Princess's Heart

"Lantern Festival Begins"

As the Empress Dowager's words fell, a melodious tune sounded, and a string of enormous lanterns appeared on stage.

The lanterns were shaped like eight petals, each held by a young maiden. When the eight petals closed, they formed a massive lotus flower.

Suddenly, the lotus bloomed, its stamen quivering. It was then that people were astonished to discover that the stamen was actually a woman dressed in colorful attire.

As soon as the woman appeared, the entire venue erupted in cheers. She was the First Princess of the Phoenix Cry Empire. Long Chen took a look and thought she was quite attractive, worthy of a like.

After the First Princess appeared, she extended her jade hand, and two couplets materialized. The upper line read: "Heaven Blesses Phoenix Cry," and the lower line read: "The Nation is Prosperous and the People are at Peace," causing the crowd to erupt in waves of cheers.

Long Chen smiled faintly. As an imperial princess, it was quite tragic, like a group of crickets living in a small jar.

They fought and schemed all day long. But then he thought of himself; wasn't he the same? If you don't fight others, you'll be trampled by them.

If it were just being trampled, it would be fine. The key was that they wanted to crush you to death. This had nothing to do with enmity or good or evil; perhaps this was the most primal evil in human nature.

As Long Chen was lost in thought, the Second Princess appeared. In the moment Long Chen's mind wandered, he actually didn't see how the Second Princess made her entrance, much to his regret.

However, it was Chu Yao's lantern show next. Long Chen's eyes widened, afraid he would miss anything.

"Boom!"

First, there was an explosion, and a firework shot up into the sky, illuminating the heavens and causing all the women to let out a cheer.

But the cheers had barely begun when a colossal shadow suddenly appeared in the sky. A giant dragon kite roared towards them.

At the same time, opposite the giant dragon, a colorful phoenix flew in with magnificent wings, scattering golden powder like a true phoenix descending upon the world.

"Wow, so beautiful."

As the sky filled with colorful powder, the dragon and phoenix intertwined, like a myth, transporting everyone into a wondrous realm.

"Boom!"

After circling and dancing, the dragon and phoenix slowly landed. A brilliant white light erupted from their mouths, exploding into fluttering ribbons.

When the ribbons dispersed, a beautiful woman in ancient attire slowly appeared before the crowd. Her willow brows were graceful, her phoenix eyes tender, and her autumn-like gaze stirred the depths of eternity. What a peerless beauty.

"Hoo!"

As the Third Princess appeared, the entire scene erupted. Many young lords had long heard of the Third Princess's unparalleled beauty, capable of toppling nations. Today, they finally saw her true visage, and in their excitement, they roared madly.

Long Chen gazed at the Third Princess, momentarily stunned. It was the first time Long Chen had seen Chu Yao deliberately dressed up.

Chu Yao's beautiful eyes darted around, scanning the crowd. Suddenly, her eyes lit up. With a flick of her jade hand, a small, round ball slowly flew out, heading straight for Long Chen.

Thwack!

Long Chen reached out and caught the round ball. He saw it had a small tail attached.

The entire venue fell silent. All eyes were fixed on Long Chen. The Empress Dowager's expression shifted slightly, but she said nothing.

However, the person with the most unsightly expression was none other than the Great Xia Prince, Xia Changfeng. Although he tried to appear nonchalant, he truly couldn't. His entire face turned green with anger.

The Empress Dowager had decided to marry Chu Yao to Xia Changfeng, but Chu Yao's performance today clearly signified a union of dragon and phoenix, and the ball she threw was directly at Long Chen.

Originally, a ball held no special significance, but with the prelude of the lanterns, it became entirely different, exactly like the ancient ritual of throwing an embroidered ball to choose a husband.

At this moment, despite his efforts to control himself, Xia Changfeng couldn't stop his body from trembling, veins bulging on the back of his hand.

"Changfeng, endure it," Wei Cang said, glancing at Xia Changfeng.

"Master, rest assured, Changfeng can endure," Xia Changfeng nodded, though his voice couldn't hide its tremor.

At this moment, Xia Changfeng wished he could tear Long Chen to shreds. Long Chen also sensed everyone's peculiar gazes.

Among those present, only Master Yun Qi showed a hint of a smile. Others' eyes held either complexity or jealousy.

Long Chen looked at Chu Yao on the stage. He saw her beautiful eyes smiling as she gazed affectionately at him. She gently pointed a jade finger at the round ball in Long Chen's hand.

At this moment, Long Chen understood. This was actually a firework. He reached out and pulled the small tail on the ball, then tossed it directly into the sky.

"Bang!"

A brilliant light bloomed, illuminating the entire square. After the light faded, two shining characters appeared in the sky.

"A dragon roams the four seas, traveling ten thousand miles; a phoenix leaves the wutong tree, accompanying the nine provinces."

Looking at the two lines of text in the sky that lingered for a long time, snap, Xia Changfeng finally lost control and crushed the teacup in his hand.

"Long Chen, if I don't tear you to pieces, I'm not Xia Changfeng! And Chu Yao, you slut, I'll make you wish you were dead!"

Veins bulged on Xia Changfeng's face. Chu Yao's actions were more humiliating to him than a slap in the face.

The Empress Dowager's expression was also extremely grim. She hadn't expected Chu Yao to be so bold as to openly declare her love for a man in such a public setting.

Long Chen was also taken aback. He saw Chu Yao standing on the stage in the distance, her pretty face flushed crimson, but her expression resolute.

Gazing at Long Chen, tears slowly welled up in her beautiful eyes, causing Long Chen's heart to ache: Was this despair? Had she conceived the idea of death, wanting to express her wish before her final moments?

Looking at Chu Yao's tear-streaked face, Long Chen's mind went blank. He suddenly stood up and shouted, "We shall never abandon each other through seas of blood; dragon and phoenix will be together until old age!"

Long Chen's roar was like a great bell, shaking everyone's hearts. His roar conveyed an unwavering will and a determination to die rather than yield.

Chu Yao's delicate body trembled. She covered her cherry lips with her jade hand, tears streaming down from her beautiful eyes. Originally, she had only hoped to express her feelings during her final days, not expecting anything in return. She only wished for Long Chen to understand her heart.

But Long Chen's response, wasn't it throwing him into a desperate situation? For a moment, Chu Yao felt both moved and regretful, feeling that she had harmed Long Chen.

"The Third Princess is tired. Someone, help her down," the Empress Dowager said, suppressing her anger.

Five guards stepped forward, about to escort Chu Yao away, when Master Yun Qi spoke calmly, "Empress Dowager, what you're doing is wrong.

It's a good thing for young people to love and hate freely. Chu Yao, come, if you don't mind, sit by this old man."

The Empress Dowager's expression changed. She hadn't expected Master Yun Qi, who always stayed out of worldly affairs, to interfere in imperial matters.

Seeing Master Yun Qi speak, Chu Yao was overjoyed. She didn't expect him to protect her, but she hoped he would protect Long Chen.

With that thought, Chu Yao slowly knelt down. However, before she could touch the ground, Master Yun Qi extended a hand, and a gentle force lifted her up.

"Child, we're all family here. There's no need for these worldly formalities," Yun Qi said, pulling Chu Yao to sit beside him.

Strangely, Wei Cang, who usually clashed with Yun Qi, merely watched coldly without a word.

Although the Empress Dowager was furious, she didn't want to offend Yun Qi over such a small matter. Without the support of the Alchemist Guild, even the most powerful nation would soon fall apart. So, she had to endure it.

However, as the Empress Dowager, she was extremely cunning. She maintained a calm facade and smiled, "In that case, let the program continue."

At the Empress Dowager's words, Shi Feng, who was beside Long Chen, stood up and stretched his limbs. "Heh heh, it's finally my turn."

The usual procedure was that after the princesses presented their lanterns, the noble sons would compete for the title of Phoenix Cry's number one warrior.

"Wait a moment, Empress Dowager. I traveled all the way from Great Xia and happened to catch the Lantern Festival. I've brought a special program for you," Wei Cang suddenly said.

"Oh? A program from a master must surely be brilliant," the Empress Dowager replied with a slight pause, then smiled.

"This is my untalented disciple. He's seventeen this year and is already a genuine Pill Apprentice," Wei Cang said, his eyes fixed on Gu Cang. He emphasized the words "genuine."

Everyone looked at Long Chen. Anyone with a brain knew Gu Cang was using this as a veiled insult, implying Long Chen was just a fraud.

Many people doubted Long Chen's true abilities after he was granted the qualification of Pill Apprentice. After all, his alchemy session had taken place within the guild, and the outside world knew nothing about it. Therefore, most people assumed Long Chen had just gotten lucky and lacked real skill.

Having been labeled a good-for-nothing for so long, and with Long Chen's recent rapid rise, many suspected he had a powerful backer, possibly Master Yun Qi.

But even with Master Yun Qi's magic, it was impossible to turn a complete nobody into a Pill Apprentice in just over two months.

Hearing Wei Cang's words, a mocking smile appeared on Long Chen's face: The show was about to begin.

Yun Qi remained silent as Wei Cang continued, "Today, my disciple will humbly demonstrate and refine a pill for everyone on the spot."

A roar of cheers erupted from the crowd at Wei Cang's words. Alchemists held a revered status, and everyone present had only heard of alchemy but never witnessed it firsthand.

They were filled with reverence and curiosity for this profession. To witness the formation of a pill with their own eyes would be a great opportunity for them.

"However, good things come in pairs. Bai Chi represents the Alchemist Guild of Great Xia. I wonder if the Phoenix Cry Guild has anyone willing to show their skills?" Wei Cang said, looking at Master Yun Qi.

"She is your disciple, but Long Chen is not yet my disciple. So, your little scheme will likely fall through," Master Yun Qi said calmly.

Long Chen's heart stirred. Was the reason Yun Qi had been unwilling to accept him as a disciple because of this?

"It's just for fun, to liven things up. Besides, it's not for free."

As Wei Cang spoke, a jade bottle suddenly appeared in his hand. Inside, a flame about the thickness of a thumb writhed.

"This is the Beast Fire of a second-tier magical beast, the Flame Leopard. Whoever wins will receive it as a reward."

Xia Baichi's eyes lit up as he looked at the Beast Fire. He had been coveting that Beast Fire for a long time, and he never thought Wei Cang would finally be willing to bring it out.

Wei Cang waved the Beast Fire in his hand and provocatively addressed Long Chen in the audience, "Kid, what do you say? Want to come up and play?"

Faced with such an obvious temptation, everyone inwardly shook their heads. Wei Cang's behavior seemed beneath a master's dignity; it was too petty.

As expected, Long Chen glanced at Wei Cang, his face filled with mockery and disdain, and uttered a single word.

"Good."

"Pfft."

Fatty Yu and the others couldn't help but spit out their drinks. Brother Long, where did your integrity go?

Under everyone's strange gazes, Long Chen swaggered onto the stage and casually said to Xia Baichi:

"Your master said you wanted me to play with you. Tell me, how should we play?"