Rise from a Poor Family: My Martial Arts Counterattack

Chapter 294 Murong Yan's Cosplay
The palace!

Lin Chen, along with Li Yuan and disciples from several other martial arts academies, passed through the gates of the Yan Kingdom's imperial palace and, led by a mid-ranking guard from the Yan Kingdom, headed towards a certain part of the palace.

Lin Chen would never have attended this banquet hosted by the Yan Kingdom's royal family before coming to Yan Kingdom.

He wasn't very interested in this kind of social interaction.

However, after arriving in Yan, Murong Yan sent him intelligence from various countries, revealing that she was a princess of Yan. Naturally, Lin Chen still had to give face to the banquet hosted by Murong Yan's father.

Following the guards to the Imperial Garden, the leading mid-ranking guard smiled and said, "There's still some time before the banquet, so why don't you all rest here for a while?"

Although the Yan Kingdom guard was a mid-level martial artist, he naturally wouldn't put on airs in front of geniuses from various countries. Moreover, he knew that His Majesty's purpose in hosting this banquet was to give the princess and the county princess the opportunity to interact with geniuses from various countries.

Young disciples from martial arts academies from various countries would spend half an hour in the Imperial Garden before heading to the banquet venue.

Lin Chen looked toward the Imperial Garden. The Imperial Garden of the Yan Kingdom's palace was very large, but at this moment there were already quite a few young people in the Imperial Garden, each occupying a section of the garden.

“These are people from Zeguo Martial Arts Academy, and those on the right are from Wuguo Martial Arts Academy.”

Seeing Lin Chen's gaze sweeping over the other young men in the Imperial Garden, Li Yuan whispered in Lin Chen's ear about their identities and backgrounds.

There were only a few hundred warriors from the nine kingdoms, which was more than enough to accommodate them all in the vast imperial garden.

However, the disciples from various martial arts academies only stayed in their own areas and did not go to other areas. The ranking competition would begin in two days, and everyone would be competitors, so there would naturally be no small talk or exchange at this time.

If it were an old man like Hou Zhantian, they could maintain a superficial harmony, but for these young geniuses, everyone is an opponent, and there is no need to pretend to be friendly.

"The Koreans have arrived."

Just as Lin Chen sat down in the area arranged for him by the Yan Kingdom, a senior brother whispered something to him. At the same time, fifty people from the Han Kingdom Martial Academy entered the Imperial Garden.

Perhaps the Yan Kingdom was aware of the recent intense conflict between the Liang and Han Kingdoms, so the guards leading the way arranged for the Han Kingdom warriors to be positioned furthest away from Lin Chen and his group, in order to prevent a conflict from breaking out between the two sides in the Imperial Garden.

The Yan royal family deserves the respect of other states, and they generally won't engage in a major fight here. However, if they are close by and their arguments escalate into real conflict, things could get very different.

The royal family of Yan provided tables for the martial artists from various countries, each with a long table laden with delicacies. Lin Chen leisurely savored the unique cuisine of Yan.

As for the Korean martial artist who came in, he did feel many eyes on him, but he didn't even raise his head in response to those malicious gazes.

"Does Senior Brother Lin like the food from Yan?"

Meng Xing sat next to Lin Chen and, seeing Lin Chen engrossed in the food in front of him, asked with some confusion.

"Okay."

The dishes of Yan Kingdom cuisine on the table were on the sweeter and milder side. As someone who was used to eating spicy and pungent food in Jiangnan, he could only say that he was trying something new, but he couldn't say that he liked it.

"The royal woman from Yan will be coming out soon. Senior Brother Lin, do you have any ideas?"

Meng Xing looked at Lin Chen. Everyone present knew the purpose behind why the Yan royal family had arranged for them to be in this imperial garden.

"What do you mean?" Lin Chen frowned.

"Senior Brother Lin doesn't know?"

Seeing Lin Chen frown, Meng Xing was somewhat surprised: "This is the same as... our Great Liang's flower viewing party."

A flower viewing party?

Lin Chen was still puzzled. Meng Xing came to his senses and realized that, given Lin Chen's family background, he really didn't know what a flower appreciation party was.

Of course, after Senior Brother Lin won first place in Martial Arts Mountain, he would definitely be qualified to participate in some flower viewing parties. However, Senior Brother Lin is devoted to martial arts and should not be interested in these things. It is normal that he does not know about flower viewing parties.

"The flower appreciation party is an event organized by some family ladies under the guise of flower viewing, to create an opportunity for unmarried women in their clans to come into contact with young martial artists..."

After hearing Meng Xing's explanation, Lin Chen understood.

Blind date meeting.

They were just using the guise of flower viewing.

The atmosphere in Daliang is relatively open, and both men and women can learn martial arts. However, this does not mean that men and women of the same age have the opportunity to meet each other. Martial arts schools in various places are divided into men's and women's schools. For example, in Poyang County, women usually go to Jingshui Martial Arts School.

However, the matchmaking event I'm attending now is an upgraded version, elevated to the level of the Yan Kingdom's royal family.

"I heard that a princess from Yan will be appearing this time. I heard that there are currently two unmarried princesses in Yan. If one of the princesses takes a liking to him, he will become the consort of Yan."

Kong Qing from Qingyun Martial Academy also came over at this moment, winking and making faces.

Looking at Kong Qing, who was radiating hormones, Lin Chen felt somewhat helpless. After all, he was a young man full of vigor, and when talking about this topic, he lost all his genius aloofness.

Meng Xing's indifferent reaction reminded him of Fang's introduction of the Meng family.

Stiff, traditional...

Every action is in accordance with regulations.

The most conservative family in Daliang, without exception.

"Senior Brother Kong, we're here to participate in the ranking competition."

As expected, Meng Xing's eyes showed dissatisfaction, and Kong Qing curled his lips: "We're just here to watch, how can we actually participate? Besides, being favored by the Yan Kingdom princess won't delay our cultivation."

"Junior Brother Kong, with so many senior brothers ahead of you, forget about the Princess of Yan. Perhaps a county princess or something similar is possible. Why don't you switch seats with the senior brothers in front of you?"

Zhang Ming also joined in; the group of them were sitting at the very back.

The seats were not arranged by the Yan Kingdom; they were simply assigned based on the number of people. Lin Chen and the others, considering themselves freshmen, did not want to compete with their seniors for the front seats, so they consciously sat at the back.

Lin Chen listened to the conversation between Meng Xing's three junior brothers but did not participate. He was just wondering if Murong Yan would also appear since the princess of Yan Kingdom was going to show up.

"Somebody come!"

Suddenly, a sound came from ahead. Lin Chen saw that the senior brothers who had been chatting with each other in the front row were now sitting upright. At the entrance of the Imperial Garden, more than a dozen beautiful young women appeared.

Their clothes were luxurious, their demeanor elegant, their figures graceful, and the various jewels and ornaments made these young women's already exquisite faces even more radiant.

"The Yan Kingdom has many beautiful women, especially the royal family. Our predecessors were not lying."

A senior brother sighed softly, "There's a saying in Daliang: 'The beauties of Daliang are from Jiangnan.' And there's a similar saying in the Nine Kingdoms: 'The beauties of the Nine Kingdoms are from Yan.'"

Within the Yan state, the royal family prevailed.

The royal family of Yan, both men and women, are all exceptionally good-looking.

Lin Chen glanced at the girls who had entered, but not seeing Murong Yan, he silently withdrew his gaze.

At this moment, the eyes of the warriors from the nine kingdoms were all focused on these young women. The warriors who could sit here were all geniuses from their respective countries. Ordinary beauties could not move them, but the daughters of the Yan Kingdom's royal family were a good match for them.

"Have any of you junior brothers taken a fancy to?"

The men in the front row of the Korean martial artists exchanged glances but did not respond to the question.

Given their status, the daughters of the royal family of Yan were not worthy of their attention. The only ones they could set their sights on were the two unmarried princesses of the royal family, the Fifth Princess Murong Xin and the Sixth Princess Murong Yan.

"It is said that among the six princesses of the Yan royal family, the sixth princess, Murong Yan, is the most beautiful. However, this sixth princess rarely goes out in public. I wonder if any of you senior brothers have ever seen her?"

“Junior Brother Su has feelings for this Sixth Princess. Since that’s the case, when the Sixth Princess arrives later, we will invite her on behalf of Junior Brother Su.”

As Su Zhe listened to his senior brothers' words, a confident smile appeared on his face.

He did indeed have feelings for the Sixth Princess Murong Yan. The Sixth Princess of Yan rarely went out into the world, and few people had seen her beautiful face. However, last year, the Sixth Princess visited Yan to celebrate her aunt's birthday, and he had caught a glimpse of her from afar. She was stunningly beautiful.

He is currently ranked first on the Earth Ranking, and both his family background and martial arts skills are worthy of the Sixth Princess.

……

……

A dozen or so women from the Huang family clan sat down opposite them. Instead of being shy and reserved like typical young ladies, they openly observed the martial artists from the nine kingdoms.

"Those guys from South Korea are all very good."

"The second person on the left in the Wu Kingdom is also quite good-looking."

"Sisters, if you have any flowers you like, you can have the maids deliver them to you later."

…… ……

"She's more beautiful than any flower, Junior Brother Meng. Look, isn't that girl in pink looking at me?"

"They're looking at Senior Brother Zhao. From where we're sitting, they can't even see his face clearly."

Meng Xing ruthlessly interrupted Kong Qing's fantasy, and Lin Chen couldn't help but chuckle upon hearing this.

One of the most common misconceptions men have: She's looking at me; she's interested in me.

Meng Xing was right. They were sitting in the back, and their view was blocked by the senior brothers in front of them. No one could see them at all.

Lin Chen had no interest in these royal daughters and was enjoying his food, but he stopped abruptly the next moment.

A delicate hand appeared in his line of sight, pouring him fine wine.

"Young Master Lin is only focused on enjoying the food. Could it be that the daughter of a member of the Yan royal family is not worthy of your attention?"

Hearing the sound, Lin Chen looked up and saw a woman dressed as a palace maid standing beside him, her face covered by a thin veil. At that moment, the woman bent down to pour wine, and the thin veil brushed against her face, allowing Lin Chen to catch a glimpse of the stunning beauty hidden beneath the veil.

Her skin was so delicate and fair, her features were exquisitely sculpted, and at such close range, he could even smell the girl's fragrance. In this environment, it was undeniable that it gave him a strange feeling.

Lin Chen was stunned. He never expected that Murong Yan would appear beside him disguised as a palace maid.

cosplay?

Playing this kind of role-playing game at home?

Seeing Lin Chen stunned, Murong Yan smiled and knew that Lin Chen was shocked by her. She blinked her beautiful eyes, then stood up triumphantly, picked up the wine pot and left.

There were people around, so she couldn't stay there for too long.

She didn't plan to attend the banquet in the Imperial Garden arranged by her father, but she wanted to see Lin Chen in this way.

"Hey, that's strange, why is this palace maid pouring wine for Junior Brother Lin?"

Kong Qing, who was also drinking nearby, couldn't help but mutter something after seeing the palace maid pour wine for Lin Chen and leave.

Watching Murong Yan turn and gracefully leave, Lin Chen realized his lapse in composure and quickly picked up the wine glass in front of him, taking a small sip to cover up his earlier lapse.

……

……

"Princess, are you really not going to make an appearance?"

Back in the adjacent side hall, Murong Yan put down the wine pot in her hand, and upon hearing Su Qin's words, shook her head: "I'm not going."

She believed Lin Chen already knew the Emperor's intention in bringing geniuses from various countries to the Imperial Garden, and she was afraid of causing a misunderstanding.

"Actually, Princess, there is no need to worry at all. If you are afraid that Young Master Lin will misunderstand, you might as well take the initiative to express your feelings in the Imperial Garden."

"You can't do that."

Murong Yan sighed softly. She knew very well that in Lin Chen's heart, she was no match for Senior Sister Jiang. If she were to express her feelings for Lin Chen in front of everyone in the Imperial Garden, her father would definitely summon Lin Chen or discuss the matter with the Great Liang.

With Lin Chen's potential, he is qualified to be the son-in-law of the Yan Kingdom.

But this would be tantamount to forcing Lin Chen to choose between her and Jiang Qing.

……

……

Royal Garden.

The atmosphere reached its peak with the appearance of the fourth and fifth princesses of Yan.

The fourth princess is married and is here to host this banquet. Lin Chen glanced at the two princesses; their looks surpassed those of the daughters of the imperial clan, but they were still somewhat inferior to Murong Yan.

"As expected of a princess of Yan, this fifth princess's appearance and temperament are truly unparalleled."

Su Zhe listened to the words of a senior brother behind him with a disdainful look on his face. He admitted that the Fifth Princess was very beautiful, but she still couldn't compare to the Sixth Princess.

When you meet the Sixth Princess, you'll know what a true peerless beauty is.

“You are all young geniuses from various countries. On behalf of my father, I would like to offer you a toast.”

The Fourth Princess, Murong Shuang, raised her wine glass, but Su Zhe frowned upon hearing this. The Sixth Princess hadn't even arrived yet, and the banquet had already begun?

He came here specifically for the Sixth Princess; what's the point if she doesn't show up?

"The Fourth Princess!"

Su Zhe spoke directly, interrupting the four princesses' gesture of raising their glasses to drink.

"I am Su Zhe of the Su family of Han Kingdom. May I ask why your sixth princess has not come?"

Su Zhe's words were straightforward, but everyone present understood that he had come for the Sixth Princess.

Upon hearing the words "Sixth Princess," Lin Chen looked up and glanced in the direction of Su Zhe.

"There is only one family that can call themselves the Su family of Han Kingdom, and that is the lineage of the Han Kingdom's Grand Preceptor. The Su family of Han Kingdom is second only to the royal family. The three generations of Han Kingdom's Grand Preceptors all came from the Su family."

Meng Xing dutifully explained Su Zhe's background to Lin Chen.

In fact, even without Meng Xing's introduction, Lin Chen already knew Su Zhe's background. The booklet provided by Murong Yan contained an introduction to Su Zhe's origins.

Grandson of the current national advisor of Han Kingdom, currently ranked number one on the Earth Ranking.

She's a month younger than me.

"Sixth Sister is not feeling well and cannot attend the banquet. Is there something you need, Young Master Su?"

Murong Shuang hesitated for a moment before giving her answer.

Upon hearing Murong Shuang's reply, Su Zhe said, "I met the Sixth Princess last year. She invited me to visit Yan and said she would personally show me the local cuisine. Unfortunately, the Sixth Princess was unwell, which was really unfortunate."

Su Zhe's answer left many people in the audience with expressions of speculation: Did the Sixth Princess invite Su Zhe to visit the Yan Kingdom?

Judging from these words, the Sixth Princess probably has feelings for Su Zhe.

The Su family of Han Kingdom and the princess of Yan Kingdom are a well-matched couple in terms of status.

At the scene, only three people seemed a bit strange: the Fourth Princess Murong Shuang and Murong Xin, and Lin Chen.

Is Murong Yan unwell?
If Murong Yan is unwell, then who did I just see?

Is Murong Yan's twin sister or younger sister?

Princesses Murong Shuang and Murong Xin had strange expressions because they knew that Sixth Sister was not unwell; she simply didn't want to come. Although they didn't know why Sixth Sister didn't want to come, their previous answer was just a convenient excuse for her.

The princess had already seen the list of disciples from various martial arts academies. If Sixth Sister really wanted to personally take Su Zhe to experience the cuisine of Yan Kingdom, she wouldn't have seen Su Zhe on the list and then refused to come.

……

……

"That Su Zhe is talking nonsense!"

In the adjacent side hall, listening to the palace maids report on the situation in the Imperial Garden, Murong Yan's face turned frosty. Last year, when she went to Han Kingdom to celebrate her aunt's birthday, she met Su Zhe and also said that she welcomed Su Zhe to visit Yan Kingdom.

But she was just being polite, and she wasn't just addressing Su Zhe; she was addressing the Korean princess who hosted the banquet and everyone else present.

He never said he would personally take Su Zhe to experience the cuisine of Yan State.

"Change my clothes, I need to go to the Imperial Garden!"

Hearing this, Su Qin was stunned, and then advised, "Princess, the Fourth Princess just said that you are not feeling well. Is it inappropriate to go to the Imperial Garden now?"

"Fourth Sister said I'm not feeling well, just a slight cold. How can a princess of Yan not even overcome a cold?"

Su Qin: ...

(End of this chapter)