Dragon Tamer - Chapter 239:
Chapter 239: Chapter 240 Competitor
Translator: 549690339
Meng Han Wu stood in front of the door, the ice on her cheeks almost freezing the entire doorframe.
Who exactly had come to accept the marriage challenge?
How had it come to be that she was here, clearing away the competition for Zhu Minglang?
Meng Han Wu hesitated for a moment but eventually stayed in front of the Princess Manor. As long as she could complete this task, she would act as Zhu Minglang’s guard for a while!
Sitting down, Zhu Minglang realized everyone was in the courtyard, surrounded by maple trees as red as rosy clouds, some fine wine, several plates of exquisite fruits, and some brushes, ink, paper, and inkstone. Had he not confirmed this was the Princess Manor, Zhu Minglang would have thought he’d entered some academy’s examination hall.
“The princess is fond of poetry. Gentlemen, please compose a poem while you wait, as a first impression,” said an extremely tall palace maid.
A literary test??
He really had guessed it.
Was Princess Luoshui sifting out those nobles who were rich in wealth but poor in knowledge?
In the realm of poetry, Zhu Minglang wasn’t a master, but in a gentry family like the Zhu Gate, which liked to collect antiques and famous paintings, he knew the basics well enough.
After writing a poem about the red leaves, Zhu Minglang began to observe the people around him.
To Zhu Minglang’s surprise, there was a familiar face among them, none other than Prince Liang, who had lost a tooth at the Dragon Girl Palace!
“Zhang Three, Zhang Two, Zhang One, it’s this guy, chop him up for me!!” Prince Liang also noticed Zhu Minglang and immediately flew into a rage.
With his missing tooth now exposed, his shout, which was meant to be imposing and fierce, turned comically ridiculous, provoking a round of delicate laughter from the palace maids.
“Prince Liang, we are inside the manor, not at your doorstep. I hope Prince Liang will restrain himself. Any grievances can be dealt with after leaving the premises,” the tall palace maid said with emphasis.
“Fine, fine, just you wait, boy!” Prince Liang’s face turned beet-red with frustration as he picked up his brush and began to write, his handwriting grandiose but utterly nonsensical.
The princess must have set up this poetry challenge to weed out the likes of Prince Liang.
Zhu Minglang scanned the room and noticed a young scholar whose demeanor stood out from the rest. His posture as he held the brush was somewhat peculiar – his writing seemed to contain a certain momentum, as if instilling some kind of power into the white paper. The lines of black ink on the paper commanded a kind of respect.
What kind of ability was this?
Zhu Minglang, after all, was a Dragon Shepherd who possessed a Dragon King; if the other party was simply showing off some calligraphy tricks, it wouldn’t be possible to evoke such an odd emotion in him.
The scholar put down his brush, then closed his eyes to rest, not interacting with others or paying attention to his surroundings, as if he was among the gently swaying maple saplings…
Zhu Minglang then looked towards another area and saw a mature-looking man who exuded an air of refined elegance. There didn’t seem to be anything particularly special about him, except for his guardian, who appeared to be an extremely powerful Dragon Trainer, wrapped in Dragon Breath like a mountain hidden in dense fog!
“Brother, you must be in your late thirties if not forty, why are you competing with us young ones for the princess?” Zhu Minglang, seated not far from the man, struck up a conversation.
“I’m ashamed to say, I’ve been busy with national affairs and have yet to marry. Now that the country is stable, and my travels have brought me to Miao Kingdom, I thought I’d give it a try,” the mature man replied amiably, with a generous smile.
“Zhu Gate, Zhu Minglang,” Zhu Minglang introduced himself.
“Slaughter Country, Tu Wenhe,” the mature man returned the gesture.
“Slaughter Country? I don’t seem to have heard of it. Where is it located?” Zhu Minglang asked.
“It’s quite normal that Mr. Zhu hasn’t heard of it. I’ve just changed the country’s name. I’m not someone of great talent, so I simply named the country after my own surname, Tu,” Tu Wenhe said evenly.
Zhu Minglang maintained a composed façade but was inwardly shocked!
“`
He’s a ruthless one!
Making nations take his surname!
This guy is a Hunter!
Within the Supreme Court Empire, there are many Dragon Shepherd Teams dedicated to traveling between major nations, even serving national armies, auxiliating in the assault of cities and occupation of territories.
Of course, some Dragon Shepherds are rulers themselves; they continuously conquer cities, imposing hefty taxes…
And among these Dragon Shepherd Teams are those with ambitions of nation hunting; important city-states and affluent nations are their prey!
Stealing a hook incurs execution, stealing a nation earns one the title of marquis.
This phrase perfectly manifests itself in these individuals!
They hunt nations, making entire countries submit to their Master of Dragon Shepherd, milking them dry of resources before moving on, leaving the nation to rot away on its own!
Hunters, in the Dragon Shepherd Team hierarchy, are indeed the cream of the crop. No wonder the guards around this person exude an imposing presence like mountains; Zhu Minglang couldn’t help but take a second look at this seemingly refined elder man.
Of course, there are two kinds of Hunters: those willing to rule, bringing order to lands that are otherwise in chaos.
The other kind is akin to swarming locusts, intent only on stripping a nation’s resources, without a care for the aftermath since they harbor no thoughts of governance, merely serving their massive dragon herds.
“If you become the Imperial Son-in-Law, wouldn’t Brother Tu have to stay in the capital of Miao Kingdom? The women here wouldn’t want their men to be too prominent,” Zhu Minglang said.
“Ha, that will depend on the circumstances,” Tu Wenhe replied with confidence, seeming unconcerned about the restrictions of the Miao Kingdom.
While they were speaking, a person entered the room. He was short and slight but had a handsome face. Seeing that everyone had started to write poetry, he found a seat for himself.
“Which one is from Zhu Gate?” the handsome short man asked as soon as he sat down.
“That would be me,” Zhu Minglang responded.
“Next time you find a gatekeeper, pick someone more capable,” the short man commented.
Zhu Minglang then remembered he had asked Meng Hanwu to guard the gate, permitting no one else to enter the Princess Manor.
This short handsome man had actually defeated Meng Hanwu!
Indeed, in no time, Meng Hanwu rushed in, sweat still glistening on her forehead and among her strands of hair. She looked around, seemingly unwilling to accept defeat, ready to challenge the short handsome man again.
“Let it go, he’s got the skill,” Zhu Minglang said to Meng Hanwu.
“What’s it to you!” Meng Hanwu glared at Zhu Minglang.
“Miss, go back to the mountains and train for a few more years. Your swordsmanship is still too rough, and with your frigid demeanor, devoid of any feminine charm, I have no interest in entanglement with you,” the short man said.
Zhu Minglang couldn’t help but laugh.
Well said.
Always so icy, never a pleasant expression; it’s not a matter of being womanly or not, she’s lost all human warmth.
However, Meng Hanwu’s cultivation base should be fairly similar to Bai Qin’an’s. Being able to overpower her, it seems that the last to come is indeed formidable.
There’s no shortage of competitors!
