Rise from a Poor Family: My Martial Arts Counterattack

Chapter 296 Stunning Beauty Under the Moon
Lin Chen refused!
This was something no one at the scene had expected.

In everyone's eyes, the Fifth Princess Murong Xin was not bad in terms of family background or appearance. It was unlikely that anyone present would refuse such a beauty.

To put it another way, even if he really had no feelings for the Fifth Princess, there was no need to reject her so bluntly.

At least the public appearance is acceptable; I can express my feelings privately later.

Doesn't Lin Chen understand any social etiquette?
How can the Fifth Princess save face with such a blunt refusal?
Kong Qing and Zhang Ming looked at Lin Chen as if he were a god. Senior Brother Lin is really straightforward.

Meng Xing, on the other hand, did not change his expression. If he were Senior Brother Lin, he would have done the same.

Such are the Meng family rules: strict and uncompromising, never slick or cunning.

"This Lin Chen is really arrogant, he doesn't even look down on the Fifth Princess of Yan."

"Do they think this is the Liang Kingdom? This action will surely offend the warriors of the Yan Kingdom."

The other countries looked at Lin Chen with a mixture of shock and amusement. In their view, Lin Chen's actions would only bring trouble to Liang. Didn't they see the angry faces of the disciples from the martial arts academies in Yan?
The most embarrassed person at the scene was Murong Xin, who did not expect Lin Chen to reject her so bluntly.

Too drunk?

The banquet provided by the palace consisted of ordinary fruit wine. Even an ordinary person could drink a pot of it without any problem, and it was nothing to a martial artist of the first rank. As long as they circulated their cultivation technique for one cycle, the effects of the wine would be neutralized.

For a moment, Murong Xin froze on the spot, not knowing what to say.

As the Imperial Garden fell into a frozen silence, a laugh came from the courtyard gate, like a spring breeze, the lazy voice carrying a hint of amusement breaking the stagnant air.

Everyone's eyes followed the sound.

At the vermilion-lacquered, carved porch, sixteen palace maids carrying lanterns stood on either side. A tall woman wearing a long, flowing silk dress shone with a rosy glow under the palace lanterns.

The woman's eyebrows resembled distant, misty mountains, her eyes like stars reflected in a cold pool, her nose delicately arched as if sketched by a master painter, and her lips, though unspoken, already hinted at spring's allure. Her flawless skin shimmered with a soft moonlight, and a touch of crimson floral adornment at the corner of her eyes added a touch of languid elegance. The pearl necklaces cascading from her dark hair rustled softly with each step, yet could not conceal her inherent noble bearing.

All the martial artists present held their breath and were completely unaware that Su Zhe had spilled the jade cup in his hand.

This is a stunningly beautiful woman under the moon.

"Sixth Sister is here!"

Murong Shuang's cry of "Sixth Sister" brought many people to their senses, making them realize that the stunning beauty under the moon was none other than the Sixth Princess of Yan.

Her beauty was so captivating that it could topple cities and kingdoms.

No wonder Su Zhe confessed his feelings on the spot.

At this moment, Su Zhe's breathing was slightly rapid. The Sixth Princess was even more beautiful than when they met last year.

Only Su Zhe is worthy of such a woman.

“Junior Brother Su, it seems that the Sixth Princess knew that Junior Brother Su was coming, and even though she was unwell, she still chose to come here for the banquet.”

A young man next to Su Zhe spoke with a smile. Upon hearing this, a smile appeared on Su Zhe's face. That must be the case.

Although the Sixth Princess did not attend the banquet, the palace maids must have informed her of what happened there. The Sixth Princess must have learned about her earlier remarks from the palace maids, which is why she dressed up specially to see her.

"This sixth princess of Yan..."

Kong Qing stared wide-eyed, while Meng Xing beside him murmured, "Such a beauty is rare in this world."

The Meng family members are straightforward. For Meng Xing to say that Murong Yan is a beauty rarely seen in the world, one can imagine how stunning she must be today.

Lin Chen's eyes also showed a hint of amazement. He knew that Murong Yan was very beautiful, an absolute beauty among men. But at this moment, Murong Yan was dressed in her finest attire, and her elegance and nobility were combined with a touch of languid charm. Two completely different temperaments appeared in one person, making her breathtakingly beautiful.

Murong Yan also saw the look of amazement in Lin Chen's eyes, and was secretly delighted. It was worth all the effort she had put into her elaborate attire. The flower decorations at the corners of her eyes lifted slightly with her smile.

"six……"

Murong Yan's smile made Su Zhe think that she was looking at him. He was about to speak when Murong Yan smiled first and said, "Fifth Sister, don't blame Senior Brother Lin. Senior Brother Lin really can't hold his liquor. Don't let his martial arts fool you. Last time he drank with me, he got drunk after just one cup."

Murong Yan walked towards Lin Chen with a gentle smile, and her address of "Senior Brother Lin" made everyone present look strange.

Does the Sixth Princess know Lin Chen?
"There...is that so?"

Murong Xin forced a smile. She didn't know if her sixth sister was telling the truth, but she did need a way to back down.

"Yes, it's unbelievable that a martial artist can't even drink a cup of wine. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed it either."

At this moment, Murong Yan had already walked up to Lin Chen. Kong Qing consciously made way for her, as he had already realized that the Sixth Princess and Senior Brother Lin had a close relationship.

It has to be Senior Brother Lin. He seemed completely indifferent to this banquet, but unexpectedly, both princesses ended up coming for him.

What is this called?
In my hometown dialect, a barking dog doesn't bite, but a barking dog...

Pooh!
Kong Qing quickly dismissed the thought from his mind; such a description was too disrespectful to Senior Brother Lin.

"Does Sixth Sister know Young Master Lin?"

"Yes, I spent some time at Canglan Martial Academy, and Senior Brother Lin took good care of me."

Murong Yan nodded. Now that she had shown herself, she didn't intend to hide her relationship with Lin Chen. At least she wanted to stop some people from having designs on her.

"Senior Brother Lin, you promised to come to Yan Kingdom to see your junior sister, and I would show you the delicious food of Yan Kingdom. But you haven't come for so long. Now that you've finally come, you didn't even inform your junior sister. Don't you care about me?"

Her tone was melancholy, and Murong Yan's brows were furrowed with a melancholy like a thin mist veiling the moon, making her look pitiful and delicate.

Murong Xin understood; there was a story between her sixth sister and Lin Chen.

No wonder Lin Chen rejected her. In terms of looks, she was indeed inferior to Sixth Sister, and Sixth Sister had known Lin Chen before she did.

Murong Xin knew all too well the charm of her sixth sister; there were few men in the world who could resist her.

Sixth Sister is going to take Lin Chen to experience the delicacies of Yan Kingdom, but what about Su Zhe?
Murong Xin looked at Su Zhe, and the others present were also quick-witted and thought of this at the same time, and their gazes also shifted to Su Zhe.

If I remember correctly, just a moment ago Su Zhe said that this sixth princess had invited him to visit the Yan Kingdom and would also take him to experience the Yan Kingdom's cuisine.

Now, the sixth princess herself has invited Lin Chen to visit the Yan Kingdom and will also take him to experience the local cuisine.

So, who exactly is this sixth princess going to take to experience the delicacies of the Yan Kingdom?

You can't bring both, can you?

This sixth princess shouldn't be so heartless and insane.

Even if the sixth princess cast a wide net and said the same thing to both of them, she couldn't possibly show herself at this point. Otherwise, if she were exposed, wouldn't she tarnish her own reputation?

So there's only one possibility: someone is lying.

As for who is lying, the answer is self-evident.

"puff!"

On the Liang Kingdom's side, Li Yuan was the first to burst out laughing, followed by his fellow disciples. The martial artists from the other kingdoms, however, out of respect for Han Kingdom's strength, could only suppress their laughter. This sixth princess was showing Su Zhe absolutely no mercy.

Many astute individuals have already guessed the reason.

The Sixth Princess originally didn't plan to show herself, but because Su Zhe made some outrageous remarks here, which angered her, she came here personally to expose him.

As for why the Sixth Princess was angry?

Just look at the way the Sixth Princess is looking at Lin Chen right now; that says it all.

The Sixth Princess was afraid that Lin Chen would misunderstand.

For a moment, many martial artists present didn't know whether to be jealous of Lin Chen or to laugh at Su Zhe.

While Su Zhe certainly deserves to be ridiculed, Lin Chen also makes them jealous.

Both princesses of Yan are fond of him; if word gets out, it will likely cause a sensation.

"Since Sixth Sister and Young Master Lin are acquainted, then Sixth Sister should entertain Young Master Lin."

Murong Xin didn't want to stay there any longer and left on her own. At that moment, she was glad that Su Zhe was there, otherwise even if her sixth sister had stepped in and resolved the awkward situation, she would have been the subject of gossip among the people present.

However, she doesn't care now, because everyone's attention is on Su Zhe.

Murong Yan sat down next to Lin Chen with great ease. The Yan Kingdom had arranged long enough seats for each martial artist. When Su Zhe saw Murong Yan sit down, his face turned ashen, and he could no longer hold back: "Sixth Princess, have you really forgotten what you said last year?"

Originally, Murong Shuang, who was trying to defuse the awkward situation, was thinking of arranging for palace maids to play music to ease the tension. However, upon hearing Su Zhe's words, her expression turned cold.

The words spoken by Sixth Sister have already revealed her true feelings, so why should she humiliate herself?

Murong Yan's eyes flickered, her languid voice carrying a hint of coolness: "Last year at the banquet at the Han Kingdom Princess's residence, I said, 'If any of you have the time to come to Yan Kingdom, I will certainly treat you well.' Now, isn't Fourth Sister hosting a banquet to entertain Young Master Su?"

Murong Yan didn't give Su Zhe any face at all; as soon as she said that, everyone present knew what was going on.

The sixth princess was just being polite in Han Kingdom last year, and she wasn't even speaking to Su Zhe alone, but to many people at the banquet. It was entirely Su Zhe's wishful thinking.

It's one thing to be delusional, but to fabricate stories is to tarnish the reputation of the Sixth Princess.

"This is the behavior of a despicable person."

Meng Xing spoke up with a serious expression, saying, "According to the Meng family rules, anyone who ruins a woman's reputation without cause is a shameless scoundrel."

The word "petty person" made all the Korean martial artists' faces turn cold, and Su Zhe was even more furious. He was the grandson of the Korean Grand Tutor, how dare anyone call him a petty person?

"It seems that Young Master Su has misremembered. To welcome everyone, I have specially arranged a piece of music for you all to enjoy."

Murong Shuang spoke up, trying to smooth things over.

Sixth Sister may disregard Su Zhe's feelings, but as the Emperor's host of this banquet, she still has to give face to the Han Kingdom.

But to Murong Shuang's surprise, just as she finished trying to smooth things over with Su Zhe, Su Zhe suddenly burst into laughter.

"I thought the Sixth Princess of Yan was some kind of pure and virtuous woman, but it turns out she's just a snobbish woman."

"Junior Brother Su, you mustn't talk nonsense."

The Korean warrior standing nearby frowned and whispered a word of advice: Although Korea is much stronger than Yan, the strength of the Yan royal family is undeniable, and most importantly, the current crown princess is the eldest princess of Yan.

Even if we don't give face to the Yan Kingdom, we must give face to the Crown Princess.

"I'm not making this up!"

Su Zhe sneered. If word got out of this, he would become a laughing stock in the Nine Kingdoms, and he would certainly not let the two people who had caused him to fall into this predicament go.

He didn't care about the anger of the Yan royal family. Just because he was the grandson of the Han Kingdom's Grand Tutor, the Yan royal family wouldn't dare to do anything to him.

To put it bluntly, the Yan Kingdom was a tiny, insignificant country.

Being polite to the State of Yan in ordinary times is merely to give Yan some face; if things really turn sour, the State of Yan is nothing.

"The Sixth Princess of Yan once declared that she would choose her own husband, and that the husband she chose would definitely be a renowned martial arts genius among the nine kingdoms. It is likely that many people present were originally on the Sixth Princess's shortlist, but the Sixth Princess now feels that Lin Chen has more potential."

He heard about Murong Yan's desire to choose her own husband from the Crown Princess. It was precisely because of this that he did not ask his grandfather to propose marriage to the Yan Kingdom, because he was confident that no one in the Nine Kingdoms was stronger than him in terms of martial arts potential.

Murong Yan wanted to select a true martial arts genius, and in the end, only he could catch her eye.

Unexpectedly, Murong Yan chose Lin Chen, believing that Lin Chen's martial arts potential was superior to hers.

As soon as Su Zhe spoke, many people in the room looked thoughtful, while Murong Yan's pretty face was as cold as frost. She didn't care what Su Zhe said, but she was afraid that Lin Chen would misunderstand.

"Senior Brother Lin..."

Lin Chen raised his hand to stop Murong Yan from continuing. He could actually guess what Murong Yan was thinking.

Murong Yan initially took a liking to him largely because of his displayed martial arts potential.

But that's nothing.

There is no love without a reason in this world. If he were just an ordinary martial artist, and Murong Yan still took a liking to him, in his eyes that would not be pure love, but foolishness.

It's human nature to be attracted to beauty and talent.

"No explanation is needed; I trust you implicitly."

Lin Chen gave Murong Yan a smile, and Murong Yan finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Seeing how much Murong Yan cared about Lin Chen, Su Zhe was consumed by jealousy. He stared at Lin Chen and said, "Since the Sixth Princess thinks your potential is greater than mine, do you dare to fight me?"

The only way to wash away this shame is to defeat Lin Chen.

Defeating Lin Chen would not only wash away the shame, but also let Murong Yan know that her choice was wrong.

At that time, Murong Yan will surely regret her choice and will try to get close to him again. At that time, he will humiliate Murong Yan properly.

"Today is the site of a banquet held by the Yan Kingdom. If you want to fight, there will be plenty of opportunities in the Martial Academy ranking competition."

Before Lin Chen could answer, Li Yuan stood up and said, "Junior Brother Lin is eighth on the Earth Ranking, while Su Zhe is first. I'm afraid Junior Brother Lin is no match for Su Zhe."

That's not true.

A young man from the Han Kingdom also stood up: "A friendly spar at the banquet would be a good way to liven things up, but if your Liang Kingdom doesn't dare to do that, then let's call it a day."

"Senior Brother Lin, don't be provoked. Su Zhe's family has a long and distinguished history..."

Murong Yan also whispered a reminder, afraid that Lin Chen would be too provoked. Lin Chen saw the worried look in Murong Yan's eyes and smiled, "They have already issued a challenge, how can we ignore it?"

(End of this chapter)