Heaven rewards diligence; he fought his way through chaos to become a saint.

Qi Wang was annoyed for a moment, but quickly smiled and went to call Xiao Hua.

He felt that Xiao Hua should understand the reasoning behind this.

A martial arts competition isn't something you can just decide who you want to fight.

Even if you have enough strength, if your social standing isn't high enough, you don't even have the right to fight.

Once you've reached a certain social class, strength becomes irrelevant, and even the etiquette of a martial artist is unnecessary.

Ye Ci easily dismissed Xiao Hua's challenge.

Even with extraordinary skills, one can only be someone who seeks recognition and rewards.

Ye Ci made this reality clear to Xiao Hua, but some people still didn't understand.

Wu Tan, the Shen family member with hidden strength, pouted in the back and said to the person next to him, thinking himself clever:

"He knows how to use this opportunity; he's clearly afraid of making a fool of himself if he goes up there."

The sound was a bit loud and was heard by Shen Xin in front, which made the young lady quite displeased.

But upon closer reflection, it seems that Ye Gongfeng was indeed avoiding battle.

She believed that a warrior should win people over with his true skills.

At this moment, Shen Yixi lowered her eyes, and amidst the clamor of voices, shook her head and chuckled softly:

"Excellent! Brilliant! He doesn't even dare to go on stage, but he's very adept at spending money. The old man hired such a retainer, and it turns out he's just a spoiled brat!"

As she spoke, she gracefully rose to her feet.

"Where are you going?"

"Let's go for a stroll in the streets."

"The old man is up ahead..."

"Let him kick me out of the house."

Seeing this, Shen Xin didn't want to go ahead and tell Old Master Shen, so she could only step forward and take Shen Yixi's arm.

I'll go with you.

She felt she should talk to her niece about it; no one wanted her to be a concubine.

Shen Yixi pursed her lips and remained silent.

Shen Xin said irritably, "Auntie is wrong. Come on, the silk shop has received a batch of new clothes. Auntie will take you to see them."

While the old master of the Shen family was alive, his children had divided the property among themselves. Although the properties were all under the old master's name, the profits from some of the shops belonged to his children.

Shen Xin was referring to her own silk shop. She reached out and pinched Shen Yixi's cheek.

"I'll go with you, and then I'll just tell you I didn't find the martial arts competition interesting."

******

The audience below the stage erupted in a cacophony of voices and discussions.

The people were amazed by the generosity of the five major families.

The other warriors all looked at Xiao Hua with envy.

Many people also believe that Xiao Hua's move was pre-arranged, using Ye Gongfeng's name to raise his own price.

Only Xiao Hua himself was at a loss. He had originally planned to let Ye Ci go on stage and let everyone see how outrageous the Shen family was, neglecting a martial arts talent and instead hiring a person with inferior talent as a retainer.

At this moment, Qi Wang had already arrived at the front of the stage and called him off the stage.

Then, other martial artists took the stage.

After his and Qi Lian's performance, the martial arts competitions among the other small martial arts schools gradually lost their appeal.

During this time, although several veteran players with hidden strength made their appearances, everyone felt that it was not as exciting as Xiao Hua's performance just now.

The short, stocky man squatting on the wall suddenly changed his expression from one of excitement to one of looking towards the Shen family's grandstand.

"Mr. Shen, I'll be leaving now."

Ye Ci suddenly spoke.

Shen Wanzhou: "Commander Qin is still here, so he specifically instructed you to participate in the entire process. I'm afraid he might have some instructions..."

Before he could finish speaking, Ye Ci interrupted, "I spotted a suspicious person. I suspect he's the one who attacked me. He seems to be leaving, so I have to chase after him and see what's going on."

"Who attacked?"

During this time, Shen Wanzhou knew that Ye Ci was not going out, which was to prevent enemies from lurking in the shadows. It was said that he wanted to practice some kind of footwork.

He nodded: "I'll explain to the captain. By the way, should we take a few more men with us? It'll be safer that way."

Ye Ci's eyes flickered slightly: "It's inconvenient with too many people; I can manage on my own."

"Then hurry back, you must attend the captain's banquet tonight..."

Ye Ci walked out of the Shen family's viewing platform. Outside, there was a line of luxurious carriages; it was the Shen family's motorcade waiting.

Manager Pang waited to the side, and when he saw Ye Ci, he ran up to greet him.

"Offering of leaves".

"Um."

Ye Ci looked past him and pointed to the coachman: "Come here."

The man hurriedly agreed.

"Come to the carriage."

"Yes, sir."

"Take off your clothes."

"what?"

Before an incense stick had burned, Ye Ci, dressed in a coarse cloth jacket and looking like a martial arts practitioner, stepped onto the street.

Xishui Street is an old street with uneven bluestone paving. The old locust trees along the street have gnarled branches and drooping leaves that block out most of the sun. The street is bustling with many shops, and the shouts of shopkeepers can be heard everywhere.

"How much is this steamed bun?"

"Ten coins."

"The price has gone up?"

"Grain prices have increased several times over, but steamed bun prices haven't gone up?"

Ye Ci rested his right hand on the hilt of his knife, pressed down the straw hat on his head, and stopped at the steamed bun shop to talk to the shop assistant, looking like a wanderer from the martial arts world.

Only after the short, stocky man in front of him had walked past the street corner did Ye Ci give up haggling and follow him briskly. The bun seller gave him a disdainful look and started calling out again.

"Steamed buns—hot and fresh steamed buns—"

Ye Ci reflected that this was a mistake, and that he should carry some money with him next time.

Otherwise, even the steamed bun seller would look down on him.

The short, stocky man walked at varying speeds, making him difficult to follow.

A moment later, he turned into a quiet alley. There were no shops at the entrance of the alley, only a few old locust trees with dense foliage, which could just cover his figure.

I waited a moment.

When Ye Ci reached the alley entrance, he saw a maze of haphazard alleyways and had no idea where the short, stocky man had gone.

trouble!

Daytime is not like nighttime.

The city doesn't feel like the countryside.

As Ye Ci followed along, he couldn't dart across the walls or hide in a corner. In short, the way he was tracked in broad daylight was to hide in the crowd. His biggest fear was being led into a place with complicated terrain by the trackers.

Ye Ci considered for a moment, took a few steps back to memorize the location of the alley entrance, and then planned to leave.

Just then, he heard the sound of horses' hooves and cart wheels behind him.

Turning my head, I saw a carriage with an ebony box behind me. The brocade curtains were rolled up, and a young girl with her fair arm was resting on her cheek, gazing outside.

Their eyes met.

It turned out to be Shen Yixi.

How did we end up here?

Shen Yixi was clearly taken aback for a moment, her brows furrowing slightly. Then, her gaze casually drifted elsewhere, as if she didn't recognize Ye Ci at all, but she also clearly lowered the curtain with a hint of panic.

"Why is Wenyuantang located in such a small and dilapidated place..."

Shen Xin's complaining voice could be heard from inside the carriage.

"This place is secluded and far from the hustle and bustle... Scholars don't have much money, and land prices are cheap here. Even so, it is still the support of everyone who helps the students."

"Sigh... why do you always come to this place..."

"Auntie, leave immediately after returning the book. I want to go look at the clothes."

"Didn't you initially not want to look at the clothes?"

"I've thought about it now."

As the sound faded into the distance, Ye Ci narrowed his eyes slightly, looked at the alley the carriage had entered, and then followed it.