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

Zuixianlou is located on a major thoroughfare in the capital.

From a distance, the three-story building with its upturned eaves and walls is strikingly eye-catching in the sunlight.

On ordinary days, Zuixianlou is a well-known and bustling place in the capital.

And this is even more true today.

At this moment, a large crowd had gathered outside Zuixianlou, so densely packed that it blocked most of the long street in front of the building.

In front of Zuixianlou, a large platform has been set up.

Behind the stage, a banner was clearly displayed with two large characters: Martial Arts Arena!

"Is this the arena set up by the guests from Beiyu and Qi?"

"Yes, this is the martial arts arena. I heard there's also a literary arena inside the Drunken Immortal Pavilion!"

"These two countries are really arrogant, daring to challenge our Great China. Humph, when our people arrive, we'll teach them a lesson!"

"However, I heard that yesterday, a conflict broke out between the guests of Beiyu and the people of the Zhenbei Marquis's residence, and one of the generals of the Zhenbei Marquis's residence was slapped!"

"So what? The Marquis of Zhenbei's mansion will definitely not let these people get away with this!!"

The discussions continued, making the area outside Zuixianlou even more lively.

Inside Zuixianlou, the place had been completely cleared out.

On the third floor, near the window, several people were standing.

One of the young men, dressed in a blue robe and holding a fan, looked down and said with a smile, "I must say, this Great Hua... is truly a land of great prosperity!"

"Yes, if it weren't for the influence of the Marquis of Zhenbei's mansion, our Qi Kingdom... might also be able to carve out a territory in the Great Hua!"

A middle-aged man standing nearby chimed in, pausing briefly before saying, "However... speaking of the Zhenbei Marquis's mansion, Bei Yu was so provocative yesterday."

"They...they'll probably come!"

"They probably will, but if they don't come, that person... will probably lose face!"

As the young man closed his folding fan, he looked in one direction and a slight smile appeared on his lips.

Not far away, a man with disheveled hair sat quietly at a table, drinking from a wine bowl after another.

"cut!"

Upon seeing the disheveled man, the middle-aged man curled his lip and sneered, "The people of Beiyu are indeed fierce, but when it comes to using their brains, they're still somewhat lacking!"

"I really don't know why the lord made us lead this Teng Zixiu. In my opinion, Brother Yu, you are more suitable!"

"You can't say that!"

The man in the blue shirt shook his head, looking at the man with disheveled hair with a serious expression: "This Teng Zixiu is quite talented in literature, and is quite famous in Beiyu!"

"Since our superiors have made this arrangement, there must be a reason behind it!"

"Moreover... his idea to provoke the Marquis of Zhenbei's mansion was quite good!"

As he spoke, the man in the blue shirt gave a thumbs-up.

Indeed, besides welcoming the young talents and experts of Dahua, they also had another purpose in setting up this challenge: to dampen the arrogance of the Zhenbei Marquis's mansion.

But... getting the people from the Zhenbei Marquis's mansion to step forward is a problem.

Teng Zixiu solved the problem perfectly.

It's simply a matter of instigating a conflict between one's subordinates and the soldiers of the Zhenbei Marquis's mansion; a simple slap will suffice.

This move is extremely ruthless.

Moreover, what's most ruthless is that Teng Zixiu also used the reward money to bribe some Chinese people to spread the story.

As a result, even if the people from the Zhenbei Marquis's mansion didn't want to come, they had no choice but to come for the sake of face.

During their conversation, Teng Zixiu seemed to notice their gazes, slightly raised her head, and gently raised the corners of her mouth in a gesture.

Just as the man in the blue shirt nodded, he heard a noise and looked towards the stairwell.

With the sound of heavy footsteps, a burly man soon came up from downstairs.

This person was tall and his steps were very heavy, clearly indicating that he was a martial arts master.

The burly man, his expression indifferent, approached Teng Zixiu and whispered, "Sir, when shall we begin the competition?"

"Oh, it's still early, no rush!"

Teng Zixiu put down his wine bowl, smiled faintly, and said, "Let's wait. It's not too late to start the competition when the people from the Marquis of Zhenbei's mansion arrive!"

"Besides... the longer we wait, the more people will arrive."

As he spoke, Teng Zixiu's smile deepened, but his eyes turned cold: "It will be even more interesting when we humiliate the Marquis of Zhenbei's mansion!"

"What you say is absolutely right, sir!"

The burly man nodded slightly after hearing this, and without asking any further questions, turned and walked downstairs.

Teng Zixiu sat there, a hint of amusement on his face, picked up his wine bowl, shook his head, and said, "Dahua, ha, so boring!!"

After saying that, Teng Zixiu poured another bowl of wine. As the aroma wafted through the air, he chuckled and said, "But this wine... is truly excellent!"

"It's probably even stronger than the wine from our Beiyu region!"

As he spoke, Teng Zixiu picked up his wine bowl and drank it all in one gulp.

……

Outside the restaurant, the number of people gathering continued to increase, and many of them could be seen as members of the martial arts world.

On the other side of the crowd, one could also see young scholars dressed in the attire of the Imperial Academy.

They gathered in twos and threes, whispering among themselves.

In addition, several people dressed in Qingshan Hui attire also came.

Amid the discussions, the street became increasingly lively.

Just then, a horse-drawn carriage slowly approached from the distance.

As the carriage curtain was lifted, a woman with a veiled face appeared.

The woman glanced outside, her eyes searching for something in the crowd.

Just then, a smiling voice rang out from the side: "Zhiwei, stop looking. Your sweetheart probably hasn't arrived yet!"

"I wasn't looking at him!"

Upon hearing this, Li Zhiwei's face flushed slightly, and she quickly pulled her head back, her voice tinged with shyness: "I...I was just checking to see how many people had come!"

"Oh?"

Looking at Li Zhiwei's expression, Lin Qinrou couldn't help but giggle twice more: "How many people came?"

"this……"

Li Zhiwei's eyes darted away, and for a moment, she didn't know how to respond.

Lin Qinrou's smile deepened.

Yes, she might not be able to see through others, but how could she possibly hide Li Zhiwei's thoughts from her?

The carriage soon stopped across the street from Zuixianlou. Li Zhiwei glanced outside again, her voice filled with curiosity, "Sister Qin'er, do you think... he'll come?"

"Who?"

Lin Qinrou looked puzzled.

"oops!"

Upon hearing Lin Qinrou's words, Li Zhiwei lowered her head.

"I'm just kidding!"

Lin Qinrou smiled, her red lips pursed, her expression earnest: "I think your sweetheart... will probably come!"

"After all, he now serves as the reception envoy, and the guest is from both Beiyu and Qi. There's no harm in establishing contact between the two countries beforehand!"

"Yes, that's true!"

Li Zhiwei responded and looked out the window again, her brows showing a clear increase in anticipation.

Just as Li Zhiwei was about to look away, a man suddenly jumped onto the stage, coldly saying, "You scoundrels from Beiyu, get started!"

"Your grandpa can't wait to beat you all up!"

As he finished speaking, the man's broadsword trembled and slammed heavily to the ground: "Every single one of you, I've taken care of you, hahaha!"

"court death!"

A cold voice rang out, and a figure landed on the battle platform.

The figure moved with incredible speed, and the moment it made its move, a powerful aura surged forth.

The man who went on stage changed his expression slightly and held his knife horizontally in front of him.

boom!

As the astonishing impact resounded, the man who had just stepped onto the stage was instantly swept away by the incredible force.

When the man crashed to the ground, the knife in his hand shattered in two...