"Your literary talent is remarkable, Young Master Yang!"
Princess Changyang looked at Yang Zhen with a glimmer in her eyes, her smile like a blossoming flower. For a moment, beneath the terrifying skies and rolling thunder, it seemed as though a hundred flowers were blooming in competition.
Yang Zhen waved a hand. "Not at all, not at all. My literary talent is nothing much. I have a senior brother whose talent could fill eight bushels. With a brush, he can bring peace to the world; on horseback, he can settle the realm. Now there's a great talent of our age!"
Princess Changyang was taken aback. "May I ask your senior brother's name, Young Master Yang? To think there is such a person in the world!"
"I won't tell you his name. You can try to guess it yourself. He's a dragon and phoenix among men, the Red Hare among horses. People call him the Number One Handsome Man Under Heaven, and that's all you need to know."
Yang Zhen blinked at Princess Changyang, putting on an expression that said, "Hurry up and tell me how handsome I am."
Princess Changyang froze. Then she caught on and giggled sweetly. For a moment, heaven and earth seemed radiant, and everyone around them stared in a daze.
Everyone said Princess Changyang was dignified and beautiful, but who had ever seen her laugh so happily? Even Yang Zhen had not expected her to be so beautiful when she laughed, despite her bare face being hidden behind a veil. Her eyes seemed almost capable of speech, drawing the gaze with a strange allure that made it impossible to look away.
Princess Changyang's fair face flushed slightly. Looking at Yang Zhen with the hint of a smile, she asked, "I wonder what you want, Young Master Yang?"
"Can I have you?"
"You..." Princess Changyang looked at Yang Zhen in surprise and turned her head away. His mischievous voice came again. "I'm joking. If I really made a request like that, every man in the Youyang Kingdom without a dao companion would probably drown me in their spit."
Everyone stared blankly at Yang Zhen, their faces full of bewilderment. You bastard, when did we ever say we'd give you the princess?
The thickness of Yang Zhen's skin really was beyond the imagination of ordinary people.
Princess Changyang was stunned as well, her fair face turning completely red. She did not know why, but in Yang Zhen's presence, the State of Mind she had always been so proud of could no longer remain calm.
Yang Zhen always managed to achieve his goal without anyone noticing, leading people straight into a ditch. With those two remarks, he had made it seem as though she could hardly wait for him to ask the Youyang Kingdom's imperial palace for her.
But his later remark set Princess Changyang's heart racing despite herself. She was a princess of the Youyang Kingdom, exceptionally gifted and unrivaled in beauty. Who knew how many men under heaven secretly admired her?
If there really were a man who dared to make an enemy of the world for her sake, then... just imagining his towering figure and boundless heroic spirit was enough to make her blood boil.
But did such a man really exist?
For a moment, Princess Changyang's thoughts drifted far away, and she gradually fell into a daze.
"Princess? Princess?"
Only after Yang Zhen called her twice did Princess Changyang come to her senses. She hurriedly said, "Young Master, you still haven't said what reward you want. As long as it is something Changyang can give you, I won't hesitate."
"In that case, it's simple!" Yang Zhen let out a breath of relief and asked, "I wonder if Your Highness has a body-tempering method on you?"
"A body-tempering method?" Princess Changyang was taken aback.
Everyone around them erupted. After hearing Yang Zhen's words, they began berating him.
"Damn it! This kid wagged his silver tongue for all that time just for a body-tempering method?"
"Body-tempering methods are incredibly rare, yet this kid opens his mouth and asks for one. He really has no sense of shame."
"Shame? Why does that word sound so strange when applied to a shameless fellow like Yang Zhen? Thunder Essence Wood may be precious, but surely it doesn't warrant asking for a body-tempering method right off the bat?"
"Just give him any body-tempering method. Even some major sects in the Youyang Kingdom might not have one, let alone a disciple from a small sect like Yang Zhen. Only a powerful cultivation kingdom like the Youyang Kingdom could produce one, I suppose."
"That's not quite fair. If not for Yang Zhen, the struggle over the Thunder Essence Wood would probably have lasted a while, and there's no telling whose hands it would have ended up in. Princess Changyang obtained it without shedding a drop of blood, so giving him an ordinary body-tempering method wouldn't be excessive."
The crowd buzzed with all manner of opinions. Princess Changyang looked at Yang Zhen with the hint of a smile and said, "Have you made up your mind?"
Yang Zhen nodded eagerly. "I have!"
Princess Changyang nodded gently and said evenly, "Since you've decided, you can't change your mind. Otherwise, Changyang will have a hard time accounting for it!"
As soon as she said that, everyone went wild. They could all see the disappointment in Princess Changyang's eyes, yet Yang Zhen still would not take back what he had just said.
If he really asked for the princess now, he certainly would not succeed, but he might win her favor or affection! It was something countless men dreamed of, yet Yang Zhen actually... stayed single through sheer ability. He was too much to handle, truly too much to handle.
Su Qingyu's lowered brows twitched, and she glanced at Princess Changyang in surprise. Zhang Zongjin and the man beside Su Qingyu both narrowed their eyes and glared fiercely at Yang Zhen, like ferocious beasts staring at their prey.
Ordinary people only thought Yang Zhen had lost an opportunity, but those who paid attention understood that he had already spoken of wanting the princess. If he did not say anything now, where would that leave the princess's dignity?
Yang Zhen had courted death himself. If he avoided the subject now and word got out, not only would it greatly harm Princess Changyang's reputation, but once the Youyang Kingdom's imperial palace learned of it, Yang Zhen would have almost no place to stand in the entire kingdom.
That would amount to thoroughly offending Princess Changyang and the entire Youyang Kingdom.
This Yang Zhen really knew how to court death!
Even a fool could see the disappointment in Princess Changyang's eyes, so how could Yang Zhen have missed it? He laughed heartily, stood with his hands behind his back, and declared, "Rest assured, Your Highness. I, Yang Zhen, never go back on a decision!"
Princess Changyang's expression changed. Most of the people around them were shaken; some shook their heads and sighed, while others gloated. All of them waited to see what would become of Yang Zhen.
Just then, Yang Zhen's clear voice rang out again. "Though I, Yang Zhen, am no heaven-favored talent and have no illustrious background, even a lowly mayfly can harbor the ambitions of a great swan. If there's a woman I like, I only need to pursue her with my own abilities. How could I use a favor to seek personal gain? Besides, women are meant to be cherished. How can they be treated like goods in a transaction?"
The crowd erupted!
Everyone present stared at Yang Zhen, dumbstruck, shock spreading across their faces.
Was... was this still that shameless, despicable fellow with no bottom line? His words rang with conviction, not only resolving his own predicament but also elevating Princess Changyang to an extremely lofty position.
If there was a woman he liked, he only needed to pursue her with his own abilities!
Women were meant to be cherished. How could they be treated like goods in a transaction?
Those two statements were full of heroic spirit. Even some of the men around him felt their blood boil, let alone the young ladies still awaiting marriage in their chambers. Now, even Yang Zhen's back seemed to have grown taller.
Princess Changyang's breathing quickened, and a meaningful smile appeared at the corners of her mouth. She nodded and said, "You are quite right, Young Master Yang. Changyang has learned a lesson. I have a cultivation method here, a spirit-grade body-tempering method, but... unfortunately, it is only a fragment!"
Boom!
As soon as she said that, everyone present was stunned.
A spirit-grade body-tempering method! If word got out, it would probably shake the entire Youyang Kingdom. They had never expected Princess Changyang to give it to Yang Zhen so readily.
Had Yang Zhen's words really won Princess Changyang's favor?
In the crowd, Zhang Zongjin stared blankly at the scene before him, his face full of:
Who am I?
Where am I?
What the hell am I doing?
(End of chapter)