Marrying a White Snake Wife is Super Cool

Lu Yuan sat upright in his tent, perfectly positioned to see the group of generals at the entrance to the Training Ground.

The general leading the group, who had a Treasure Sword at his waist, carried himself with an extraordinary air. He strode into the Golden Tent to have an audience with the Emperor.

Five generals followed behind him. They carried no weapons but were all clad in Armor.

Four of the generals took up positions outside the Golden Tent, while one rather handsome general walked toward the tent where Lu Yuan was.

Lu Yuan saw him and realized the long-awaited fifth contestant had finally appeared.

Inside the Golden Tent, the Emperor, the Crown Prince, the Grand Elder of the Celestial Dynasty Palace, and the Grand Elder of Le Shen Temple had arrived long ago.

As soon as he entered the Golden Tent, the general with the Treasure Sword at his waist knelt before the Emperor.

The Emperor raised a hand and said, "Marquis Yongchang, there is no need for such formalities!"

The man who knelt was none other than Marquis Yongchang, Lan Yu, who would later be enfeoffed as Duke Liang, a man of lofty status.

Marquis Yongchang, Lan Yu, was Crown Prince Gu Biao’s most loyal subordinate. In terms of family ties, he could even be considered the Crown Prince’s maternal uncle, though no one would dare have the Crown Prince call him that.

This maternal connection traced back to Chang Yuchun. Known as "Chang Shiwang," Chang Yuchun was a ferocious warrior capable of single-handedly wiping out an army of one hundred thousand men. Unfortunately, he died young from an illness; otherwise, he too would have enjoyed a life of glory and wealth.

Chang Shiwang was the Crown Prince’s father-in-law, and Lan Yu was Chang Shiwang’s wife’s younger brother. Therefore, it was no exaggeration to call Lan Yu the Crown Prince’s maternal uncle.

It was precisely because of this connection that Lan Yu was utterly loyal to the Emperor and the Crown Prince, with no hint of duplicity. He was just a bit arrogant and domineering in his daily affairs.

With the Emperor’s permission, Lan Yu found a seat and sat down, placing his Treasure Sword upright beside him.

In Lu Yuan’s tent, the man clad in Armor shot Lu Yuan a cold, sidelong glance, looking as if he had heard stories about him. He then sat down in an empty seat.

This man was none other than Lan Ying, the adopted son of Marquis Yongchang, Lan Yu. Lu Yuan didn’t recognize him, nor did he care. ’I’ll just have to beat him down when we get on the stage,’ he thought.

As a ray of sunlight spilled over the high courtyard walls onto the Training Ground, the Emperor instructed his personal eunuch, "Let it begin!"

The Chief Eunuch walked onto the Training Ground, unfurled a Scroll, and began to read aloud in a high-pitched voice.

The gist of it was to congratulate those who had passed the first round. The second round would be a free-for-all battle, and the last person left standing would be the ultimate winner, receiving a reward even more lavish than that of the first round.

Several eunuchs carried a weapon rack onto the Training Ground. Displayed upon it were the weapons the five contestants had submitted, among which was Lu Yuan’s Celestial Master Sword.

After the Chief Eunuch finished speaking, Lu Yuan and the other four contestants stepped onto the stage under the watchful eyes of all the civil and military officials.

Having placed fifth in the first round, Lu Yuan walked at the very end of the line.

Lan Ying went first, taking two swords of medium length from the rack. He was a dual-wielder.

The dark-skinned man nicknamed Braised Egg took his long whip and metal bracers.

The burly, fat man took a Great Axe and several Fish Head Darts.

The muscular, scar-faced man took a long spear and a suit of Armor.

Only Lu Yuan’s Celestial Master Sword remained on the rack, looking a little shabby compared to the others’ armaments.

In the Golden Tent, the Emperor asked, "Marquis Yongchang, who do you think will win the grand prize?"

Marquis Yongchang, Lan Yu, had not watched the first round, so he was unaware of the strength of the other four contestants on the stage, aside from his adopted son.

Lan Yu cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty the Emperor, I am confident that Lan Ying will not disappoint you."

The Emperor nodded, seemingly in agreement with Lan Yu’s words. ’That boy, Lan Ying, is indeed impressive,’ he thought.

His Majesty the Emperor, Gu Yuanzhang, knew perfectly well that General Lan Ying possessed superb Martial Arts, excelled at mounted combat, was handsome, and was Lan Yu’s adopted son—all of which made him a firm member of the Crown Prince’s faction.

If he were to marry his daughter, Gu Ziye, to Lan Ying, the bond between Marquis Yongchang, Lan Yu, and the Crown Prince, Gu Biao, would be doubly reinforced. That way, when Crown Prince Gu Biao eventually inherited the great throne, his imperial authority would be unshakeable by any of the other Princes.

As long as Crown Prince Gu Biao lived, it would be nothing but a foolish fantasy for Princes like King Jin, King Yan, or King Qi to dream of contending for the throne.

Unfortunately, the Thirteenth Princess, Gu Ziye, did not like Lan Ying. Thus, the decision today of who would marry her would be based entirely on merit.

On the stage, just as Lu Yuan reached out to take his sword, he suddenly felt a cold breeze brush past his face.

Reacting with sharp reflexes, Lu Yuan took a step back and, using his Inner Strength, pulled the Celestial Master Sword from the weapon rack into his right hand.

CRACK! The weapon rack on the stage was split in two by a Great Axe.

Lu Yuan gripped the Celestial Master Sword, fury rising within him. ’This fat man has no sense of martial honor, launching a sneak attack like that!’

’The rules state the free-for-all begins after everyone retrieves their weapons,’ Lu Yuan fumed internally. ’I hadn’t even touched my Celestial Master Sword, and he swung that axe right at my face. He better hope he can take what’s coming to him.’

The fat man held a grudge because Lu Yuan had ignored him in the tent earlier, so he decided to make an example of him and assert his dominance from the start.

The fat man’s family was prominent, so he naturally felt he had no reason to be wary of a mere Fourth Grade official with no powerful family backing.

Among the five contestants, Lu Yuan was probably the softest target.

The fat man’s behavior drew scorn from the crowd, but the other contestants each held their ground, none daring to make the first move.

The five men stood upon the stage, each occupying their own spot, warily eyeing the other four.

At this point, everyone understood that there could only be one victor. Assuming their strengths were more or less equal, attacking rashly would likely get them ambushed by the others and knocked out of the ring immediately.

After a brief silence, the scar-faced man, being a soldier, could no longer contain his impatience. ’This isn’t a contest of who can stand still the longest,’ he thought. ’There’s no point in this standoff. Might as well test the waters.’

Standing his ground, the scar-faced man brandished his long spear, unleashing several blasts of energy that shot straight toward the fat man.