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墨書 Inktalez
"Princess."
Just when Ouyang Zixin was feeling a headache, a figure suddenly appeared in front of her, dressed in black. She looked up at the glaring sunlight; on such a hot day, wearing the Night Cloak...
"Yun... where is your lord?" Ouyang Zixin didn't need to think to know this must be a shadow guard; she just knew it without question.
Sure enough, the man in black turned slightly and pointed to the figure sitting to the left of Nangong Yao on the high platform, saying, "Master is over there."
Ouyang Zixin followed his finger and looked; it was quite far away. Fortunately, her mental power was good now, so she quickly recognized Yun Tianmo. But how did he end up sitting next to the Sovereign? He seemed to be planning to take the stage during their earlier discussions.
Having missed the beginning, Ouyang Zixin didn't want to miss any part of what was coming next, so she asked, "Where is the Seventh Prince?"
"Please follow me," the man in black gestured politely, clearly here to lead Ouyang Zixin without any doubt or hesitation. This made Ouyang Zixin feel that such a subordinate was indeed very useful—efficient and unobtrusive.
Liu Ying and Liu Lu felt inexplicably chilled despite the bright sunshine and turned around to look, but saw nothing.
"Sister-in-law, over here!" Yun Tianying spotted Ouyang Zixin from a distance, squinting at her splendid attire with apparent satisfaction. When she approached, he stood up to greet her.
Ouyang Zixin hurried forward to pay her respects; they were no longer just friends—he was her husband's older brother, after all. "Greetings, Seventh Brother."
Beside them, Ning Zhiyuan watched with some jealousy and chimed in, "And here’s your Brother Three!"
Ning Zhiyuan had never forgotten that once joking remark. Since the beauty had become a married woman, being an older brother seemed quite nice as a consolation.
"How did you become Brother Three?" Before Ouyang Zixin could speak, Yun Tianying disagreed first. By that logic, wouldn't Seventh Brother have to be ranked behind Brother Three?
No way, absolutely not!
Ouyang Zixin smiled as he looked at the two. Today was the first day of the competition, and he couldn't sense any tense atmosphere; it was just that the weather was a bit uncomfortable.
"What are we waiting for?" Ouyang Zixin asked, somewhat puzzled. Where was the competition they had promised? Why were all the people crowded outside?
The three of them sat down in a specially constructed tent. Liu Ying brought over some chilled water, which made Ouyang Zixin feel a bit more comfortable as he listened carefully to Yun Tianying's explanation.
It turned out that there was no competition on the first day; it was mainly a formality, followed by drawing lots for the family representatives participating in the competition. The actual matches would begin on the second day, according to the order of the draw.
Those queuing in the open space were mostly respected elders from their families. Even though they looked like they might collapse at any moment, they still held on, waiting for their turn to draw lots. Ouyang Zixin even saw a few who were nearly fainting, being forcibly supported by those attending to them.
"This is really suffering," Ouyang Zixin couldn't help but exclaim.
Ning Zhiyuan shook his head at this remark, seemingly disagreeing with Ouyang Zixin's view.
"Isn't it? At such an old age..."
"If today is considered suffering, then those families that end up with poor draws and face disastrous defeats after the competition will truly know what suffering is," Yun Tianying explained on Ning Zhiyuan's behalf.
Generally, it was the younger generation participating in competitions, although some from their parents' generation also took part. However, these older individuals were not qualified to draw lots. Although drawing lots was mostly based on luck, those respected elders could withstand the pressure after drawing lots, while the younger generation could not.
"Are they just scapegoats?" Ouyang Zixin said in disbelief. Wasn't this just mistreating the elderly?
"That is not correct," Yun Tianying said, waving a folding fan he had somehow acquired, looking quite dashing as he continued, "Don't underestimate this lot drawing; besides luck, it also reflects strength. Look at those elders who seem about to faint; their cultivation levels are actually above ours."
Seeing Ouyang Zixin's skeptical expression, Yun Tianying stood up and glanced around before pointing with his fan and saying, "Look at that elder in the blue brocade robe, nearly unable to walk and being supported by someone. Do you see him? He made a name for himself in Yuhai Continent thirty years ago. Although he was already forty at that time, it was quite an achievement. After all, not everyone can be like Master Rong and achieve fame at a young age..."
"And then what?"
"Moreover, the demon has arrived!" Yun Tianying continued.
Swish—
The sound of orderly footsteps echoed, retreating.
Yun Tianying turned his head to see that Ouyang Zixin and the others had all taken a step back. He was puzzled when he noticed someone else seemed to have appeared in the tent. Turning his gaze…
"Oh dear, the sun is really harsh today. I suddenly feel unwell; it might be residual poison. Someone, help me back to the palace to rest!"
Yun Tianying fled without dignity…
"Master Rong, what brings you here?" Ning Zhiyuan couldn't help but chuckle at Yun Tianying's hasty retreat.
Rong Yi shot him an annoyed glance and said, "You only have a good show to watch because I'm here, right?"
Ning Zhiyuan pursed his lips and didn't respond.
Ouyang Zixin then stepped forward with a smile and greeted Rong Yi, saying, "Uncle Master, blessings to you."
"Just call me Uncle or Master; don't mix them up with 'Uncle Master,' it sounds odd." Although Rong Yi said this, the smile in his eyes betrayed his good mood.
"The Three Kingdoms have invited several powerful individuals similar to me to seal the space during the competition."
"That makes sense, to avoid collateral damage."
"Girl, if it were really as you imagined, I wouldn't need to come early to survey the terrain." Rong Yi's words hinted at something deeper, but no matter how much Ouyang Zixin pressed for more information, he refused to elaborate further.
Rong Yi only stayed for a while before leaving, just as he said, to take a look at the terrain.
Ning Zhiyuan then signaled Ouyang Zixin to sit down and talk. "The spatial seal, from a positive perspective, is meant to prevent harm. But have you ever thought about the people inside?"
Ouyang Zixin was taken aback. Was it really like that?
It sounded somewhat cruel, but war had always been like this. Even if it was masked by competitions, its true nature remained unchanged.
"Princess."
"Yes?"
"Master requests you to draw lots."
"What? Draw lots? Me?!" Ouyang Zixin turned to look at the shadow guard, her face filled with disbelief.
The shadow guard's expression was not as rich; he nodded woodenly, indicating that he was not mistaken.
"Damn! Seventh Brother, you are really inconsiderate!"
Ouyang Zixin clenched her fists in frustration. Indeed, he was Yun Tianmo's brother! Both his cunning and ability to set traps were top-notch! (To be continued.)
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