Chapter 3, Su Youwei

Your Highness

Inside the church, a sudden gasp arose, and numerous gazes were fixated on the jade pendant with longing. This type of gathering jade is highly beneficial for cultivation; wearing it for an extended period can significantly accelerate the opening of the eight meridians, making it exceedingly valuable

At the third meridian, at this rate, it is likely that in another one or two years, all eight meridians will be fully opened. Zhou Yuan exclaimed, as Su Youwei's talent in cultivation was evidently exceptional; in less than a year, she had achieved what others could accomplish in several years.

As he spoke, he took out a jade pendant that shimmered with a faint glow from his bosom and placed it on the desk, saying: "If you win, this gathering source jade will belong to you"

"Setting a trap to bully a girl, Xu Lin, you truly have some skill, don't you?" Zhou Yuan sneered, realizing that this guy was clearly eyeing the coveted examination spot held by Su Youwei, which is why he deliberately set up a scheme to provoke her, using the spot to challenge her.

Zhou Yuan's complexion was not looking good; he stared at Su Youwei, who had her head lowered, and reproached her, saying: "Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

Xu Lin lazily said: "I have no idea what Your Highness is talking about. So many people witnessed it; the quota was earned through my own strength. Therefore, even if Your Highness personally demands it, I will not return it."

Xu Lin fixed his fiery gaze on the Gathering Source Jade, licked his lips, and then let out a cold laugh at Zhou Yuan, saying: "Since Your Highness insists on giving me this Gathering Source Jade, I shall not refuse it."

By the way..." Zhou Yuan pointed at the table and said, "How many meridians have you opened now?"

Later, by chance, Zhou Yuan noticed that she possessed a talent for cultivation, and thus recommended her to the Great Zhou Mansion. From that moment on, she began to undergo a transformation that was nothing short of earth-shattering

Your Highness! Su Youwei is also in great haste

Her rosy lips were gently pursed; although she wore no expensive jewelry and appeared somewhat plain, there was a certain strength emanating from her. Her long hair was tied back in a ponytail, exuding vitality.

The young girl pouted and said, "Youwei also managed to open the third meridian during these days, and that Xu Lin from m.hetushu.com is quite shameless, relying on the advantage of the source weapon to win against Youwei by sheer luck."

Su Youwei was momentarily taken aback, glanced at Zhou Yuan, and then cautiously said: "It is the third pulse."

Zhou Yuan could only roll his eyes in response to this

And it was from that day onward that she met Zhou Yuan, and later learned of his identity as His Highness of the Great Zhou Dynasty

Her appearance, however, appeared even more charming, which caused the gazes of those around to turn much more fierce when looking at Zhou Yuan. It can be inferred that if it were not for their fear of Zhou Yuan's status as a prince, they would have likely rushed out to rescue the goddess long ago

Alright, I will wait for Your Highness at the training ground. I am quite curious to see how Your Highness will win back the quota today

Upon hearing Zhou Yuan's unequivocal response, Su Youwei gently bit her red lips, her gaze directed towards him. A glimmer of moisture flickered in her eyes, and then, fearing it might be noticed, she quickly lowered her head

Xu Lin chuckled and said, "I am not interested."

Although Xu Lin found Qiyuan's actions strange, he did not believe that someone who had opened two meridians would be unable to defeat someone who had not opened even one meridian

Everything is ready. Grandfather said that if there is time, he would like to invite Your Highness to our home, but the house is too dilapidated, and I am afraid...

Ultimately, all the pharmacies were closed coldly. Beneath the torrential rain, she felt that the entire sky had darkened, her heart as cold as ice

Su Youwei's face was almost buried in her chest, and she said in a low voice: "I, I no longer have that quota"

Upon hearing this, Su Youwei also smiled softly and said, "Then I will apply some makeup on my face in the future to make myself look a bit uglier"

The young girl is surnamed Su and her given name is Youwei

Thus, the young girl busied herself beside Zhou Yuan's desk, helping him tidy up the disordered items until everything was neat and clean. This drew the attention of many young boys in the church, their gazes fixed on Zhou Yuan, filled with a burning jealousy that seemed ready to overflow.

Zhou Yuan smiled and did not refuse, after all, the relationship between the two was indeed unusual

His tone was not heavy, yet it caused Su Youwei's heart to race a little faster. She bit her red lips tightly, unable to speak for a long time. However, a girl nearby, who had a good relationship with Su Youwei, interjected: "Isn't it that Xu Lin? A few days ago, he was going around the residence speaking ill of you. Youwei argued with him and made him apologize, but that guy said that if Youwei could defeat him in a match, he would apologize. However, if she lost, she would have to give him her spot in the upcoming major exam."

In two months, the major examination of this year will take place. Put in some effort to strive for the fourth pulse, and aim to enter the top ten in the examination. That spot of yours was hard-earned by me, and as long as you make it into the top ten, you will receive personal guidance from the governor and others, which will be extremely beneficial for you.

She knew that Zhou Yuan, for certain reasons, seemed unable to open his meridians and cultivate, so whenever they were together, she never took the initiative to bring up the matter of opening the meridians, nor did she ever flaunt her progress, fearing that mentioning it might touch on Zhou Yuan's sensitive spot.

I hope you have this ability. Zhou Yuan did not respond definitively

As he was tidying up the room, a gentle voice suddenly sounded. Zhou Yuan looked up and saw a girl smiling at him beside his desk.

She merely stands here gracefully, attracting the secret glances of many young men in the church.

It is not because of the Gathering Source Jade, but rather because Zhou Yuan intends to personally confront Xu Lin. However, Zhou Yuan has not even opened a single meridian, so how could he possibly be a match for Xu Lin, who has opened two meridians

Zhou Yuan furrowed his brows and said, "Xu Lin has only just opened two meridians; he shouldn't be able to defeat Yong Wei, right?"

Her skin is fair and delicate, her nose is straight and prominent, with willow-like eyebrows and apricot-shaped eyes, making her a rare beauty. Particularly, the tear mole at the corner of her eye adds an extra touch of charm to the young girl.

However, fists and kicks have no eyes; if you happen to injure His Highness later, do not blame me

Zhou Yuan's gaze became somewhat deeper. He had heard his father, King Zhou Qing, mention that this King of Qi was supported by the Great Wu Dynasty. Therefore, over the years, he had been secretly stirring up trouble in the Great Zhou Dynasty, clearly intending to disrupt their peace.

Just when she was in despair to the point of numbness, she felt someone walk up to her, place an umbrella in her hand, and then, in her unfocused gaze, stepped forward and forcefully kicked open the tightly shut door of the pharmacy.

As her gaze met that of Zhou Yuan, the girl named Su Youwei felt her cheeks flush slightly, then she averted her eyes to Zhou Yuan's messy desk, knelt down, and said softly: "Your Highness, let me help you tidy up."

The one who kicked open the door of the pharmacy was naturally Zhou Yuan. At that moment, Su Youwei stared blankly at his back. In the past, she had despised such young scions, but at that moment, she felt that... this boy's back, who had kicked open the door, might be something she would remember for the rest of her life

Zhou Yuan was also hastily tidying up the desk, preparing to leave

Zhou Yuanyi was taken aback, and then his brows furrowed tightly as he asked, "What is going on?"

At that time, it seemed that a cold voice was coming from there

Alright, we will conclude here for today, and we will continue tomorrow. The lecturer tidied up a few things and then left the church

Zhou Yuan looked at the bright and charming young girl before him, a hint of a smile appearing on her slightly scholarly face: "It is You Wei."

At that time, she was covered in mud and in a state of utter disarray

Zhou Yuan cast a glance at Xu Lin and said with a cold smile: "I didn't mean for you to fight with You Wei, I meant for you to have a match with me!"

Su Youwei's small hands froze slightly as she tidied up the desk, her head lowered, feeling somewhat hesitant to look at Zhou Yuan

Seeing her like this, Zhou Yuan felt a bit of pity. This girl, when she gets stubborn, can also be quite a headache. Thus, his gaze, which contained a hint of coldness, turned towards Xu Lin, who had been smiling and looking this way from inside the church

The church fell silent for a moment due to the sudden interjection of the young man in splendid attire. The numerous young boys and girls cast a glance at him, only to silently withdraw their gazes, for the speaker was not an ordinary individual.

Upon hearing Zhou Yuan's words, Su Youwei lifted her delicate face, her jade-like hand gathering a strand of loose hair that had fallen before her eyes, and a smile soon appeared on her cheeks

The young man named Xu Lin is the son of the governor of the Western Town of the Great Zhou Dynasty. Of course, in terms of status and position, he is far inferior to Zhou Yuan, the prince of the Great Zhou Dynasty. However, everyone knows that the person behind Xu Lin is the young prince Qi Yue of the Qi royal residence.

As the two individuals gradually settled into silence, the atmosphere in the lecture hall slowly returned to normal, and the instructor continued to explain the three source patterns until, after the burning of two incense sticks, the bell rang

However, Su Youwei merely smiled in response, for only she knew how dirty and thin she had been when she first met Zhou Yuan

With the departure of the lecturer, the tense atmosphere in the lecture hall immediately relaxed, and the group of young boys and girls huddled together, bursting into lively laughter and chatter

On that day, her grandfather, who had been her companion since childhood, fell gravely ill, causing their already broken family to collapse completely. Braving the torrential rain, she carried her grandfather on her small back. Due to a lack of money, she could only kneel before each of the pharmacies in the downpour, crying and pleading for the doctors within to save her grandfather.

"Now that you look beautiful, I hardly dare to ask anything of you." Noticing those gazes, Zhou Yuan could only shake his head and speak softly

Open the door, save lives

This made him particularly proud, as it seems he has inadvertently stumbled upon a treasure

Are you daring now?

What happened? Noticing her change, Zhou Yuan felt somewhat puzzled

Is your grandfather's illness better now?" Looking at the busy young girl, Zhou Yuan propped his chin on his hand and asked

However, due to the fear of Da Wu and the concern of providing them with an excuse to deal with the Zhou Dynasty, Zhou Qing could not openly take action against King Qi. Nevertheless, there were naturally mutual conflicts occurring in the shadows.

Within this grand prefecture, if one were to be dismissed, it would indeed be a significant loss for him

Su Youwei intertwined her delicate hands and said softly, "It is my inadequacy; I do not wish to cause His Highness any more trouble"

In just the first month of entering the Great Zhou Mansion, she successfully opened her first meridian, becoming the fastest person to do so since the establishment of the Great Zhou Mansion, and thus earning the title of genius in the eyes of many within the mansion

"Alright, I will go during the next holiday," Zhou Yuan said with a smile

The young girl was dressed in the academy uniform of the Great Zhou Prefecture. Although it was somewhat loose, it still accentuated her well-developed curves. The simple long pants further highlighted her long and straight legs

Suddenly, from being unnoticed, she became the center of attention. Su Youwei also felt somewhat uncomfortable, and at times, there were those who disapproved of her relationship with Zhou Yuan, secretly suggesting that Zhou Yuan's assistance was merely due to his attraction to her beauty

Xu Lin let out a hearty laugh, dismissing Zhou Yuan's stubbornness. He shrugged his sleeves and walked outside, his low laughter carrying a hint of amusement and mockery, echoing back from a distance

Zhou Yuanchong waved his hand at Su Yaowei, playing with the jade pendant, and smiled at Xu Lin, his smile tinged with sarcasm

Xu Lin is so eager to please Qi Yue... It can be inferred that his father must have also joined the camp of King Qi...

Zhou Yuan cast a glance at Xu Lin, lightly tapping the table with his fingers, and then casually withdrew his gaze. This fellow, in order to curry favor with Qi Yue, truly spares no effort.

Seeing that Zhou Yuan remained silent, Xu Lin's mocking smile grew even more pronounced. Just as he was about to continue speaking, the lecturer suddenly shot him a sharp glare, forcing him to close his mouth.

She still remembers the day she met Zhou Yuan a year ago

"Hey, how high do you want me to stack my books?" Zhou Yuan looked at Su Youwei helplessly. At this moment, the latter seemed a bit lost in thought, stacking the books on his desk like a tower reaching the sky.

Ah? Su Youwei also came to her senses, gazing at her masterpiece before her, her little face instantly flushed red, and she hurriedly put it down: "Your Highness, I am sorry, I will tidy it up again"

Zhou Yuan淡淡地说道: "Dare to have another match?"

That may have been her utmost despair, but it also marked the beginning of a day filled with hope

Due to this relationship, Qi Yue, who also studied at the Da Zhou government, naturally had his share of friction with Zhou Yuan

Last time he was merely lucky, but now Su Youwei has already opened three meridians, so he will no longer be a match for her