Chapter 219: Pressing Hard
The stunning woman standing beside Zhang Tiangui glanced at Zhang Ruochen and the Ninth Princess, then smiled. “So it’s two young lovers meeting secretly in the garden. We were rude to intrude and disturb them.”
The Sixth Prince sneered, bowed respectfully to the woman, and said, “Miss Han Qiu, you may not know this, but they are not lovers—they are siblings, the Ninth Princess and Ninth Prince of Yunwu Commandery.”
Han Qiu was the daughter of the Cloud Platform Sect Manor’s master and one of the Ten Great Beauties of Demon Ridge. She was not only breathtakingly beautiful but also exceptionally talented.
This time, it was Zhang Tiangui who personally invited her, so Han Qiu had come to the royal palace as a guest.
At the Cloud Platform Sect Manor, Zhang Tiangui and Han Qiu were known as a golden couple. Many believed they would eventually end up together and become the future pillars of the sect.
“The Ninth Prince.” A hint of surprise flickered in Han Qiu’s beautiful eyes as she carefully examined Zhang Ruochen. “Is he the one known as the genius Ninth Prince?”
“Yes, Miss Han Qiu, that’s him.” The Sixth Prince bent low, bowing so deeply that his face nearly touched the ground, flattering her. “Although the Ninth Brother has a reputation for talent, compared to Miss Han Qiu and the Seventh Brother, he still has a long way to go.”
As a prince, he bowed like a servant.
Seeing the Sixth Prince’s behavior, the Ninth Princess felt nothing but disgust.
Han Qiu chuckled. “I’ve heard the Ninth Prince is the top of the Western Academy at the Martial Market Academy, which is quite outstanding. Even if he’s somewhat inferior to the Senior Brother, he’s still remarkably gifted. With two such talented princes born in Yunwu Commandery, it’s hard for the commandery not to rise.”
In Han Qiu’s eyes, Zhang Tiangui was the undisputed number one prodigy among the thirty-six commanderies of Demon Ridge. No matter how well Zhang Ruochen performed, he could never surpass Zhang Tiangui.
Zhang Tiangui was also seeing Zhang Ruochen for the first time in a while, and he felt a bit surprised.
He had seen this Ninth Brother a few times before, but the impression was shallow. He only remembered that Zhang Ruochen had always been sickly, constantly following Lin Ningshan and deeply infatuated with her.
He never imagined that in just a few short years, that frail Ninth Brother had grown up—handsome, spirited, and unmatched in bearing, with no trace of his former illness.
“Zhang Ruochen, when you see the Seventh Brother and Miss Han Qiu, aren’t you going to come over and pay your respects? Do you really think that just because you’ve achieved some cultivation, you can disregard your elder brothers?” the Third Prince scolded with a harsh expression.
He had once been defeated by Zhang Ruochen and harbored deep resentment, but since he couldn’t do anything to Zhang Ruochen himself, he sought to use Zhang Tiangui and Han Qiu to suppress his arrogance.
Zhang Ruochen walked over and gave a slight bow. “Greetings, Brother King, Miss Han Qiu. If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave.”
He had no goodwill toward Zhang Tiangui.
Knowing that his Ninth Brother liked Lin Ningshan, Zhang Tiangui had still agreed to marry her and planned to take her as a secondary consort. Someone like that was not worth befriending. Calling him “Brother King” was already giving him face.
Moreover, Lin Chenyu had hired assassins from the Black Market to kill Zhang Ruochen, and Zhang Ruochen suspected Zhang Tiangui was the mastermind behind it. After all, Zhang Ruochen had no direct conflict of interest with Lin Chenyu, so there was no reason for Lin Chenyu to spend a fortune to kill him.
“Ninth Brother, why are you in such a hurry to leave? We’re blood brothers—haven’t seen each other in years, and you’re already leaving the moment we meet? How disappointing,” Zhang Tiangui said with a smile, glancing at Lin Ningshan, who stood behind him. “Ningshan, why don’t you persuade him? I remember when we were kids, he listened to you the most.”
Lin Ningshan bit her lip lightly, casting a wary look at Zhang Tiangui. She sighed inwardly, stepped forward, and said, “Cousin, today all the princes and the talented disciples of the Cloud Platform Sect Manor have gathered to discuss how to deal with the Black Market and the Moon Worship Demon Sect. You’re a student of the Martial Market Academy and the senior brother of the Western Academy—don’t you want to join the discussion?”
Zhang Ruochen had only broken through to the Earth Extreme Realm a month ago, and the news hadn’t spread yet. Everyone still thought he was at the Mysterious Extreme Great Perfection realm and an outer academy student. Lin Ningshan had no idea that Zhang Ruochen had already reached the mid-stage Earth Extreme Realm.
Before Zhang Ruochen could respond, the Third Prince laughed. “Exactly! Ninth Brother, the evil cultists of the Black Market and the Moon Worship Demon Sect are wicked and must be eradicated quickly. I heard that not long ago, your fiancée, Princess Yanchen, was captured by evil martial artists from the Black Market and imprisoned in the Fire Ground City. It was a top prodigy from the Martial Market Academy who stormed the city and rescued her. I wonder where those two are now?”
The Sixth Prince added, “I’m curious too. When Princess Yanchen was kidnapped, the whole Yunwu Commandery was in an uproar—everyone knew about it. Where were you hiding back then, Ninth Brother?”
“What do you mean by ‘hiding’? Sixth Brother, that’s too harsh,” the Ninth Princess said angrily.
The Fifth Prince stepped forward as well. “Ninth Sister, you’re wrong. Princess Yanchen is Ninth Brother’s fiancée, but it was the genius Chen Ruo who risked his life to break into Fire Ground City and save her. Even the Seventh Brother, upon hearing the news, immediately came out of seclusion and rushed to Fire Ground City to help Ninth Brother rescue her.”
“But what about Ninth Brother? Where was he? I think he was too scared to storm Fire Ground City, so he hid. A man like him isn’t even fit to carry Chen Ruo’s shoes. He might as well break off the engagement with Princess Yanchen as soon as possible and let Chen Ruo and her be together, so he doesn’t waste her life.”
The Fifth Prince’s words were blunt and shameless, showing no regard for the Cloud Platform Sect Manor disciples present.
It was easy to imagine that this conversation would soon spread and become a joke among the martial artists of the royal capital, mocking Zhang Ruochen.
Coming from his own blood brother, the Fifth Prince, this would surely ruin Zhang Ruochen’s reputation.
The Cloud Platform Sect Manor disciples behind them snickered quietly, looking at Zhang Ruochen with strange expressions.
The Ninth Princess was furious. If Zhang Ruochen hadn’t stopped her, she would have rushed up and beaten the Fifth, Third, and Sixth Princes to a pulp.
Zhang Tiangui’s cultivation was incredibly powerful—even an ordinary Heavenly Extreme Realm martial arts legend couldn’t match him. Zhang Ruochen didn’t want the Ninth Princess to get involved, lest she be harmed.
If Zhang Tiangui wanted to deal with Zhang Ruochen, it wouldn’t be easy, but if he wanted to harm the Ninth Princess, he could do it quietly with just a little effort.
Zhang Ruochen stepped forward, remaining calm. “Fifth Brother, how do you know I didn’t go to Fire Ground City?”
The Fifth Prince curled his lips sarcastically. “You went to Fire Ground City? How would I know?”
“Fifth Brother’s cultivation is too low, and he doesn’t understand the martial world. Naturally, there are many things he wouldn’t know.”
The Fifth Prince’s expression darkened.
Zhang Ruochen continued, “After I returned to the royal capital, I’ve already met with Senior Brother Chen Ruo. He’s with Senior Sister Duanmu. As for Princess Yanchen, she should have returned to the capital as well. Fifth Brother, you have no right to meddle in the affairs of our Martial Market Academy.”
The Fifth Prince grew angry. “Ninth Brother, is this how you speak to your elder brother? I admit my cultivation is inferior to yours, but aren’t you being too arrogant? Do you really think you’re invincible among the younger generation?”
By saying this, the Fifth Prince was clearly trying to drag the Cloud Platform Sect Manor disciples into it, hoping they would use their strength to suppress Zhang Ruochen.
After all, the title of “invincible among the younger generation” wasn’t easy to bear. Even Zhang Tiangui wouldn’t dare boast like that, yet the Fifth Prince was forcing it onto Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen hadn’t intended to dwell on past grievances, but they kept pressing him. Even a clay figure has a temper, and Zhang Ruochen was no one’s pushover.
Moreover, the Fifth Prince’s words were truly venomous. If they spread, they would be extremely damaging to Zhang Ruochen.
“Fifth Prince, if you dare speak nonsense again, I won’t go easy on you.” Zhang Ruochen’s eyes turned cold, sharp as blades.
Meeting Zhang Ruochen’s gaze, the Fifth Prince’s eyes stung as if pricked by needles. His vision went dark, and he nearly fainted.
Zhang Tiangui placed a hand on the Fifth Prince’s shoulder, injecting true qi into him, and shot Zhang Ruochen a reproachful look. “Ninth Brother, the Fifth Brother is still our elder brother. Even if he unintentionally offended you with his words, you shouldn’t have struck him so harshly. He’s only at the Yellow Extreme Great Perfection realm—how could he withstand your power? If you want to vent your anger, take it out on me, the Seventh Brother. I won’t fight back.”
“Senior Brother, what are you saying? You’re already injured. Let your junior brother bear this burden for you.”
A Cloud Platform Sect Manor disciple stepped forward, standing opposite Zhang Ruochen with righteous indignation. “Ninth Prince, if you’re truly angry about Princess Yanchen’s matter, take it out on me. Don’t make things hard for the Senior Brother.”
Watching these hypocrites, the Ninth Princess trembled with rage. If Zhang Ruochen actually attacked him, who knew how the story would be twisted?
People would surely say that because of Princess Yanchen and Chen Ruo, Zhang Ruochen flew into a rage, not only injuring his own brother but also beating up the Cloud Platform Sect Manor disciple who tried to mediate.
The Third, Fifth, and Sixth Princes were certainly capable of distorting the truth like that.
“Ninth Brother, don’t stop me. Let me teach them a lesson,” the Ninth Princess said.
Zhang Ruochen shook his head. He understood clearly that Zhang Tiangui was deliberately provoking him to test him.
It was obvious that Zhang Tiangui had begun to suspect him, even suspecting that he was Chen Ruo.
Even if the Ninth Princess helped him fend them off now, Zhang Tiangui would surely find another opportunity to continue testing him.
So why drag the Ninth Princess into this?