Chapter 400: Hot Everywhere

The people who had been trampled by the horse or struck by the whip were either struggling to their feet or lying on the ground, wailing in agony. Under the canopies, the young ladies were huddled together, crying and screaming. To call the scene chaotic would be an understatement.

The Mountain Master watched from afar as the black horse disappeared from sight. He couldn’t help but sigh. "This woman is extraordinary. I do not know if she is a blessing or a curse..."

At present, a great drought plagued several prefectures in the Northwest, and the afflicted regions had long been rife with chaos.

The court’s disaster relief efforts were failing. He had recently been observing the heavens at night, and the Emperor Star was dim. The Da Ying Dynasty had been established for nearly three hundred years. Looking back through the annals of history, three hundred years was almost the limit for any dynasty. He feared the Da Ying Dynasty’s time was also coming to an end.

When a nation is on the verge of collapse, monsters are born in droves.

But sages, too, are born to answer the call of destiny.

With Miss Gu’s stunning looks and remarkable talent, he wondered what destiny she was meant to fulfill.

The Mountain Master shook his head. ’Monster or sage, it is not for me to influence.’

He commanded in a deep voice, "Teachers and students of Qinglian Academy, quickly restore order and calm the people!"

Su Chen was still in a daze. Mr. Xu gave him a tug. "Mr. Su, snap out of it! Didn’t you hear the Mountain Master?"

Mr. Xu had also been startled to see Gu Fei today.

He had thought her beautiful the last time he saw her, but her beauty today was on another level—simply breathtaking.

Compared to her, Lan Zhi was the difference between a mortal and a Fairy.

’What a pity,’ he thought. ’It’s obvious the Young Master Heir has taken a fancy to her. Otherwise, I would’ve used every trick in the book to get Gu Fei into my own estate.’

He glanced at Su Chen beside him, and the dejection in the man’s eyes did not escape his notice.

Pulled back to his senses by Mr. Xu, Su Chen pressed his lips together and silently went to join the others in helping disperse the crowd.

Qin Ying stood in a corner, her eyes fixed on Su Chen the entire time.

The moment the Young Master Heir appeared and scooped Gu Fei into his arms, Qin Ying’s first instinct was to look at Su Chen.

The shock, dejection, and even the faint traces of anger and self-blame in his eyes did not escape her.

Qin Ying couldn’t put a name to the feeling in her heart.

To see the one you love have eyes only for another... it was a helpless, powerless kind of pain.

In that moment, she felt that she and Su Chen were kindred spirits in misery.

Sister Dan, her maid, and Yan’er were huddled together. Quick-witted as ever, Sister Dan had seen that things were turning ugly and had led them to the decorated canopies on the men’s side. This area was safe, as the mob had rushed in the other direction.

Sister Dan shook her head. "Let’s go back. I’m not in the mood for lotus viewing anymore. Sigh, now I finally understand why Little Fei always concealed her face."

"Being this beautiful... it’s not necessarily a good thing."

She had been scared to death just now. She’d been terrified that Little Fei would not only meet her end here today, but that her reputation would be completely destroyed.

’With so many men crowding around, getting handsy with her, what good could possibly come of it?

Thankfully, the Young Master Heir descended like a god from the heavens. Amitabha Buddha, the Bodhisattvas be praised.’

Gu Fei and Xiao Yu had already galloped quite a distance away.

Xiao Yu slowed the horse to a canter. The weather was already hot, and it was nearly noon. With a beautiful woman nestled in the crook of his arm, it was hard to say whether the heat he felt was burning more in his heart or through his body.

His arms held Gu Fei encircled in his embrace. With every movement of the horse, his arm would brush against her soft, supple form, sending a tremor through his entire body.

Moreover, an indescribable fragrance from her body drifted on the wind, straight into his nostrils, teasing his senses until he felt feverish.

Aside from his hands, which were barely managing to grip the reins, Xiao Yu felt as if his entire body had turned to stone. He couldn’t move. He didn’t dare to move.