CHAPTER 458: CHAPTER 407: THE GIRL DESTINED BY HEAVEN

Yu Zichuan had a rare clarity about him, treating fame and fortune as mere dirt and dismissing the powerful as inconsequential.

The Thousand Mechanism Pavilion held a lofty position, not only deeply trusted by Emperor Liang but also on the verge of forging a marital alliance with the Crown Prince Mansion.

It was no exaggeration to say that even the emperor’s sons had to show some respect toward the Thousand Mechanism Pavilion.

However, Yu Zichuan didn’t even glance back and simply walked straight toward his own carriage.

Gongsun Ziyu was livid.

She was, after all, the Second Miss of the Thousand Mechanism Pavilion, and yet someone dared to treat her words as mere noise!

The driver, noticing this, immediately stoked the flames: "Second Miss, look at his attitude! He doesn’t take you seriously at all!"

"Do you need to point that out?"

Gongsun Ziyu shot him a glare, then pulled out the whip at her waist and lashed it toward Yu Zichuan.

Her weapon was, surprisingly, also a whip.

Seeing this, Meng Qianqian couldn’t help but think of Bai Yuwei: the same unpleasant first encounter, the same Nine-section Whip striking someone. But how could every meeting in the world lead to camaraderie born from conflict?

Yu Zichuan reached out to grab the whip attacking him from behind.

Meng Qianqian acted first, shooting out a silver needle, striking the whip’s tail and deflecting it.

Gongsun Ziyu retracted her whip and dissipated the remaining inner strength from it.

She suspiciously eyed the carriage with its curtain drawn low. "Who’s there? If you have the guts, come out! Don’t hide like a cowardly turtle!"

Meng Qianqian was about to lift the curtain and step out when she noticed Shangguan Ling acting strangely.

She gave him a questioning look.

Shangguan Ling mouthed silently: I just managed to disguise myself as an outer disciple of the Thousand Mechanism Pavilion. If they recognize me, it’ll be trouble.

Outer disciple.

What delightful news.

She had been struggling to find a way to coordinate with Tan’er from the inside—and now, the solution had presented itself!

Meng Qianqian withdrew her hand and sat back down, speaking unhurriedly, "Is this how Gongsun Yanming teaches his daughter?"

Gongsun Ziyu’s delicate brows furrowed as she seethed with anger. "How dare you address my father by his name!"

Meng Qianqian replied coolly, "The Thousand Mechanism Pavilion has declined so much. It’s only been a few years since I last saw it, yet its disciples have become like street dogs, ready to bite whoever they encounter."

The driver barked, "Who are you calling a dog?"

Gongsun Ziyu stared suspiciously at the still, unmoving curtain, mulling over Meng Qianqian’s words.

Her elder sister was about to marry Prince Jian of the Crown Prince Mansion, and their father had invited many old acquaintances.

Could this woman... be one of them?

But her voice sounded unusually young—

Could she be her elder sister’s friend?

Gongsun Ziyu asked, "Who are you? If you are a friend of the Thousand Mechanism Pavilion, invited to attend my sister’s wedding banquet, then kindly show your invitation."

Shangguan Ling made exaggerated gestures: Do we have an invitation?

Meng Qianqian: No.

Gongsun Ziyu waited for a while but received no response. Her demeanor grew slightly haughty again: "Hand over an invitation, and I’ll deal with this servant who has disrespected his betters immediately."

The driver’s face turned pale in terror. "Second Miss!"

Gongsun Ziyu glanced at the poison-tipped whip in her hand. "If you can’t produce it, each of you will leave behind one hand!"

Meng Qianqian said coldly, "You dare ask for my hand? Are you tired of living?"

Gongsun Ziyu suddenly became uncertain again.

Clearly, they lacked an invitation, yet their air of confidence and inscrutability left her wondering if they were just bluffing—or if they truly carried significant weight.

"Second Miss!"

Just as Gongsun Ziyu wavered between doubt and suspicion, a disciple of the Thousand Mechanism Pavilion rushed over on horseback, dismounted in one swift motion, and reported urgently, "The Young Master has returned! Madam asks you to return to the pavilion immediately!"

Gongsun Ziyu thought she’d misheard. "Who did you say has returned?"

The disciple replied, "The Young Master."

Gongsun Ziyu frowned and clenched her whip tightly. "Got it."

Her icy gaze swept over Yu Zichuan and Lai Fu, finally landing on the motionless carriage curtain. "Consider yourselves lucky today. I’ll let you off for now, but I’ve remembered you. If I run into you again, I’ll show you what it means to cross the Thousand Mechanism Pavilion!"

"Phew."

After the group from the Thousand Mechanism Pavilion left, Shangguan Ling heaved a long sigh of relief. "Finally gone. That Second Miss from the Thousand Mechanism Pavilion is no easy opponent. Falling into her hands would be worse than death!"

Meng Qianqian had already seen enough. Someone so quick to demand a hand from others could certainly be deemed vicious.

That’s fine; when the day comes to destroy the Thousand Mechanism Pavilion, she wouldn’t need to hold back her mercy.

She asked Lai Fu, "Lai Fu, are you injured?"

"I’m fine," Lai Fu said.

Still, Lai Fu felt quite guilty. If he’d just been more perceptive and recognized them as people from the Thousand Mechanism Pavilion, he wouldn’t have gone to reason with them.

Meng Qianqian picked up on Lai Fu’s remorse. "Lai Fu, we’ve always been at odds with the Thousand Mechanism Pavilion. Even if today’s conflict hadn’t happened, it would only be a matter of time before we settled old scores with them."

Upon hearing this, Lai Fu looked up at his young master.

Yu Zichuan said, "She’s right. I hate the Thousand Mechanism Pavilion. I want to crush the Thousand Mechanism Pavilion."

With that, he leapt onto the roof of the carriage.

Shangguan Ling paused. "Yu Zichuan, are you sitting on my head right now?"

Yu Zichuan: Bleh-bleh-bleh.

Shangguan Ling gritted his teeth.

Meng Qianqian said, "Lai Fu, let’s go home."

A seemingly ordinary remark, but in that moment, it inexplicably tugged at Lai Fu’s heart.

He wiped his slightly wet eyes. "Understood!"

Meng Qianqian thought to herself that Lai Fu was just like a child.

The carriage rolled out of the alley.

Meng Qianqian asked Shangguan Ling, "And what kind of person is that eldest Miss?"

After a moment of thought, Shangguan Ling replied, "Gongsun Liuying’s reputation is far better than her overbearing younger sister’s. With unparalleled medical skill, a charitable heart, beauty, and talent, she’s a renowned woman of virtue—completely different from Gongsun Ziyu. Were it not for the obvious resemblance in their appearance, one might suspect the two weren’t even sisters."

Meng Qianqian said, "Only Changle is not truly their sister."

Shangguan Ling said, "Speaking of which, I’ve never actually met Miss Changle."

After all, he had only recently infiltrated the ranks of the outer disciples.

Meng Qianqian said, "Changle is on Witch Mountain. Wuyou has returned to the Thousand Mechanism Pavilion. You might get a chance to meet him."

Shangguan Ling caught on quickly.

The Young Madam wasn’t suggesting he simply meet Shang Wuyou; she was suggesting he monitor him.

Just like the Grand Commander, her words never spelled everything out. Fortunately, he wasn’t slow-witted. If it had been someone as straightforward as Yu Zichuan or Qing Shuang, they’d never grasp her subtext even after several lifetimes.

"Ah," he suddenly thought of something and quickly added, "Regarding Gongsun Liuying, I’ve heard a rumor. They say that at the moment of her birth, the sky was adorned with five-colored auspicious clouds. Later, a passing Taoist told her fortune and claimed she was born under a destiny of great significance, her future fortune immeasurable. Because of this extraordinary life chart, she remained unmarried for years. If not for the Imperial Grandson of Great Liang seeking her hand, this marriage probably wouldn’t have happened."

"Since ancient times, those destined for greatness are born under extraordinary circumstances," Meng Qianqian mused. "The Guardian Qilin and the Daughter of Destiny—a truly divine union indeed."