Chapter 215 Competition
In the open-air venue, the central position was a long, colorful canopy where all the prominent nobles of Xijiang were gathered. Even though the competition horn had already sounded, many people, either openly or discreetly, still cast their gazes toward the princess from Daxia.
"This Princess Xia is quite beautiful."
"She looks young, like a delicate little lamb."
"More gentle than the women of our Jiang Kingdom, right?"
A knowing smile appeared on many people's faces, and someone asked, "What is the identity of the woman sitting next to the Xia princess? She looks younger and more delicate than the Xia princess."
In terms of appearance, Princess Rongning had almond-shaped eyes, thick eyebrows, and a high nose bridge, making her quite heroic among women of the Great Xia Dynasty, while Qiuheng's delicate and beautiful face was more deceptive.
"I heard she is a county princess, Princess Xia's younger sister."
Someone who knew a lot about the Great Xia Dynasty said, "The county princess of the Xia Kingdom was the daughter of a prince."
"Oh, then her status is quite high. Coming to Jiang Kingdom with Princess Xia, are you perhaps planning to marry the king as well?"
A soft chuckle rang out, only to be drowned out by a sudden burst of cheers.
The warrior who had defeated his opponent raised one hand high, proudly displaying his victory.
The nobles of Xijiang finally turned their attention to the competition.
"It's Prince Chiyan! He looks like he has a good chance of winning first place this year."
In Xijiang, anyone who is a descendant of the royal family can be called a prince. Prince Chiyan is the son of one of the cousins of the King of Xijiang.
Soon, a new round of competition began.
King Xijiang asked Xue Han with a smile, "What do you think of the warriors of my Jiang Kingdom?"
"Extraordinarily brave and skilled in martial arts."
"I see that your esteemed envoy is quite dashing and no ordinary person. Would you be interested in a duel?"
Xue Han declined, saying, "I am far from being comparable to the warriors of your country, so I will not embarrass myself by offering my services."
Princess Duoya, sitting next to King Xijiang, scoffed: "Are all the men of Great Xia so cowardly that they don't even have the courage to compete?"
Xue Han seemed not to hear, picked up his wine glass and took a sip of wine.
"you--"
King Xijiang gave Princess Duoya a wink, and Princess Duoya shut her mouth.
The competition continued, and amidst the intense drumming and music, the Warrior King of that year was born—Prince Chiyan.
Cheers and flowers surrounded the imposing young man. Prince Chiyan, who had just received the Warrior's Blade, strode over, first bowing to King Xijiang, then looking around before his gaze settled on Xue Han.
"Your Excellency is capable of representing the Xia Kingdom to escort the princess to our country; you must be an exceptional individual. Do you dare to challenge me to a duel?"
After a brief silence, a clamor arose.
"Let's compare! Let's compare!"
Many people clapped and slapped the table, waiting to see what would happen.
Xue Han held the wine glass, not responding for a moment.
In Xijiang, it is extremely shameful to be challenged to a duel and not dare to accept, and soon boos will erupt.
King Xijiang watched with a smile, without interfering.
"How boring. No wonder the Xia Kingdom asked my Jiang Kingdom for help. They're all just all talk and no action." Princess Duoya pouted, all interest she had shown Xue Han in the palace the other day vanished.
A man should have a handsome face, but he can't have only one handsome face.
"Let's have some fun then." Xue Han put down his wine glass, stood up, and lazily walked to the center of the arena, stopping in front of Prince Chi Yan.
Prince Chiyan looked at the boy, who was less than half his own height, and couldn't help but laugh: "Are all the men of Great Xia as weak and frail as Your Excellency?"
"No, they're all better than me," Xue Han replied without any anger.
Prince Chiyan laughed heartily and struck a pose: "Come on."
"Here I am." Before Xue Han could finish speaking, he had already lunged forward and thrown a punch.
Prince Chi Yan was surprised that Xue Han would attack so suddenly, and he also threw a punch, ready to meet him head-on.
Just as the two fists were about to collide, Xue Han changed his fist into a palm and flipped to the side to grab the wrist of the Crimson Flame Prince, while nimbly dodging the opponent's brute forceful body.
The two exchanged blows several times in a short period of time, and Prince Chiyan angrily exclaimed, "What kind of skill is it to just hide!"
Xue Han did not respond, but moved with agility and grace, engaging Prince Chi Yan in a contest.
Princess Rongning stared intently at the scene, her hands clasped together to hide her nervousness, and whispered to Qiuheng, "Aheng, will Lord Xue be injured?"
She tried hard to recall Xue Han's skills, but she didn't know them, and this Imperial Envoy was not known for his high level of skill in the capital.
Qiu Heng didn't reply, her gaze also following the figure in the arena.
Compared to the robust and bear-like Prince Chi Yan, the boy was like a leopard that had not yet reached adulthood, and every time they clashed, it felt like he would be sent flying.
But Qiu Heng knew that Xue Han was hiding his true strength.
Refusing to fight would make Xi Jiang think the Xia people are cowardly, while losing would make them think the Xia people are incompetent. Winning decisively against Xi Jiang's number one warrior would make the Xi Jiang king wary, which would be detrimental to future actions.
This Crimson Flame Prince is quite powerful, so it won't be easy for him to strike the right balance.
What outcome will Xue Han choose?
Evenly matched? Slightly superior? Or slightly at a disadvantage?
Xue Han quickly gave Qiu Heng an answer.
When Prince Chiyan swung his fist again, expecting Xue Han to dodge, the frail boy in his eyes took the punch head-on. Then, he felt a pain in his knee and fell to his knees.
Incredible gasps rose and fell, but overshadowed by Prince Chi Yan's unexpected cry of pain.
Xue Han bent his leg to block the other person and then threw more than a dozen punches with lightning speed before finally letting him go.
"Sorry, I couldn't stop myself for a moment."
Prince Chiyan jumped up, glared at Xue Han for a while, and then simply said, "You win."
"Thank you for your kind offer." Xue Han nodded coldly and walked towards the decorated pavilion.
Princess Duoya's eyes flashed with interest as she stood up to greet her.
"Xue Han." The girl in the white shirt and colorful skirt called out crisply, completely unconcerned about the various gazes she was receiving.
Xue Han glanced at her.
Princess Duoya raised the corners of her lips: "I asked the deputy envoy, and your name is Xue Han."
Inside the decorated pavilion, Princess Rongning's expression changed slightly as she had just relaxed.
What does "Princess Duoya" mean?
Judging from their persistent attitude, they are clearly very interested in Xue Han.
Xue Han belongs to Aheng!
Princess Rongning pursed her lips and glanced at Qiuheng with concern.
Qiu Heng stared expressionlessly at the two people in the room.
"Xue Han, let's have a competition." Princess Duoya raised her soft whip.
"I do not compete with women."
"You look down on women?" Princess Duoya cracked her whip in the direction of Princess Rongning and said arrogantly, "We women of Jiang Kingdom are not like you women of Great Xia, who only know how to cry sweetly."
Qiu Heng sat with Princess Rong Ning. Xue Han glanced over and saw that her expression was calm. He breathed a sigh of relief and walked past Princess Duo Ya.
Princess Duoya reached out to stop him: "Xue Han, do you look down on women?"
Xue Han stopped: "No."
"Then why don't you fight me?"
"Because I treat everyone equally."
"Treat everyone equally?" Princess Doya asked, puzzled.
"After I win, I will treat the loser the same way, pinning him to the ground and punching him a dozen times. If Princess Doya is sure she can accept that, I can also have a match with you."
Princess Doya shuddered as she imagined herself being trampled underfoot and punched repeatedly in public.
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