After the luxury cloudship docked, Qin Yun followed the ancestor of the Heavenly Mystic Sect into the first cabin. Just as the two were about to step inside, a cold voice came from within.
“Where did these beggars come from? Who let you in? Get lost!” A young man wearing a golden crown stared at them with disdain, his tone filled with arrogance.
The ancestor frowned. From the patterns on the young man’s robe, he recognized him as a direct descendant of the Prince of Yan’s Residence. Originally, this cabin was meant to be an opportunity for the Prince of Yan’s Residence, but since they didn’t know how to appreciate it, there was nothing to be done. The prince’s son was simply too arrogant.
“Young Master, let’s switch cabins,” the ancestor said to Qin Yun.
“Alright,” Qin Yun nodded.
The two moved to the second cabin.
Inside were many well-dressed young men and women, all exuding an air of nobility. The lively conversation inside came to an abrupt stop as all eyes turned to Qin Yun and the ancestor. When some saw their plain clothes, a few cast looks of disdain.
Though Qin Yun wasn’t poorly dressed, compared to the descendants of aristocrats from the royal city, he clearly fell short.
The leading youth, Crown Prince of the Prince of Chu’s Residence, Qian Lingxiao, frowned slightly, clearly displeased and just about to speak when the ancestor said first, “How is your grandfather doing these days?”
Grandfather?
Qian Lingxiao’s brows furrowed deeper. His grandfather was the current Prince of Chu in the Great Qian Royal City. Did this man know him?
Qian Lingxiao gave the ancestor a once-over. The man looked plain and unremarkable. Still, he didn’t drive them away, only responded blandly, “He’s doing fine. And you are?”
The ancestor sighed in his heart.
So this was the quality of the Great Qian royal descendants—arrogant, prideful, and judging others solely by appearances. What was worse, they were not very intelligent.
He had clearly implied that he was of the same generation as the Prince of Chu and knew him personally. Even if he dressed plainly, Qian Lingxiao should’ve understood. But the youth didn’t grasp it at all, not even showing basic manners.
The ancestor silently shook his head and said flatly, “I’ve only met your grandfather a few times.”
“Oh.” Qian Lingxiao replied casually and didn’t look at him again.
As for Qin Yun, Qian Lingxiao didn’t spare him a glance.
In his eyes, Qin Yun and the ancestor were just a grandfather and grandson trying to build connections with the Prince of Chu’s Residence.
Qian Lingxiao turned back and resumed chatting with the other youths.
The ancestor sighed softly. He had offered the opportunity, but Qian Lingxiao failed to seize it. There was nothing more to be done.
“This… Grandpa, and… Brother, if you don’t mind, you can sit over here with me,” a soft voice said.
“Young Master, shall we sit there?” the ancestor asked.
“I’ll follow your arrangement,” Qin Yun replied with a smile.
They walked over.
The plain-robed girl was seated alone in the corner. No one else was with her—not even a female companion.
With just one glance at her attire, the ancestor already guessed her background.
There was a jade token from the Prince of Chu hanging at her waist, indicating she was a descendant of that bloodline. Her plain clothing suggested she was of illegitimate birth.
“Young lady, what’s your name?” the ancestor asked with a smile.
“Re… replying to Grandpa, I… my name is Qian Susu…” she answered timidly, head lowered, voice so soft it was almost inaudible.
“Susu, that’s a lovely name.” The ancestor nodded with a smile and asked, “Why aren’t you sitting with them?”
Qian Susu peeked over, then quickly lowered her gaze and whispered, “They don’t like me being there…”
“That’s alright. Not everyone needs to like you. Just be yourself. Since we’ve met by fate, we’ll sit with you.”
“This is our Young Master, Qin Yun. Handsome and promising, older than you. Just call him Brother Qin Yun,” the ancestor said with a grin, clearly trying to play matchmaker.
Qin Yun didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. The old man was clearly up to something.
“G-Greetings, Brother Qin Yun!” Qian Susu quickly bowed, a bit nervous.
“No need to be so formal,” Qin Yun replied kindly.
“Qian Susu!” A furious roar echoed through the cabin.
Qian Susu jumped in fright.
A young man in a blue brocade robe pointed at her and barked, “Even if you’re illegitimate and your mother was a maid, you still have royal blood. How dare you bow to a commoner?”
“Get over here right now! I’ll slap you twice to wake you up.”
“What are you waiting for? Crawl over here!”
Qian Susu’s face turned pale. Her thin body trembled.
Qian Lingxiao only watched indifferently, making no move to stop it. He never liked Qian Susu—just a maid’s illegitimate child. The fact she had survived this long was already a miracle. The source of this chapter is novelping dot com.
Normally, she kept her head down and stayed quiet. That was fine.
But now, bowing to a commoner? That was an embarrassment to the royal family.
“I told you to get over here! Are you deaf? Qian Susu, believe it or not, I can have you expelled from the academy tomorrow.”
“Don’t forget—your mother worked herself to death embroidering day and night just to earn enough to get you into the academy.”
“If you’re expelled, her sacrifice will have been in vain,” the blue-robed young man said coldly.
Qian Susu’s eyes welled with tears. She wiped her face as she trembled, walking toward him.
She didn’t want to be expelled.
If she was, she would lose her chance to take the Great Qian Academy entrance exam. Everything she had worked for over the years would be wasted. Her mother’s tireless effort would be for nothing.
She walked up to the young man in blue.
“Raise your head,” he commanded coldly.
Qian Susu raised her head with tears in her eyes.
The young man was momentarily stunned by her beauty.
Though she dressed plainly and was thin from poor nourishment, her face was delicate and lovely.
She had always kept her head down, so he never really noticed. But now, as she lifted her chin, he realized how attractive she truly was.
The young man narrowed his eyes, thinking he might feed her some meat to help her put on a bit of weight—she’d be even more beautiful then. He could have her warm his bed.
Though he was having such thoughts, he didn’t hold back. He raised his hand to slap her—
Only to find his wrist suddenly caught midair.
He froze.
When he saw it was Qin Yun who had stopped him, his expression darkened immediately. “You filthy brat, you dare stop me?”
The ancestor’s expression also turned icy cold.
This blue-robed young man clearly had a death wish.
Ever since childhood, the one thing Qin Yun hated most was being called a bastard—he had never known his parents. Words like that were utterly forbidden.