Chapter 236: Elder Murong Yan

The boat sailed upstream against the river.

Inside the cabin, Elder Murong Yan watched as Lin Chen guzzled down an entire teapot of tea, finally growing restless.

"Brother Lin, Yun Ding tea is excellent, but don't overdo it—one pot per day is the limit; drinking more is useless."

Hearing Elder Murong Yan's words, Lin Chen reluctantly set down his teacup.

The moment he drank the first cup of Yun Ding tea, he felt a faint warmth in his abdomen—Elder Murong Yan hadn't lied; this tea was truly extraordinary.

Given the current strength of his body, the elixirs provided by the Joining Wuyuan to Qi-refining beginners would trigger a reaction in ordinary cultivators, but they were useless to him.

As the principal said, his blood and qi far surpassed those of ordinary Qi-refining cultivators; regular Qi-refining elixirs had no effect on him.

Yet the elixirs suitable for ranked cultivators primarily target martial will, which he also couldn't use, leaving him with no choice but to boil herbs into medicinal broth for absorption.

"Brother Elder Murong, do you still have any Yun Ding tea?"

Elder Murong Yan rolled her eyes inwardly—drink it and take it too?

This Yun Ding tea was a gift from Zhao Guo to the Yan royal family; she'd brought only eight taels this time, and already consumed one.

"Brother Elder Murong, my relationship with your younger sister at the Joining Wuyuan is quite good—I've heard her mention Yun Ding tea several times. Last time, she even said she'd bring me a jin of it."

Lin Chen grinned, lying with a straight face. Since Elder Murong Yan had designs on him and was disguised as a man, he might as well be bold and demand everything.

"When did I ever have a good relationship with you!"

Elder Murong Yan was furious—this Lin Chen was unbearable. She'd tried to approach him several times at the Joining Wuyuan, and he'd avoided her like a venomous snake or scorpion. How could he have the audacity to say that?

Yet she couldn't expose him—if she did, her identity would be revealed. To this day, Elder Murong Yan still believed her disguise was flawless and that Lin Chen had been fooled by her fabricated identity.

"Then I'll have my family send you a jin of Yun Ding tea next time."

"Don't you have even a little left now?"

Lin Chen's gaze flickered toward Elder Murong Yan's back. Afraid he'd notice something, she hurriedly said: "I still have one box left—if you like it so much, take it."

"Then I won't refuse your kindness."

Watching Elder Murong Yan reluctantly hand over the tea box, Lin Chen snatched it quickly. Elder Murong Yan fell silent for several breaths, calming her turbulent emotions before saying: "Brother Lin, help yourself—I need to rest."

She couldn't bear to look at Lin Chen's face another moment.

Lin Chen was completely different from the one at the Joining Wuyuan—his behavior and mannerisms had changed entirely. It made her wonder whether the Lin Chen at the Joining Wuyuan had merely been pretending to be a virtuous man, when in truth he was just a shameless scoundrel.

Elder Murong Yan rose and walked toward the inner cabin, where a dedicated bed awaited.

"If Brother Lin is tired, there's another private room over there for resting."

"No need."

Having gotten what he wanted, Lin Chen didn't prolong the exchange. He tucked the tea box away, watched Elder Murong Yan enter the inner cabin, then stepped onto the deck.

It was winter; the trees along the riverbanks were bare and withered. Standing on the deck, Lin Chen noticed a middle-aged woman staring at him with piercing eyes.

He hadn't noticed her when boarding, but her sharp gaze told him she was a ranked cultivator.

Was she assigned to protect Elder Murong Yan's safety?

"Elder, greetings."

Lin Chen bowed politely, but the middle-aged woman snorted coldly. With her hearing, she'd heard every word between the princess and Lin Chen, and she was deeply displeased by his shameless demand for Yun Ding tea.

"Qin Gu, come in here."

Just as Su Qin prepared to teach Lin Chen a lesson, Elder Murong Yan's voice came from inside the cabin.

Su Qin coldly withdrew her gaze, ignored Lin Chen entirely, and stepped into the cabin.

"Princess, this Lin Chen is far too brazen. You are a princess of Great Yan—how dare he treat you this way? Let me teach him a lesson."

Elder Murong Yan lay on the bed, her slender fingers gripping a folding fan. Her sleeve slipped, revealing pale, delicate wrists. She sighed softly: "Our Yan state is no larger than three administrative circuits of Great Liang. Lin Chen is the top young talent of Great Liang, and Great Liang has over a dozen circuits, not even counting special regions. In status, he's no lesser than I am."

"Princess, that's not how you count it. Even if Yan is small, you are still a princess of a nation—our strength cannot be compared to just three circuits of Great Liang."

Su Qin frowned. She thought the princess was overestimating Lin Chen.

"That's only how you see it. Great Liang doesn't think that way." Elder Murong Yan sat up straight, her expression solemn: "Qin Gu, don't forget why I came to Great Liang."

At these words, Su Qin's expression darkened. She knew the princess's purpose in coming to Great Liang.

The duty of a Yan princess was to marry into another royal family. But the princess refused this path, which was why she left the Yan Huang Joining Wuyuan and traveled thousands of miles to the Canglan Joining Wuyuan.

The princess sought a prince consort—a true martial genius!

"But Princess, do you really think Lin Chen meets your standards? And his character is far too base."

"Base? Are the imperial princes of other nations any better?" Elder Murong Yan sneered, lowering her gaze, her eyes glinting coldly. After a long pause, she lifted her head, her expression calm: "The talents from Zheng Guo and Xiang Guo arrived just in time. If Lin Chen defeats them both, investing in him isn't out of the question."

Su Qin opened her mouth to speak, but Elder Murong Yan raised her hand to stop her: "Qin Gu, go call Lin Chen in."

…

…

When Lin Chen returned to the cabin, Elder Murong Yan had resumed her previous smiling demeanor.

"Brother Elder Murong, you've rested already?"

"I felt a bit unwell when we first boarded, but I've adjusted now."

The tea set on the table had been cleared away, replaced by a stack of papers.

"Brother Lin, these are all the profiles of the disciples from the Xiang and Zheng Wuyuans."

Hearing this, Lin Chen's expression turned serious. He picked up the papers—twelve profiles in total.

"Zheng Guo's Sihe Joining Wuyuan and Xiang Guo's Chaosheng Joining Wuyuan each sent six disciples. In past martial exchanges, Wuyuans typically sent six."

"Why six?" Lin Chen asked curiously.

"Because in the Joining Wuyuan ranking tournament, each school can only send six disciples per session."

"Thank you for clarifying, Brother Elder Murong."

Lin Chen understood and began studying the twelve profiles. Eventually, he set aside ten and kept only four.

Two of these four bore red circles—he wondered why these two were marked. The other two were kept because their disciples had defeated the top students of Qingyun Joining Wuyuan and Jingdu Joining Wuyuan.

"Brother Elder Murong, what's the story with these two?"

Elder Murong Yan seemed to expect this question. She spoke calmly: "Hu Bing and Ben Ben Shanlang are likely the true hidden cards of Chaosheng and Sihe Wuyuans."

"You mean their strength surpasses those two?"

Lin Chen's pupils contracted sharply. He pointed to the names on the left two papers—those two had defeated Kong Qing of Qingyun Joining Wuyuan and Zhang Ming of Jingdu Joining Wuyuan.

If Hu Bing and Ben Ben Shanlang were even stronger, he wasn't certain he could win.

"Mm."

"How do you know this?"

"I… I have my own sources."

Elder Murong Yan wouldn't tell Lin Chen these were intelligence gathered by the Elder Murong royal family.

Ever since she decided to find a prince consort, she'd collected information on a hundred young geniuses from the nine nations.

"Hu Bing is the last disciple of Xiang Guo's Grand Sacrificer, though this hasn't been made public. Ben Ben Shanlang is the heir cultivated by the Ben family.

Hu Bing cultivates Xiang Guo's Hundred Elephant Fist, which channels the power of five elephants. The Ben family's footwork is considered the best in Zheng Guo, and Ben Ben Shanlang studied Shadow Blade under Zheng Guo's first-rank martialist, the Green Fortune Blade Master. He killed a Qi-refining cultivator at the 24 acupoint stage—though it was a surprise attack, it proves his strength."

Zheng Guo and Xiang Guo were wary of outsiders, but Yan, being neutral, allowed its people to move freely across nations. Thanks to this, Yan's royal intelligence was the most comprehensive among the nine nations.

"Brother Lin, would you like to know the weaknesses of the Hundred Elephant Fist and the Ben family's footwork?"

Elder Murong Yan smiled sweetly at Lin Chen. He didn't answer immediately, but paused thoughtfully before saying: "What do I owe you in return?"

Elder Murong Yan wasn't from Great Liang—she wouldn't help him against Zheng and Xiang for free. Earlier, his greedy, base behavior was meant to provoke her anger and make her lose interest in him, so he could reach Lord Lingxiao City in peace.

"Nothing."

Seeing Lin Chen frown, Elder Murong Yan explained: "After all, my younger sister is at Canglan Joining Wuyuan. From the perspective of an older brother, I naturally hope you'll win."

Lin Chen studied Elder Murong Yan for a moment. She met his gaze without the slightest discomfort, appearing utterly open.

After several breaths, Lin Chen made his decision: "Then I thank you, Brother Elder Murong."

"Brother Lin, come with me to the deck!"

Hearing Lin Chen accept her offer, Elder Murong Yan smiled. As she rose, she instinctively reached to brush her hair—but halfway, she realized the gesture was inappropriate, and quietly lowered her hand.

Lin Chen naturally noticed her subtle motion, but he chose not to expose it—pretending he hadn't seen it was best.

(End of Chapter)