Afterwards, This Young Master Will Kill You

Lu Chen landed with a thud after flying in a circle, his grin stretching from ear to ear.

"Wuwu..." Xiong Yao walked out of the great hall and, upon seeing Lu Chen, ran towards him with a rumble. She grabbed his face, too excited to speak.

"How can you be so handsome?" she squeezed, and Lu Chen's cheeks nearly burst. The pain brought tears to his eyes.

"Can you be a little gentler? Are you even a girl? Let go!" Seeing her still squeezing, Lu Chen roared.

"What is gentleness? Can you eat it?"

Pfft!

Fang Jiuding, standing nearby, spat out his drink.

Lu Chen was completely defeated. He checked the time, shot into the sky, and headed straight for Peerless Palace.

Is Yun Niang, whom I've been thinking of, waiting anxiously? I need to hurry.

Peerless Palace, the imperial residence of Great Yan's Peerless Princess.

Ever since the Peerless Princess took charge as the Young Marshal, she had rarely returned.

But this time, not only did she return for the Four Nations' New Year's Celebration Martial Arts Tournament, but she also became the focal point of the event.

That was the arranged marriage.

News of it had already spread like wildfire throughout Yanjing.

And the groom-to-be was the Wolf Court's Little Wolf King, Di Kun.

A super-expert with awakened bloodline.

It was said that their union had a high chance of producing offspring with mutated bloodlines. After all, the Great Yan imperial family had once possessed extraordinary bloodlines, but with each generation, fewer awakeners appeared.

By the Peerless Princess's generation, bloodline awakeners had become extinct.

Her father's generation was the current King Yanbei, but because he was unwilling to submit to the current King of Great Yan, he had taken an opposing stance, aiming to replace Great Yan and establish his own rule.

There were rumors circulating that marrying the Peerless Princess wouldn't be so easy, requiring at least extraordinary talent.

Furthermore, the imperial family had not yet agreed.

Perhaps things would only be decided after the martial arts tournament.

However, from Old Ancestor Tianyan's words, Lu Chen felt that someone was stirring up trouble.

His primary suspect was Tianyu Academy.

Marrying off the imperial family's top prodigy far away would greatly reduce the future trouble Tianyu would cause in their attempts to seize Great Yan.

Of course, it was also possible that King Yanbei's people were secretly pushing this, aiming to eliminate the Young Marshal of Yan who stood in their way.

Lu Chen, holding an invitation, was led into Peerless Palace and arrived at a place that resembled a fairy realm.

Clouds drifted through the jade steps and pavilions, and the crisp sound of wind chimes occasionally rang out from the corners of the halls.

On the misty lake, white jade lotus platforms floated. Each petal was inlaid with a luminous pearl, making the water surface shimmer.

Within the lake, koi carp, about a foot long, swam leisurely. Occasionally, one would leap out of the water, creating ripples.

In the opulent banquet hall, dozens of prodigies sat or stood, each with a different posture.

To the left, by a rosewood carved long table, a young man in black combat attire was fiddling with the jade pendant at his waist.

He had sharp eyebrows and starry eyes, a cold demeanor, and his waist sword exuded a sharp aura. It was clear at a glance that he was a sword genius, none other than Lu Yang, a prodigy from Great Qi.

To the right, on a soft cushion embroidered with auspicious cranes and clouds, a woman in red gently fanned herself with a gunbai. The landscape painting on the fan was lifelike.

Her eyes flickered, her gaze captivating, exuding gentleness and beauty.

Lu Chen's gaze lingered on her for a moment, his face twitching.

I really don't understand why a woman would come to join the fun.

But he could roughly guess who she was. Zhu Sha, a prodigy from Great Liang, her strength unfathomable.

Other cultivators either rested with their eyes closed or conversed in low voices, surrounded by spiritual energy, showcasing their considerable cultivation.

The tables were laden with delicacies, as exquisite as works of art.

As palace maids passed by with jade trays, the grapes on the trays were like carved amethysts, emitting an alluring fruity aroma that made one's mouth water.

Lu Chen ignored the gazes that turned towards him. He scanned the room, not seeing the person he wanted to meet, and felt a wave of disappointment.

He found a spot in a corner and beckoned a young palace maid.

"Young Master, what are your orders?"

The palace maid's voice was clear and crisp, like the tinkling of a spring.

Lu Chen smiled gently. "Please inform the Peerless Princess that Lu Chen has arrived!"

The palace maid blinked, then covered her mouth and chuckled. "Young Master Lu, you are the only one here who received an invitation. Everyone else present was also invited, so please wait patiently!"

Lu Chen's lips twitched. He knew that.

This is a subtle way to let Yun Niang know I'm here.

Who knew he would be looked down upon by the little palace maid.

Shouldn't they all be sharp and perceptive, how can they not understand the subtext?

"Alright, go on with your business!" Lu Chen waved his hand.

"So narcissistic, even notifying the princess. Why don't you have the princess send someone to Tianyan to pick you up? That's hilarious!"

A person from across the way suddenly sneered.

"Can't stand it?" Lu Chen squinted at the other person.

Damn it, since Yun Niang said to cripple the Little Wolf King, should I take the opportunity to take care of a few more?

My cultivation has improved, and my various furnaces have a lot more space, so I can store more energy for later use.

"It seems you have some self-awareness. I thought you were really a bumpkin!" The other person had an arrogant demeanor.

Whoosh!

Just as the other person tilted his head back to drink, Lu Chen suddenly disappeared and appeared behind him, grabbing his head and smashing it hard against the table.

The entire tabletop exploded, accompanied by his screams.

His nose was running, blood was flowing, and his face was disfigured on the spot.

The hall suddenly fell silent. The palace maids saw this and quickly retreated far away.

"Ah, die for me!" Pang Rong was about to go crazy.

As the young master of the Duke Protector of the State, when had he ever suffered such humiliation?

With a flip of his hand, a cold light flashed, and a dagger pointed directly at Lu Chen's throat.

Clang!

With a crisp sound, a palm-sized white barrier appeared on Lu Chen's neck.

It not only blocked the attack but also shattered the other person's dagger.

Pang Rong's face changed. Just as he was about to move, his neck tightened, and Lu Chen grabbed him and smashed him hard onto the ground.

Last time it was the tabletop, now it's the hard ground.

Everyone heard the sound of bones breaking and trembled all over.

As expected of the fierce man who blocked the entrance to Tianyu Academy, he beat the Duke Protector of the State's son without hesitation!

"Lu Chen, you bumpkin, if you have the guts, kill me. Damn it, I'll kill you later."

Thump!

Lu Chen grabbed his head, lifted him up, and smashed him into the ground again.

"Bumpkin..."

Thump!

"Beast..."

Thump!

"I..."

Thump!

After four or five blows, the hall was completely silent.

Lu Chen clapped his hands, spat on Pang Rong, and cursed:

"I hate people like you the most, who don't have much ability but have a foul mouth. You damn well deserve a beating!"

"Does anyone else have a problem?" Lu Chen scanned the room coldly.

"Heh heh..." A light laugh rang out.

Lu Chen looked over.

It was Lu Yang, the black-clothed youth from Great Qi.

"Do you have a problem?"

Lu Yang shook his head, "I wouldn't dare. Great Yan has many prodigies, and I'm afraid I'd be torn to shreds. However, the main guest hasn't arrived yet, and you're already stealing the spotlight. I think the Little Wolf King will be very interested in you!"

Lu Chen gave a cold laugh, "I'm also very interested in him. I want to see what kind of person this toad is, to be betrothed to our Great Yan princess. Let's see if he can get past me first."

"And to everyone here, you'd better abandon any thoughts you have. Whoever jumps out, I'll smash their head!"

He said, pointing at Pang Rong, who was lying limply on the ground, "He's an example. If you still don't know any better, we'll see whose blade is sharper, yours or your mouths."

Pfft!

Suddenly, a light laugh came from a corner of the hall, sounding particularly jarring in the quiet atmosphere.