“Yes, he is still in seclusion.”
“Is it to break through to which level?”
“This—I'm not sure.” Xiao Ruoling gently shook her head: “Regarding these things, I don’t really understand them, and I haven’t asked much.”
“Not practicing martial arts indeed means not caring about these things. Fighting and killing is boring,” Li Hongzhao nodded. “After coming to Yujing, I heard of Young Master Yuan’s great name.”
Xiao Ruoling said, “It seems he isn’t very famous, right?”
Li Hongzhao chuckled: “Having defeated Cheng Tianfeng, how could he not be famous?”
Xiao Ruoling looked puzzled.
Li Hongzhao didn’t see that she possessed martial arts.
It seems that although Li Hongzhao is a Grandmaster, she doesn’t have the insight of the Young Master, nor is she as perceptive.
Li Hongzhao said: “Cheng Tianfeng is an extraordinary figure, a true disciple of Wentian Cliff, a closed disciple of the National Teacher, with peerless talent, rare in the world.”
“He is still at the Innate Realm, right? Your Highness, you are already a Grandmaster.”
“As for me—” Li Hongzhao chuckled: “I was lucky, a fortunate coincidence allowed me to become a Grandmaster, it doesn’t count as real skill.”
“Who knows if Cheng Tianfeng wasn’t also lucky?” Xiao Ruoling smiled: “Why must Your Highness belittle yourself? There aren’t many twenty-five-year-old Grandmasters in the world.”
“What he relies on really isn’t luck,” Li Hongzhao said, “Yujing has produced a twenty-three-year-old Grandmaster: Huang Shirong of White Cloud Sword Palace.”
Xiao Ruoling nodded gently: “Miss Huang is indeed extremely powerful, with extremely high talent.”
“Is that her?” Li Hongzhao suddenly pointed towards the window.
Xiao Ruoling looked over and immediately saw Huang Shirong in a yellow dress in the bustling crowd.
She was strolling through the crowd, surrounded by two snow-white-clad maidens, as relaxed and free as a fish in water, squeezing through gaps.
Despite the crowded people, no one could touch her apricot-yellow silk dress. An invisible force was isolating others from getting close.
“It is indeed Miss Huang.”
“How about inviting her over for a meeting?”
“This—wouldn’t that be too abrupt?”
“Isn't this a chance encounter? Since we've met, let’s meet. Xiaolu, go and invite Miss Huang over for a chat.”
“Yes.” A beautiful maid outside the door agreed crisply and floated away.
She was a graceful girl, beautiful and bright, shuttling lightly through the crowd, and soon came to Huang Shirong, took out a name card from her green sleeve, and presented it.
Wen Qianqian looked at her vigilantly, and after receiving the name card, turned her head to look in the direction of the teahouse.
The three women saw Li Hongzhao at the window, raising her teacup in greeting.
Li Hongzhao inside the window smiled, her beauty like a flower.
“Then let’s go and pay respects to the Ninth Princess.” Huang Shirong nodded slightly.
The three women followed the little maid upstairs and came to the room. Wen Qianqian and Xu Mengyu tactfully did not enter, only Huang Shirong went inside.
The three women greeted each other again and then sat down to talk together.
Li Hongzhao was very enthusiastic, without the arrogance of a princess, and spoke frankly and generously.
“These past few days, the three of us have been judged and compared. I didn’t expect that we would actually come together today. This must be the gods arranging for us to gather here. Come, let us use tea instead of wine to toast each other!”
After she said that, she stood up, raised her teacup, and took a big sip, bold and generous.
The two women were also stirred by her words and stood up to take a big sip of tea.
Friendship between women comes quickly. Perhaps upon meeting, in just a short moment, they can become familiar and close.
Although they each have their own positions and are even hostile to each other, on the surface they talk and laugh, like old friends.
The two women were silent and had nothing to say.
This was indeed the truth.
“Just like Prince Qing of Yujing,” Li Hongzhao smiled, “The dignified Third Prince, but what is he now? Fortunately, the Young Master is promising, the Prince's Mansion won't be too poor, otherwise, a phoenix fallen from its perch is worse than a chicken, living a very miserable life.”
She had seen some princes and princes in embarrassing situations.
They seem to be able to maintain a life of luxury, but they are subjected to anger everywhere and are excluded from the circle, so they can only close the doors of their mansions and live their own lives.
Even so, some people will still bully them.
There is no peace all day long, it is not as comfortable as an ordinary person living freely.
“The Young Master is indeed extraordinary.” Huang Shirong looked at Xiao Ruoling.
Xiao Ruoling pursed her lips and smiled without saying a word.
Li Hongzhao said: “I was just talking to Miss Xiao about Prince Qing’s Young Master. He is truly remarkable. It’s a pity that I can’t see him. Miss Huang, are you familiar with Young Master Yuan?”
“As for the Young Master—okay.” Huang Shirong nodded lightly: “I have met him several times, and there have been some official exchanges.”
“How is he?”
“The Young Master is naturally extraordinary.”
“How does he compare to you?”
“This little girl is far from reaching his level.” Huang Shirong shook her head gently: “The Young Master is a dragon and phoenix, how can I compare with him? How can the light of a firefly compete with the bright moon?”
Li Hongzhao chuckled.
Xiao Ruoling also felt that it was a bit too much.
Huang Shirong's words praised Chu Zhiyuan too highly and belittled herself too much, which seemed too exaggerated and unbelievable.
Li Hongzhao smiled and said: “We three are talking, there is no need for that officialdom set. Strong is strong, weak is weak. Although I am a Grandmaster, it came from a lucky encounter, a coincidence, so it doesn't count as real skill. So I have always been very afraid of Cheng Tianfeng. Cheng Tianfeng is really powerful, but I didn't expect him to be dealt with so harshly by Chu Zhiyuan.”
Huang Shirong smiled: “Your Highness, I am not flattering or being polite, these are indeed words from the bottom of my heart. The Young Master's strength is truly rare in the world.”
Xiao Ruoling pursed her lips and smiled: “He’s not here, Hall Master Huang, you are overpraising him.”
“Well—forget it.” Seeing that they both had such expressions, Huang Shirong knew that they would not listen to her words, so she was too lazy to say more.
“Shirong, it’s not that I don’t believe you, but no matter how strong he is, can he break through to the Grandmaster at the age of twenty-three?” Li Hongzhao smiled.
“He can.” Huang Shirong’s expression was firm.
Li Hongzhao smiled and said: “Entering the Grandmaster is very mysterious. Some people reach the Innate Realm early, but are stuck for a lifetime. Some people reach the Innate Realm with great difficulty, but quickly step into the Grandmaster. It’s hard to say.”
“The Young Master is different.” Huang Shirong said: “For others, entering the Grandmaster is difficult, but for him, entering the Grandmaster is not difficult.”
“If you say that—” Li Hongzhao looked at Xiao Ruoling, who had been silent all along, and smiled: “Miss Xiao, you really have a discerning eye.”
“Hall Master Huang is overpraising me. Your Highness, I can see it now. Inviting me is fake, you want to find him.” Xiao Ruoling smiled: “When he comes out of seclusion in a few days, you can go directly to him.”
“If I rashly look for him, I’m afraid he won’t see me.” Li Hongzhao smiled.
Xiao Ruoling pursed her lips and chuckled.
As expected of Li Hongzhao, she is shrewd and powerful, and her grasp of people's hearts is especially accurate.
Chu Zhiyuan would indeed not easily see her, and would definitely avoid her.
Just at this moment, there was movement outside. The three women looked down through the window.
Only a young man, surrounded by a group of white-clad knights, stood in front of the teahouse, coldly looking at the Cloud-Treading Iron Cavalry blocking the door.
“Cheng Tianfeng?” Li Hongzhao snorted.
Xiao Ruoling nodded gently: “It is indeed Young Master Cheng.”
