Chapter 129 – The Stronger, the Better

“Congratulations, Miss Lu! You’ve succeeded in the challenge!”

Baisheng Martial Arts Hall’s arena announcer announced the winner of the competition.

The spectators cheered and clapped loudly for her.

Tons of items were thrown up on stage – jewelry, gold, silver, fruits, and more. The clerk from Baisheng Martial Arts Hall carried a bamboo basket up to the stage and started putting the items into the basket one by one.

These were the rewards from the spectators. The martial arts hall would take twenty percent of the rewards, and the winner would get the rest.

However, the newly appointed host did not look happy at all. She thanked the crowd with a straight face and stepped off the elevated stage.

“Miss Lu, you will be turning up tomorrow, right?” the boss smiled widely at Lu Mingshu, anxiously waiting for her answer.

Looking at Lu Mingshu and her expression, the boss pointed at the two big baskets, which were full of rewards, “If you turn up, we won’t take any of the rewards. It would be all yours!”

To no avail, she only replied with a single sentence, “No need. I’ll show up if I feel like it.”

But the boss was unwilling to give up. He continued to pester her all the way to the exit, “No matter what kind of opponent you desire, I’ll get them here for you!”

Lu Mingshu kept a straight face as she shook her head.

The boss added, “You really don’t have to go to another martial arts hall. I can even get disciples from the Seventh Truth Platform here for you!”

Lu Mingshu gave him a tight smile and put her rewards into her pocket, “Goodbye.”

Over the past few days, she had gone to five martial arts halls consecutively.

The martial arts halls she went to were the most famous and crowded in all of Tianyun City. When she won at the first arena, people took her as a minor hidden talent who got lucky and thus paid no extra attention to her. After the second arena, some people started to admire her. The third and fourth arena made her more famous… and now, she was the biggest topic in Tianyun City.

All of the martial arts halls she went to were enough to prove one’s ability because they were the best. Furthermore, Lu Mingshu went to many different martial arts halls, not just one!

A powerful, young, icy beauty. Not only did she have the ability, she had the looks too. These past few days, every martial arts hall in Tianyun City hoped for her to turn up, for two reasons; one, if they could defeat her, they would be famous in no time, and secondly, even if they lost, she brought them lots of spectators, and thus lots of money.

However, no martial arts halls had managed to convince her to stay for more than a day as a host.

In the middle on Tianyun City, in the Imperial Amethyst Palace, a candlelight lit up the room and shone onto a woman who was sitting behind her desk with a list of names in her hand.

She threw the list of names onto the desk and turned to the female officer next to her.

“Ling Wuxia still hasn’t turned up?” she asked in annoyance.

The official nodded, “Correct.”

The officer wore the same purple gown as Xiahou Shan, but the aura she gave off was way different form Xiahou Shan. Xiahou Shan always had a smile on her face, but not this woman – she was petite, delicate, and pretty, and her eyes were full of worry.

As for the woman behind the desk, she was an icy beauty. Her lips were covered in bright red lipstick, her eyebrows were arched, and she looked very mature.

She pointed to the list of names on her desk and snickered, “So these people think that they are good enough for Xing’er, huh? Well they’re just a bunch of ugly potatoes!”

At that moment, somebody knocked on the door, “Your Highness, Emissary Xiahou is here to see you.”

“Let her in.”

“Your Highness,” Xiahou Shan said as she was welcomed by the scowling queen.

“Is everything ready for the Qilin Festival?”

“Your servant has already gotten everything prepared. Please take a look, Your Highness,” Xiahou handed over the documents to her.

The queen quickly looked through the documents and had a tight smile on her face, “You’re always reliable.”

“Your Highness has entrusted me with heavy responsibility, so your servant shall try her best,” Xiahou Shan said, then paused for a while, “Is Your Highness perhaps unhappy?”

The queen threw the documents in her hand to the official beside her in anger, “Qingqing, tell her about it.”

Ding Qingqing pointed at the list of names, “Look at the people sent here by the clans – none of them are good enough!”

“Ah, so it’s that,” Xiahou Shan, “These greedy people… they want to make a connection with royalty, yet they are unwilling to send their best.”

“You don’t have to be so euphemistic,” the queen huffed, “They just think that Xing’er is not good enough because he has some physical defect, but they’re the ones who aren’t good enough!”

Xiahou Shan shook her head, “None of them are good enough. The only one that could barely pass is Ling Wuxia.”

“But she’s not here!” the queen burst out in disappointment.

Xiahou Shan pondered for a while before replying, “Your servant thinks that there may be another girl who is suitable.”

The queen waved her hand, “Forget it if she isn’t as good as Ling Wuxia. I would rather have nothing to do with that person in that case.”

Xiahou Shan smiled in reply, “Your Highness is so brilliant – she’s indeed as good as Ling Wuxia,” Xiahou Shan nodded, “or maybe even better.”

“Oh?” the queen’s eyes brightened up. “Let me guess – is it that Xue Yi from the Dengwen Xue family? Or Limpid Autumn Water Clan’s Qiao Min? Oh wait, is it the Flying Star Door’s Huo Jinxin?”

Seeing Xiahou Shan shaking her head, the queen leaned back and waved her hand, “If it’s not one of them, then it’s one of the ugly potatoes, so just stop.”

“Ha!” Ding Qingqing burst out in laughter. “Your Highness, Shan must have her reasons for saying such things. I’m now curious… who exactly is she that you would promote her?” the second sentence was directed at Xiahou Shan.

Seeing that the queen had run out of patience, Xiahou Shan got straight to her point, “It’s the eldest daughter of Fu Shangqing, the current Sect Leader of Nine Jade Palace.”

“Lu Mingshu?” Ding Qingqing raised her eyebrows. “I remember that Fu Shangqing married the daughter of Zhou Jin, so why is his daughter’s surname Lu?”

“The child is from his previous wife,” Xiahou Shan handed some documents to the queen, “Her stepmother, Zhou Miaoru, wanted this marriage, and came to me. I once thought she was just like the other potatoes, but she’s actually quite interesting.”

“The Zhou family sent you gifts, right?”

Xiahou Shan smiled, “You’re the smartest.”

The queen just casually flipped through at first, then she started to read it closely. She slammed the document closed and asked, “Where is she?”

Ding Qingqing looked at her in confusion, “Your Highness wants to call her in?”

“No,” the queen bit her lips, “Not to call in, but to observe.”

Ding Qingqing looked at her in confusion.

She clicked her tongue, “If what is written in the documents is accurate, she’s a match for Ling Wuxia, but she must be very unwilling.”

“Your Highness is indeed smart,” Xiahou Shan replied. She did not dare to keep something so serious in the dark, “She’s not on good terms with the Zhou family since they killed her mother. Zhou Miaoru wanted to keep her in check by making use of Your Highness, but Lu Mingshu obviously isn’t a puppet.”

“This…” Ding Qingqing raised her eyebrows, “if she’s unwilling, this marriage may not be easy.”

Xiahou Shan smiled, “She has never met His Highness before. She may be unwilling right now, but she might not be in the future.”

Hear that, Ding Qingqing smiled, “True. Mister is so talented. It’s only those commoners who do not see his value because they are commoners. Lu Mingshu might be willing after she meets him.”

That Ling Wuxia that the queen was waiting for had the same mindset as well! All of them thought that he was unworthy just because his legs were paralyzed. Weren’t they too superficial?

“You said that she’s competing at the arena?”

“Yes. She has competed at many arenas. From the best pharmacy, to the best rune-carving shop, then five of the best martial arts halls here in Tianyun City, and she has been winning every time. She’s not the most powerful, but she’s an icy beauty, and despite her young age, she has already accomplished Physical Manifestation of Sword Intent. Even if someone is actually better than her, they’ve already been scared off.”

The queen smiled in satisfaction, “Break the cauldrons and sink the boat…. Interesting.”

But Ding Qingqing’s face was filled with worry. “If she’s the way Shan described, then she must be a very firm woman. Are you sure that’s okay?”

Before Xiahou Shan could reply, the queen cut her off, “What’s wrong with being firm? Xing’er is not weak! Shan, go and observe her. I don’t mind her being too strong, I’m only afraid she’s not strong enough!”