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Chapter 961:- Giving Someone a Hard Time (2)
The Tianhui Empire
On the boisterous and bustling street, people came and went, and there was an endless stream of horses and carriages.
Under the welcoming of the citizens of the Tianhui Empire, the countless number of prodigies who came to compete in the Inter-kingdom Tournament stepped into the rest station. At the same time, the streets were also awfully lively.
"Can you guess which kingdom will receive first place in the tournament this time?"
"Does this still need to be said? It will definitely be the Blue Moon Empire. The Blue Moon Empire has already ranked in first place three times in a row, so we don't need to waste any words. It's basically set in concrete that the first five places will be those five kingdoms."
"That's not necessarily true, I heard that the Fengyi Kingdom recently acquired a genius. The genius has absolutely stunning talent and exquisite and refreshing looks. Even a princess of the Empire of No Return took a liking to him and intends to win him over."
"I have also heard of that genius. His name is Xiao something."
"Right, I think it's Xiao Yuqing!"
"Oh my, perhaps the Fengyi Kingdom will be akin to a dark horse and break into the top five..."
While everyone was spiritedly discussing, their faces full of anticipation, an untimely voice interjected, "Look, aren't those people from the Tianyun Kingdom?"
The Tianyun Kingdom?
As the weakest of all the kingdoms, the Tianyun Kingdom was also a household name. Hence, after hearing this, everyone looked over.
In the bustling streets, a young lady dressed in white slowly walked over. The girl's looks could ruin kingdoms and cities, and her clothes fluttered in the wind like snow, her magnificence unmatched. The group of people following behind the girl had similar clothing and evidently treated the white-robed girl as the leader.
"Who's this woman? A princess of the Tianyun Kingdom? How come I've never heard of such a character?"
"Are the people at her back her maidservants and guards? Where are the other talents from the Tianyun Kingdom? How come only one, no, three, came?"
From the start, everyone overlooked Lin Ruobai and Ye Ximo who were standing beside Yun Luofeng. It was only later that they discovered their presence.
Besides Lin Ruobai and Ye Ximo, the other people were evidently guards. Could it be that the Tianyun Kingdom already knew it would fail, so it did not want to send too many people to be humiliated and purposefully found these three people?
At the entrance of the rest station, the two door guards coldly watched Yun Luofeng and said, face devoid of expression, "You came late, so we don't have any spare rooms. However, I can empty the storage room and let you squeeze in."
Hearing this, smiles appeared on the faces of the two emissaries sent to the Tianyun Kingdom to receive Yun Luofeng. This was the order that they relayed through the pigeon messengers. They wanted to particularly give Yun Luofeng a hard time.
Aren't you incredibly bold? Then I won't give even a room to you. Why don't you go live in the storage room?
"Big Brother, Xiao Bai, let's go." Yun Luofeng did not bother looking at the two emissaries and turned around, about to leave.
"What are you doing?" Tian Kui harshly shouted, his expression drastically changing.
Yun Luofeng's steps paused. "The Tianhui Empire is merely so-so. There are many kingdoms participating in the tournament, but you just happened to not prepare enough rooms. Since your empire won't even give us lodging, why should we stay here?"
Tian Kui was dumbstruck. He did not expect Yun Luofeng to act so unpredictably.
Normally, if the organizers did not prepare the room, shouldn't she accept a compromise? Out of these kingdoms who came to compete in the tournament, who dared to act as arrogant and insolent as her?
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Chapter 962:- Giving Someone a Hard Time (3)
Seeing that Yun Luofeng was about to leave, Tian Kui finally turned anxious, but his dignity made him unable to lower his head, so his voice could not avoid carrying some harshness.
"Yun Luofeng, if you leave, then I will judge your Tianyun Kingdom to be the last place, so think this through! Once you come in the last three places of the competition, your Tianyun Kingdom will certainly be eradicated."
Yun Luofeng faced the emissary with her back, her rear silhouette had an indescribable unconfined and decisive quality.
"What does the destruction of the Tianyun Kingdom have to do with me? I won't suffer in silence here for the Tianyun Kingdom!" After saying this, she turned her head and glanced at Tian Kui, her lips turning up with an evil smile. "Moreover, it's not me who wants to leave this time, it's your Tianhui Empire's inconsiderate arrangements that are forcing me to leave. After you arrange it well, I will naturally return to compete."
Tian Kui's expression drastically shifted. He was about to speak but was interrupted by the other emissary beside him, Fang Yu, whose face remained dark the whole time.
"I will arrange your rooms for you in a moment."
Tian Kui's expression was very displeased. "Fang Yu, what are you doing?"
"If you want to target her, you have plenty of chances later." Fang Yu cast down his eyes and said in a deep voice, "But now that all the kingdoms have arrived, if this matter was publicized, it would definitely negatively affect the Tianhui Empire. We can't allow the Empire to be the object of gossip just to give her a hard time."
Tian Kui inhaled deeply and suppressed the boiling fury in his heart. He icily looked at Yun Luofeng. "Someone will prepare your rooms for you immediately. Go to the storage room to rest for now and you can move in after the room is cleaned."
Yun Luofeng turned around to leave without another word. Seeing her leave, the other people all followed her.
"Yun Luofeng, I am already having someone prepare your rooms for you, what are you doing?" Tian Kui angrily shouted as his fury burst to the heavens, fire spitting from his eyes.
Yun Luofeng halted her steps and continued facing Tian Kui with her back. Her voice was languid and bewitching, but it made people feel like they were standing on needles.
"I didn't come here to be mistreated. Since you don't have rooms for us to rest in, why should we stay?"
The rage in Tian Kui's chest intensified. "I already said that I sent someone to tidy some for you. You only need to go to the storage room for a bit."
"Why don't you let the Lanxiang Kingdom go to the storage room to rest?" Yun Luofeng's lips turned up, her features completely evil.
If she really went to the storage room, it would be the same as giving in to the Tianhui Empire. So she would not agree even if it was only for a moment.
"The Lanxiang Kingdom arrived earlier than you. Who told you to be late?" Tian Kui snorted without any emotion.
"Since it's like this, then I have no other way. Big Brother, Xiao Bai, let's return to our kingdom." Yun Luofeng shrugged, looking as though she had no alternative.
Tian Kui nearly spat out blood from his anger. He asked through gritted teeth, "What do you want then?"
"My request is very simple." Yun Luofeng turned her head with a smile on her face. "Have the Lanxiang Kingdom yield their room to us."
"Nonsense!" Tian Kui's eyes revealed his sharpness. "Yun Luofeng, you better obediently do as we say. Otherwise, no one knows what might happen after the competition."
He intentionally lowered his voice and used a volume that only the two of them could hear.
"What?"
Who knew that the smiling girl would immediately display shock and then be moved to tears after hearing Tian Kui's words.
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Chapter 963:- Giving Someone a Hard Time (4)
"I didn't expect the Tianhui Empire to be this highly principled, I was using the heart of a scoundrel to measure the heart of a gentleman."
What-what was going on? Tian Kui was stupefied and dumbfoundedly looked at Yun Luofeng with eyes full of astonishment.
"Emissary Tian Kui, it was truly my fault just now. I was fussing too much over minor details. I can't be compared with the honorable Tianhui Empire."
Tian Kui still did not understand the meaning behind her words, but it did not mean he would not go along with it. He said, his face in total agreement, "You are right, our Tianhui Empire has always been honorable. It's alright as long as you admit your mistake."
"Oh, since it's so, then I'll have to trouble Emissary Tian Kui to empty the rooms of the Lanxiang Kingdom." Yun Luofeng had a smile on her lips as she looked at Tian Kui.
Tian Kui's expression completely shifted as he harshly asked, "What do you mean?"
"Emissary Tian Kui, I was overly calculating earlier and even used abandoning the competition to threaten you. But in order to retain us competitors from the Tianyun Kingdom, you did not mind sacrificing your friends from the Lanxiang Kingdom. Your selfless spirit is truly a model for others. I misunderstood you from the start."
Tian Kui's eyes widened in shock. When did he say he would empty the rooms of the Lanxiang Kingdom?
After hearing her words, the face of the people around them all showed their praise. After all, Tian Kui truly did quietly say something to Yun Luofeng, but they did not hear the contents because it was too quiet.
"Yun Luofeng, well played!" Tian Kui finally came to the realization that he had been swindled by this darn girl.
Now that the arrow was docked onto the bow, he had to shoot it. Besides denying Yun Luofeng's words in public, he had no other solution. However, if he did that, then everyone would surely think that the Tianhui Empire was untrustworthy, and it would also cause the Empire's reputation to plunge down.
"Fang Yu, we will discuss it with the people from the Lanxiang Kingdom." Tian Kui harshly flicked his robe and turned around, entering the rest station.
The result was obvious.
Yun Luofeng had once caused the people of the Lanxiang Kingdom to lose face, so how could they yield their room at a time like this? Regardless of how Tian Kui persuaded them, they sat unmoving.
In the end, for lack of a better option, Tian Kui had to use the Princess of the Lanxiang Kingdom who married His Majesty and promise some compensation. Only then did the people of the Lanxiang Kingdom agree to relinquish their rooms.
Because of this, Tian Kui's hatred for Yun Luofeng festered in his heart!
At the same time, the Lanxiang Kingdom was forced to relinquish their rooms. In the eyes of the populace, they would call the Lanxiang Kingdom virtuous, but the kingdoms who came to compete were all intelligent people. Who knew how they ridiculed them in their mind?
Hence, on top of Tian Kui, the haughty prodigies of the Lanxiang Kingdom also wished nothing more than to kill Yun Luofeng.
...
"Sister, you didn't see the expressions of those people from the Lanxiang Kingdom just now?! It was nearly the same color as a pig liver! Hahaha, Big Brother hasn't been this delighted in years."
Inside the room, Ye Ximo had his arm placed on Yun Luofeng's shoulder as he loudly guffawed. His voice was full of delight and youthful energy.
Yun Luofeng lightly sipped some tea with narrowed eyes. "I already said that I never lose. Whoever causes trouble for me, I will return it a thousandfold to them!"
If Tian Kui did not try to give her a hard time, it would not cause the Lanxiang Kingdom to suffer as well and cause him to be hated by the people of the Lanxiang Kingdom. Hence, he did all of this to himself!
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Chapter 964:- Registering for the Competition (1)
"Sister." Ye Ximo raised his brows and looked at the girl sitting in front of him, saying, "Tomorrow is registration day. Did you think about what competition you will sign up for?"
The Inter-kingdom Tournament was divided into three categories. The first was the medical arts, the second was fighting, and the third was beast taming.
Within these three categories, the first two were popular while the least popular was beast taming. Not many people headed to it. The reason was none other than the spiritual beasts of the Land of No Return were all extremely haughty and would not easily submit to a human. Taming them was more difficult than ascending to the heavens. Hence, very few people possessed spiritual beasts on the continent. If they could not tame these prideful spiritual beasts, they could not sign a contract with them nor could they order them to fight.
Yun Luofeng's finger lightly stroked the edge of the teacup as her lips raised with a languid and wicked smile. "I am interested in all three categories of competition."
In other words, she was going to register for all three categories.
Ye Ximo was taken aback and hesitantly said, "Although the competition has no rules against repeated registration, there has never been anyone who registered for more than two categories at the same time. Are you sure you can handle signing up for three categories?"
Regarding Yun Luofeng's medical and fighting skill, Ye Ximo was confident in her. But the last category beast taming was not as simple...
"I either won't do it or if I do it, I will do it the best." Yun Luofeng slowly stood up, her dark eyes akin to starry, dark night, emitting a brilliant radiance.
She had never been someone who settled for being normal. Unless she did nothing, everything that she did must amaze the world!
Ye Ximo helplessly smiled. "Sister, since you already decided, then I will certainly support you as your brother. Only... the beast taming category is incredibly dangerous, so you should be cautious."
Yun Luofeng faintly smiled. Her voice lazily said, "I'm tired."
Ye Ximo wryly chuckled while shaking his head. "Then I won't disturb you. Rest well. I will come and find you tomorrow."
After saying this, he glanced at Yun Luofeng with complicated feelings before turning to leave. It seemed that his sister-in-law could always manage to give him an extreme fright. Even the top geniuses of the three Empires never contemplated registering for three categories at the same time.
...
Next day, daybreak
It was early in the morning, but the members of the corps were already exercising in the courtyard. Lin Ruobai and Ye Ximo were waiting for Yun Luofeng at the entrance.
Not long later, the tightly shut door was slowly opened. Upon seeing the white-clothed girl who appeared at the door, everyone went to greet her.
"Everyone's here?" The girl stretched before looking at everyone inside the courtyard with a raised brow and saying, "Then we will head to the entrance of the rest station to register. All of you will choose to fight. Zhong Ling'er, you will sign up for two categories, one fighting, one medicine."
During these past years, Yun Luofeng has taught Zhong Ling'er some medicine. Added with her self-study, although her medical skills could not compare with a master, she still had hope for winning among the youth.
"Yes," Zhong Ling'er respectfully responded.
"Let's go then."
Having said this, Yun Luofeng took the initiative to leave the courtyard. Everyone else hurried to follow without a word.
Coincidentally, just as Yun Luofeng wanted to step out of the courtyard, a group of people wearing the Lanxiang Kingdom insignia all walked over.
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Chapter 965:- Registering for the Competition (2)
The leading youth clearly discovered Yun Luofeng as well. Viciousness flashed through his eyes, and he extended his leg in front of Yun Luofeng, hoping to trip the girl.
Yun Luofeng appeared to have not seen anything and lifted her leg high, stepping on the youth's ankle.
"AH!" A wail like the sound of a dying pig rang through the entire rest station, making the prodigies from the other kingdoms, who were hurrying toward the registration location, all look over.
The youth clutched his swollen ankle, his furious gaze intently glaring at Yun Luofeng as he uttered between clenched teeth, "Yun Luofeng, don't you know to watch where you are going? Didn't you see my leg?"
Yun Luofeng evilly glanced at him. "Apologies, I didn't see you extend your leg in front of me."
Hearing this, everyone understood what had happened.
It turned out it was someone from the Lanxiang Kingdom vainly attempting to trip Yun Luofeng. Who knew he would end up worse than he started by trying to trick her? The other party directly stepped on his ankle to pass.
"Yun Luofeng, just wait and see!" Rage oozed from the youth's gaze as he coldly looked at Yun Luofeng. Then, he waved his arm and bitingly said, "Let's go."
This time, he did not walk as majestic as before. Instead, he led the group of Lanxiang Kingdom prodigies away while limping.
Ye Ximo's eyes icily watched the direction that the youth headed toward as he said, "He is the Fifth Prince of the Lanxiang Kingdom, Qiu Feihua, and also the top genius in the Lanxiang Kingdom. His strength is at god-level advanced-rank."
Yun Luofeng shrugged. "Let's keep going."
To be truthful, even before her breakthrough, she probably would not care about those prodigies of the Lanxiang Kingdom, let alone now that she had reached god-level intermediate-rank.
Seeing Yun Luofeng's departing figure, Ye Ximo hurriedly chased after her and continued to closely follow her.
...
At the entrance of the rest station, besides the registration point of the beast taming category, which had always been deserted, the other two points were jammed with people.
From this, it could be seen that medicine was extremely popular on this continent and had even become an indispensable part of daily life.
"Sister, it looks like we have to wait in line for a long time." Ye Ximo held his arms across his chest with his sharp, straight brows raised, his eyes brimming with joy.
Yun Luofeng glanced at the location milling with people and turned around, heading for another direction. "Let's go, we will head to the registration point for beast taming first."
Perhaps because the label of the Tianyun Kingdom was too flashy, the other people attentively watched Yun Luofeng's every movement. Seeing her walk to the registration point for beast taming, astonishment was written on everyone's faces, but there was more disdain.
"The girl from the Tianyun Kingdom is a beast tamer?"
"No wonder the Tianyun Kingdom came so confident this time. It turns out they want to seek attention in the neglected category. It's a pity that although beast taming is an unpopular category, it doesn't lack geniuses in its midst. Even the kingdoms ranked in the top three sent people to participate in it."
Although beast taming was an unpopular category, it did not mean there weren't people who possessed this ability. So the Tianyun Kingdom had committed a great mistake if they wanted to seek attention from an unpopular category.
As the perpetual last place, the Tianyun Kingdom would never change its fortunes.
At the registration points for beast taming, an old man was holding a writing brush and penning people's names. Compared with the other registration points, it was too desolate here, so the man wrote extremely slowly with a relaxed expression.
"Next."
"The Tianyun Kingdom, Yun Luofeng."
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Chapter 966:- Registering for the Three Categories (1)
After hearing the words 'the Tianyun Kingdom', the old man was clearly startled, but he did not hesitate to write down Yun Luofeng's name.
Then, a benevolent smile appeared on his geriatric face and he said, "Alright, you can leave."
There was no one else waiting to register behind Yun Luofeng, so the elderly man put away the paper after the last stroke.
...
"Tch, Yun Luofeng really registered for beast taming."
"Haha, in truth, I quite admire her, being able to sign up so quickly. Do you think she casually signed up for a category because she didn't want to wait in line?"
"Oh, look quickly! Yun Luofeng is heading for the fighting category."
The person's shocked voice was just heard, and Yun Luofeng already reached the other registration point and was silently waiting in the back of the line. Everyone's brain exploded as they looked at the girl in white with eyes full of shock.
"She... she wants to sign up for two categories?"
"This is impossible, right? Although the times of each competition are separated, after one round of competition, they would definitely be spent and couldn't participate in the next round in the best state. So, normally, people would not sign up for two categories at the same time."
"That's right, the other people from the Tianyun Kingdom still haven't registered, so Yun Luofeng is surely accompanying them to register!"
The more they thought about it, the more they found it logical. Signing up for two categories in a row? How was that possible?! Even the prodigies from the top three kingdoms do not dare to risk it!
After all, failing one of the categories of competition would greatly impact the ranking.
As the sun moved higher up in the sky, the people at the registration points finally slowly petered off. However, they did not leave and were watching the Tianyun Kingdom team from the side with a sneer. Every prodigy who chose to register had to report their strength, which was why they were standing on the sidelines waiting to watch them humiliate themselves.
An emotionless voice rang. "Next."
Compared to the benevolent old man at the registration point for beast taming, this person's face was fairly prideful.
"The Tianyun Kingdom, Yun Luofeng. My strength is..." Yun Luofeng paused, a glint flashing through her eyes, "sky-level advanced-rank."
Hearing the girl's indifferent voice, the mocking faces of the people around them turned to stupefaction, as though they were struck by lightning.
She... signed up?
And this woman was actually sky-level advanced-rank?
At this moment, everyone's expression was extraordinarily colorful, as though it was being dyed over and over again. Following her, booming voices rang through the entire street one after another.
"The Tianyun Kingdom, Ye Ximo, sky-level advanced-rank!"
"The Tianyun Kingdom, Ye Ling, sky-level intermediate-rank!"
"The Tianyun Kingdom, Qingyan, sky-level low-rank."
"The Tianyun Kingdom, Zhong Ling'er, sky-level low-rank."
"The Tianyun Kingdom, Gou Dan, earth-level..."
Sky-level spirit cultivator! Another sky-level spirit cultivator!
Since when did so many young sky-level cultivators appear in the Tianyun Kingdom?
They knew about Ye Ximo. In the Tianyun Kingdom, besides Princess Jiang Mengyao, only Ye Ximo had reached sky level! To no avail, the other people of the Tianyun Kingdom were too weak, so even if the two of them were fairly strong, they still could not lead so many trash.
However, all of these people were sky-level spirit cultivators?
After hearing the people of the Tianyun Kingdom report their strength, the expression of the talented youth from the Lanxiang Kingdom who wanted to antagonize Yun Luofeng earlier, Qiu Feihua, was exceptionally displeased.
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Chapter 967:- Registering for the Three Categories (2)
Qiu Feihua coldly glanced at Yun Luofeng and snorted. "If you only registered for the fighting category, perhaps the Tianyun Kingdom would finally stop coming in the last place. Unfortunately, you are too stupid and went to sign up for beast taming as well! Don't you know that if you choose multiple categories in the tournament, your ranking is based on the worst scored category?"
This was why many prodigies did not dare to sign up for two categories.
If they did not do well due to lack of energy, wouldn't they harm their own kingdom?
A moment later, the other people from the Tianyun Kingdom all registered. Yun Luofeng had them stay and wait for them while she led Zhong Ling'er to the medicine registration point.
Seeing her action, the initially silent crowd had another ardent reaction.
"My goodness, is this woman planning to register for the last medicine category even though she had already registered for two categories?"
"Registering for three categories in a row? Does she think she's a god and wants to compete in all three categories? If she really signs up for it, then she's an idiot who doesn't have any brains and only wants to show off!"
Yun Luofeng did not disappoint the person who spoke vulgarly. She was standing at the medicine registration point.
"The Tianyun Kingdom, Yun Luofeng."
Boom!
Everyone's mind exploded and their vision turned white. They stared at Yun Luofeng, stupefied and unable to utter anything.
Since the beginning of the tournament, no one signed up for two categories at the same time. But she... took on the three categories all at once? Goodness, just how stupid was this girl to do something like this?
"Idiot." Qiu Feihua looked at Yun Luofeng with a sneer. "You're beyond idiotic. You will eventually regret it."
"I don't know whether I will regret it, but I know your Lanxiang Kingdom will certainly regret it!" Yun Luofeng's lips turned up as her wicked eyes dryly swept across Qiu Feihua's livid face. Her words were arrogant and bold.
Qiu Feihua snorted. "We will see!"
After saying this, he walked past Yun Luofeng to leave. When he reached her side, he thought about plotting against her another time, but he swiftly recalled the girl's underhanded tactics and could only forcefully suppress the fury in his heart.
Following this, Zhong Ling'er finished signing up and silently walked to Yun Luofeng.
"Let's go then, we will go back to rest." Yun Luofeng shrugged and walked into the rest station.
She did not notice that a pair of cool eyes was watching her from behind the crowd. Even after she left, the person could not look away.
Xiao Yuqing, donning a long, navy blue robe, stood behind the crowd. His handsome and aloof face imperceptibly revealed his complicated feelings and a dim light flickered through his eyes. His mother's death should have made him hate this woman who caused it. Why was it that when he saw her again, he could not hate her?...
...
"Master, why didn't you report your true strength earlier?"
When Yun Luofeng leisurely entered the courtyard inside the rest station, Huohuo's puzzled voice was heard from her spirit.
Without waiting for her to respond, Xiao Mo answered for her.
"Idiot, I really don't know how you lived on the continent for this long without being kidnapped! Master is facing her enemies with her weak side so that her competitors would lower their guard! Moreover, a sky-level advanced-rank spirit cultivator can already cause other people to be unable to underestimate Master, so she naturally has no need to report her true strength."
Xiao Mo hummed, evidently scornful of Huohuo's stupidity.
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Chapter 968:- Medical Competition (1)
"Xiao Mo, how's Little Tree?"
Ever since that day, Yun Luofeng did not enter the God Code Space again and was a hands-off owner, leaving Little Tree to Xiao Mo.
Xiao Mo was silent for a moment. "He has already eaten nearly all of the medicinal herbs inside the God Code Space."
Hearing this, Yun Luofeng rubbed her aching forehead. It looked like she needed to acquire medicinal herbs as fast as possible.
"I heard that the prize for the medical competition is a valuable medicinal herb." Yun Luofeng's eyes glittered. "So I must obtain this herb to feed Little Tree."
"Kekeke." Little Tree's tinkling laughter was heard, as though he heard her words. His laughter, transmitted to Yun Luofeng's mind through her spirit, was very joyful.
Yun Luofeng smiled and did not say anything more before entering her room.
...
The first round of the Inter-kingdom Tournament was the medical competition. The venue for the competition was situated inside the Imperial Palace of the Tianhui Empire.
At present, the venue was milling with people and bustling with discussions. Besides the emptied space reserved for the competitors, there were also viewing platforms for the audience.
Yun Luofeng walked to Zhong Ling'er's side and clapped her shoulders, saying, "Don't be too pressured. Even if you lose, it's no big deal. There's still me."
Zhong Ling'er nodded, but her keen eyes were brimming with determination. Since she was competing, she must do her all and absolutely wouldn't disappoint her master!
"Here comes His Majesty, here comes Noble Consort Ling!"
A shrill voice pierced through the venue, and a moment later, a bright yellow figure quickly walked toward them escorted by a procession of eunuchs and imperial maids. Following the dragon-robed man was a faintly smiling woman in imperial clothing. The woman was not only incredibly beautiful but also had a sweet and tender mannerism. No wonder the Emperor of the Tianhui Empire was incredibly mesmerized by her.
"Everyone, Zhen personally came to be a judge of the medical competition today." Long Yuan's face was held high as he looked down on the numerous young prodigies under him. "The first round of the medical competition is an elimination match. In a moment, Zhen will have someone bring out the medicinal herbs. Two prodigies will come up and write down the name and effects of the herbs."
Seeing everyone's stunned expression, Long Yuan's voice paused briefly before saying, "Zhen knows that it won't be difficult to write down the effects of the herbs with your talent, so only the ones who hand in their examination script first have the right to advance! Also, the herbs that every group faces are different, so you won't be able to cheat."
In other words, every group would get a new set of medicinal herbs, so no one would know the herbs that they have to face before they compete, which also prevented cheating.
After saying this, Long Yuan waved his arm and lavishly said, "Also, Zhen changed the prize of the competition at the last minute! All the medicinal herbs brought out today will belong to the winner."
Yun Luofeng slightly narrowed her eyes. What she lacked right now was medicinal herbs, so she would certainly get first place!
"Without further ado, the competition will start now."
Following Long Yuan's words, a eunuch immediately brought the medicinal herbs out. He also pulled out two strips of paper and read out the name on the paper.
"Zhang Ming, Zhao Wu!"
Instantly, the two people who were named walked out and charged toward the medicinal herbs without wasting a single second, their hands flying over the paper at lightning speed.
"Your Majesty." Noble Consort Ling glanced at Yun Luofeng below them with faintly dark features and whispered beside Long Yuan's ear, "That girl is Yun Luofeng."
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Chapter 969:- Medical Competition (2)
"Oh?" Long Yuan raised his brows. "She's the one who looked down on the people from the Lanxiang Kingdom?"
Logically, with his status, Long Yuan did not need to care about the Lanxiang Kingdom. However, the princess of the Lanxiang Kingdom was his most favored woman, so he naturally had to lend a hand.
"My dear consort." Long Yuan squeezed Noble Consort Ling's tender and smooth cheeks as he asked with a smile, "How do you want me to vent your anger for you?"
Noble Consort Ling's cheeks reddened. "Your Majesty, you didn't say whether people could fight during the competition, so I rigged the lot drawing already, and the one who she'll face is someone from the Lanxiang Kingdom. I also ordered him to interfere with her competing."
"Haha," Long Yuan loudly laughed, his arm tightly holding Noble Consort Ling's waist. "You can do whatever you want, my dear consort, Zhen will fulfill your wish."
Long Yuan did truly love Noble Consort Ling. After gaining her, he had not visited any other concubine's beds, so he naturally indulged all of her actions.
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Noble Consort Ling turned joyful, her lips raised with a smile.
As she looked at Yun Luofeng, malice flashed through her gaze, and the smile on her lips deepened.
Yun Luofeng, you made the people from my Lanxiang Kingdom lose all their face that day, so I will make you pay it back a thousandfold today!
...
Inside the crowd, Yun Luofeng detected the malicious gaze and slowly looked up, meeting the anger-filled eyes of Noble Consort Ling. Besides fury, her eyes also contained a satisfied joy and had lost their previous tenderness and wit.
It was at this time that the eunuch's voice pulled Yun Luofeng's attention back to the competition.
"Next, Tian Qi, Zhong Ling'er!"
Zhong Ling'er started briefly before she took a deep breath and slowly walked up to the competition stage. On the stage, a eunuch already took out a new round of medicinal herbs and placed them on the table one by one.
"Oh, isn't that the servant girl beside Yun Luofeng?"
"I know Tian Qi, he's from the Fengyue Kingdom and studies under a great physician of the Fengyue Kingdom. Zhong Ling'er is only a servant girl, so she certainly isn't that capable."
"That's right. If she had brilliant medical skills, how could she be willing to serve Yun Luofeng as a servant girl? From this, it can be seen that Tian Qi will certainly win!"
Everyone did not have a high opinion of Zhong Ling'er. In their eyes, if Zhong Ling'er was talented in medicine, she would not be a mere servant girl. Perhaps she did not even recognize any of the medicinal herbs.
Faced with the sounds of ridicule, Zhong Ling'er acted as though she did not hear it and picked up the brush, speedily writing on the white paper laid in front of her.
Seeing her actions, the audience was stunned.
"Is she really writing down the effects of those herbs?"
"No! I think she's prideful and writing nonsense! If Tian Qi hands in the paper first, she will lose even if she doesn't hand in her paper, and no one would know what nonsense she scrawled..."
Time passed second by second. Zhong Ling'er mannerism remained as placid as always, her brush skillfully flying over the paper.
In contrast, a cold sweat covered Tian Qi's forehead. After every herb that he wrote down, he needed to contemplate for a moment before he could write down the next herb.
"Do you see? Zhong Ling'er brush has not stopped at all, which is to say she did not even think about it. This is completely abnormal. She isn't one of those renowned godly doctors, so how could she write down the effects of a herb without thinking?"
Seeing this, the contempt on everyone's face grew. They already determined that Zhong Ling'er was making things up.
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Chapter 970:- Xiao Yuqing's Pain (1)
Time elapsed.
Under everyone's scornful gazes, Zhong Ling'er stopped writing and calmly walked toward the middle-aged man on the tall platform. The entire venue quieted down with her action.
Long Yuan's brows furrowed, and he ordered a eunuch to accept her paper. The eunuch walked up as ordered and carefully held the paper, which was still wet with ink, as he walked to several old men.
In the venue, besides the Emperor and Noble Consort who dictated the whole competition, there was also the group of examiners formed by the Empires' imperial physicians. These imperial physicians' reputation spread far and wide, so there was nothing better than having them act as the examiners.
One of the old men accepted the paper and lightly skimmed it, but this glance alone caused astonishment to appear in his eyes.
"Quickly, come and take a look." The elderly man's expression was immensely shocked.
Hearing this, the other old men gathered around him. After seeing the contents of the paper, their face exhibited the same expression.
"What's going on?"
"Could it be that Zhong Ling'er's rubbish angered these imperial physicians?"
The people beneath them all whispered in each other's ears and spiritedly discussed.
Zhong Ling'er's identity was out in the open. She was nothing more than a servant girl who came here to be humiliated in place of a prodigy from the Tianyun Kingdom, so how could she have genuine abilities? If she was capable enough to impress these imperial physicians, she would certainly not be a servant girl anymore.
However, the following reality was like a slap that fiercely landed on these presumptuous people.
"Perfect! This answer is too perfect! Not a single word wrong and incredibly detailed!"
The imperial physicians all nodded their heads in praise. Although many prodigies came here, there still were not many who could be this detailed in a short amount of time. It was no wonder that they were so stunned earlier.
Tian Qi tossed down the brush in his hand with dismay and looked at Zhong Ling'er with turmoil in his eyes as he asked, "You can't be a mere servant girl, right?"
How could a servant girl possess such ability?
Zhong Ling'er lifted her chin. "I'm truly a servant girl. There's no doubt about it."
"Miss." On top of the platform, an old man asked with a faint smile, "Can this old crock know who taught you?"
Hearing this, a trace of pride entered Zhong Ling'er face and tone. "My teacher is my master, Yun Luofeng!"
She was proud because she had a master like Yun Luofeng. Ever since she decided to vow loyalty and devotion to Yun Luofeng back then, she had been fated to step onto an extraordinary road.
At this moment, Zhong Ling'er was quite thankful for the Crown Prince of the Longyuan Kingdom, Gao Ling. If it weren't for the imperial family's precautions against the General Estate back then, she, who had been born useless, would not have been selected into the corps.
The crowd turned into an uproar, clamoring about this news.
No wonder a person praised by the imperial physicians would be a servant girl! If Yun Luofeng was incredibly talented in medicine as well, then they would wholeheartedly be willing to be her servants. Of course, the prerequisite was that she had this ability!
In this world, there were a countless number of prodigies, so what if this servant received a compliment? Her memory concerning medicinal herbs did not represent her ability.
In today's gathering of prodigies, she did not have a good chance of winning.
Zhong Ling'er walked with her head held up high and her chest puffed out. Under the shocked, doubtful, and disdainful gazes of those people, she left the competition floor like a proud peacock and walked to the side of Yun Luofeng.
"Master, I won't disappoint you."
She must win against her opponent regardless of how hard she had to try.
"You've worked hard." Yun Luofeng faintly smiled before turning her sight onto the competition floor again.
After Zhong Ling'er left, the remaining competitors also walked onto the stage one by one whenever the eunuch called their name.
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Chapter 971:- Xiao Yuqing's Pain (2)
"Your Majesty." A snow-white hand settled on the Emperor's wrist. Noble Consort Ling was smiling tenderly with a deep ripple of emotions in her beautiful eyes. "This little girl looks quite interesting."
"Oh?" Long Yuan's brows raised as he looked at Noble Consort Ling's stunning face, gently squeezing the back of her hand. "Does my dear consort lack imperial maids in her palace and take a fancy to this Zhong Ling'er girl?"
Noble Consort Ling bashfully lowered her head. "His Majesty knows this servant well. I would like to make Zhong Ling'er this servant's imperial maid."
"Since my dear consort wants it, then Zhen will help you obtain her from the Tianyun Kingdom after the competition is over." Long Yuan's features were very domineering and his tone was arrogant and unbridled. "Even if you wanted Yun Luofeng to become your imperial maid, the Tianyun Kingdom must obediently give her to us, let alone a servant girl!"
This was the attitude of a strong kingdom toward a weak kingdom! So what if I want someone of yours? That is your fortune! If you reject it, then you don't know how to appreciate a favor!
Of course, Long Yuan believed that the Tianyun Kingdom would not have the courage to reject him. Moreover, exchanging a little girl for the friendly attitude of the Tianhui Empire would be well worth it.
"Your Majesty, you mustn't!" Noble Consort Ling shook her head. "Yun Luofeng married into the Ye Family, and the Ye Family has an important status in the Tianyun Kingdom. The Tianyun Kingdom won't give her up. Also, every kingdom has the agreement that none of the kingdoms can privately wage a war. This servant wouldn't want to drag Your Majesty down because of my selfishness."
Long Yuan's gaze was full of indulgence. "My dear consort, you seem to have forgotten something. If the Tianyun Kingdom comes in the last place again, they will be eliminated from the rank of kingdoms. At that time, why do we need to care about the inter-kingdom agreement?"
Noble Consort Ling's eyes sparkled. This was what she was waiting for! As long as His Majesty said this, it meant the Tianyun Kingdom would lose this competition without a doubt!
Thinking to this point, the corner Noble Consort Ling's lips slightly turned up, her malicious eyes glancing to Yun Luofeng.
"Yun Luofeng, Liu Chenyi!"
A sharp voice called out, and everyone's eyes shot to Yun Luofeng in an instant.
Liu Chenyi was the son of Grand Tutor of the Lanxiang Kingdom. His medical skill was extraordinary and his demeanor elegant, snatching the affection of many girls from the Lanxiang Kingdom. Compared to the arrogant and tyrannical prince, Qiu Feihua, his popularity was more fervent.
As soon as he appeared, a wave of squeals was evoked.
"This is Young Master Liu from the Lanxiang Kingdom. My goodness, he's really as elegant as legend says, exceptionally handsome."
"If I could become his wife, I would die without regrets!"
Hearing these women's shrill voices, Liu Chenyi's faint smile remained on his lips. There was a feather fan in his hand, graceful and handsome beyond comparison. It was as though his whole body emitted light.
Upon seeing that Yun Luofeng's opponent was Liu Chenyi, understanding dawned in the Emperor's mind and his brows slightly furrowed. "My dear consort, when you said earlier that you had someone from the Lanxiang Kingdom distract Yun Luofeng, did you mean that you were going to have Liu Chenyi act as a honeypot trap?"
Noble Consort Ling mysteriously smiled. "Your Majesty, this servant is confident that Yun Luofeng will be eliminated in the first round of competition."
She was incredibly confident in the people of the Lanxiang Kingdom. Moreover, Liu Chenyi had formidable strength, so he could make Yun Luofeng miserably lose even without using underhanded tactics!
...
Under the starry gazes of the women, Liu Chenyi walked to Yun Luofeng's side while waving his feather fan. His face had a hint of a smile while his mannerism was graceful, every movement stirring people's hearts.
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Chapter 972:- Xiao Yuqing's Pain (3)
However, Yun Luofeng's dark eyes were completely placid without a single ripple. No one was able to detect any emotions from her eyes.
Liu Chenyi's pupils contracted. He had a feeling that this woman was not someone easily seduced, despite his immense confidence in his methods.
"Miss Yun," Liu Chengyi's lips turned up with a kind smile, "I have been looking forward to meeting you for a long time. My interest in you goes far back. It is my honor to have you as my opponent."
Seeing Liu Chengyi treat Yun Luofeng so gently caused the women beneath them to go crazy from jealousy.
"Doesn't Yun Luofeng already have a husband? How could she seduce Young Master Liu so shamelessly!"
"Her husband is nothing more than the son of an aristocratic family in some tiny kingdom. How could he compare with Young Master Liu? At least the Lanxiang Kingdom is one of the top 10 kingdoms, and he is also the son of the Grand Tutor, so his status is extremely noble."
"I actually thought Yun Luofeng was different. I didn't expect her to be so secular that as soon as she sees a man with a more noble status, she would throw herself at his feet."
Lin Ruobai and the others nearly flew into a rage when they heard the discussions. Women caught in the snare of love were truly delirious and incredible at distorting the truth and ignoring right and wrong.
When did Yun Luofeng go seduce Liu Chenyi? And when did she throw herself at his feet? It was clearly Liu Chenyi who shamelessly wanted to seduce Yun Luofeng!
Lin Ruobai was about to bellow her response when she saw Yun Luofeng's fierce gaze darting to the women who voiced their ridicule.
"Is this Liu Chenyi very... outstanding?" Her voice was absentminded and her tone languid. "If you think he is outstanding, then immediately come and take him away. However, it appears that just one of him won't be enough to be divided among so many of you. I do have a solution though. You can dismember him into thousands of pieces, and everyone can take a piece."
"As for me...," Yun Luofeng paused, the corner of her lips rising, "I already possess a man who loves me the most and is the most outstanding in the world. With someone like that as contrast, I'm not interested in a normal person like him."
They could discuss her, but they absolutely could not talk about Yun Xiao! She would not permit anyone to humiliate him!
Liu Chenyi's face was somewhat stiff as fury rose in his heart.
This woman actually called him a normal person? And also wanted to dismember him into thousands of pieces to give to his admirers?
...
On the audience platform, an aloof man hid in the midst of the crowd and had his gaze locked on the peerless girl clothed in white the whole time. However, after hearing the girl's words, he felt like someone punched his heart, making it feel extremely heavy.
"Young Master Xiao..." the person behind him asked with a worried expression after catching a glimpse of Xiao Yuqing's pale face.
"Let's go, this competition isn't all too meaningful."
Because the winner would always be her!
After glancing at Yun Luofeng one last time, Xiao Yuqing turned around to walk out of the venue.
That one stunning gaze from back then determined he would fall for her for the rest of his life! However, he would gladly endure the hardship without any regret!
The pretty woman who gently called Xiao Yuqing earlier detected his last glance and subconsciously peered at Yun Luofeng, who was standing in the center of the venue. Complicated feelings stirred in her eyes.
During these past years, Young Master Xiao appeared to keep thinking about a woman. If she did not guess wrong, that woman was... Yun Luofeng?
However, Yun Luofeng already had a husband, so Young Master Xiao was fated to be unable to obtain her. Since it was like this, did that mean she still had a chance?
The corner of her lips lightly raised with a composed smile, and her eyes were brimming with joy.
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Chapter 973:- Xiao Yuqing's Pain (4)
On the competition stage, Liu Chenyi already drew back his elegant smile, and his gentle eyes contained a trace of fox-like cunning.
"Miss Yun, you are quite deeply in love with your husband, but you've misunderstood my meaning. I don't have any improper motives toward you." Liu Chenyi slowly walked to the front of Yun Luofeng, his thin lips near her ear. He used a voice that only the two of them could hear to say, "Of course, if you are willing to be my woman, then I am willing to go easy on you in the competition later. How about it?"
Yun Luofeng slightly narrowed her eyes, the smile on her lips remarkably evil. "Go easy on me? I'm afraid... you don't have the capability!"
"Hoho." Liu Chenyi chuckled. "It looks like Miss Yun thinks she will certainly win this competition. I greatly anticipate the scene of you winning against me then."
He particularly raised his volume when speaking those words, so that the people around them heard him.
"What? Yun Luofeng actually dares to be this arrogant? So confident that she thinks she can win against Young Master Liu? She shouldn't think that merely raising a servant girl like Zhong Ling'er is enough for her to become conceited. If Zhong Ling'er competed with Young Master Liu, she would most assuredly lose without a doubt!"
"She truly thinks too highly of her abilities!"
How could the women who adore Liu Chenyi watch their dream lover be bullied without doing anything? They all stood up, and everyone's expression would make someone unaware of the truth think that Yun Luofeng had killed their whole family!
Obtaining the result that he wanted, Liu Chenyi's smile deepened. He boastfully glanced at Yun Luofeng and kindly spoke, "Miss Yun, let's start then. I look forward to you winning against me."
At this time, a eunuch already placed down the medicinal herbs one by one.
Seeing the herbs in front of them, Liu Chenyi smiled again. "Also, I would like to increase the difficulty of the competition this time. Will Your Majesty permit it?"
"There's no harm saying it." Long Yuan said with a smile and a raise of his hand.
Liu Chenyi's eyes flickered. "I suggest that Miss Yun and I not only have to write down the effects but also have to arrange the herbs on the table into a prescription, and there must be at least three prescriptions!"
Writing the effects of the herbs was already extremely difficult, but arranging these herbs into a prescription was even more difficult.
Praise flashed through Long Yuan's eyes, and he nodded. "Zhen permits it."
"Thank you, Your Majesty," Liu Chenyi cupped his fists and looked at Yun Luofeng with a faint smile. "Miss Yun, since you were so confident about your strength earlier, do you dare to accept my suggestion now?"
Yun Luofeng raised her brows. "Why wouldn't I dare? There is nothing in this world that I don't dare to do."
"Haha," Liu Chenyi loudly laughed. "Miss Yun is unlike other women, as expected. You truly make me immensely respectful of you. I hope you will still have the courage to say something like this in a moment."
Liu Chenyi flicked his robe and walked to his seat. He was quite talented indeed, but that was only relative to the Lanxiang Kingdom. He could not compare with the prodigies of the other kingdoms ranked near the front. Even the prodigies from the other kingdoms did not dare to suggest this condition, so how could he have the courage?
The reason was very simple. It was because the Noble Consort of the Tianhui Empire was a princess of the Lanxiang Kingdom. Moreover, the Noble Consort requested him to give Yun Luofeng a hard time.
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Chapter 974:- Xiao Yuqing's Pain (5)
Hence, he already knew the medicinal herbs that the Tianhui Empire would set out and made preparations beforehand by going through the books and finding three prescriptions. It had to be said that having someone behind you was satisfying. Even cheating was done so effortlessly!
Liu Chenyi spread the paper open and, with a flick of his brush and with flowing movements, started to write down character after character on his white sheet of paper. In order to not make it obvious that he already made preparations, he pretended to contemplate for a moment every time he wrote a paragraph.
At the same time, Yun Luofeng also started to seriously write her answer.
Time gradually elapsed, but it was not long before 15 minutes had passed. During this period of time, no one made any more sounds and silently watched the two people on the stage.
Understandably, the people who were ridiculing Yun Luofeng earlier all remained silent, quietly admiring the girl's calm posture as she wrote. In contrast to Liu Chenyi's contemplation from time to time, Yun Luofeng's movements were very fluid and continuous.
However, what shocked everyone was that Yun Luofeng and Liu Chenyi put down their brushes at the same time.
Logically, since Yun Luofeng's movements were so continuous, she should finish earlier than Liu Chenyi, so why did she finish her answer at the same time as him? Could it be that the girl was only pretending to be calm? Was her capability too mediocre so she made a lot of edits to her answer?
A eunuch quickly went to pick up their exams and passed them to the imperial physicians. The imperial physicians first looked over Liu Chenyi's exam, and praise appeared on their faces.
"Quite good, your answer was very insightful, not missing any component, and without any editing marks. Even the three prescriptions were arranged perfectly. You truly are a rare genius."
The imperial physician's compliment made everyone firmly believe in the answer in their mind. Yun Luofeng could not win against Liu Chenyi.
"You've let me win." Liu Chenyi gently smiled and cupped his fist while saying, "I've read many books over the years, so I've already memorized those prescriptions. Miss Yun, don't be dismayed. It's merely a competition and doesn't mean anything. I hope we can have a rematch next year."
Liu Chenyi aimed the last sentence at Yun Luofeng. After saying it, he slapped his head in mock distress. "I forgot, your Tianyun Kingdom doesn't have a next year. I'm sorry, Miss Yun. If I knew it would be like this, I would have gone easy on you."
A smile also appeared on Noble Consort Ling's face. She said it before that Liu Chenyi absolutely would not lose!
There was no need to look at Yun Luofeng's exam next. No matter how capable she was, there was no way she would win against Liu Chenyi.
Although this was what everyone else thought, the imperial physicians could not do that as the examiners. Hence, they abided by the rules and picked up Yun Luofeng's exam.
When one of the examiners saw it, the elderly man was instantly taken aback. It was different from his shock when he faced Zhong Ling'er earlier, as he was completely stupefied right now.
"Ge Yang, is Yun Luofeng's answer so awful that it scared you? I saw that her brush did not even stop earlier, so perhaps the exam has some editing marks. I would like to see what she wrote that frightened you."
After saying this, another old man snatched the exam from Ge Yang's hand. Upon seeing the contents of the paper, he who originally had a mocking smile became as dumbstruck as Ge Yang.
"That can't be, right? Was what she wrote that awful? It shouldn't be. Even if she didn't write anything, it shouldn't be this bad."
The other elders could not hold back anymore and encircled Ge Yang and the other old man. Their heads pushed forward, wanting to catch a glimpse of the contents of the paper.
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Chapter 975:- What Was Liu Chenyi Compared to Her? (1)
On the white paper, the script was straight and legible without any of the editing marks that they imagined. However, each old man's expression was more shocked than the previous, as though they had seen a ghost.
"This... this is impossible!" An old man extended his hand and shakily took the exam into his hand. His mouth kept muttering, "This is impossible, absolutely impossible!"
The originally clamorous crowd grew silent after seeing the old man's peculiar behavior. No one understood what had happened that would cause the old man to have such a big reaction.
Ge Yang deeply inhaled and looked at Yun Luofeng with complicated feelings. He calmly said, "Miss Yun, did you really write the answers on this exam?"
At this moment, even Liu Chenyi sensed that something was wrong. His brows knitted, and incomprehension flashed through his gentle eyes.
"If I didn't write it, did you write it?" Yun Luofeng retorted with a wicked smile.
The audience members were all somewhat stunned. Yun Luofeng wrote it in front of their eyes, so it could not have been faked. They truly did not understand why Ge Yang would ask such a stupid question.
Ge Yang appeared to realize that his question was too stupid as well, and embarrassment appeared on his face. "Apologies, Miss Yun. It's just that your answer is too shocking to the world, which is why this old crock asked you."
Shocking to the world?
Everyone, including the Emperor and the Noble Consort, all had their gaze locked onto Ge Yang.
"Ge Yang, what is going on?" the Emperor coldly questioned with a dark expression.
Ge Yang was about to answer but was intercepted by the incredibly excited old man beside him. The old man's expression was very fervent and looked at Yun Luofeng as though he saw a gold mountain.
"Your Majesty, this subject will answer this matter! I declare that Yun Luofeng is the winner of this competition."
Wow!
The crowd burst into a commotion, the faces of the people who were ridiculing Yun Luofeng earlier all turned into disbelief.
Liu Chenyi quickly strode up, his handsome face livid. "You said that Yun Luofeng obtained the win? I don't believe it! No matter how great her answer is, I still successfully finished the content of the exam, so it's a draw at most. Why did she win?"
The two people turned in their exam at the same time indeed. If they both wrote an answer, it would be merely considered a draw. Why was it Yun Luofeng's win?
"Young Master Liu, it's not that I am favoring a certain side, it's that Miss Yun's answer is more impeccable than yours." The old man passionately said, "You only wrote three prescriptions, and her? Guess how many she wrote?! I reckon you can't imagine it. These herbs can be arranged into ten different prescriptions!"
Ten different prescriptions?
As though lightning flashed across a clear sky and struck them, even the women who were standing up for Liu Chenyi turned pale, their faces full of shock.
"It is ten prescriptions!" The old man looked at Liu Chenyi, who staggered back, and continued to say emotionally, "During that time, I could only think of five prescriptions, but she could actually arrange ten! Isn't it her win?"
Ge Yang also nodded in agreement. "I could only think of five prescriptions at most, and Miss Yun wrote down all of the five prescriptions that I thought of. So even if we don't assess the last five, she would deserve to be the winner with these five prescriptions alone!"
Liu Chenyi shot forward and snatched the exam from the old man's hand. When he saw the distinct writing on the paper, his face drained of color.
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Chapter 976:- What Was Liu Chenyi Compared to Her? (2)
"Ten prescriptions... it's really ten prescriptions!"
Before the competition, he already learned of the medicinal ingredients that he was going to face and spent a whole day and night in his search for the prescriptions relevant to all of these ingredients. Even so, he still only found three.
However, Yun Luofeng did not know the identity of the ingredients beforehand, so how in the world did she manage to write down 10 prescriptions in such a short amount of time?
"Sir Qing Mu." Malice flashed through Liu Chenyi's eyes, and his fingers tightly squeezed the paper in his hand as he looked up and said, "You seem to have forgotten that if you respond incorrectly in your exam, you will be considered to have failed!"
The elderly man who he referred to as Sir Qing Mu was the emotional person from earlier.
Hearing Liu Chenyi's words, he was briefly taken back before hesitantly saying, "That is a rule indeed."
"So," Liu Chenyi lightly smiled, "Yun Luofeng lost!"
Following the man's gentle as jade voice, his smitten and brainless supporters started hooting again.
"That's what I thought, there's no way that Yun Luofeng can win against Young Master Liu."
"Since Young Master Liu said she lost, then she must have lost! However, when Young Master Liu said that, his confident appearance was too handsome! I really want to get married to him..."
Those women had hearts in their eyes as they foolishly looked at Liu Chenyi, besotted. In their eyes, Liu Chenyi could commit no wrong! His words were never wrong either!
"You said I lost?" Yun Luofeng's eyes devilishly swept toward Liu Chenyi.
Compared with the other party's gentle and confident voice, her voice was incredibly languid, but it easily slammed into other people's hearts.
"That's right, you lost." Liu Chenyi's features were permeated with confidence. "Everyone knows that the snow silkworm lives in an icy and snowy habitat, and its body will melt upon contact with fire and lose its medicinal value. Normally, the snow silkworm is ground into powder for medicinal use. But look at what you wrote. One snow silkworm? If you directly toss the silkworm into the medicine decoction pot, its body will evaporate with nothing remaining."
This competition only mentioned arranging the presented ingredients into three prescriptions and did not specify that all of the ingredients had to be used, which was why Liu Chenyi avoided the snow silkworm.
After all, too few ingredients could be matched with the snow silkworm and even the slightest carelessness could cause the ground silkworm to lose its value. He did not expect Yun Luofeng to make such a simple mistake.
"Are you sure a whole silkworm can't be used in medicine?" Yun Luofeng raised her brows and said with a faint smile, "If I can have the snow silkworm make contact with fire without melting, what should we do?"
Liu Chenyi mockingly chuckled. "Miss Yun, it looks like your medical skills aren't that great, and I thought too highly of you. If you can even commit such a simple mistake, what right do you have to be my opponent?"
The snow silkworm not melting upon contact with fire? How could that be possible? Did this woman consider people to be fools and think they could be tricked as she pleased?
The corner of Yun Luofeng's lips turned up. "Since you aren't willing to believe me, we can use this to make a bet!"
"Alright!" Liu Chenyi harshly clapped the feather fan in his hand and turned to Long Yuan. "I beg Your Majesty to permit this!"
Long Yuan nodded and said in a low voice, "Zhen permits it."
...
On an extremely long table on the competition stage, a snow silkworm silently laid in an ice-covered bowl. The snow silkworm had evidently been dead for a long time and unmovingly rested on the ice cubes.
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Chapter 977:- What Was Liu Chenyi Compared to Her? (3)
When faced with a valuable medicinal ingredient like the snow silkworm, it must be preserved in an icy environment even though it is dead. Otherwise, its corpse would decompose very quickly.
Yun Luofeng already reached the snow silkworm by the time the Long Yuan finished speaking. Her sight surveyed the entire table before walking to the leaf without any hesitation. She picked up the leaf and carefully wrapped the corpse of the snow silkworm in the leaf.
"Black ice leaf?"
Everyone was stunned, not understanding what use she had for the black ice leaf. Qing Mu, Ge Yang, and the others were all startled, watching her with incomprehension.
At this time, a fiery flame appeared in Yun Luofeng's palm with a whoosh and sizzlingly ignited the black ice leaf wrapped around the snow silkworm.
The smile on Liu Chenyi's face deepened. This girl is quite foolish. Did she think that using a black ice leaf would be enough to block the heat of the flame? She was truly too naive...
It wasn't long before Yun Luofeng retracted the flame in her hand and slowly opened up the black ice leaf before everyone's eyes. In the middle of the leaf, the snow-white silkworm turned burnt black and emitted waves of fragrant smell. It was so appealing that Lin Ruobai unconsciously swallowed back her saliva and her fingers gently tapped on her lips.
"It would be great if we had cumin at a time like this..."
To a foodie like Lin Ruobai, the only thing in her mind was delicious food. Added to the fact that she was not proficient in medicine, she had no idea what Yun Luofeng's actions meant.
In comparison, the other people present all suffered from a large shock, their astonishment written in their eyes.
The snow silkworm did not... disappear?
"I understand!" Qing Mu abruptly stood up and excitedly looked at Yun Luofeng. "You didn't use the black ice leaf to wrap the snow silkworm to block the heat of the flame, it was to seal the spiritual energy of the silkworm. If its spiritual energy is sealed, then it won't disappear!"
The more he spoke, the more excited he got. Light shot out of his eyes as though he had discovered a new continent.
"Miss Yun, do you understand the impact that your actions today will bring to the continent? Although grinding the snow silkworm into powder prevents the dissipation of the spiritual energy, its medicinal effect is not as perfect as before. However, you have solved an eternal puzzle for the continent! If we can use an entire snow silkworm in medicine, its medicinal effects would be 10 times better!"
Currently, everyone ignored Liu Chenyi with his unsightly expression and had their eyes focused on Yun Luofeng. Even the people mocking her before changed their gaze at this moment.
Before her, no one had thought to use the black ice leaf to lock in the spiritual energy of the snow silkworm! But she had resolved the problem that had induced headaches in all of the physicians on this continent! Even if she did not do well in the following competitions, this action alone would place her into the annals and earn the respect of everyone.
Liu Chenyi's expression was very embarrassed, and he took advantage of everyone's focus on Yun Luofeng to hastily slip away with his tail between his legs. It was too shameful for him to remain here.
"Miss Yun," Ge Yang glanced at Yun Luofeng and said with a faint smile, "I saw that you were using your left hand to write. Did something happen to your right hand? If you have the need, you can let us know and we will try our best to help since you solved this eternally difficult puzzle."
Yun Luofeng subconsciously touched her right hand, which completely lacked any perception, and shook her head. "There's no need."
As she said before, she had no regrets about losing the use of her right arm.
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Chapter 978:- What Was Liu Chenyi Compared to Her? (4)
Seeing the esteem that the imperial physicians had for Yun Luofeng, Long Yuan's stern brows slightly knitted. Yun Luofeng was extremely knowledgeable indeed and could solve even a problem like this. However, it did not mean she would be as outstanding in the subsequent competition!
"Yun Luofeng, Zhen truly admires your knowledge." Long Yuan coldly swept his eyes across Yun Luofeng and aloofly said, "However, you seem to have mistaken something. You only needed to write down three prescriptions for this competition, and it's completely useless to write more! Hence, Zhen declares that it's a draw for this round and both can progress to the next round!"
Long Yuan's voice was imposing and mighty without being angry.
Qing Mu and the others were stunned by Long Yuan's decision, let alone the audience.
"Your Majesty." Qing Mu's brows lightly knitted. "Anyone can tell that the winner of this competition is Miss Yun. Liu Chenyi lost!"
And lost very completely!
"The rules of the competition are established by me." Impatience appeared on Long Yuan's expression. "Zhen declares a tie. Do you have any objections?"
Qing Mu's expression shifted. He wanted to say something when Ge Yang tugged on him. Their gazes met, and they discovered the origin of the problem.
Liu Chenyi was from the Lanxiang Kingdom, and His Majesty favored Noble Consort Mu the most, so he would naturally help his favored consort! Why would he allow Liu Chenyi to be eliminated in the first round?
Thinking of this, fury rose in Qing Mu's heart. He never participated in court politics his entire life and had no desires for fame and profit, devoting his whole mind to studying medicine. Upon meeting a genius like Yun Luofeng, how could he not treasure her?
Who knew that His Majesty would be bewitched by Noble Consort Ling and would do something like that? Noble Consort Mu was truly an enchantress who would damage the country and cause suffering to the people!
"Forget it." Ge Yang whispered beside his ear, "No one can change His Majesty's decision. I don't think the Liu Chenyi fellow can win against Yun Luofeng anyways!"
Qing Mu took a deep breath, suppressing the anger in his heart before apologetically looking at Yun Luofeng.
"Miss Yun, everyone can tell that you won in your competition with Liu Chenyi, but... I am forced to do something that smothers my conscience."
What was Liu Chenyi compared to her?
However, at a time like this, he could not protect this prodigy...
Long Yuan's expression abruptly darkened and his sharp gaze shot to Qing Mu. It was as though Qing Mu did not see it and sent Yun Luofeng a faint, guilt-ridden smile.
Fame? Power? All of it was as fleeting as mist to him! If His Majesty really grew angry because of his words, then he would leave the Tianhui Empire if worse came to worst. After all, he only joined the Tianhui Empire to study medicine with talented physicians.
"Thank you." Yun Luofeng faintly smiled.
She did not blame Qing Mu for being unable to protect her. This old man was merely a subject and had no choice but to obey the Emperor's orders! However, this old man evidently stood on her side, so she would engrave this token of friendship into her heart!
"I will accept his announcement of a tie between Liu Chenyi and me," Yun Luofeng lifted her head, her wicked gaze shooting to Long Yuan sitting high above them, "because I will make him lose more miserably!"
The young girl's voice was confident and bold, her pitch-black eyes as mysterious as the dark night.
She accepted the draw against Liu Chenyi because she would make him lose more miserably!
Who else in the world would say such arrogant words?
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Chapter 979:- Yun Luofeng Poaching (1)
Long Yuan's face was completely livid, veins popping out of his forehead, and his tightly clenched fists were cracking. Finally, he turned all of his anger into a warning. "Yun Luofeng, I hope you will be as confident when faced with the subsequent competition!" Then he stood up and snorted before leaving with a flick of his sleeve. Noble Consort Ling sent Yun Luofeng a malicious glance before following behind Long Yuan and quickly leaving too.
"Miss Yun." With a frown, Qing Mu glanced at the departing Long Yuan and Noble Consort Ling. He spun to face Yun Luofeng and said, "The second round is held in the afternoon. Go back and rest well before coming back to compete when it's time!"
Yun Luofeng slightly nodded and slowly walked toward Lin Ruobai and the others. She stated, "Let's go then."
...
The inner court of the Imperial Palace was extremely silent.
When Yun Luofeng reached the gate of the palace, a palace maid suddenly blocked her path without any expression on her face. "Our Noble Consort is having you visit her."
She used the word "have" instead of "invite." The forcefulness of her words was obvious.
Yun Luofeng did not bother to look up. "I am uninterested in her."
"You..." The palace maid's expression shifted as she angrily pointed at Yun Luofeng. "You truly can't tell the good from the bad. Do you know how noble Her Highness the Noble Consort is? It is your blessing that she wants to see you, don't be so tactless!"
Yun Luofeng held her arms across her chest and slightly looked up at the palace maid blocking her. "If she wants to see me, then let her come to me herself! I'm not interested in going to see her."
"How dare you!" the palace maid angrily rebuked, her features brimming with rage.
Swish!
It was at this time that the people behind Yun Luofeng all simultaneously drew their weapons and coldly stared at the palace maid.
The people of the corps were trained by Yun Qingya, so it was unavoidable that their bodies carried a courageous and fierce aura. It was this aura that caused the palace maid to stagger back in fright, her face deathly pale.
"Yun Luofeng, this is the Tianhui Empire!" The palace maid took a shallow breath before stating between clenched teeth, "If you don't want to provoke our Tianhui Empire, then you should advise your people to sheath their weapons and follow me to see Her Highness the Noble Consort!"
Yun Luofeng's lips turned up with a smile the appeared to have come from hell, making people shiver despite the lack of coldness.
The palace maid's eyes darkened as she watched Yun Luofeng approach her. She was about to order the guards hiding in secret to act when the girl's languid and wicked voice slowly rung in the air.
"My people have always been like this!" The smile on her face deepened as a dangerous glint faintly emitted from her pitch-black eyes. "My words remain the same. If Noble Consort Ling wants to see me, have her pay a personal visit to me. Perhaps I will receive her if my mood is good! If she wants to force me against my will, then I won't submit to people in power even if I am faced with death!"
The palace maid was startled and dumbfounded as she looked at the arrogant and unbridled girl in front of her. She swallowed hard.
The girl smiled again. "Also... I'm like a rabid dog when I turn crazy. She can come and provoke me if she doesn't fear death. I will bite her to the point of paralysis even if it means my spirit will disperse!"
No one was more familiar with Yun Luofeng's personality than the people of the Steel and Raging Flame Corps. She was truly a lunatic! A lunatic who would never allow herself to be taken advantage of!
She was the type of person who would choose to cripple the other party's arm at the risk of her life! Provoking her? What was the difference between that and provoking a lunatic?
The palace maid was clearly stunned by her words, her expression turning more unsightly. She was unable to respond even after the white-clothed girl led the people behind her to walk past her...
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Chapter 980:- Yun Luofeng Poaching (2)
It took a while for the palace maid to come back to her senses and hastily run towards Noble Consort Ling's bedchambers.
Inside the bedchamber, after hearing the palace maid's spiced up report, Noble Consort Ling mercilessly smashed the teacup from her hand onto the floor due to anger.
"Yun Luofeng truly can't differentiate goodwill! This consort originally wanted to recruit her because of her capability. Who knew she would dare to not come and meet me and even want me to pay her a visit! I truly don't know where she got the face to say something like that!"
The palace maid shakily knelt on the floor, too frightened to say anything.
Noble Consort Ling's eyes sparkled and started silently laughing. "Yun Luofeng, since you won't give face to this consort, then don't blame me for being heartless! I can't be pleased unless you are eliminated!"
Especially because the girl had such beautiful looks! His Majesty currently did not care about Yun Luofeng, but if Yun Luofeng shamelessly wanted to seduce His Majesty, what man could resist such a temptation? After all, what woman in this world did not have a fondness for power?
"Xiao Fang, go to the rest station and inform the prince of the Lanxiang Kingdom, Qiu Feihua, that he must kill Yun Luofeng in tomorrow's competition no matter what! In exchange, this consort will help him break through."
The medicine competition was held today, and the fighting competition would be held tomorrow.
Death was not permitted on the stage, but weapons were blind. Hence, if Yun Luofeng unfortunately died during the fight, the Lanxiang Kingdom would not be blamed. Thinking of this point, Noble Consort Ling's smile deepened and her pair of beautiful eyes sinisterly twinkled.
"Yes, Your Highness." The palace maid bowed before reverently retreating.
Noble Consort Ling coldly watched the direction that the maid departed, and muttered between clenched teeth, "Yun Luofeng, if I can't use you, then you can only... die!"
...
An austere atmosphere pervaded the imperial study. The man, in his bright yellow dragon robes, properly sat on the Emperor's Chair and solemnly looked down at the elderly man below him.
"Qing Mu, why did you seek me out?"
Qing Mu cupped his fists in salute. "Your Majesty, this subject thinks Yun Luofeng is very talented. She will become a world-renowned physician in time, so this subject boldly begs Your Majesty to help me entice Yun Luofeng to our side."
"A world-renowned physician?" Long Yuan smiled, his smile full of mockery. "Qing Mu, you're overthinking it. Yun Luofeng is truly knowledgeable, but it doesn't mean she has formidable capabilities! Medicine requires not only knowledge but also flexibility. The requirements for the application are also very high. Yun Luofeng merely read a few ancient medical texts and learned how to use the snow silkworm from them. This doesn't equate to her having any ability."
Qing Mu was startled, and his tone turned anxious. "Your Majesty, please believe in this subject's judgment. Yun Luofeng is destined for greatness and will eventually transform into a dragon. It won't be that easy to entice her at that time."
"Qing Mu, say no more. Zhen's Tianhui Empire doesn't have a place for her!" Long Yuan dismissively waved her hand, his face expressionless.
Qing Mu sighed in dismay and opened his mouth, wanting to persuade him some more, but he saw that Long Yuan already closed his eyes, clearly not planning to listen to him anymore.
He bitterly chuckled and turned around to leave the imperial study.
Ge Yang was waiting for him at the entrance. Seeing Qing Mu walking out with a helpless expression, he already guessed the result. "His Majesty did not agree to recruit Miss Yun?"
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