The women in white and yellow dresses in the crowd could not help but stare at the VIP seats, fixing their gaze on Tie Miaoqing to examine her carefully.
In particular, the woman in the yellow dress occasionally turned her head to check Yu Qing’s reaction.
Chan Shaoting was also paying close attention to their reactions and those from Long Xingyun’s side. Seeing that Yu Qing and Long Xingyun had become close enough to put their arms around each other’s shoulders, his suspicions grew. Seeing the woman in the yellow dress occasionally looking towards Yu Qing, he suspected even more whether they knew each other, or if she was actually looking at Long Xingyun.
“It is the proprietress and the shopkeeper.”
Nan Zhu nudged Mu Aotie with his elbow, whispering quietly while staring at the VIP seats, his expression looking as if in a dream.
Looking back on the past, it seemed he had never seen a more beautiful woman than Tie Miaoqing. It was a pity that such a beautiful woman had lived with him, only for them to part ways later. It would be a lie to say he did not feel regret.
However, there was no other choice. After the incident where Sun Ping acted as a traitor for external enemies, they really could not keep them around anymore. After all, it had nearly cost everyone their lives in the Golden Ruins.
He could feel that he and Tie Miaoqing got along quite well. He also felt that she was not superficial and did not judge people by their appearance. Spending day and night together, they had endless things to talk about.
Upon deeper understanding, Tie Miaoqing must have gradually sensed his inner cultivation and character.
If it were not for the incident with Sun Ping, the two of them might have eventually broken through that barrier between them sooner or later.
It was better not to think about the past, as it brought much regret. He never expected that upon meeting again, she would already be a married woman. Nan Zhu could not help but sigh silently. Looking back at Baili Xin beside him, who possessed a more youthful and heroic bearing, he felt quite comforted.
Actually, he did not need to remind him. Mu Aotie had already seen Tie Miaoqing and Sun Ping in the VIP seats and was staring at them.
Similarly recalling the past, remembering every scene of their time together at Youjiao Port, bits and pieces flooded his mind. His relationship with Tie Miaoqing was probably the most subtle.
He knew that Old Seven also liked Tie Miaoqing, and he could understand it. Having such a beautiful woman by his side every day, it would be a lie to say he felt nothing. However, with Old Seven’s flab and endless nagging, anyone would be annoyed. He did not even know to look in the mirror. Which woman could like that? He truly did not know where such confidence came from.
As for Old Fifteen, he was sometimes just childish. Clearly young, he insisted on keeping a moustache to pretend to be mature. He also conceitedly put on the airs of a sect leader. Coupled with the age gap, it was obvious he could not get along with Tie Miaoqing.
As for Old Two, there was no need to mention him. Pretending to be sanctimonious in front of outsiders to deceive people was one thing, but it was impossible within the Miaoqing Hall. He could not deceive anyone. With Old Seven’s sharp tongue, Tie Miaoqing would not fall for that trick. Besides, at that time, Old Fifteen suppressed Old Two, leaving Old Two without status and in a rather pathetic state.
There were only a few men in the entire Miaoqing Hall, and he was the only normal one. Whether in appearance, physique, or age, he and Tie Miaoqing were the most compatible.
Perhaps affection grew over time. He could feel that Tie Miaoqing was the most polite to him. Even if he stood there motionless, she would always walk over and greet him courteously when passing by. She never did this for the others.
He originally thought that some things would naturally fall into place over time. No one expected the betrayal of Sun Ping to happen, forcing them into an unavoidable situation.
Now, she had achieved high status and wealth, while he was far away on the long road of the martial world.
After all, they had driven her away back then. In the future, they could probably only forget each other in the vast martial world.
“The one right next to Prince Duan.”
“It is a bit far, I cannot see clearly, and I do not know what she actually looks like.”
“So what if she is beautiful? What kind of beauties has Prince Duan not seen? It is absolutely ridiculous that a divorced woman could actually be made a princess consort by Prince Duan.”
“Have you heard? This princess consort used to be the lover of that third place imperial scholar.”
“I have heard of it. They say they lived together at Youjiao Port for a long time.”
“Tsk tsk, to make the most talented man in the world fall at her feet, and to make Prince Duan bow down, how beautiful must she be? Is she a celestial fairy?”
“I say, you should stop gossiping about the romantic affairs of that princess consort and the imperial scholar. Have you not heard that people who could not keep their mouths shut have already had their tongues cut out by Prince Duan?”
“What is wrong with talking behind their backs? Do you believe that at least a thousand people here are talking about this? No matter how capable Prince Duan is, can he cut out everyone’s tongues right here?”
“Everyone knows about it. It is already done, so why fear people talking? If he has the ability, let him kill everyone in the world.”
Listening to the group of people on the steps below chattering and discussing, Xiao Hong occasionally glanced secretly at Wen Xin’s reaction beside her.
Wen Xin’s expression remained relatively calm, showing no excessive reaction. However, her gaze inevitably darted towards the VIP seats a few more times, seemingly wanting to see what the woman who could captivate the most talented man in the world and a royal prince actually looked like.
Thump, thump, thump.
A burst of intense drumming sounded and then stopped abruptly, quickly drawing everyone’s attention to the host platform.
Qin Fujun, with her dignified appearance, elegant beauty, and bright, sparkling eyes, stepped onto the stage with light and vigorous strides. She was still dressed in masculine attire that did not conceal her feminine figure. The expression on her face showed that she was very happy.
She felt extremely honoured because Kunling Mountain had assigned her to be in charge of hosting this main Chaoyang Assembly.
When someone is happy, someone else is unhappy. Gan Ju, standing at the side of the stage, frowned slightly and stared at his junior martial sister with a complex gaze.
Upon learning that the sect had handed the hosting task to the Meteor Hall, he had wanted to secure it for himself.
Just think about who the audience members were this time. They were almost all celebrities from all over the world. After hosting multiple matches, to put it bluntly, one could become a familiar face. To put it nicely, one could achieve great fame.
There were so many disciples in Kunling Mountain, but how many could be remembered by the world? This was clearly an excellent opportunity, a chance for the world’s celebrities to get to know and remember him well. A person would rarely have such an opportunity in a lifetime.
Being pushed forward by the sect to host such a major event inherently represented the sect’s recognition to some extent, and the outside world would surely think the same.
Who would have thought that the master would assign his junior martial sister to host this time? He had even tried to fight for it and advised the master, asking if it was inappropriate for a woman to host such an occasion. Unexpectedly, the master said that the sect leader had specifically named his junior martial sister.
Would the sect leader specifically name his junior martial sister for this? He did not believe it. He thought the master was still being biased, hence his dissatisfaction.
In his view, the master had been biased more than once or twice. Whenever there was an opportunity, the master would favour his junior martial sister. Was it not too obvious that the master wanted to groom her to take over the position of elder in the Meteor Hall?
On the stage, Qin Fujun smiled confidently and looked around the entire venue. She did not utter any empty words of thanks to the guests from all directions. Focusing only on her responsibilities, she cast a spell to amplify her voice and spoke directly to the competitors gathered below. “Everyone here is a master who has stood out from the layered competitions in various regions. You are all clear about the drawing of lots rules, so I will not repeat them. Here, I will explain some things that you might not know.
It cannot be said that no one knows, as it is actually the same as the rules of previous Chaoyang Assemblies. Those who have some understanding will naturally know.
The drawing of lots for the Chaoyang Assembly finals will only take place in two rounds. One hundred people will draw once, and then the fifty winners will draw again. After twenty five winners are decided, there will be no more drawing of lots. It will enter the challenge mode, where any participant can issue a challenge to anyone else.
Why not adopt the challenge mode from the beginning? I will explain this to those who are unclear.
First, there are too many people, and no one knows how long the fights would last. We must eliminate a group of people in the fastest way. In the elimination mode of drawing lots, some people might feel they have bad luck. Indeed, someone will definitely have bad luck in a draw, but those who win are stronger than you!
Drawing lots twice more is also because most people are unfamiliar with the other competitors. Therefore, we will have two rounds of matches first, allowing everyone to observe the combat processes of all participants twice. In the subsequent challenge matches, everyone can act according to their capabilities. You should know in your heart whether you should challenge someone, to avoid regrets caused by bad luck.
The rules of the challenge match are also very simple. The unshakeable are supreme, and thus the top ten will be gradually decided. The specific rules will be distributed to everyone this afternoon.
Furthermore, I will take this opportunity to announce the rewards for this Chaoyang Assembly. It needs to be clarified that the reward amount for each assembly is different, and the rewards for each session are allocated based on the total donations of that session.
The first place in this session will be rewarded with five hundred million taels of silver, the second place with three hundred million, the third place with two hundred million, and the fourth to tenth places will each be rewarded with one hundred million.”
Five hundred million? Yu Qing’s eyes below the stage suddenly lit up, shining with a distinct gleam, and his tempted expression was quite obvious.
Long Xingyun, fanning himself with a folding fan, accidentally caught his reaction and could not help but laugh. Knowing that this fellow’s business had been ruined by him, leaving him in deep debt, he closed his folding fan and tapped Yu Qing’s chest. “Go home and dream, do not think too much about it now.”
Yu Qing pushed his hand away, annoyed by him.
In the stands, Nan Zhu nudged Mu Aotie and muttered, “Five hundred million for first place. Do you think Old Fifteen has a chance?”
Mu Aotie replied faintly, “It is difficult. Even if he could win it, would he dare to show off like that?”
Nan Zhu thought about it and agreed, letting out only a sigh.
There was much whispering on the stands. A reward of hundreds of millions was not a small amount anywhere. In fact, those who could become spectators in these stands had made at least a minimum donation to this assembly, otherwise they would not have admission qualifications.
On the main stage, the background wall had already flipped over, and one hundred tags were neatly hung on it.
Under Qin Fujun’s command, the one hundred competitors below the stage began to change their positions and form a circle.
Yu Qing moved nimbly, and even fearing he might get separated from the casual fellow Long Xingyun, he placed a hand on his back shoulder.
Long Xingyun looked left and right, tapping his own shoulder with the folding fan in his hand. “Take your dog paw off.”
Yu Qing had to let go, but he followed closely, step by step, refusing to fall behind.
Having finally formed a circle, he smelled what seemed to be a woman’s fragrance. He subconsciously turned his head to look, only to see a masked woman in a yellow dress following closely behind him, and she was also holding the hand of a woman in a white dress behind her.