Chapter 73
Chapter 73: The Royal Palace Banquet, Chosen Fiancé, Are You Drunk?
Capital City of the Royal Azure Dynasty, inside the royal palace.
The cancelation of the marriage by combat had caused a lot of dissatisfaction from many parties, so handing out a bit of compensation for the general people would suffice.
Even so, some of the sage orthodoxies were not easily fooled.
That was why the Royal Azure Dynasty King organized the large banquet — to entertain the sky-prides from those orthodoxies.
Inside the luxurious royal palace hall.
A crowd of sky-prides had gathered there, but most of them had no intention of enjoying the numerous delicacies that were served before them. After all, they still had an unknown flame welling up within them.
They had traveled far just to join the marriage by combat, yet it was just canceled like that. It would be strange to say that they did not mind it.
Everyone was waiting for the Royal Azure Dynasty King to give them an explanation.
However, a part of the crowd had also noticed a seemingly unknown sky-pride among them, but that person was sitting extremely close to the front. It was even closer to the host’s seat compared to top-tiered sky-prides like Fangtian or even Yuanhong.
“Who is that person?”
Some of the people were curious to find out.
Just then, two figures walked into the royal palace hall. It was Chu Kuangren and Lan Yu.
When they saw him, everyone in the crowd started talking.
“What’s Chu Kuangren doing here? Isn’t he uninterested in the marriage by combat?”
“You’re right. Everyone present is those who wanted an explanation for the cancellation. What’s that uninterested guy doing here for?”
Facing the confused gazes from the people in the crowd, Chu Kuangren was calm and he eventually found his seat with the guidance of a palace maid.
His seat was extremely close to the front, which was in the same row as Gu Changge.
“D*mn, why is he sitting in the same row as me?” Gu Changge secretly cursed as he felt somewhat uncomfortable near him.
Chu Kuangren did not care. In fact, he was even delighted to see Gu Changge’s aggrieved look because honestly speaking, Chu Kuangren was quite adept at scheming sometimes.
Yet suddenly, he felt someone’s very unpleasant and hostile gaze on him.
Looking towards its direction, Chu Kuangren saw a green-robed cultivator glaring at him. There was a strong feeling of hostility in that guy’s eyes.
‘An unknown sky-pride?’
‘Then again, where’s all this hate coming from?’
Puzzled, Chu Kuangren activated his Eye of Revelation and checked.
“Shang Han, Shang Clan’s Young Emperor, Cultivation level – Paradise Realm Complete …”
Only when Chu Kuangren saw the information did he realize why.
So that was the Shang Clan’s Young Emperor. No wonder that guy had so much hostility towards him. After all, Chu Kuangren had cucked the guy.
He then looked back at Shang Han with a pitiful gaze.
Click…
As if he had noticed Chu Kuangren’s sorrowful gaze, Shang Han immediately clenched his fist, shattering the glass of wine he had into dust.
The surrounding sky-prides were startled when they saw that.
‘That unknown sky-pride seems very pissed off at Chu Kuangren.’
At that thought, they all felt better as they looked at Shang Han. Some of them even felt that similar anger and rage.
‘I guess everyone here must be sky-prides that were dominated by Chu Kuangren before huh.’
“His Royal Majesty has arrived.”
The Royal Azure Dynasty King was seen with the Royal Azure Queen beside him, and following them from behind was Princess Linglong. The crowd of sky-prides immediately rose to greet and welcome them upon seeing this. Most of their gazes, however, fell behind the Royal Azure Dynasty King and onto Princess Linglong instead.
Princess Linglong was wearing a splendidly beautiful dress that day. With her hair rolled and held up with a nine-feathered phoenix hairpin, it made her look ever so stunning and noble as well.
Even Chu Kuangren subconsciously looked at her.
Both of their gazes met for an instant before they immediately separated.
However, in Shang Han’s eyes, that scene seemed like an intimate gaze between loving couples, brewing with some sort of affection.
At that point, the hostile intent in his eyes became even stronger.
“At ease everyone, please sit.”
The Royal Azure Dynasty King smiled calmly.
Once everyone had sat down, the Royal Azure Dynasty King spared no time for nonsense. “I know that everyone is very displeased by the cancellation of the marriage by combat event. That is why I’ve organized this banquet for everyone today to give an explanation and also some compensation.”
“After the banquet, every orthodoxy here is allowed to send forth a representative to pick any one item they desire from the royal treasury.”
The Royal Azure Treasury was the very foundation of the Royal Azure Dynasty, and within it laid countless valuables and treasures. Letting them inside the treasury to pick any one item was truly a display of sincerity from the Royal Azure Dynasty King.
By then, most of the dissatisfaction within the crowd had disappeared.
After all, the organizers had decided to cancel the marriage by combat, so what else could they do? Force them to reorganize it?
Being able to get their hands on any treasure without doing anything was already splendid news to them.
Although the items within the royal treasury would not be as worthy as the Godly Essence, they were not sure they could stand out and win if the marriage by combat were to continue.
However, the valuables were real and could surely be obtained.
“If I’m allowed to ask, can Your Majesty explain why the marriage by combat event was canceled so abruptly?” Fangtian was still curious.
“This is what I’m about to explain. This marriage by combat event was canceled because Princess Linglong already has someone in her heart. Coincidently, that person is sitting among all of you today.” The Royal Azure Dynasty King chuckled.
The moment those words came out, everyone in the crowd looked at each other confusingly.
“Who is it? Which b*st*rd here stole the Princess’s heart?”
“Don’t tell me it’s Chu Kuangren. Thinking back then, the Princess did look at him with starry-eyes for a few times.”
“It can’t be right. Isn’t Chu Kuangren not interested in Princess Linglong? He had never bothered to join the marriage by combat event before.”
“Then who could it be?”
Some of them were staring at Princess Linglong, intending to spot any clues from her. However, they noticed that her gaze was locked in a certain direction across the hall.
Following her gaze, all they saw was Chu Kuangren.
Fangtian, Yuanhong, and others all felt a sudden halt in their hearts.
‘It can’t be, it can’t be, it can’t be, right? Is it really Chu Kuangren?’
“That man is the Elder Senior Brother of the Black Heaven Sect, Chu Kuangren!” Just when everyone in the crowd was unsure about the person, the Royal Azure Dynasty King announced immediately.
Everyone’s gaze shot towards and focused on Chu Kuangren.
“Besides, I have already made arrangements with Black Heaven Sect. From this day onwards, Chu Kuangren shall be the Fiancé of the Royal Azure Dynasty’s Eldest Princess.”
Without waiting for the crowd to recover from their daze, the Royal Azure Dynasty King dropped another bombshell onto them which shocked them silly.
Fangtian, Yuanhong, and the others looked at Chu Kuangren with bloodshot eyes.
‘Go f*ck yourself!’
‘Didn’t you say you were uninterested in the Princess?’
‘Now why the h*ll are you the Fiancé of the Royal Azure Dynasty’s Eldest Princess? ‘
‘As if letting you completely ransack the Secret Realm was not enough, now you even upped and took Princess Linglong for yourself as well! Can’t you leave us a good reward?’
Everyone lost it at that moment.
They cursed Chu Kuangren in their hearts with every word in the book.
However, what use could that do?
Most of the treasures in the Luminous Moon Secret Realm were already taken by Chu Kuangren, yet now, he was the Fiancé of the Royal Azure Dynasty’s Eldest Princess too. Possessing both wealth and women, what a great winner he was!
“Father, I object to this!”
Then, Gu Changge leaped out with his objection.
Giving Chu Kuangren the Godly Essence and declaring him the Fiancé of the Royal Azure Dynasty’s Eldest Princess, what kind of joke was this! He would be enraged if that were the case!
“Silence!”
The Royal Azure Dynasty King yelled with a chilling gaze, “You are a Crown Prince of the Royal Azure Dynasty. You’re now in a place before the public, so act like one!”
He was the one who planned the marriage arrangement with the Black Heaven Sect. How could he willingly cancel it just because of a few words from Gu Changge?
“Father, Chu Kuangren is an arrogant and mad person. He is not suitable as the Fiancé of the Royal Azure Dynasty’s Eldest Princess!”
“He is suitable because I myself deem him so. As to being arrogant and mad, who was not crazy during their younger years? And what’s so wrong about it then?”
“Father…”
“My dear Prince, are you drunk perhaps?”
Just when Gu Changge was about to say something, the Royal Azure Dynasty King glared at him as he spoke those words. That very indifferent look was a sign that his father’s anger was about to erupt.
Gu Changge shuddered. Although he felt very unsatisfied and reluctant, he did not dare to further go against his father. Hence, he had no choice but to bow and sit back down.