Chapter 122: Qingwen, the Mistress of Flowers

"Fine, read it to me, quickly!" Yan Yudong hissed, feeling as though his other eye was also failing him.

His subordinate whispered in a voice only Yan Yudong could hear: "The Eldest Lady says that if you defeat Chu Youcai and humiliate him with all your might, she will do everything in her power to help treat you."

"Hmph!" Yan Yudong snorted coldly. "The Eldest Lady and I have always been at odds; I never expected her to go this far for the sake of Chu Youcai!" But thinking that every extra opportunity was a glimmer of hope, he nodded heavily and said, "Very well! In that case, I shall end this battle quickly. I will finish off Chu Youcai immediately—it would be best if I could cripple his cultivation so the Eldest Lady won't be able to make excuses later! She is immensely mysterious; perhaps she truly does have a way to cure me."

Enduring the pain, Yan Yudong walked into the grand hall.

At that moment, the Eldest Lady wore a cold sneer. "Since Yan Yudong has seen the note, Chu Youcai is destined for a miserable defeat. If his cultivation is crippled, he will truly be nothing more than a useless wreck."

Chu Youcai walked calmly up to Yan Yudong and said, "Sixth Brother, it has been a long time."

Yan Yudong replied coldly, "We are here to fight, not to talk." To end the battle swiftly, he moved his hand, and a flash of crimson light shimmered between his fingers.

It was his cursed artifact, the Bead of the Red Serpent. It pulsed with light, as if it intended to swallow Chu Youcai whole.

Seeing the cursed artifact in his opponent's hand, Chu Youcai suddenly understood. It was no wonder Yan Yudong was always tracking women in the countryside; it was because of this cursed artifact. The Bead of the Red Serpent seemed to have a penchant for lust, voyeurism, and stalking. By possessing this artifact for so long, Yan Yudong’s own temperament had been gradually corrupted by it.

Chu Youcai felt a surge of caution. It seemed one could not rely too heavily on cursed artifacts; otherwise, one's consciousness would be assimilated, and instead of wielding the artifact, the artifact would end up wielding you.

As Yan Yudong prepared to strike, Chu Youcai spoke abruptly: "Sixth Brother, let me ask you: when you were tracking the Mistress of Furong City in the countryside, did her maid have her hair styled in a willow-leaf knot?"

Yan Yudong paused, looking puzzled. "That is correct."

Chu Youcai continued, "And was the carriage hung with curtains of red jade beads?"

"That is also correct." Yan Yudong grew even more confused. These were things he had experienced personally, things he remembered vividly—things not even his own maids knew. How could Chu Youcai possibly know?

Chu Youcai asked again, "And was the carriage decorated with lotus-colored embroidered silk?"

Yan Yudong was stunned. He hadn't expected Chu Youcai to know even more details than he did. He nodded hurriedly, "Yes. Were you there as well?"

Chu Youcai smiled faintly. "Furthermore, in that carriage you saw, was there a six-sided bronze tripod beside the Mistress of Furong City?"

Yan Yudong’s heart skipped a beat. He suddenly recalled that there indeed had been a large tripod beside the woman, though at the time he had been too focused on her appearance and demeanor to pay close attention.

He gasped, "Third Brother, you knew all of this! Who exactly is the Mistress of Furong City? Do you know her? How can I be cured of this affliction?"

Chu Youcai replied calmly, "The Mistress of Furong City—have you never heard her name? To be so presumptuous with her, are you not afraid of death? Do you even know who the Flower Mistress in charge of the Hibiscus flowers is?"

Yan Yudong stamped his foot and shouted, "The Flower Mistress in charge of the Hibiscus? Heavens! Could it be the Flower Mistress Qingwen?"

The others turned pale. No one had imagined that the Mistress of Furong City was actually the fairy Flower Mistress Qingwen. They immediately cast their eyes toward Fairy Nüyi in the hall.

Fairy Nüyi nodded slightly. "Listening to the Sixth Young Master’s description, I had already guessed it was indeed my senior aunt."

A clamor broke out among the crowd. They looked at Yan Yudong as if he were a dead man walking.

Fairy Qingwen and Fairy Nüyi were both from Penglai Island, but Qingwen was a generation older. She was one of the Three Immortals of Penglai, ranking only behind the sect leader and the elders, and her cultivation had surely surpassed a hundred years!

Yan Yudong had offended such a legendary figure!

Yan Yudong’s face turned deathly pale; he could not utter a word. He felt a secret sense of relief that the Mistress of Furong City had not attacked him herself, but had only sent her maid.

He was filled with extreme remorse. Meanwhile, his right eye throbbed with increasing pain, and a thin film was slowly beginning to cover his left eye as well.

He clutched his left eye tightly, his gaze filled with dread. If this film continued to grow, would he not go completely blind?

Just then, Chu Youcai said softly, "The Mistress of Furong City only gave you a minor punishment and will not pursue it to the end. I happen to have a method that could prevent you from going blind, and perhaps even alleviate your pain."

"Is that true?" Yan Yudong sounded as though he had heard the voice of an angel.

Chu Youcai replied indifferently, "Believe it or not, that is up to you."

Yan Yudong was shocked and hesitant. The Eldest Lady had ordered him to kill Chu Youcai, but could she actually cure his condition? Even Fairy Nüyi had been helpless! If Chu Youcai knew so much, perhaps he truly could cure him.

He made up his mind. "Third Brother, I understand! In that case, I forfeit this match."

Everyone was stunned. No one had expected such a turn of events!

Chu Youcai had emerged from nowhere—how could he know so much? How could his luck be so good that he happened to possess this information?

In their eyes, the doomed Chu Youcai had managed to turn the tables and enter the finals without a scratch!

They felt a surge of anger. Chu Youcai’s cultivation was clearly low, yet he had made it to the finals—how could they accept this?

Fortunately, Chu Yuwang was still in the final round.

With his ten years of Taoist cultivation, he would surely crush Chu Youcai like an ant.

He would show Chu Youcai what true power was. In the face of absolute strength, any petty tricks would be useless!

After all, the first-place prize included a cursed artifact and a gift from Fairy Nüyi; how could Chu Yuwang give that up?

They wished the next match would start immediately so they could see Chu Youcai in a pathetic state.

The Eldest Lady stared at Chu Youcai with an expression of disbelief, her heart churning: *How is this possible?*

Others might not see it, but she knew clearly that Chu Youcai’s knowledge was no simple matter. Furthermore, Chu Youcai was close with Jiang Xue, and both Jiang Xue and Xiang Yu treated him with great favor, suggesting he had wide-reaching connections.

After seeing "Bamboo and Rock" and "Di Zi Gui" recently, how could she fail to see his potential? If Chu Youcai won first place in the Prince's Mansion competition and was taken back into the fold, his rise would be unstoppable. He might even use his literary talent to gain scholar's energy!

By then, it would be difficult to suppress him.

Her gaze grew colder. She stared at Chu Yuwang, her eyes conveying a sharp command: kill him with all your might, leave no room for error.

Chu Yuwang nodded heavily. He was impatient to destroy Chu Youcai.

Watching Chu Youcai show off in front of everyone had made his skin crawl with irritation.

He stood in the grand hall, and as the soul-shaking bell of the competition rang, he fixed his gaze on Chu Youcai. "Third Brother, aren't you going to come up?"