Chapter 502: Registered Disciple
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"Lady Mengdie, are you drunk? That's Youwei's master."
Mengdie chuckled softly: "I drink to sober up. I never get drunk."
But with her slightly upturned lips and hazy eyes, she looked undeniably drunk.
"I didn't ask about your master. You're a bit slow, but I have experience raising children. I'm very patient."
"I meant, do you know Su Cheng?"
"Do you know him? What kind of person is he?"
Chu Youwei thought to herself, Could Mengdie possibly be jealous…?
That tone… it felt dangerous!
Something was terribly off!
Mengdie's Dawn Hall resembled a miniature council chamber—essentially a meeting hall—with people bustling outside. Yet at this moment, the two were inside Mengdie's private quarters.
Outside, officials sat at desks processing documents. Despite the constant flow of people, there was no noise—everything appeared orderly and well-organized.
Walls formed by stacked documents and files fit together seamlessly, resembling bookshelves. They held neatly categorized materials and archives that held no interest for Chu Youwei.
On Mengdie's desk lay only a few documents. The one closest to her had been soaked through with wine, its ink blurred and faint.
Behind and to the side of Mengdie stood two massive liquor cabinets. Chu Youwei sensed these cabinets were magical artifacts, though seemingly used only for refrigeration.
Beside them stood a bed. Should Mengdie truly become intoxicated and require rest, the slightly ajar door would be closed.
At that point, no one would come knocking. Even if the sky fell, they would wait until Mengdie awoke to report.
This practice mirrored Xun Ye's earlier habits. Although Su Cheng had prepared sleeping quarters for them within the inner city, both women were the type to nap wherever they found time. With their demanding work schedules, they rested whenever a moment allowed.
Thus, in reality, only Xiao Ai occasionally slept a full night in the Holy Martial Hall.
"Regarding Master's affairs, I dare not speak lightly."
"But the Master was always so gentle with me, and with all the disciples…"
Mengdie cut Chu Youwei off once more. Clearly, despite Mengdie's best efforts to clarify her meaning, Chu Youwei still didn't grasp what she was asking.
"I'm not asking about your Master. I'm asking about Su Cheng. Do you truly understand him?"
"When you stand beside him as his disciple, what you see is naturally your Master."
"But what if you stood a little further away?"
"Would you understand the real Su Cheng? What kind of man is he when he sheds the title of master? Do you want to see?"
Chu Youwei remained silent, struggling to control her expression. She didn't want to look foolish.
But the answer was already on the tip of her tongue. When this question was posed, Chu Youwei found it easy to arrive at the conclusion.
Clearly, her presence here was also Master's arrangement.
How could this be a simple banquet?
The First Disciple, Ye Qinghan, had been trained by the esteemed Gu Ai. His strength had advanced by leaps and bounds, as if he were from another realm compared to her.
The second disciple, Li Shiyao, had that sly fox backing her. He’d sneak away from Su Cheng to meet Li Shiyao whenever he could, and she’d slip him delicacies—her future looked promising.
The third disciple, Dongfang Jue, was deliberately being tempered by the Master. This was evident from the magical artifact bestowed upon her, signifying that her path would naturally diverge from the others…
As for the newly initiated fifth disciple, Miaomiao, she was still struggling through the Qi Cultivation stage. At present, she possessed only a modicum of magical power, capable of simple object manipulation but not yet sword control.
As for the mysterious fourth disciple, to her knowledge, he had been dispatched by the master to carry out his orders.
In truth, Ye Qinghan had already become one of only two people besides Su Cheng and Xiao Ai who knew the fourth disciple's identity through careful probing.
If this was indeed the Master's arrangement, it seemed her turn had come?
For her, a mere registered disciple? Hmph~
This banquet felt like it was meant to find her a…
Clearly, the Master had entrusted her to Mengdie, though he put on a show of reluctance. Heh, that was indeed the Master's style.
"Very well, I have my answer. Second question: Can you drink?"
"In reply to Lady Mengdie, I know a little."
"The remaining half bottle is yours. I'll take a nap. Stay seated here and handle whoever comes."
Chu Youwei: ???
"Handle it?" Handle what?
As she spoke, Mengdie—who claimed she wasn't drunk—collapsed the moment she reached the bedside. Like a robot suddenly drained of power, she fell flat onto the mattress…
Just like… dead. Completely motionless, though still breathing.
Staring in disbelief, Chu Youwei silently thought this girl was a bit unreliable. With no other choice, she sat down in Mengdie's chair.
The chair was surprisingly comfortable. Chu Youwei briefly scanned the documents on the desk.
"Just go through the motions" probably referred to these two red-bound documents on the desk.
Chu Youwei guessed they were likely documents Mengdie found inconvenient to refuse or agree to, hence using her as a shield.
The first document concerned funding for the Linglang River frontline. A solution had already been proposed, but it required Mengdie's signature and the seal of the Dawn Palace.
The second document concerned an item called [Overload], which seemed to have malfunctioned. It had been sent to Mirror Lake and was awaiting approval for repair funds.
Both documents were bound in black leather—military affairs typically handled by Xiao Ai.
But Chu Youwei didn't think much of it and was about to glance at the documents beside her.
Just as she reached out to grab it, two knocks sounded on the slightly ajar door.
Chu Youwei instinctively called out, "Come in."
The visitor was a man in his forties wearing a red robe. Neither fat nor thin, his face bore the look of someone who hadn't had proper rest in a long time.
The man noticed the voice didn't quite match Mengdie's, but then thought it might just be Mengdie speaking after drinking too much. He dismissed the thought and stepped inside.
But when he saw that it wasn't Mengdie sitting at the table, but Chu Youwei, he was startled!
His gaze immediately shifted to the bed, and he was so terrified he instantly fell to his knees!
"This…"
"Lady Mengdie is weary. Whatever you need, you may speak to me instead."
Though Chu Youwei appeared young, just like in the cultivation world, visual age was meaningless.
In any other setting, the man might have scanned her with his divine sense and discovered the girl before him was only seventeen.
But this was the Dawn Palace. Though the man didn't recognize Chu Youwei, the fact that she sat upon Dream Butterfly's chair spoke volumes—she was either wealthy or noble!
Though this girl addressed Dream Butterfly as "Your Excellency," how many within the inner city dared to speak her name directly?
Who dared probe with divine sense in this place?
Wouldn't that be fucking suicide?
"Yes, yes, yes. This humble servant has come to retrieve the documents processed by Your Excellency…"
"Oh, take them. Keep it quiet—don't disturb Lord Mengdie's rest." Chu Youwei waved dismissively, her expression utterly casual.
The man trembled as he gathered the two neatly stacked piles of documents from the corner of the desk, carried them outside, and quietly closed the door behind him.
This man didn't seem to be the one Mengdie mentioned needing to be dealt with. However, since the red-robed man had taken away the other red-bound documents, Chu Youwei became even more certain that the two black-bound documents before her were likely the ones requiring attention.
Just as she was thinking this, a burly man clad in battle armor appeared outside the door. He pushed it open and spoke bluntly.
"Mengdie, approved? I'm in a hurry over here…"
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