The eldest daughter's scheming, the crown prince's exclusive favor to the venomous concubi

Kumu Zhang looked at Hei Feng's retreating figure with a puzzled expression and said, "What happened to you? Did you step on a cat's tail?"

Black Wind did not reply. He had already disappeared by the time Ku Mu Zhang asked him a question, leaving no time to speculate on why he was acting strangely.

Jian Yue stared at Hei Feng curiously, wondering why he had suddenly left. Had something they said earlier made him act strangely?

Kumu Zhang smacked his lips and looked at Jian Yue, asking, "What did we say that made him act like his pants are on fire?"

Jian Yue shook her head. She didn't know either. Moreover, seeing Hei Feng, who was usually as calm as a clock, lose his composure like this was particularly funny.

She suddenly burst out laughing, her eyes brimming with mischievous amusement. Kumu Zhang immediately noticed and laughed along, saying, "I'm going to remember this for a long time. Who told him to keep mocking me for not having any disciples? But what's wrong with him?"

Jian Yue and Ku Mu Zhang stared at each other for a moment, neither able to figure out what was wrong with their words.

Jian Yue couldn't help but ask Ku Mu Zhang, "Senior, has Hei Feng ever lost his composure like this before?"

Kumu Zhang shook his head, resting his chin on his hand, and said, "Of course it's the first time, that's why I was surprised. Could it be that you were bothered by my smell?"

Jian Yue rolled her eyes and said, "Your scent has been around for a long time and no longer poses a threat to him. How could it be because of that? Hey, senior, I noticed that your scent is much fainter than before. Tell me, did you secretly go to take a bath?"

As she spoke, Jian Yue looked at Ku Mu Zhang with a teasing expression. Ku Mu Zhang immediately blushed and turned his head away awkwardly, saying, "Little brat, what's wrong with me taking a bath? Everyone is born hating to take baths."

Jian Yue burst out laughing: "Who told you not to take a bath? Actually, you should have washed yourself earlier, so that no one would dare to talk to you. If they opened their mouths, they would be suffocated by your stench."

Kumu Zhang immediately retorted, rolling his eyes at her and saying, "You don't understand. Have you ever seen a clean beggar? Besides, my stench is a kind of protective layer. Those thugs who want to get close to me and steal the money from my bowl don't dare to come near me, for fear of getting covered in my stench and not being allowed to go to brothels."

As he spoke, he proudly raised his chin, which made Jian Yue feel a chill.

Well, unable to win the standoff, she conceded defeat.

At this moment, Kumu Zhang seemed to perk up, and he slyly approached Jian Yue and said mysteriously, "What? Do you want to learn how to make this stench spread for miles around so that people will find it disgusting?"

Jian Yue immediately stepped back, looking lingering fear, and said, "No, thank you for your guidance, senior. Although I can't stay smelly, I don't want to smell bad either."

The smell was tolerable, but if it were on her own body, she felt like she could peel off a layer of her own skin.

Kumu Zhang immediately sneered, "Little girl, you don't know what's good for you. You'll understand later. This is an excellent hiding technique."

Jian Yue smiled, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. Perhaps, perhaps she would need it someday, but for now, she would focus on learning the most important things. As for those lousy tricks, she would save them for later, making them her special skills for last.

That night, Hei Feng didn't appear, and Jian Yue was happy to relax. She cooked the steamed buns and chicken bones in her arms into a bowl of chicken bone steamed bun soup. After eating her fill, she lay down in the haystack, closed her eyes, and began to cultivate her internal energy.

This internal energy cultivation technique was found for her by Kumu Zhang, who said it was most suitable for women to practice.

She was deeply grateful for this. Back then, when she faced the assassin Heli Hong, her only disadvantage was that she didn't know internal energy. Otherwise, she would have definitely killed that woman, and none of the mess that followed would have happened.

However, she was already quite old and had never been exposed to things like internal energy cultivation and meridians, so learning them was extremely difficult. In the end, it was only through Black Wind and Drywood Zhang that she was able to forcibly open up her Ren and Du meridians and barely get started.

The forced opening of her Ren and Du meridians caused her excruciating pain, almost suffocating her. If it weren't for the people she cared about and the overwhelming hatred in her heart, she might not have survived.

Fortunately, she persevered and finished successfully. Now, she has made some progress, but she is still no match for Herrihong. To defeat her, she needs to work even harder.

Jian Yue is not someone who cannot endure hardship, so these past few days, whenever she has time, she has been circulating her internal energy in her meridians, striving to reach a higher level as soon as possible.

On the fourth day, Black Wind was still nowhere to be seen, but his instructions were delivered, and they returned to the dilapidated temple.

Jian Yue didn't know what Hei Feng was up to, so she could only follow Ku Mu Zhang back. On the way, Ku Mu Zhang suddenly said to her, "The real challenge will only begin after we get back. Don't be afraid. Even if something happens to you, I will protect your life."

"Thank you."

Jian Yue smiled, her eyes showing no fear. Ku Mu Zhang's assurance that she would not die was enough for her. After all, she didn't believe that the test of the armored soldiers was just to be a beggar for a few days.

Seeing this, Kumu Zhang's worry lessened somewhat, but he frowned again with a serious expression.

What exactly is Black Wind up to? Why did he bring forward the test?

He didn't understand, but he could only do as he was told. Then, Jian Yue saw a dark mass of people in the dilapidated temple.

Kumu Zhang was the first to enter the dilapidated temple. He turned to Jian Yue and said, "One hundred people, one fatal move each. As long as you all take it and survive, no matter how badly you are injured, you will have passed the first test."

Jian Yue's lips curled up, the curve both alluring and seductive. She said, "Alright, let's begin now."

The smile in his eyes was like a gentle spring breeze, which surprised many of the participants present.

Kumu Zhang laughed and said, "You really are magnanimous."

Jian Yue shrugged and said, "There's always a way out. Besides, I believe I won't die. So, senior, just prepare some top-quality wound medicine and save me! Now, who's going first?"

As Jian Yue spoke, one of the men stepped forward. Jian Yue recognized him; he was one of the beggars she had met in the past few days.

The man clasped his hands in a fist salute to her and said, "I apologize for my offense."

Without waiting for Jian Yue to return the greeting, he threw a punch. Jian Yue narrowed her eyes and retreated gradually with a strange gait. Each step made the attacker suddenly lose his sense of direction, only to find that the person was still in front of him when he looked again.

Then, Jian Yue smiled at the man and said, "One move is enough, you've yielded."

The man was taken aback, then clasped his hands in a fist and said, "I failed. Good luck."

Jian Yue nodded and accepted his blessing, then saw Ku Mu Zhang frown and say, "It's not a good thing to expose your strengths too early."

Jian Yue laughed and said, "But if we don't expose ourselves, how can we figure out your attacks and ways of hurting people? If you are knocked down in one move, you will be unable to dodge in the future. It is better to save your own life first."

Immediately, Jian Yue was attacked by the second and third people. Their attacks were no less than those of the previous ones. However, because of the first person's probing, they both used their methods. But Jian Yue's movements were so strange that they couldn't catch up with her for a while.

However, in the end, the steps were still deciphered. When it was the thirteenth, Jian Yue was punched in the shoulder blade. She put her arms across her neck, but she was still hit by the opponent's powerful force. She was pushed back several steps and crashed into the wall of the dilapidated temple with a loud bang, and dust flew up.

The man seemed to realize he had used too much force, especially since the other person was a woman. After Jian Yue was hit, he scratched his head sheepishly and said sorry.

Jian Yue coughed lightly and smiled, "It's alright, it's not your fault, I'm fine, please continue."

A stubbornness welled up in her eyes, even more so than when she first started fighting. The fourteenth person who stepped forward couldn't help but admire her, saying, "If you pass this trial, my family, Yu Fangzhou, will be the first to pledge our loyalty."

Upon hearing this, Jian Yue clasped her hands in a fist salute and arrogantly said to him, "In that case, I must offend you."

As she spoke, Jian Yue's eyes suddenly widened, and she launched a preemptive attack on Yu Fangzhou. The force was not great, and Yu Fangzhou's eyes showed disappointment. He countered Jian Yue's attack with a palm strike.

However, Jian Yue's move was a feint. As soon as Fang Zhou made his move, she stopped, spun around, and suddenly leaped upwards, landing behind Fang Zhou with a somersault, and slapped him on the shoulder.

Yu Fangzhou became alert, turned around and blocked her attack, frowning as he said, "At your current level, you can't hurt me."

Jian Yue immediately stepped back, rubbed her still-aching shoulder blade, and laughed, "One move is over, next one."

Yu Fangzhou was taken aback for a moment, then suddenly chuckled and said, "I'm impressed, please."

Jian Yue greeted the fifteenth, sixteenth, and thirty-eighth people with a smile. By then, they were covered in wounds, their eyes were bloodshot, and their mouths were full of blood.

Kumu Zhang couldn't bear it and said, "If you can't hold on, just say so, and I can protect you."

Jian Yue got up again, licked her chapped lips, and said in a hoarse voice, "No need, I can manage."

Kumu Zhang frowned: "Why are you doing this? This shouldn't have happened at this time in the first place."

"I know, but I just don't want to admit defeat."

Jian Yue said with a smile, her half-closed eyes still shining brightly. She continued, "I don't care what Hei Feng is thinking, whether he wants to cultivate me or suppress me. I only have one thing to say."

"I am who I am. I, Shangguan Jianyue, was born with a lowly fate, and I am destined to control my own life. No one else can, unless I die."

As she spoke, she rushed toward the next person. The armored soldiers were not incapable of being flexible, but in such a testing environment, being flexible would be tantamount to harming the person being tested.

Therefore, one person after another took the stage, but they still used all their strength and their most powerful moves.