Chapter 188: Flame Star Palace, the Third Young Master, and Yu Chenxing

In this world, everything has its good and evil. Throughout our lives, we may be misunderstood or wrongly accused. Some may see us as good people, while others may regard us as villains. Vanity is but a dream—who has the right to judge? What we see does not necessarily represent the truth. What matters is that we have a clear conscience. With the sky above and the earth below, we already have the answers in our hearts.

Just one figure was enough to fill July with awe. She thought that Ye Luobaihua, as a princess of the Ye family, should be extremely proud, willful, and domineering, like a sharp blade. But in July’s eyes, she gave off a different impression—her figure seemed lonely and desolate, evoking pity. Though she was a princess, she was not happy. It was precisely this loneliness that won July’s favor.

July took Liu Yi’s arm and said, “She’s so beautiful.”

Liu Yi didn’t say much, only smiling slightly. Beauty and ugliness had become mere clouds in the sky to him, things he could no longer grasp. His world was dark; all he could see were those specks of light, which represented people. Yet his heart was brighter, for he knew he didn’t need to see the ugly faces of others.

The handsome boy in blue beside them glanced at July and sneered, “You’re telling a blind man that the woman across is beautiful? Have you even seen what she looks like?” His words seemed to show strong prejudice against Ye Luobaihua, as if she were his enemy.

July ignored the boy and casually replied, “Whether she’s beautiful or not, we know it in our hearts. What does it matter if a scholar is blind? His heart is bright. Not being able to see some people’s ugly faces is actually better.”

Though it was said casually, July’s words made sense. For a moment, the handsome boy had nothing to say. With a cold snort, he turned his gaze toward the large room behind the arena.

By now, the crowd below the arena had fallen silent, as if the entire world had become a pure land, free from noise. At that moment, the Princess of Hundred Flowers standing on the third floor began to speak.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I am but an ordinary woman. I am truly fortunate to receive your favor. Today is the day I choose my partner. As fate is predetermined, I will see today whether heaven has already decided my fate.” Her voice wasn’t loud, but it was like that of a oriole, reaching every ear and entering every heart. It was melodious and beautiful, yet tinged with sorrow, evoking a desire to care for her for a lifetime.

Just then, a cold voice came from below, saying, “Fate predetermined? You really believe that? I think… you’re too ugly to show your face, so you’re using this so-called matchmaking arena to rush into marriage.”

The speaker was the handsome boy in blue beside July. July had thought he was also here to participate in the matchmaking, not to cause trouble. She never expected him to lose his patience so soon. Out of her fondness for Ye Luobaihua, her hatred toward this boy grew even stronger.

At that moment, the old man on the arena, Ye Luo Jianmu, loudly asked, “What did you say?” Although his emotions were not visible on his face, his tone carried clear accusations. The young man seemed unafraid; instead, he shook his head and said, “Tsk, tsk. Are you getting more and more confused as you age? You can’t even hear what I say. Fine! Let me make it clear—am I right that the Princess of a Hundred Flowers is too ugly, which is why she’s in such a hurry to use this marriage selection to get married quickly? Otherwise, why not show her true face? Does she have no face to show?” Ye Luo Jianmu’s face turned red with anger as he snapped, “How dare you…!” Then he reached for his sword to strike. Just then, the Princess of a Hundred Flowers stepped in to stop him, saying, “Uncle Jian, stop.” Ye Luo Jianmu, already furious, retracted his hand upon hearing her words. The Princess then turned her gaze to the handsome young man. Though they were far apart, the feeling of being watched was real. She asked, “Sir, may I know your name?” The handsome young man replied, “No need for such formality. It makes me feel awkward. My name is Yu Chenxing.” The Princess continued, “Sir Yu, if you’ve come to participate in the Marriage Selection of a Hundred Flowers, then the Ye Luo family welcomes you. But if you’re here to cause trouble, then the swords of the Ye Luo family are ready to face you at any time. Also… regarding your question, although I haven’t shown my true face, I assure everyone that my face isn’t something that will make you spit out your food.” Her words were casual, yet carried a hint of seriousness, adding more mystery to her unseen face. She paused briefly before continuing, “Then let me boldly explain the rules of this marriage selection. For these arena trials, we set no rules—only the best shall prevail. It starts with martial skills, followed by literary skills. Those who can win three consecutive matches will see my true face. Those who win three more consecutive matches can ask me three questions. If they can’t answer those three questions, then… they’re eliminated. If they wish, they can stay in the Tearless City of a Hundred Flowers, where they’ll be given important roles.” At that moment, a thin old man below shouted, “Princess, by your words, you’ll be the one to ask those three questions. If you deliberately make things difficult with impossible questions, how can we answer them?” The Princess shook her head and replied, “I assure you that all the questions I ask will have answers. I will never pose deliberately difficult questions.” Then, a fat, greasy bald man asked, “May I ask the princess, what happens if we answer your three questions?” The Princess glanced at the fat bald man and replied, “Your question is excellent. That’s exactly what I’m about to say. If we can answer all three questions, then it will be a competition between us. Again, starting with martial skills followed by literary skills. In martial skills, whoever can take anything from me becomes the winner. In literary skills, including music, chess, literature, and painting, we can choose any of these. If both sides win one match each, then they’re eliminated.”

Although Ye Luo Baihua explained the rules of the competition in just two sentences, everyone below knew that these seven matches would be extremely difficult—just looking at the first three matches, with such a large crowd, winning one was already tough; the second match would surely bring a strong opponent, and the third would be even harder. Yet, winning three matches in a row would allow them to see Baihua’s true face, which was a tempting prospect.

Ye Luo Baihua glanced at the crowd below and then said in her beautiful voice, “I think everyone understands what I mean.”

No one replied, clearly as Ye Luo Baihua had made the rules very clear with just a few words.

She continued, “Then, let’s begin.” A maid stepped forward from behind her, brought over a chair, and Ye Luo Baihua gently sat down.

As the saying goes, great rewards attract brave men. With her mysterious beauty as the reward, men from all over flocked to her. Of course, this was only at the beginning. As the competition started, people of all ages, sizes, and appearances—handsome and ugly—rushed to compete. Yet, it seemed no one could advance past the second match; winning one meant being immediately eliminated by the next challenger. The competition continued in this manner, but as time passed and more skilled fighters appeared, it became more interesting.

At that moment, the person who had won two matches in a row was a fat bald man, not very tall, resembling a barrel in appearance, with an extremely ugly face. The knife in his hand seemed even larger than himself. Yet, this ugly man had won two matches in a row in combat. It seemed likely that he would be the first to see Ye Luo Baihua’s true face. The four judges around the arena showed disdainful expressions, including Ye Jian Mu, because the man was truly too ugly.

At that time, the handsome young man Yu Chenxing turned his head slightly and said, “Zhu Ri, go and give it a try.” As soon as Yu Chenxing spoke, one of the eight young men behind him stepped forward.

He appeared to be in his twenties, with thick brows, a high nose bridge, and a somewhat thin face that didn’t detract from his good looks. His blue robe was neatly dressed, and the three-foot-long sword at his waist was straight and uncurved. Stepping forward from the group, he replied respectfully, “Yes, young master.”

After the blue-robed youth responded, a blue figure rushed toward the arena at incredible speed, like lightning. Among the crowd, he appeared merely as a shadow. Once the shadow stood in the arena, the blue-robed youth introduced himself, “I am Lan Zhu Ri. I humbly ask for your guidance.”

The fat bald man looked at the young man before him, his eyes filled with murderous intent. This was the third match. If he won, he could see Princess Baihua’s face. So, upon seeing someone else step forward to compete, he grew displeased and loudly declared, “I am Lan Chengdao. I ask for your guidance.”

As soon as Lan Chengdao finished announcing his name, he struck. Though he was fat and short like a barrel, that didn’t hinder his speed. The moment Lan Chengdao moved, his broad blade already carried a murderous aura, shooting toward the boy across from him with a white blade light. Without stopping his attack, Lan Chengdao quickly shifted into another stance, ready for close combat.

At that moment, the boy across from him, Lan Zhuri, drew his long sword, raising it horizontally to block the incoming blade light. With a clang, the white blade light struck against Lan Zhuri’s sword. Instead of continuing to defend against Lan Chengdao’s close attack, Lan Zhuri used the force of the blade light to leap backward at incredible speed—it seemed like a wooden stick was chasing a shadow.

But as the retreating shadow spun rapidly in the air, his long sword swung downward in a fierce vertical strike. The motion was simple, yet its power and speed were beyond what an ordinary person could withstand. As the sword descended, Lan Chengdao also raised his sword to block it. Another clang echoed, but this time it wasn’t the sound of weapons colliding—it was the sound of Lan Zhuri sheathing his sword. As his sword went back into its sheath, his figure slowly settled onto the wide arena.

In an instant, everyone fell silent, as the fighters on the arena stopped fighting in an instant. Those nearby could notice one thing: Lan Chengdao was motionless, his sword still held horizontally above his head, but his eyes now showed a terrifying expression. As that terrifying look deepened, with another clang, his sword broke in half. A red line appeared between his brows, and then his body collapsed, raising a cloud of dust.

Ye Luojianmu, sitting on the edge of the arena, had already seen that the boy had split Lan Chengdao’s sword in two. Although he had won this round, Ye Luojianmu felt that the boy wasn’t there to compete fairly. His expression was expressionless, as if he had deliberately come to kill Lan Chengdao. Now that Lan Chengdao was dead, there was naturally no one left to compete with him in the debate, so Lan Zhuri had won this match.

Ye Luojianmu waved his hand, and two young servants came up from beneath the arena to carry the fat, barrel-like Lan Chengdao away. The boy held his long sword at an angle, turned around, and said, “Is there anyone else who wants to compete with Zhuri?” The arena became even quieter. Everyone knew that sword fights could result in injuries, but no one expected the boy’s sword to be so deadly, killing his opponent outright without any mercy. Who would dare risk their life then? Unless they were confident, no one would go looking for death.

Lan Zhuri shouted loudly again, “Is there any other hero who wants to challenge me?” Even after shouting twice, no one moved, as everyone below the arena was already intimidated by his sword.

Lan Zhuri glanced at Yu Chenxing below. Their eyes met, as if exchanging something, then Lan Zhuri turned to look at Princess Baihua in the main hall and said, “Since no one wants to compete, Zhuri has naturally passed these three rounds. I’ll dare to take a look at Princess Baihua’s true face.” With that, he sheathed his sword and leaped straight up toward the main hall.

Just as Lan Zhu Ri leaped upward, a hawk cry echoed in the air. Zhu Ri turned to look, and a giant eagle appeared before him—its body more than twice the size of an ordinary person’s. Looking up further, he saw a person standing atop the eagle’s back, dressed in white robes that fluttered in the wind. The intense sunlight made it impossible to discern the person’s face. As Zhu Ri was shocked, a blade flashed through the air, followed by the sound of it being sheathed. Zhu Ri felt a severe pain in his shoulder and, losing his balance, fell to the arena with a thud.

With another hawk cry, the giant eagle flew away into the sky. Soon after, a young man in white, wielding a four-foot-long curved sword, landed gracefully on the arena. His movements were elegant and flawless; with one hand behind his back and the sword hanging to the ground, he spoke, “With such skills, do you still dare to defile the beauty of Princess Bai Hua?”

July not only glanced at the young man in white—whom it would indeed be appropriate to call a handsome young actor—but also noticed his sharp features, though his arrogant expression made people instinctively feel annoyed toward him. Although Zhu Ri’s attacks were fierce, they were based on skill, whereas this young man harmed others by taking advantage of their inability to fight back in mid-air—neither a gentlemanly nor a honorable act.

Yu Chen Xing frowned slightly and asked an old man behind him, “Who is he?”

The old man on the left replied, “My lord, this man is the third young master of the Flame Star Palace, named Lan Lao Jun. He is cunning and deceitful, accompanied by the spiritual beast ‘Eighteen Eagles.’ He is skilled in using a four-foot-long sword and the famous magic ‘Flame Blade,’ taught by the master of the Flame Star Palace. Yet, when outside, he pretends to be a gentleman. I guess he’s here… to win a beauty’s heart.”

Yu Chen Xing frowned and murmured, “So… he’s my cousin? I wonder how Uncle Yan manages him—how can he be so reckless as to hurt my guards?”

Another old man behind Yu Chen Xing added, “The Six Star Palace is extremely dissatisfied because the Emperor has left for the human world. As a result, they are divided and busy with themselves, ignoring everything else. This boy came here to choose a spouse. I think Uncle Yan isn’t aware of this; he must have come on his own. Besides, this young man has never seen our appearance or attire before.”

Yu Chen Xing nodded and said coldly, “Although he’s from the imperial family… since he’s been so bold and ruined my plans, he deserves some punishment. I’m sure Uncle Yan won’t blame me.”

The old man with one blind eye added, “My lord, let me take care of this kind of person.”

Yu Chen Xing raised his right hand to stop him and said, “No. Since Lan Lao Jun is my cousin, I’ll handle this myself. This way, Uncle Yan will have an explanation. Also, keep an eye on the movements of the Thunder Sun Star Palace. This marriage selection must be ruined—otherwise, the Tearless City of Bai Hua will become unimaginably powerful.”

The old man nodded and said, “Yes, my lord. Please rest assured.”

At this moment, Yu Chenxing couldn’t help but look toward the arena. There, Lan Laojun stood in flowing white robes, his long sword hanging straight down, exuding an air of gentlemanly grace. Seeing Lan Zhuri lying on the ground, bleeding profusely, he shook his head and said, “Worthless wretch, don’t blame me for being heartless. Blame yourself for not mastering your skills well enough.” With that, he slowly turned his right hand from behind, ready to slay the man before him with his sword.

Just then, a gentle breeze blew, carrying dust with it. After the wind ceased, a figure appeared before Lan Laojun. The man wore a deep blue robe neatly tied, with his hands behind his back. His handsome face was truly astonishing—lacking a bit of ferocity but possessing more elegance. Even Lan Laojun, who considered himself handsome and charming, felt ashamed in comparison.

Meanwhile, Lan Zhuri, still on the ground, managed to get up and said respectfully, “Young master…”

Yu Chenxing raised his right hand and said, “You may go.” His five fingers were as white as jade, slender and long, making one think they belonged to a woman rather than this man.

Although injured, Lan Zhuri still bowed respectfully and replied, “Yes.” As Lan Zhuri left the arena, the crowd began to chatter like flies. The handsome youth before them caught their attention, and from the respectful attitude of the swordsman earlier, it seemed this young man must have significant background. The crowd started discussing his origins, with most being stunned by his good looks and wondering whether Princess Baihua would choose him as her husband.

At that moment, Lan Laojun on the stage sneered coldly, “Young master, do you intend to fight me?”

Yu Chenxing smiled slightly—a brief smile, yet filled with an indescribable warmth. He continued, “Like you, I merely want to see what this Ye Luo Baihua is like, the one who has attracted so many lustful people. If lucky… I might even take Princess Baihua back as my concubine, haha.” His words were calm, but they carried a frivolous tone.