could speak, but could not touch or pass anything to each other.

As dusk falls, the picturesque sunset glow against the backdrop of swaying tree shadows is exceptionally peaceful.

Jiu Zhao strolled around for a while, and everything became her entertainment to pass the time.

A gorgeous butterfly broke the static scenery, flying from a half-opened bud to another fully bloomed crabapple flower.

Jiu Zhao did not use any magic, but reached out his hand, trying to hold it in his palm.

The butterfly was surprisingly agile. It folded its wings and escaped from between my fingers.

Jiu Zhao chased it, it dodged, and in the blink of an eye, the fairy and the butterfly arrived at the barrier of the courtyard.

"See if I can catch you this time!"

Calming down and seizing the opportunity, Jiu Zhao struck again like lightning.

When the butterfly wings close together, they flutter across the skin, causing a slight itch.

The next moment, the sound of footsteps breaking branches came from next door. Jiu Zhao seemed to sense something and raised his head, then bumped into a piece of blue water in the sunny and windy weather.

"Your Highness."

Good times, beautiful scenery, and beautiful women are naturally a painting.

Jiu Zhao was distracted by the other party's beautiful eyes, and the destined butterfly that he should have caught slipped out of his hand and flew to the other side of the barrier.

Having missed the last chance, Jiu Zhao could only watch it escape. He felt suffocated and asked, "Why are you next door to me?"

Yingluo also saw the butterfly escaping Jiuzhao's palm. She watched it fly into the magical barrier that appeared when anything approached. After a while, Jiuzhao blinked softly and said, "I am very happy to live next door to Your Highness and receive your grace and protection."

Jiu Zhao was particularly displeased with Ying Luo because she stood with someone he hated in broad daylight.

When she heard this answer, which was as hypocritical as Yingluo's, she snorted coldly, refused to talk, and wanted to turn around and leave.

"Your Highness, wait a minute."

Seeing that Jiu Zhao didn't even give her a chance to chat, Ying Luo suddenly thought that she might be bothered by the fact that she and Meng Chu had stood together in Qichen Palace. So, without caring whether it was too much to ask for favors, she once again spoke to Jiu Zhao to stay.

Jiu Zhao paused, but didn't look up. He looked coldly at the green grass where his shoes were stuck. "What can I do for you, Princess Zong?"

As someone who knew Jiu Zhao very well, Ying Luo knew the real meaning behind this question without even calling his name.

So, she looked up at a certain spot in the barrier that was gently undulating like the waves of the sea, and decided to start from the place that would make Jiu Zhao feel better. "Your Highness, Your Highness, look, the butterfly you wanted is still waiting for you there."

"?"

Jiu Zhao raised his eyes upon hearing the voice, and following the direction of Ying Luo's finger, he saw a butterfly wrapped in fairy light - the barrier repels all people and things that want to cross the boundary. If they are blocked and refuse to stop, it will automatically release power to wrap them up until they disappear.

Yingluo was right. The thing she had been chasing for a long time was now within her reach.

She freed the little thing from the fairy light and let it go. The butterfly actually had some spirit and stopped at her knuckles, no longer trying to escape.

This more or less put Jiu Zhao in a better mood, and he listened with a little more patience. Ying Luo, not wanting to miss any of Jiu Zhao's changes, immediately seized the opportunity to explain, "I am with the Prince of Beishen, and it's not what Your Highness thinks. It's just for some reason."

"Why are you telling me all this? Have you forgotten that we are no longer friends?"

It would have been fine if Meng Chu hadn't been mentioned. As soon as he was mentioned, Jiu Zhao, who had been simmering with inexplicable anger for hours, couldn't help but glare at her and sarcastically said, "Although I've always known that someone as well-connected as Princess Yingluo Zongji would welcome anyone who showed her kindness—I never imagined that a fool like Meng Chu, with his empty brains and rotten flesh, could become a guest of Princess Zongji."

Ying Luo's eyes were dim at first when she heard Jiu Zhao's words, but when she heard the last two sentences, her eyes showed a subtle sense of relaxation and joy.

Jiu Zhao didn't know where her joy came from.

In fact, she didn't understand why she felt so bothered when she saw them chatting and laughing.

This is probably similar to the feeling of being disappointed in someone after a breakup when you see that their taste in choosing friends is getting worse and worse.

After Jiu Zhao finished his sarcasm, he shut his mouth tightly like a clam shell, waiting for Ying Luo to be so embarrassed that she would lift her skirt and leave.

After waiting for a long time, Yingluo's voice became increasingly gentle. "Your Highness has misunderstood me. I cannot be associated with such a disrespectful and rude person. I only spoke to him because today, while waiting for the examiner to arrive, I overheard him and a few of his companions whispering about Your Highness. I didn't hear everything, so I decided to pretend to be friendly and see if I could get any information out of him."

Could she be so kind?

Jiu Zhao asked back, "So what did you figure out?"

Ying Luo shook her head. "The gods from Mount Yi arrived too quickly. I didn't have time to ask them the most important questions. I only know they gathered in a corner. Not only did they mention Your Highness's name, but they also whispered to each other for a long time. They probably had bad intentions."

Jiu Zhao finally raised his chin and squinted at her: "You have nothing, yet you still dare to show your loyalty to me——"

"I'm not expressing my loyalty, I just want to remind Your Highness to be careful of Meng Chu during the exam."

Ying Luo took a step forward and grasped the fence between them with one hand, her concern evident in her words. "But please rest assured, Your Highness. I am here with you during this Immortal Examination. I will also pay close attention to the activities in the northern border and do my utmost to protect Your Highness's safety."

"Who told you to meddle in other people's business? Even if you didn't say anything, I would naturally be careful."

Jiu Zhao couldn't stand the person who had plotted against her, and turned around and approached her again as if nothing had happened. Ying Luo's unfathomable eagerness, and the fact that she had successfully turned away under Fu Xu's guidance last time, made Jiu Zhao feel that Ying Luo was brewing some bad idea again.

She gritted her teeth, clenched her fist, and raised it in Ying Luo's direction as if to protest. "How many times do you want me to tell you this? We are no longer friends, and we are rivals in the upcoming Immortal Examination. Forget Meng Chu, do you think I will show you mercy?"

Jiu Zhao bared his fangs and claws, threatening continuously, trying to use the huge momentum to cover up the complicated feelings he had deep in his heart for Ying Luo.

Ying Luo smiled at her expectantly, "Okay, then I'll wait for your guidance, Your Highness."