Endless Winter: My Camp Upgrades Infinitely

Chapter 1521: Chapter 476: Gold-Dissolving Den in the County City, the Wave Opposing Reform, and Ji Hong’s Shortage of Funds (Part 3)

Those around witnessed the scene without any surprise, each turning their heads to glance at the private suite, and then dared not speak recklessly.

“Feixu, come in and play the zither for us!”

The pianist Feixu on the stage initially showed a trace of surprise, but upon hearing the Princely Heir call out to her again, she immediately replaced her expression with a sweet smile, hugged her zither, and slowly walked toward the private suite.

Watching Feixu leave, the people in the round hall felt a sense of disappointment, but dared not say anything. They could only watch her enter the suite, and only when the door was shut again did they dare to turn back and whisper among themselves.

“Which Princely Heir is it?”

“Who else could have such a big temper? It has to be Prince Dongyun.”

“Fourth Young Master, what’s he doing at the restaurant?”

“I heard that today, he and the Little Princess invited the Young Prince Ji Hong from Adviser Chen Mansion, along with five or six county mansion disciples!”

“Ji Hong! This must be a duel invitation.”

“A duel invitation, what do you mean?”

“The young Ji Hong is truly remarkable! This August, the Young Prince Cai Shihong from Cai Qiu Qingcang County Mansion came here, claiming to seek martial friendships, but found no opponents. Even the Fifth Prince Dongkang of the county mansion was defeated and faced utter disgrace until Ji Hong stepped in and astonishingly defeated Cai Shihong!”

“But Prince Dongkang is ranked 98th on the Earth Ranking; what about Cai Shihong’s prowess?”

“With merely his basic strength, he has 56 Manes. Cai Shihong just turned twenty this year, aiming for a spot on the Earth Ranking. His target was initially Prince Dongyun and the Little Princess, yet unexpectedly was defeated by Ji Hong, an obscure little disciple of Adviser Chen.”

“In that sense, Ji Hong upheld the dignity of Chen Cang, so why do Prince Dongyun and the Little Princess still wish to challenge him?”

“The issue lies in the rankings. Prince Dongyun was initially ranked 87, with the Little Princess even higher at 83. But guess what happened? After Ji Hong defeated Cai Shihong, the new Earth Ranking in September unexpectedly placed him at 80, pushing down the rankings of the Little Princess and Prince Dongyun entirely. Prince Dongkang fared worse, dropping out of the top hundred altogether, threatening his princely position unless he breaks into the top hundred by year-end.”

“No wonder, the county mansion has rules. The fifth to eighth position princely heirs must stay within the top hundred of the Earth Ranking. Once they drop off, their princely status will be stripped.”

“Thus, Ji Hong has become desirable, with Prince Dongyun and the Little Princess both seeking to duel him. After all, defeating him would greatly improve their rankings.”

“The Earth Ranking seems variably unchanged, doesn’t it?”

“Judging by rank, the top ten have been virtually unaffected, except last June when the Little Dragon Head from Frost Ash Association broke into the top ten; otherwise, there’s been no significant shift.”

“The top ten are surely quasi-Sun Level. When they drop from the list, they’ll have broken through to Xianyang Level. Defeating them at Cold Resistance Level isn’t that simple.”

……

The discussion among those in the round hall remains unmentioned for now. Feixu, dressed in a red gown, gracefully entered the suite, directly sat at the side wing and began playing the zither. Her gaze occasionally scanned those within the room, only lingering longer when seeing the young man in black by the window, revealing a transparent trace of admiration in her eyes.

“Ji Hong, if you don’t accept my duel invitation, you ought to provide a reason. Our basic strength is both 58 Manes. You’ve won Adviser Chen’s favor with your talent in the Sword Dao – if we truly fought it out, your strength may not be inferior to mine. There’s only a gap of a few years between our ages, why be so timid?”

After Chu Dongyun finished speaking, seeing Ji Hong at the window remain silent, his mood, already mildly annoyed by the commotion outside, quickly turned to irritation. He glanced at Chu Yan’er opposite him, spun his eyes, and continued: “Yan’er’s basic strength is one Mane higher than yours; it’s understandable if you were to decline her challenge, but do you really need to fear me?”

Seeing Chu Dongyun use her as leverage, Chu Yan’er frowned slightly but said nothing, instead turning to look at Ji Hong.

Her gaze upon Ji Hong was intriguing, a blend of admiration and deep curiosity. Observing closely would reveal a faint hint of pity in the depths of her pupils.

“Yan’er, what do you say?”

Ji Hong continued gazing out the window without responding, while Chu Dongyun’s emotions escalated, directly asking Chu Yan’er. Though he was a Princely Heir of the Prefectural Governor Mansion, he dared not offend such influential figures as Adviser Chen; thus, despite his internal rage, he didn’t dare treat Ji Hong too harshly.

However, Chu Yan’er was different.

The rules of the Four Vassals of Moao River adhered to similar customs like Cai Qiu. Likewise, there were five Princely Heirs and five Commandery Princesses set at Chen Cang’s five Prefectural Governor Mansions.

Yet, Yanling County’s circumstances were unique. When Chu Yan’er was titled Commandery Princess at thirteen, she was initially merely one of the Five Commandery Princesses, but due to a word from the Landgrave about Chen Cang Pearl, she transformed from an ordinary Commandery Princess into the Yanling County Princess.

A Commandery Princess named after the county, this was unprecedented at Chen Cang. Furthermore, the other five Commandery Princesses were already assigned, making Chu Yan’er’s position not only supersede the five princesses, but also overshadow him, the Fourth Princely Heir.

Ultimately, Ji Hong was only Chen Yuanhong’s closed-door disciple. He didn’t dare go too far for fear of offending Chen Yuanhong, yet Chu Yan’er had no such reservations.

“Brother Ji, it’s merely a spar, no need to be so conceited, is there?”

Chu Yan’er ultimately held pursuits for Earth Ranking positions as well, thus after Chu Dongyun sparked the fire, she contemplated briefly before speaking.