My family has been wielding knives for generations, but now it's my turn to wield a pen!

"Shopkeeper, is your fourth floor safe?"

Zhang Xinnian watched Jiang Xiaobai walk upstairs and couldn't help but glance at the shop assistant next to him.

Yes, he always felt that there was something strange about the fourth floor.

The third floor is so lively, but there's only one table of guests on the fourth floor.

Moreover, only those with a Class A badge can go up there.

If there were some kind of ambush, wouldn't his young master... just walk right into their trap?

"Rest assured, sir/madam!"

Upon hearing Zhang Xinnian's words, the shop assistant smiled and said, "Our Guanlanlou is no ordinary teahouse."

"Our teahouse has martial arts masters in charge."

The shop assistant paused, then added, "Besides, the fourth floor is where our owner usually resides, and not many people can go up there on a regular basis."

"So you can rest assured, it's perfectly safe!!"

"Oh?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Xinnian raised an eyebrow: "So, you're saying there's someone on the fourth floor, that's your building owner?"

"No, that's not it."

The shop assistant shook his head and said, "The customers upstairs today are quite mysterious."

"mystery?"

Zhang Xinnian was taken aback.

"Um."

The shop assistant lowered his voice and said, "That person came with our sect leader's token."

"So his identity must be extraordinary, but I don't know exactly who he is."

"Oh?"

After hearing this, Zhang Xinnian's face showed even deeper confusion.

Carrying the token of the Guanlan Tower Master?

Mysterious identity?

Who could it be?

Tang Ningshuang stood to the side, her brows furrowed.

She didn't speak, but looked up at the building, her hand naturally resting near the hilt of her sword.

That's right, if anything goes wrong upstairs, she'll rush up immediately.

At this moment, Jiang Xiaobai had slowly walked up to the fourth floor.

Compared to the bustling third floor, the fourth floor was indeed much quieter.

The sound of footsteps landing on the wooden planks became clearer.

The layout of this floor is also different from that of the floors below.

There weren't many tables and chairs.

There were no poems or paintings covering the walls.

Several pots of orchids were placed by the window, with bamboo curtains hanging beside them. The wind blew in from outside the window, carrying the moisture from the lake.

It is quite elegant.

Jiang Xiaobai glanced around and quickly spotted the so-called guest.

Two people, a man and a woman, were sitting by the window.

One of the young women was sitting by the window looking outside.

From Jiang Xiaobai's angle, only half of her profile can be seen.

Her dress was simple yet exquisite; though she was merely sitting there, it overshadowed the elegance of the fourth floor.

The other person was a middle-aged man in his forties.

The man sat at the table, holding a teacup in his hand.

He has a dignified appearance and a composed demeanor.

They didn't look like ordinary guests; rather, they seemed like people who were used to big occasions.

Jiang Xiaobai paused, cleared his throat, and coughed.

The sound immediately made the two people by the window turn around.

Jiang Xiaobai's gaze first swept over the middle-aged man.

He's quite good-looking; if he lived in my previous life, he would definitely be considered a handsome middle-aged man.

His calm and composed demeanor, especially, clearly indicated that he was quite popular with women in his youth.

When Jiang Xiaobai's gaze fell on the woman, his expression paused slightly.

Yes, the woman is beautiful, extremely beautiful.

It's the kind of look that makes people momentarily lose their focus.

The woman's eyebrows and eyes were very delicate, yet extremely exquisite.

Especially those eyes, neither cold nor seductive, but carrying a kind of aloof and noble air.

It seemed that many things in this world were not worthy of her attention.

Sitting there, you feel a sense of distance, but not alienation.

Jiang Xiaobai couldn't help but exclaim in amazement at this.

Such a woman is truly a rare sight!

"hehe!"

At this moment, when the middle-aged man saw Jiang Xiaobai, a look of surprise flashed across his face, and then he laughed.

"It's rare for someone to be able to come up here."

As he spoke, the middle-aged man raised his hand in a gesture of respect: "Friend, if you don't mind, how about we sit together?"

"sure!"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Xiaobai didn't stand on ceremony. He nodded and walked over to sit down at the table.

Yes, since they've already invited him, it wouldn't be very meaningful if he hesitated or made a fuss.

The woman glanced at Jiang Xiaobai, said nothing, and simply picked up her teacup again, her movements very gentle.

The middle-aged man's gaze fell on Jiang Xiaobai's left hand.

You can clearly see the "甲" mark on Jiang Xiaobai's left hand.

"First?"

The middle-aged man's expression changed as he looked at Jiang Xiaobai and said, "Hehe, it seems... my friend has quite a bit of literary talent!"

Guanlan Tower and Lanting Tower are adjacent to each other, so he naturally knew the significance of this Jia-grade plaque.

Getting this plaque means you got all three questions right.

"Are you two also A?"

Jiang Xiaobai also looked at the two of them and asked.

"Oh, no, no, no!"

The middle-aged man waved his hand, his smile gentle: "I'm not, I'm the owner of Guanlan Tower."

As he spoke, the man glanced at the woman again, paused, and said, "This... can be considered my friend."

"She's not A either."

"Oh?"

Jiang Xiaobai was somewhat surprised to hear this: "I thought that everyone who could go up to the fourth floor was an A-level student."

"A grade plate, of course it's acceptable."

The middle-aged man smiled and said, "However, besides the 'A' card, there are other methods."

Jiang Xiaobai nodded.

It seems that there aren't many people who can get an A grade.

Otherwise, this fourth floor wouldn't be so deserted and quiet.

The middle-aged man looked at Jiang Xiaobai, picked up the teapot, and poured himself a cup of tea: "May I ask which city you're from, friend?"

Which city?

Jiang Xiaobai raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Um."

The middle-aged man laughed and said, "The Lanting Tower in the capital has reopened, and many students from the surrounding city have come here after hearing the news."

"In the past few days, many unfamiliar faces have come to Guanlan Tower."

As he spoke, the middle-aged man looked at Jiang Xiaobai and said in a friendly tone, "I have met quite a few scholars, and I have heard of many famous scholars in the capital."

"But my friend..."

The middle-aged man smiled and said, "You look unfamiliar, so I guessed you must have come from one of the surrounding cities?"

After hearing this, Jiang Xiaobai understood.

It turns out this person mistook him for a student from out of town.

But thinking about it, it makes sense.

What was his previous character like?

Cockfighting, bird-walking, brothels and taverns.

I've never been to such a place where literati and scholars gather.

It's normal that the owner of Guanlanlou has never seen him before.

Shaking his head, Jiang Xiaobai awkwardly said, "I'm from Beijing."

Ok?

The middle-aged man's hand, which was pouring tea, suddenly stopped.

The tea just fell into the cup with a soft sound.

A moment later, he put the teapot down.

Then, the middle-aged man looked Jiang Xiaobai over again, his expression noticeably more serious: "Are you from Beijing?"

"yes!"

Jiang Xiaobai nodded.

"May I ask, from which household do you belong?"

The middle-aged man exclaimed in surprise.

Jiang Xiaobai's attire is quite impressive; it's clear he comes from a prominent family.

"Oh, the Zhenbei Marquis's residence, Jiang Xiaobai!"

Jiang Xiaobai smiled.

"Um?"

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man's expression immediately changed: "You... you're Jiang Xiaobai!?"

As Jiang Xiaobai nodded, the middle-aged man was surprised again and said, "You were able to get A-grade armor; it seems you do have some skill!"

As he spoke, the middle-aged man introduced himself: "Oh, by the way, my name is Liu Guanlan!"

"Liu Guanlan? What a nice name!"

Jiang Xiaobai gave a thumbs-up, then looked at the woman: "And who is this young lady?"

Yes, the woman didn't say a word, but her eyes kept glancing at him.

As he finished speaking, the woman picked up her teacup, looked away from him, and gazed out the window.

They completely ignored him.

Ok?

Just as Jiang Xiaobai was wondering, Liu Guanlan's voice rang out.

"Oh, she's mute..."