Martial Arts Exposed
The talent competition adopted a rather free form, where anyone could come on stage to ask questions, and anyone could come on stage to answer. The audience would offer their silk flowers to those they thought answered well. The person with the most silk flowers would emerge victorious. With such fame, young ladies and gentlemen who admired them naturally came to see.
The competition stage was set up, with fabric shading the sun from above and fragrant flowers adorning both sides, attracting butterflies to dance gracefully.
A handsome scholar took the stage first, a smile on his face. He noticed many beautiful maidens in the audience and his smile deepened. “Ladies and gentlemen, today is the Hundred Flowers Festival. How about we start with the theme of ‘flowers’? Allow me to recite a humble poem as an opening.”
Before he even began reciting, several silk flowers fell onto the stage. Everyone laughed good-naturedly, and the atmosphere became lively.
After expressing his gratitude, the scholar recited with a rhythmic tone, clearly confident in his knowledge. “Ai Lan — not born with a preference for Ai Lan, but enchanted by its natural beauty. My heart follows the swaying emerald grass, inhaling the fragrant scent that permeates my soul.”
As soon as the poem was recited, applause erupted, and several more silk flowers flew from the audience onto the stage.
Yan Ge waa uncomfortable with the large amount of flowers in his hands, so he grabbed a handful and threw them without any care.
Huangfu Yuchen gazed coolly at him for a while but received no response.
When no more silk flowers were thrown, the scholar smiled at the audience below and counted aloud, “I am unworthy, but I have received twenty-one silk flowers. Thank you all for your support.” With that, he descended from the stage with the silk flowers in hand.
A maiden gracefully stepped onto the stage. “I, as a humble young lady, also have a poem…”
Coincidentally, this maiden happened to be the colorful-clad girl they had encountered before. Yan Ge decided to throw the remaining silk flowers from his embrace onto the stage, drawing the attention of the crowd. When they saw that the one throwing flowers was a young master, the people around them cast ambiguous glances. The colorful-clad girl’s beautiful eyes also glanced at Yan Ge.
Huangfu Yuchen furrowed his brows and wrapped his arm around Yan Ge, giving a faint glance at the maiden before holding the latter’s hand. “Let’s go.”
Yan Ge was just accompanying him, so when he saw that Huangfu Yuchen had lost interest, he followed without a word.
The girl was situated in a higher position, to so she was able to clearly observe their interaction. She withdrew her gaze in disappointment.
The two squeezed through the crowd, and Yan Ge’s steps halted, astonishment in his eyes as he looked ahead.
Yan Su was conversing with a woman in a yellow garment. When he saw Yan Ge, he appeared surprised and his gaze shifted to Huangfu Yuchen. He took a few steps closer.
“Second brother. Who is this?”
Yan Ge teased, “Elder brother, it seems I’m about to have a sister-in-law?” At twenty, Yan Su was already considered late for marriage, and those og his age were probably already getting married.
A trace of embarrassment flashed across Yan Su’s face.
Huangfu Yuchen also joked, “Eldest Young Master Yan is not getting any younger. Perhaps the emperor should arrange a marriage for you.” He appointed Yan Su as the top scholar and bore some resemblance to Yan Ge. Upon seeing him, Huangfu Yuchen quickly recognized him.
Yan Su’s expression changed because of the arranged marriage, and because he guessed the identity of this man.
Yan Ge shook his head at Huangfu Yuchen and looked at him earnestly. “Brother, my elder brother may have already found someone he loves.”
Huangfu Yuchen was momentarily stunned. He had only spoken casually, but he hadn’t expected that both Yan Su and Yan Ge would reject the idea of an arranged marriage. He nodded slightly, remaining silent.
Yan Ge winked at Yan Su to leave. Yan Su gave him a grateful look, bowed to Huangfu Yuchen, and left.
Huangfu Yuchen casually asked, “Is an arranged marriage that terrifying?”
The two of them walked to the shade of a tree by the lake and gazed into the distance side by side.
Yan Ge smiled and said, “Thunder and rain, all are the grace of the emperor. If I were to receive a marriage decree from the emperor, it would naturally be a beautiful thing. However, my brother may have already found someone he loves. Mutual affection is even more beautiful.” The wind blew from the surface of the lake, carrying a coolness from the water, which was quite pleasant. Yan Ge couldn’t help but narrow his eyes and enjoy the moment.
“Mutual affection…” Huangfu Yuchen gazed deeply at him. “Is that what you desire too?”
“What?” Yan Ge turned his head and asked with a smile.
“Nothing.” Huangfu Yuchen handed him the water bottle.
Yan Ge took a sip of water, stared at the lake, and sighed with a smile. “It’s a pity that the weather is too hot. Otherwise, we could have taken a boat and sailed around the lake.”
Huangfu Yuchen fell silent for a moment. “Next time, let’s choose a rainy day—”
Before he could finish his sentence, his expression suddenly changed. He swiftly turned around, grabbing Yan Ge’s arm and pulling him behind him. He coldly stared ahead and whispered to Yan Ge, “Don’t move.”
Following his gaze, Yan Ge saw a young man with a weary face silently standing about ten meters away, holding a sword. The man wore black clothes, and his sharp eyes were fixed on the direction where Huangfu Yuchen and Yan Ge stood. Even his flowing long hair exuded a chilling aura.
Yan Ge looked at Huangfu Yuchen’s back with complex eyes. The emperor was an important person and was always protected by others in the face of any danger. Today, not only did Huangfu Yuchen notice the presence of this assassin before him, but his first reaction was to shield him. Subconscious actions often reflect one’s true feelings.
This gesture deeply touched Yan Ge. His mind quickly raced, and he made a decision. Why not take this opportunity to let Huangfu Yuchen know that he was skilled in martial arts? It would inevitably be revealed sooner or later, and now that they were closer, he couldn’t let this incident damage their relationship.
He swiftly moved and positioned himself in front of Huangfu Yuchen.
The shadow guards arrived swift. They stood at the four corners, shielding Yan Ge and Huangfu Yuchen in the middle.
“Nonsense, step back,” Huangfu Yuchen held Yan Ge’s wrist.
Yan Ge tightened his grip on his hand and noticed the surprise in the assassin’s eyes. Suddenly, he realized that this person was not here for Huangfu Yuchen, but for him. He couldn’t help but find it interesting and was piqued by curiosity. What had he done to offend someone to the extent that they hired an assassin to target him?
“Brother, he’s here for me. Let me handle it.”
Yan Ge reached out to one of the shadow guards. “May I borrow your sword?”
Huangfu Yuchen was completely unaware that Yan Ge had martial arts skills and was greatly surprised. His expression grew even more serious as he looked at Yan Ge, giving a meaningful nod to the shadow guard.
Only then did the shadow guard hand the sword over. Huangfu Yuchen waved his hand at the other three shadow guards, who sheathed their weapons and restrained their aura.
With a raised chin and excitement in his eyes, Yan Ge said to the assassin, “Show me what you’ve got.” Let this person help him test the Flowing Sand Sword Technique!
–“Master, good luck!” Yan Jin cheered for Yan Ge.
The assassin initially thought his target was just an ordinary merchant, but he was astonished to discover he knew martial arts. However, his surprise lasted only a moment. He flew towards Yan Ge, swinging his sword towards his chest with his right hand, creating a sharp sound in the air. The angle of this strike was aimed directly at Yan Ge’s heart, fast and ruthless, attempting to end his life in one move.
Huangfu Yuchen’s expression turned cold. He glanced at the shadow guard, who bowed to indicate understanding.
With a sudden tilt to the right, Yan Ge swung his sword as well, but it instantly transformed into an illusion, as if it had no substance at all. The sword light pierced through the assassin’s sword and fleetingly flashed across his chest, leaving behind a scent of fresh blood. Yan Ge’s entire body soared into the air, leaping backward, and his graceful figure lightly landed in his original position. He turned his head, giving Huangfu Yuchen a faint smile, before looking at the assassin.
The assassin covered his chest, staring at Yan Ge in astonishment.
Yan Ge asked coldly, “Who sent you?”
Huangfu Yuchen shook his head inwardly. It would be strange if they could find out just like that.
The assassin’s face paled, but his arrogance remained. “It’s our rule in this line of work not to disclose the client’s information. If you want to kill me, go ahead.”
Yan Ge frowned. He didn’t know how to deal with this person. Releasing him like this would likely leave future troubles, but he couldn’t bring himself to kill him.
Huangfu Yuchen waved his folding fan while looking at the lake scenery. It was only after Yan Ge looked at him with a pleading gaze that he gestured to a shadow guard. One of the guards pressed the assassin’s acupoints and escorted him away.
Martial Arts Exposed
The talent competition adopted a rather free form, where anyone could come on stage to ask questions, and anyone could come on stage to answer. The audience would offer their silk flowers to those they thought answered well. The person with the most silk flowers would emerge victorious. With such fame, young ladies and gentlemen who admired them naturally came to see.
The competition stage was set up, with fabric shading the sun from above and fragrant flowers adorning both sides, attracting butterflies to dance gracefully.
A handsome scholar took the stage first, a smile on his face. He noticed many beautiful maidens in the audience and his smile deepened. “Ladies and gentlemen, today is the Hundred Flowers Festival. How about we start with the theme of ‘flowers’? Allow me to recite a humble poem as an opening.”
Before he even began reciting, several silk flowers fell onto the stage. Everyone laughed good-naturedly, and the atmosphere became lively.
After expressing his gratitude, the scholar recited with a rhythmic tone, clearly confident in his knowledge. “Ai Lan — not born with a preference for Ai Lan, but enchanted by its natural beauty. My heart follows the swaying emerald grass, inhaling the fragrant scent that permeates my soul.”
As soon as the poem was recited, applause erupted, and several more silk flowers flew from the audience onto the stage.
Yan Ge waa uncomfortable with the large amount of flowers in his hands, so he grabbed a handful and threw them without any care.
Huangfu Yuchen gazed coolly at him for a while but received no response.
When no more silk flowers were thrown, the scholar smiled at the audience below and counted aloud, “I am unworthy, but I have received twenty-one silk flowers. Thank you all for your support.” With that, he descended from the stage with the silk flowers in hand.
A maiden gracefully stepped onto the stage. “I, as a humble young lady, also have a poem…”
Coincidentally, this maiden happened to be the colorful-clad girl they had encountered before. Yan Ge decided to throw the remaining silk flowers from his embrace onto the stage, drawing the attention of the crowd. When they saw that the one throwing flowers was a young master, the people around them cast ambiguous glances. The colorful-clad girl’s beautiful eyes also glanced at Yan Ge.
Huangfu Yuchen furrowed his brows and wrapped his arm around Yan Ge, giving a faint glance at the maiden before holding the latter’s hand. “Let’s go.”
Yan Ge was just accompanying him, so when he saw that Huangfu Yuchen had lost interest, he followed without a word.
The girl was situated in a higher position, to so she was able to clearly observe their interaction. She withdrew her gaze in disappointment.
The two squeezed through the crowd, and Yan Ge’s steps halted, astonishment in his eyes as he looked ahead.
Yan Su was conversing with a woman in a yellow garment. When he saw Yan Ge, he appeared surprised and his gaze shifted to Huangfu Yuchen. He took a few steps closer.
“Second brother. Who is this?”
Yan Ge teased, “Elder brother, it seems I’m about to have a sister-in-law?” At twenty, Yan Su was already considered late for marriage, and those og his age were probably already getting married.
A trace of embarrassment flashed across Yan Su’s face.
Huangfu Yuchen also joked, “Eldest Young Master Yan is not getting any younger. Perhaps the emperor should arrange a marriage for you.” He appointed Yan Su as the top scholar and bore some resemblance to Yan Ge. Upon seeing him, Huangfu Yuchen quickly recognized him.
Yan Su’s expression changed because of the arranged marriage, and because he guessed the identity of this man.
Yan Ge shook his head at Huangfu Yuchen and looked at him earnestly. “Brother, my elder brother may have already found someone he loves.”
Huangfu Yuchen was momentarily stunned. He had only spoken casually, but he hadn’t expected that both Yan Su and Yan Ge would reject the idea of an arranged marriage. He nodded slightly, remaining silent.
Yan Ge winked at Yan Su to leave. Yan Su gave him a grateful look, bowed to Huangfu Yuchen, and left.
Huangfu Yuchen casually asked, “Is an arranged marriage that terrifying?”
The two of them walked to the shade of a tree by the lake and gazed into the distance side by side.
Yan Ge smiled and said, “Thunder and rain, all are the grace of the emperor. If I were to receive a marriage decree from the emperor, it would naturally be a beautiful thing. However, my brother may have already found someone he loves. Mutual affection is even more beautiful.” The wind blew from the surface of the lake, carrying a coolness from the water, which was quite pleasant. Yan Ge couldn’t help but narrow his eyes and enjoy the moment.
“Mutual affection…” Huangfu Yuchen gazed deeply at him. “Is that what you desire too?”
“What?” Yan Ge turned his head and asked with a smile.
“Nothing.” Huangfu Yuchen handed him the water bottle.
Yan Ge took a sip of water, stared at the lake, and sighed with a smile. “It’s a pity that the weather is too hot. Otherwise, we could have taken a boat and sailed around the lake.”
Huangfu Yuchen fell silent for a moment. “Next time, let’s choose a rainy day—”
Before he could finish his sentence, his expression suddenly changed. He swiftly turned around, grabbing Yan Ge’s arm and pulling him behind him. He coldly stared ahead and whispered to Yan Ge, “Don’t move.”
Following his gaze, Yan Ge saw a young man with a weary face silently standing about ten meters away, holding a sword. The man wore black clothes, and his sharp eyes were fixed on the direction where Huangfu Yuchen and Yan Ge stood. Even his flowing long hair exuded a chilling aura.
Yan Ge looked at Huangfu Yuchen’s back with complex eyes. The emperor was an important person and was always protected by others in the face of any danger. Today, not only did Huangfu Yuchen notice the presence of this assassin before him, but his first reaction was to shield him. Subconscious actions often reflect one’s true feelings.
This gesture deeply touched Yan Ge. His mind quickly raced, and he made a decision. Why not take this opportunity to let Huangfu Yuchen know that he was skilled in martial arts? It would inevitably be revealed sooner or later, and now that they were closer, he couldn’t let this incident damage their relationship.
He swiftly moved and positioned himself in front of Huangfu Yuchen.
The shadow guards arrived swift. They stood at the four corners, shielding Yan Ge and Huangfu Yuchen in the middle.
“Nonsense, step back,” Huangfu Yuchen held Yan Ge’s wrist.
Yan Ge tightened his grip on his hand and noticed the surprise in the assassin’s eyes. Suddenly, he realized that this person was not here for Huangfu Yuchen, but for him. He couldn’t help but find it interesting and was piqued by curiosity. What had he done to offend someone to the extent that they hired an assassin to target him?
“Brother, he’s here for me. Let me handle it.”
Yan Ge reached out to one of the shadow guards. “May I borrow your sword?”
Huangfu Yuchen was completely unaware that Yan Ge had martial arts skills and was greatly surprised. His expression grew even more serious as he looked at Yan Ge, giving a meaningful nod to the shadow guard.
Only then did the shadow guard hand the sword over. Huangfu Yuchen waved his hand at the other three shadow guards, who sheathed their weapons and restrained their aura.
With a raised chin and excitement in his eyes, Yan Ge said to the assassin, “Show me what you’ve got.” Let this person help him test the Flowing Sand Sword Technique!
–“Master, good luck!” Yan Jin cheered for Yan Ge.
The assassin initially thought his target was just an ordinary merchant, but he was astonished to discover he knew martial arts. However, his surprise lasted only a moment. He flew towards Yan Ge, swinging his sword towards his chest with his right hand, creating a sharp sound in the air. The angle of this strike was aimed directly at Yan Ge’s heart, fast and ruthless, attempting to end his life in one move.
Huangfu Yuchen’s expression turned cold. He glanced at the shadow guard, who bowed to indicate understanding.
With a sudden tilt to the right, Yan Ge swung his sword as well, but it instantly transformed into an illusion, as if it had no substance at all. The sword light pierced through the assassin’s sword and fleetingly flashed across his chest, leaving behind a scent of fresh blood. Yan Ge’s entire body soared into the air, leaping backward, and his graceful figure lightly landed in his original position. He turned his head, giving Huangfu Yuchen a faint smile, before looking at the assassin.
The assassin covered his chest, staring at Yan Ge in astonishment.
Yan Ge asked coldly, “Who sent you?”
Huangfu Yuchen shook his head inwardly. It would be strange if they could find out just like that.
The assassin’s face paled, but his arrogance remained. “It’s our rule in this line of work not to disclose the client’s information. If you want to kill me, go ahead.”
Yan Ge frowned. He didn’t know how to deal with this person. Releasing him like this would likely leave future troubles, but he couldn’t bring himself to kill him.
Huangfu Yuchen waved his folding fan while looking at the lake scenery. It was only after Yan Ge looked at him with a pleading gaze that he gestured to a shadow guard. One of the guards pressed the assassin’s acupoints and escorted him away.
