What's the Difference

It didn’t take long.

By the time Lan returned from the storeroom with two palace maids in tow,

Yang An was already holding a pouch of gold leaves in his hand.

Along with a mask.

The pouch was hefty, filled to the brim with thin, leaf-shaped pieces of pressed gold, each about the length of a finger.

If converted to silver,

it would likely amount to over a thousand or two thousand taels.

Yang An had never seen so much money in his life, but what intrigued him even more was the mask.

Its texture was smooth and soft, almost like silicone.

Yet, the mask bore no distinct facial features—only faint outlines where the eyes, mouth, and nose should be, giving it an eerie appearance.

He had no idea what it was for.

Just as Yang An was about to ask the princess why she had given him this "Thousand Illusion Mask,"

he didn’t even need to voice the question.

Lan, standing nearby, had already anticipated his curiosity and explained, "Young Master, this Thousand Illusion Mask is crafted from the hide of a ferocious beast known as the Hundred-Faced Specter. Like the dagger at your waist, it’s an eighth-grade magical artifact."

"Young Master, just drip a drop of blood onto it to claim ownership."

"Once bound, wearing it will allow the mask to transform into any appearance you desire. Even seventh-grade martial artists won’t be able to discern its true form."

Yang An understood now.

This wasn’t just a "Thousand Illusion Mask"—

it was practically a must-have tool for assassination, framing enemies, or evading pursuers!

Money and treasures, all handed to him.

Who said the princess was wicked? Her Highness was absolutely amazing!

His opinion of the "dog woman" rose considerably.

Yang An loudly expressed his gratitude, "Thank you for your generosity, Your Highness! May the princess live ten thousand years!"

Qin Guo'er smiled sweetly. "As long as you remain this well-behaved, This Princess will reward you often. Now, go back. And don’t forget—return in five days for the antidote. Otherwise, your guts will truly rot and burst~"

Yang An: "..."

So the dog woman was still a dog woman after all!

The faint goodwill he’d just felt vanished instantly. Clutching the two treasures, Yang An obediently took his leave.

Manman trailed behind him.

By the time they stepped out of the grand hall, the snowstorm had completely ceased.

The dark clouds overhead were also beginning to disperse.

As the two—one tall, one small—walked through a corridor in the courtyard, Yang An, whose strength and perception were now three times that of an ordinary person, suddenly felt a chill crawl down his spine.

He sensed a gaze—

one that pierced straight through his body, boring into the depths of his soul, as if scrutinizing every inch of him, down to the color of his undergarments!

Yang An whipped his head around.

With his enhanced vision, he followed the direction of the gaze and spotted a man in crimson robes embroidered with a qilin.

He had only one arm.

Around forty or fifty years old, his face was clean-shaven and delicate, lacking an Adam’s apple—likely a eunuch. He held a broom, sweeping snow in the courtyard.

What shocked Yang An was this:

Every snowflake that drifted within a ten-foot radius of the eunuch instantly evaporated. Not a single one touched the ground!

Yang An thought: A master! An absolute master!

The red-robed eunuch seemed equally surprised that Yang An had detected his probing gaze. He raised his eyelids slightly in astonishment.

Then, he stopped sweeping.

Bowing respectfully, he said, "This humble one greets the Young Master."

"You flatter me, Eunuch." Yang An quickly returned the courtesy, not daring to be impolite. The eunuch’s warm smile was strangely comforting, like a spring breeze.

Without another word,

the eunuch picked up his broom again and resumed sweeping, head lowered.

Yang An didn’t dare stare at the strange eunuch for too long.

He turned and left. Once they were farther away, Yang An, noticing that Manman was young and seemed a bit slow-witted,

tried to pry information from her.

"Do you know who that person is, Manman? How come the snow doesn’t even land on him?"

From the grand hall to the front courtyard,

they hadn’t even exited the princess’s estate yet, but in that short time, Manman had already devoured a meat pie larger than her face.

Now, with greasy hands, she pulled out a green pear from who-knows-where.

Without even peeling it, she took a big bite.

So sweet!

Juice dribbled down her chin.

Manman squinted happily. "Eleven."

"What eleven?"

"Just eleven."

"..."

Yang An thought to himself: Could his name be Eleven?

What a strange name.

But then again, masters were often eccentric.

Thinking of Yang Ning and Li Yan waiting at home, Yang An quickened his pace, not dwelling on it further.

As he stepped out of the estate gates,

Qin Guo'er stretched lazily, her graceful figure outlined perfectly by her flowing dress.

With light steps,

she emerged from the grand hall and gazed in the direction Yang An had left.

"Mr. Wang, what do you think of him?"

No sound followed.

No trace of movement—only a faint ripple in the wind and snow.

Yet in that instant, Eunuch Wang, who had just been sweeping the front courtyard, traversed a hundred paces without a sound and appeared at the grand hall’s entrance.

Standing a respectful ten feet behind Qin Guo'er,

he bowed. "A prodigy."

Qin Guo'er asked, "How does he compare to you in your youth?"

"Ten times—no, dozens of times better. With a bit of training, he could break into the Mortal Ranking within a year."

Lan, supporting the princess, gasped in shock.

The Mortal Ranking, also known as the Human Ranking or the Genius Ranking!

Alongside the Earth Ranking and Heaven Ranking,

these three lists were renowned throughout Great Xia, recognized by the imperial court, noble families, and the martial world alike as the definitive hierarchy of martial prowess.

The Mortal Ranking corresponded to the lower three grades.

The Earth Ranking to the middle three.

The Heaven Ranking to the upper three.

The strong rose; the weak fell. Even the lowest-ranked on the Mortal Ranking were one-in-ten-thousand geniuses, true dragons among men, capable of slaying opponents beyond their level!

Lan knew Yang An was talented.

His feat of killing two ninth-grade cultivators as a mortal was undeniable. But she never thought his talent could rival true geniuses.

After all, the two ninth-graders he’d slain were exceptionally weak—

one needed pills to manifest his divine form, while the other was so decrepit he couldn’t even summon his.

Defeating them was impressive, but not impossible.

Hearing Eunuch Wang’s high praise, however, Lan was both stunned and uneasy.

Qin Guo'er, however, showed no reaction.

She merely said, "Mr. Wang, would you be interested in teaching him?"

Eunuch Wang chuckled and shook his head. "This one’s methods are too yin, too soft. The Young Master’s eyes blaze like torches, his aura sharp enough to pierce the heavens. He’d likely disdain this one’s humble skills."

"Sharp aura? Hmph, I don’t see it." Qin Guo'er twirled a lock of her raven-black hair, her long lashes fluttering as she smiled.

Eunuch Wang clasped his hands and remained silent.

Unnoticed by them, Lan’s face was clouded with worry.

The princess turned to her. "Since Mr. Wang says he’s gifted, then he’s undoubtedly a rare talent. He must be trained well. Lan, the storeroom still has plenty of peak seventh-grade beast essence blood, right? Gather it later with Chun'er and Xia'er."

Lan guessed her intentions. "Your Highness intends to prepare a Flesh and Blood Foundation for the Young Master?"

"Clever girl."

"Then... what grade of Foundation Establishment should this servant prepare for the young master? Second-grade? Or first-grade?"

"Must you even ask? First-grade is trash."

"Give that dog the same as mine—the highest grade of Foundation Establishment."

The highest grade?

That would be... Perfect Foundation Establishment!

Only princes, princesses, and the direct descendants of noble families could enjoy such a privilege!!!

Lan broke out in a cold sweat.

She glanced at Princess Anle with a hesitant expression.

The princess’s order had been given long ago,

yet Lan, usually so loyal and efficient, still stood trembling by her side, unmoving.

Puzzled, Qin Guo'er asked, "Lan, is something the matter? Speak plainly."

At this,

Lan immediately knelt and said, "Princess, the Imperial Cavalry previously reported that Yang An has a fiancée."

Qin Guo'er: "..."

"Get to the point!" Qin Guo'er snapped impatiently.

"Yes!" Lan hurriedly explained her concerns. "Yang An’s fiancée has an ambiguous relationship with Cui Wenyan, the third son of Governor Cui. The Lin and Cui families are already connected by marriage—Lin Hao and Cui Wenyan are cousins."

"One brother stole Yang An’s fiancée."

"The other injured Yang An’s brother-in-law."

"Once might be coincidence, but twice is far too suspicious! If this wasn’t accidental, but rather the Lin and Cui families deliberately targeting the Yang family..."

Here,

Lan’s voice tightened, and she dared not continue.

But for the princess’s safety,

fearing that Qin Guo'er might be deceived, she clenched her teeth and pressed on. "Talent is tied to bloodline. Gifted warriors usually only emerge among noble families. For a commoner like Yang An to awaken such talent, let alone possess qualifications worthy of the Human Ranking, is beyond belief!"

"And he didn’t appear earlier or later."

"Just when Your Highness was about to execute Lin Hao, he coincidentally crossed paths with you. This servant dares to speculate—either Yang An or the Yang family’s background isn’t as simple as it seems!"

"Or perhaps he possesses something others covet!"

"‘A common man’s wealth is his own ruin!’"

"Given this, Yang An’s approach to the princess may well be premeditated! His origins are unclear—he cannot be trusted!"

"Your Highness, beware of nurturing a viper in your bosom!"

With that,

Lan kowtowed deeply in the snow.

By now, everyone in the princess’s estate could see that Qin Guo'er favored Yang An. Lan, being the first to address him as "young master," understood this better than anyone.

She knew full well

that speaking ill of Yang An in front of the princess would provoke her wrath.

She didn’t know what punishment awaited her.

But for the princess’s sake, Lan suppressed her fear and spoke anyway. Kneeling, her slender frame trembling, she felt no regret—only awaited Qin Guo'er’s furious outburst.

Yet it never came.

Qin Guo'er chuckled. "Is that all?"

She bent down, lifting Lan’s chin. "Rise. You’ve been by my side since childhood. Do you think I don’t know your loyalty?"

"Speak your mind without kneeling. You’re not like those other servants. And do you really believe yourself cleverer than me? Everything you said, I’ve already considered."

"Ah?" Lan stared blankly at the princess.

Torn between gratitude and urgency, she stood and asked, "Then why, Your Highness, do you still treat him so...?"

"Why still treat him so well?"

Qin Guo'er clasped her hands behind her back and walked ahead. "What does it matter if Yang An is complicated? What does it matter if he hides some treasure? From the start, all I’ve cared about is him."

"As for whether he approached me with ulterior motives..."

Sunlight pierced the clouds,

casting a radiant beam upon Qin Guo'er, illuminating her brilliance. She turned abruptly, flashing a dazzling smile.

Outshining the winter scenery itself.

"Since that unfortunate dog had the misfortune of crossing paths with me, he was doomed from the start. Even if he harbors ill intent, what difference does it make?"

......

Longevity Ward.

The Yang Residence.

Yang Ning lay on the bed, eyes shut tight as if trapped in a nightmare. Beads of sweat dotted her forehead, and she murmured incessantly, "Must tell Younger Brother... must tell him..."

As a faint golden light flickered between her brows,

she suddenly jolted awake.

For a long while, she sat frozen under the covers. Then, two trails of tears rolled down her hollow cheeks.

"Second Brother is gone..."

"My younger brother is gone..."