Chapter 141: Misty Dust Princess
Just then, on the opposite shore two hundred meters away, a fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl appeared, laughing, "You two fools have been tricked. This princess is here—I am the real princess."
"Both of you swim back from the lake. Whoever reaches me first, I will definitely accept his gift."
"Splash!"
Without any hesitation, Zuo Longlin leaped into the lake first, splashing up waves as he swam back toward the opposite shore.
Having already lost to Zhang Ruochen once, he could not afford to lose again this time.
Zhang Ruochen did not jump into the water as eagerly as Zuo Longlin. Still standing in the lake pavilion, he had already realized that neither the girl in the pavilion nor the one on the shore was the real Thirteenth Princess.
Clearly, that Thirteenth Princess was deliberately toying with them.
A wave of indescribable disgust rose in Zhang Ruochen's heart. He deeply disliked being played with like this.
"Forget it. I came here to ask for help anyway. There's no need to offend her." Ning Xiaochuan suppressed the anger in his heart and began searching for the real Thirteenth Princess's whereabouts.
That Thirteenth Princess was surely watching the show from somewhere nearby, not far away.
On a distant tower, the Thirteenth Princess wore a pearl silk blouse, her hair neatly combed into a bun, adorned with a swaying gold hairpin.
She gazed at the blue-green lake, watching the two maids at the lake pavilion and on the shore toy with the two princes, spinning them around in circles. Her heart was filled with delight.
A rather pretty maid stood behind the Thirteenth Princess, sneering, "Two princes from lowly commandery kingdoms, thinking they can marry Her Highness? Toads lusting after swan meat. They do whatever they're told, like idiots."
"More like drenched dogs, wouldn't you say? Hehe!" another maid laughed.
The Thirteenth Princess let out a soft sound of surprise, staring at the lake pavilion. "Huh! Look, that young man didn't jump into the lake."
The two maids also looked over, fixing their eyes on Zhang Ruochen standing in the pavilion. One of them showed a cold expression. "How dare he! He defies Her Highness's command."
Just then, they saw the young man's eyes turn and lock onto their direction.
Standing in the lake pavilion, Zhang Ruochen spotted the girl sitting on the tower and concluded she was the real Thirteenth Princess.
"Swish!"
Zhang Ruochen once again executed the Wind-Riding Flying Dragon Shadow, stepping across the water's surface, flying over the lake toward the tower.
Meanwhile, Zuo Longlin was still swimming in the water, paddling strenuously toward the shore.
"Your Highness, he's heading our way! What do we do now?" one of the maids said, flustered.
The Thirteenth Princess sat in her chair, brimming with confidence. "Even if he knows I'm toying with them, what can he do? Besides, Tenth Brother is guarding the tower's base. There's no way he can get up here."
Zhang Ruochen arrived at the tower's base and was about to ascend.
A young man holding a folding fan stepped out from the first floor's main entrance, blocking Zhang Ruochen's path. He squinted at Zhang Ruochen and said, "Where did this country bumpkin come from? This tower is no place for you. Get lost, or else—"
Zhang Ruochen frowned slightly, struggling to suppress his anger. He said calmly, "I am here to pay my respects to the Thirteenth Princess. I ask you to announce my presence."
"What do you think you are? Worthy of meeting the Thirteenth Princess? If you don't back off now, I'll break your dog legs and throw you out!" The young man flicked his sleeves dismissively.
This young man was naturally the Tenth Prince of the Qianshui Commandery Kingdom, nothing more than a spoiled playboy with no trace of princely demeanor.
Zhang Ruochen did not know that the young man before him was the Tenth Prince of the Qianshui Commandery Kingdom. He assumed it was some other kingdom's prince deliberately making things difficult to prevent him from seeing the Thirteenth Princess.
Already in a bad mood, Zhang Ruochen's irritation only grew as he was obstructed again at the tower's base.
His tone hardened. "What if I insist on meeting the Thirteenth Princess?"
The Tenth Prince let out a sneering laugh, spread his legs apart, and pointed to the ground. "Fine then. Crawl through my crotch, and I'll let you go see the Thirteenth Princess."
"Don't you think you're going too far?" Zhang Ruochen said.
"Haha! I'm bullying you. What are you going to do about it?" The Tenth Prince rolled up his sleeves, revealing his arms, and raised his hand to press down on Zhang Ruochen's head.
He intended to force Zhang Ruochen to crawl through his crotch.
Zhang Ruochen's eyes narrowed. He stepped back, dodging the Tenth Prince's hand.
Enough was enough. There was no need to endure further.
Zhang Ruochen gripped his sword case with one hand and swung the two-meter-long case, striking the Tenth Prince in the chest. With a thud, he sent the Tenth Prince flying.
Zhang Ruochen had originally wanted to avoid trouble and suppress his anger, but the other party kept pushing him.
Rage surged from his heart, and malice arose in his mind.
Since that was the case, he would have to let his fists do the talking.
"Boom!"
The Tenth Prince screamed in pain as his body crashed into the tower's main door, shattering it and flying backward, landing heavily on the ground.
"Bastard! How dare you hit me... I'll make you... Ah!"
Zhang Ruochen walked into the tower, holding his sword case.
The Tenth Prince screamed again. With another thud, he flew out once more, slamming into the wall.
About fifteen minutes later, the Tenth Prince of the Qianshui Commandery Kingdom, covered in injuries, crawled and scrambled to the top of the tower, hiding behind the Thirteenth Princess. Trembling, he cursed, "Kid, you're dead! How dare you lay hands on me, a prince! I'll make sure you die a miserable death!"
"Boom!"
Zhang Ruochen stared coldly at the Tenth Prince, channeling his true qi, and struck out with his palm, shattering one of the tower's pillars. "So what if I die? Dying with dignity is better than living in humiliation."
The Thirteenth Princess, seeing the Tenth Prince beaten to a pulp, was startled. She quickly helped him up and asked, "Tenth Brother, how did you end up like this?"
The Tenth Prince's face was swollen and bruised, his eyes blackened. He roared in fury, "Thirteenth Sister, you have to avenge me! This bastard is utterly lawless—he dared to strike a royal clansman in the Qianshui Royal City. His entire clan must be exterminated! His whole family must be killed!"
Hearing the exchange between the Thirteenth Princess and the Tenth Prince, Zhang Ruochen's heart jolted. "So that spoiled brat really is the Tenth Prince of the Qianshui Commandery Kingdom. This is bad."
The Thirteenth Princess glared at Zhang Ruochen, also finding the Ninth Prince of the Yunwu Commandery Kingdom too arrogant for daring to strike a royal clansman. Furious, she said, "Seize this madman and throw him into the dungeon!"
The two maids were both early Mysterious Extreme Realm martial artists, not just maids but also the Thirteenth Princess's guards.
They each drew a fourth-rank True Martial Treasure-level war sword, ready to capture Zhang Ruochen.
Although Zhang Ruochen knew things had taken a turn for the worse, he showed no fear. Standing his ground, he said, "Your Highness, it was the Tenth Prince who attacked first, trying to humiliate me. I only defended myself. Is that wrong?"
"Right or wrong doesn't matter. What matters is that you injured a prince of the Qianshui Commandery Kingdom." The Thirteenth Princess had no intention of reasoning with Zhang Ruochen, speaking coldly.
Zhang Ruochen had been sent to befriend the Thirteenth Princess, hoping to secure reinforcements for the Yunwu Commandery Kingdom through her connections.
But seeing how utterly unreasonable she was, he had no desire to argue further.
Leaving the gifts behind, Zhang Ruochen turned and walked away.
The two maids tried to capture him, but as soon as they rushed forward, Zhang Ruochen quickly tapped two fingers, sealing their meridians and leaving them frozen in place.
"I hope Your Highness is a person who understands reason." Zhang Ruochen shot a cold glance at the Thirteenth Princess.
With that, he turned and descended the tower.
Walking down the tower, Zhang Ruochen saw Zuo Longlin, who had already swum to the shore. He sighed and headed out of the estate.
"Huh? Why is he here?"
Huang Yanchen, led by a maid, arrived at the base of the tower. Seeing Zhang Ruochen's retreating figure, a hint of surprise crossed her beautiful face. She found it hard to believe.
Two months later, the intermediate ruins exploration exam would take place. Huang Yanchen wanted to improve her cultivation as much as possible, so she had returned to the Qianshui Commandery Kingdom to ask the Qianshui Commandery King to help her purchase a drop of sacred liquid for her training.
Back in the Qianshui Commandery Kingdom, she had heard that her sister, the Thirteenth Princess, was selecting a consort—and that she was to be married off through an alliance.
Huang Yanchen had thirty-six sisters, but only the Thirteenth Princess shared both parents with her—her only full-blooded sister.
Upon hearing the news, Huang Yanchen stormed into the royal palace in a rage, scolding the Qianshui Commandery King relentlessly, nearly tearing the palace apart.
Then she immediately rushed to this estate, wanting to see the Thirteenth Princess.
What she hadn't expected was to run into Zhang Ruochen here.
"Misty Dust Princess, please follow me upstairs. Her Highness the Thirteenth Princess is at the top of the tower." The maid who had been so arrogant toward Zhang Ruochen and Zuo Longlin was now extremely respectful before Huang Yanchen, bowing without daring to lift her head.
This maid knew well how formidable the Misty Dust Princess was. Among all the princesses, she was the most favored by the king. Even if she pointed at the king's nose and cursed him, he wouldn't dare talk back.
Such a big shot was not someone she dared to offend.
Huang Yanchen withdrew her gaze, gently stroking her fair chin, and asked casually, "What was the Ninth Prince of the Yunwu Commandery Kingdom doing here?"
"Courting, of course," the maid replied.
"Courting?"
Huang Yanchen exclaimed, then nearly burst out laughing. "Him? Coming to court my Thirteenth Sister? Haha! That's hilarious!"