“Who cares if it’s real or not? Wearing that Xuantiansong Daoist robe just feels so cool when you play. Oh, and there’s someone claiming to be from the Sword Inquiry Sect, called Olivia Blake... She really is dressed in white, outshining the snow, with a sword like a rainbow—she really looks the part.”

“Don’t tell me she’s Edward Blake’s junior sister.”

“Who cares if she is or not? Just treat her as one!”

“That makes sense. I definitely have to meet this Miss Qianqian. I’ve been longing to meet a swordswoman from the Sword Inquiry Sect for ages.”

“I want to visit Jin-hye!”

……

Thanks to Emily Grant’s knack for drawing inferences, the new uniforms at Hundred Flowers Courtyard weren’t limited to just one or two sects—almost every orthodox sect in the martial world was included, except for those too low-level to even have uniforms. All the righteous sects were hit, and even nunneries weren’t spared.

You could play as a heroine from any sect at Hundred Flowers Courtyard. This news spread like wildfire throughout the capital, from one person to ten, from ten to a hundred, and in the blink of an eye, it was known in every corner of the city. At first, the courtyard was quiet and deserted, but by around the hour of the pig, it suddenly became packed, with crowds almost bursting through the doors.

The visitors included martial artists, ordinary merchants, and even government officials in disguise, joining in the fun. Dozens of girls couldn’t meet the demand, and countless guests jostled and shoved in the main hall, almost breaking into fights...

The girls were all well-trained and excellent performers. That Miss Qianqian really did have a cold and sharp look, never letting anyone touch her easily. Only after being stuffed with silver would she reluctantly sit close.

There were also nuns chanting scriptures in private rooms, Daoist priestesses reading Daoist texts—everything you could imagine, enacting a grand pageant of martial world beauties.

Watching the lively scene below from the rooftop, Emily Grant, the mastermind behind this farce, was grinning from ear to ear, her mouth almost unable to close. With business like this every day, wouldn’t Hundred Flowers Courtyard be raking in money hand over fist?

Once the news got out, who knows how many people would be furious—that would be even more fun.

At this moment, Emily Grant was truly in awe of James Carter, even thinking that it wouldn’t have been so bad if he had really kissed her ear back then... Suddenly, she remembered that James Carter had called Charlotte to hide away in his bamboo lodge for who knows what, and Emily Grant’s smile suddenly froze, a wave of discomfort rising in her heart. She didn’t even know what kind of feeling this was.

Logically, even if they really got together, it had nothing to do with her... It’s not like she could be falling in love with anyone at a time like this. For a disciple of a sect, having a strategist on your side was already pretty good... So why did she feel more and more annoyed the more she thought about it?

Her beaming smile turned into restlessness. Emily Grant paced back and forth a few steps, giving herself an excuse: Charlotte is one of the people in charge here. With Qingqing accompanying Master to find the Six Doors, Charlotte is the primary person in charge. How could she be hiding away, leaving the young sect leader to watch over things? That’s not right—she must go and switch her out!

Having made up her mind, Emily Grant flew straight toward James Carter’s bamboo lodge.

Even under the suppression of the capital’s law enforcement formation, with only half her strength available, Emily Grant still arrived at her destination in the blink of an eye. The bamboo lodge was lit by candlelight, warm and gentle in the quiet night.

Emily Grant didn’t even know what she was thinking. She slowed down, quietly floated to the edge of the bamboo lodge, and peeked through the eaves into the window.

In front of James Carter was a scroll of paper, and he was writing furiously with a brush, looking even more handsome than usual... Charlotte was standing gracefully by his side, quietly grinding ink. Her pretty face was a bit flushed, and her gentle gaze occasionally fell on James Carter’s face. It was impossible to tell what she was thinking, but Emily Grant couldn’t help but feel it was full of affection.

It really was a peaceful and harmonious scene—a beautiful woman adding fragrance to the red sleeves, a couple working together... The uncomfortable feeling in Emily Grant’s heart grew even stronger, and she finally couldn’t help but appear before them with a “whoosh.”

James Carter didn’t even look up, continuing to write, as if he was already used to her sudden appearances. Charlotte, on the other hand, straightened up and gave a graceful salute: “Young Sect Leader.”

Emily Grant’s eyes darted around their faces, as if searching for something suspicious, but finding nothing, she forced a question: “What are you two doing?”

James Carter kept writing as he spoke: “Didn’t I tell you? This trick won’t last forever. Even if your master is invincible, she can’t hold down the fort forever. Besides, who knows, maybe the uproar among the righteous sects will make the court shut us down? So this is just a temporary measure—we still need to move on to the second step.”

“Oh, oh.” Emily Grant pretended to be nonchalant as she leaned in closer. “What’s the second step?”

“Hmm... Earlier, while you were out stripping people’s clothes, I had Charlotte take me for a walk around the bookshops. Just as you said, aside from martial world tales and history, there were only generic secret manuals and even books on agriculture and mining, but hardly any literary works.”

“What does that have to do with the second step?” Emily Grant curiously lowered her head to look at what he was writing.

James Carter stopped his brush and glanced at her. “Kids shouldn’t look at this.”

Emily Grant snorted, “I insist on looking.”