I have a martial arts panel.

Runfeng Restaurant is located in Yunshi Lane, which happens to be under the jurisdiction of the garrison where Tao Qingyuan is stationed.

Tao Qingyuan walked ahead of the crowd, and along the way, acquaintances kept coming up to him to wish him a Happy New Year, which Tao Qingyuan responded to warmly.

At first glance, he does indeed have the aura of a leader.

Soon, the group arrived in front of Runfeng Restaurant.

"Why have you slowed down?"

Runfeng Restaurant was right at the entrance, but Xu Ning noticed that the people in front of him had stopped.

Xu Ning turned to the side and saw another group of people walking towards them from the other side of the restaurant.

The leader on the other side was none other than Tan Fengying.

"Did you run into people from Tanjiazhuang?"

The two groups had previously engaged in a brawl outside the public kitchen, and they remain hostile towards each other to this day.

Xu Ning was genuinely worried that their meeting today might lead to some trouble.

In his congratulatory message, Commander Wei Changqing just mentioned that he hoped everyone could support each other and reduce internal disputes.

Only a short while has passed. If the two groups start arguing and it gets back to Wei Changqing, it will definitely not be a good thing.

Tao Qingyuan looked unwell in front of the crowd.

I saw the people from Tanjiazhuang from a distance just now, when they were still some distance from the restaurant.

However, after the person opposite noticed him, they noticeably quickened their pace and arrived at the restaurant with him.

Seeing the undisguised provocation from Tan Fengying and the others, Tao Qingyuan did not want to provoke a conflict. He simply ignored them and stepped into the restaurant.

"slow."

At this moment, Tan Fengying took a quick step forward and reached out to stop Tao Qingyuan.

"What are you going to do?"

Tao Qingyuan's tone was calm, without any hint of annoyance.

On the first day of the new year, he didn't want any conflict to occur.

"We arrived first, so let us go first."

Tan Fengying stared into Tao Qingyuan's eyes and said directly.

Tao Qingyuan frowned and glanced back at the people of Taojiazhuang behind him.

By this time, they had gradually gathered around, and a standoff had formed between the two sides.

If I were to compromise now, even though everyone would understand that I was making concessions to avoid provocation, it would inevitably damage my prestige.

"The restaurant's main entrance is so spacious that even if two groups of people enter at the same time, it won't feel crowded."

Tao Qingyuan was still trying to control his emotions.

At this moment, a crowd also gathered at the entrance of the restaurant.

The waiter in the shop, seeing this situation, stood at the door, not knowing what to say.

Although no one was wearing the Black Armor Guard's uniform, the waiter knew their identities as soon as he saw Tao Qingyuan.

The waiter was at a loss as to how to mediate the tense situation.

"My foot stepped onto this step first, so we should be the ones who went first."

Tan Fengying did not accept the way out offered by Tao Qingyuan, and his hand remained in front of Tao Qingyuan.

Sure enough, Tao Qingyuan was losing patience.

Dragging this out will make me appear weak.

He waved his hand and pushed Tan Fengying's arm away.

Upon seeing this, Tan Fengying's lips curled into a smile.

In fact, my provocation today is not entirely out of revenge for the loss I suffered last time.

However, after the last conflict, Tan Fengying felt that his influence within the Tan Family Village faction had been weakened.

In addition, after each person took office, their core position in the group showed signs of fading.

Taking this opportunity, Tan Fengying only wanted to rebuild his prestige. He didn't necessarily want to compete with Tao Qingyuan. As long as he had a slight conflict with him and didn't lose, he could consolidate his position in the Tan family's circle.

As for whether he would be at a disadvantage in a fight, Tan Fengying was not worried at all.

During his month as a member of the Black Armor Guard, he practiced diligently day and night, purchased elixirs, and through a series of accidental coincidences, finally mastered the Origin Breath Body Tempering Technique to a minor degree.

According to Tan Fengying's inquiries, among the leaders of various circles in the Third Camp, only he had achieved this.

Then, just as Tao Qingyuan was about to step into the restaurant, Tan Fengying grabbed his sleeve.

Tao Qingyuan finally reached his breaking point.

He clenched his fist, took a step back, and was about to strike.

This was exactly what Tan Fengying wanted.

Both were at the Inner Abundance Realm, and he had achieved minor success in the Origin Breath Body Tempering Technique. In a fight bare-handed, he would definitely have the upper hand.

Tan Fengying immediately clenched her fist, preparing to exchange punches with Tao Qingyuan.

Snapped!

At the very moment the two fists collided.

Suddenly, a figure appeared; it was Xu Ning.

At the instant their fists made contact, Xu Ning stretched out both hands and caught Tao Qingyuan and Tan Fengying's fists simultaneously with his palms.

Xu Ning forcefully neutralized the immense impact of the punch thrown by the Inner Abundance Realm martial artist.

"Xu Ning?"

Tao Qingyuan felt his fist being blocked.

When he saw that the person who stopped him was Xu Ning, his eyes sharpened.

Xu Ning isn't at the Bone and Tendon Realm, so how could he block my attack with a single punch?

"Unless he advances to the Inner Abundance Realm and also upgrades his Source Breath Body Tempering Technique..."

Tao Qingyuan was startled when he saw Xu Ning's expressionless eyes.

In just one month, Xu Ning has made such great progress.

Tan Fengying, standing to the side, was experiencing an even more intense storm in her heart than Tao Qingyuan.

Just how strong is this person to be able to block my full-force punch so easily?

At this moment, Tan Fengying also recognized that Xu Ning was the opponent who had struck him in the face twice before.

Last time, Tan Fengying only thought this person was insidious, but now, Tan Fengying instantly raised Xu Ning's threat level to the same level as Tao Qingyuan.

"Qingyuan, Brother Tan."

Xu Ning ignored the stares of others: "Today is New Year's Day, and taking action might damage our relationship. Besides, Commander Wei said he hopes we can get along peacefully."

"It's fate that we can celebrate the New Year together in the same restaurant today, let's call it a day."

Tao Qingyuan and Tan Fengying exchanged a glance and simultaneously withdrew their fists.

Beneath their seemingly calm exteriors, however, their hearts were in turmoil.

Xu Ning noticed that both of them had stopped using their strength, so he didn't linger and returned to Tao Qingyuan's back.

This confrontation is different from the one outside the public kitchen.

At that time, the Third Camp had not yet established any rules, and Xu Ning's strength was insufficient to suppress the situation.

This time, Xu Ning's strength has improved, giving him the right to control the situation.

Xu Ning didn't want Taojiazhuang to be blacklisted by Wei Changqing, and he also didn't want to see a bloody conflict on the first day of the new year.

Moreover, Xu Ning noticed the subtle changes in Tan Fengying's breathing and muscles when she exerted force, which made Xu Ning realize that Tan Fengying had already mastered the Origin Breath Body Tempering Technique to a minor degree.

In this kind of confrontation, Tao Qingyuan would definitely suffer a loss.

A combination of factors led Xu Ning to take the initiative to resolve the situation.

"Xu Ning..."

At the back of the crowd, Tao Jin looked at Xu Ning's profile, her gaze complex and uncertain.

After a long while, she lowered her eyes.

Both sides' emotions had stabilized at this point.

"Brother Tan, Happy New Year!"

Tao Qingyuan clasped his hands in a fist salute to Tan Fengying.

Tan Fengying glanced at Xu Ning in the crowd and replied indifferently, "The same goes for you."

"please."

Tao Qingyuan flicked his sleeve.

"please."

Tan Fengying responded.

This time, both teams entered the restaurant at the same time.

……

At this moment, everyone had arrived at the private room that Tao Qingyuan had booked in advance.

Just as Tao Qingyuan had said before, the room was filled with tea, candy, and a stove for heating.

The private room is located on the second floor, and through the window, you can see the lion dance and other New Year activities on the street.

"Xu Ning."

After greeting everyone, Tao Qingyuan's first action was to go to Xu Ning's side.

"Thank you so much for getting me out of that situation."

Tao Qingyuan personally handed Xu Ning a cup of tea.

Xu Ning accepted the gift and thanked him, saying, "You flatter me. I just didn't want to cause any discord during the New Year. Things are different now than before. Even if Commander Qu wants us to maintain our vitality through internal competition, he doesn't want to see any extra bloodshed among our own people."

"That's how it is..."

Tao Qingyuan nodded in agreement.

"Xu Ning, I heard that Commander Qu recently sought you out twice by himself."

After a moment's hesitation, Tao Qingyuan tentatively asked.

The close contact between Xu Ning and Qu Dayou has recently been noticed by those in the camp.

However, because Xu Ning didn't have much of a reputation before, she didn't receive much attention.

"Yes, they're all related to the job in Maple Willow Lane."

Xu Ning nodded, not bothering to hide it; these things couldn't be kept secret anyway.

"About the Da Yuan Trading Company?"

Tao Qingyuan lowered his voice.

As one of the most talented newcomers, Tao Qingyuan was also valued by the captain of Yunshi Lane Guard Station, and thus learned about the struggle between Cai Qinghan and Qu Dayou.

"That's right."

Xu Ning had previously asked Tao Qingyuan to help him find out about the Dayuan Trading Company, so he didn't hide anything: "From the very beginning, we were destined to be Commandant Qu's people. So there's nothing I can do about it. Because of this, I haven't gotten along well with the others at the garrison post."

"That's quite troublesome..."

Tao Qingyuan nodded silently.

"Xu Ning..."

After weighing his options for a moment, Tao Qingyuan wanted to ask Xu Ning about his progress in martial arts.

But he held back the words that were on the tip of his tongue.

This is, after all, someone else's privacy. Unless the other party takes the initiative to show or explain it, it is very impolite to ask about it rashly.

"What's wrong?"

Xu Ning asked.

"It's nothing."

Tao Qingyuan raised his teacup: "Wishing you a Happy New Year."

"May you have a happy new year."

Xu Ning and Tao Qingyuan clinked glasses.

"If Xu Ning's surname were Tao, perhaps my place in Tao Family Village would belong to him..."

Tao Qingyuan sighed inwardly.

However, he didn't have any negative emotions like jealousy.

In Tao Qingyuan's character, integrity still comes first.

After saying that, Tao Qingyuan stood up and walked towards his other companions, greeting each of them with New Year's greetings.