Chapter 40: The Chief of the Moon Worship Demon Sect
Walking out of the alchemy room, Zhang Ruochen saw the Ninth Princess and Shan Xiangling. Both were stunningly beautiful women, graceful and elegant, pure and soft, a delight to behold.
At this moment, they were both vying for Xiao Hei.
"Xiao Hei! You want to play with me, don't you?" the Ninth Princess said in a threatening tone.
Shan Xiangling, with her rosy lips and bright teeth, her eyes misty, said softly, "Xiao Hei, come with me. I'll take you to eat the finest delicacies!"
The Ninth Princess grabbed Xiao Hei's two ears, while Shan Xiangling held his tail, locked in a tug-of-war. Both wanted to take him away.
Xiao Hei was utterly miserable at this point. If he weren't afraid of being sealed back into the scroll by Zhang Ruochen, he would have already killed these two human women.
How infuriating!
I, the Lord, am the Emperor who slaughters heaven and earth. When did I become a plaything fought over by two women?
"Creak!"
The iron door of the alchemy room opened.
Seeing Zhang Ruochen and Zuo En emerge, the Ninth Princess and Shan Xiangling almost simultaneously let go, immediately reverting to their demure personas.
The Ninth Princess gently adjusted her sleeves and robes, appearing noble and elegant. Shan Xiangling used her jade-like fingers to softly stroke her long hair, looking gentle and pure.
"Thud!"
Xiao Hei fell heavily to the ground, dizzy and seeing stars.
If one hadn't witnessed it, who would believe that two of the Four Beauties of the Yunwu Commandery would fight so fiercely over a cat?
Was it really just for a cat?
Admittedly, both the Ninth Princess and Shan Xiangling were exceptionally beautiful, true peerless beauties. Other martial artists would be overjoyed to meet even one of them, willing to offer all their wealth just to earn a smile from such a beauty.
Zhang Ruochen didn't care whether they were among the Four Beauties or not. He said flatly, "Ninth Sister, accompany me to the Qingxuan Pavilion. I need to buy an alchemy furnace."
"Sure!"
The Ninth Princess immediately picked up Xiao Hei from the ground, looking somewhat triumphant, her eyes tilting upward as she glanced at Shan Xiangling.
"Ninth Prince, Xiangling also happens to need to go to the Qingxuan Pavilion. May I join you?" Shan Xiangling's voice was soft and ethereal.
Zhang Ruochen saw no issue and agreed.
The Inscription Guild and the Qingxuan Pavilion in the weapon market were close, so the three of them didn't take a carriage but walked instead.
What Zhang Ruochen hadn't anticipated finally happened.
The Ninth Princess and Shan Xiangling were both breathtakingly beautiful, goddesses in the dreams of many martial artists. Their suitors were countless, enough to line up from the Inscription Guild all the way to the city gates of the royal capital.
Ordinarily, meeting even one of them was as hard as reaching the heavens. But today, two stunning beauties were following a young man, causing a huge commotion in the weapon market.
"Isn't that the beloved daughter of the Red Cloud Sect's leader, one of the Four Beauties of the younger generation in the Yunwu Commandery, Shan Xiangling? She's so beautiful, like a fairy stepping out of a painting!"
"And who's the woman standing with Miss Shan? Her beauty seems no less than Miss Shan's."
"You don't even know the Ninth Princess? She's a beauty as renowned as Miss Shan. In the royal capital, her suitors are countless, most of them of high status and strong martial arts."
On a nearby pavilion, two young men sat facing each other, glancing at Zhang Ruochen and the two women passing below.
Liu Chengfeng's gaze fixed on Zhang Ruochen, his eyes turning cold. "Shan Xiangling and the Ninth Princess are walking with him? When did such a youth appear in the royal capital?"
The man sitting across from Liu Chengfeng was named Situ Ge, the elder brother of Situ Linjiang.
Situ Ge smiled. "Brother Liu, you don't even know him? He's the Ninth Prince of the Yunwu Commandery King, who recently won first place in the year-end assessment. Now, he's the hottest young genius in the royal capital. Which beauty doesn't love a genius? Moreover, the Ninth Prince is of noble birth and exceptionally talented, making him even more admired by young maidens."
Liu Chengfeng smiled faintly. "So that's who he is. So what if he's first in the year-end assessment? That's only first among the younger generation of the royal family and nobles. In the entire younger generation of the royal capital, he might barely make the top ten. Across the whole Yunwu Commandery, he probably can't even crack the top twenty. I recall his cultivation is only at the Small Extreme Position of the Yellow Extreme Realm. Hmph!"
Liu Chengfeng smirked contemptuously.
Situ Ge had witnessed Zhang Ruochen's battle with Situ Linjiang and knew Zhang Ruochen was formidable. "With his Small Extreme Position cultivation, he defeated a genius at the Great Extreme Position of the Yellow Extreme Realm. He's definitely not someone to mess with. If his cultivation breaks through to the Middle Extreme Position, he might even briefly contend with a Great Perfection martial artist."
Liu Chengfeng said, "Impossible! A Great Perfection martial artist's meridians are fully stabilized, and their martial body is complete. They're incomparable to a Great Extreme Position martial artist. Even if he reaches the Middle Extreme Position, he wouldn't last three moves against a Great Perfection martial artist."
Situ Ge chuckled. "Brother Liu's martial arts rank among the top three in the royal capital's younger generation, already at the peak of the Great Perfection of the Yellow Extreme Realm. Even if the Ninth Prince is exceptionally talented, before he reaches the Great Perfection of the Yellow Extreme Realm, he's absolutely no match for you."
The so-called younger generation referred to martial artists under twenty.
Liu Chengfeng had reached the Great Perfection of the Yellow Extreme Realm at seventeen, with only the prodigious Seventh Prince firmly above him. No other young genius could withstand even one of his moves.
A smug smile crossed Liu Chengfeng's face as he said mockingly, "Pity that Ninth Prince is still too weak. Otherwise, he'd be a decent opponent. At his current cultivation, I'm completely uninterested."
Situ Ge laughed. "Brother Liu is only interested in Miss Xiangling, right? Too bad she seems to prefer the Ninth Prince. If you truly like her, you'd better act fast, or she'll become the Ninth Prince's woman."
"Hmph! With my status in the Martial Market Bank, I'm not much inferior to the Ninth Prince. Wanting a woman is just a word away," Liu Chengfeng said.
Liu Chengfeng's father, Liu Chuanshen, was the head of the Martial Market Bank in the Yunwu Commandery. The Martial Market Bank had immense wealth and had gathered countless strong warriors.
In short, Liu Chuanshen controlled a considerable force, dominating the economic lifeline of the Yunwu Commandery.
As Liu Chuanshen's son, Liu Chengfeng naturally wielded great influence among the younger generation.
If he truly wanted Shan Xiangling, he only needed to convey his intentions to the Red Cloud Sect's leader, who would gladly marry his daughter to him. Allying with the Martial Market Bank would only benefit the Red Cloud Sect.
But Liu Chengfeng didn't want to marry Shan Xiangling; he just wanted to toy with her, like a prostitute.
Given his status and martial talent, he already had better marriage prospects. A mere sect leader's daughter was only good for a night's fun. Once bored, he'd discard her.
...
In the weapon market, at the Qingxuan Pavilion.
Qin Ya lay naked in a jade-carved bath, her snow-white body comfortable in the milky-white liquid that emitted a faint cold mist, enveloping her curvaceous figure. Her chest and buttocks were full, her waist slender, her legs straight, her body tantalizingly visible through the cold mist.
If any man saw this scene, he'd surely have a nosebleed.
At that moment, Mo Hanlin sat outside the bath, his whole body tense, not daring to look inside. His voice trembled slightly. "Chief, we've devoured half of the Martial Market Bank's finances in the Yunwu Commandery. They can no longer fight us. Should we move against Liu Chuanshen and completely dismantle the Martial Market Bank's branch here?"
Qin Ya narrowed her beautiful eyes, her long lashes trembling slightly, droplets of water falling from them.
Her crystal-clear, rosy lips moved gently. "Not yet. The Martial Market Bank's strength is still considerable, more than meets the eye. Moreover, if we attack the Martial Market Bank, the official forces of the Yunwu Commandery will intervene."
"The Yunwu Commandery King won't allow us to control the commandery's economic lifeline. Besides, the Black Market has long wanted to strike at the Martial Market Bank. Let them fight first. We'll stay in the shadows and wait for the right moment."
Mo Hanlin nodded slightly.
"Tap, tap."
Footsteps sounded.
A maidservant entered, bowing toward the bath. "Madam, the Ninth Prince has arrived at the Qingxuan Pavilion. He wants to buy a seventh-grade True Martial Treasure-level alchemy furnace."
Mo Hanlin, already sweating profusely, seized the opportunity to stand. "Madam, I'll receive him!"
"Wait! Since it's the Ninth Prince, how could I not receive him personally?"
Qin Ya opened her beautiful eyes, stepped out of the bath, and wrapped a layer of red gauze around her enticing body. Fragrant droplets slid down her fair back, pattering onto the jade floor.
Zhang Ruochen was the first man unaffected by her allure. His mental strength and willpower were far beyond ordinary, and Qin Ya was very interested in him.
Moreover, she suspected that Zhang Ruochen had a super-strong backer. Otherwise, how could his cultivation have reached the Small Extreme Position of the Yellow Extreme Realm in just three months?