51: Winter Hunting Competition starts now

“......”

Everyone immediately looked towards the entrance of the hall.

Yan Ruyu, dressed in a white gown and veiled, entered the grand hall with light steps, her clothes fluttering, her figure graceful, her dark hair swaying with the breeze, like a pure white lotus, carrying a faint fragrance.

Beside her, a handsome man in a white robe with a refined demeanor followed.

Mu Bei rose and bowed, “Greetings, Princess.”

“General Mu, there’s no need for such formality.”

Yan Ruyu spoke, her voice clear and melodious, extremely pleasant to hear.

Xie Weilou stared at Yan Ruyu, slightly tightening his grip on his wine cup.

Yan Ruyu instantly looked at Xie Weilou, a faint glow appearing in her calm eyes, and the temperature in the grand hall suddenly dropped, causing an inexplicable chill.

“There should be a good show to watch next!”

Xie Wushang sneered inwardly.

Xie Weilou had done such a thing to Yan Ruyu, and now that Yan Ruyu had appeared, he wanted to see what Xie Weilou would do.

Some people present also showed strange expressions; if these two clashed, it would certainly be very interesting.

However, the imagined scene did not occur.

The faint glow in Yan Ruyu’s eyes disappeared, and her beautiful eyes became calm again as she walked forward and found a seat.

The white-robed man also sat down on the other side.

“......”

Everyone was stunned for a second, but then they relaxed.

Even with major conflicts, they wouldn't erupt in public, as it would only expose their own wounds. As for what they would do in private, that remained unknown.

It could be foreseen that Xie Weilou’s journey this time was fraught with danger!

There were definitely more than one person present who wanted to kill him.

Xie Weilou paid no mind to what others were thinking. His gaze fell on the white-robed man, and he said with a faint smile, “This person seems to have an extraordinary temperament; I haven't seen him before.”

Everyone also looked at the white-robed man, a hint of surprise in their eyes. This person was not simple, and his background was also very significant.

The white-robed man cupped his hands towards Xie Weilou and said, “Li Haoran of the Qintian Bureau, greetings, Young Master.”

“Li Haoran? The National Teacher’s disciple, indeed as rumored, with an extraordinary demeanor.”

Xie Weilou praised.

There were only a few Divine Court Realm experts in the Great Xia Dynasty, and National Teacher Yuan Tianxiang happened to be one of them.

As the National Teacher’s disciple, Li Haoran was naturally not simple; his cultivation had already reached the mid-Territory Expansion Realm.

Li Haoran softly said, “Thank you for the Young Master’s praise.”

After a brief exchange of pleasantries.

Yan Junlin looked at Mu Bei and asked, “General Mu, what is the situation in Snow Wolf Valley now?”

Snow Wolf Valley is a large canyon located thirty li north of Beijing City, containing many fierce demonic beasts, making it extremely dangerous.

Mu Bei walked towards a map, picked up a brush, and mused, “The current Snow Wolf Valley is even more dangerous than before. Three years ago, a demonic race broke through the northern barrier and came south, eventually being annihilated by the Zhenbei Army in Snow Wolf Valley. Under the erosion of demonic energy, the demonic beasts in Snow Wolf Valley have become even more terrifying.”

He quickly drew three circles on the map and wrote the characters Jia, Yi, and Bing.

“For this Winter Hunt Assembly, Snow Wolf Valley is divided into three areas. The Bing area is the outer zone, where there are basically no demonic beasts, only some ordinary wild animals, suitable for hunting by those without cultivation.”

“The Yi area is for those with cultivation to train, and it is also everyone’s main hunting ground. It contains many demonic beasts and fierce beasts that have been eroded by demonic energy. As for the Jia area, everyone must not set foot there, as it contains some extremely powerful demonic beasts.”

“......”

Everyone nodded silently.

Mu Bei continued, “As for the details of this Winter Hunt Assembly, the First Prince will inform everyone tomorrow. After this banquet, everyone can stay in the City Lord’s Mansion to rest well and head to Snow Wolf Valley tomorrow morning.”

Everyone showed thoughtful expressions; tomorrow’s Winter Hunt Assembly would certainly be perilous.

Half an hour later.

The banquet ended.

Xie Weilou and Yan Junlin walked along a long corridor.

“Brother Xie, tomorrow I will send experts to secretly protect you, but you still need to be careful and cautious.”

Yan Junlin said with a serious expression.

Send experts?

Not possible!

Xie Weilou already had experts behind him; he didn't need him to send people.

Xie Weilou showed a smile on his face, “Then I can rest assured.”

Yan Junlin looked around, “I still have many matters to attend to now, so I won’t chat with Brother Xie any longer.”

“Go on with your work.”

Xie Weilou smiled and nodded, then walked towards a pavilion.

Yan Junlin watched Xie Weilou’s back and then also departed.

As Xie Weilou walked towards the pavilion, he happened to meet Xie Wushang.

“Cherish today’s time well.”

Xie Wushang gave Xie Weilou a chilling smile.

“Idiot.”

Xie Weilou simply uttered two words.

Crack.

Xie Wushang clenched his fist and left with a face full of coldness.

“Young Lord Xie, my Princess invites you.”

A charming maid walked over.

Xie Weilou glanced at the maid and asked with a smile, “Which Princess, may I ask?”

The maid said directly, “The Third Princess!”

Xie Weilou waved his hand, “Not interested, This Young Master is tired.”

Having said that, he walked into the pavilion.

“......”

The maid was stunned for a second. This guy actually dared to refuse the Third Princess?

She frowned slightly and returned the way she came.

Inside a pavilion.

Yan Ruyi was warming herself by the fire. Although she was a cultivator, the northern region was cold, and warming by the fire would be cozier.

The maid entered the pavilion, “Master, Xie Weilou didn’t come.”

“Oh! If he doesn’t come, he doesn’t come, what’s the big deal?”

Yan Ruyi said nonchalantly.

The maid asked in a low voice, “Master, tomorrow’s Winter Hunt Assembly will definitely be extremely dangerous, as the other princes and princesses all have their own agendas. What do you plan to do?”

“Just save my life! Don’t bother with anything else.”

Yan Ruyi stretched lazily.

The water was already muddled, so she would just watch others perform. As for herself, protecting her own life was paramount.

“Alright.”

The maid nodded gently.

——————

The next day.

At the entrance of Snow Wolf Valley, the main force gathered.

What met the eye were towering snow-capped mountains, arranged like a precious vase, with a vast internal space, faintly exuding demonic energy.

Yan Junlin looked at everyone and mused, “This Winter Hunt Assembly will last until tomorrow at a quarter past noon. Everyone needs to survive in Snow Wolf Valley for one day. During this day, what everyone needs to do is to hunt demonic beasts to their heart’s content.”

His gaze fell on Li Haoran.

Li Haoran waved his hand, and white jade tokens flew towards everyone present, “These are tokens refined by the Qintian Bureau. You only need to drip a drop of fresh blood into them, and then the number and strength of the demonic beasts you hunt will be displayed within.”

As if he thought of something, he added with a meaningful tone, “This token is only for counting; it will not track your whereabouts or traces.”

“......”

Everyone took the tokens one after another.

Xie Weilou played with the token, “This thing is not bad; it should fetch a good price.”

Upon hearing this, Li Haoran’s expression froze, and he quickly said, “This thing isn’t worth much… it will be collected back later…”

“Cough, cough!”

Yan Junlin lightly coughed and continued, “This time, the top five ranked individuals in the Winter Hunt Assembly will all receive special rewards. The higher the ranking, the richer the rewards, which even include Territory Expansion Pills for opening the Dantian. So, I hope everyone will do their best to hunt demonic beasts.”

Mu Bei said in a deep voice, “The rewards for this Winter Hunt Assembly are incredibly tempting, issued by the Royal Family and the Qintian Bureau. For now, Li Haoran and I will manage them, and after the results are announced, they will be distributed according to the rankings.”

“Territory Expansion Pills?”

Everyone’s eyes showed anticipation; the rewards from the Royal Family and the Qintian Bureau were naturally very tempting.

Yan Junlin looked at everyone, “If there are no questions, then the Winter Hunt Assembly can begin.”

“No problem.”

Everyone replied with serious expressions.

“Very good! This Prince declares that the Winter Hunt Assembly now begins.”

Yan Junlin said in a deep voice.

Everyone immediately vaulted onto the warhorses beside them. On the warhorses, bows and arrows were prepared.

“Depart!”

Yan Junlin mounted a warhorse, waved his hand, and everyone immediately rode their horses into Snow Wolf Valley.

Mu Bei and Li Haoran stood at the entrance.

Li Haoran spoke, “This Snow Wolf Valley is full of unknown dangers! There should be some cultivators who have already sneaked in, right?”

Mu Bei glanced at Li Haoran and said indifferently, “Snow Wolf Valley isn’t small, so isn’t it normal for some people to sneak in? According to His Majesty’s decree, Dao Repository Realm is considered exceeding the scope; below Dao Repository, there’s no need to pay attention! I only ensure that there are no Dao Repository Realm cultivators inside; the rest of the matters are none of my concern.”

It was certainly dangerous, with ferocious demonic beasts and ruthless human hearts.

However, the rewards were also very generous. High risk, high reward. If one could truly rank high and receive the rewards, they would definitely soar to great heights!

“......”

Li Haoran gave a wry smile and said no more.