Suo Ning Bing personally helped Suo Lun put on the tight fitting archer outfit. It was made from python skin and was extremely expensive. At this moment, wearing it on him, he looked exceptionally heroic and extraordinary. It made Suo Ning Bing’s beautiful eyes shine with colourful ripples.
“It really looks too handsome.” Suo Ning Bing said: “If Gui Qin Shao saw you looking so glorious now, she would definitely regret having treated you so badly before.”
Hearing his sister mention the name of this cheap fiancée again, Suo Lun just smiled, then slightly furrowed his brows to show that he did not want to bring up Gui Qin Shao at this time.
Suo Ning Bing still did not notice anything unusual about him, because Suo Lun’s eyes still looked bright and wicked, just as charming as always.
His sister smoothed out Suo Lun’s furrowed brows and said: “Silly child, our marriage alliance with Earl Gui Xing Fu of Linhai City is very important. Moreover, you have not met your fiancée. She is truly very, very beautiful, the kind of gorgeous beauty that makes people unable to open their eyes. Once you successfully inherit the title and become the Lord of Tianshui City, we will go to Linhai City to formally propose marriage and arrange your wedding.”
Suo Ning Bing helped him fasten the belt around his waist. She looked him up and down at his tall and straight figure, matched with his extremely handsome face. It was indeed enough to captivate thousands of young girls. Then she nodded in satisfaction.
“Little one, what is wrong with your eyes?” His sister cared too much about Suo Lun. Even though his eyes looked completely undamaged, she still felt there was something slightly off.
“They are fine. I was just overwhelmed by your beauty.” Suo Lun teased.
“Our little one is the one who is truly handsome. Alright, go and blind everyone’s eyes.” Suo Ning Bing rarely teased back, then affectionately rubbed the tip of her nose against Suo Lun’s nose tip.
Suo Lun took the chance to wrap his arms around her slender waist, stole a kiss on her small mouth.
Suo Ning Bing’s delicate body trembled. Her face instantly flushed red. She whispered: “Little rascal, let go of me quickly.”
Suo Lun did not let go. Instead, he tightened his hand, pressing her soft delicate body tightly against himself. Then he brought his lips close to her crystal clear earlobe and said softly: “Sister, wait for me to come back at home.”
With that, he opened his mouth and gently bit her earlobe. Then he walked straight out.
Half of Suo Ning Bing’s delicate body went numb. Her incomparably beautiful face looked as if she had drunk wine. Looking at Suo Lun’s back, her large eyes were misty and watery.
She did not know from when it started, but this handsome and melancholic boy had already become her everything.
And for some reason, at this moment, Suo Ning Bing, who felt happiness and shyness from the intimacy, had a trace of haze in her heart, yet she could not find the reason at all.
…
“Young Master, hello.”
“Master, hello.”
“Young Master, good luck.”
Relying on his memory, Suo Lun walked out of the earl residence in the dark. The family warriors and maids along the way all bowed and greeted him. He greeted them with a smiling face and nodded in return.
After walking out of the earl residence, Ye Jing Yu’s carriage was already prepared.
Suo Lun walked over and whispered to Ye Jing Yu: “Help me get on the carriage.”
Ye Jing Yu was stunned, then held Suo Lun’s hand and helped him onto the carriage.
“Congratulations to Master on his triumphant return.” At the main gate of the earl residence, all the maids and warriors shouted loudly.
Suo Lun smiled and waved to them in farewell.
Ye Jing Yu waved the horsewhip, drove the carriage, and headed towards the Royal City Academy.
At this time, the bet between Suo Lun and Zhi Ning had already become the focus of the entire royal city.
Today, the final outcome would be decided.
At this moment, both sides of the road from the earl residence to the Royal City Academy were crowded with people watching the excitement. They all cheered and shouted for Suo Lun.
“Suo Lun, we support you. You must win the final round.”
“Suo Lun, you must, must win. Beat Princess Zhi Ning!”
“Suo Lun, good luck. You must win, you must win!”
Although Suo Lun was a noble and had once been notorious, he dared to resist the oppression of the royal family and had created miracles again and again. Therefore, at this time, he had already won the support of countless citizens in the royal city.
Everyone was waiting for his final performance, waiting for him to create one last miracle.
However, no one knew that the Suo Lun they regarded as a miracle had a world of complete darkness before his eyes at this moment.
An archer whose eyes could not see was like a gourmet who had lost his tongue, or a perfume expert who had lost his sense of smell.
At the Silver Casino, another one thousand plus gold coins had been bet on Suo Lun winning. The total now accumulated to more than thirteen thousand gold coins.
And if Suo Lun really won, the Silver Casino would have to pay out one hundred and thirty thousand gold coins.
This was a super astronomical figure, already exceeding the annual tax revenue of one province. If Suo Lun really won, even bankrupting the Silver Casino three times would not be enough to pay, and Zhi Ning and Zhi Li would be seriously hurt financially.
Even just for this astronomical sum of gold coins, it would be enough to scheme against Suo Lun a hundred times.
Under the expectant gazes of countless crowds, Suo Lun’s carriage drove into the Royal City Academy.
…
There were no longer noisy crowds on both sides of the road. Suo Lun was still the focus of all attention, but it was filled with coldness and hostility.
Every student in the civilian academy glared angrily at Suo Lun’s carriage.
Because these people were the most loyal supporters of the royal family. And Suo Lun was the enemy of the royal family. He had blocked Prince Zhi Li’s path.
What was even more unforgivable was that Suo Lun had desecrated their goddess, Princess Zhi Ning. Whether it was Princess Zhi Ning or Prince Zhi Li, they both enjoyed extremely high reputation in the civilian academy.
Moreover, Suo Lun’s essay on party struggles leading to the fall of the nation had completely placed him on the opposite side of these civilian elites.
As for how astonishing Suo Lun’s artistic attainments were? Sorry, they did not care, and they completely looked down on such vague and illusory things.
When passing through the central axis of the civilian academy, Suo Lun once again faced dense mockery and curses from the civilian students.
“Suo Lun, this final exam is the moment when you completely reveal your useless nature.”
“Suo Lun, after today, your Suo clan will be finished. You will be nothing. You will fall to the level of us commoners.”
“Oh no, although we are commoners, we possess outstanding literary and martial skills. But you, once you lose your noble status, will completely become a waste.”
“Suo Lun, after you lose everything, you can wholeheartedly serve those prostitutes. You can paint and play music for them. That is what you are best at, right?”
“By then, I am afraid he will not even have that leisure. However, his face is handsome, so he can work in a brothel receiving guests. Spreading his legs would make money even faster.”
Ye Jing Yu, who was driving the carriage, trembled all over with anger. At this time, Suo Lun was no longer just her lord, and no longer the previous unfamiliar Lan Ling. He was a man who made her feel immense heartache and immensely fascinated.
On the contrary, Suo Lun, listening to these curses and mockeries, remained completely quiet and unresponsive inside the carriage.
After passing through the civilian branch, they arrived at the noble branch, where the scene was completely different.
“Suo Lun, we support you.”
“Suo Lun, you must win!”
Many noble girls crowded around Suo Lun’s carriage and shouted enthusiastically.
In their minds, men with high martial skills were just mere warriors. Only art was eternal, and that night, Suo Lun had completely conquered them with a piece of “Destiny”.
They supported him not only with words, but also with actions, especially with gold coins.
They emptied all their pocket money to bet on Suo Lun winning at the Silver Casino, even though they completely felt the money was just thrown into water, because they knew that in martial arts, Suo Lun could be said to be powerless, unable to truss a chicken.
Lan Ling could not see these girls, but he could feel their enthusiastic aura. A smile appeared at the corner of his mouth, and he thought to himself: “Originally I could still let you win some dowry money, but now… I will do my best!”
The carriage drove to the front of the archery field and stopped. This was the venue for today’s final great exam.
“Jing Yu, help me.” Suo Lun said, stretching out his hand.
Ye Jing Yu was surprised again, then helped Suo Lun down and teased: “Yes, great lord. From tonight onwards, I will no longer be your warrior, but your maid.”
“If you are a maid, do you also take responsibility for warming the bed?” Suo Lun teased, then looked in Ye Jing Yu’s direction.
At this time, Ye Jing Yu finally noticed something wrong. Although she was holding Suo Lun’s hand, her body was busy tidying the saddle. Suo Lun’s gaze towards her was empty. She was not there.
“Master, you, what is wrong with you?” Ye Jing Yu said in a trembling voice.
Suo Lun said: “My eyes cannot see. Yesterday at the Marquis Jian Yong residence, a woman with a very small figure but extremely high martial arts made my eyes go black. Yesterday I did not feel anything, but when I woke up today, I could not see.”
Immediately, Ye Jing Yu stood frozen in place. She, who had never cried before, had tears surging out.
Then, Ye Jing Yu squatted on the ground like that and let out an incomparably grief stricken cry.
Why like this? Why did heaven treat her master like this?
He was so kind, so talented, so strong, so pitiable. Why treat him like this?
Then, infinite grief and indignation surged in Ye Jing Yu’s heart. She suddenly gripped the curved blade in her hand and was about to rush out to tear Zhi Ning into ten thousand pieces, to tear that woman with a heart like a snake and scorpion into ten thousand pieces.
“Jing Yu, do not do this. Hold my hand and enter the archery field. The great exam is about to start.” Suo Lun said.
Ye Jing Yu said: “But how can you still take the exam like this? You cannot even see. How can you shoot arrows?”
“I want to try.” Suo Lun said: “There is a good saying. When fate manipulates you, you fiercely choke its throat. If you cannot make it yield, then perish together with it.”
Then, Suo Lun forcefully pulled Ye Jing Yu up and said: “Get up. Hold my hand and enter the archery field. Today let me try once more to see if I can choke its throat again. And if I cannot choke it, if I fail, I might shoot my final arrow towards Zhi Ning! If it really comes to that, the Suo clan will have its entire family executed, and you will have to die with me.”
Ye Jing Yu suddenly stood up, held Suo Lun’s hand and said: “If we die, we die together. If your final arrow does not kill Zhi Ning, I will use all my cultivation, all my strength, to rush over and tear her into ten thousand pieces.”
Then, Ye Jing Yu held Suo Lun’s hand like that and, in the darkness, entered the vast and boundless archery field.