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

The next day.

In Songjiang County, the inner city streets are swept clean, and the signs on both sides sway gently in the wind, maintaining an orderly atmosphere.

After the martial arts competition ended, the banquet, originally scheduled for yesterday, was changed to today by order of Commandant Qin.

In the taverns and teahouses on the street, people sat around chatting, their voices rising and falling, creating a lively atmosphere like a boiling pot.

"The county's martial arts competition is over already. I thought it would last at least three or four days."

"That's how it usually is in competitions. The veteran internal strength practitioners have long since found their places. It's meant to give young people a chance to showcase their skills. If you want to see more excitement over several days, you'll have to wait for the martial arts exam, which will take several days. Or, you can go watch from outside the county garrison today."

"What are we going to see at the county garrison camp?"

"Of course there's one more match."

These news spread throughout the city in the blink of an eye, surprising many people. It really was a clear class distinction; the martial arts competition that the common people wanted to see was different from what the officials and wealthy families saw.

There's still one more game.

"Look! Isn't that the manager of Zhang's Silk Shop? And Master Li! They're getting ready to go to the camp for a banquet so early!"

"That's right! All the important people in the county are here. If Master Li and his family arrive late, they probably won't even get a seat!"

The disciples in the three martial arts schools were in an uproar, gathering together and discussing it endlessly.

Yesterday's martial arts tournament felt perfunctory.

This was the first time in so many years that Commandant Qin had left midway through the meeting, so many disciples felt disheartened.

Upon hearing that the banquet venue had been changed to the county garrison camp and that someone was even setting up a fighting arena, the disciples who were able to attend the banquet were all filled with excitement.

"The masters who won five consecutive matches, as well as the owners of various martial arts schools who were defeated by the Commandant, will all be attending the banquet! The wealthy families of the county will naturally be there as well!"

"I knew yesterday's duel was rushed; it was all a prelude to today's banquet! Commander Qin's move seems to narrow down the scope; there must be a deeper meaning behind it."

"I'm guessing so. Today, several fast horses from the Commandant's Office were delivering messages to various households, so their status must be quite unusual."

"Have you considered this? The worst team that goes today has to have five consecutive wins, or they might be the heads of various gyms. This level... just think about it!"

"..."

In each martial arts school, the disciples gathered together, their faces full of envy for the guests attending the banquet. They were all secretly holding back their own ambitions, hoping to have such an opportunity in the next martial arts competition.

The heads of the three major martial arts schools naturally received invitations, while some smaller martial arts schools felt frustrated because their disciples were not qualified and their masters were not good enough.

Xiao Hua was a prominent figure at the Rock Martial Arts Academy, a reputation that many disciples secretly envied.

But today, he stood alone in the corner, his face full of anger.

Senior Brother Qi Wang came over and said in a low voice, "Junior Brother Xiao, you did well! Commander Qin personally selected you... If you can gain recognition in the future, you'll have someone to rely on in the officialdom!"

Xiao Hua sighed, "I hope so..."

After saying that, he stopped talking, feeling very frustrated lately.

Qi Wang smiled. For a poor disciple to gain the appreciation of the captain was already a bright future.

Meanwhile, at the Shen family residence.

Old Master Shen Wanzhou frowned, and a hint of worry appeared in his eyes.

Yesterday, Ye Ci left the party midway, and then news broke that he had killed someone in the street... More importantly, his daughter Shen Xin said that he suspected Shen Yixi.

Upon closer reflection, even the old man had some doubts.

Firstly, Ye Ci kept a low profile in the county and had no enemies; secondly, only he knew his background, and apart from the barbarians, no one else would bother to take action against him.

As a result, last night, someone actually launched a night raid on the Shen family's home.

The atmosphere in the carriage heading to the county military camp was somewhat heavy. The Shen family members sat in one carriage, while Ye Ci rode outside to escort them.

Shen Yixi wore a simple dress today, without any makeup, but her pretty face was still beautiful.

She lifted the carriage curtain slightly, sizing up the young man's profile, and sighed almost imperceptibly.

Shen Zonghan suddenly spoke up: "Qian'er, what exactly happened? Explain it to the old man."

Seeing his daughter remain silent, Shen Zonghan raised his voice slightly: "Speak! Are you dissatisfied with the old man? Or are you dissatisfied with me?"

He was summoned by the old man in the morning, and now that this matter has escalated, even the old man is starting to doubt him.

Shen Yixi raised her eyebrows slightly and slowly said, "I will move out of the Shen residence tomorrow."

After she finished speaking, the atmosphere in the carriage became even more silent. Shen Xin tugged at her arm and whispered:

"Issie, you mustn't speak to your father like that."

Shen Wanzhou coughed lightly and turned to ask Shen Zonghan:

"Zonghan, Qian'er is not young anymore. It's not good for a young lady to always be out in public. She said before that it would be difficult to meet a man she likes if she didn't show her face in public. In the past few years, has she found someone she likes? If not..."

"I won't agree."

Shen Yixi said in a clear voice, "Grandpa has his own preferences, so please don't force your granddaughter."

"I didn't want to explain what happened yesterday, but since the old man is so protective of an outsider, I might as well make things clear."

"Granddaughter acts with the family's interests in mind, so why would she make things difficult for the Venerable Ye? It's just that since Venerable Ye came to the manor, he only cares about cultivating himself every day, neither showing off his skills nor instructing the guards. As a member of the Shen family, I just wanted to remind Grandpa that since the Shen family has set a price, this Venerable Ye should have the ability to win people's hearts, otherwise people will not be united."

Upon hearing this, Shen Wanzhou silently closed his eyes and said no more.

In fact, he understood what his granddaughter meant. The Shen family was paying money to hire a skilled martial artist, which meant they were getting what they paid for.

If you give benefits to Ye Ci but not to others, they will wonder why the benefits weren't given to him.

This is not a long-term solution.

At this moment, Shen Zonghan asked another question: "Father, why do you value Ye Ci so much?"

"Shut up!"

Shen Wanzhou said in a deep voice.

The Shen family's convoy was guarded both in front and behind, and people kept looking in Ye Ci's direction, whispering among themselves.

"Last night, someone launched a night raid on the Shen family, but we didn't see that this Elder Ye had any skills that were better than ours."

The speaker was Wu Tan, who had always been unconvinced.

Someone deliberately mocked him: "He just gets more than you, and I heard that Master Shen wants to marry his granddaughter to him."

Wu Tan sneered, "Ever since Chen Sanshou died, the Shen family has recruited a new batch of internal strength guards. We've all weighed our options, and surely no one is stronger than me, right?"

He glanced around: "This Ye Gongfeng doesn't dare to fight and usually hides in Tingzhu Pavilion. I really want to know what skill he has that allows him to take the 'Hundred Refined Qi and Blood Pills' that Steward Chen got for him."

"Hundred-Refined Qi and Blood Pills! He's taking them so well!" Someone nearby looked surprised.

The county military camp's barracks were right in front of us.

Whoosh!

A sharp whistling sound tore through the air, and the accompanying strong wind stung the eardrums.

Clang!

Before anyone could see how Ye Ci swung his sword, an arrow pierced the bluestone slab in front of him.

The guards panicked, Wu Tan's pupils contracted, and sweat broke out on his back.

Who could have predicted that there would be a sneak attack in the county guerrilla camp, or was there some major change?

The young man before him remained expressionless, calmly sheathing the knife back into his waistband.

"Ha ha ha ha……"

Laughter could be heard from afar in the county guerrilla camp.

Ye Ci felt he was being very impolite, so he dismounted and drew his sword again.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

PS: Communication completed, release postponed.

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Thank you all, brothers.