The Queen stood up excitedly, came to the desk, stood next to the court lady, took over the scroll, and looked at it carefully.
The more she looked, the more she loved it and was reluctant to let it go. What woman would not want to own such a realistic self-portrait?
After enjoying it, she gestured for the court lady to take it to the people in the main hall to appreciate. After sitting back in her seat, she said to Gong Xiaohua, "Lady Gong, your figure painting skills are superb. I confer you as the Royal Painter. Would you be willing?"
There are many rules in the royal palace. Gong Xiaohua certainly did not want to.
"Reporting to the Queen, I'm afraid I have to disappoint your good intentions. I already have an official position and it is really impossible for me to take on another role," said Gong Xiaohua.
"Oh?"
Suddenly, there was a slight commotion in the main hall, interrupting the conversation between the two.
An old man over fifty years old with graying hair walked tremblingly to the front of the main hall, knelt down to the top seat and said, "This old man pays respect to the King and Queen."
"Old Chen, please rise quickly," said the King.
Old Chen was the best painter in the Dayi Dynasty. He had loved painting all his life. Barging in now must also be for some matter regarding painting.
"I've painted all my life. Looking at the whole Dayi Dynasty and even other dynasties, I have never seen such painting skills. I was excited for a moment, please forgive me, Your Majesty and Your Highness," said Old Chen.
“It’s understandable, no problem,” said the Queen.
"Thank you for the Queen's forgiveness."
"I wonder which school Lady Gong studied under? Could I have an introduction?"
Which school did she study under? If she told the truth, she might not see tomorrow's sun.
"Replying to Old Chen, my master has passed away many years ago. Other than accepting me as his only disciple, he was alone without any school or sect," said Gong Xiaohua.
Old Chen was heartbroken when he learned that the other party had passed away.
"What a pity, what a pity. Such great talent, lost among the sea of people. Our generation is unfortunate that his lifelong learning could not be promoted and carried forward," lamented Old Chen.
"Lady Gong must have received the true teachings from your master. May I invite you to join my painting society?" asked Old Chen.
With this request, there was another commotion in the main hall.
One must know that Old Chen’s painting society was not something just anyone could qualify for.
The members of the society were all masters of the Dayi Dynasty’s painting world. The outside world highly sought after their works.
If one was fortunate enough to enter Old Chen’s painting society, it meant that one could have a place in the painting world.
"Thank you for Old Chen's invitation, but my painting skills are less than half of my master's. Also, I have an official post so I'm afraid I can't become a member of your painting society," declined Gong Xiaohua.
"However, during my leisure time, if the painting society needs it, you can notify me at anytime.”
"Good, good," said Old Chen.
He took out a token from his chest and handed it to Gong Xiaohua, "This is the entry token to my painting society. With this token, you can freely enter the society anytime."
Gong Xiaohua received the token. "Thank you, Old Chen."
"Hahaha. Lady Gong is too polite. I wonder which post are you currently at?"
"I'm currently at the Inspector Bureau of the Ministry of Justice."
"Oh? The Inspector Bureau. That is a tiring job, moreover for a young girl like you. It must be not easy. Why not resign from your current post and take up the Queen's offer?"
"Old Chen, don't underestimate my sister Gong. She's very powerful. During the initial qualifying round of the Wrestling Tournament, my sister Gong took on dozens of people alone," Ling Long refuted.
"Oh? Is that true? But I remember her name was not on the finalists list," the Crown Prince asked in surprise.
It was not obvious, but the girl Qin Chuyuan liked seemed to be quite a hidden gem. How interesting.
"Replying to the Crown Prince, I was unable to participate in the second round of the tournament due to some reasons," said Gong Xiaohua.
"That's a pity."
The King who was seated above also became interested. He jokingly said, "If you really have that ability, We can consider giving you another chance. Lady Gong, do you have the courage to try?"
Having drank too much fruit wine earlier, Gong Xiaohua was bolder than usual without remembering her mother's reminder to keep out of trouble.
"I'm willing to try," said Gong Xiaohua.
"Very good, decisive. We like it. Someone come, summon Lang Commander," ordered the King.
With the King’s words, there were shocked voices below.
Who was Lang Commander? The top martial artist in Dayi Dynasty, known as the Demon Slayer.
"Your Majesty, this is inappropriate. Today is the Princess' Coming of Age ceremony. It is not suitable to fight," Qin Chuyuan suddenly stood up and said to the King of Yi.
"Father, Sister Gong is my friend," pleaded Princess Ling Long anxiously.
"It doesn't matter, we'll stop when it gets out of hand," said the King.
Not long after, a middle-aged man wearing red armor, with a sword on his waist, tall in stature, sharp eyes, hooked nose, and short beard under his nose, walked in.
"Paying respect to Your Majesty and Your Highness," he greeted.
"Rise," said the King.
“Well, Lady Gong, Lang Commander is the top martial artist in our Dayi Dynasty. You can still back out now if you want," said the King.
Nonsense, the word “retreat” did not exist in her dictionary in this life or past life.
Caught in the heat of the moment, Gong Xiaohua said, "Lang Commander, please teach me."
Seeing the young woman in front of him wanting to compete with him, Lang Commander thought it was a joke.
He looked at the nodding King above. "Stop when it gets out of hand," instructed the King.
Lang Commander gestured to a guard in the hall. The guard offered his sword to Gong Xiaohua.
"Lady Gong, please."
Just as his words fell, Gong Xiaohua struck first towards his head. Lang Commander blocked it back forcefully with his treasured sword.
Unexpectedly, Gong Xiaohua was extremely fast. She took a quick step to his left and stabbed towards his calf.
Lang Commander turned his body and flicked the sword upwards from below to deflect Gong Xiaohua’s blade. The sword edge suddenly swung towards Gong Xiaohua’s neck.
Sitting at the side, Qin Chuyuan’s heart thumped loudly. He was just about to stand up.
In a flash, Gong Xiaohua quickly raised her sword to block horizontally, fending off the hacking blade, while stepping back to face the opponent.
Seeing Gong Xiaohua was safe, Qin Chuyuan sat back down with his hands tightly clenched. A perceptive person would have noticed his nervousness if they saw him then.
Only then did Lang Commander realize that he had underestimated the opponent.
The opponent was formidable, with great arm strength. The tiger's mouth holding his sword numb from the vibration. Letting go of contempt, he started fighting seriously.
The rest of the people watching in the main hall also slowly let go of their disdain for the woman and were shocked to see the ongoing fight.
Then, the two on the stage simultaneously brandished their swords from their wrists and rapidly flew towards each other’s position, accompanied by shattering icy lights flashing before the audience.
Gong Xiaohua spun her wrist and the sword miraculously spun within her grasp. Her opponent's swordsmanship was trapped with almost nowhere to hide.
Lang Commander immediately released his sword and shook his sword edge with mighty power to dissolve Gong Xiaohua’s attack.
Once again, simultaneously, they leapt vigorously into the dust, jumping and fighting. The clashing of swords had almost reached their limits.
The battle too quick to see soon depleted their lightning speed.
After almost a hundred moves, finally, with a sudden shudder by one, he knelt down with blood flowing from the corners of his mouth while the other stood fixedly.
The crowd looked from the kneeling Lang Commander to the standing Gong Xiaohua.
The winner and loser were decided.
