Beast Fighting

Chen Lingxi followed behind Liuzhu, passed through the moon gate of the West Courtyard, and stepped onto the bluestone path leading to the East Hall.

July's morning breeze drifted in from the garden, carrying the fragrance of early-blooming lotuses from the pond, mingled with the damp scent rising from grass along the bank after it had been warmed by the sun.

When he reached the entrance of the East Hall, Liuzhu stopped and stepped aside, gesturing for him to enter.

Chen Lingxi crossed the threshold.

There were already people inside.

Lin Longyue sat in the seat of honor. Today, she wore a moon-white cloud-patterned jacket beneath a silver-white gauze robe. Her hair was adorned with only a single white jade magnolia pin, so plain it was nearly austere.

Yunhe Commandery Princess sat at her right hand, dressed in a goose-yellow jacket and still wearing that languid look. One hand supported her chin while the other held a piece of osmanthus cake, which she ate slowly.

Two maidservants stood behind her, eyes lowered and brows meek, utterly silent.

Sure enough, Yunhe Commandery Princess was here too.

Chen Lingxi was not surprised. Yunhe Commandery Princess had likely spent far more time at the Baosu Marquis Residence than she ever had at her commandery princess palace in Yuan River.

As his gaze swept over Yunhe Commandery Princess, it suddenly paused.

After several months of cultivation, his five senses had become far sharper than before.

At that moment, he clearly caught that Yunhe Commandery Princess's rhythm of breathing differed from that of ordinary people.

Her breaths were not the usual inhalation and exhalation, but an exceedingly faint, almost imperceptible kind of sucking.

With every breath she drew in, a thread of extremely faint spiritual qi moved through her throat. That qi was colorless and formless; had he not reached the third level of Qi Circulation, with his senses greatly enhanced, he would never have noticed it.

And what astonished Chen Lingxi most was...

That spiritual qi was not drawn from heaven and earth, but... from Lin Longyue.

He saw it clearly.

Lin Longyue sat there, her qi and blood naturally circulating, the foundation of her Silver Bone Realm deep as an abyss.

Yet amid that circulating qi and blood, an exceedingly fine strand of aura was being drawn out by some force, silently drifting away and entering Yunhe Commandery Princess's breath.

Yunhe Commandery Princess held a mouthful of spiritual qi, took that thread of aura into herself, and slowly swallowed it. A trace of faint satisfaction flickered through her eyes.

That expression vanished in an instant. Had Chen Lingxi not been watching closely, he would have almost failed to catch it.

Chen Lingxi's heart tightened slightly, but his expression remained calm. With his hands lowered, he walked to the center of the hall and bowed. "Chen Lingxi greets Your Highness and Miss."

Lin Longyue waved a hand, signaling for him to rise.

"Chen Lingxi," she said. "The Crown Prince has come to Yuan River again. He is hosting a banquet at the Beast-Fighting Palace on Mangyang Mountain, inviting the scions of every household in Yuan River Prefecture."

She paused and took a sip of tea.

"Chu Linzi, the Prefecture Lord's daughter, will be there as well."

"I have provided you with cultivation resources several times, permitted you to leave the residence each month to purchase medicinal herbs, and allowed you to consult the texts in the library." Her gaze fell upon Chen Lingxi once more. Her tone was calm, yet carried a pressure that could not be avoided. "Now is the time for you to distinguish yourself. Are you prepared?"

"Distinguish myself?"

Hearing this, Chen Lingxi felt puzzled, though his face showed just the right amount of respect and gratitude.

"In reply to Miss, Chen Lingxi has cultivated for several months and has not dared slacken in the slightest." His voice was steady, neither hurried nor slow. "I have now entered the minor accomplishment stage of the Copper-Red Realm, and my Mountain-Crushing Force has also achieved minor accomplishment.

"If Miss has a command, Chen Lingxi will certainly give his all and will not disappoint Miss."

Minor accomplishment of the Copper-Red Realm.

This was the realm he had deliberately understated.

With the Concealed Edge Method masking him, though he had entered the Silver Bone Realm and the qi and blood throughout his body had not yet fully transformed into silver marrow qi and blood, still retaining copper-fire qi and blood, the fluctuations he displayed outwardly truly only reached this level.

"Minor accomplishment of the Copper-Red Realm." Lin Longyue raised her brows slightly, and the corner of her lips curved. "To go from Iron Body to minor accomplishment of the Copper-Red Realm in a few months is indeed extraordinary."

She rose to her feet and paced two steps with her hands behind her back.

Yunhe Commandery Princess remained seated, one hand propping up her chin. Her gaze circled Chen Lingxi once, and the smile at her lips deepened a little.

That look made Chen Lingxi uncomfortable.

It was as though she had seen something amusing, yet also as though she were calculating something.

He lowered his eyes and did not meet her gaze.

After pacing two steps through the hall, Lin Longyue abruptly stopped and gave a cold snort.

"In terms of birth, Chu Linzi is far beneath me." An unrestrained chill filled her voice. "Yet she thinks that merely because she has latched onto the Crown Prince, she can press me down."

She turned around and looked at Chen Lingxi, cold light flashing in her eyes.

"I must defeat her before the Crown Prince."

Yunhe Commandery Princess set down the osmanthus cake in her hand, accepted the handkerchief a maidservant offered, and wiped her fingers. Then she spoke unhurriedly.

"This servant of yours does have some talent, though he began cultivating too late." She glanced at Chen Lingxi, her gaze laden with meaning. "I simply wonder whether, once he reaches the Beast-Fighting Palace, he will be able to distinguish himself against those fierce beasts under Chu Linzi's command."

Having said this, Yunhe Commandery Princess rose and gave Lin Longyue a slight nod.

"I'll be going ahead. We'll meet at Mangyang Mountain."

With that, she led her two maidservants out of the East Hall at an elegant pace.

Lin Longyue watched her back disappear beyond the moon gate, and the expression on her face grew several degrees colder.

"Liu Que," she called.

Liu Que, the West Courtyard steward, hurried in from outside and stood with lowered hands, awaiting orders.

"Prepare the carriages." Lin Longyue set down her teacup, her tone even. "We depart in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea."

Liu Que bowed in acknowledgment and withdrew.

Lin Longyue adjusted her robes, then turned her gaze upon Chen Lingxi.

"You should make preparations as well. Change into clean clothes. Do not disgrace the Marquis Residence."

Chen Lingxi bowed. "Yes."

Outside the side gate of the Marquis Residence, the carriages were already prepared.

Two carriages draped in blue curtains stood waiting. The horses pulling them were all tall and powerful, their coats sleek and glossy. Their hooves had been wrapped in cloth, so they made only dull, muffled sounds upon the bluestone pavement.

Lin Longyue boarded the first carriage, and its curtains were lowered tightly shut.

Chen Lingxi boarded the second carriage with two other young martial artists.

He had seen both men before. They were disciples of the Western Courtyard Martial Hall, one named Zheng Qingya and the other Zhou Xian.

Zheng Qingya had once been chosen by Jiang Yuan, and had believed the matter as certain as a nail driven into a board. Yet Chen Lingxi had appeared halfway through, and Jiang Yuan had publicly declared that Chen Lingxi's natural talent surpassed his.

Several months had passed since then. Zheng Qingya gave no sign of it on his face, but he likely had not forgotten it in his heart.

At that moment, he sat opposite Chen Lingxi, his gaze fixed upon him, lips pressed slightly together, saying nothing.

Zhou Xian was more open. After boarding, he nodded at Chen Lingxi, then leaned against the carriage wall and closed his eyes to rest.

The carriage slowly began moving, its wheels rolling over the bluestone slabs with a rumbling sound.

Chen Lingxi closed his eyes as well, silently regulating his breath with the swaying of the carriage.

Once the carriage left the city, the road gradually became uneven, and the jolting began.

He opened his eyes, lifted a corner of the carriage curtain, and looked outside.

Vast fields spread along both sides of the official road. The rice had already formed ears, green tinged with yellow, their heavy heads hanging low.

In the distance, mountain ridges rose and fell, appearing and vanishing through the thin morning mist of summer.

The carriage traveled westward for more than half an hour before turning onto a side road.

The side road climbed ever higher, and the dirt track became a gravel road. The wheels rustled over it.

Mangyang Mountain.

The mountain was not high, but it was exceptionally steep. From afar, it resembled a giant sheep lying prone, hence its name.

Its summit was broad and level, upon which stood a palace reserved for the Crown Prince's stays and excursions.

A road ran beneath the mountain. A checkpoint had been set up at its entrance, where several dozen armored soldiers stood holding halberds, their armor gleaming with cold light beneath the sun.

The carriage stopped, and an armored soldier came forward to inspect it.

Liu Que jumped down from the carriage shaft, presented a token, and said something in a low voice.

The soldier nodded and waved them through.

The carriages continued upward.

After traveling for roughly a quarter of an hour, the mountain road suddenly widened, revealing a level slope.

Chen Lingxi lifted the carriage curtain and looked out.

There was someone sitting on the slope.

That man sat cross-legged atop a jutting rock, facing east with his eyes closed in meditation.

He wore golden armor. His beard and hair were entirely white, yet his face was as rosy as an infant's, without a single wrinkle.

The qi and blood around him circulated without cease, yet they were murky and indistinct, impossible to fathom.

Silver Bone Realm? Golden Body Realm?

Neither.

Chen Lingxi's gaze rested on the man. He sensed that the man's qi and blood neither burst outward nor drew inward, but instead circulated slowly within his body in a strange rhythm.

Like a great river—its surface calm and without a ripple, while beneath it surged force enough to bear ten thousand jun.

A thought suddenly arose in his heart—this man's cultivation might surpass even the Golden Body Realm.

The Jade-Qi Realm of legend?

As the carriage passed the man, the elder never opened his eyes, as though entirely unaware.

Chen Lingxi lowered the curtain and withdrew his gaze.

After traveling for another cup of tea's time, the carriage finally stopped.

Chen Lingxi lifted the curtain and stepped out.

Before him stood a towering palace, vermilion walls and golden tiles, upturned eaves and soaring corners, glittering brilliantly beneath the afternoon sun.

The palace gates stood wide open. Two rows of armored soldiers stood on either side, all clad in silver armor and silver helmets, long spears in hand, utterly motionless.

Liu Que led them in through a side entrance. They crossed several courtyards and arrived at a broad plaza.

At the far end of the plaza stood a lofty hall with its doors open, shadowy figures faintly visible within.

Chen Lingxi followed behind Lin Longyue and entered the hall.

The hall was immensely spacious, its vaulted ceiling suspended high overhead, resplendent in gold and jade.

The floor was paved in whole slabs of dark azure stone, polished bright enough to reflect people.

Huge brocade curtains hung from the four walls, embroidered with dragon and cloud patterns that gleamed with a dim luster in the candlelight.

Quite a few people were already seated within the hall.

More than ten chairs had been arranged along each side. Men and women occupied them, all dressed in splendid brocades and fine robes, each bearing an exceptional air.

Yunhe Commandery Princess sat in the first chair on the right, still wearing that languid expression. She held a cup of tea and drank slowly. When she saw Lin Longyue enter, she gave a slight nod as greeting.

Lin Longyue took the third chair on the left, with Liu Que standing behind her in attendance.

An attendant led Chen Lingxi, Zheng Qingya, and Zhou Xian to the side of the hall. More than thirty people already stood there, all young, dressed in varying clothes, their expressions either tense or indifferent.

Chen Lingxi stepped into the crowd and quietly surveyed his surroundings.

A woman sat in the second chair on the left.

She looked to be around twenty years old, exceptionally tall, with shoulders and back straight as a spear.

She wore fitted black garments beneath a scarlet cloak, with a long saber hanging at her waist. Its sheath was dark and unadorned.

She was Chu Linzi, the Prefecture Lord's daughter.

She glanced sideways at him, and a touch of surprise entered her eyes.

Another step forward?

So I had not misjudged him.

Three young men stood behind her, all dressed in short, fitted martial garments. Their muscles knotted like coiled dragons, their auras deep and heavy.

The three stared straight ahead, standing as erect as spears. Qi and blood faintly spilled from their bodies; they were clearly all cultivators of the Copper-Red Realm.

Chu Linzi was speaking softly with a young man seated in the first chair on the left.

The man appeared to be twenty-two or twenty-three. He was strikingly handsome, his face like crowned jade and his lips like painted vermilion. His peach-blossom eyes tilted slightly upward, and every glance carried effortless charm.

He wore a moon-white brocade robe, a white jade belt at his waist, and a jade crown on his head. His bearing surpassed that of most people present by a full measure.

Chen Lingxi's gaze settled on him, and his heart stirred slightly.

He heard someone address him as—"Brother Zhuri."

The Chen Family had once been a family of officials, and Chen Lingxi himself had earned scholarly rank in his early years.

Naturally, he had heard this man's name before.

Yang Zhuri, son of the Sun-Bearing General.

Yang Zhuri was not only the Sun-Bearing General's only son, but also a famed refined gentleman of the capital.

He was skilled in flower arranging, excelled at riding and archery, and was versed in poetry, lyrics, music, and prose alike. He was the dream lover of countless young ladies secluded in their chambers.

Yang Zhuri seemed to sense Chen Lingxi's gaze. He turned his head slightly and glanced at him.

That glance was exceedingly faint, as though he were merely looking at some insignificant ornament. Then he withdrew his gaze and continued speaking with Chu Linzi.

Below Yunhe Commandery Princess sat another seven or eight people, men and women alike, all born of aristocratic families and dressed in brocades and fine robes, their bearing exceptional.

Their gazes frequently fell upon the thirty-odd people at the side of the hall, their eyes carrying undisguised scrutiny and disdain.

Chen Lingxi raised his brows and suddenly understood.

Beast fighting.

What Lin Longyue had called the "Beast-Fighting Palace."

Standing at the side of the hall with the thirty-odd others in a single row, he was like merchandise awaiting a price, offered for inspection by the nobles seated above.

They looked at them as one might look at fighting cocks, fighting dogs, or fighting crickets—examining their teeth, bones, sinews, and spirit, calculating how many rounds they could endure in the arena and how much face they could win for their masters.

What humiliation.

Chen Lingxi lowered his eyes and suppressed the surging emotions within him, revealing nothing on his face.

The Concealed Edge Method circulated within his body, wrapping the strand of azure qi in his dantian even more tightly.

The faint silver gleam along the surface of his bones was suppressed until it nearly vanished.

Standing there, he was like an unremarkable, dust-colored stone, unable to draw anyone's notice.