Chapter 151: None Other Than Me, Xu Zhe

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Rejection Letter — For Miss Qin Wurong.

“Dear Miss Qin, I am truly honored yet humbled by your affection.
Falling petals follow the flowing stream with intention, but the stream has no heart for the petals.
I am but a fleeting visitor in this world, a passing shadow—please, do not be enamored of me.”

…

Xu Zhe wrote the rejection letter with flourish—concise yet cutting, expressing refusal with utmost tact.

Chu Xiaotong watched from the side, increasingly amused.

“Hahaha, you’re so blunt with your rejection, that’s one thing, but you just had to add a touch of vanity? ‘A fleeting visitor in this world’—really, where do you come up with these lines?” she laughed loudly, feigning disdain.

“What? Am I not a fleeting visitor?”

Xu Zhe scratched his head in surprise, reading over his own words again. They were all honest statements—where was the vanity?

Chu Xiaotong: “……”

“Hm?” Xu Zhe looked up, confused, seeking her opinion.

“Fleeting, fleeting, fleeting—that’s you, the ultimate fleeting one,” she rolled her eyes and continued, “But you didn’t need to be so direct; it makes you seem vain and a bit hurtful.”

“Just a bit hurtful? That’s fine, I’ve improved,” Xu Zhe nodded with satisfaction.

Compared to his previous brutal rejections, this was merely mildly hurtful—already progress.

“Sigh, your brain…” Chu Xiaotong shook her head, feeling communication was impossible with Xu Zhe’s emotional circuit.

“Don’t sigh. I understand your point. It’s not Miss Qin’s fault for developing feelings for me; she shouldn’t have to bear the pain of rejection alone. So after rejecting her, I should offer some compensation as an apology.”

Xu Zhe, looking enlightened, immediately took out a talisman from his storage ring.

The talisman was a simple yellow paper with a black ink drawing of a small sword—unremarkable in appearance but exuding a sharp, cold aura.

“Ah, a sword talisman?”

Chu Xiaotong was surprised.

Talisman swords were rare on the Qingci Continent, as few mastered talisman arts, making most talismans valuable.

Among them, sword talismans were the rarest and most precious.

They were powerful offensive talismans that, when activated with spiritual energy, instantly materialized into flying swords of extraordinary might. Even non-sword cultivators could wield sword techniques through them, often turning the tide of battle unexpectedly.

What’s more, the one Xu Zhe took out seemed exceptional, likely of high grade.

Just one glance convinced Chu Xiaotong that its power matched at least that of a Conjugate Stage expert’s strike.

“Well, I’ll gift her this talisman sword and hope she understands my meaning... Actually, I’ll write it on the talisman itself so she won’t mistake it for a token of affection.”

Xu Zhe picked up his pen again.

On the blank spaces beside the sword drawing on the talisman, he wrote two lines in small characters:

"Presented to you, a talisman sword, urging you to sever emotional ties."

“……” Chu Xiaotong stared in disbelief.

What on earth is this young man doing?

This is too ruthless. Who would dare use a talisman inscribed with such words?

“How is it?”

Xu Zhe dried the ink on the talisman and proudly showed it off to Chu Xiaotong, his face practically emblazoned with “Look how awesome I am.”

“Well done!” Chu Xiaotong gave a thumbs up in encouragement, silently approving.

The rejection was harsh, but he was right—rejections should be decisive. Any ambiguity risks lingering feelings, turning relationships into tangled knots impossible to sever.

“You really get me, Tong-ge,” Xu Zhe sighed.

“We’re like siblings—no need to be formal,” Chu Xiaotong smiled broadly, slapping Xu Zhe’s shoulder casually.

“I’m a brother!” Xu Zhe corrected.

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“Where do I have a brother?”

“That’s not what I meant, but if you insist, how about you be the brother?”

“Where do I have… Fine, I guess that works—a pair of heavy burdens.”

“…”

“Let’s get down to business. How do you see the situation unfolding?” Chu Xiaotong settled back in her chair, crossing her long legs and folding her arms over the ‘burdens,’ her expression grave.

Xu Zhe’s face grew serious. “You probably noticed too—the demon army’s retreat was sudden and disorderly.”

“Isn’t it because I killed their last ancient demon king?” Chu Xiaotong asked, surprised.

“It’s not that simple. Even with their ancient demon king dead, they should’ve been able to withdraw in an organized manner, minimizing losses. Instead, they scattered like dust in the wind.”

“True, that makes sense,” Chu Xiaotong nodded thoughtfully.

“For now, we should hold our position. Although the demon army lost much of their power due to that mid-level battle formation, if we fall into their high-level formations, we’ll be the ones suffering.”

Xu Zhe tapped the table thoughtfully before continuing, “Give me some time. I need to create several new mid-level battle formations to prepare for their return. Then I’ll figure out how to infiltrate the first two defense lines and covertly deploy high-level formations.”

“Alright, I trust you,” Chu Xiaotong agreed without hesitation.

Xu Zhe then took out pen and paper, beginning to list materials needed for various formations.

Besides high-level formations, mid-level ones also needed new types. After this battle, Xu Zhe felt the need to develop more intricate formations—otherwise, if the demons created harmful, self-defeating demonic formations, the Vermilion Bird Army would struggle to withstand them.

Midway, Qu Hongxiu came rushing over, strongly condemning Xu Zhe for sneaking onto the battlefield without her. She protested vehemently.

Only under Chu Xiaotong’s warning gaze did the young girl sulkingly relent, then eagerly clung to Xu Zhe, begging him to explain how he fought so bravely.

“My strength today comes from hard work and perseverance, of course talent played a role, but in the face of effort, talent means nothing. You understand what I mean?” Xu Zhe said earnestly.

“…”

Qu Hongxiu: I don’t understand a bit.

…

The next morning.

Xu Zhe stretched, donned his long robe, and glanced back at the messy bed where two women lay fast asleep, wrapped in blankets. He shook his head with a proud smile.

That’s it?

They dared to claim they’d battle me until dawn?

They promised to stay up late and watch me craft mid-level battle formations—but they couldn’t even last an hour before falling asleep.

Ha, women’s words are deceptive lies.

Luckily, I was clever—didn’t sleep at all, stayed far from the bed, and worked through the night crafting formations.

I am the undisputed late-night champion.

“Bang! Bang! Bang!”

Suddenly, someone knocked heavily on the door, with such force it seemed like a deep grudge was involved.

Xu Zhe immediately sensed the visitor’s aura—it was Gu Jia’er.

“Xu Zhe!”

Before Xu Zhe could speak, Gu Jia’er called urgently from outside, “Is Lady Chu here? Tell her to get dressed and come out immediately!”

“Huh?”

Xu Zhe was startled.

How does Gu Jia’er know Chu Xiaotong prefers sleeping in the nude?

Is there some kind of surveillance in this room?

“What’s going on? It’s early morning—can’t a person sleep?” Chu Xiaotong turned over, frowning, her eyes never opening and clearly unwilling to get up.

“Crash!”

Gu Jia’er didn’t waste time—she burst through the door with commanding presence.

But upon seeing Chu Xiaotong and Qu Hongxiu on the bed, her face changed drastically. She stared at Xu Zhe in shock.

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“You… you two… them…” Gu Jia’er felt her head spinning.

She was the first to sense Chu Xiaotong’s aura here but never expected Qu Hongxiu to be present too.

Good heavens, she thought Xu Zhe was a decent man, aside from his habit of rubbing arms against people occasionally.

Never imagined things were so open—master and disciples all together…

“That’s right, Lord Gu, you came just in time. Bear witness, they both slept here last night,” Xu Zhe said cheerfully, glad to have witnesses to his late-night champion status.

“…” Gu Jia’er’s expression froze.

You want me to testify?

How disgraceful—morals have declined, people have changed.

You do such things shamelessly and still want me to vouch for you?

“When’s it my turn?” Gu Jia’er asked quietly.

“You want to join? Sure, I’ll call you next time,” Xu Zhe said, surprised that Gu Jia’er also enjoyed childish late-night competitions.

“So straightforward?”

Gu Jia’er was stunned, hesitating before biting her lip and agreeing, “Fine, but I don’t mind being third, at least I want to be second in hierarchy.”

Being ranked just below Chu Xiaotong was acceptable, but below Qu Hongxiu was out of the question.

“Ranking depends on your perseverance, but I think you’re better than Qu Hongxiu. Second place is possible.” Xu Zhe smiled, encouraged by her competitive spirit.

“And first?” Gu Jia’er probed cautiously.

“First? Impossible.” Xu Zhe shook his head firmly.

“You want to beat me in a late-night contest for first place? No chance!”

“Hey, Uncle Xu, you two stop arguing. I was exhausted last night, and you’re waking me up so early,” Qu Hongxiu complained.

Gu Jia’er surveyed the messy bed and imagined the scene, shivering. She eyed Xu Zhe suspiciously.

Is this guy really strong in every aspect?

“Why are you looking at me like that, Lord Gu?” Xu Zhe felt uncomfortable under her gaze and stepped back.

“Nothing. By the way, I have urgent business with Chu Xiaotong. I’m off.” Gu Jia’er blushed and hurried away.

But after taking a step, she suddenly stopped, as if realizing something.

What was I here for again?

What urgent matter?

Damn! Almost forgot the important thing!

“Lady Chu, stop sleeping! Something big happened!” Gu Jia’er called back urgently.

“What?” Chu Xiaotong groggily sat up, the blankets slipping to reveal her smooth, fair shoulder. Her sleepy demeanor was still alluring.

“Last night, the demon army suddenly attacked the border regions of three continents. The Southern and Western continents each lost a defense line, and the Northern continent’s defenses have completely fallen. The demons have breached the continent.”

“What?” Chu Xiaotong sat up straight, alarmed, fully awake now.

With a wave of her hand, a red armor set appeared, adorning her instantly—she transformed once again into a heroic, majestic Valkyrie.

“Follow me.”

She called urgently and vanished like a shadow, rushing out.

Xu Zhe stood dumbfounded, lightly patting his chest and murmuring, “Pink… turns out it looks different from transformation magic.”

…

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