Chapter 207 - 108: You Dare to Bully My Granddaughter’s Husband? (Part 2)

Chapter 207: Chapter 108: You Dare to Bully My Granddaughter’s Husband? (Part 2)

Zhao Yong: "???"

Zhao Xie: "???"

A grin tugged at the corners of Zhao Ci’s lips. He found Zhu Li’s recent transformation rather delightful. She used to have this repressed ’don’t underestimate me’ vibe, but now, as long as her wits were sharp enough, she would unleash her temper on the spot.

He wasn’t bothered in the slightest by Zhao Yong’s and Zhao Xie’s comments. The Crown Prince Faction and the Fourth Prince Faction, who had always been at each other’s throats, were now united. ’That just proves I’ve really left a mark on them.’

’As for being a "dragon among men"?’

Zhao Ci glanced back at Yang Mo and Feng Kucha.

’Who dares say the Hidden Dragon is no dragon?’

’Who dares say Feng Chu is no phoenix?’

’The future’s looking bright, folks.’

’It’s just this Heaven-Suspended Spider Silk... Hsss... The Imperial Clan Court seems to be taking this very seriously. It looks like it’ll be hard to find a chance to make a backroom deal with Zhao Qian.’

On the high platform.

A bell chimed.

Zhao Yan announced in a clear voice, "First match! Xiang Zeren of Prince Lie’s Mansion, versus Tan Kuang of the Ninth Prince’s Mansion!"

The atmosphere immediately grew tense.

Xiang Zeren, clad in leather armor and holding a long spear, strode onto the field.

Tan Kuang also walked up steadily and summoned his two Corpse Puppets.

However, most eyes were fixed on Xiang Zeren. While there were a fair number of female Mansion Officials in the tournament, she was the only one who embodied the role of a fierce warrior.

Her tall frame and a face that was both bewitching and heroic made it impossible for her not to draw attention.

"How did she get so tall?"

Zhu Li’s face was a mask of envy.

Zhao Ci ruffled her hair bun. "Of course she is! Every member of the Xiang Family is built like a beast. How could she not be tall?"

Zhu Li grew curious. "Boss! I heard she’s Uncle Xiang Jiu’s daughter, right? She’s about our age, which means she was born when Great Yu was in a fierce war with the four nations of Longyuan. Given the character ’Ze’ in her name, it should have been something about benefiting the North. Why would Uncle Xiang Jiu name her Zenan, as in, ’benefiting the South’?"

"Who knows?"

Zhao Ci found it strange too. He had asked Xiang Yunzhan the same question, but Xiang Yunzhan said that Xiang Tiange had chosen the name for him before leaving for a campaign.

Whether the child was a boy or a girl, they could be named Xiang Zeren.

Xiang Yunzhan hadn’t given it much thought, figuring Xiang Tiange was more cultured than him, so he just went with it.

He agreed with Zhu Li. After the Northern Domain fell, Great Yu was entrenched in the south. Under those circumstances, the name should, by all rights, have been about benefiting the North.

Zenan...

The name reminded him of a teacher from his past life whom he greatly respected.

"Never mind that. Let’s watch. Who do you think will win this match?"

"I think our cousin will win!"

"She’s my cousin."

"Your cousin is my cousin."

"..."

Another bell chimed. Without a moment’s hesitation, Xiang Zeren raised her spear and charged at Tan Kuang.

Tan Kuang dared not be careless. He immediately commanded the bow-wielding Corpse Puppet to create distance while he himself, holding a Long Sword, advanced to meet her head-on, forming a pincer attack with another, similarly built, shield-bearing Corpse Puppet.

This level of three-unit coordination was something even three veteran soldiers would be hard-pressed to achieve. He was clearly giving her his full respect.

The short bow was drawn to a full crescent, and a Crossbow Arrow whistled through the air.

Xiang Zeren’s brow furrowed. She knew that with her heavy spear, taking out the archer first was impossible. She had to land a direct blow on Tan Kuang.

With a soft grunt, bronze-colored Overlord True Qi erupted from her body.

With a sharp DING...

The Crossbow Arrow was deflected by her Protective True Qi.

Her body twisted into an incredibly exaggerated angle, coiling like a spring before she flung her long spear out. It shot toward Tan Kuang’s vitals with astonishing speed.

The shield-bearing Corpse Puppet hastily blocked with its shield, but with a loud KENG, a web of cracks spread across the ironwood shield’s surface.

Tan Kuang’s expression changed drastically. He hadn’t expected her strike to be so devastatingly powerful. Seizing the moment while the spearhead was lodged in the shield, he didn’t dare hesitate, quickly raising his sword to strike from the flank.

Unexpectedly, the now unarmed Xiang Zeren was completely fearless. In the blink of an eye, bronze-colored True Qi enveloped her left hand as she reached out to grab the blade of his sword.

When her palm met his sword, it produced the sharp ring of clashing steel.

Tan Kuang’s face paled as he stumbled back several steps, the webbing of his sword hand tingling with numbness.

At that exact moment, the shield-bearing Corpse Puppet retreated rapidly, trying to pull both the shield and the spear away to disarm her.

The second Crossbow Arrow also came whistling through the air, cutting off Xiang Zeren’s path of pursuit.

Most of Xiang Zeren’s True Qi was now concentrated on her right hand; there was no time to envelop her body in Overlord True Qi again.

Either she dodged the arrow and was disarmed...

...or she forcibly reclaimed her spear and took an arrow.

It seemed to be an impossible choice.

But Xiang Zeren didn’t hesitate for a second. She charged defiantly at the shield-bearing Corpse Puppet. The puppet wasn’t fast to begin with, and now, burdened by the heavy shield and the long spear, it was overtaken in an instant.

Xiang Zeren grabbed the spear’s shaft and gave it a powerful twist. The already-cracked shield shattered on the spot.

At the same time, she forcibly redirected her Overlord True Qi to block the arrow, altering its trajectory just enough for it to graze past her right arm, leaving a wound as deep as her thumb. Blood gushed out.

But the injury was entirely within her acceptable limits.

One wound to destroy a shield—a trade well worth making!

Without so much as a frown, she charged at Tan Kuang again. The color drained from his face.

"Whoa! My cousin is a total badass!"

Zhao Ci was startled. He recognized that spear technique. It wasn’t the Overlord Dragon-piercing Spear, but it already contained the essence of it, a clear prototype. ’Her meridians must be at the third-rank. Using that move probably just overloaded her a little,’ he mused.

A woman, yet she was able to bring the Xiang Family’s legacy of fierce generals to its full potential.

’My uncle really has a knack for teaching.’

He knew from watching her fight a few days ago that his cousin was no pretty face, but he’d never expected her to be this ferocious.

’And to think she was hiding a move like that!’

Tan Kuang probably never dreamed that his shield-bearer would be taken out in a single exchange.

The rest of the battle unfolded as expected.