Once I enter the pass, great Confucian scholars will surely debate the classics for me.

"Hehe, I'm busy." Jianwu chuckled.

"???" Zhou Qingfeng hesitated, "That sword-dancing girl asked me..."

Sword Dance smiled as she chewed on the sugar pastry, walking past Zhou Qingfeng and leaving behind a faint fragrance, though there seemed to be a hint of blood in it: "Hehe, I was just asking."

Zhou Qingfeng watched Jian Wu's leisurely departing figure and frowned slightly: "There's a smell of blood. Is she injured?"

Zhou Qingfeng then shook his head, thinking it was unlikely.

Sword Dancer is the lady's personal sword attendant, and all of them are experts who have advanced through the ranks at least twice.

Such a master's body is already beyond human capabilities; how could there be any trace of blood left after an injury?

The deliberate use of incense to mask the smell of blood is so obvious.

Um... could it be that I'm on my period?

Zhou Qingfeng looked puzzled, quickly shook his head to clear his mind of the jumbled thoughts, and continued walking forward. As he passed a stream and a forest, he saw three stunningly beautiful sword attendants.

Two sword attendants stood on the bamboo raft. One sword attendant in pink held a bamboo pole to propel the boat, while the other sword attendant in green held a jade flute and played it. The other sword attendant in white swung on a swing under a tree. It was a beautiful scene, a paradise on earth.

Zhou Qingfeng bowed and clasped his hands in greeting, asking politely, "Zhou Qingfeng, a member of the Council Hall, greets the three ladies. May I ask how to get to the Council Hall?"

The three sword attendants glanced at him and chuckled, "Little brat, call me 'sister,' and I'll tell you something."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Qingfeng thought to himself, "Who knows how old you are? You might all be old hags who have lived for seven or eight hundred years. You still have the nerve to ask me to call you 'sister'? Sigh, whatever, I'll just have to take the loss and call you that."

"Greetings, sisters." Zhou Qingfeng smiled slightly and bowed politely again.

"Hehehe... Little brother is so good." The three sword servants exchanged glances and laughed happily.

After all, teasing such a handsome young genius is a rare and interesting experience.

"Little brother, do you want to swing with me? You can swing and I can sit, or I can sit and you can swing."

"Little brother, come here, I'll teach you how to play the flute."

Zhou Qingfeng: "..." No, is the contrast really that big?

I remember when we first met, they weren't like this. They were all aloof beauties, cold as ice. They didn't dare to act presumptuously when Madam was present, but they revealed their true colors when Madam wasn't around.

The pink-clad swordswoman who was rowing the boat laughed and said, "Alright, Yaoguang, Tianxuan, stop fooling around. The two of you are over 1,800 years old combined. How can you be so shameless as to tease an 18-year-old brat?"

"Fanfan, you're so annoying, why did you have to talk about someone's age?"

"Fanfan, I'm angry!"

The pink-clad swordswoman chuckled, ignoring them, and leaped across the water to Zhou Qingfeng's side in an instant. Her delicate round face and grape-like eyes met Zhou Qingfeng's gaze.

Upon seeing this, Zhou Qingfeng immediately took half a step back to create distance.

"Come with me, kid, I'll take you to see the lady." The pink-clad swordsman stood with his hands behind his back, smiled slightly, turned around, and walked forward with light steps.

Upon seeing this, Zhou Qingfeng clasped his hands and bowed to Yao Guang Sword Servant and Tian Xuan Sword Servant. Then he quickly caught up with the pink-clad sword servant, who introduced herself with a smile without turning her head.

"My name is Panda, and I'm ranked fifteenth among the Fifteen Swordsmen. My friends call me Fanfan."

"You can call me Sister Fanfan, I love hearing that."

Zhou Qingfeng said, "Okay, Sister Fanfan."

“It’s been a long time since any new people have come to the inner courtyard. It’s been 130 years. You are the first one.”

"I've heard a lot about you in the inner courtyard lately. I've heard you're a peerless genius?"

"Tsk, that's right. If you're not a peerless genius, you're not qualified to enter the inner courtyard."

"Can you cook? Oh, it's okay if you can't cook, as long as you can eat."

"With your good looks, do you have someone you like? Hey, it's obvious you don't."

"What are you good at? Why aren't you saying anything? Don't you like to talk?"

Zhou Qingfeng: "..."

"Oh, so you're a quiet type. You can't be like that; you have to talk."

Finally, we arrived at a waterside park.

A bridge made of solid wood stretches into the distance.

Fanfan Swordsman pointed deeper into the area and said, "If you follow this path, you'll reach the council chamber."

"Thank you for showing me the way, Sister Fanfan. Goodbye." Zhou Qingfeng immediately cupped his hands in thanks, turned around and strode onto the bridge. He rushed in without looking back, clearly not wanting to spend another moment with Fanfan, that chatterbox.

Fanfan Sword Servant frowned slightly: "You brat, why are you running around in such a hurry? Do you think I talk too much?"

Zhou Qingfeng strolled through the Water Forest Park, gazing at the tranquil bamboo grove. The leaves swayed in the wind, and the water rippled. There was no noise or commotion, only peace. Being here, he felt as if his soul had been purified.

Walking deeper in, I saw a pavilion.

The First Lady, dressed in a white and gold nightgown, reclines on a tiger-skin throne, reading a book. Her long, black hair is casually tied back with a red ribbon, and her bare feet remain untouched.

Ten steps away, there were eight more people standing, one of whom was Butler Qiu.

Why are we all standing ten steps away? Because the lady doesn't like others getting close. Unless the lady takes the initiative to come over or gives instructions, no one can approach within ten steps of her. That's the rule.

Zhou Qingfeng strode forward, clasped his hands and bowed: "Zhou Qingfeng, a member of the Council, is here on official duty to report for duty. Greetings, Madam."

The First Lady was engrossed in reading a book, "Flying Flowers and Beautiful Thoughts," when she heard Zhou Qingfeng's greeting. Without even looking up, she casually pointed to the desk not far away and said, "You will take notes for this meeting."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Qingfeng clasped his hands in obedience, walked to the desk, picked up a brush, and prepared paper.

Butler Qiu bowed to the First Lady with a blank expression, then addressed the others, saying, "Everyone is here. Let's begin the meeting. Young Master Mao, if Madam wishes, you may begin first."

Upon hearing this, Young Master Mao nodded and said, "The four major caravans have been frequently robbed..."

Zhou Qingfeng glanced at Mao Ershao's face and memorized it. This should be the head of the Mao family who controls ghosts, and the second adopted son of the madam, Mao Erlang. As his thoughts raced, he wrote furiously with his pen.

The meeting lasted for a full two hours.

Zhou Qingfeng took notes the whole time until the meeting ended.

These core leaders of Sword Tower were discussing one word: money!

The seven core leaders gradually dispersed.

Zhou Qingfeng shook his aching wrist, tidied up the documents, stood up, and bowed to take his leave.

"Are you feeling bored or annoyed?" The lady didn't move, she just asked casually.

Zhou Qingfeng answered truthfully: "Yes, it's very boring. I thought I would have important things to do after joining the council, but I didn't expect to only be doing such tedious and boring things. I am a little disappointed."

The lady held the book and looked up at Zhou Qingfeng. She smiled slightly and said, "Qingfeng, you've had such a smooth journey. In just a few months, you've reached a height that others can't reach in a lifetime."

"It seems that no one can give you setbacks, no one can defeat you."

"Your talent and luck are unmatched among your peers."

"This is your strength, but it is also your fatal flaw."

"If your path is too smooth, you will be unable to accept failure once you encounter setbacks."

"So, I need to temper your temperament; I won't assign you any tasks."

"From now on, listen more and talk less, and take good notes."