“I’m going right now.”
“That’s more like it.”
Jiang Huai retracted his hand with satisfaction, but then he straightened his expression and warned in a low voice:
“Only victory is allowed, no defeat! Is that clear? If you lose…”
He ground his teeth.
“Otherwise, don’t even think about satisfying your Yuq Period for a whole year!”
Mentioning the Yuq Period made Jiang Huai practically grit his teeth.
He stared suspiciously into Chi Lian’s dodging eyes and pressed further:
“Tell me honestly, have you still not told me everything about that Yuq Period of yours?” How come he never heard Qin Qingyue say that this kind of thing would get more and more excessive?
Chi Lian’s gaze drifted, her cheeks as red as sunset clouds, not daring to meet his eyes.
In her desperation, she suddenly cupped Jiang Huai’s face with both hands and quickly imprinted a gentle kiss on his lips.
“Husband Lord, I’m going on stage.”
Although the kiss was brief, it fell into the eyes of Chihuang and Cang Ling, who had been watching from not far away.
“My Dragon Ancestor!” Cang Ling let out an exaggerated gasp, her eyes nearly bulging out of her head. She shook Chihuang’s arm so hard that her voice changed pitch.
“Chihuang! Chihuang, look quickly! Your maidservant! She kissed him! She kissed Jiang Huai right in front of all these Dragons!”
“They actually have that kind of relationship! You must have known a long time ago, right? You actually kept it from me!”
Chihuang felt a surge of blood rush to her head, and her ears began to ring. Her heart felt like a tipped-over spice jar—sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, and salty flavors all mixed together, turning into a flare of anger with nowhere to vent.
She swatted away Cang Ling’s shaking hand and said crossly:
“I know! I know, alright?! Stop shaking me!”
Cang Ling wouldn’t let it go, even starting to wail while pounding her chest.
“Are you even my best friend?! We’ve known each other since we were seven—how many years has it been? You had such a good thing going, and you didn’t even think of me? Don’t let the fertile water flow into another Dragon’s field!”
“You actually gave him up to your maidservant?! Which god-awful person stole my wonderful Dragon life!”
Hearing Cang Ling shouting beside her, every word stabbing her heart, Chihuang felt her head growing twice as large.
Her temples throbbed, and she finally couldn’t take it anymore, lifting her foot and stomping hard on the top of Cang Ling’s foot.
“Can you shut up?! Can you stop talking?!”
“Someone’s getting worked up.”
Just as Chihuang was being driven crazy by Cang Ling’s noise and Jiang Huai was watching Chi Lian go up, the competition currently happening on stage reached its conclusion.
Taking advantage of the gap, Chi Lian took a deep breath.
Her toes tapped lightly on the ice surface, and like a startling swan, she landed steadily in the center of the wide ice platform.
In an instant, the originally noisy Martial Arena fell silent for a moment. All eyes were focused on this black-dressed woman who had suddenly stepped onto the stage.
Curiosity, scrutiny, surprise, and amusement—various gazes made Chi Lian feel a surge of nervousness.
She could even clearly hear her own heart thumping wildly in her chest.
She had never experienced such a scene.
In the past, as a maidservant, she was always the one hidden in the shadows, unnoticed.
Now, she had to stand in broad daylight and accept the gaze of the entire younger generation of the Dragon Race.
“Greetings, everyone.” Chi Lian’s voice was a bit dry.
Her gaze swept over the dense mass of Dragon Shadows below the stage, finally landing on Jiang Huai’s encouraging look.
“I am from the Red Dragon Clan—no, I am the Saintess of the Nine Heavens Palace, Chi Lian.”
A slight commotion and discussion broke out below the stage.
“Nine Heavens Palace?”
“Isn’t that Qin Qingyue’s sect?”
“She’s the new Saintess?”
Chi Lian ignored the discussions and took another deep breath. Throwing caution to the wind, she raised her voice, letting it spread clearly throughout the arena:
“Today, I wish to challenge the Saintess of the Red Dragon Clan, Chihuang.”
As soon as these words were spoken, the entire Martial Arena instantly boiled over.
The Dragons excitedly whispered among themselves, preparing to open a betting pool.
It would be a pity not to bet on a battle between the Saintess of Nine Heavens Palace and the Saintess of the Red Dragon Clan.
The Azure Dragon loli, upon hearing this, rushed forward and took out all her pocket money to place a bet.
“There has to be a draw this time! There has to be a draw!”
Sitting in the stands, Chihuang was completely stunned the moment she heard her name.
The color drained from her face before rushing back in a deep flush. The emotions flashing in her eyes were complex to the extreme.
Shock, confusion, pain, and the flare of humiliation that ignited after being publicly challenged.
*What do you mean? Jiang Zhun was given to you, and your status is completely different now. Are you really going to step on me to rise up?*
Even the usually talkative Cang Ling had her mouth wide open, forgetting to keep shouting.
A red light shot up into the sky!
From where Chihuang was sitting, a brilliant flame suddenly exploded, and she transformed into a red shadow soaring into the air.
In the sky, the red shadow rapidly elongated, revealing the Red Dragon True Form. Her scales were as red as flames, her body slender and vigorous, surrounded by raging True Fire.
The Red Dragon circled majestically in the air, her dragon eyes filled with authority as they swept over the arena with powerful Dragon Might.
Then, the Red Dragon dove down, the red light retracting as she transformed back into human form, landing steadily ten feet across from Chi Lian.
She was still wearing the red dress that symbolized her status as Saintess. The hem moved without any wind, as if flames were quietly burning.
At the tips of the red Dragon Horns on her head, two small clusters of flame danced, making her beautiful yet frost-covered face look even more vivid and imposing.
Her Peak Nascent Soul Realm aura was released without reservation, carrying a scorching heat wave that pressed down toward Chi Lian.
Faced with this familiar and powerful pressure, Chi Lian subconsciously took a small half-step back, her face turning a shade paler.
“Fate is truly unpredictable. I never thought that one day, when I, Chihuang, stand on the martial stage, the opponent facing me would be you.”
Chihuang’s hand gripped the crimson hilt at her waist, slowly drawing the sword halfway out. The friction between the blade and the scabbard produced a crisp “shring” sound.
She looked at the submissive Chi Lian before her, who nevertheless dared to publicly challenge her, and her lips curled into a self-deprecating arc.
She really hadn’t expected this day to come—that she would be fighting her.
Hearing this, Chi Lian lowered her head even further, too embarrassed to answer.
Habitually, just as she had done countless times when facing Chihuang in the past, she folded her hands in front of her and performed a maidservant’s etiquette. her voice was weak, full of unease and guilt:
“I’m sorry, Miss. I apologize.”
She really wanted to explain that this wasn’t her intention, but rather a task from her Husband Lord.
Seeing her familiar posture—as if she had done something wrong and was waiting for punishment—the nameless fire in Chihuang’s heart burned even brighter.
*What is this? Retreating to advance? Acting weak to win sympathy?*
“Enough nonsense,” Chihuang interrupted her coldly.
“Since you’ve stood on this platform, show me the skills of the Nine Heavens Palace Saintess.”
Before her voice had finished fading, a red light flashed on the ice beneath her feet, and her entire person shot out like an arrow from a bow.
The long sword, still only half-drawn from its scabbard, carried a scorching red streak of light as it stabbed straight toward Chi Lian’s face without any ornamentation.