CHAPTER 464: 463 GAVE YOU THE CHANCE TO LIVE, BUT YOU DIDN’T APPRECIATE IT.

It turned out that the calm facade maintained by Yan Wanqing was all an act.

With her younger sister risking life and death in the arena, how could she, as an elder sister, not be anxious?!

The earlier composure was merely to force Chu Qi into action.

Nothing could secure her a firmer stance in the court than having Yan Hongzhao crush the Chu Kingdom’s generals on such an occasion.

Last night, when Hongzhao mentioned to her the lack of respect she faced within the military camp, Wanqing came up with this strategy.

In the face of strength, everyone must shut up!

She felt a warmth on the back of her hand.

The Crown Prince leaned in and whispered comfortingly, "She is your sister, you must believe in her."

Yes, she had to believe in Hongzhao.

Yan Wanqing took a deep breath, slowly releasing the turbid air from her chest.

The Wolf Sheep Club did not make contact with Yan Hongzhao, it was firmly blocked three inches away from her.

However, the cost was quite severe.

Her already injured right arm had its wound completely burst open, most likely it was a mangled mess of flesh and blood beneath her clothes.

Such a waste of Xiaoliu’s excellent medicine.

The iron spikes of the Wolf Sheep Club sank into the palm of Yan Hongzhao, as fresh blood trickled down her wrist into her clothes.

Watching the bloodthirsty glint in the strong man’s eyes, Yan Hongzhao tugged at the corner of her lips, revealing a similarly mocking smile.

The strong man couldn’t help but furrow his brows.

This mad girl!

Her palm was about to be punctured, yet she could still find a smile!

No... that smile was oddly disconcerting.

Indeed!

All that could be seen was Yan Hongzhao settling the Wolf Fang Club, taller than her by half, onto the ground, before looking towards the strong man, "Aside from hidden weapons, no competent general would ever throw away his weapon."

"You..." The strong man sensed something was amiss.

Yan Hongzhao raised her bloody palm, pressed it against the Wolf Fang Club, and amidst a cloud of dust, she crushed the club into a flat piece of metal!

The strong man’s eyeballs nearly popped out.

What terrifying Inner Strength!

If this girl possessed such formidable Inner Strength, why had she not used it earlier?

A shock ran through the strong man’s heart, but the command of his Lord forced him to stand his ground, unable to concede defeat.

He could not lose!

If he lost, the lives of his entire family would be at stake.

"I gave you a chance to live; it was you who failed to cherish it and resorted to unsavory tactics like a sneak attack. Now, I have no reason to show you mercy," said Yan Hongzhao as she swiftly moved towards the strong man right after she finished speaking.

The piece of iron, once the Wolf Fang Club, was now thrust straight into the strong man’s chest!

The entire event flowed as smoothly as clouds and water, without a single superfluous or clumsy move.

The strong man watched wide-eyed as hot blood flowed out from his body, his life gradually ebbing away.

He opened his mouth to speak, but in the end, he couldn’t say a word.

As he fell, he made an effort to turn towards the stands, locking his gaze there until his life completely faded away.

Yan Hongzhao’s right hand continued to drip with blood, falling to the dusty ground, merging into beads of muddy pearls.

She held her long whip expressionlessly and withdrew from the arena.

Everyone had witnessed what just occurred; it was the Chu Kingdom’s man who had launched an unreasonable sneak attack, so she returned the favor in kind.

She had intended to spare the man’s life...

The rest would be left to her elder sister and brother-in-law to handle.

After Yan Hongzhao exited the arena, silence fell around, and someone from the crowd stepped forward to check the pulse of the Chu Kingdom’s general, shaking their head at those seated in the high positions.

He was dead.

The room erupted in commotion!

The people of Chu Kingdom were heartbroken and infuriated, cursing Yan Hongzhao for her cruel strike that claimed the life of their great general.

Meanwhile, the whole contingent from Dawei was elated.

What relief!

It was truly the ultimate relief!

The frustration they had suffered at the hands of Chu Kingdom’s people these past days finally dispersed.

"Who says women are inferior to men, haha!" an elder official who had initially opposed her laughed heartily, wishing the whole of Chu Kingdom could hear his laughter to soothe his heart.

Yan Wanqing breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that Xiaoliu had disappeared from his spot.

Given the amount of blood Hongzhao had lost just now, her injuries must have been severe.

She must have mustered her strength to leave the arena.

The Crown Prince was concerned about something else.

"... Last night, you wouldn’t let me in because you were transferring Inner Strength to your fifth sister?!" The Crown Prince’s eyes flashed dangerously.

Feeling that familiar Inner Strength, he had nearly lost his composure.

Yan Wanqing licked her lips, feeling somewhat uncomfortable, "If it weren’t for this Inner Strength, Hongzhao couldn’t have won today."

The Crown Prince snorted coldly, "We’ll settle this when we get back."

Inwardly, he wondered what she had been thinking. From the outset, she issued a life-or-death challenge, apparently having secretly transferred her Inner Strength to Yan Hongzhao.

It was clear that the Inner Strength hadn’t been fully integrated, which was why Yan Hongzhao had spent the beginning of the fight evading, until she suddenly unleashed her power, finally absorbing it.

Being still with child herself, yet daring to transfer Inner Strength to another, she truly must be itching for a scolding.

The large hand beneath the bench gently pinched her tender fingers.

Not long after, Yan Lingzhen returned to her seat, gesturing to Yan Wanqing from afar.

Only then did the two of them finally relax.

As long as Hongzhao was alright.

King Chu Qi sat in his seat with a morose expression, not uttering a word.

The Crown Prince, who took the most pleasure in rubbing salt in the wounds, would not miss the opportunity to kick an adversary when he was down.

He stood up abruptly, clapping and laughing loudly, exclaiming "good" three times.

Then, he jubilantly called for a reward for General Rujin.

This scene was expected, but in Chu Qi’s eyes, who had just lost a great general, it was particularly galling.

The Crown Prince, not satisfied with this, walked up to Chu Qi, patted his shoulder, and sighed deeply, "Condolences and accept the change, my brother. These life-or-death matters are truly difficult to predict, as we who have been through them know."

Chu Qi forced a smile and nodded.

Princess Chu Yu beside him did not have such a good temper.

Just as she was about to explode, Yingtao quickly restrained her, "Princess, remember the King’s order..."

The rest of Yingtao’s words trailed off, yet Chu Yu understood.

Before the banquet began, her royal brother had told her to behave herself.

Chu Yu glared hatefully at Yan Wanqing, starting to plot in her mind.

How much effort had Chu Kingdom put into fostering such a commander, for Yan Hongzhao to kill him on a whim? It was outrageous, certainly orchestrated by Yan Wanqing!

Now she wanted to see, with the state at stake, how much affection her royal brother still held for Yan Wanqing.

"Yingtao, do something for me," she ordered with a scheme in mind, turning to Yingtao.

Yingtao leaned in to listen, her brow furrowed in concern, but without a word, she departed.

A princess’s command was to be obeyed without question.

Meanwhile, the Crown Prince persisted in his derision, "King Chu, look, are not the women of Dawei a match for men, haha..."