Inside the Martial Soul Hall, Matthew No sat in his office, irritably reviewing documents. Suddenly, he threw down his pen and stood up in frustration.
The day before yesterday afternoon, Sisi had reported back that she had convinced Su Yuntao, but since then, she hadn't come near his office. Two days without any closeness with Sisi left an emptiness gnawing at his heart.
He stepped out of his office and called down to Sisi, who was busy handling affairs in the main hall on the first floor. "Sisi, come up here for a moment."
Matthew No's expression was unreadable — neither happy nor sad — making it impossible to tell what he was thinking. After speaking, he returned inside.
Nearby, Su Yuntao's forehead veins bulged with rising anger. Sisi quickly gave him a reassuring glance and whispered, "I'll just be a moment."
Since that day, she had quietly moved into Su Yuntao's home, unnoticed by anyone.
Once Sisi entered, Matthew No immediately stood up, ready to act.
Sisi pushed him away, complaining, "I'm on my period."
Matthew No blinked in surprise but quickly caught on, frowning, "The timing doesn't add up."
Sisi rolled her eyes. "Work's been exhausting lately, so it came a few days early."
Matthew No had no choice but to relent, sitting back down in a gloomy mood.
"Darling, the election is tomorrow. Have you made all the arrangements?" Sisi asked.
Matthew No nodded firmly. "Don't worry. Tomorrow, I'll push hard to make you the new Hall Master. No one will oppose."
"I love you," Sisi flirted, tossing him a playful wink.
"By the way, the envoys arrive this afternoon. You and that brat Su Yuntao should go greet them and arrange accommodations at the Nottingham Grand Hotel," Matthew No instructed.
Sisi was the shining star of the Martial Soul Hall, and Su Yuntao was the most handsome and charismatic among the young. Matthew No had no choice but to send them both.
"All right, I'll go handle it."
"Good, go ahead." Matthew No waved her off.
After Sisi left, a gleam of excitement lit up Matthew No's eyes.
Tomorrow, he would finally become the Hall Master of the Nottingham branch — a lifelong dream realized after so many years.
He would also recommend Sisi as the new Chief Steward. After all, she had stood by him for months, and they still needed to work closely together.
As for Su Yuntao, he was more of a liability in the Martial Soul Hall. When the time came, Matthew No would use his authority as Hall Master to force Su Yuntao into early retirement.
Outside the office window, a black bird perched silently, its dull eyes slowly shifting.
…
"The show is finally about to begin," Jiang Chen said, stretching lazily.
"Jiang Chen, are you bullying me? Hurry up and finish sweeping. This whole garden is almost done!" Xiao Wu pouted, hands on hips, clearly dissatisfied.
"I'm sweeping, I'm sweeping. You go rest; I've got the rest covered," Jiang Chen hurriedly waved her away.
Tang San had been gone for days, and with three people normally doing the chores, it was just Jiang Chen and Xiao Wu now.
Xiao Wu's frown melted into a smile. "Okay then, I'll head back to rest first."
"Go on, go on," Jiang Chen waved again.
A moment later, he froze. Xiao Wu hadn't even swept half the garden — just a tiny patch — and with just one sentence, she had totally tricked him.
After finishing the sweep, Jiang Chen headed to the small woods to train. Soon, Jing Wuming appeared in a flash.
"Master, I've prepared what you requested. Is this for Matthew No?" Jing Wuming asked.
Jiang Chen waved a hand. "You'll understand soon enough. When the time comes, he'll be wishing he were dead. Heh heh…"
Hearing Jiang Chen's laughter, Jing Wuming shivered, suddenly feeling a bit sorry for Matthew No.
…
Time flew by. At dawn, the entire Martial Soul Hall buzzed with activity — today was the day the superior envoys arrived.
The floors, doors, windows, and walls were all polished to a shine. Matthew No and a group of stewards waited at the main entrance.
The superior envoys were staying at the Nottingham Grand Hotel, and by now Su Yuntao and Sisi had gone to receive them.
"I heard this time the envoy is a stunning beauty," someone whispered.
"Really? How do you know?" The group's eyes lit up eagerly.
"Wasn't Su Yuntao and Sisi out to greet the envoys yesterday? After they came back, they kept talking about the envoy. I happened to overhear," someone whispered.
"Oh? Even more beautiful than Sisi?" asked a short young man.
"Way more beautiful than Sisi. The figure, the face… tsk tsk," another replied admiringly.
"Cut it out, like you've actually seen her," came a teasing retort.
While they were chatting, a carriage slowly arrived at the Martial Soul Hall's entrance. Su Yuntao and Sisi walked ahead. As the carriage stopped, Su Yuntao hurriedly drew back the curtain.
"The envoy has arrived."
All eyes immediately fixed on a smooth, shapely jade leg that stepped out first, capturing everyone's attention.
Matthew No swallowed hard, unable to hide his excitement.
Then, a woman in her thirties stepped out.
She wore a short skirt that reached just above the knees, revealing flawless pale feet. Her upper body was clad in the Martial Soul Hall's standard uniform, cinched tightly at the waist to accentuate her slender figure. From there, her curves were so exaggerated that many of the male stewards' eyes nearly popped out.
Her figure was in a whole different league compared to the already very mature Sisi.
Her face was far beyond what Sisi could compare to: delicate features, a soft rounded face, golden hair neatly pinned up, and a pair of red-rimmed glasses perched on her nose. A mature, noble, and intellectual aura radiated from her, making the entire crowd hold their breath.
"So beautiful!" everyone whispered in awe.
Matthew No was practically drooling.
"Master Matthew No, the envoy has arrived," Sisi reminded him.
"Oh, right. Welcome, envoy. I am Matthew No, Chief Steward of the Nottingham branch of the Martial Soul Hall," Matthew No said quickly, putting on a flattering smile.
The woman nodded slightly, unsurprised by the reactions around her, as if this was an everyday occurrence.
"I'm the Chief Steward of the main hall, surname Zhou. You may call me Steward Zhou."
"Steward Zhou, we've been awaiting your arrival for some time. Please, come in," Matthew No said hastily, leading the way.
With commanding authority, Zhou immediately had Matthew No escort her to the council hall.
At the oval-shaped conference table, everyone took their seats.
Zhou glanced around the room once. An invisible aura of superiority radiated from her, causing everyone to shudder and focus their eyes without wandering.
"My schedule is tight. After handling your matters this morning, I will leave. Let's begin."
The election process was simple: everyone cast one vote.
Zhou adjusted her glasses and looked up.
"Now, let's begin the voting."
Matthew No and Sisi smiled broadly — the moment they had been waiting for had finally arrived.