Tang Hong’s appearance had interrupted the final round between the martial artists, and with the little monster stepping onto the stage, the pair fighting did not dare to continue their bout. Giving each other a hasty bow, they quickly left the raised platform.

Tang Hong wandered onto the platform at a leisurely pace. Looking at the man, she smiled sweetly and said, “I wonder… now that I’m prepared to kill you, can you laugh as happily as you had before?”

The entire courtyard was silent. None of the martial artists dared to speak up, nor the elders from Mount Qingcheng.

Eventually, Yang Heng said, “It would be inauspicious for someone to die in His Highness’s manor.”

Tang Hong looked at Yang Heng, before turning her eyes to the Thirteenth Prince. Smiling with her eyes, she said, “I won’t kill him, is that enough?”

The Thirteenth Prince was silent for a moment, before saying, “For yours and mine sake, don’t go overboard.”

Tang Hong placed her hands behind her back and looked at the man with an amused gaze.

After a short moment of hesitation, the man slowly walked up to the platform.

In Jing Wen’s Imperial Guard division, he was neither the most talented nor the most experienced individual. Moreover, he had always been rather dull and straightforward, which made him quite unfit for the role.

When Jing Wen’s division disbanded, most of the people returned to their home town like Gao Shu, but he had always remained in the capital. His parents had died when he was young, so he did not really have anywhere to return to. In the end, he became a stable hand, but as he was inexperienced, he kept on losing the horses he was tending to. At last, the boss couldn’t tolerate the loss any further, sending the man away and taking much of his savings as reparation for the lost horses.

Because of that, the man had come to the Thirteenth Prince’s household in hopes of becoming his guard. But seeing all the other candidates around him being so cowardly, he felt it would be shameful to join in their ranks.

Since he no longer had any purpose, he did not have any restraints.

Indeed, he had laughed at Tang Hong intentionally. He had no reason to fear anything, so he never needed to prepare to fight the little monster, or find an excuse to run away.

Even though he knew he could not defeat Tang Hong.

He walked up the stone platform and looked at Tang Hong without any fear. He said, “My name is Ding Yongrui (丁永睿). Please advise me.”

Tang Hong smiled and said, “You look at least nineteen, while I’m only twelve. Don’t you feel embarrassed asking me to advise you?”

Ding Yongrui said honestly, “The people around me always said it, so I’m just copying them.”

Tang Hong’s laugh came to an abrupt end as she said, “Very good.”

Ding Yongrui gave a clumsy bow, before straightening his wrist once more and tightened his fist until it was as compact as a piece of stone.

“Please.”

Tang Hong was expressionless. Retrieving her hand from her back, she casually thrust forth with her palm.

The lanterns surrounding the platform began to flutter widely. The bronze container containing the flames became twisted, releasing a strange shriek.

The strange shriek was particularly prominent, because the rest of the courtyard was completely silent.

All the spectators looked at Tang Hong’s fist and felt immensely shocked. They knew the little monster was exceptionally strong; having been selected and taught by Consort Li, she certainly would become a prominent figure in the future.

Yet none had expected her to be so powerful at such a tender age.

Just a single palm was capable of creating a wave strong enough to deform bronze. Indeed, many of the martial artists present here could also bend metal, but that was with their hands and feet. Tang Hong had accomplished this merely with shockwaves from her Qi.

They looked at the girl who was as pretty as a flower on the stage and felt an aching pain in their head. She’s only twelve; if given a few more years, what uproar would she cause? What would be her rank on the xinqingnian?

---

Facing this strike, no one had any ideas on Ding Yongrui on defending against it.

Yet out of the spectator’s exception, Ding Yongrui had blocked Tang Hong’s palm!

As the two hands collided, a thunderous sound was formed, snuffing out the flames and completely twisting the bronze lamps.

Blood flowed out of Ding Yongrui’s lips, and his eyes became a little dull. His feet, which had become bare from the impact along with his clothes, was deeply planted onto the stone platform; he is undoubtedly on the edge of losing, yet he remained upright and unmoving in the slightest.

But no matter how admirable his actions were, or how surprised the spectators felt, how long could he continue for?

Tang Hong, not expecting that her palm would be blocked by this opponent, which she looked down upon, felt a little humiliated.

This humiliation transformed into a vast sea of anger.

Screaming out crazily, like a child who had lost her favourite doll, she took a step forward and plunged her second hand towards Ding Yongrui.

The expressions on the elders from Mount Qingcheng suddenly shifted as they moved about to suppress the shockwaves from the sudden eruption of Qi.

“You can’t defend against it again!” on the stone platform, the spectator’s wailed out.

On Ding Yongrui’s arm, blood constantly seeped out, but they did not stain his arm, for the blood were blown away by the wave immediately after they emerged.

Yet the force whirling furiously in the courtyard was incomparable to the horrifying power transferring from Ding Yongrui’s arm to his shoulder, then throughout his entire body.

Unable to support himself any further, Ding Yongrui spat out a mouthful of blood and retreated back a step.

Tang Hong followed like a shadow, thrusting with another palm.

Ding Yongrui gritted his teeth and raised his heavily wounded arm to defend once more.

“Enough,” from under the stage, the Thirteenth Prince shouted.

It was clear that Ding Yongrui had already lost. The reason why Tang Hong had given out this third palm was to cripple his body!

Pu!

Before the palm made contact with Ding Yongrui, an arrow pierced into Tang Hong’s hand.

Immediately, the overwhelming surge of Qi ceased.

Jing Wen placed down the bow in his hand and walked up. Shaking his head. he said, “You are completely unlike your senior sister.”

“How dare you!”

Tang Hong looked coldly at Jing Wen, and with a penetrating voice that was entirely unlike something a twelve-year-old girl could make, she repeated slowly, with far more intent, “How dare you?”

The Thirteenth Prince’s was immediately pale seeing Tang Hong like this. Who in the capital dared to attack Tang Hong in such a manner as Jing Wen had done? Even if Consort Li personally were here, it would be impossible to persuade her to step down.

Jing Wen looked at Tang Hong and said, “I will send some medicine to Consort Li later. If an imperial physician takes out the arrow and applies the medicine afterwards, there won’t be any scars.”

With this statement, although Jing Wen had no answered Tang Hong’s question, it was apparent that he dared.

Tang Hong suddenly burst into laughter. Pulling out the arrow in a single action, Tang Hong’s wound healed at a visible pace. She said coldly, “Very good. Very good. Since you dared to attack me, I assume you are also willing to step onto the stage and let me kill you?”

Jing Wen calmly stated, “I’m still injured.”

The courtyard became silent once more. Perhaps no one present but Xiahou Jie had expected Jing Wen to have refused Tang Hong so bluntly. Such a situation was almost comedic.

Yet no one laughed. Tang Hong had displayed strength comparable to initial Qi Manifestation experts. Even if Jing Wen was still a Qi Manifestation cultivator, it would be difficult to defeat her. Now that he was merely a Body Supplementation cultivator; the fate he would suffer would be worse than death if he accepted Tang Hong’s challenge.

Tang Hong had regained her rationality from that moment of shock - she obviously cannot cripple him as she had tried to do with Ding Yongrui. Looking at Jing Wen, she smiled cruelly. “Since that’s the case. Then on account of your relationship with my senior sister, I will let you off if you kneel down and beg for pardon.”

---

Jing Wen had always be a proud person, but that does not mean he was a fool. He understood the reason why Tang Hong had made such a decision. Akin to children in Jing village that threw stones at him, the ways of children expressed themselves were always simple and straightforward. They were bored, so they wanted to throw stones at someone; they were angry, so they wanted to humiliate someone. If they injured someone or even killed that person… so what?

After all, they were little kids, and little kids don’t know much.

Of course, no one wanted stones to be thrown at them, nor to be humiliated, but more so, no one wanted to die when they still have a purpose in the world. And Jing Wen could not die because he still must deal with Hua Quanfu’s plot.

Yet Jing Wen felt a little troubled, because Xiahou Jie would have to take this humiliation with him. Though they both had good upbringings, she hasn’t experienced what he had in Jing village and didn’t understand how to handle any humiliation.

Xiahou Jie was indeed incredibly outraged; she has never suffered such humiliation in her life before. But because of this, she did not know what to do; Tang Hong’s status was equal to hers, and she was stronger as well - not to mention that this was Lin’an and not Nanyue. In the end, since Jing Wen remained silent, she could not speak, and, to hide the anger forming between her eyebrows, she looked at the tips of her shoes.

At this moment, she heard Jing Wen say, “I’m sorry… but if I could make this decision again, I would still choose to save him. It’s my conviction.”

Conviction. It was Ding Yongrui’s conviction to remain straightforward and fight Tang Hong. It was Jing Wen’s conviction to save his former subordinate… but what was Xiahou Jie’s conviction?

Xiahou Jie looked at Jing Wen and said, “I’m not letting anyone I don’t deem worthy to surpass me.”

Yes, she has lost to countless times, but all those individuals were ‘good’ people. Since she has been defeated by Jing Wen, who she deem worthy, how can she allow him to be suppressed by such a ‘bad’ person?

At least, that person has to pay a deep price.

Xiahou Jie stood up, and then walked towards the raised platform.

The entire courtyard was silent, and each of her steps was followed by countless eyes.

When she stood before Tang Hong, the martial artists finally realised what they just saw.

In the end, Tang Hong had got what she had come here for - Xiahou Jie had accepted her initial challenge.