Scald You, You Grandson

A casual remark caused a stir, surprising everyone in the hall. The officials glanced at Qing Ling, then at the Empress Dowager. Everyone knew this woman was the Empress Dowager's most trusted confidante. What did her challenge mean at this moment?

The meaning was clear: the Empress Dowager was angry.

At this moment, even the Xia Emperor's eyes narrowed slightly, lost in thought.

However, since the Xia Emperor didn't speak, he implicitly assented to Qing Ling's challenge.

While the officials speculated on the Xia Emperor's intentions, they were more concerned about why the Empress Dowager was so angry.

Was it because the Zhenji Kingdom's envoy had just chosen someone from her side?

Among the Three Grand Ministers, the Grand Tutor, whose eyes had been slightly closed, opened them for a moment before closing them again, as if he hadn't heard anything.

Wan Yunshang's charming face flashed with a captivating smile. She knew their Empress Dowager wouldn't be angry for such a trivial reason. Her intuition told her that this matter was nine-tenths connected to that little eunuch.

One had to admit, a woman's sixth sense could sometimes be truly terrifying. Wan Yunshang's baseless guess was infinitely close to the truth.

The Zhenji Kingdom's envoy's expression was a sight to behold. He didn't know why the Xia Emperor hadn't stopped this absurd, rude, and meaningless provocation. He struggled, caught in the dilemma of accepting or refusing.

Ultimately, the Zhenji Kingdom's envoy accepted. There was no surprise; he had no choice but to accept.

"Jin Yi, you go."

The Zhenji Kingdom's envoy commanded. A man of about thirty, dressed in a loose red and black robe, with a pale face and an unusually fierce demeanor, stepped out from behind him.

Qing Ling immediately saw that Jin Yi possessed strength no less than Martial Arts First Rank Stage Eight, making him the strongest of the five.

Martial arts in this world were only divided into Xiantian Realm and Houtian Realm. The Houtian Realm had nine ranks, and Qing Ling stood at the very pinnacle of these nine ranks, a powerhouse among powerhouses.

There were only five Xiantian Realm powerhouses in the world, making Qing Ling one of the strongest people below those five.

However, Qing Ling was injured. Although she had recuperated for over ten days, her injuries were severe and couldn't heal so quickly.

Injuries had an extremely serious impact on any powerhouse. Sometimes, it wasn't impossible for a low-level martial artist like Ning Chen, who hadn't even entered the ranks, to accidentally and fortunately take down a severely injured Houtian Realm Stage Nine master.

Qing Ling was never complacent or underestimated her opponents, so she faced the current opponent with utmost seriousness.

In the Heavenly Edict Hall, the martial contest began instantly. Qing Ling took a step, not incredibly fast, and extended a slender hand straight towards Jin Yi's chest. It was a simple move, yet it produced a hissing sound as it cut through the air, making one's face sting.

Jin Yi's expression subtly changed. He retreated three steps, then moved two steps sideways. However, that fair, jade-like hand remained like a shadow, impossible to avoid even slightly.

From the start, Qing Ling gave no quarter. Her sharp and domineering offensive aimed to destroy all of Jin Yi's fighting spirit in a single move.

Jin Yi's expression changed repeatedly. He could tell that the woman before him was of a higher cultivation realm, yet there was a sense of incongruity in her movements.

Jin Yi understood what this incongruity was: an injury, an injury that affected her foundation.

All martial artists knew not to fight for long with an injured body, let alone with a severe foundational injury.

Therefore, even though he knew he couldn't completely avoid it, Jin Yi still tried his best to dodge. After retreating three more steps, he raised his True Essence Power to its peak and unleashed his right fist to meet that slender, terrifying hand head-on.

He was prepared to use the force to retreat further. The longer he dragged it out, the greater his chances of winning.

Who knew that at the moment their attacks met, Qing Ling's fierce offensive instantly shifted? Her slender hand moved in a circle, avoiding the full-force punch in front of her. In the blink of an eye, she shifted sideways and struck Jin Yi's right shoulder with her palm.

Bang! As the palm landed, Jin Yi's right shoulder immediately burst with a spray of blood. However, Qing Ling, whose steps hadn't been particularly fast, flashed forward, her speed reaching its limit. A afterimage lingered as her slender hand struck again.

It was still the shoulder, but this time it was the left one. Qing Ling's slender hand trembled, and her True Essence Power exploded, sending Jin Yi flying backward instantly. The moment he landed, he coughed up a mouthful of blood, his face whiter than snow.

Qing Ling let out a cold laugh. She was injured, but even injured, she was still a Houtian Realm Stage Nine expert. Even if she wasn't at her peak, she wouldn't be defeated by a mere Stage Eight.

There were indeed prodigies in the world who could challenge those of higher ranks, but it was clear that Jin Yi was far from having that qualification.

Jin Yi lost, and there was no suspense to his defeat. It wasn't due to underestimating his opponent or arrogance, but a difference in combat reaction and, more importantly, an absolute disparity in strength.

The Zhenji Kingdom's envoy's face was grim. He hadn't expected a young palace maid by the Empress of Great Xia's side to possess strength exceeding Houtian Realm Stage Nine, nor had he expected Jin Yi to lose so quickly. There was a difference between Stage Eight and Stage Nine, but not to the extent of such an overwhelming victory for one side.

The atmosphere in the hall was strange. Ning Chen had somehow sneaked back in, standing behind Grandson, his face etched with pain. His right arm was covered in white ointment and hung in a red sling around his neck, making him look like a disabled person.

The officials on Great Xia's side looked at Ning Chen, satisfaction flashing in their eyes. This little eunuch was quite good.

Ning Chen felt uncomfortable being stared at. He had come back to watch the show, not to be the show. But for the sake of the exciting events to come, he endured it.

"I concede," Qing Ling said coldly, cupping her hands.

Jin Yi stood up, his expression changing repeatedly. In the end, he endured the severe pain in both shoulders and cupped his hands in return.

Seeing this, a smile bloomed on Ning Chen's face, brilliant as a flower.

Grandson couldn't stand Ning Chen's smug look and spoke, "Ning Chen, you have rendered meritorious service to our dynasty. I shall grant you a favor. You may choose the opponent from the Zhenji Kingdom's envoy's side."

Ning Chen's smile instantly froze, but he dared not defy Grandson's order in public. He put on a fawning, obnoxious expression and said, "Thank you for the Empress Dowager's grace."

Grandson lightly hummed, her expression unchanged.

Ning Chen glanced at the Zhenji Kingdom's envoy, then at the three people behind the envoy, and finally shifted his gaze to the injured Jin Yi, his face showing a hint of awkwardness. "Since this general's arms are unharmed and he can still salute, then let this general be the one."

Hearing this, the Zhenji Kingdom's envoy's eyes turned cold. He looked at Jin Yi and asked, "How is it?"

"I will not disgrace the mission."

Jin Yi suppressed the pain and said in a deep voice.

"Good."

The Zhenji Kingdom's envoy nodded with satisfaction, then coldly swept his gaze over the little eunuch behind Grandson, his eyes revealing undisguised hostility.

At the entrance of the hall, a cool breeze blew, but it couldn't disperse the rolling heat. Jin Yi approached, looking at the seemingly bottomless pot of oil. His True Essence Power circulated throughout his body, concentrating with all his might on his right arm, which he then plunged into the pot.

Intense pain shot through the damaged meridians. Jin Yi's arm vibrated with chaotic true qi, feeling as if boiling oil was constantly scalding his skin, intensifying the agony.

At this moment, not only the Zhenji Kingdom envoy but also all the Great Xia officials grew tense. Grandson glanced at Ning Chen, still unable to fathom what was going on in the young man's mind.

As more time passed, Jin Yi began to tremble all over, his expression growing increasingly grim. Yet, he still hadn't retrieved the fine needle from the oil. To be precise, it wasn't that he hadn't retrieved it, but that he simply hadn't found it.

Seeing this, Ning Chen couldn't stop smiling.

It would be a miracle if he found it! You deserve to be scalded to death, you son of a bitch!

Grandson was puzzled, the Xia Emperor was puzzled, and the Zhenji Kingdom envoy was even more perplexed, watching helplessly as time ticked by, yet Jin Yi still hadn't pulled out the needle.

"Ugh!"

Heat and toxins assaulted him. Jin Yi could no longer endure the excruciating pain. He took a step back, pulling his arm out.

"Imperial Physician," Grandson immediately spoke, his timing a little too perfect.

"No need."

The Zhenji Kingdom envoy snorted coldly, glanced at the kneeling Jin Yi, and then declared, "We concede the first round. At this time tomorrow, I will return to announce the topic for the second round. However, this time I will not grant a three-day grace period. I hope the Xia Emperor and the Empress Dowager will still be as lucky then."

With that, the Zhenji Kingdom envoy led the three people behind him out of the palace, not sparing another glance for Jin Yi on the ground.

Jin Yi's head was bowed to the ground, his body trembling uncontrollably, whether from pain or some other reason…

As the court session was about to end, the Xia Emperor was in a great mood. Before leaving, he gave Ning Chen an appreciative look, which, rather than pleasing him, actually sent shivers down Ning Chen's spine.

Wan Yunshang then rose. A fragrant breeze swept past, and she paused briefly as she passed Ning Chen, but said nothing. She simply chuckled softly, then gracefully departed.

"Let's go."

Grandson was still in a good mood. Supported by Qing Ling, she rose and returned to her palace.

Ning Chen followed behind, utterly without status, playing the role of an injured person while also having to reveal great secrets to satisfy Grandson's insatiable curiosity.

Originally, the cheating he had demonstrated yesterday should have been enough. Who knew that the Zhenji Kingdom envoy would be even more shameless than him, bringing four martial arts experts directly.

So, he had subtly added a little something, replacing the original oil with soybean oil. He also had Qing Ling cripple Jin Yi. Soybean oil has a very high boiling point, nearly 400 degrees Celsius, almost double that of regular oil. With Jin Yi's arms crippled and his true qi unstable, he certainly wouldn't be able to last long.

"Why couldn't Jin Yi find the needle in the oil?"

Grandson was even curious about this, as it was the part she understood the least. Jin Yi had searched in the oil for so long; logically, he should have been able to find the needle.

Hearing Grandson's question, Ning Chen gave an embarrassed, slightly bitter smile. "That needle was made of tin. It had already melted into the oil. Don't mention him; even I couldn't find it now."

He had noticed earlier that there were many exquisite tin products in the palace, so he had specifically asked Qing Ling to have a palace craftsman make a tin needle.

Tin melts at just over 200 degrees Celsius. By the time the oil pot was even boiling, there would be nothing left of it. If Jin Yi could have retrieved it, it would have been a ghost's trick.

Grandson nodded thoughtfully, then looked at Ning Chen with a strange gaze, the flickering light in her eyes sending shivers down his spine.

Ning Chen gave an awkward laugh, knowing that Grandson was once again getting ideas about the strange things in his head.

As they chatted, they arrived at Weiyang Palace. Grandson immediately reverted to her true nature of burning bridges after crossing them. She paused her steps slightly and said lightly, "Alright, we've arrived. You can go back to your confinement. I need to rest."

"..." Ning Chen was speechless. He finally understood what it meant for someone's expression to change faster than the weather.

However, before Grandson left, Ning Chen couldn't help but remind her, "Your Highness, that Jin Yi, perhaps he could be useful."

"Don't worry about things that aren't your concern," Grandson stopped, not responding, but calmly warned.

Night fell, stars dotted the sky. In Ning Chen's room, a brilliant silver light surged, roaring and powerful, sending out ripples. The reappearing true qi was stronger than ever, breaking through the first hurdle for martial artists. In his Dantian Qihai, a qi vortex formed, transforming into a swirling silver cloud that continuously radiated True Essence Power.

"Unbelievable."

Outside the room, Qing Ling's hand, which was about to knock, paused. She stood by the door, not daring to disturb him, her shock impossible to hide.

This world did not lack geniuses, and reaching Martial Arts First Rank in half a month was not unheard of. However, such a thing should absolutely not be happening to Ning Chen.

The path of martial arts had always been unfair. The gap between geniuses and ordinary people was unimaginably vast. Although cruel, this was the truth.

"Oh no!"

Just then, Qing Ling's expression changed. She sensed the aura in the room suddenly becoming chaotic. Without time to think, she burst through the door. Her lithe figure flashed, and in two steps, she reached Ning Chen's side, placing her slender hand on his Dantian Qihai.

"Concentrate and form! Do not be distracted!"

Seeing the silver cloud in his Dantian Qihai vibrating, on the verge of dissipating, Qing Ling forcefully protected Ning Chen's continuously collapsing silver qi vortex with her own aura while sharply shouting.

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