Qi Rong's arrogant words instantly drew the dissatisfaction and anger of the Kekqin warriors. They all glared menacingly at Qi Rong, seemingly unable to wait to defeat him in the upcoming competition!
Wei Chengyang felt a warm current in his heart, and his restless heart instantly calmed down.
Since his younger sister caused that trouble in the prince's mansion last time, he had hardly dared to face his old friends. However, they didn't hold it against him and treated him as usual, which deeply touched him.
He nodded to Qi Rong and then made a request:
"I understand. Let me be the first to take the stage later."
"Sure."
Qi Rong granted his request.
Because the emperor had asked him to arrange the order of appearance, with the requirement of achieving a complete victory!
Just as the two were talking, Crown Prince Qi Yu walked over slowly, his eyes fixed on Qi Rong.
"Uncle Seventh, I'd like to be the second one."
The matter of Yun Xi had made him hold a grudge against Qi Rong, but since it concerned the honor of the royal family, he couldn't back down.
Facing the serious expression of the crown prince, Qi Rong refused without hesitation:
"You'll be the last one."
Hearing Qi Rong's words, Crown Prince Qi Yu looked stunned, as if he had suffered a great humiliation.
Even though he was the crown prince, he was determined to win honor for the royal family.
Although he understood that Uncle Seventh might be doing this to protect him from getting hurt, if that was the case, by the time all ten Kekqin warriors were defeated, he might not even get a chance to take the stage!
He didn't want to hide behind others and just enjoy the illusory glory.
"Nephew wants to have a spar with the Kekqin warriors. I hope Uncle Seventh will grant my request!"
Qi Yu clasped his fists and made a solemn request, but Qi Rong remained unmoved, his expression cold:
"Since the emperor has given this king the right to arrange the order, there's no room for discussion on this matter!"
Being repeatedly refused by Qi Rong, Qi Yu's face darkened, and he couldn't help but question:
"Is Uncle Seventh worried that my mediocre martial arts skills will disgrace the royal family, or do you deliberately want to embarrass me by arranging me last?"
Thinking of Yun Xi in the stands, Qi Yu felt suffocated. He didn't want to be looked down upon by her in this situation!
So, in order to move up his position in the order, his words were full of confrontation, aiming to make Qi Rong deny his doubts and give him a chance to compete with the Kekqin warriors!
Qi Rong stared expressionlessly at Qi Yu. The next moment, he slightly curled his lips, showing a mocking arc:
"What if this king says it's both?"
"…!"
Qi Yu was stunned, and his face instantly darkened. But Qi Rong then said slowly:
"If you have any objections to this king's arrangement, you can go directly to the emperor for instructions. If he agrees, it's not impossible to arrange you as the first one."
Qi Rong's words deeply hurt Qi Yu, as if he were an ignorant child, acting willfully relying on the adults' favor.
And the disdain in Qi Rong's eyes was the harshest condemnation of him!
"Then I'll be the second one!"
Just when Qi Yu's face turned pale and he fell into silence, Zhen Yuanfeng, the third son of the Zhen family, suddenly walked over and stood in front of Qi Rong.
He stared directly at Qi Rong, his eyes full of hostility:
"I'll make sure you won't even get a chance to take the stage!"
Zhen Yuanfeng looked provocative, with hidden hatred in his eyes.
In order to be worthy of Yun Xi one day and let her break free from Qi Rong's control, he had been practicing hard day and night in the southern border since he returned. He never dared to slack off even for a moment, regardless of the wind or rain.
However, when he wrote to his mother to inquire about Yun Xi's situation and wanted to bring some gifts for her from the southern border, his mother told him that Yun Xi had married into the Prince Xian's mansion!
He rushed back to the capital day and night on horseback. After asking around, he found out that:
Yun Xi didn't actually marry Qi Rong. Instead, she was forced by him to become his concubine!
And the reason why Yun Xi endured the humiliation and agreed was to save her father. This was no longer a secret in the capital, because many people had witnessed how Qi Rong forced her on her wedding day!
Looking at the arrogant and provocative Zhen Yuanfeng, Qi Rong sneered:
"It's okay to arrange you as the second one, but you obviously overestimate your own strength."
The top ten Kekqin warriors were surely not to be underestimated.
Being young and impulsive wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but failing to recognize one's own limitations could lead to big trouble!
Seeing the mockery on Qi Rong's face, Zhen Yuanfeng felt annoyed and couldn't help but issue a challenge to Qi Rong:
"Then, my lord, do you dare to make a bet with me? If I win, you must set Yun Xi free and never let her be your concubine again!"
The viewing stands were some distance away from the arena. Although Yun Xi couldn't hear what Zhen Yuanfeng was saying to Qi Rong, she could see that he was pointing in her direction.
She was just feeling puzzled when Zhan Feng, who had excellent hearing, snorted and couldn't hide his disdain:
"A beautiful woman as a bane!"
With just these four words, Yun Xi roughly understood that Zhen Yuanfeng's words were probably related to her.
Her gaze couldn't help but turn to Qi Rong. Seeing his suddenly gloomy expression, her heart skipped a beat.
Qi Rong was such a petty person. She was really afraid that Zhen Yuanfeng would get into big trouble because of this!
Zhen Yuanfeng's words instantly made Qi Rong's expression turn cold. He looked so angry that he was like a furious lion, as if he would tear someone apart and devour them in the next moment!
Seeing this, the twin brothers of the Zhen family were afraid that Zhen Yuanfeng would be slapped to death by the enraged Qi Rong. They quickly rushed over and grabbed Zhen Yuanfeng from both sides, dragging him away from Qi Rong.
Zhen He Song, the fifth son, raised his hand and tapped Zhen Yuanfeng on the head, scolding him in a low voice:
"You fool! Just focus on the competition. Why say other things? Aren't you afraid of crying if you lose badly later?!"
Zhen, the fourth son, also pinched Zhen Yuanfeng's waist and angrily scolded:
"Yeah! When you make a fool of yourself, don't say you're our brother!"
Zhen Yuanfeng had just issued the challenge but hadn't received an answer from Qi Rong yet. Then, his two brothers interrupted and even scolded him?! Zhen Yuanfeng was instantly filled with anger. He punched each of them firmly and roared:
"Get out of here! You've ruined my plan!"
Had these two kids forgotten that he was their elder brother?!
The twin brothers naturally weren't in a good mood after being punched by Zhen Yuanfeng. They immediately grabbed Zhen Yuanfeng's ears from both sides and angrily retorted:
"With your straightforward and stubborn brain, you still have a plan? It's already a good thing if you don't cause trouble for her!"
Saying this, their eyes couldn't help but turn to Yun Xi, and there was also a hint of regret in their hearts.
Afraid that Zhen Yuanfeng would cause more trouble, the two brothers held him down and whispered a warning in his ear:
"Now we still don't know what Yun Xi is thinking. If she wants to leave the Prince Xian's mansion, we can discuss it in the long run. Don't act rashly and make the situation more complicated!"
Zhen Yuanfeng gritted his teeth and looked up at Yun Xi. Seeing her gently shaking her head at him, his eyes couldn't help but turn red.
He secretly swore:
"I will definitely save her from the Prince Xian's mansion!"
Looking at the gloomy and terrifying Qi Rong, and his gaze falling on the beautiful and ethereal figure in the stands, Qi Yu felt as if a seed had sprouted in his heart.
If he had power, would he be able to speak his true feelings without hesitation like the Zhen brothers?
Would he also have the ability to compete with Uncle Seventh and win back Yun Xi again?!
Thinking of this, Qi Yu suddenly lowered his head. His heart was pounding uncontrollably. He subconsciously raised his hand to cover the smile on his lips.