The Song Dynasty was the king for thirteen years before he knew that he was Tianlong.

Chapter 392 Purple Lightning and Green Frost
Upon hearing this, Zhao Ti immediately stepped back a few paces, straightened his posture, and looked out the window.

A few breaths later, a sound of something breaking through the air came from outside the tower, and then a dark figure, as ethereal as a spirit, flashed into the room.

"Young Master Zhao, the pen and paper have been brought. Please write this down by hand." Zhuge Qingqing stood up gracefully and placed a sandalwood book box on the ground.

Zhao Ti's lips twitched. Whose scholar's books had this person stolen? He wondered how anxious that scholar would be if he found out.

Zhuge Qingqing's eyes flickered, as if she could read his mind: "Young master, there is no need to worry that the owner of this book box is anxious. This book box is made of top-quality sandalwood. How could someone who can afford such a thing care about the mere pen and ink inside?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ti glanced at her and shook his head. Did the scholar care about the value of the stationery? Rather, he cared about the annotations and reading notes in the classics.

Seeing this, Zhuge Qingqing smiled and said, "Once you finish writing, I'll just send it back."

Zhao Ti nodded. Zhuge Qingqing opened the book box, took out the brush, ink, paper and inkstone, and arranged them neatly on the book box. She looked at Zhao Ti with anticipation in her eyes.

Zhao Ti glanced at her, then looked at the night outside, and sighed, "People say that a beautiful woman adds fragrance to the night while reading, but I am probably the first person in history to write poetry and prose on this thirteen-story pagoda in the middle of the night."

Zhuge Qingqing's eyes sparkled as she asked, "Does the young master wish to have a beautiful woman by his side?"

Zhao Ti blushed slightly and said, "It's just the imagination of scholars; it shouldn't be taken seriously..."

Zhuge Qingqing said with a charming smile, "With your talent, young master, there's no need to talk about sooner or later. If you want to achieve this, you can probably do it anytime."

Zhao Ti remained silent upon hearing this, thinking to himself, "Why did I say so much? Have I forgotten the saying 'Too much talk leads to mistakes'? I should be careful what I say."

He picked up the brush and saw that it was made of crystal-clear purple bamboo with fine wolf hair resembling jade. It looked very valuable, and he had never used such a fine brush before.

The ink was so vibrant it almost shone; it was ink from Huishan Mountain, and even a hundred taels of silver could only buy a piece the size of a fingernail. I had never used it myself.

He took a deep breath, then dipped his brush in ink and wrote the three characters "Qingqingge" on the snowflake-patterned Xuan paper.

"Young Master Zhao has excellent calligraphy..." Zhuge Qingqing exclaimed in surprise from the side.

"It's alright," Zhao Ti said calmly, his expression unchanged.

"Young master is too modest, young master..." Zhuge Qingqing hesitated.

"Hmm?" Zhao Ti looked up at the other person.

"Young master, could you please write the date and month as a gift to my daughter?" Zhuge Qingqing asked shyly.

“Okay.” Zhao Ti nodded. It was fine, as he had already prepared himself for the other party to make such a request.

"Then this humble girl thanks you, young master," Zhuge Qingqing said with a graceful bow and a shy voice.

After thinking for a moment, Zhao Ti wrote again, "In the sixtieth year of the Daye era, on the day of Xinwei in the month of Gengwu in the year of Jiwei, this is a gift to Miss Zhuge Qingqing."

He then began writing the poem, finished in a moment, glanced at it, and was very satisfied, considering it a superior work among his calligraphy.

Zhuge Qingqing's eyes lingered on the words "a beauty that could topple kingdoms," her eyes curving into crescent shapes once more. She bowed to Zhao Ti again, beaming, and said, "This humble girl thanks Young Master Zhao."

Zhao Ti said, "Miss Zhuge, can you leave me here and go home now?"

Zhuge Qingqing nodded repeatedly: "I have a gift to thank you for, and then I will escort you back."

Zhao Ti said, "No need for gifts..."

"Yes, yes, young master, there's no need to refuse." Zhuge Qingqing took out a brocade box from her person and gently opened it.

Then the room shone brightly, its white light flashing, illuminating the thirteen-story tower as if it were daytime.

Zhao Ti was taken aback. Upon closer inspection, he saw that the box contained a bright pearl, crystal clear and radiating boundless brilliance.

"This luminous pearl from the East Sea is a token of my gratitude to you, young master. Please do not refuse it, and accept it." Zhuge Qingqing presented the brocade box forward.

"This pearl... is too precious." Zhao Ti hesitated for a moment and did not reach out to take it.

"Can anything be more precious than Qingqingge? Young master, please don't say anything like 'I can't accept a reward without merit.' You give me a fine poem, and I return a pearl; it's a perfect match."

Zhao Ti smiled, pondered for a moment, then reached out and took the brocade box. After glancing at it, he closed the lid. "In that case, I will accept it."

“Young master should accept it. I will escort you back now…” Zhuge Qingqing said with a smile, but before she could finish speaking, a sudden gust of cold wind swept through the room.

"Huh?" Zhuge Qingqing was taken aback by the wind, but before she could come to her senses, the wind was already in front of her. Her eyebrows furrowed, and she moved her body, trying to dodge backward.

But this wind was extremely fast, invisible and colorless, and arrived in an instant, quickly brushing against her face.

She tried to reach out to block it, but it was too late. The cold wind simply lifted her black veil, then swayed and flew out the window, disappearing without a trace.

"Ah..." Zhuge Qingqing exclaimed in surprise, standing there stunned, her shoulders trembling slightly, feeling somewhat at a loss.

At this moment, her face was revealed. Her eyebrows were like distant mountains shrouded in mist, her eyes were like autumn waters rippling across the surface, her eyelashes drooped like butterfly wings fluttering, and when she looked up, light seemed to emanate from her pupils.

Her nose was delicate and upturned, her lips were like rouge freshly applied with morning dew, her chin was as soft as snow melting under the moon, and her cheeks were as white as fine jade. A few strands of long hair swept across her cheeks, making her incomparably beautiful. It was as if all the beauty of heaven and earth had been condensed between her eyebrows, eyes, lips, and teeth. She was a woman of exceptional beauty and grace, with unparalleled elegance.

"Hmm?" Zhao Ti was taken aback upon seeing this. Although he had expected the other party to be a beauty, after all, she was one of the top ten beauties and must have an outstanding appearance, he did not expect her to be so intelligent and clever, which was in stark contrast to Luo Fu's scholarly air. Each had her own merits.

Zhuge Qingqing's expression changed drastically at this moment. She was at a loss and hurriedly raised her hands to cover her cheeks. Looking at Zhao Ti, she said in a weak voice, "Young Master Zhao... did you see it?"

Zhao Ti was puzzled by her strong reaction and said, "I saw it. Miss Zhuge is a beauty of unparalleled grace and charm."

"Huh?!" Zhuge Qingqing peeked at Zhao Ti through her fingers, muttering, "How could this be? How could this happen!"

Zhao Ti asked in bewilderment, "Miss Zhuge, you..."

Zhuge Qingqing suddenly lowered her hand, and the long, narrow wooden box behind her leaped up. Then, a beam of azure light emerged from it, emitting a cold hum, and hovered above her head. It was a long sword, its entire body shrouded in a layer of azure-white light, as if covered in frost. "Young master, please don't blame me..." Zhuge Qingqing suddenly said, and then an invisible aura rose from her body. The azure long sword above her head trembled violently, and its tip immediately pointed at Zhao Ti.

When Zhao Ti saw the green sword pointed at him, the hairs on his body stood on end, and his heart pounded wildly. He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down, saying, "What does Miss Zhuge mean by this?"

Zhuge Qingqing looked at him, her lips trembling: "I, you..."

Zhao Ti said, "I wrote a poem for you, but after I finished, you turned your sword against me. I don't know why."

Zhuge Qingqing gently bit her lip, which was now thinly bloodshot. She suddenly stamped her foot and murmured, "This matter, this matter is not your fault!"

After speaking, she paused for a moment, then rolled up her sleeves, put away the Qingqingge on the table, and then darted to the window and out.

Zhao Ti was taken aback for a moment, then called out, "Miss Zhuge, if you leave, how will I get out of this pagoda?"

"The little girl is too shy to run away." The crow's voice rang out leisurely from the side, carrying a hint of mockery and smugness.

"Brother Crow, what exactly happened?" Zhao Ti looked at the crow beside him: "Was it Brother Crow who knocked away Miss Zhuge's veil just now?"

"Not bad, I didn't expect her to have the Zhuge family's Green Frost Sword. If we hadn't taken her by surprise, we probably wouldn't have succeeded." The crow laughed triumphantly.

"The Azure Frost Sword?" Zhao Ti recalled the azure longsword from earlier, which indeed resembled a wisp of azure frost; the name was quite fitting.

"The Zhuge family's Azure Frost Sword and the Xiao family's Purple Lightning Sword, together known as Purple Lightning and Azure Frost, are famous divine weapons in the world," the crow said. "I didn't expect the Zhuge family to be willing to give this little girl this divine sword for self-defense. It's quite a generous gesture."

“Purple Lightning and Clear Frost? What a nice name.” Zhao Ti pondered, “Just now, Miss Zhuge…”

"The Zhuge family has a rule: when a legitimate daughter enters the world and travels, especially one who is given the title of 'famous flower,' she will cover her face with a veil so that outsiders cannot see her. From the day she leaves home, she will be covered by a green veil," the crow said.

"I see, but..." Zhao Ti wondered, "If no outsiders saw it, how could they be selected as the top ten beauties?"

The crow glanced at him: "Do you think the people at Wan Cui Lou who judge the top ten beauties have ever seen all the women? It would be good if they could see two or three. They mostly judge based on rumors about their backgrounds and talents. The eldest daughter of the Zhuge family... let alone Wan Cui Lou, no outsider would easily see her."

"There's such a saying." Zhao Ti nodded. This was something he didn't know, after all, he was just a student of the state school, how would he know about such matters of aristocratic families and the martial arts world.

"What would happen if...someone saw us?" Zhao Ti asked, recalling Zhuge Qingqing's strange behavior earlier.

"Good question. So what did you see?" The crow chuckled twice. "It's fine if a woman sees you, but what if a man sees you..."

"What if a man sees us?" Zhao Ti immediately tensed up. Zhuge Qingqing's behavior was unusual just now, and she jumped out of the window to leave. There might be something going on inside.

“If a man sees this, he either kills the other person, or…” Crow looked at Zhao Ti with a hint of sarcasm, “or he marries the other person.”

"Huh?!" Zhao Ti's expression changed drastically upon hearing this.

"This is the rule of the Zhuge family: if you don't kill the man whose face you've seen, you have to marry him. There's no third option." The crow laughed loudly, its voice cawing.

"Brother Crow, Brother Crow has harmed me..." Zhao Ti couldn't help but rub his forehead, still not understanding why Zhuge Qingqing had summoned the Frost Sword and pointed it at him, and then ran away in a panic.

I can't bring myself to kill myself, but if I don't kill myself, I can't marry myself, can I?

Putting aside the fact that it was their first meeting, the difference in social status, whether they had feelings for each other, and whether they were a good match, how could they possibly get involved in marriage when they met under such circumstances of coercion?
"How have I harmed you? Isn't it good to let you see beauty?" the crow snorted. "If we really form a good relationship, it will be one of the few good things I've done in my life."

"Brother Crow, is this the reward you promised me for fighting for me?" Zhao Ti sighed, "How could there be any good fortune? It's already a stroke of luck that Miss Zhuge didn't kill me with her sword."

"Nonsense! With me here, how could she possibly kill you?" the crow said unhappily. "Even if she has the Frost Sword in her hand, she can't harm a single hair on your head in front of me!"

“Brother Crow…” Zhao Ti shook his head: “You said it yourself that it’s in front of you, but you can’t stay with me forever. Once you leave, or I go home and we separate, and Miss Zhuge changes her mind and comes to kill me again, who can stop or save me?”

"This..." The crow immediately fell silent upon hearing this.

The man and the crow looked at each other, and finally the crow, feeling a little guilty, avoided Zhao Ti's gaze and chuckled awkwardly, "It was a bit hasty, huh..."

Zhao Ti shrugged, sat down on the sandalwood book box, and looked worried.

"How about I go outside and look for that girl, and kill her to silence her?" Crow said, "But she has the Frost Sword protecting her, so I'm afraid I can't kill her instantly. Once we make a commotion and alert the city of Yuzhou, she will definitely be protected as the legitimate daughter of a noble family, and then things will be difficult."

"No need, no need..." Zhao Ti waved his hand: "Miss Zhuge did nothing wrong and shouldn't have died. Naturally, I haven't done anything wrong either. This matter..."

“I have another idea,” the crow interrupted him.

"What method?" Zhao Ti asked.

The crow glanced at him and said, "Since you can't bear to see that girl die, and you don't want to die yourself, then you might as well marry her. Just find a way to get her to marry you. Anyway, you've seen her face behind the veil, and it also fits the Zhuge family's clan rules."

“This is even worse, this, this…” Zhao Ti rubbed his temples: “Let me think if there is any other way.”

"I'm afraid not. I can protect you for a while, though. I'm in Yuzhou City on business, and I won't leave until it's done. If she tries to harm you during this time, I'll stop her. But after I leave Yuzhou..." The crow smacked its long beak, "you'll have to deal with it yourself then."

“I’ll handle this myself. Brother Ya knows I don’t know martial arts…” Zhao Ti thought to himself, “But Miss Zhuge didn’t make a move just now, which shows she’s reasonable and understands that these family rules are too unreasonable. Maybe, maybe…”

"Maybe what?" said the crow.

"If only I could see Miss Zhuge again, I could appeal to her emotions and reason with her, and persuade her to give up on this matter," Zhao Ti pondered.

“Indeed, that’s just the view of a scholar.” Crow shook his head: “If you see her again and don’t mention it, fine, but once you do, won’t you just be reminding her? Besides, you can only pretend you don’t know about the veil. If you say you know about it, it will put her in an even more difficult position. She might just draw her Frost Sword and then…”

“Brother Crow, Brother Crow…” Zhao Ti said with a wry smile, “It was my oversight. I understand now and will not mention this matter to Miss Zhuge.”

The crow said, "That would be best. When you see that girl again, pretend you don't know anything and see how she acts. With me around, everything will be easy. If I leave, then good luck to her."

Zhao Ti nodded, and was about to speak when he heard the crow say again, "Silence, that girl is back."

(End of this chapter)