Call of the Heroes of Chaos in Another World

Chapter 2101 Mysterious Divine Appearance, Flowing Cloud Spear God

As Huangfu Jingya presented the first prize at the reward banquet, the entire audience was filled with excitement and fervor!

Especially the young people, at this time, everyone is ready to rub shoulders and show off their skills.

Yang Yanqi, standing beside Gao Lanying, was a female military officer, just like the men such as Xue Dingshan, who coveted these legendary weapons.

She was only sixteen years old, so naturally she could go up and compete for it.

Even if she were given this bow, she probably wouldn't be able to draw it.

A bow weighing a hundred pounds is a problem for most people to even lift, let alone use in battle.

This bow is clearly only usable by highly skilled archers who have achieved mastery of martial arts.

Moreover, these are archery masters like Hou Yi and Xue Rengui. As for rapid-fire archery masters like Lien Chan, even if they could be used, it would be difficult for them to utilize their rapid-fire techniques.

However, even though they could only look at it and couldn't use it, it didn't diminish their love for this divine bow.

There were only a few female generals present, so they were mostly seated at one or two tables.

In particular, most of the Yang family members have served in the Kwantung Army in recent years, as generals under Wen Zhong. Wen Zhong also wanted to be on good terms with Zhang Kui, so it was natural for the two families to come into contact.

For this banquet, the families and children of all the civil and military officials also brought along. Otherwise, where would they have gotten so many young people in the hall?

Firstly, this is a rare opportunity for all the civil and military officials to gather together, allowing the younger members of each family to get to know each other. In the future, many of them will be scattered across the country, and whether they will ever have the chance to meet again is still unknown.

Secondly, many of the younger members of each family have reached marriageable age. For example, Guan Ping, Luo Cheng, and even Pei Yuanqing are all over twenty, but none of them are married yet.

The two eunuchs standing at the head of the table worked together to bring out a bronze gong, and struck it with a hammer. Immediately, a loud and resonant gong sound rang out, and the noise in the hall fell silent.

A palace attendant loudly announced the rules of the competition:

"The competition at this banquet will be divided into civil and military categories. Due to time constraints, participants can choose one of the three arts: music, calligraphy, or painting. The military competition will consist of archery and combat. Regardless of the category, each participant will be given one incense stick's time to compete, and the competition will end when the contestant reaches the finish line. The judges will be the prime ministers, ministers of the six ministries, the emperor, the empress dowager, and the empress, who will vote to determine the winner."

Guan Zhong, the head of the Six Ministries, also looked on with great interest, waving his hand and saying happily, "Then let's begin!"

At the command, the crowd, which had been bustling with excitement, hesitated and looked at each other in bewilderment.

This is because there is no order to the competition. If the first person goes up too early, they will definitely be the center of attention. But if they lose, they will certainly lose face.

But if we're too late, someone else will have already seized the opportunity, making it all pointless.

Just as everyone hesitated, Empress Dowager Huangfu Yuwei smiled and called out loudly, "If that's the case, how can we leave out our Qing'er! When it comes to music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, Qing'er is second to none!"

As soon as the Empress Dowager finished speaking, a graceful figure stood up from the women's seats, and for some reason, the surroundings suddenly fell silent.

When Guan Ping, Qin Yong, and the other younger generation looked up and saw this, their eyes widened and they gasped.

The crowd watched as the woman walked calmly into the hall, her figure slender and graceful, her small pearl-embroidered shoes peeking out from her feet, exuding an air of nonchalance and elegance that seemed to transcend her surroundings, each step a graceful lotus blossom.

Looking up further, one is immediately awestruck. The face is oval, the nose is straight and high, the eyes are like autumn water, full of charm and seem to speak but not speak. The lips are cherry-like, the face is like a lotus, the eyebrows are like crescent moons, the hair is styled in a flying fairy bun, and a sapphire teardrop on the forehead is charming and touching. Two strings of green jade bead hairpins adorn the sides, and the earrings are gold and jade inlaid. The ethereal sound of the earrings seems to tap on one's heart with every step.

Her skin was as smooth as ice and as beautiful as jade, and she wore a light blue cloud-patterned robe with a starry blue veil over it.

A gentle evening breeze caused her gauze robe to flutter as if about to take flight, making her appear like a fairy descended from the moon, captivating all who beheld her.

Cheng Yaojin stroked his chin, clicking his tongue like a local ruffian, "This figure is truly captivating! Curvy and shapely, perfect for bearing children! This skin must feel as smooth and tender as tofu! And these eyes, they seem to speak volumes, so alluring! Tsk tsk tsk, absolutely stunning! Truly a beauty!"

Qin Qiong, who was standing nearby, quickly covered Cheng Yaojin's mouth.

Although she didn't recognize this young lady, judging from her appearance, she was likely a nephew or niece of the Empress Dowager. Moreover, it was quite possible that they were very close nephews or nieces.

Although the Huangfu family is of royal blood from the previous dynasty, with the Empress Dowager and the Empress in their lineage, even if they are of royal blood from the previous dynasty, as long as they are not from the same lineage as the Three Kings, they are not the kind of openly anti-Han elements.

So, at the very least, they can guarantee one person a wealthy and powerful position, and on the Han side, at least they'll be able to save face.

After all, their emperor was half Huangfu family blood, so they were practically family.

Qin Qiong was also afraid that Cheng Yaojin's big mouth would cause him trouble, especially since he might accidentally offend the Empress or the Empress Dowager, wouldn't that be planting the seeds of disaster for himself?

As for Pei Yuanqing, he continued to eat and drink excessively at this time.

No matter how beautiful a girl is, she's not as important to him as the food on his plate.

The woman gracefully curtsied and said softly, "Aunt, you are really teasing Qing'er. Qing'er is only slightly versed in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting to cultivate her character. There are many young ladies in the capital who are far superior to Qing'er!"

"However, since Aunt has given the order, then Qing'er will make a fool of herself for you all."

The six ministers who were acting as judges exchanged glances. Although the performance had not yet started, they already had a general idea of ​​how to score the performances!
As long as this noblewoman Huangfu Qing has even a little bit of talent, they will all have to support her.

Moreover, since the Empress Dowager was willing to put forward this person, his level of competence is naturally guaranteed.

However, when Guan Zhong saw this noble lady carrying a guqin walking towards their area, his heart immediately skipped a beat.

Of course, after a few thoughts crossed his mind, he immediately regained his composure.

Even if this noble lady or the Empress Dowager were to do something, it would have nothing to do with him!
To put it bluntly, he also holds the position of Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince, so they're essentially in cahoots. Whatever these two are up to, they wouldn't possibly betray him.

"I've heard that you are a highly accomplished Confucian scholar and a man of refined character. I wonder if I have the honor of inviting you to play a piece together?" She finished speaking and stared intently at you with her large, expectant eyes and gentle gaze.

At this moment, Guan Zhong and the others gradually relaxed, keeping their eyes down and turning their heads to the side, pretending not to have seen anything.

Only Zhuge Liang looked at this noble lady from the Huangfu family with a smile.

Of course, the noble lady from the Huangfu family was not inviting Zhuge Liang himself. Although Zhuge Liang was not that old, he was not young enough to shamelessly compete with these young people who were not even twenty years old.

She invited Zhuge Liang's younger brother, Zhuge Dan.

"Try to cut off the fuel supply!"

Wang Yu couldn't help but silently give the Empress Dowager's poem a thumbs up in his heart.

For the Crown Prince, the greatest threat at present is the Prince of Yan. And Zhuge Liang, his other identity is the Prince of Yan's tutor.

Although Zhuge Liang had just returned a few days ago and had only met the Prince of Yan for the first time, it still did not affect their relationship.

What made Wang Yu feel most complicated was that six-year-old Wang Yuan took the initiative to seek an audience with him, his nominal teacher.

Wang Yu's feelings were naturally complicated by his eldest son's precocious intelligence.

She's only six years old now, and she's already like this. If she were a few years older, she would definitely be vying for this position.

Although this was exactly what Wang Yu wanted to see, he also didn't want to see his next generation kill each other.

The emperor's thoughts are always complex. Even if the emperor establishes a crown prince, it does not mean that he will not give other princes any hope of competing for the crown prince.

As a crown prince, one should naturally have the demeanor of a quasi-emperor. If one cannot control others, then one is not worthy of being a crown prince.

In fact, an emperor might not even want to see his sons fighting over him; he might even want them to dare to rebel against him.

As the emperor's son, if he wanted the throne, he could be incompetent or ruthless, but he could never be weak.

They don't even dare to rebel against their fathers, so what right do they have to be emperors?

The job of an emperor is inherently one where one hand forces you to rebel, while the other hand prevents you from rebelling.

If you have no intention of rebelling, it means you are cowardly, and the throne is not for you.

If you rebel, you will be committing a heinous crime and you will be finished.

Entering the royal family is like entering a deep sea; it is no different.

It was precisely because of this contradictory mentality of the emperor that he was quite pleased that his eldest son, regardless of his purpose, knew to visit Zhuge Liang as soon as he returned.

At the same time, I'm also quite worried.

As for now, Huangfu Qing seems to be inviting Zhuge Dan to play music together, but in reality, his true intentions are not what they seem.

Otherwise, how could it be called "drawing the firewood from under the cauldron"?

However, Wang Yu didn't care about such a small trick.

Whether it was the crown prince or any of the other princes, they were all still young at this time. The eldest son, Wang Yuan, was only six years old.

There's still plenty of time!
As for Zhuge Liang, he didn't care at all at this time.

It's just a joint performance; it doesn't mean anything. If the Prince of Yan's faction takes this so seriously, they have no future.

If he wanted to, he could naturally find a way to clean up the mess afterwards.

Moreover, after the noblewoman of the Huangfu family finished her performance with Zhuge Dan, the Xu family also made their move.

Following suit, one of the noble ladies of the Xu family invited Shen Buhai's son to play the zither together.

The main reason was that Guan Zhong's son was too young, and Shen Buhai and Guan Zhong came from the same school, so they used this method to annoy each other.

Inside the main hall, talented men and women displayed their literary skills.

Even the sons of military generals came out one by one and performed a sword dance.

Although it's supposed to be a competition, it's impossible to actually have them fight one by one in the main hall; it's clearly not suitable for today's occasion.

As for those who were to compete in archery, they were all driven out of the hall to take the written test.

Among the many civil and military officials, even the referees, not one moved an inch. Compared to the archery competition outside the hall, the performances of the talented men and women inside, or the sword dances of the sons of military generals, were far more entertaining.

They were all seventeen or eighteen-year-old boys, or even thirteen or fourteen-year-old boys. No matter how good their archery skills were, how good could they be?
If it were Hou Yi or Xue Rengui, perhaps the people present would move aside to show their support.

"Hey! Whose offspring is this?!"

"Such marksmanship at such a young age!"

Wang Yu, who was chatting with several ministers, had only glanced at the center of the hall where the competition was taking place out of habit, but once he looked, he couldn't take his eyes off it.

He looked no more than fourteen or fifteen years old, yet his marksmanship was almost on par with Wang Yu's. He appeared to be wielding a sword, but what he was actually doing was spearmanship, not swordsmanship. Using a sword as a spear—that's a level of skill few can achieve.

Many powerful generals don't possess this level of skill. After all, not every powerful general dedicates themselves entirely to mastering techniques, especially the techniques of a particular weapon.

In fact, this is no longer just a simple skill, but has risen to the level of an understanding of guns.

To say that his marksmanship is comparable to Wang Yu's, and that many divine generals cannot match him in this aspect, does not mean that this young man's combat strength has reached the level of a divine general. Rather, it refers to his understanding of the spear, which many divine generals cannot match.

Having strong combat skills means you are a master. However, not every master is a martial arts grandmaster.

Take Yang Laowu, the creator of the Five Elements Eight Trigrams Staff, for example. His combat prowess couldn't even compare to that of a divine general. However, he possessed unique insights into staff techniques; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to create his own. This is something that even divine generals couldn't match.

To put it bluntly, the path to becoming a Divine General relies heavily on talent. Without sufficient talent, unless one encounters a great stroke of luck, even the most valiant efforts will yield limited achievements. Understanding martial arts, compared to talent, plays a secondary role on the path to becoming a Divine General.

Some people are born with physical attributes that preordain their ability to easily reach the level of a god-general.

Li Zheng'en, who once lived in Dongyi, was a top marksman in his time, no less skilled than Wu Changkong. Jiang Song in the system was probably only about the same, not much stronger.

However, due to inherent physical limitations, that's just how it is.

The path that truly values ​​the understanding of martial arts is the path of the divine and the human.

"Your Majesty, this man is my disciple, Li Hui!" Zhuge Liang looked at the still somewhat immature figure in the center of the hall and said with a slight smile.

This second disciple was someone Zhuge Liang had only met a few days prior.

When he first saw the boy accompanying his eldest disciple Li Xuanyi, he took a liking to this clever and mischievous young man.

Unfortunately, while his eldest disciple was good, he was too serious and too much like Zhuge Liang himself. In contrast, Zhuge Liang preferred his other child, who was equally intelligent but unlike himself.