Huang'er stepping onto the arena was no whim, nor was it mere play.
Once Huang'er stopped holding back, she practically swept through the preliminary rounds like a storm. Many challengers who caught sight of her handsome looks and grew jealous climbed the stage only to spout insults—only to be sent flying off the platform by
This display of the jade-faced young gentleman's prowess put a damper on many who had been itching to take their shot, making them think twice before throwing down a challenge.
However, Huang'er's stunning performance did not sit well with the Blue Smoke Island Domain's royal family.
Watching her build a ferocious ten-win streak with no signs of slowing down, it looked as though she was about to steamroll the entire bracket. But this was precisely what the royal family did not want to see.
The whole point of hosting this martial tournament marriage contest was to build connections with the geniuses of the Ten Great Divine Kingdoms. They had absolutely no intention of marrying their princess off to some wandering rogue cultivator.
Sure, this fellow was good-looking—ridiculously handsome, in fact—and his strength and talent were undeniably astonishing.
But the moment he claimed to be a wandering rogue cultivator, the royal family of the Blue Smoke Island Domain began to get headaches.
What was a wandering rogue cultivator? Just another way of saying a vagabond cultivator.
A wanderer was just a rogue who drifted from place to place.
The Blue Smoke Island Domain had invested years into cultivating Princess
"No. We have to find a way to knock this rogue cultivator off the stage."
The Blue Smoke Island Domain began arranging stronger opponents, intending to send this oblivious rogue cultivator packing.
The problem was, they had severely underestimated this so-called "wandering rogue cultivator." They sent up two challengers in a row, and both were dispatched with ease by Huang'er.
This way, Huang'er completed her ten-win streak in short order and advanced into the main tournament bracket.
Amid the cheers from below, Huang'er flashed a dashing smile and cupped her fists toward where Princess Ling Bi'er was seated. "Princess Bi, I,
With a light laugh, Huang'er leaped down from the stage.
Yan Qingsang, his face dark as a storm cloud, walked up to meet her and hissed in a low voice, "Huang'er, what do you think you're doing? Are you targeting me on purpose?"
"You must have the wrong person. I'm Mu Gaoqi, wandering rogue cultivator. Thank you very much."
Even as she said it, Huang'er couldn't help but laugh.
Yan Qingsang said with a bitter smile, "You're doing this just to spite me, aren't you?"
Huang'er shrugged. "Yan Qingsang, don't flatter yourself. In the main bracket, there are at least a dozen or twenty people stronger than you—maybe more. What do you think your chances are?"
Yan Qingsang actually knew this perfectly well. He had entered only to comfort himself. It wasn't that he truly believed he had to marry the princess or no one at all—it was just a stubborn refusal to admit defeat.
Though Huang'er's jab left him feeling a bit deflated, he didn't exactly collapse into despair.
Jiang Chen chuckled and patted Yan Qingsang on the shoulder. "Brother Yan, it seems you and this princess just weren't meant to be. Ha ha ha."
Yan Qingsang rolled his eyes, then suddenly burst into cheerful laughter. "Fine, I admit it—I can't beat Huang'er. But now I'm wondering: what if the princess actually picks you in the end? What would you do then? You can't exactly bring her back to the Yan family, can you?"
"Why not?" Huang'er said with a grin. "I'll just marry her right back to the Yan family. Got a problem with that?"
"What? You'd marry her?" Yan Qingsang stammered. "You… you're not serious, are you?"
"I'll marry her first, then hand her off to someone else later. Can't I do that?" Huang'er said with an utterly straight face.
"Oh?" Yan Qingsang's eyes lit up. "Two characters in one stroke can't write the Yan surname—we share the same grandfather, so we're closer than most…"
"Yan Qingsang, what are you thinking?" Huang'er raised an eyebrow. "You don't seriously believe I'd hand the princess over to you, do you?"
Yan Qingsang froze. "Isn't that what you meant?"
Huang'er laughed leisurely. "Of course not. You really do know how to imagine things."
"Then who would you give her to?" Yan Qingsang felt himself sinking toward depression.
"Who would I give her to?" Huang'er mused to herself, then glanced sideways at Jiang Chen. "I'd give her to Young Master Shao Yuan. You've all been trying to recruit him, haven't you? I help him get a wife, and he settles down to assist our Yan family wholeheartedly. Wouldn't that be perfect?"
The half-joking, half-serious tone of Huang'er's words left Yan Qingsang sputtering, utterly at a loss for words.
Jiang Chen, too, was struck dumb with no comeback.
He suddenly had the feeling that Huang'er's move this time might really be driven by some ulterior motive. For a moment, all he could do was smile bitterly.
Back in the human domain, Jiang Chen had always known Huang'er to be clever and perceptive, but he had rarely seen this playful side of her.
Now he realized that when Huang'er truly decided to be mischievous, she could outdo anyone.