"Brother Chu, shall we go down?"
Lin Muyu walked up the stage and held onto Chu Huaiyi's arm as she walked down the stage shakily. Chu Huaiyi was in a daze. Although he won, it was a pyrrhic victory. His physical injuries were nothing compared to his mental injuries. He had accidentally destroyed Zhenfang's Qi Sea. Since then, he had formed a deep hatred with the Divine Marquis Residence. His relationship with Zhenxiang seemed even more impossible.
Chu Huaiyi didn't even dare to look in Zhenxiang's direction.
…
When they returned to the viewing platform, Lin Muyu comforted him, "It's not your fault, don't feel guilty."
"That's right, it was that Zhenfang who launched a sneak attack first. How shameless!" Qin Lei rubbed his palms together and said, "This is the Ze Tian Palace. Who does Zhenfan think he is? How dare he try to kill you. Hmph … well done. A despicable person like Zhenfang should have his Qi Sea destroyed and his dragon tendons broken. Let's see if he can still be so arrogant after that!"
Feng Jixing actually understood Chu Huaiyi the best. He sighed and said, "Brother Chu, there's no need to despair. There's always a way out. Maybe there'll be a day when you'll see the light."
"I hope so …" Chu Huaiyi's face was pale as he sat there dejectedly.
At this moment, the Emperor Qin Jin personally walked down the viewing platform and comforted him, "Zhenqing, don't be too sad. Chu Huaiyi accidentally injured Zhenfang. It's not his fault. I will order the people from the Spiritual Medicine Division to search for famous doctors and elixirs. They will definitely be able to heal Zhenfang's Qi Sea."
Zhenfan's expression was sorrowful. He cupped his fists and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your mercy. I thank you on behalf of my son."
Qin Jin nodded and said, "Come, confer Zhenfang the title of Count Shen Wei and the title of Eastern Suppression General. He will officially become one of the Thirteen Counts of the Empire. This title will be passed down from generation to generation. Also, grant him a luxurious residence in the outskirts of Lanyan City and 200,000 Jinyin coins."
"Thank you, Your Majesty …" Zhenfan cupped his fists and bowed, but his eyes were filled with sorrow. He said, "Come, send the Young Duke to the Spiritual Medicine Division for treatment."
A group of Shen Wei Battalion soldiers immediately carried Zhenfang to receive treatment. Zhenfan bowed to the Emperor Qin Jin again and left hurriedly.
…
Zeng Yifan accompanied Zeng Fang on the horse carriage as it traveled along Tongtian Street. Zeng Yifan's face was ashen. Beside him, the thousand-man commander of the Divine Might Battalion, Sikong Nan, was galloping madly on his horse. He had a look of resentment on his face as he said, "Chu Huaiqiang took the opportunity to destroy the Young Noble's Sea of Qi. He did it on purpose. Damn it, the Emperor bestowed the Young Noble with so many titles, mansions, and coins, but he didn't give the Young Noble any military power. Marquis, how can the Divine Marquis Residence tolerate such humiliation? "
"Then what do you want?"
Zhen Yifan's eyes shone brightly as he said, "Speak!"
"Why don't we …" Sikong Nan cupped his fists and said, "Why don't we immediately gather the Divine Might Battalion and send a letter to the commanders of the Tian Shu Province, Cangnan Province, and Earth Star Province, asking them to lead their troops and attack the Imperial Capital. The military strength of the commanders is almost two hundred thousand, but the Imperial Capital only has thirty thousand imperial guards. Even with the addition of the royal guards and the patrolling troops, there are no more than fifty thousand people. We can definitely break the city in half a month, then …"
Sikong Nan became excited as he spoke, but when he met Zeng Yifan's cold gaze, he immediately trembled and said, "Marquis, I … Did I say something wrong?"
Zeng Yifan said angrily, "Sikong Nan, remember this. I, Zeng Yifan, was conferred the title of Divine Marquis by the current Emperor, Qin Jin. I, Zeng Yifan, will forever be the Divine Marquis of the Qin Empire. Whoever wants to replace His Majesty will have to step over my dead body. From now on, if I hear you say such disgraceful words again, don't blame me for escorting you into the Imperial City and handing you over to Xiang Yu of the Military Police Battalion."
"Marquis, I …"
Sikong Nan shuddered and said, "I won't dare to do it again!"
"Hmph."
Zeng Yifan lowered his head and looked at Zeng Fang who was frowning, then looked up at the sky thoughtfully. He sighed, as if he had aged a lot in just a short while.
…
On the viewing platform, the Sword Duel Competition continued until noon. Finally, the final 12 winners were decided, and the final champion would be decided among these 12 people.
The next competition would be held in the afternoon, and the Emperor would personally entertain the 12 winners at Ze Tian Palace.
At noon, a golden cauldron was set up, filled with exquisite food. Many of the food was presented by the other 11 provinces as tributes, such as fresh fruits from Ling Nan, bear paws from Ling Dong Province, wild cloud deer meat from Tong Tian Province, swans from Yun Zhong Province, and seven-core begonia from Qi Hai City. When the musicians rang the chimes, they also announced the start of the banquet.
There were groups of palace maids, and the courtiers were respectfully kneeling at the side, waiting for their orders. Even the pouring of wine was done by someone else.
Lin Muyu sat in the middle of Feng Jixing and Chu Huaiyin, very quiet. He was not very used to this kind of occasion, because the scene in front of him was proof of a saying, "the bell rings and the cauldron eats". The life of the Emperor's family was really too luxurious. Even if Lin Muyu was not the kind of guardian who helped the world, he still felt a little guilty eating these things.
…
"Come!"
Qin Jin raised his silver cup and said with a smile, "My subjects, please drink this cup of wine. I wish that my subjects will be able to obtain a good ranking in the Sword Duel Competition in the afternoon. Come!"
The Emperor downed his cup in one gulp. Lin Muyu and the others did not dare to be negligent, and they all drank their cups one by one.
"Xiao Yin?" Qin Jin looked at his precious daughter and signaled with his eyes.
Qin Yin immediately stood up and raised her cup of wine. She smiled and said, "Xiao Yin once again offers a toast to all of you. I wish that you all will obtain a good result!"
She was the future successor of the empire, and the twelve people present were all outstanding talents that the empire would have to rely on in the future. This was also the biggest reason why Qin Jin asked his daughter to offer a toast. In reality, Qin Jin was using this opportunity to groom his daughter into an important courtier in the future, and he had put in a lot of effort.
After that, Qin Yin offered a toast to everyone. Everyone was overwhelmed by the favor, but when Qin Yin came in front of Lin Muyu, she smiled mischievously and said, "Brother Yu, don't drink so much …"
Lin Muyu looked at her flushed face in annoyance and said, "You're the one who should drink less. Look at you, you're already a little drunk."
Qin Yin giggled, and her bright red face was like the sunset glow. She was indescribably beautiful. She smiled and said, "I'm fine, but you can't get drunk. Otherwise, you'll lose the Sword Duel Tournament in the afternoon."
"Don't worry, I'll give it my all." Lin Muyu smiled slightly.
"Yeah, Xiao Yin wishes that Brother Yu takes first place in advance!" Qin Yin refilled her cup again and said with a smile, "Come, Brother Yu, why don't you accompany Xiao Yin for another drink?"
"Yeah." Lin Muyu drank another cup.
This action, however, caused Yuwen Lian and the other disciples of the aristocratic families to be resentful and unhappy. Qin Yin offered a toast to everyone, but she only drank one more cup with Lin Muyu. She even sat on the ground and chatted happily with him. This kind of affection made them extremely jealous, but they had nothing to say. After all, everyone knew that Lin Muyu was the Emperor's godson. It was only natural for him to be so intimate with Qin Yin.
…
In the afternoon, Qin Yin was already tipsy. Her little face was flushed as she sat on the viewing platform. She looked at the practice platform from afar and waited for the next round of sparring.
There were only 12 people left. It could be said that all of them were fierce tigers.
However, the grouping was a little strange. The 12 people were actually divided into two groups of 16 to determine the top eight. However, this also meant that four people would have no fights. Very quickly, the grouping was decided. Lin Muyu, Chu Huaiyin, and Feng Jixing were all lucky to have no fights. Feng Jixing was so happy that he didn't have to fight and directly advanced to the top eight!
Lin Muyu was also very happy. It was best that they didn't have to fight. They could conserve their strength. The consumption of battle qi in the morning was already very serious. Their next opponents were all experts, so they had to give it their all.
The four matches ended very quickly. The two brothers, Qin Lei and Qin Yan, won smoothly. In addition, Yuwen Lian, Lin Changqing, and Murong Zhou also advanced to the top eight. At this point, there were only eight names left on the gilded wooden board of the Sword Contest Tournament. They were: Feng Jixing, Chu Huaiyin, Qin Lei, Qin Yan, Lin Muyu, Yuwen Lian, Lin Changqing, and Murong Zhou. Lin Changqing and Murong Zhou were all generals of the empire's provinces. They had fought hard in the army when they were young. After so many years, their cultivation had improved, so they also qualified to participate in the Sword Contest Tournament.
Very quickly, the eunuch quickly listed the matchups of the top eight —
Feng Jixing vs. Lin Changqing
Yuwen Lian vs. Qin Lei
Lin Muyu vs. Qin Yan
Murong Zhou vs. Chu Huaiyin
…
"I actually met Big Brother Lin Muyu …"
Qin Yan revealed a dispirited expression and said, "How can I be his match … Sigh, I thought that I could meet Lin Changqing or Yuwen Lian. At least I could get into the top four!"
Qin Lei smiled and said, "Ah Yan, it's already not easy for you to enter the top eight. After all, you are only 18 years old. Everyone here is older than you. Think about it, if you were to cultivate for another seven to eight years, who among us would still be your match?"
Qin Yan, on the other hand, was delighted. "En, Big Brother is right!"
This kid really didn't know how to be humble at all.
…
The first match, Feng Jixing vs. Lin Changqing. Both of them were experts who used the saber. Furthermore, they were also commanders of a region. They had struggled in the army for many years and refined a set of saber arts for killing. It was just that Feng Jixing's saber arts were more skilled and overbearing. Furthermore, his own cultivation also surpassed Lin Changqing's. Hence, after several dozen rounds, Lin Changqing abandoned his saber and admitted defeat.
The second match, Yuwen Lian vs. Qin Lei. The son of the country protecting general Yuwen Xie faced off against the eldest son of Prince Yunning. But the disparity in strength between the two was too great. In less than 10 rounds, Yuwen Lian sustained injuries and was defeated. The might of Qin Lei's seven-layered God Binding Shackles was too tyrannical. Yuwen Lian practically adopted defensive tactics from the start of the battle, but he continued to defend until the end of his defeat.
The third match, Lin Muyu vs. Qin Yan.
Even though they were opponents, the relationship between the two was pretty good. Lin Muyu wielded the Dragon Spirit Sword, while Qin Yan wielded the Fire Serpent Spear. The two of them stepped onto the high platform side by side, immediately causing a wave of cheers. Due to Lin Muyu's identity as the emperor's adopted son, he seemed to have already nurtured quite a number of female 'fans'. On the viewing platform, there were at least a dozen or so noble girls waving their delicate arms and shouting, "Lord Lin Muyu, do your best!"
"Pa …"
Tang Xiaoxi's teacup landed heavily on the table. Her face was unhappy, and her beautiful eyes carried disdain as she said, "Humph, so what if these girls know Mu? To actually cheer for Mu like this. So infuriating …"
Qin Yin giggled. "Xiao Xi is so petty …"
"I … I …"
Tang Xiaoxi pouted her small mouth, but was unwilling to admit that she was petty. Her twin peaks rose and fell angrily as she said, "Xiao Yin is also bullying me. Don't tell me you're happy that those girls are cheering for Mu?!"
Qin Yin's beautiful eyes were like water. She shook her head and said with a smile, "No, I'll be very happy if they cheer for Big Brother Yu. But after I ascend the throne, I'll cut the salary of their fathers by thirty percent."
Tang Xiaoxi's face was full of respect. "As expected of Xiao Yin …"
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