Dragon Tamer

On the side, Wu Feng gently patted Yun Zhonghe on the shoulder and whispered, “Maybe it’s just like what Prince Liang said, he has a face that women like.”

Outside the palace, Prince Liang was thrown far away, a mere mortal falling onto the hard ground, teeth broken, his mouth full of blood!

Prince Liang cried out in agony. His guards, beaten black and blue, hurried over to help him but were kicked away, one by one, by the prince who cursed loudly, “You’re all useless, utterly useless, better to raise dogs than keep you!”

Prince Liang certainly wouldn’t let things rest, but he wasn’t a fool either; he knew that going back would mean getting beaten up again, so he left begrudgingly.

Surrounding the palace were over a thousand people waiting for their turn to enter, all here for Dragon Girl Palace’s groom selection, but seeing Prince Liang being thrown out so violently, covered in blood, they turned pale with shock!

Who was this person, so savage that even Prince Liang was not spared from a beating?

The thousand or so people who had been patiently waiting soon dwindled to just over a hundred; those remaining were braving it out, most likely because they had set their hearts on marrying one of the Female Dragon Herders.

Inside the palace, Yun Zhonghe’s face was even uglier than those outside!

It was not only because that pure Dragon Girl had chosen Zhu Minglang, but also because about half of those twenty or so pure and beautiful Dragon Girls were more interested in Zhu Minglang.

Do Dragon Shepherds really look down on mortals like this?

Or was it that these Female Dragon Herders saw himself, a Sword Master, as nothing more than someone working for Zhu Minglang from the very beginning?

Had he known this would be the outcome, he wouldn’t have bothered dealing with Zhang Four, Zhang Five, who were much stronger…

No, if he hadn’t taken action, Zhu Minglang might have summoned the Sword Spirit Dragon or the Ice Morning White Dragon.

In that case, it wouldn’t just be these twenty or so marriageable Dragon Girls fawning over Zhu Minglang, probably all of Dragon Girl Palace’s maidens would be vying for him!

“Ladies and sisters, I came merely to visit the far-renowned Dragon Girl Palace to see if there are suitable Dragon Scales. I had no intentions of becoming a son-in-law,” Zhu Minglang said, greeting the eager Dragon Girls with a graceful bow and speaking confidently.

“No wonder he’s a Young Master of the Zhu Clan, fierier than the usual men, but that’s just what I like!” said the sexy Dragon Girl sticking out her little tongue and licking her full upper lip, her eyes dreamy.

Zhu Minglang felt awkward.

Over there, the pure Dragon Girl was getting unhappy. She pointed at the sexy Dragon Girl and said, “Sister, you should look elsewhere.”

“Flower Sister, why the urgency? Perhaps some Commandery Princess or young lady has taken a liking to him. Here at Dragon Girl Palace, shouldn’t repelling outsiders come first?” the sexy Dragon Girl argued.

“That’s true, Mister Zhu will probably make a few rounds at Commandery Princess Manors nevertheless… In the end, you must visit the Princess Manor, right?… Every man is like this; even though the hope is extremely slim, they still want to try,” said the pure Dragon Girl.

“Indeed, I do plan on visiting just to see, but nothing more,” Zhu Minglang clarified.

“Even the excuses are the same.”

Zhu Minglang simply smiled and offered no further explanation.

“By the way, what exactly is the formality of this groom selection? Why are there so many people at the door? On our way here, we saw a similar crowd in front of many prestigious homes, though none as overwhelming as Dragon Girl Palace, but indeed quite a few,” Wu Feng couldn’t contain his curiosity and asked the beautiful Luo Miaoyu.

“Why don’t you even know this? Are you not here to be suitors?” the pure and beautiful Floral Dragon Maiden asked with some surprise.

“We’re just here to exchange swordsmanship with the Miao Mountain Sword Sect, and we happened to come upon your Bridegroom Selection Festival,” Wu Feng said.

“I see… Every year at this time, young men enter the capital, and then they visit various renowned families and clans. They pay respect to those households displaying small maple trees out front. Any visitor is welcome, but suitors are not chosen immediately, rather it’s an opportunity for mutual acquaintance. The young men meet the various ladies, learn about their family backgrounds, look at their appearances, while the ladies usually sit in the courtyard, testing these visiting young men in various ways. If any lady takes a fancy to someone, she will note down his name, then use a special soot to write it on a Last Moon Maple Leaf, which is then delivered to the royal palace,” Luo Miaoyu slowly explained.

“To the royal palace?” Wu Feng was still confused.

“Yes, if a young man is outstanding, his name will appear more often on the Last Moon Maple Leaves. We call those men ‘excellent suitors.’ Come the seventh day, we will bid for our suitors, and the highest bidder wins him,” Luo Miaoyu said.

“Bid? You mean you simply pay money for them?” Zhu Minglang asked, his eyes wide with astonishment.

“Not necessarily money. If you can bring out a treasure of considerable value, it can also be used to bid,” Luo Miaoyu said.

“Someone like Mr. Zhu, handsome and talented as you are, surely many young ladies from renowned families would like you very much. By that time, you won’t be able to avoid a bit of a fight with those sisters whose wealth rivals that of nations,” the sultry Dragon Maiden said.

“Is that so for Commandery Princesses and Princesses as well?” Zhu Minglang asked.

“Of course. But Commandery Princesses and Princesses have substantial resources. The men they fancy rarely stand a chance in competition against them,” the sultry Dragon Maiden said.

“Actually, you gentlemen needn’t be too concerned. Even if you aren’t here to become suitors, you can still visit more households to meet good women. Women in our Miao Kingdom also greatly admire quality men. Some of the ladies from wealthy families even spend a fortune just to have a talent compose a poem solely for them… Our Miao Kingdom women are very gracious, never forcing men to do anything they don’t wish to,” Luo Miaoyu said.

“Indeed, you can also follow the local customs here. Just choose talent and good looks. If you can catch the eye of some Commandery Princess or Duchess’ daughter, wouldn’t that also be a very meaningful event?”

Zhu Minglang, Wu Feng, and Yun Zhonghe listened until they felt dizzy.

However, they roughly understood the way brides were chosen here.

In the past few days, various heroes and talents visited those seeking bridegrooms, but none of the men would receive a final response.

It has to be the ladies who write the names on maple leaves and submit them to the royal palace, which then conducts what’s called a bidding war for excellent bridegrooms. Ultimately, the men will follow according to which lady bids the highest.

“Isn’t this just openly buying men?” Yun Zhonghe finally couldn’t help but say.

“You can understand it that way if you like, but if you’re not prepared to do that, there’s no need to show up. We won’t force you to participate,” Luo Miaoyu added.

Zhu Minglang gave a wry smile.

Now he understood the system of female superiority and male inferiority in Miao Kingdom even more thoroughly.

Men had no choice but to wait quietly for the bidding by the powerful women here.

Even if they fancied a particular woman, if she was not willing to bid, they would have no choice but to serve another affluent woman.

It’s a poignant thought, but on deeper reflection, quite thrilling nonetheless.