Volume 1, Chapter 58: The Autumn Hunt Approaches, Each with Their Own Agenda

In the Imperial Study of the Inner Palace, Li Zaiyuan suppressed his martial arts realm to better test Li Yunyi's dragon roar.

Li Yunyi was beaten back step by step under the suppression, barely able to defend himself. He had expected his father to scold him for his inadequate strength, but to his surprise, his father praised him once again.

His father remarked that not only was the form similar, but his roar also captured the divine essence of a dragon's cry. There was still the same minor flaw as before—he tended to lose his breath at the very end—but for a beginner, he was already doing quite well.

Looking at his father's beaming smile, Li Yunyi felt an even greater surge of joy. His traditionally strict father had actually praised him twice today.

If even his own clumsy dragon roar could be praised as good by his father, then how truly remarkable must Zhao Wujiang's display of powerful and imposing dragon roar have been when he demonstrated it earlier?

When it came to cultivating the Sacred Dragon Art, he really should consult Zhao Wujiang more often. It seemed that this kindred spirit of a brother-in-law had not held anything back from him and was genuinely teaching him the real essentials.

The reason he failed to grasp the full essence was simply because his realm was still insufficient. Once his realm was high enough, he too could emit a dragon roar that brought genuine comfort to his father and become his father's pride.

At this thought, Li Yunyi filled with anticipation for the future.

————

Feeling deeply gloomy, Long Zhan returned to his mansion.

At this moment, his state of mind was somewhat unstable, and he harbored a bone-deep hatred toward Zhao Wujiang.

He had never expected this good-for-nothing heir, Zhao Wujiang, to be so difficult to deal with, successively robbing him of his weapon and his senior apprentice sisters.

He would never allow things to end like this. He must wrest his tyrannical heavenly sword and his lost senior sisters back from Zhao Wujiang's hands!

Yun Jinshu, who was quietly reading a book, glanced at Long Zhan and asked knowingly, "How did it go?"

Long Zhan remained silent. How else could it have gone? He had failed, that was how.

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became, his face dark and sullen.

"There is no need to be discouraged," Yun Jinshu took the opportunity to comfort him, putting down the ancient text. "Ruyan and Qingxue do not know what is good for them; you cannot force these things. Even without the Dragon-Nurturing Divine Physique, I have ways to help your realm advance rapidly."

Long Zhan's expression softened as he looked at Yun Jinshu, a pleasant surprise lingering in his eyes.

Yun Jinshu continued, "Your cultivation of the True Yang Heart Classic has slackened lately, hasn't it? The Dragon-Nurturing Divine Physique can help boost your strength, but the True Yang Heart Classic itself possesses its own profound mysteries with many crucial points. Previously, you merely indulged in Ruyan's Dragon-Nurturing Divine Physique to take shortcuts and never pondered deeply."

A gradual light kindled in Long Zhan's eyes. Yun Jinshu had always possessed extraordinary talent in her comprehension of martial arts, far surpassing others. Since she spoke thus, she could definitely help him.

He spoke sincerely, "Please, Senior Sister, enlighten me."

Now you realize my importance? Yun Jinshu gave a proud and internal huff. Only by letting Long Zhan suffer setbacks in front of her two junior sisters would he ever figure out who truly mattered most.

"Let us go to the cultivation chamber, and I will guide you," Yun Jinshu replied.

A surge of joy welled up in Long Zhan's heart.

The two of them walked toward the cultivation chamber.

Before long, under Yun Jinshu's guidance, Long Zhan gained a deeper understanding of the True Yang Heart Classic. His strength increased significantly, firmly stabilizing in the fifth-rank martial artist realm, making his foundation far more solid than when he had first stepped into the fifth rank.

Inside the cultivation chamber, watching her high-spirited junior brother, Yun Jinshu seized the moment to bring up the restoration of the nation once more.

She wanted to restore the nation of Liujiang.

Liujiang was not a large country—or to be precise, its current territory was not large.

Over the years, much of Liujiang's territory had been slowly nibbled away by Great Xia, making the country smaller and smaller. Although it still existed, in the hearts of many, Liujiang was already dead in all but name, a fallen state.

And she, Yun Jinshu, was a princess of a fallen state.

Lately, she had voluntarily descended the mountain to "defect" to her junior brother because the current martial arts world had begun to plunge into chaos.

Top-tier experts had even prophesied that the fortune of the Li Dynasty was nearing its end.

Without a doubt, this was an opportune moment for her to restore Liujiang.

However, the people she favored and trusted were few, and Long Zhan was undoubtedly her best choice at present.

She had to drag Long Zhan onto her boat and use his formidable martial arts talent and potential to strengthen Liujiang!

Yet, even after realizing her importance and receiving guidance that elevated his realm, Long Zhan still failed to give her a definitive answer, saying only that he would consider it seriously.

Having failed to obtain the answer she desired, Yun Jinshu began plotting in her heart once more, wanting to pressure Long Zhan further.

Five days later was the imperial autumn hunt. This year marked the thirteenth year of Tianyou, the Jia-Chen year of the Dragon, and the imperial family attached great importance to it.

This autumn hunt would undoubtedly open its doors wide, summoning young talents from outside the imperial clan to participate in the hunt together.

Since Long Zhan was favored by the emperor, he would certainly participate... And given Long Zhan's strength, there was a near-certainty he would take first place.

When that time came, if she used her identity as the Princess of Liujiang, under the guise of defection, to arrange a marriage alliance with a talented youth of Great Xia, the Emperor of Great Xia would surely agree.

Then she could have Long Zhan, the winner of the autumn hunt, marry her!

Once her junior brother married her, the two of them would be completely bound together, and Long Zhan would never be able to back out!

Meanwhile, Long Zhan's strength was steadily growing, and he too had his own plans. With the autumn hunt approaching, Zhao Wujiang, as the son of the Prince of Zhenbei, would certainly participate.

Once they entered the depths of the royal hunting grounds, he could make a move against Zhao Wujiang!

With his current strength, even if Zhao Wujiang used the Wedding-Gown Divine Art to briefly reach the fifth rank, he would still be no match for him!

When that time came, he could crush Zhao Wujiang, wash away the humiliation of that day at the ancestral grounds, and take back the other heavenly sword that rightfully belonged to him, Long Zhan!

————

"The autumn hunt?"

Inside the prince's mansion, in Zhao Wujiang's bedroom.

Zhao Wujiang was puzzled. He knew about the autumn hunt, but why did Li Yunrui suddenly bring this up while they were making passionate love?

Riding astride Zhao Wujiang and moving up and down, Li Yunrui cast alluring glances as she briefly explained the importance of this autumn hunt to him. Then, she asked, "Do you want to practice archery on horseback? If you win first place, it'll bring honor to my father and make you look impressive, too."

"Aren't we practicing right now?" Zhao Wujiang teased. "You and I, husband and wife of one mind—you take charge of the riding, and I take charge of the shooting."

Zhao Wujiang had no interest in any first place.

However, Li Yunrui's words happened to remind him that the autumn hunt of the thirteenth year of Tianyou was about to arrive.

He remembered from the original novel that this autumn hunt was extraordinary.

In the original story, Long Zhan swept through the competition like a rolling wave, claiming first place with infinite glory. More importantly, blessed by the protagonist's halo, Long Zhan unexpectedly acquired a juvenile king beast.

Later on, this king beast grew up to become an unmatched, ferocious beast king, helping Long Zhan conquer north and south, and with its fierce yet endearing appearance, it even helped Long Zhan capture the hearts of many beauties.

Presently, Long Zhan harbored deep, deep hostility toward him, wishing nothing more than to eliminate him!

He had been clear about this in his mind for a long time.

The stronger Long Zhan became, the more dangerous he himself would be!

That being the case, during the autumn hunt, he—a minor villain who had thoroughly read the guide on *Self-Cultivation for Villains*—must snatch this juvenile king beast away and never let it fall into the hands of the protagonist, Long Zhan!

Teased by Zhao Wujiang's vulgar remark, Li Yunrui's pretty face flushed peach-red, and she gave her waist a fierce twist.

"My dear wife, do me a favor..." Zhao Wujiang said gently.

Pouting and refusing to give Zhao Wujiang a pleasant look, Li Yunrui chided, "What is it?"

"Help me get a map," Zhao Wujiang smiled. "A map of the royal autumn hunting grounds. My dear wife, you can definitely get one, right?"

"Hmph." Realizing that Zhao Wujiang wanted to cheat and familiarize himself with the terrain in advance, Li Yunrui curved her lips and leaned down, saying, "If you want it, it depends on your performance..."

"Then I'll just have to perform exceptionally well!" Zhao Wujiang directly flipped them over to take the dominant position, pinning Li Yunrui beneath him as he began to heavily reward her.

Half an hour later.

Satisfied yet still craving more, Li Yunrui lay in Zhao Wujiang's arms, agreeing to help him obtain an interior map of the autumn hunting grounds.