Chapter 52: The Outstanding One

Ugh, despicable! I despise myself! Zhao Erdong finally snapped back to her senses, goosebumps erupting all over her body. To think she had actually been embraced by a shameless, vile scoundrel—it was sickening, utterly sickening.

Nearby, Lazy stared blankly at Zhao Erdong. Seeing her shake her head one moment and beat her chest the next, completely engrossed in muttering to herself with no time to spare for it, Lazy simply found the teapot on its own, flipped open the lid, drank its fill, patted its belly, and hopped up to curl into a ball, closing its eyes to sleep.

"Lazy, what have you done? The whole bed is covered in stone chippings!"

Lazy shook its head with a wronged expression, trying to convey that it had nothing to do with it.

"If not you, who else? Could it possibly have been me?"

Deeply aggrieved, Lazy shrank back into the corner of the bed in a huff, ignoring Zhao Erdong altogether.

A dark shadow flashed past outside the window. Through the crack in the door, a pair of chilling eyes peered into the room. Upon catching sight of Lazy on the bed, the gaze suddenly blazed with an intense, bright light, brimming with profound astonishment and delight.

Just then, someone pushed open a door next door. The owner of the chilling eyes leaped up onto the roof in a flash. It turned out to be none other than the old man from the wasteland. Dressed in pure black night attire, he melted into the pitch-black night like a phantom.

He glanced around his surroundings, noticing people occasionally walking through the courtyard. Furthermore, the room the young girl occupied was the most prominent main quarters of the house. To make a move now would likely result in complications that were difficult to wrap up. It seemed he still needed to bide his time and wait for a better opportunity.

The old man's figure finally vanished from the rooftop, dissolving back into the night.

A breeze swept by, and the heavy, pitch-dark clouds in the sky finally dispersed somewhat. A pale moonlight spilled down, casting a serene radiance over the earth.

The human and the beast slept soundly.

The silver ring on her finger suddenly emitted a soft, gentle glow. From within that radiance, a man dressed in white stepped out, pace by pace.

His raven hair cascaded like a waterfall, his white garments were whiter than snow, and his brows were clear-cut with handsome eyes—truly an exquisite young gentleman of transcendent grace and noble bearing. He stood by the bedside, his handsome brows lightly furrowed as he gazed with perplexity at the sleeping girl.

Lazy's limbs trembled slightly. It had already awakened, and an oppressive aura emanating from the depths of its soul made it nearly unable to draw breath. Yet, it did not even dare to open its eyes, merely stealing a single frightened peek through a slit in its eyelids before daring to look no further.

The man looked toward Lazy, his brows lifting slightly, and his thin lips parted slightly. "Take good care of her. Otherwise, bear the consequences yourself."

Lazy nodded repeatedly, its trembling limbs escalating into full-body tremors.

Zhao Erdong turned over, rubbing her eyes sleepily as she scanned the room. Seeing no one there, she flopped back down and muttered, "I clearly heard someone talking. Could I have been dreaming?"

The oppressive aura vanished, and Lazy's body finally stopped trembling. It leaped up to look around in all directions, and upon confirming that the man was truly gone, it once again lay down to sleep. This time, it decided to sleep right inside Zhao Erdong's embrace, deeming it much safer that way.

In the blink of an eye, three days passed, and the day of the palace examination had arrived.

Zhao Erdong rose early in the morning, changing into the best outfit from her bundle—a simple light turquoise cloth skirt woven with cloud patterns. Though the fabric was not top-tier, its strength lay in its understated and elegant color. Paired with Zhao Erdong's unadorned, natural face, it possessed an extraordinary, unique charm. Upon closer inspection, her features were not exceptionally striking, yet she possessed a certain temperament that made her unforgettable at first glance.

The palace examination was set to take place at the Boshui Palace. The attendants had already arranged the stones required for the examination, waiting only for the arrival of the Fourth Prince to begin.

Once everyone had gathered, the Fourth Prince finally made a leisurely appearance.

Over the past three days, Zhao Erdong had quickly mingled with the imperial guards stationed in the center, naturally learning some details about the imperial court from them. The Fourth Prince, Yue Moli, was eighteen years old and possessed exceptional innate talent. He had just broken through the fourth-rank barrier, becoming a fourth-rank junior martial general—truly an outstanding leader among his peers.