Chapter 263 - Going to the Martial Arts Conference

Chapter 263: Chapter 20: Going to the Martial Arts ConferenceThe rebellion of the Disaster Church did not affect the selection of the martial arts convention the next morning.

Lu Hong, Mo Feng, Leng Yue, Nila, Guo Xing, Lita Sha, and Di Ji stood in a row at the top of the great hall.

King Cang rose and bowed to the civil and military officials below, "Your servant attends Your Majesty!"

"Arise!" At King Cang’s gesture, seven maids brought ceremonial robes and identity tokens to Lu Hong and the others.

"From today onward, you are my principal officials of Cang Kingdom, bestowed with the title ’Flame Martial,’ ranked as second-class nobles. Please accept this modest gift."

"Thank you for Your Majesty’s reward!" Except for Lu Hong, the other six knelt down to express their gratitude.

Seeing Lu Hong bowing without kneeling, King Cang’s sycophant immediately jumped out, "How dare you! His Majesty has granted you such honor, why do you not kneel?!"

Lu Hong replied indifferently, "Respect resides in the heart, I naturally dislike kneeling."

"You!" The sycophant glared at him angrily, "Lacking in manners, a barbarian! A barbarian!"

He turned to kneel before King Cang, "Your Majesty, this person..."

Before he could finish, King Cang interrupted, "Enough, it’s not a big deal, don’t delay the ceremony."

"Hehe~" Seeing the minister thwarted, Xixi secretly snickered at the side.

The promotion involved a very complicated process; for the entire morning, Lu Hong was arranged to pay respects here and there, bathe, change clothes, and meet all the principal officials of Cang Kingdom.

At noon, King Cang also held a grand banquet to celebrate the birth of the seven Flame Martials.

Lu Hong sat alone in a corner, casually picking some food and drink; but with the aura of a Flame Martial, how could the noble women leave him alone, clustering around him to engage him in close conversation.

"Lord Lu Hong, how old are you this year?"

"Lord Lu Hong, I have brought you some specialities from my hometown, would you like to try some?"

"Lord Lu Hong, do you find me beautiful?"

"Lord Lu Hong, hey, hey, Lord Lu Hong! Don’t run away!"

Overwhelmed by the group of women, Lu Hong stumbled and fled through the flowers.

He had not walked far when he sensed someone in front of him, quickly stopping in his tracks. Looking up, it was Xixi.

Her pouty lips were noticeably upset.

"Ah? Princess, good morning!" Lu Hong didn’t quite know what to say, as he’d rather face a group of women than the princess alone.

"Don’t want to see me?" Xixi scoffed coldly, "Am I not worth seeing?"

"No, no, no, Princess, your beauty is unmatched; I fear I might not control myself if I saw you too much," Lu Hong casually appeased her.

To say Xixi was naive was an understatement. Brightening at Lu Hong’s flattery, she joyfully asked, "Really?"

"Truly, truly, absolutely."

Seeing her reassured by his repeated affirmations, Xixi hesitantly forgave him, "Alright then, you walk with me."

"Eh... well, Princess, I still have some matters to discuss... to discuss..." Lu Hong quickly glanced around and spotted Leng Yue toasting him from a distance; had this person previously erred? No matter, better escape from Xixi first, "To discuss plans for the martial arts convention with Leng Yue."

"Ah?" Xixi looked disappointed, but understanding the importance, she regretfully said, "Well, alright, the martial arts convention is indeed critical. After it’s over, you must walk with me."

"Of course." Lu Hong breathed a sigh of relief. Future matters could wait; he’d deal with them later, "At the princess’s command, I shall surely accompany you."

"Go then, you must win in martial arts!" Xixi raised her little fist to cheer on Lu Hong.

"Princess, rest assured," Lu Hong said smartly, slipping away.

King Cang smiled as he watched Xixi running back. Her subtle disappointment was all too evident. Embracing his daughter, King Cang gently asked, "What? Didn’t you have a nice chat?"

"We didn’t even start chatting!" Xixi replied with a slight sniff, "He said he had something important to discuss with Sister Leng Yue, so I let him go."

"That’s very kind of you, Xixi. They must have been talking about the arrangements for the martial arts tournament." King Cang also covered for Lu Hong, not wanting to see his daughter heartbroken. But though he provided cover, he mentally noted this incident with a humph!

Lu Hong fled all the way to Leng Yue and curiously greeted her beaming smile, "Huh? Aren’t you supposed to hate me?"

"Oh~ Lu Hong, as fellow contestants in the martial arts tournament, we should cooperate and contribute to our country. There’s no room for holding grudges from the previous day, is there?"

Hearing Leng Yue’s words, Lu Hong chuckled inwardly. This woman truly spoke nonsense; surely there must be some reason why Leng Yue would hide her hatred towards him.

"Miss Leng Yue does recognize the bigger picture. I admire that," Lu Hong said, without revealing her facade; less trouble is always better.

"Hehe~" Leng Yue chuckled lightly, lifting a cup of wine to Lu Hong. "Let this tea represent wine, and I hope Master Lu Hong won’t mind my previous impulsive remarks."

"What impulsive remarks?" Lu Hong exclaimed, "I’ve forgotten all about them."

"Exactly," Leng Yue replied, drinking her wine, "Well said, Master Lu Hong."

After a brief casual chat, Lu Hong inquired about the intelligence regarding the martial arts tournament of the Seven Nations. Leng Yue, seeking to gain Lu Hong’s favor, spared no details.

With her introduction, Lu Hong gained a detailed understanding of the tournament.

The martial arts tournament of the Seven Nations was significant primarily because it involved wars.

In Ambra, waging a national war was never easy. Every five years, the Seven Nations would hold a martial arts tournament, and the countries whose representatives ranked among the top three would earn the right to initiate war for the following five years. This power could be retained, used as a one-time consumable.

The nations that did not secure the right to initiate war could only defend passively within those five years, even if a neighboring country was torn apart, they could not send troops to take a share of the spoils.

Though this rule seemed unbelievable, it significantly preserved the coexistence of the Seven Nations.

The threat of war would force each country to continue growing stronger to avoid being conquered. The ancestors of these nations devised this rule probably to preserve their heritage and to stimulate them not to settle in complacency.

Based on the intelligence from various countries, this year’s team from Cang Country wasn’t rated highly. On the Ambra Continent, only Magic Wind and Leng Yue, along with others like Nila, were slightly noteworthy. This was also the first time for a few of them to participate in such a tournament, and compared to the true experts, they were probably somewhat weaker, considered as cannon fodder in the team. As for Lu Hong, Leng Yue was undecided but not very optimistic about him.

In the past tournaments, the champion had always been a master from Black Nation. In recent years, a super-master had risen in Black Nation who was said to have swept away all other contestants from his country single-handedly.

For Cang Country, their arch-enemy was Liang Chen Nation. Princess Chen Xi’s curse was also masterminded by them in collusion with the Disaster Church.

Thus, this time, Liang Chen and his colleagues had two tasks. One was to strive for a top rank in the martial arts tournament, and the other was to eliminate all participants from Liang Chen Nation, preferably leaving none behind!

The night passed, and the following afternoon, the team from Cang Country had already assembled outside the city, waiting patiently. The imposing presence of the Heavy Cavalry gave a profound sense of security.

"Each person gets one carriage."

Following the officials’ arrangement, Lu Hong entered his own carriage compartment.

"Oh, my!" Lu Hong startled as he entered; Xixi was inside! How could this be!

"Big Brother Lu Hong, you’re here!" Xixi cheerfully said, "Would you like some fruit?"

"No, no, no, thank you," Lu Hong hastily declined.

"How about some pastries?" Xixi then brought over some pastries to Lu Hong.

"Also... also no, I mean, Your Highness, how come you are inside my carriage?!" Lu Hong cried out helplessly.

"Father arranged it," Xixi explained confidently. "Father said he would take me to watch the martial arts tournament, but he got caught up with urgent matters and would be departing a few days later, so he instructed me to ride with you first." Sёarᴄh the Novelƒire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Well, it turned out to be a command from my potential father-in-law.

Sigh! Lu Hong sighed deeply.