Young hero, stay put and don't be reckless.

Chapter 75 Suddenly Quiet

Zhang Tao's face was as white as paper, beads of sweat rolled down his forehead, and his hand gripping the sword hilt trembled slightly.

Only one thought remained in his mind: He had actually lost?

How come I can't even last sixty moves after practicing swordsmanship for more than ten years?

The pride of the young master of Baoyue Manor has been completely shattered.

"You flatter me." Jiang Xun sheathed his sword and smiled faintly, the smugness in his eyes visible even from three streets away.

Even he himself didn't expect to win. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that the "Unbound Heaven Guiding Technique" was really a good thing.

Wang Tingfeng and Dugu Hong exchanged a glance, their expressions both rather unpleasant.

"Are you two going to stay and help?" Jiang Xun tilted his head, his face full of sincerity.

Hearing this, Li Che's men felt incredibly relieved, and several porters couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"Fine, very well." Wang Tingfeng covered his face, his eyes so dark they could wring water out of them. "We'll see."

With a wave of his hand, he led his men away in a sorry state.

Dugu Hong followed with a sullen face, while Zhang Tao walked at the back, his back looking disheveled.

Li Che ignored them, nodded to Jiang Xun, and turned to give orders.

Order was quickly restored at the dock, and shouts and footsteps filled the air again.

Li Tang ran over, her eyes sparkling, and grabbed Jiang Xun's sleeve: "Jiang Xun, you're amazing! That Zhang Tao is the young master of Baoyue Manor, and you took him down in no time!"

"It's alright." Jiang Xun smiled, but his gaze followed the direction in which Wang Tingfeng and his group had gone, muttering to himself.

The second prince and the fourth prince don't get along. Logically speaking, the Wang family and the Dugu family are also outwardly friendly but inwardly at odds. So why are these two families together today?

"What are you thinking about?" Li Tang waved her hand in front of him. "Come on, let's go lend a hand over to the grain ship."

Half an hour later, the breach in the grain ship was finally plugged, and the water was drained out.

There wasn't much wet grain; most of it was salvaged.

Although it caused some delay, it was ultimately a close call.

Li Che walked over and patted Jiang Xun on the shoulder: "Thank you."

"Don't mention it." Jiang Xun waved his hand. "If they hadn't caused trouble, you wouldn't have been delayed in loading the ship. People like that deserve to be taught a lesson."

Li Che nodded, but his expression remained serious: "These powerful families have suffered a loss today, and there's no guarantee they won't come back. I'll stay at the docks personally overseeing things for the next couple of days, so you all need to be careful too."

"Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on Li Tang," Jiang Xun said.

Li Tang glared at him from the side: "Who wants you to look!"

He said that, but the corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn up.

…………

The next morning, Li Tang's knocking on the door pulled Jiang Xun out of his dream.

"Are you up yet? It'll be too late if we don't leave now!"

Jiang Xun mumbled a response, then sat up.

The sky outside the window was bright, and the sunlight squeezed in through the cracks in the window, making it somewhat dazzling.

After he finished washing up, he pushed open the door and went out. Li Tang was already waiting in the yard.

Today she changed into a moon-white dress, her hair was simply tied up in a bun, and she wore the pale yellow silk flower she bought by Jinniu Lake. She looked fresh and clean, as if she had just stepped out of a painting.

Jiang Xun glanced at him a couple more times, which Li Tang noticed. She raised an eyebrow and said, "What are you looking at? Let's go!"

"It's nothing," Jiang Xun said, looking away. "I just think you look really good today."

Li Tang blushed and spat at him: "You smooth talker."

The two left the inn and headed towards the Meng residence.

Half a street away from the Meng residence, a dense crowd of people could be seen—martial arts practitioners poured in from all directions, crowding the entire street.

Some carried swords, some had swords hanging from their sides, some were unarmed, and a few were dressed strangely, clearly from remote areas.

The place was bustling with noise, like a pot of boiling water.

"So many people?" Jiang Xun clicked his tongue in amazement.

"They're all just here to watch the show," Li Tang said, standing on tiptoe to peer inside. "And most people can't get in."

Two rows of men in tight-fitting clothes stood in front of the Meng family mansion gate, with long swords hanging at their waists and stern faces.

There was a table set up at the entrance, and an elderly man in gray sat behind it, holding a list and checking each invitation one by one.

Those with invitations are allowed in; those without—wait outside.

Jiang Xun and Li Tang squeezed to the door and took out the plain paper from their pockets and handed it over.

The old man in gray took it, glanced at it, then looked up at Jiang Xun and nodded: "Please."

Jiang Xun was about to walk inside when someone suddenly called out from behind, "Does he have an invitation?"

All eyes turned to them.

"Who is this person?"

"I don't know, he looks very unfamiliar."

"Can he get in?"

Whispers rose and fell.

Jiang Xun paused, about to speak, when someone in the crowd said, "I remember now! He's from the Qi Prince's mansion! Yesterday at the docks, he beat up Zhang Tao from Baoyue Manor!"

"What? You defeated Zhang Tao?"

"That's not all! I heard that Li Fei from Xingxiuhai was the one who cut off his arm!"

"Is it him?"

The discussion suddenly grew louder, and countless eyes fell on Jiang Xun, some with surprise, some with curiosity, and some with a hint of apprehension.

"No wonder he was able to get in; he really is capable."

"Looks young, but is actually quite shrewd..."

Jiang Xun felt incredibly relieved after hearing these words.

He straightened his back, but put on a nonchalant expression, as if these things were not worth mentioning at all.

But secretly, he felt a surge of pride—he had become an expert himself.

Li Tang, watching his feigned composure, couldn't help but chuckle to herself.

The two followed the servant who was leading the way through the front yard and arrived at the main yard.

The courtyard was more spacious than it had been when we discussed scriptures two days ago.

A high platform was erected to the due north, with several chairs placed on it; dozens of chairs were placed on each side below the platform, and many people were already sitting there.

Jiang Xun's gaze swept across the crowd, then suddenly stopped.

Two young people were sitting in the front row on the east side.

A handsome man with a calm demeanor – Chen Lei.

He saw Jiang Xun and nodded slightly as a greeting.

The guy next to him—Chen Xu—also saw Jiang Xun, snorted, turned his head away, and his face clearly showed his disdain.

Jiang Xun ignored him and continued to look around.

In the western corner, a young man dressed in black sat alone, with no one within three feet of him.

With his cold, stern face and dark eyes, he was the same Northern Border warrior he had encountered at Wu Mountain that day.

Jiang Xun glanced at it a couple more times before looking away.

Jiang Xun's gaze swept towards the center.

Three people were sitting at the head of the table, all of them exuding an extraordinary air, clearly seasoned veterans of the underworld.

One of the women stood out—she was in her forties, dressed in a long black robe, without any makeup or jewelry.

He sat there quietly, yet he possessed an imposing aura that commanded respect, making people hesitant to look at him too closely.

"Who is that?" Jiang Xun asked Li Tang in a low voice.

Li Tang shook his head: "I don't recognize him, but he doesn't look like an ordinary person."

Jiang Xun scanned the area again, but didn't see Huang Hu or Meng Huaigu.

Master Meng was not a martial arts practitioner, so it was normal for him not to show his face.

But that sword guardian... it seems Mirror Lake and he really aren't on the same side.

The two found a seat on the side and sat down.

Li Tang sat upright, while Jiang Xun leaned back in his chair, crossed his legs, and comfortably waited to watch the show.

Not long after, the courtyard suddenly became quiet.

A person walked out from behind.