“Ye Ling Yue, you got some nerve there. You actually dare to come to the Dan Palace with His Highness the Phoenix Lord. Her Grace the Sacred Maiden is his fiancée yet you still try to get in-between them, or is it that this is your only mean of getting into a superior position by selling yourself like this?”
Though Hong Ming Yue’s leisurely voice sounded neither low nor high, it was still more than enough to allow the participating contestants to get a crystal-clear grasp of what she said. In particular were the members of the Dan Palace because they all recognized Feng Shen’s presence.
On a regular day it has always been him and Xue Pian Ran coming together, but now, it’s an entirely new woman and a very close one at that so its obvious they would take a extra glance.
As a result, the attention of everyone within this great hall has fallen onto Ling Yue like knives flying at a billboard.
“Some women are just that shameless, clinging onto Brother Feng Shen just so he would bring her along when she’s not even qualified.” The one speaking was none other than Princess Qing Bi who had also come with the Hong siblings.
Of course, since the princess was here then Xia Hou Qi would as well. When this prince of Da Xia saw the perfect couple together, his eyes were at first stunned beyond words over the girl’s astonishing beauty, then followed closely by a cold glint in his eyes at Feng Shen’s figure.
It’s not for anything else, merely an irritation over why his love rival would bring Ling Yue along when knowing full well everyone would give her the foul treatment at the Dan Palace.
“Ho ~ the two of you sure are busy bodies. Whether I am stealing someone’s fiancée or not is of no matter to any of you. Furthermore, why are you mouthing off so much when those involved are keeping quiet, isn’t that right oh Sacred Maiden?” Making a sneer with her lips, Ling Yue counters with her own ridicule by pointing her crescent eyes forward.
In accordance with that statement came a woman from within. Graceful in her demeanor, that figure was borderline unparalleled like a fairy hovering above a pristine lake.
“Qing Bi, Miss Ming Yue, please don’t misunderstand the lady. I believe His Highness and the Miss over there are only good friends. But let’s not waste everyone’s time over such mundane matters and focus back on the event at hand. I believe everyone present today is here for the civil selection so I would like to invite those who wish to participate to come inside with me.” That said, Xue Pian Ran then walked up to Feng Shen’s side like a picturesque birdie chirping around a human.
“Feng Shen, Miss Ye is going to participate in the selection now so why don’t you come with me to the VIP room I prepared for us. Cong Lu is also there waiting.” As nice as that idea was, Feng Shen only pricked his brow at the dignified woman because this was the version which he came to know all these years.
But in the end, he didn’t answer and only stared at Ling Yue before muttering something to Lan Caier and Little Crow. Together, they went ahead to a different VIP room that he prepared ahead of time, leaving only behind the pained person in the background.
“Feng Shen, if you want to choose that woman then at least leave me convinced. Otherwise, I will never relent in front of the king.” In light of that threat when the boy brushed past her shoulder, that smile on the Sacred Maiden’s face never once diminished like it’s the only expression she could make.
She may keep up a good façade, but her heart’s already been riddled with holes since the first moment she laid eyes on Ling Yue’s true appearance. Now to be openly rejected, its not hard to imagine how hard it hitting her.
Furthermore, regarding the matter of the boy requesting the dismissal of their engagement, Xue Pian Ran naturally would’ve learned of it by now. She was already willing to accept the proposal of sharing Feng Shen with another woman, much in thanks due to the king’s persuasion, but all she got was a ridiculous explanation of “I won’t let her be wronged” from the boy. That’s why she couldn’t just accept things as was.
I won’t let “her” be wronged, hoho, so you would rather toss away our years of friendship over a random girl you just met.
Due to how much of a sensation this civil selection was for the Dan Palace, there are in fact over a hundred people who signed up for the initial round of elimination. However, there’s only six spots available, meaning there could only be six winners today.
Therefore, in order to make the test more open and easier to manage, the Dan Palace had temporarily converted the outer temple into a free space to place the cauldrons needed for the task.
The rules were simple: in three days they must complete a reincarnation Dan pill in order to advance, and each are permitted to bring an assistant with them during this period.
For Ye Ling Yue, her first choice would of course be Little Crow.
“Che, that little bitch really wants to refine a reincarnation pill?” Hong Yu Ying was directing her question over to Deputy Manager Meng who had also come with the delegation party.
Note: this is the former head of the Royal Hospital who made things difficult for Ling Yue.
“Our Da Xia’s reincarnation Dan pills are all created by Alchemist Mei. Since Ling Yue used to be her assistant then its not out of the question that she would be somewhat knowledgeable in its creation. However, that doesn’t mean anything, otherwise the news of her feat would’ve longed been reported to the Court already.” The elder gnashes his teeth while explaining the reasoning behind his observation.
As the leading figure for the delegation party, aside from Prince Hou Qi, this old-timer was also quite surprised to meet Ling Yue here of all places.
He’s long wanted the girl to die a terrible death when she got relocated to Dan City, but not only did his expectations get crushed one after another, his enemy was doing even better than ever. That’s why he was hoping he would be able to regain his former glory by finding some sort of magnificent treasure or secret cultivation technique in this Star Cave Venture, but the unsightly Ye Ling Yue just had to shove her face up again when he least wanted her to.
“Ling Yue’s alchemy skills have always been good.” Unable to sit still after hearing all those nasty comments, Xia Hou Qi finally stepped in to defend his crush, thus silencing the foul mouths beside him.
Of course, not everyone would need to pay heed to the prince’s mood. Take Princess Qing Bi for example, her hands had already curled into a fist due to this.
Back during the palace banquet several nights ago, this princess had already tried to match herself with the boy and even brought up the topic with the king. As such, the ruler of this grand nation had taken the liberty to ask if the prince would be interested in a bond between two kingdoms. Sadly, the only response Xia Hou Qi gave was nothing more than a formal rejection. As for the reasoning, Princess Qing Bi knew full well its because of Ye Ling Yue.
In order to satiate her jealous heart, the girl promptly got up from her seat to seek out several alchemists who are in charge of providing the charcoals in the contest.
“Princess Qing Bi, this won’t do. If the king finds out what you are doing then it won’t be good for any of us.” Standing behind her was none other than the Sacred Maiden who overheard everything.
“Oh my good sister, who would know if none of us leaks this out? Besides, it’s merely a few charcoals with a lot of moisture in them. Even if I don’t mess with her, do you really believe she would be able to refine a reincarnation pill?” The more Qing Bi thought about it, the more she wanted to scratch up Ling Yue’s pristine face.
Xue Pian Ran did not answer there. It’s true she did not “dislike” Ling Yue, but that doesn’t mean she didn’t “hate” her!
Now that Princess Qing Bi was willing to take the initiative to do the dirty work, this so-called Sacred Maiden would love nothing more. Even if someone does investigate afterwards, all she has to do was pin the blame onto the princess while shirking off all responsibility.
So, despite knowing full well what those alchemists intend to do, she did not stop them nor say anything.