Zhang Fengxi dismissed his messy appearance with a laugh.
"I was careless," he announced with slight embarrassment. "But hey, I came back with this huge snake! I won, didn't I?"
Zhang Fengxi showed everyone the five-meter snake that he killed. It was impressive, but it paled in comparison to the man-eating demon that Xie Jianyu slayed.
"Oh, hahaha," Zhang Fengxi scratched his head when he saw the demon head next to Xie Jianyu's feet.
Cupping his hands as a sign of respect, he bowed slightly at the crown prince.
"Congratulations on the amazing achievement, Crown Prince. Truly befitting of our future ruler," he said with a sincere smile upon his lips.
In response, Xie Jianyu glared at him and looked away in fury.
Zhang Fengxi looked perplexed. Most people pitied him for not only losing to Xie Jianyu but also earning the crown prince's displeasure, for whatever reason.
Xie Jianyu initially wanted to give his pink orchid to Xie Jianshen, but he changed his mind. He turned on his heels and walked toward Liu Wenyuan. The beauty quickly blushed when he received Xie Jianyu's token of honor.
"Thank you, Crown Prince," Liu Wenyuan smiled brightly.
"En."
Zhang Fengxi was all dirty, so he chose not to sit in his prim and proper seat. He instead went to sit under one of the big trees to rest his body. Leaning against the tree trunk, he closed his eyes and waited for the hunt to conclude.
One by one, the other hunt participants arrived at the entrance of the hunting ground. Initially, they were all very proud of their achievement. Until they saw the demon head and the gigantic snake carcass of course.
One look was enough to cause the alphas' spirits to plummet to the ground like meteors falling off the sky.
The winner of the hunt was more than clear.
Afterward, the only exciting event that remained was the coronation of Ethereal Beauty. The alphas carefully weighed one beauty against another before they resolutely gave their pink orchids away.
When most of the hunt participants had returned, an attendant of Shuiran Palace stepped forward and started to count the number of pink orchids that the omegas had received.
The young beta man scratched his head in confusion because no matter how many times he counted, there was still one pink orchid missing.
Meanwhile, two omegas had the same amount of pink orchids -- Liu Wenyuan from Wuyang Palace and Shi Qingyue from Ling'an Palace. This last pink orchid was going to determine the holder of the Ethereal Beauty title of the year!
Shuiran Palace Master wondered what took his attendant so long. The latter's face darkened more and more every time he counted the pink orchids.
"What's wrong, Ah Niu?" the Shuiran Palace Master asked his attendant directly.
The young man cupped his hands and helplessly reported his finding.
"Apologies, Palace Master. I keep missing one pink orchid, but I don't know which omega has it."
The Shuiran Palace Master let his gaze sweep over the hunt participants. All of them were rid of their pink orchids. And then his eyes landed on the young alpha who was leaning against a huge tree with his eyes closed.
Zhang Fengxi.
There was a pink orchid on his chest, but it was not immediately visible because it too was drenched in blood just like the rest of the young man's clothing.
Shuiran Palace Master approached Zhang Fengxi and woke him up. "Prince Zhang Fengxi, we have been looking for you. All pink orchids have been given to the beautiful omegas of the year, save for yours. Who do you want to give yours to?"
Zhang Fengxi muttered an "Ah" out of surprise. He forgot that he had to give his flower to an omega. Clumsily, he plucked the pink orchid off his chest. Right now, it was fully drenched in blood. It looked like it personally survived a fierce battle against the gigantic snake.
A little ashamed of the disheveled state his flower was in, Zhang Fengxi tried his best to wipe the flower using his handkerchief before he handed it over to someone.
It did not do much.
Then again, neither Liu Wenyuan nor Shi Qingyue cared for the blood. A pink orchid was still a pink orchid. Whoever received the flower was the Ethereal Beauty of the year!
The crowd thus gaped in amazement when Zhang Fengxi walked past all the omegas. He stopped before Xie Jianyu and extended his hand in the crown prince's direction.
"Here, Crown Prince, for you," Zhang Fengxi meekly said.