Chapter 1149: Ancient Academy Records: Plenty of Fun, Again and Again 36

After Si Ning woke up, there were only five days left until the competition.

During these five days, Old Master Fuzi, Ling Xiao, and several others did not assign them any further training tasks.

Now that the outdoor training has ended, everyone in the Imperial City knows that this group of youths is about to fight in place of the Heavenly Mystery State; they are not only capable of dealing with bandits, but also able to resist the North Wind State and rescue the civilians trapped in the cities.

In the last few days, the teammates were all conducting their final coordination.

To properly employ the new technique, mutual coordination is also very important; it is still led by Jin Chen, and their cooperation keeps getting better.

Five days later, Emperor Junhong and the various imperial clan members saw them off at the city gate.

The teammates still remembered their agreement to act in front of the undercover agent; for Xie Beiyao, this was a huge challenge—having to call the undercover 'father' to his face made people feel furious.

Fortunately, Ling Xiuyu stayed with him the whole time, but when they reached the city gate and got off the carriage, the two still separated, after all they still had to act out being unfamiliar and having a rift.

Hmph!

Xie Beiyao stepped forward first to the undercover's presence, displaying an arrogant disdain for traveling with this bunch, flicking his sleeve and letting out a cold snort.

"Greetings, Your Majesty." He performed a respectful salute, and after being told to rise, he stood beside the undercover and whispered, "Father, for this trip, please handle the affairs within the Imperial City."

With Jin Chen's guidance, Xie Beiyao's performance was nearly flawless; it was obvious he had figured it out, appearing as if he wanted to vie for power with the Crown Prince.

The undercover chuckled twice, satisfied, "My son, rest assured—I will definitely help you settle everything; when you return from the competition, all will be well."

Xie Beiyao took a deep breath, forced out a smile, "Then I can set off with peace of mind."

Listening closely, one could still hear Xie Beiyao gritting his teeth, but the undercover was only one step away from mission success, already pleased with himself and utterly oblivious.

Lan Wuyang was making a fuss on the other side, completely dissatisfied with Xie Beiyao; Jiang Yao occasionally chimed in with two sentences, while Ling Xiuyu remained silent, not even glancing at Xie Beiyao.

The undercover observed, unable to hide the smile at the corner of his mouth.

If hearts are not united, the Heavenly Mystery State will surely lose!

By then, the Eldest Imperial Prince will surely reward him handsomely!

Seeing that the act was almost done, Jin Chen and Xie Yuancheng stepped onto the lead carriage first, then the others followed one after another; Lan Wuyang still didn't forget to perform another scene of fighting over the carriage with Xie Beiyao.

The bewildered officials were terrified, their minds filled with the thought that the Heavenly Mystery State was doomed.

Seeing the carriage convoy depart, the undercover could no longer contain himself; he immediately requested leave and exited the city gate, finding a secluded corner to have the North Wind State's assassins rush the letter with all speed.

Unbeknownst to them, everything fell into the sight of the secret guards, who immediately reported it to Emperor Junhong.

"Arrest them, imprison them in the great jail, and kill them outright."

Emperor Junhong also joined in acting for a short while; the letter had already been sent out, so this undercover was no longer necessary.

The Eldest Princess lightly flicked her sleeve, "I hope these children can proceed smoothly."

"Right, Elder Sister."

Emperor Junhong looked toward the Eldest Princess and proposed, "Today you have seen Jin Chen—what do you think?"

As they spoke and walked, the Eldest Princess glanced at him askance, "How so, Your Majesty—are you arranging a marriage for Yaoyao?"

"Yes, Jin Chen is the Young Master of the Divine Pavilion, one of the finest youths of our Heavenly Mystery State, and Yaoyao has been raised under my own eyes; if they could become a good match, that would also be a wonderful thing."

The Eldest Princess laughed and shook her head, recalling how Jin Chen and Xie Yuancheng had interacted just earlier.

"Your Majesty is still blind; you actually failed to notice that Jin Chen already has a lover."

"But don't come pestering our Yaoyao; from now on, her husband should be chosen by herself."

"Huh?" Emperor Junhong wondered, "Is that so? How come I can't see it?"

The Eldest Princess smiled without speaking, thinking, "If you had noticed, today they probably wouldn't be able to leave smoothly."

"You, you'd better not worry about this matter, or you'll end up angry later."

It was quite obvious that Emperor Junhong didn't understand.

——

The mighty caravan procession traveled for dozens of days and finally arrived at the competition destination, the Azure Cloud State.

The Azure Cloud State lies at the junction of the two great powers, the Heavenly Mystery State and the North Wind State; its national guard is extremely formidable, never showing weakness even when facing both great powers.

Because it has always maintained a neutral stance toward the outside, using it as the competition site can guarantee the fairness of the matches.

On the day of arrival, according to convention, they needed to first pay respects to the Monarch of the Azure Cloud State; coincidentally, the North Wind State's team also arrived almost at the same time that day.

Thus the audience became the first meeting of the two teams.

Xie Yuancheng changed his clothes, appearing dignified and courteous, leading the team members in performing the salute.

"The Crown Prince of the Heavenly Mystery State, Xie Yuancheng, leads our people in paying respects to the Monarch; may the Monarch enjoy ten thousand years of peace."

"No need for formalities."

The Monarch laughed heartily, his eyes full of appreciation, "All are fine youths; this competition also happens to let me broaden my horizons."

Upon hearing this, the Eldest Imperial Prince of the North Wind State stepped forward, made no salute, merely bowed slightly, his tone calm, "North Wind State's Feng Zian, greetings to the Monarch."

The ten-person participating team behind him and the leading instructor likewise bore unruly expressions, bowing slightly to indicate.

The Monarch gazed at the two rows of teams standing in the hall, his face still smiling, "I've long heard that the brave youths of the two nations are extraordinary; upon seeing them today, it is indeed so."

Feng Zian held his head high, slightly raising his chin to signal the attendants behind him to bring the treasure chest forward.

"This is a gift from the North Wind State to the Monarch; I have heard that the Azure Cloud State is surrounded by mountain ranges on all sides, making treasures scarce, so please accept it, Your Majesty."

The attendants lifted the treasure chest to the front, and the hall fell silent for a moment.

Jin Chen withdrew his gaze and silently muttered, "idiot."

What's the difference between this and pointing at someone's nose and scolding, "Your country is useless"?

The Monarch's smile faded a little, the hall's atmosphere grew somber, the Eldest Imperial Prince frowned and looked over, not understanding why it wasn't accepted.

Jin Chen whispered a few words into Xie Yuancheng's ear; the latter suddenly understood, immediately grasped his meaning, stepped forward half a pace and spoke accordingly.

"It turns out we also needed to present a gift; I'm truly sorry."

"After all, everyone knows that delicacies and fine products come from the Azure Cloud State; I even had my subordinates prepare a large bag, intending to bring back some of the Azure Cloud State's specialties for my father emperor to sample."

Upon hearing this, the Monarch immediately became cheerful, laughing generously, "No trouble at all—after the competition, I'll personally accompany you to go pick them."

Xie Yuancheng made a bow, "Then, many thanks to the Sovereign."

He withdrew, his gaze toward Jin Chen bright, "You're so clever."

The two whispered, Jin Chen took his finger, smiling, asked, "How clever?"

"Hmm... just like me." Xie Yuancheng affirmed.

Ting Yang beside him: "……"

He flicked his aching ear.

Finally having a way out, the Sovereign ordered the palace attendants to put away the treasure chest, not saying another word.

Feng Zian's face turned ashen, he thought the Sovereign gave no face to the North Wind State, favoring the Pianpo Tianxuan State.

With such a competition, how could there be any talk of victory?

Moreover, who knows if the Young Master of the Divine Pavilion is even inside?

Tomorrow the competition will begin; tonight we still need to probe, so we can prepare a response in advance.