Chapter 517
Chapter 517
The training grounds of the Northern Plains Hunting Grounds originally had no viewing stands. However, for the duel between Shen Lang and Zhong Shasha, a massive temporary stand had been erected, capable of seating several hundred people. And today, the scions of every powerful family in the capital had filled it to capacity.
“Heaven has answered our prayers. Someone has finally appeared to deal with that menace, Shen Lang.”
“Has he lost his mind? How dare he challenge Zhong Shasha to a duel? He must have a truly unique death wish. What a character!”
“But I heard that after agreeing to the duel, he tried to flee in the middle of the night, didn't he? A truly shameless fellow.”
A young noble shouted loudly.
“I’ll bet a thousand gold coins that Shen Lang gets crushed in an instant. Any takers?”
“Only a ghost would take that bet. I’ll wager ten thousand gold coins that Shen Lang is crushed in an instant. Anyone want to take me on?”
Not even a ghost, let alone a person, was willing to take the bet. In everyone’s eyes, Shen Lang’s instantaneous defeat was a certainty, a one-in-ten-thousand chance at best. Accepting such a wager was tantamount to throwing money away; only a fool of a ghost would dare to try.
***
The Sixth Prince, Ying Jing, said with a smile.
“Ying Ding, what possessed Shen Lang to be in such a hurry to die?”
Ying Ding did not deign to reply. The Sixth Prince, Ying Jing, continued sarcastically.
“My, my! It seems our Fifth Brother has grown quite bold after taking in eleven beggars, thinking he now has the capital to contend for the throne. He won’t even answer his younger brother’s question. Fourth Brother, perhaps we should sit a little farther away, lest we get hurt by Ying Ding’s imposing aura. Our Fifth Prince Ying Ding is, after all, a man who contends for the throne with the backing of eleven beggars.”
Ying Ding still acted as if he hadn’t heard a word. The Fourth Prince, Ying Zhen, had no intention of engaging with Ying Jing, but as they were both aligned with the Crown Prince, he had no choice but to respond.
“Ying Jing, your Fifth Brother is likely too nervous to speak.”
The Sixth Prince, Ying Jing, chuckled.
“Ah, right, right. I almost forgot. Our Fifth Brother tends to stutter when he gets nervous. My mistake, my mistake!”
“Hiyah, hiyah!”
A voice preceded its owner. Zhong Shasha’s call echoed from outside, and a moment later, her exquisitely beautiful face appeared before them all. Mounted on a swift steed, her figure was especially fiery and alluring. She was a true peerless beauty. As the Fourth Prince, Ying Zhen, and the Sixth Prince, Ying Jing, stared at her with fervent eyes, certain parts of their bodies began to stir. As sons of the King, they could now look past a woman's reputation and appreciate her more purely for her beauty and sensual charm. In the entire State of Yue, there were truly no women who surpassed Jin Mulan and Zhong Shasha in looks and figure.
Jin Mulan was modest and rarely appeared in public, so few had the chance to see her. Zhong Shasha, on the other hand, had a flamboyant personality and was often seen. Every time they saw her, a fire of desire would ignite in their hearts. Especially when she wore that arrogant expression, as if she could command anyone with a lift of her chin, it made them want to strip her bare, throw her onto a bed, and make her cry. What a pity! This woman was not someone Ying Jing and Ying Zhen could even dream of, which left them no choice but to feel dejected.
Though Ying Zhen and Ying Jing were princes, not all sons of the King were equal. Some princes looked down from lofty heights, while others were detached from the secular world. Zhong Shasha may have been the daughter of a marquis, but she was also the daughter of the greatest warlord, so Ying Jing and Ying Zhen were not worthy of being her match. With such a peerless beauty before them, the most these two could do was indulge in their private fantasies.
Their situation was still better than some. There was another prince who was not only in the secular world but was trampled underfoot, deep in the mud. Ying Ding, that useless stutterer, could be bullied by even a lowly sixth-rank official. Ying Zhen and Ying Jing took comfort in the fact that there was someone more miserable than them right beside them.
Zhong Shasha was accompanied by Xue Pan, the heir of the Xue Clan. She leaped off her warhorse. She could feel the gaze of every man in the vicinity fixed upon her—on her face, her waist, her chest, her rear. She felt a surge of triumph, yet she also looked down on them.
‘You worthless men can only feast your eyes on me and indulge in lewd fantasies. But do you think you’re worthy of me, Zhong Shasha? You aren’t fit to even touch my little finger. You’re all trash.’
Among those she disdained were Ying Zhen, Ying Ding, and Ying Jing. In her eyes, only a select few were worthy of exchanging a word with her. Of the King’s children, she respected only the Crown Prince and the Third Prince, Ying Han. As for the rest, even Ying Luo and Ying Yan, she wouldn’t give them a second glance.
As Zhong Shasha dismounted, the Fourth and Sixth Princes stood to greet her, despite being from different factions. (Zhong Shasha was with the Third Prince’s faction, while the Fourth and Sixth Princes were with the Crown Prince.) The several hundred scions of powerful families seated in the stands also rose to welcome her. Zhong Shasha didn’t even return their gesture, instead striding directly into the barracks with supreme arrogance. Having been so blatantly ignored, the expressions on Ying Zhen and Ying Jing’s faces soured. But the one who had ignored them was Zhong Shasha. Had it been the heir of the Marquis of Zhenxi, he would have surely come over to greet them. Everyone in the Zhong Clan was exceedingly polite and courteous; Zhong Shasha was the sole exception.
The heir of the Xue Clan, Xue Pan, stepped forward and bowed.
“Greetings to Their Highnesses, the Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Princes.”
The three princes returned his bow. Xue Pan said to them.
“I will go inside and offer her a few words of encouragement.”
Just then, Shen Lang’s horse entered, followed by the Maiden’s Guard. They were all Princess Ying Yan’s personal guards.
“Booooo!”
“Hiss!”
The moment Shen Lang appeared, the hundreds of noble scions erupted in a unified chorus of jeers. In perfect unison, they raised their little fingers at Shen Lang, a gesture of utter contempt. (Raising the little finger has many meanings, but here it was used to mean 'You're not good enough,' or 'You're human trash.') While the common people no longer dared to provoke Shen Lang, the crowd here consisted of the sons of powerful families, and they could collectively show their disdain for him. This was Shen Lang’s first time facing the capital’s noble scions. Seeing them all sneering and raising their little fingers at him, Shen Lang dismounted his warhorse.
“My dear, passionate brothers, thank you for coming all this way to support me.”
Upon hearing this, one of the young nobles shouted back.
“Don’t get the wrong idea, Shen Lang! We came to see how you’ll be instantly defeated and castrated. Once you’re castrated today, you won’t be able to live off your wife’s family anymore, will you?”
Everyone’s grievance with Shen Lang was that he was living a life of utter bliss by relying on his wife’s family. It was one thing to become the live-in son-in-law of Jin Mulan at the Count of Xuanwu's Estate, but upon arriving in the capital, he had immediately shacked up with the Third Princess, Ying Yan. The Maiden’s Guard, which Princess Ying Yan had spent over a decade building, was now effectively his.
‘Aren’t you having a bit too much fun as a live-in son-in-law? Everywhere you go, you end up relying on a woman.’
Shen Lang said with a smile.
“A man as handsome as myself will have no trouble living off his wife’s family, even if castrated. I still have my hands, my mouth, and my tongue, don’t I? Besides, everyone calls me Shen Lang, Dongfang Bubai, so this duel is one I will surely win.”
“Hmph. If you’re not afraid of dying, why did you run away last night? Fleeing in the middle of the night—have you no shame?”
Shen Lang said.
“That’s right. I fled the night before last, and for good reason. I heard Zhong Shasha has been on her period for the last two days. How unlucky is that? What if I defeat her and she starts bleeding from both ends? How ominous would that be? So, as soon as I heard the news, I made a hasty escape.”
“I’m going to kill him. I’m going to kill him…”
Inside the barracks, Zhong Shasha, who had been preparing for the duel, heard Shen Lang’s words and immediately drew her sword, ready to rush out and tear him to shreds. She was on the verge of exploding. From childhood until now, no one had ever dared to speak to her like that or trample on her dignity. Xue Xue, who was beside her, held her back and said in a gentle voice.
“There’s no hurry. The duel is about to begin.”
Zhong Shasha thought her words made sense. In a little while, during the duel, she would first castrate Shen Lang and then kill him. That would surely vent all her anger.
Outside, Shen Lang continued.
“In truth, I wasn’t running away; I was trying to spare Zhong Shasha. Although this woman has a foul mouth, she has large breasts, doesn’t she? And isn’t it normal for a woman with large breasts to have an empty head and a foul mouth? But she didn’t appreciate my kindness and sent a large force to capture me. In that case, she can’t blame this Dongfang Bubai for being merciless. I’ll let you all in on a secret: my martial arts are profound and unfathomable. Zhong Shasha, in a little while, you’ll be spouting blood from both above and below. When that happens, don’t you dare blame me!”
Zhong Shasha was once again so enraged that she tried to charge out of the barracks, but Xue Xue held her back again. All the noble scions present were dumbfounded.
‘Damn it! Shamelessness truly makes one invincible. No one, no matter how shameless, can compare to you. Such a lack of decency… you’re truly without rival.’
Then, the several hundred noble scions once again jeered at Shen Lang, raising their little fingers. Shen Lang accepted their support without reservation.
“Thank you, thank you. But my benevolent brothers, your hand gesture is a bit outdated. Allow me to teach you a new one.”
With that, Shen Lang raised the middle fingers of both hands.
“A gesture like this is truly powerful and unique, especially when you raise both middle fingers together. Do you know what this gesture means? Everyone, repeat after me, emphasizing the end of the word: ‘Nimisippal’! It means, ‘I’ll fuck your mother.’”
Shen Lang rode his horse in a circle, both middle fingers held high, essentially greeting the mothers of every noble scion present. Ying Ding’s head throbbed. He regretted coming today. To think… to think that this man was his best friend and greatest supporter. Sometimes, Ying Ding truly had to summon immense courage just to stand next to Shen Lang.
Shen Lang shouted loudly.
“The other day, I taught you all the word ‘moron.’ Today, I’ve taught you a new hand gesture. Let’s all try it together. Nimi…”
The several hundred noble scions present unconsciously mouthed the word.
“No need to thank me. I, Shen Lang, am a trendsetter in the capital, always at the forefront of fashion.”