Di Qin glanced at him but remained silent.
“The status in Fodu is different from your status as a prince. If you don’t want her to be involved, it’s best not to let her find out,” the High Priest advised. “During the expedition, I’ll take care of her for you. You don’t need to worry.”
“So, don’t try to appear in front of us then,” the High Priest added. “It’ll raise suspicion.”
“Understood,” Di Qin responded.
Back at the inn.
“Miss,” as Huang Quan was about to return to her room, the headmaster called out.
“Yes?” Huang Quan turned to look at the headmaster. “What is it?”
“Miss Meng, open the door to your room,” the headmaster said to Nan Gong Meng, then turned back to Huang Quan. “Miss, let’s have a chat.”
Huang Quan understood the headmaster’s intention upon hearing this.
They had already talked before, and if it were just a normal competition, the headmaster wouldn’t say anything further. But today, when Jing Chen brought out the Dragon’s Melody Qin, the headmaster became worried.
Although she wasn’t afraid of the Dragon’s Melody Qin, the concern of the headmaster and others was about her safety, so she couldn’t disregard their good intentions.
Thinking this, Huang Quan followed the headmaster and Ming Zhao into Nan Gong Meng’s room.
Once seated on the chairs in the room, the headmaster asked Huang Quan, “Miss, do you have any handy weapons?”
Huang Quan shook her head. “No.” In reality, she did have some, but she didn’t need them at the moment.
“I have a few decent artifacts here, but they’re useless against the Dragon’s Melody Qin, too weak,” the headmaster frowned. “If not, I could ask the Crown Prince.”
Ming Zhao nodded. “That’s an option.”
Before Nan Gong Meng could respond, Huang Quan said, “Headmaster, Master, there’s no need to contact Di Qin. I don’t need it.”
“Miss, I know you’re capable, and I believe in your strength. But the Dragon’s Melody Qin is not just any ordinary weapon; it’s practically a divine weapon.”
A divine weapon signifies what?
Legend.
“Look at Feng Jiuyuan,” the headmaster said. “He didn’t even make a move against the Dragon’s Melody Qin and conceded defeat. You’ve also seen how terrifying the Dragon’s Melody Qin is, so it’s better to ask the Crown Prince for a defensive weapon.”
“Headmaster, ordinary weapons can’t resist the attacks of the Dragon’s Melody Qin, and weapons that are too powerful require spiritual energy to wield, which I don’t have. So even if I were to use them, they would be useless,” Huang Quan looked at the headmaster earnestly. “In the path of martial arts, strengthening the body is crucial. I am naturally inclined towards defense, and moreover, I am very fast. I can end the battle before Jing Chen uses the Dragon’s Melody Qin.”
“But…”
“Headmaster, trust me, I can do it.”
The headmaster looked at her, seeing her serious expression, and finally sighed helplessly. “Then you must be careful. If you’re not winning, just concede. Don’t risk your life for the sake of winning first place.”
Huang Quan nodded. “I understand.”
After giving Huang Quan a few more words of advice, the headmaster left with Ming Zhao.
Once the headmaster left, Nan Gong Meng closed the door and looked at Huang Quan. “Quan Quan, you have spiritual power. It’s not a problem for you to wield those weapons. Why don’t you?”
Huang Quan smiled at him. “Brother, you know I have spiritual power and can defend against the attacks of the Qin. So don’t worry, there won’t be any problem in tomorrow’s match.”
Nan Gong Meng looked at her for a long time before nodding. “Good luck in tomorrow’s match.”
Huang Quan smiled in response. “Yes.”
The next day, Huang Quan arrived at the competition venue with the headmaster and others.
Today’s competition will determine the final rankings, so students from the Imperial Academy were given half a day of rest to come and watch the matches. As a result, the competition venue appeared much livelier than in the previous days.
Not only were there more students, but even members of the royal family were present in greater numbers than before.
As Huang Quan entered the competition venue and walked to her designated seat, six elders from the Imperial Academy appeared below the competition platform. They erected a barrier around the entire competition area, just like the High Priest did yesterday, covering everything except the platform itself.
Clearly, they did this today to prevent a repeat of yesterday’s incidents.
There was no need to draw lots today. After the barrier was erected, Huang Quan and Jing Chen stepped onto the platform.
The two of them would be competing for first place. The winner would be declared first, and the loser second.
“You’re very powerful,” Jing Chen sincerely praised as he looked at Huang Quan from the competition platform.
“You’re not weak either,” Huang Quan replied, her gaze briefly falling on the Dragon’s Melody Qin that Jing Chen had brought out before returning to him. “The Dragon’s Melody Qin is powerful, but you have difficulty controlling it. If you activate it with blood every time, you’ll be backlashed by the Qin. So I suggest you refrain from using it too much.”
Dragons, regardless of the world, have their own legends, and they are always powerful ones. Therefore, dragons are complex beings; they can be auspicious mythical creatures, or they can be fierce beasts causing chaos. After a dragon dies abnormally, it will hold resentment, which ordinary people cannot bear.
From the dragon bones and tendons used in the Dragon’s Melody Qin, it could be seen that they were not forcibly taken materials. At least, the dragons from which they were taken volunteered. Of course, voluntary participation most likely meant that the dragons were close to death and were returning a favor or something, otherwise, as long as they weren’t brainless, dragons wouldn’t agree.
The dragon bones and tendons on the Dragon’s Melody Qin were clean and smooth, without any resentment. That’s why Jing Chen could activate it with blood. However, as it originated from a dragon’s body, if it was activated with blood every time, it would eventually cultivate a bloodthirsty aura. At that point, the person activating it with blood would be the first to suffer backlash.
Surprised by Huang Quan’s knowledge, Jing Chen exclaimed, “You actually know so much!”
Huang Quan smiled faintly. “Powerful weapons all have one characteristic: they don’t like being wielded by those they deem weak.”
Her words were a bit offensive, but they were indeed true.
Jing Chen nodded after listening. “You’re right.”
The Dragon’s Melody Qin had been in their family for a long time. Only two people had ever used it: his great-grandfather and his father. Others in the family couldn’t use it. The reason he could activate it with blood was also due to the lineage of their family. If he wasn’t from the main lineage, let alone using blood, he wouldn’t even be able to activate it with his life.
“Thanks for letting me know. I’ll be careful,” Jing Chen said, looking at Huang Quan. “Let’s begin.”
Huang Quan nodded in response, ready to act, but then she felt a tickle in her throat and couldn’t hold back a cough.
Her coughs were always earth-shattering, and once they started, they wouldn’t stop.
Normally, Huang Quan would suppress them with her spiritual power, but today…
There were too many people watching.
After seven days of competition without using her spiritual power, Huang Quan didn’t want to use it now, so she could only cough.
Taking advantage of a pause in her coughing fit, Huang Quan looked at Jing Chen apologetically. “Sorry, please wait a moment. I’ll be fine soon.” With that, she resumed coughing.
Jing Chen frowned. She looked so frail.
