Everyone was greatly surprised.

Arm wrestling?

“That’s right, arm wrestling.” Xie Lingqin said again, meeting Xue Ningshang’s uncertain gaze.

In the shadows, Tingfeng and Tinghai exchanged a glance, and then looked at the prince, who was already hidden in a tree.

However, the crown prince's only remaining feature was the hem of his jet-black robe, which shone brightly against the night, leaving them completely baffled.

Minglan looked at Xie Lingqin with great concern, clearly disapproving, "Xie Lingqin, don't compare yourself to her, she's quite strong." Minglan almost shook her head and whispered the last few words.

Xie Lingqin raised her hand to indicate that she was alright.

"Xie Lingqin?" Xue Ningchang suddenly murmured these words, "She sounds familiar, isn't she the eldest daughter of the Bei Rong General's Mansion?"

"Exactly."

"Heh, I never imagined that you would actually be her daughter, Xie Lingqin, the good-for-nothing who was divorced by the Prince Xian..." Xue Ningchang looked Xie Lingqin up and down, clearly not being very polite.

Upon hearing this, Xie Lingqin remained composed and neither humble nor arrogant, "That's right, but I need to correct one thing."

"What?"

“It’s just that power can’t surpass that of the king; otherwise, it would have been the wise king who was divorced, not me.”

"Ha! What an arrogant tone." Xue Ningchang's eyes suddenly lit up with a smile. She felt that Xie Lingqin looked frail and weak, but her cold aura made her a worthy opponent.

"Your mother used to be so powerful. I heard many legends about her when I was a child... Hehe, alright, it's just an arm wrestling match. Don't accuse me of bullying you with martial arts." Xue Ningshang smiled as she accepted the challenge.

Xie Lingqin pursed her lips slightly, "No."

In no time, a smug look flashed across Xue Ningchang's face. With a flick of her wrist, a large tree crashed down, revealing a stump large enough for one person to encircle.

"Come on." Xue Ningchang took a few steps forward, proudly raising her eyebrows at Ming Lan and the others trapped in the formation. Then, she straightened her sleeves and looked at Xie Lingqin, "I will definitely not let you lose too badly. For your mother's sake, I will leave you some dignity."

Xie Lingqin smiled faintly and remained silent, raising her hand and stepping forward.

Her wide sleeves slipped down, and under the clear moonlight, a fold cast a soft glow, making her slender arms appear even more striking, like white jade.

Knowing he couldn't stop Xie Lingqin, Minglan turned his head with a cold expression and nodded to the brothers behind him who also looked worried. It was clear that if anything happened to Xie Lingqin, they would go to great lengths to break the formation.

"Your Highness, Xue Ningchang is the most outstanding member of the Xue family this generation. Her martial arts skills are not weak, and her strength is considerable. What if..."

In the shadows, Tinghai and Tingfeng both looked at the Crown Prince with worried expressions.

However, Yuwen Yao gently raised his hand, signaling the two to be quiet, and then said softly, "Just trust her."

As she spoke, there was a deep, gentle, and tender feeling in her eyes that was impossible to decipher or understand.

Listening to the Sea and Listening to the Wind exchanged a glance, their confusion only growing.

Clasp your hands together.

As soon as they met, Xie Lingqin could deeply feel the power emanating from Xue Ningshang's body, as well as the profound internal energy surging within her.

The woman's palms were smooth and white, but the sides of her palms had thin calluses from years of practice, a testament to her diligence in martial arts training.

"Xie Lingqin, beg for mercy now, and I might let you go." Xue Ningshang looked at Xie Lingqin with obvious disdain.

"The outcome is still undecided, so I have no reason to spare anyone," Xie Lingqin said calmly.

"I've heard the rumors about you before. Not to mention that you're not as good-looking as your mother, you're even less attractive than the average woman in the capital. There are very few women who can compare. Of course, apart from your face, to be honest, you're really good-looking, even better than the Miss Li from the Minister's Mansion that I've met."

"Li Qingyu?"

"Exactly."

Xie Lingqin fell silent, because in just a short while, her hand had been pressed to the side, putting her at a clear disadvantage.

However, Xie Lingqin remained aloof, a smile playing on her lips, channeling all her power into her palms. Even with the veins bulging in her arms, she remained calm.

“Xie Lingqin…” Ming Lan clenched her fists, clearly worried.

Throughout history, men have been strong and naturally protected women, so women rarely stood up for them. However, at this moment, he actually felt that Xie Lingqin was stronger than any man, regardless of her physical strength or martial arts skills.

She has a strong heart.

However, no matter how strong her heart was, her increasingly pale face revealed that she was not doing well at the moment.

"Huh, why is your face so pale?" Although Xue Ningchang knew that victory was in her grasp, she was extremely puzzled as she looked at Xie Lingqin's increasingly pale, even sickly, complexion.

Upon hearing this, Xie Lingqin suddenly covered her mouth with her other hand and coughed lightly, "Yes, I caught a cold a few days ago and I'm still not well."

"You're sick and you still want to compete with me?" Upon hearing this, Xue Ning's face turned cold. She immediately delivered a powerful slap, and Xie Lingqin, who had been struggling to support herself, had her slender wrist snap and her small hand slump against the tree stump.

We lost!

Xue Ningshang won, but she was not happy at all. Instead, she pointed at Xie Lingqin and said angrily, "You are sick and you still want to compete with me? You look down on me."

"Ahem..." Xie Lingqin raised her hand and coughed lightly again. "I don't look down on you. It's just that I still want to do my best to help my friend. Minglan doesn't want to go with you, so why make things difficult for him?"

Xue Ningchang frowned and gently clenched her teeth.

"...I'm sorry, Minglan, I lost. You should leave with Miss Xue..." Xie Lingqin looked at Minglan with great remorse.

Minglan looked at Xie Lingqin, meeting her apologetic gaze, but remained silent for a long time.

“Miss Lingqin, you are so ill, yet you still come to help us. Of course we will listen to you and won’t make things difficult for you,” a man behind Minglan said.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!