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Chapter 210: Chapter 109: Can You Handle Such a Fierce Woman?

To be honest, Zhao Ci’s brain was short-circuiting.

It wasn’t that he hadn’t expected Kan Luotang to come. Though their interactions had been few, they had faced a life-and-death situation together, so he felt he had some understanding of her.

’This woman... she’s so pure!’

She only did what she believed was right.

Things that many people valued, such as power or even their own lives, she didn’t hold in such high regard.

She could even cast all those things aside for her convictions.

So, Kan Luotang appearing here today made perfect sense. The only obstacle to overcome was the resistance from the Kan Family.

But in Zhao Ci’s mind, even if Kan Luotang did appear, it would have been because she had persuaded Kan Tianji and then come here on her own.

But Kan Tianji’s actions were utterly baffling.

’Agreeing to let Kan Luotang become a Mansion Official could be explained as him being unable to dissuade her, but what was this about directly announcing the marriage arrangement?’

’The bond of interests between a Householder and a Mansion Official is a completely different concept from the bond between a husband and wife, alright?’

’The former is a tool in the tug-of-war between the Imperial Family and the Merit Clans. A Mansion Official and a Householder have a relationship of mutual use. If I wanted to sever ties, I could do so with a bit of ruthlessness. Even if something happened to me, there would still be hope of keeping Kan Luotang safe.’

’But a husband and wife are a true community of shared interests!’

’He just announced it like that?’

’How is this any different from going all-in?’

This kind of behavior from Kan Tianji couldn’t be explained away by the simple word ”persuaded.”

And Old Deng’s wish just so happened to confirm this.

’So, let’s brainstorm a bit. Kan Tianji’s son—Kan Luotang’s father—was once Xiang Tiange’s military strategist and died on the battlefield with him.’

’My mother, Princess Consort Jing, Xiang Xiaoling, a direct disciple of Yingzhou Immortal Island, died in childbirth after having a child with Old Deng.’

’Then, a Demon Sect Saintess came and took her place.’

Zhao Ci had been suspicious about the ”death in childbirth” before, but he hadn’t rushed to any conclusions since there was no corroborating evidence.

But now, it seemed a conclusion could be drawn.

He even felt that Xiang Tiange’s death looked like a plot to eliminate a subject whose achievements had grown too great for his lord’s comfort, but that explanation felt a bit forced.

Because back then, Xiang Tiange was merely an exceptionally powerful Marshal. The elites in the army under his command were actually the scions of the great families. They had immense faith in his command and would follow him into battle, but they would absolutely never follow him in a rebellion.

In fact, Xiang Tiange didn’t even have that much of a say within his own Jing Chu Xiang Clan.

He was just a Marshal.

His personal martial prowess was unparalleled in history.

His command ability was unprecedented.

But... that was it.

’Besides, the entire nation was on a northern expedition at the time. Even if it was a plot to eliminate a subordinate who had grown too powerful, it should have been staged *after* the expedition’s success!’

’However, Xiang Tiange died at the very moment the conflict was at its fiercest. Victory was nowhere in sight. There was no reason for Old Deng to cripple himself like that.’

’Baffling!’

’It’s just too baffling!’

In just an instant, Zhao Ci had constructed countless narratives in his mind to explain Xiang Tiange’s fate, but the logic in any of them fell apart.

’My CPU is about to fry.’

But no matter what, one thing was certain.

’Even if Old Deng was the greatest emperor of all time, his ass definitely wasn’t clean. At the very least, the role he played in the war eighteen years ago was anything but honorable.’

’Why am I overthinking this?’

’It’s none of my damn business!’

[Notification]: Wish fulfilled. Reward granted: Comprehension Value +100, Breaking Formation Talisman x1.

[Breaking Formation Talisman]: Crush this talisman to automatically break any array or predicament trapping the user.

”Luotang! You’re finally here!”

Zhu Li practically danced with excitement, grabbing Kan Luotang’s arm and pointing at the group from the other three mansions. ”It’s them! They bullied your fiancé, and they bullied your good friend! Look how they’ve wronged us! Go beat them up!”

Kan Luotang: ”...”

Zhao Ci chuckled. ”We’ve lost quite a bit. We really can’t do this without you.”

Kan Luotang smiled faintly. ”Don’t worry! I’ll do my best!”

She took a deep breath, stepped forward, and cupped her hands in a salute toward Zhao Yan on the high platform. ”Your Highness, Prince Gong, I am a Mansion Official from the Tenth Prince’s Mansion. I have yet to fight in this Martial Arts Competition. Is it too late for me to start now?”

”Of course it’s not too late!”

Zhao Yan smiled and pointed to the Celestial Sphere nearby. ”However, according to the arrangements made by the Imperial Clan Court, this Martial Arts Competition will conclude in four hours. The Tenth Prince’s Mansion is currently ranked fourth. To surpass Prince Lie’s Mansion in third place, you will need nineteen victories. Do you still wish to try?”

The moment he said this, the entire venue fell silent.

Nineteen victories in four hours. Excluding the Tenth Prince’s Mansion, there were thirty registered Mansion Officials. Even if she started by picking off the weakest opponents, she would inevitably have to challenge the three strongest mansions and defeat at least four of their officials.

It sounded like an impossible task, deliberately meant to cause her difficulty.

Kan Luotang took a deep breath. ”I shall give it a try!”

With that, she leaped directly onto the platform.

With Zhao Yan’s help, she established the order of her challenges.

After Zhao Huan and Kan Tianji returned to the high platform together and were seated,

Zhao Yan then called for Kan Luotang’s first opponent: ”First, from the Prince Xiang’s Mansion, Zhu Tian!”

”HISS!”

Zhu Tian couldn’t help but suck in a sharp breath. He had thought he was just here to enjoy the show and watch the battle between the three mansions. He never expected the show to suddenly become about him.

He trotted up to the Martial Arts Arena and gave a sheepish smile. ”Miss Luotang, please go easy on me!”

He had also been there for that event five or six years ago.

However, he had been smart enough to lay low after seeing the others get thrashed, so he managed to avoid being cut down.