He Comes Asking Again

The Celestial Emperor really is a kind-faced, black-hearted devil.

Normally, their monthly exams only cover what they've learned that month.

But today’s test wasn’t just about recent material.

Some questions were from things they learned ages ago.

Some were on topics they hadn’t even studied yet.

Luckily, almost all the key points Sean Shaw marked for her showed up on the test.

He really does know his dad inside out.

After nearly two hours of writing, Lucia Lu rubbed her aching wrist, looked at her stack of pages, and smiled.

"Alright! Time’s up!" His Majesty the Celestial Emperor announced. "Hand them in, everyone!"

Everyone started turning in their papers, one after another.

Lucia Lu did a final check, picked up her paper, and stood up.

Just then, someone let out a little yelp and toppled toward her.

It was Jenna Summers.

Lucia raised a hand to block her, letting Jenna steady herself.

"Sorry," Jenna said. "This skirt is really not working today. I just stepped on the hem."

Lucia glanced down—sure enough, her skirt was way too long—so she nodded calmly and motioned for Jenna to go first.

Once everyone handed in their papers, they headed outside.

Groups of three or five gathered to chat.

Some looked pale as ghosts, some were beaming, some hung their heads in deep thought.

"How’d you do, Lucia?" Henry Xiao came over and asked.

Lucia smiled, "Not bad. I think I should pass. What about you?"

"Me? Eh... it's iffy!" Henry Xiao shook his head, laughing. "Imagine, my own father's birthday, and if I can't go back as his son—how embarrassing would that be?"

"You're way too modest. When have you ever not ranked near the top?"

His ranking really is always near the top.

But first place always goes to Sean Shaw.

"Lucia, did you guys go to Clearwind Gorge yesterday?" Henry Xiao asked, sounding casual.

Lucia glanced at him.

He’s asking again?

Clearly, they already know what Liam Li did and are worried we’ll report it.

Lucia nodded, "Yep! We went! Last night the Princess asked me if the Sigil Sect disciples gave us any talismans—are you trying to ask the same thing?"

Henry Xiao looked a little awkward. "Is she causing trouble again?"

"She’s fine," Lucia replied. "But I don’t get why you’re all asking about this?"

Henry Xiao said, "My cousin, Young Lord Li Ao, checked the place and found signs the formation was sabotaged. Since this kind of array can be broken from the outside, they usually set a Taiqing Clarity Charm at the entrance..."

"So you’re all asking because you want to find out who let the demon beast loose?"

Henry Xiao hesitated, then nodded.

Lucia smiled lightly. "Honestly, I think there’s not much point digging into the past. It’s better to focus on how to prevent this kind of thing from happening again."

After a pause, she looked at Henry and said, "Especially, make sure the gods teach their own kids well! Don’t let children run off and cause trouble."

Henry Xiao’s face changed slightly, but before he could reply, Adrian Drake suddenly popped up, slung an arm around Henry’s neck, squeezed between them, and grinned, "What are you two talking about?"

Henry Xiao shot him an annoyed look. "Nothing! Just chatting."

"Fourth Highness, give us a sneak peek—who’ll be performing tomorrow? Will Lady Hundred Blossoms be there? She went with the Empress Dowager to her fief and we haven’t seen her in years..."

Lucia took the chance to slip away.

That was enough talk for now.

Really, the best thing Young Lord Azure Dragon could do is go straight to His Majesty the Celestial Emperor and tell him what happened.

Most likely, His Majesty would go easy on Liam Li, since he’s just a kid.