Chapter 390: Dragon Platform

"Alright, I'll go take a look right away!"

He Pingsheng put away the materials for setting up the array, wiped his face, and followed Ling Zhi toward the merchant association ahead.

Enter through the back door.

Then walk to the front desk on the first floor.

Before the counter sat a tall, slender woman.

She wore a water-blue Dao robe, her face as white as jade, eyelashes curved, radiating divine light.

As He Pingsheng entered the first floor of the merchant association, she lifted her gaze slightly and looked over.

Her eyes were sharp and angry, yet within that anger lay a trace of curiosity and calm.

When she saw He Pingsheng, her lips curled slightly, red lips parting to reveal two rows of clean, even teeth, her voice cold and tinged with disdain: "You're He Pingsheng? Hehe... Just as others said—your appearance is truly utterly ordinary..."

The moment she finished those two words—"utterly ordinary"—the woman in the water-blue robe moved, her jade hand flicking, and a frost-blue divine sword shot forward like a phantom, stabbing straight at He Pingsheng.

The attack was swift, brutal, and precise.

He Pingsheng was startled.

He quickly stepped back.

He had no intention of clashing with her.

First, this was inside his own merchant association—if he damaged anything, wouldn't he have to bear the cost himself?

Second, though her swordplay was fierce and swift, her blade carried no celestial spiritual energy, and there was no killing intent in her thrusts.

He could only retreat.

But He Pingsheng hadn't expected her sword to twist like a living serpent, swaying left and right, speeding up or slowing down, rising or falling—never straying more than a foot from his throat.

Never mind whether he could win—just this sword technique shocked him deeply.

It must be a very high-level sword art.

Hss...

After two breaths, He Pingsheng had nowhere left to retreat—his back pressed against a corner wall, while the tip of the princess's sword rested against his throat.

He Pingsheng made no resistance.

But he wasn't worried.

She hadn't activated celestial spiritual power, so even if the sword suddenly thrust forward, it couldn't pierce his throat.

Moreover, immortals aren't mortals—even if his throat were pierced, it would merely be a superficial wound.

Swallow one supreme 【Jin Gu Dan】, and his injuries would vanish instantly.

"Clumsy!" Princess Qinghe murmured a single word, then drew back her jade arm—the frost-blue sword slipped from his throat and returned to her waist.

"Was it you spreading rumors everywhere that I, the royal Princess Qinghe, am your concubine?"

After unleashing that sword sequence, the princess's anger had already subsided considerably.

He Pingsheng knew why she'd come—he quickly said: "No... Heaven and Earth bear witness—I never said a single word!"

"Then you thought it!"

The princess fixed him with a stare: "Didn't you?"

"No!" He Pingsheng said: "I swear—I never even thought it!"

He Pingsheng thought himself upright and blameless, but those words ignited the woman's fury anew: "What do you mean? You don't even want me as your concubine? Do you look down on Princess Qinghe?"

He Pingsheng's face darkened instantly:............

Talking to women requires eight hundred wits—you can't get by with less.

He felt he didn't even have a hundred wits—better to say nothing.

He Pingsheng fell silent without a word.

"Why aren't you speaking?" Princess Qinghe asked. "Did I hit on your secret thoughts? Are you guilty?"

"Say something!"

"Hey... what's your meaning?"

"Do you think I won't tear your shabby shop apart?"

"No!" He Pingsheng hurriedly spoke: "Princess Qinghe, please understand—this has nothing to do with me!"

"Originally, your royal ancestor's own words were: if I were a man of great fortune, then... then I could have you... cough cough..."

"Right?"

"You should understand!"

"But later, the ancestor saw I was merely a man of Three-Nine Thunder Tribulation—not a man of great fortune—so perhaps he thought me unworthy of you, and said no more... then left..."

"That's the whole story!"

With that, He Pingsheng spread his hands.

Princess Qinghe's face flushed pale, then coldly said: "Your few words sealed my fate for life—and now they've ruined my reputation!"

"I dare not seek vengeance from the ancestor—so you'll just have to bear the consequences!"

"I've already arranged the arena."

"Three days from now, I'll wait for you at the Imperial Capital's 【Long Tai】..."

"Let's see how much skill you truly have!"

With that, Princess Qinghe turned and left.

He Pingsheng extended a thread of spiritual sense to scan her.

If you want to fight me, I need to know your cultivation level.

Hmm... Foundation Establishment Level Twelve!

Damn, so high?

"He Daoist..." After Princess Qinghe left, Ling Zhi tiptoed over: "Are you alright?"

He Pingsheng shook his head: "I'm fine."

"But what just happened?"

Logically, the royal ancestor's words shouldn't have stirred up trouble—He Pingsheng had never shown signs of great fortune.

So even if the princess heard them, she shouldn't be this furious.

"I'm not entirely sure," Ling Zhi said cautiously. "But I heard a rumor..."

He Pingsheng asked: "What rumor?"

Ling Zhi said: "Since when, no one knows, but rumors have spread through the capital that the royal family promised Princess Qinghe to you as a concubine—and you refused!"

Hey...

Upon hearing this, He Pingsheng's face turned pitch black.

No wonder Princess Qinghe was so furious.

So that's why.

But... how did this rumor spread?

Was someone deliberate?

With ulterior motives?

He Pingsheng's eyes narrowed slightly: Someone must be deliberately stoking conflict.

"Forget it—we can't control this!" He Pingsheng asked: "Ling Daoist, what exactly is this 【Long Tai】 Princess Qinghe mentioned?"

"Long Tai is an arena," Ling Zhi said. "The capital's arena differs from others."

"Elsewhere, the city lord's arena permits only Foundation Establishment cultivators to compete."

"But in the capital, Long Tai has ten third-grade arrays that can contain the residual energy of Jin Dan cultivators' battles—so it includes arenas suitable for Jin Dan-level duels!"

"He Daoist, Princess Qinghe is challenging you to a duel on the arena!"

"Mm," He Pingsheng nodded, not taking it seriously.

Women want to restore their honor—fine, I'll let her win later.

"By the way... Ling Daoist, did you get the third-grade poison pills I asked you to collect?"

【Still owe five more chapters—tomorrow!】