131: Battle for the title

"So?"

Gu Xiaoyue couldn't help but ask, "Do I need to provide close protection at night too?"

She clenched her fists. If Charlie dared to say yes, she would give him a slap and throw the Hanxing Grass in his face!

"You need to stay in the room next to mine to protect me! And it's not convenient during the day; I need to confess to you why I absolutely must have you as my bodyguard!"

"Phew—" Gu Xiaoyue breathed a sigh of relief. Staying in the next room, that's fine—

It seems he has other bodyguards on duty at night.

That makes sense. Given his status and position, it really piqued Gu Xiaoyue's curiosity: why were so many people protecting him?

And this is just in the Dragon Kingdom; I'm afraid in Sun Never Sets, his bodyguards would be more than twice as many!

"OK." Gu Xiaoyue nodded and followed Charlie to his private dormitory.

She had been to the private dormitories of Chu Li, Shui Lingyu, and Xiao Yun before, but none were as luxurious as Charlie's.

It seems Nanya really spared no expense!

"Sit," Charlie said, sitting by the window and gesturing for Gu Xiaoyue to sit as well.

A blond man wearing a waistcoat and a monocle poured them black tea.

"Allen, go ahead and get busy. Yue and I have things to talk about."

He said to the man in the language of Sun Never Sets, and the man nodded and left.

Gu Xiaoyue waited for him to speak, but Charlie just stirred his black tea in circles with a silver spoon.

After a long while, he asked, "Aren't you surprised that I used Hanxing Grass to buy you off?"

Gu Xiaoyue rolled her eyes and replied neither humbly nor arrogantly, "It's fine, because I'm worth this price!"

"Hmm, I did my homework before coming to the Dragon Kingdom."

Charlie explained to Gu Xiaoyue that this exchange trip to the Dragon Kingdom was not simple.

It was because the Duke of Howard family needed to decide on the heir to the title from among the three brothers.

Also, the legitimate daughters of the Marquis of Lothian and the Earl of Arundel were to choose their fiancés from among the three brothers.

Coming to the Dragon Kingdom as exchange students was just skipping classes; the real days of confrontation would be those two-plus months of the National Competition.

Charlie had two brothers: one was the eldest son of the Duke of Howard, and the other was his twin brother.

They would find one or two private bodyguards as partners, and during the National Competition, they would decide the winner to determine the heir to the title.

"You know, Yue, the title is very important to me."

Charlie's sky-blue eyes stared at Gu Xiaoyue, filled with hope.

Gu Xiaoyue curled her lips, "Of course, who wouldn't want a Hanxing Tree?"

She had long guessed that the Earl of Howard had a Hanxing Tree that could produce Hanxing Grass consistently.

His three sons could all be kidnapped and become bargaining chips to threaten the Duke.

Gu Xiaoyue had guessed the beginning, but she really hadn't expected the matter of competing for the title.

"My eldest brother Vincent chose Huaqing. He is a bit—how should I put it—he acknowledges your strength, but he cares more about gender."

"He thinks that in the last National Competition in your Dragon Kingdom, your victory was mostly due to luck."

Gu Xiaoyue had black lines on her head. She understood—this guy named Vincent was a male chauvinist.

"My twin brother Harry once told me he had no intention of competing for the title; he would rather pursue art and freedom."

"However, I discovered that he seems very fond of Miss Elsa from the Lothian family."

"Oh right, Vincent is quite fond of Miss Charlotte from the Arundel family."

It was a bit complicated; Gu Xiaoyue was already dizzy from the foreign names. "Then what about you? Which family's young lady do you fancy?"

Charlie turned his face and cast his gaze out the window. "Both young ladies are very lovely. I can accept either marriage alliance, but I prefer the title more."

"May I ask, if it's not too intrusive, what is the annual production of the Duke's Hanxing Grass? If it's inconvenient to disclose, just pretend I didn't ask."

She really wanted to know how much this immense wealth amounted to, making Charlie care so much.

Charlie withdrew his gaze and turned to Gu Xiaoyue, smiling gently. "It's okay, I'll tell you secretly."

"There are six plants a year. Father gives each of us three brothers one plant every year, and he keeps two for himself."

"And one plant must be presented to the Royal Family."

Six plants a year!

Gu Xiaoyue was a bit envious. No wonder he didn't blink when he said he would give her two as a reward. At twenty years old, wouldn't he have over a dozen in his Yu Beast Space!

"Boss, do you have any plans to sell the Hanxing Grass?"

She rubbed her hands, looking at Charlie with hopeful eyes.

Charlie was amused by her expression. "I plan to use them for my pet beasts in the future, but their current levels are a bit low, so they can't use them yet."

"Coming to the Dragon Kingdom this time, I'm also incidentally looking for spiritual plants suitable for them."

"I'll give you a pillow if you're sleepy! I have Huanpo Lotus; shall we two trade?"

Gu Xiaoyue's words made Charlie's face flush. "The pillow is unnecessary, but a trade is certainly possible."

She froze for a second, realizing Charlie had misunderstood the Dragon Kingdom idiom.

Although it was a bit awkward, there was no need to explain further.

After some bargaining, Gu Xiaoyue finally traded 6 Huanpo Lotuses for 4 Hanxing Grasses from Charlie.

She happily put the Hanxing Grass into her Yu Beast Space. Charlie asked what they were training in the afternoon and why they didn't train directly in the Yu Beast Space.

Charlie had an SSS-level Beast Taming Talent, equivalent to a Heaven-tier or higher Beast Taming Talent in the Dragon Kingdom.

His pet beasts were all trained in the Yu Beast Space.

Gu Xiaoyue explained to him the skill bond between the Qingluan and Fire Phoenix, which made Charlie's eyes light up.

"Haha, Sun Never Sets actually doesn't have such pet beasts. This is so interesting! I'll have Allen go and acquire a pair of Qingluan Fire Phoenix for me too."

Gu Xiaoyue scratched her head. "This pair of pet beasts has restrictions. It's not enough just for you to have the Space Attribute; the owner of the Qingluan must also have the Space Attribute."

She didn't know which of those two noble young ladies had the Space Attribute.

"Oh, okay, then I'll buy a Fire Phoenix to play with first! The room next door is yours; you can rest now, Yue."

Gu Xiaoyue nodded and turned to go to her own room.

Her room also had an independent bathroom, and all the necessary equipment was complete. She took a bath, changed into pajamas, and crawled into bed.

Her consciousness entered the Yu Beast Space, where the Hou had long been waiting for her to come in.

"Woman, the Huanpo Lotus and Hanxing Grass, feed me!"

Gu Xiaoyue checked his skill levels; two were still not at the advanced level.

"We agreed to wait until you reach the late stage of the seventh rank; practice your skills first!"

The Hou crossed his arms over his chest, puffed out his cheeks, and ran to the side to sulk.

Out of the five Hanxing Grasses, she took one out and fed it to Xiao Qi.

She seemed too biased towards Xiao Qi now; except for Xiao Jiu, who was still sleeping, the other pet beasts felt a bit aggrieved.

She took out snacks and comforted them while feeding them.

"Don't worry, there will be more in the future! I'm not biased; you are all my treasures, and I have plans for your growth and development!"

Seeming to feel Gu Xiaoyue's sincerity, the pet beasts munched on the snacks, and their aggrieved feelings vanished.

The next day, Charlie asked Gu Xiaoyue to accompany him shopping, and she also needed to replenish her snack stock.

Knowing they were going shopping, Chu Li and Shui Lingyu, worried about them dating alone, naturally had to follow.

"The pet beasts in the Dragon Kingdom eat so well!"

Charlie looked at the dazzling array of pet beast food, snacks, toys, and furniture layouts for the Yu Beast Space, marveling endlessly.

"Of course! The Dragon Kingdom has a long history and a vast land with abundant resources; not only do people eat well, but since pet beasts have always existed as partners, naturally, they cannot be mistreated!"

Gu Xiaoyue said proudly.

On the way back with their haul, she noticed they were being followed, and the follower exuded a murderous aura.

"You're not trying to test my abilities by sending someone again, are you?"

Gu Xiaoyue asked, leaving Charlie bewildered.