“I wonder how much do you know about the prefecture competition, Miss Lou?” An Shaoning was an intelligent man, and he knew that Lou Qianxue liked straightforward people.
“I only know that in the prefecture competition, martial skills define the champion.”
“Yes, that is indeed the case. Every year, the competition is carried out in the same way. The first round is a melee battle. The ones who remained standing after this round would then participate in one-on-one battles. The family of the best contestant in a city would become the City Lord Mansion. In addition, the strength of each city will also determine the resources that the Prefectural Governor will allocate to them.”
“I know that. Young Master An, you didn’t offend the Li, the Bai, and the Su Family just to tell me this, right?”
“Of course not.” An Shaoning laughed. “I just heard that someone bribed a few contestants to target you in the prefecture competition. I wanted to remind you to be careful.”
Lou Qianxue paused in her steps.
Lou Xiaoxiao intended to send Lou Qianxue to the seating area, so she had followed along. When she heard An Shaoning’s words, she burst into fury. “What? Who? How dare someone do something so despicable. Is the Prefectural Governor not doing anything about it?”
Lou Xiaoxiao’s agitation startled An Shaoning. All the other girls he knew were gentle. Straightforward and real girls like Lou Xiaoxiao were very rare. An Shaoning found her very interesting, and he took more notice of her.
Lou Xiaoxiao sensed his gaze, and her face flushed. She glared back at him. “What are you looking at, Pretty boy? Hurry and tell us. Who wants to harm Qianxue?”
P-pretty boy… It was the first time that someone had addressed An Shaoning this way, and he didn’t know what to think about it.
Lou Qianxue regained her senses and smiled. “Sister Xiaoxiao, don’t worry. The only one who would do this is either Lou Xingchen or Xu Miaoyan. Anyway, it doesn’t matter, My objective here at the prefectural competition is to beat everyone in the first place. It’s no big deal.”
All of them became silent until they reached Lou Qianxue’s seat. After An Zhenhua showed Lou Qianxue her spot, An Shaoning and Lou Xiaoxiao left.
“Miss Xiaoxiao, did you just call me a pretty boy because I am very handsome?”
When Lou Qianxue heard this question from afar, she put her palm onto her face and sighed. Is An Shaoning trying to flirt with Sister Xiaoxiao?
Lou Xiaoxiao flushed. “Y-You… What nonsense are you spouting? W-who said that you were handsome?”
“Huh? Is that not so? Everyone says I am handsome, so I thought even Miss Xiaoxiao felt the same.”
Lou Xiaoxiao quickened her pace. “What does you being handsome or not have anything to do with me?”
Seeing her flushed face and hurried pace, a smile appeared on An Shaoning’s face.
After a while, all the contestants had arrived.
The Prefectural Governor of Liuyun Prefecture and the representatives of the major families, as well as the City Lords from the various cities in the prefecture, gathered on stage and sat in order.
“Ladies and gentlemen. The long-awaited day has arrived. I shall cut back on the extras, but I do have to repeat the rules of the prefecture competition.
“In the first round, there will be six rings. On every ring, thirty contestants will fight altogether. Those who lose will battle one another to receive their ranking. Only the last man standing can proceed to the next round.”
“In the second round, the winners from the six rings will draw lots to battle one another to select the best.”
“Alright. Now, dear contestants, listen carefully and find your spots as soon as possible. On the first ring, we have Su Deguang, Lou Qianyue…”