FRGNM -Chapter 218 Meeting Again

Inside the imperial palace, the generals and soldiers could only silently pray for the man who was being dragged away. In all these years, it was the first time they had ever seen His Highness the Crown Prince hauled out of the palace in such a manner.

But… hadn’t that man just said that His Highness already had a Crown Princess?

That was wonderful news! The Crown Prince had long since come of age, yet there had been no concubines by his side. At his age, it was about time he found someone to warm his bed.

The area around the Lotus Pond was packed to the brim with people. Looking out at the dense crowd, one couldn’t even see the end of it. Even Luo Mingyu was feeling depressed—he didn’t know whether this counted as bad luck or something else. There were simply too many people gathered here. From three-year-old children to seventy-year-old grandmothers, everyone was staring intently ahead.

“What’s going on here? Why are there so many people?” Even Nangong Mo couldn’t help frowning as he pushed his way through the crowd.

Someone standing nearby froze for a moment, then eagerly shared the gossip. “Hey, young master, you don’t know? Just now the princess rented a boat with another woman and declared they’d have a martial contest on the boat. It’s about to start—we should move closer!”

“Yeah, yeah! And not only that—apparently the loser has to obey the winner completely! The princess is pretty skilled. I wonder which girl is courting death by challenging her!”

“Hurry up! Hope it ends soon. If General Lieyun finds out about private fighting, someone’s going to jail!”

Nangong Mo’s expression darkened as he stared at the lake. A sharp gleam flashed in his eyes as he searched the surface for a familiar figure.

Luo Mingyu, on the other hand, didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He had only asked Ling Ruoxi to invite Qian Yi out—he never expected it to turn into a duel. A duel of all things! He’d personally experienced Ling Ruoxi’s strange techniques before. If she used them on Qian Yi, that woman was bound to suffer.

Just as he was thinking this, cheers erupted from all around. On the boat, two women stood facing each other—one at the bow, one at the stern. Cold light flashed in their eyes, and they had already changed clothes. Both wore black fitted outfits. Judging from their aura alone, neither was inferior to the other.

“Let’s begin.” Ling Ruoxi lifted her hand lightly and looked at the woman opposite her. Being unable to use qi was actually a blessing for both of them. Relying purely on physical technique, who among the onlookers could possibly match her?

What Qian Yi hated most was that confident smile on Ling Ruoxi’s face. Her expression grew even colder as she clenched her hands. “For Luo Mingyu’s sake, I won’t kill you. Get ready—so you don’t end up a drowned rat later!”

“Oh? I’m always ready.” Ling Ruoxi smiled faintly, making a courteous gesture. She placed her left hand behind her back and extended only her right hand in front, standing slightly sideways. That single stance made Qian Yi freeze.

What kind of move was that?

Anger flashed in Qian Yi’s eyes. She didn’t bother thinking further. With a heavy drop of her right hand, she leapt up and struck straight toward Ling Ruoxi.

Her force was fierce. Having spent years among soldiers on the battlefield, her strength was hard-earned. Even if her opponent were a man, Qian Yi had enough power to match them head-on.

But what she didn’t expect was this—just as her right hand struck out, the woman opposite calmly extended her own hand and lightly rested it against Qian Yi’s wrist. Turning her body slightly, a powerful pulling force surged forth. The strength Qian Yi had unleashed vanished like a stone sinking into the sea!

Her expression changed drastically. Qian Yi flipped midair and landed back on the bow, bracing herself with both hands as she swept her leg out in retaliation.

Ling Ruoxi merely smiled. Her light figure leapt and landed steadily on the boat. Qian Yi refused to let up, her attacks coming like flashes of lightning.

Yet Ling Ruoxi remained unhurried and composed. Her hands transformed into four afterimages, her movements so fast that Qian Yi’s heart sank. Every ounce of her strength was neutralized, as if she were striking at a wad of cotton—completely suppressed.

“Had enough? Now it’s my turn.” Ling Ruoxi’s lips curved upward as she stepped forward. Her right hand coiled around Qian Yi’s arm and tugged. A powerful pulling force followed, and before Qian Yi could react, she was dragged off balance, nearly stumbling. Clearly, it was Ling Ruoxi guiding her arm—yet she had no strength at all to pull free.

How could this be?!

Alarmed, Qian Yi focused on breaking free. She drew in a breath and yanked backward with all her might.

But in that instant, the pulling force suddenly vanished. Using too much strength, she lost her balance as she withdrew her hand, and her body toppled backward.

“Ah—!” No matter how much Qian Yi tried to anticipate it, she never imagined this would happen. Her face turned deathly pale as she fell backward.

“Whoosh!” At the same time, a long arrow suddenly tore through the air, shooting straight toward her falling form.

Cold light flashed in Ling Ruoxi’s eyes. She lunged forward and grabbed the spinning arrowhead barehanded, nearly being dragged along by its tremendous force. Only after retreating two steps did she steady herself. Looking down, she saw blood already flowing from her right hand.

“Careful!” Seeing Qian Yi about to fall, Nangong Mo couldn’t think of anything else. His purple figure shot out from the crowd, and in the blink of an eye he wrapped an arm around that slender waist and pulled her into his embrace.

Her health was poor—if she fell into the water, she’d surely catch a chill.

“Who did this?” Ling Ruoxi’s eyes flashed with killing intent as she clenched the arrow. At the same time, a white-clad figure appeared beside her and shook his head. “They were already hiding here. By the time I chased them, they’d escaped. Are you alright? Is there poison on the arrowhead?”

“No. But… there’s qi on this arrow!” Ling Ruoxi hurled the arrow away and tore a strip of cloth from her clothes to bind her wound. Hadn’t it been said that qi couldn’t be used within the imperial city? Then why—

Qi!

Luo Mingyu’s expression darkened. No wonder the arrow had traveled so far and carried such deadly force.

“Smack!”

Before they could say more, a merciless slap rang out. Using all her strength, Qian Yi shoved the man beside her away.

“Splash!”
The unlucky Nangong Mo lost his footing and fell straight into the lake.

“Damn it! Do you think I, Qian Yi, am easy to bully, you filthy man!” She tugged her clothes into place, then stomped hard on the hand gripping the edge of the boat. Nangong Mo cried out in pain. Only with Luo Mingyu’s help did he manage to crawl back onto the shore, soaked through.

“Crazy woman—completely crazy!” Nangong Mo roared as he sneezed repeatedly. “She hits me every time she sees me. Am I her punching bag or practice target? If that woman’s involved again, don’t call me out next time!”

He had only tried to save her—who knew she’d shove him straight into the water?

Luo Mingyu suppressed his laughter and coughed lightly. “Alright, at least she’s a princess. Can’t you give her a bit of face?”

“Face?” Nangong Mo snapped. “Do you know that after I accidentally slept with her, I even canceled a secret meeting to go to her house and apologize? I planned to formally propose too! And what did she do? She slapped me, grabbed my throat—utterly unreasonable!”

The memory made Nangong Mo’s anger flare again.

Gentle and sweet—those words had nothing to do with Qian Yi. That woman was basically a violent maniac who loved hitting people. Even after knowing he was the Crown Prince, she still cursed him like a street shrew. Just now, he’d saved her out of kindness—and she slapped him again!

Being mistaken for a lecher was bad enough. Now he’d been beaten by a woman and couldn’t even fight back. No matter how wronged he felt, there was no one he could complain to.

“Hahaha!” Luo Mingyu burst out laughing, clutching Nangong Mo’s shoulder. “You even went to her house to apologize? Hey, you were the one at fault—at least wait a few days before apologizing! Who rushes over immediately like that? You obviously care about her, yet you still pretend to hate her. Calling her a crazy woman—if she’s crazy, then what are you?”

“You—who are you calling crazy?!” Qian Yi, who was walking ahead, instantly exploded. She spun around and lunged for Nangong Mo’s neck.

Nangong Mo dodged quickly and grabbed her wrist, shouting angrily, “Crazy woman! You are a crazy woman! Completely unreasonable! I was only trying to save you, and you slapped me without a word. Do you think I’m some soft persimmon you can knead however you like?!”

“You! Don’t think I’ll submit just because of your status!” Qian Yi roared. “I’m telling you—you’re nothing but a rogue! I’d rather become a nun than marry you! To hell with you—let go!”

She stomped fiercely on Nangong Mo’s foot. Even Ling Ruoxi winced in sympathy, silently praying for him.

Nangong Mo’s face darkened as fury finally exploded. He seized both of Qian Yi’s hands and pulled her hard into his arms. “What did you say? Say it again? I’m a rogue? Fine—I’m a rogue! If I don’t do something, wouldn’t that be letting down the word ‘rogue’!”

“Ah—let me go!” Seeing his lips closing in, Qian Yi’s face changed drastically. Remembering that night, she suddenly threw her head back and slammed it straight into Nangong Mo’s nose.

Thud!

The two onlookers spat at the same time. Nangong Mo was truly unlucky—who would expect a woman who lived on the battlefield to use her head as a weapon? Her hands were restrained, her legs couldn’t move—so she used her head.

“My nose—!” Nangong Mo had only meant to scare her. He never expected such a sudden attack. He immediately released her, clutching his nose. Qian Yi still wasn’t satisfied and added another vicious stomp on his foot.

“You—!” Nangong Mo glared at her as bright red blood streamed through his fingers. He sucked in a sharp breath and wiped his nose with a handkerchief.

The people in the bustling street could only laugh helplessly at the sight. It was their first time ever seeing a couple quarrel like this.

“What’s all this ruckus?!”

The crowd suddenly parted as soldiers arrived. A man in red-and-black armor stood there, one hand resting on his sword, frowning coldly.

When his gaze fell on Ling Ruoxi, however, he froze.

The woman before him… seemed familiar.

It felt like he’d seen her somewhere before.