Chapter 49

The first competition had ended by noon, and everyone took a break to rest and eat lunch before continuing.

Shen Yao Xing hadn’t brought anyone with her, and in her haste to leave, she hadn’t brought any food either. Fortunately, Chu Yi was prepared, so the two made do with some pastries for lunch.

“Lady Chu, Long Qing has brought a food box. Why don’t we eat together?” A soft and gentle voice attracted their attention.

Shen Yao Xing turned her head to look. Her eyes fell upon the shy appearance of a young man, holding a rectangular brown-red food box in his hands. Seeing the two looking over, he slowly opened the lid, revealing exquisitely arranged dishes inside.

The aroma of the food made one’s mouth water.

“This… how could we?” Chu Yi politely demurred a couple of times.

Si Tu Long Qing’s face flushed slightly as he directly knelt down beside the woman. He wiped the chopsticks clean with a silk handkerchief and offered them to her with both hands.

With a handsome man being so attentive, Chu Yi naturally no longer refused. She took the chopsticks and began to sample the dishes in the food box. Si Tu Long Qing smiled, his lips pursed, and used another pair of chopsticks to share the delicious food with the woman.

“……” Shen Yao Xing felt like she had been unexpectedly force-fed a mouthful of dog food. The pastry in her hand instantly lost its flavor.

The two seemed to act as if she didn’t exist, being all lovey-dovey there. Shen Yao Xing, finding it unbearable, finally jumped up into a tree, intending to take a nap.

But she had barely fallen asleep when she was awakened by noise. The second round of competition was beginning.

This competition was about martial arts, limited to female participants. The arena was marked out with lime powder, and stepping outside the line meant disqualification.

Shen Yao Xing rubbed her eyes, sat up with a sigh, and lightly jumped down to stand next to the woman. Squinting at the sky, she said, “It’s already this late, and there’s still a horseback hunting competition later. Won’t it be dark by the time we return?”

“Who said we’re returning today?” Chu Yi looked at her innocently.

The bruise on her face was almost invisible now, and her almond-shaped eyes seemed alluring even when she raised an eyebrow. Shen Yao Xing gritted her teeth, “What do you mean?”

Before Chu Yi could explain, Si Tu Long Qing on her other side glanced at the young girl and said in an unfriendly tone, “Don’t you know? Today’s autumn hunt requires staying here overnight. Otherwise, what do you plan to do with the game you hunt? Take it home to sell?”

Regardless of whether they took it home to sell or not, Shen Yao Xing wasn’t keen on sleeping here when there was a bed available. She made up her mind to ride back alone later and turned her gaze towards the arena.

At this moment, the Seventh Princess was dominating the scene. It was clear that the other young ladies were still hesitant, not daring to use their full strength, while the Seventh Princess was skilled, targeting her opponents’ weaknesses with every move.

As a result, everyone was injured, and in the end, no one dared to enter the arena.

The Seventh Princess’s gaze swept over the crowd, finally landing on the young girl in the distance. A malicious smile suddenly curved her lips. She called over a female guard and whispered a few words. The guard then walked towards the young girl’s direction.

Shen Yao Xing had almost guessed her intention. Sure enough, the female guard conveyed the message, “Miss Shen, our Seventh Highness invites you to compare skills.”

“……” To be honest, in her eyes, those noble young ladies’ martial arts were like children playing with mud. She was afraid she couldn’t control her strength and might accidentally beat someone to death.

Knowing she couldn’t refuse, Shen Yao Xing slowly walked over.

Standing inside the circle, she looked at the young woman opposite her, who was about the same age but slightly taller and sturdier, with a more mature face.

The Seventh Princess raised her chin slightly and looked at the young girl provocatively, “I’ve heard that Miss Shen is skilled in martial arts. Today, I’d like to test it myself and let everyone see what kind of abilities Yin Gongzi’s fiancée really has.”

In essence, her meaning was: I’m going to make you lose face in public today.

Suddenly feeling an itch in her nose, Shen Yao Xing raised her hand to rub it.

In everyone’s eyes, the young girl’s gaze was blank, and she carelessly rubbed her nose, completely disregarding the Seventh Princess’s words. It seemed extremely arrogant.

On the other side, Jiang Ming Yue, who was resting in the tent, also learned that the young girl had entered the arena. He walked over and lifted the tent flap. His pitch-black eyes fixed tightly on the figure in brick-red clothing. A hint of infatuation settled in the depths of his eyes, and his thin lips couldn’t help but curl into a faint smile.

The competition had already begun. The young girl was as light as a swallow, easily avoiding the aggressive moves. The Seventh Princess used all her strength but couldn’t even touch the edge of her opponent’s clothes. Instead, she exhausted herself, her breathing becoming chaotic.

Sensing that her opponent was becoming irritated, Shen Yao Xing silently lured her to the edge of the arena. When she rushed over, Shen Yao Xing suddenly crouched down and swept her foot towards the princess’s lower leg.

The young girl moved so fast that she didn’t even give her time to react. The Seventh Princess only felt a pain in her calf before her whole body fell forward, half of her body landing outside the circle, raising a cloud of dust.

“You lost,” Shen Yao Xing pointed out.

The Seventh Princess’s face was covered in dust. She angrily shook off the guards trying to help her up. Hearing the faint murmurs from the crowd behind her, she turned back and glared fiercely. The gossipers instantly fell silent.

The Seventh Princess stood up, hastily brushing off the dust on her body. Very unwilling to accept defeat, she raised her chin at the young girl and said, “Fine, I admit defeat this time. You win this round. Next is the horseback hunting. Let’s bet on who can hunt the largest game!”

Having said this, she didn’t wait for the young girl’s response. With a dark face, she turned and returned to her tent, followed by a crowd of fawning attendants.

“If you had pretended to lose to her earlier, there wouldn’t be any more trouble,” Chu Yi said, slowly fanning herself as she approached.

The corner of Shen Yao Xing’s mouth twitched. In that situation, to lose she would have had to jump out of the circle herself. To win, she only needed to move her foot. Why should she lose? Moreover, she was indeed interested in horseback hunting.

“Bring my horse over and find me a bow.”

Hearing that the young girl really intended to participate, Chu Yi was slightly surprised. “You really want to continue competing with the Seventh Princess?”