Martial Arrogance Dragon Soul-Chapter 342 - 325: Fortunately, I Have Not Disappointed
Pei Hong and Qin Ren, upon hearing this, also understood intuitively, and the three of them immediately dashed out towards the edge of the Life Forbidden Zone...
Once out of Heifeng Valley, all three of them felt a sense of relief.
Compared to the time they entered Heifeng Valley, all three of them had undergone visible changes in appearance, especially Pei Hong and Qin Ren, who looked at least a decade older.
Qin Qing fared slightly better, but he too appeared more mature.
By the time they arrived at Heifeng Valley, in addition to the Ritual Officer, there were also Sui Jin, Zhu Shuangyu, and others waiting there.
In addition, the Third Prince Qin De, and Seventh Prince Qin Zheng, as well as other princes and princesses of the royal family, had also come to Tianjue Forest.
Besides them, there was Liu Hongxue.
She was still waiting here.
At this moment, Liu Hongxue stood beside Master Chen.
Both of them were smiling and looking at Qin Qing.
"Qin Qing!"
Qin De’s face showed unmistakable joy.
This time, Qin Qing’s securing of the final chief position truly gave him an unexpected surprise.
Especially when Luo Qingshan and Qi Chong returned to Luochuan Imperial City, Qin De had almost given up hope...
"Third Prince, I have not failed your expectations!" Qin Qing said with a sardonic smile.
Meanwhile, standing to the side, Seventh Prince Qin Zheng was also watching Qin Qing.
Their gazes met in mid-air just by chance.
Qin Zheng’s face was very dark, as he had developed hatred towards Qin Qing.
Initially, he did not have much animosity towards Qin Qing; he was more interested in Qin Qing’s potential and wanted to win him over, but Qin Qing was not interested, so they could not come together.
But Qin Zheng did not truly hold a grudge against Qin Qing because of this, especially after Lu Yu’an joined his camp, he disdained Qin Qing even more.
He even openly thanked Qin Qing several times, as otherwise, Lu Yu’an might not have switched allegiance to his team.
But the outcome now was such...
Qin Zheng’s loss in this spring hunt also meant that he was very likely to lose the competition for the position of Crown Prince.
So how could he not hate Qin Qing?
"Qin Qing... now you can hand over the Fruit of Life you harvested to me!" Qin De said to Qin Qing with a smile.
Qin Qing was about to take out the Fruit of Life, but suddenly a wariness arose in his heart.
He stopped his movements, looking at Qin De with a smile, "Third Prince, I will personally hand over the Fruit of Life to His Majesty once we return to Luochuan."
Qin De’s eyes, originally full of longing, faltered upon hearing Qin Qing’s words, and a shadow crossed his eyes, but soon he smiled again, "Alright, Qin Qing. Then let’s head back to Luochuan together now..."
"Alright!" Qin Qing nodded, then added, "Third Prince, I have something to discuss with Miss Hongxue."
Qin Qing walked towards Liu Hongxue.
"Miss Hongxue!"
"Qin Qing!" Hongxue smiled faintly, suddenly exuding charm, undoubtedly a bewitching beauty.
"Congratulations to Elder Qin for securing the chief position in the Great Qian Spring Hunt, you will soon be able to save your father..."
Standing beside Liu Hongxue, Master Chen smiled as well, "Elder Qin has truly impressed me time and again. Seventeen years old... hmm, such strength at such an age, even amongst the Ancient Country’s geniuses, you are definitely a top contender. You could vie for supremacy with those unparalleled talents!"
"Master Chen overpraises me!" Qin Qing laughed.
"Not at all!" Master Chen shook his head, "I’m not offering empty praise. It is foreseeable, Qin Qing... your victory as the chief of the spring hunt will be your breakout moment. You are a Hidden Dragon, and I believe it won’t be long before we see this Hidden Dragon soar into the sky, soaring through the heavens!"
"Thank you for your appreciation, Master Chen. I will certainly strive to improve myself!" Qin Qing maintained his humility.
Then he suddenly lowered his voice, speaking to Liu Hongxue, "Miss Hongxue, I have another favor to ask of you..."
Liu Hongxue’s expression changed slightly as she saw Qin Qing’s serious demeanor, suggesting a matter of great importance.
"Elder Qin, please feel free to speak, if there is any way Hongxue can help, I will spare no effort!" Liu Hongxue said.
Qin Qing took out a Jade Slip.
"Miss Hongxue, everything I need to say is recorded on this Jade Slip!"
Qin Qing handed the Jade Slip to Liu Hongxue.
Liu Hongxue realized that what Qin Qing had to say must be very important, and he did not want others to know, otherwise, he wouldn’t have chosen to tell her through the recorded messages on a Jade Slip beforehand.
Liu Hongxue took the Jade Slip, immersing her Divine Sense into it.
After reading the messages recorded by Qin Qing, Liu Hongxue’s eyes unavoidably revealed a seriousness.
"That is indeed a possibility..." Liu Hongxue nodded, "Qin Qing, I am becoming more and more impressed with you. At such a time, to still consider these matters."
"I had no choice!" Qin Qing said with a wry smile, "So much has happened this year. I must be cautious."
"You’re right!" Liu Hongxue nodded.
"Then may I ask... Miss Hongxue, can you help me with this?" Qin Qing inquired.
"No problem! Qin Qing, I will do my utmost to assist you. Rest assured..." Liu Hongxue responded.
"Great! With that, I am relieved!" Qin Qing bowed deeply to Liu Hongxue.
With this bow, Qin Qing felt that Liu Hongxue was certainly deserving of it.
Not to mention anything else, just the Formation flags that Liu Hongxue gave him before entering Tianjue Forest had saved Qin Qing’s life.
Without those flags, Qin Qing wouldn’t have been able to break through the formation of the evil cultivator elder. He would surely have perished at the hands of the evil cultivator.
Moreover...
Liu Hongxue was willing to help Qin Qing under such circumstances, arranging the extremely important matter that followed,
traveling to Luochuan Imperial City on a flying beast. On this journey, Qin Qing felt greatly pleased, a completely different mood from when he had arrived.
He had obtained the Fruit of Life and won the title of Champion of the Spring Hunt.
According to the agreement with His Majesty Qin Sheng, his father would soon regain his freedom.
"Father, it’s been several years since I last saw you. I miss you..."
"I imagine, Father, that you feel the same, missing your son, and your daughter..."
Qin Qing was excited, looking forward to the moment he would meet his father.
...
Luochuan Imperial City.
Inside the imperial palace...
Everyone was waiting for the return of Qin Qing and the others.
Qin Qing returned to the Imperial City, with many eyes falling upon him. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚
Qin Qing saw Emperor Qin Sheng, the retired Emperor Qin Ye, as well as the head of the Lu family, Lu Tianlong, all still sitting on the high platform in front.
Qin Sheng’s face wore a smile, while Lu Tianlong’s eyes were blood-red with uncontainable anger.
Qin Sheng rose and walked towards Qin Qing.
"Your Majesty!"
Princes like Qin De promptly went to greet him.
"Yintang. Very good!" Qin Sheng looked at Qin De and nodded.
Yintang was Qin De’s courtesy name, and sometimes Qin Sheng would address his sons by their courtesy names.
"Your Majesty, I have not failed your expectations!" Qin De’s face also showed a smile.
But beside him, Qin Zheng’s expression darkened.
"This time, the Champion of the Spring Hunt is Yintang!" Qin Sheng scanned the crowd and announced loudly.
"Congratulations to the Third Prince!"
"The Third Prince is formidable!"
"The title is rightly earned by the Third Prince this time..."
The flattering voices of the crowd came one after another, with many people coming forward to congratulate Qin De.
Even those who had initially supported the Seventh Prince, Qin Zheng, now took the initiative to come forward and congratulate Qin De, even presenting him with congratulatory gifts.
Everyone knew that by winning the title of Champion of the Spring Hunt, the Third Prince would soon be named Crown Prince, the Crown Prince of Great Qian, and the next emperor.
So, at this time, if one did not change their stance and make their loyalty known, it would be difficult to remain standing in court later...
Even Mu Hongtu squeezed into the crowd at this time to extend his congratulations to Qin De.
However, when Mu Hongtu’s gaze fell upon Qin Qing, it carried a hint of complexity...
Also in the crowd, Qin Qing saw Mu Yunlan.
Mu Yunlan stood there quietly, surprise evident in her eyes. Clearly, she was shocked that Qin Qing had managed to kill Lu Yu’an and help the Third Prince win the Champion of the Spring Hunt.
But that was merely shock.
In her gaze toward Qin Qing, there was still coldness, disdain, and even a trace of pity...
Yes, pity.
It seemed she already knew what would happen to Qin Qing next.
"Yintang, where is the Fruit of Life? Hand it over to me now," said Qin Sheng looking at Qin De.
As a monarch, Qin Sheng had long been able to keep his emotions from showing, but at this moment, he could not hide his excitement.
Because only he knew the full importance of what the Fruit of Life meant to him.
"Your Majesty, the Fruit of Life is still with Qin Qing!" said Qin De.
"Oh?" Upon hearing this, Qin Sheng looked at Qin Qing and smiled, "Congratulations, Qin Qing. You deserve the most credit for Yintang winning the Championship this time!"
Bowing, Qin Qing said, "I’ve seen Your Highness. With the Third Prince’s high regard, I will certainly do my utmost..."
These were indeed Qin Qing’s heartfelt words.
Qin De had chosen to give up Lu Yu’an for Qin Qing, a move that had been incomprehensible to everyone at the time.
And now, everyone couldn’t help but admire Qin De’s foresight and vision...
If Great Qian were to be governed by such a person, it might reach unprecedented heights.
"Qin Qing, now you may bring out the Fruit of Life... I will credit you with the greatest merit and reward you handsomely!" Qin Sheng said, smiling.
He tried to maintain composure, but his heart was almost leaping out of his throat.
"Your Highness!" Qin Qing began, "The Fruit of Life was plucked by me for Your Highness, of course I will give it to you, but I have a request!"
"Oh?" Qin Sheng paused, slightly startled, with some dissatisfaction in his heart, but he did not show it and said, "Speak your mind."
"I plucked a total of three Fruits of Life. I would like to keep one for myself," said Qin Qing, looking at Qin Sheng.
