Limitless Ascension: Strength Amid Adversity – Chapter 273

At this moment.

Ye Junlin clicked his tongue, “How pitiful, that Miss Dongfang is only eighteen, and her mental state is already a mess.”

“Why do I feel like her voice when she speaks is quite pleasant?” Li Wujie scratched his head.

“Heh, so you like that style,” Hong Qianye scoffed.

Li Wujie, with his face unflushed and heart steady, replied, “Is there a problem? Men like eighteen-year-olds.”

“By the way, the middle-aged woman accompanying her is a True Immortal. It seems that this so-called Miss Dongfang has quite the background in Heavenly Daughter Country,” Ye Junlin stroked his chin, pondering.

Knock, knock, knock!

A familiar voice rang out, “Young Master Ye, it’s me!”

“What does this girl want again?” Hong Qianye frowned as she stepped forward to open the door, coldly stating, “Young Master Ye doesn’t like to be disturbed.”

“I know, I’m here to remind him that this Treasure Ship will soon arrive at the Imperial Capital. I’d like to invite you all to join me for the Flower Car Festival tonight in the Imperial Capital.”

“To show my sincerity, I’ll cover all the costs for the flower car!”

Dongfang Mengyao said earnestly.

The Flower Car Festival in the Imperial Capital?

Ye Junlin’s expression shifted slightly; he had come to Heavenly Daughter Country partly for fun and partly for interest.

Experiencing the local culture and festive atmosphere was his greatest pleasure in the Central Region!

Since that’s the case, why not let Dongfang Mengyao act as their tour guide and show them around the Imperial Capital?

“Miss Dongfang, it seems I misunderstood you earlier,” Ye Junlin said with a smile, his attitude friendly. “Then it would be troublesome for you to lead us to the Flower Car Festival tonight in the Imperial Capital.”

Dongfang Mengyao’s heart soared with joy; as long as she could continue to interact, she’d have the chance to win him over.

“Hehe, no problem!”

A few dozen minutes later.

The enormous Luxury Boat arrived at the Imperial Capital, docking at the pier.

Amidst the countless amazed gazes, Ye Junlin and the others disembarked, heading towards the Imperial Capital.

It was already nightfall, with a moon as large as a plate hanging in the sky, spilling down silvery light.

The Imperial Capital was brightly lit, bustling with splendor.

Everywhere were luxurious mansions, ringing with the sounds of crowds, thrumming with excitement.

Looking out, the streets were lively with young ladies in colorful skirts, elegantly moving about as their skirts swayed, creating a stunning sight.

“It’s quite lively.”

Feeling the festive atmosphere, a smile crept onto Ye Junlin’s lips.

Beside him, Bai Xiaoxi held a rainbow-colored windmill, eyes sparkling with excitement as she blew gently at it,

“Little windmill, whoosh~ whoosh~ how fun~”

The immature-minded silver-haired loli waved her little windmill, her face beaming with delight.

Seeing this, Hong Qianye rolled her eyes, “Childish.”

Ye Junlin glanced at the abundant street food with a grin, “Let’s go try some!”

Dongfang Mengyao’s eyes lit up, noticing Ye Junlin’s keen interest in food, she quickly offered, “Young Master Ye, let me lead the way! I know all the best places to eat nearby!”

Soon after.

The group launched into food mode.

They tried skewers of lamb, beef, grilled gluten, roasted chicken feet, beef tendon, grilled chives, grilled eggplant, stinky tofu, meat-stuffed buns, steamed dumplings, and grilled oysters…

Notably, every female vendor, regardless of age, lit up with excitement at the sight of Ye Junlin, often forgetting to charge him and giving generous portions instead.

“By the way, isn’t this the Flower Car Festival? Where are the flower cars?” Li Wujie asked, puzzled.

Dongfang Mengyao shot him a dubious look, wondering why he’d ask such a dumb question.

No flower cars at the Flower Car Festival? How does that even work?

Of course, that’s because the last segment hadn’t reached its time yet!

Isn’t that basic knowledge for everyone in Heavenly Daughter Country?

“Ahem, I guess it’s just not time yet,” Ye Junlin waved his hand, signaling Li Wujie to stop talking too much.

“Young Master Ye, would you have the interest for a riddle?” Dongfang Mengyao pointed ahead, where a riddle contest was happening on the commercial street, with small gifts for the winners.

“Sure, let’s go have a look.” Ye Junlin, bored, wanted to join in the hustle.

Dongfang Mengyao felt a surge of happiness; her chance to make an impression had arrived.

She could use this riddling opportunity to impress Ye Junlin, after all, she was known as the Riddle Queen in the palace. Solving a few riddles should be a piece of cake!

Surrounding women, upon seeing Ye Junlin, all gasped and made way, their faces flushed with excitement, mumbling, “Wow, so handsome!”

Some brave girls even tried to push closer for a sneak peek but received a fierce glare from Hong Qianye.

Dongfang Mengyao stood with her hands on her hips, glaring at the crowd, silently asserting her claim—this man was already taken!

“This young man, care to give it a try?” The shop owner, a middle-aged woman with a beauty mark at the corner of her mouth, in a green dress adorned with lotus patterns, approached, her figure curvy and graceful.

She looked at the handsome silver-haired youth, her eyes sparkling, fanning herself and swaying her hips as she approached.

“Miss, what are the prizes?” Ye Junlin asked curiously.

“Typically, the prizes are quirky little trinkets, but if you guess the riddle correctly, I could offer myself as a gift!” The shop owner smiled brightly.

Ye Junlin: “……”

“Hey, who gave you the right to flirt with customers! You really want me to call someone to shut down your stall?! ” Dongfang Mengyao fumed.

The shop owner was startled, assessing Dongfang Mengyao’s attire and the powerful aura she radiated, realizing she had access to significant connections—probably the daughter of some high-ranking official in the Imperial Capital.

“Can’t provoke her, definitely can’t provoke her.”

“This young lady, I was only joking with this young man, please don’t mind!” The shop owner chuckled nervously.

“Hmph!”

Dongfang Mengyao only intended to intimidate her and once her goal was achieved, she looked up at the riddle on the lantern, her mind racing confidently:

“This riddle must be ‘Wu’!”

To her surprise, the shop owner shook her head, “Nope.”

“Hmm?”

“Then it must be ‘Yan’!”

The shop owner shook her head again, adding, “Miss, you still have six guesses left.”

“‘Wang’?”

“‘Feng’?”

“‘Gou’?”

“‘Shen’?”

“‘Song’?”

“‘Qin’?”

“Stop playing already!”

Seeing the shop owner continue to shake her head, Dongfang Mengyao was fuming, ready to topple the stall.

As the Riddle Queen, how could she not guess correctly?

The real issue was that failing to guess in front of Young Master Ye would be the ultimate embarrassment!

Other girls, witnessing her breaking point, couldn’t help but suppress giggles.

“Calm down, calm down!” Mei Yi quickly pulled the flailing princess back, quietly reminding her to think about the bigger picture.

The shop owner, recovering from her shock, let out a sigh of relief and turned to Ye Junlin with a beaming smile,

“Young Master, would you care to take a guess? It’s okay if you get it wrong; I’ll still give you a prize!”

See? This is what they call double standards.

Ye Junlin looked troubled; he knew nothing about riddles, and the riddle on the lantern seemed to require a surname, with eight guesses allowed.

But since the shop owner already said it, he figured he might as well just throw out a random guess, going through the motions.

In front of everyone, Ye Junlin simply blurted out, “I think the answer to this riddle is ‘Cao’!”

‘Cao?!’

The crowd instantly fell silent.

All the girls blushed, “Are you serious?”

“Uh,” Ye Junlin scratched his nose, wondering if that was a bit too casual.

Yet in the next second, the shop owner looked shocked, “Young Master, you’re incredible; you guessed it in one go! Yes, the answer is indeed ‘Cao’!”

Ye Junlin was dumbfounded.

Really?

You’re serious?

Are you sure someone would have that surname?

Wait a second, it’s not entirely impossible.

In front of everyone, the shop owner unveiled the lantern’s riddle answer, revealing a striking “操” character!

The ladies gasped in disbelief, “It really is ‘Cao’!”

“I’ll be damned, impressive!” Li Wujie thumped his thumb, awed.

Who would’ve thought, Master not only had immense strength but was also so talented, getting it on the first try.

Hong Qianye was equally surprised; that answer was definitely unexpected.

“What?”

Dongfang Mengyao was stunned.

She would rather believe that she was just being challenged on purpose.

But there was no way around it; the facts were right before her eyes, the real reason she couldn’t guess was that she just wasn’t good enough!

Other ladies, seeing Dongfang Mengyao almost lose her cool, couldn’t help but cover their smiles.

“Calm down, calm down!” Mei Yi quickly pulled her back, subtly reminding her to be mindful of her image.

The shop owner, now relaxed, turned to Ye Junlin with a sparkling smile,

“Young Master, if this ‘Cao’ could be used to refer to me directly, it would be even better for me!”

Ye Junlin: “!!!”