Chapter 452: A Grudge

While Jing Taixu was in a state of disarray due to the extra paragraph on the flyer, Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e were standing by the railing on the first floor of the Astral Sage College tower, gazing out at this space while chatting casually.

Then he noticed a head poking out from around the corner.

It was Yu Lang.

Seeing him with Jiang Qing'e, the latter didn't walk over directly, but instead beckoned to him sneakily.

Li Luo was a bit puzzled, but he walked over anyway and said, "Didn't I tell you to go out and gather intelligence? Why did you sneak back?"

"I got a shocking piece of intelligence."

Yu Lang paused and said, "But you might be a bit angry after you see it."

Then he handed over an untampered flyer.

Li Luo took it and scanned it, and the smile on his face gradually faded. His self-control had always been quite good, but at this moment, a trace of anger couldn't help but rise in his eyes.

Although the rumors on such flyers were not credible, this matter involved Jiang Qing'e, and since he and Jiang Qing'e had a betrothal, this rumor was a smear against both him and Jiang Qing'e.

"Should I show it to Senior Sister Jiang?" Yu Lang asked.

"There's nothing to hide."

Li Luo thought for a moment, then turned around, walked to Jiang Qing'e's side, and handed the flyer to her.

Jiang Qing'e's golden eyes swept over it, and her delicate, white-porcelain-like face showed no ripples, though Li Luo noticed her gaze lingered for a few seconds longer than usual.

"There are fake messages everywhere in this area now, so there's no need to take it too seriously," Li Luo said with a smile.

"This cannot be entirely called a fake message."

Jiang Qing'e said, "The Jing family of the Divine Yang Dynasty did indeed send a letter expressing interest in a marriage alliance in the past, but Master ignored it and set it aside directly, so the information stated here is not entirely untrue."

"However... the malice implied in this is real."

Jiang Qing'e's words caused a look of astonishment to appear on Li Luo's face: "There's such a thing? How come I didn't know!"

"It was a boring matter to begin with, and it happened long ago, so I never told you. I didn't expect anyone to still remember it."

Jiang Qing'e flicked the flyer with her slender fingertips and said in a flat tone, "Only a very small number of people know about this. Now that it's been exposed, it's not hard to guess who the culprit is."

"Is it this Jing Taixu?" Li Luo said slowly.

Jiang Qing'e nodded: "Even I only saw that letter a short while ago, so I'm afraid only this Jing Taixu would know about such a thing."

"Then what is his intention? Offending us for no reason?" Li Luo narrowed his eyes. Given their positions, once this rumor was released, it was almost as if he had placed himself in opposition to them.

Does that Jing Taixu have a problem with his brain?

Can he be this arrogant just because he is a Virtual Ninth Grade?

"Perhaps he is a fool," Jiang Qing'e said casually.

"Senior Sister Jiang, don't be angry. I have already taught this idiot a harsh lesson for you!" Yu Lang, standing to the side, grinned with a smug look on his face.

"Oh?" Jiang Qing'e looked at Yu Lang in surprise.

Then Yu Lang took out another flyer, the one he had tampered with: "They sent people out to distribute the flyers, but I intercepted them all, so the flyers being spread now have all been modified by me."

Jiang Qing'e took the flyer and glanced at it, stunned for a moment, and then a smile couldn't help but appear on her lips.

Li Luo leaned over to take a look, also stunned, and then his expression became strange.

"Yu Lang, you are a talent. I underestimated you before," Li Luo said earnestly.

The addition Yu Lang made not only shifted the focus of the rumor but also splashed dung all over Jing Taixu's face. Jing Taixu was probably experiencing firsthand what it meant to lift a rock only to drop it on his own feet.

Li Luo reached out and patted Yu Lang on the shoulder: "Thanks."

In truth, Li Luo was very angry about this rumor because he did not want anyone to make negative, pointing comments about Jiang Qing'e, and he especially did not want Jiang Qing'e to become the center of such pointless rumors.

Yu Lang's timely intervention had clearly minimized the rumor storm and turned the damage of the rumor toward Jing Taixu.

So even though their relationship was already deep, he was still sincerely grateful.

Yu Lang curled his lips at this and said, "Senior Sister Jiang is the ace of our college; how could I allow them to smear her at will? I am just protecting the reputation of our college."

Jiang Qing'e looked at Yu Lang, and a gentle smile appeared on her beautiful face.

"Thank you," she said, following Li Luo's lead in expressing her thanks.

Facing Jiang Qing'e's gratitude, Yu Lang felt a bit flattered. Although Jiang Qing'e was not considered cold in the college, perhaps because she was too outstanding, many people felt a sense of distance from her.

So when she let down her guard and thanked him sincerely, even someone with a thick-skinned personality like Yu Lang felt embarrassed.

Just as they were talking, a college student hurried over from around the corner and said, "Senior Sister Jiang, someone in front of the tower says they want to see you. He says he is Jing Taixu from the Holy Bright King College."

Upon hearing this, a trace of coldness appeared in the eyes of both Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e.

This Jing Taixu, after spreading such news, actually dared to come to their door?

"Shall we see him?" Li Luo looked at Jiang Qing'e.

He wanted to see what kind of tricks this Jing Taixu was trying to pull.

Jiang Qing'e nodded. She didn't speak, but the frost covering her white-porcelain-like face revealed her mood at the moment.

Afterward, the group walked down the tower, exited the door, and saw two figures standing under a large tree on the right side.

It was indeed Jing Taixu and Lu Jinci.

Both of them saw Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e approaching.

Jing Taixu's gaze rested on Jiang Qing'e immediately. Although he had prepared himself mentally before coming, when the person appeared before his eyes, a look of intense amazement still appeared in Jing Taixu's eyes.

For Jing Taixu, who had known countless women, the girl before him was truly the best he had ever encountered.

No wonder even the old man had been willing to lower his face to seek a marriage alliance with them. Alright, he had truly wronged him.

At this time, Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e walked closer. Li Luo's gaze immediately turned to Jing Taixu. Although they had never met, for some reason, he felt an involuntary sense of disgust upon seeing this person, so he smiled and said, "Hello, are you that... Jing Kidney-Deficient?"

The smile on Jing Taixu's handsome face froze slightly, and he immediately corrected, "It is Jing Taixu."

"It seems that flyer was indeed tampered with by your people."

Li Luo nodded and said, "Isn't it quite well-edited?"

"Fabricating things out of thin air is a bit impolite, but what I said was not false; it was a matter of fact," Jing Taixu said.

"Our House Luolan has received several crates of letters similar to those from your Jing family over the years, so you don't need to take it to heart," Li Luo smiled.

Jing Taixu's gaze fixed on the tall, upright youth who was even more handsome than himself. He raised an eyebrow slightly and said, "And you are?"

"Li Luo of the Astral Sage College, son of Li Taixuan... and also, Jiang Qing'e's fiancé." He reached out and took the slender hand of Jiang Qing'e, who had remained silent the entire time. The delicate touch was like warm mutton-fat jade.

"So, my friend from the Holy Bright King College, the rumor you spread made me very angry."

Jiang Qing'e glanced at Li Luo, a smile appearing on her red lips. She did not pull away, but instead interlaced her fingers with Li Luo's.

"Fiancé?"

Jing Taixu's expression finally changed slightly. He hadn't expected the two to have such a relationship, and judging by Jiang Qing'e's reaction, there was no resistance at all.

"Young House Master Li Luo, you are truly enviable. This proximity has brought you great fortune," Jing Taixu sighed.

"Senior Sister Jiang, I was unaware of this matter previously, so I was presumptuous. I only heard my father mention you and that past event when I was coming here, so I wanted to meet you. If I have caused you any negative impact, I can apologize to you publicly." He looked at Jiang Qing'e again, expressing his apology with a sincere expression.

Jiang Qing'e stared at Jing Taixu with her golden eyes, which held a trace of indifference, and finally said, "Flies are meant to be swatted to death, not apologized to."

Jing Taixu's pupils shrank, because at this moment, he truly sensed a trace of killing intent in Jiang Qing'e's voice.

Lu Jinci took a half-step forward, blocking half of Jing Taixu's body, his body tense and his eyes guarding against Jiang Qing''e.

Although fighting was prohibited in this space, he was afraid that Jiang Qing'e might be overcome with anger and strike with thunderous force to destroy Jing Taixu, which would truly be a one-for-one trade.

"Jing Kidney-Deficient... no, Student Jing Taixu."

Li Luo looked at Jing Taixu and smiled: "We will see each other at the academy-level tournament."

Jing Taixu smiled back at Li Luo's gaze. He could hear the meaning behind the latter's words, and he immediately smiled subtly: "Student Li Luo, I am looking forward to it."

Afterward, both sides had no interest in continuing the conversation, and Jing Taixu and Lu Jinci turned and left directly.

After walking for a distance, Lu Jinci asked, "It seems our goal was achieved."

He could feel that the way Jiang Qing'e looked at them was a bit cold.

Jing Taixu nodded.

"Why do I feel like we overdid it? That Jiang Qing'e makes my heart feel a bit uneasy," Lu Jinci said.

Jing Taixu still didn't speak.

Lu Jinci couldn't help but pat him on the shoulder and said, "What are you thinking about?"

Jing Taixu sighed faintly: "Thinking about that feeling of a heart being moved."

Lu Jinci rolled his eyes and said, "You've been in the college for a year and your heart has been moved ten times."

"This time is different," Jing Taixu argued.

"She has a fiancé... and besides, the thing you did this time has probably created a grudge with that Li Luo," Lu Jinci reminded him.

Jing Taixu smiled upon hearing this.

"Although I envy this Student Li Luo's good fortune, I do not fear his strength. I am not underestimating him, but..."

He revealed a brilliant smile: "In the First Star Academy of the Eastern Divine Continent, I truly do not fear anyone."

Lu Jinci had no objection to this. After all, as the biggest favorite to win the championship in the First Star Academy, Jing Taixu indeed had the capital and qualifications to say this.

On the other side, Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e watched the two figures walk away.

"Li Luo," Jiang Qing'e suddenly spoke.

"Hmm?"

"I have a task for you," she said.

"Eliminate him in the First Star Academy-level tournament."

"Is there a reward?" Li Luo asked expectantly.

Jiang Qing'e smiled and raised their joined hands.

"Sorry, you've already received your advance."