Chapter 92: Chapter 88: This Lad is so Terrifying! Is Lu Mingyuan Deeply Concealed?

The next day.

The sun shone brightly, and a loud cry echoed through the courtyard.

“What? Huo Hongling wants to fight me?!”

In the small courtyard, Lu Mingyuan shot up from his grand armchair, shocked.

“Yes.”

Noble Consort Wang Zhaoyan, who had come to Qingzhu Hall early in the morning, nodded emphatically.

“She’s a Grandmaster. How could I possibly beat her?” Lu Mingyuan said, shaking his head repeatedly.

In reality, over the past half-month, he had already broken through to the Grandmaster realm, obtained the “Martial Venerable” Fate Grid, opened 761 Acupoints, and possessed strength comparable to a Grandmaster with sixty years of experience.

But in the eyes of others, he was still at the level of a Fourth Realm Martial Artist, just as he had been months ago.

With the dual protection of the Hidden Qi technique and the Thousand Mechanism Blood Divine Jade, those at the Middle Fifth Grade likely couldn’t see through his Cultivation.

Otherwise, he would have no way to explain the terrifying speed of breaking through to the Grandmaster realm within a single year.

Early this morning, he had received the news that the Champion Marquis was requesting a marriage alliance with the Wang Family—with him.

He had just made a Celestial Dao Oath with Qi Muxue yesterday!

Wang Zhaoyan seemed to have a headache over it as well. “Er, she said that to avoid bullying you, she’ll suppress her Cultivation to your level. You just have to last for the time it takes an incense stick to burn, and you can marry her.”

“Her exact words were that the daughter of the Huo Family refuses to marry someone of humble strength and insists on fighting you to decide the marriage. According to the arrangement, you need to hold out against her for the time it takes an incense stick to burn. She will suppress her Realm to be the same as yours. If you win, she marries you. If you lose, she won’t,” she added.

Lu Mingyuan covered his eyes and sighed, feigning distress. “But she’s a Martial Cultivator from the Military Family, after all. Her foundation is profound.”

Wang Zhaoyan nodded in agreement and cursed, “I can’t believe the daughter of the Huo Family would make such a demand. It’s utterly barbaric.”

She tried to comfort him, saying, “Your maternal grandfather said to just do your best. Don’t force it. If you lose, you lose. It’s not a big deal.”

“If you’re unwilling, we can have your maternal grandfather go to the Cabinet and reject the imperial decree. Let the Champion Marquis approach another Prince, and we’ll toss the problem to your father, the Emperor.”

Lu Mingyuan thought for a moment before saying, “It’s not that complicated. There’s no need to trouble Grandfather. I’ll just admit defeat directly. Isn’t losing simple?”

But Wang Zhaoyan disagreed. “If you’ve already accepted, you have to at least go through the motions,” she persuaded. “You can’t disrespect the Champion Marquis, and our Wang Family can’t afford to offend the Champion Marquis’s Mansion. After all, he’s the number one Marquis in Great Yan right now, hot off his recent achievements and incredibly sought-after. He’s one of the few Marquises Wu who still holds military power.”

“Fine, fine.”

Lu Mingyuan understood as soon as he heard her words.

This meant he had to put up a good fight.

To put it bluntly, he had to put on a show.

“Then when is the fight?”

“This very afternoon. You can’t leave the Imperial Palace, so they’ve set up a temporary martial arts stage inside.”

…

Time flew, and soon it was afternoon.

The match was about to begin.

Upon hearing that Huo Hongling was going to fight the Sixth Prince, Lu Mingyuan, to decide their marriage, many people in the Imperial Palace gathered to watch the drama unfold. The Concubines prepared melon seeds, watermelons, and other fruits, while the Palace Maids, eunuchs, and Guards enjoyed the rare opportunity to join in the excitement.

Qi Muxue only got the news at noon while at Shengjing Academy.

As soon as she heard, she immediately canceled her afternoon classes.

She rushed to the Imperial Palace.

The Champion Marquis had already arrived to oversee the battle. Huo Hongling was also in the palace early, and many others were ready and waiting.

Just as the match was about to start, Lu Mingyuan finally made his deliberately late entrance, flanked by two Maids.

He glanced at the simple dueling platform built of stone, then scanned the people in the distance—on the pavilion, on the soft couches inside the hall… ’These people must be bored out of their minds,’ he thought. ’Running over here to watch a show. Don’t they have anything better to do?’

Without a change in expression, he temporarily sealed all his Acupoints and withdrew all his Primordial Qi into his Dantian, maintaining the appearance of being in the Martial Arts Fourth Realm.

Suddenly, he felt a sharp, rather displeased gaze fall upon him.

Lu Mingyuan looked in the direction of the gaze and saw a young woman in a Martial Robe.

’Hm?’

’Who’s that? And why so hostile?’

“Yuan’Er, that is the daughter of the Huo Family,” Wang Zhaoyan whispered from the side.

Lu Mingyuan instantly understood.

This was the first time he had ever seen what Huo Hongling looked like.

’This is supposed to be our first meeting, so why is she so resentful?’

’Could it be that her family is forcing the marriage, and she’s desperate to defeat me?’

’That suits me just fine.’

Lu Mingyuan smiled, full of confidence.

Just as he was thinking about how to lose, a tall, handsome, and rather young-looking man wearing the Qilin Patterned Robe of a Military Officer approached him.

“You must be the Sixth Prince,” the tall man said with a faint smile.

“I am,” Lu Mingyuan nodded.

“My daughter is willful and may have offended you before. However, a duel requires both parties to give it their all. I hope Your Highness will not hold back.”

The tall man lowered his posture slightly and bowed to Lu Mingyuan.

“So you are the Champion Marquis. I’ve long heard of your great name. You’re too kind.”

Only then did Lu Mingyuan realize that the man before him was the famous Great Yan Military God, the Champion Marquis.

Upon learning this, he also returned the bow.

He hadn’t expected the man to be so polite.

’This is truly different from what I imagined.’

“This prince will give it his all.”

Lu Mingyuan agreed verbally.

But in his heart, he silently added a thought.

’A pity, Champion Marquis. You’re too late. I must marry another young lady first. As for your daughter… we’ll have to leave it to fate.’

As the two of them met,

Qi Muxue had also arrived below the dueling platform. She saw Huo Hongling and her eyes filled with confusion.

As it happened, Huo Hongling also saw Qi Muxue, her expression complicated.

After she had found Qi Muxue that day, she had wanted to ask for a clear explanation, but the other woman hadn’t spoken plainly.

It wasn’t until she inquired and found out that Qi Muxue’s relationship with the Sixth Prince was very close.

Only then did Huo Hongling begin to suspect that Qi Muxue might have some kind of unspeakable relationship with the Sixth Prince.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep