Chapter 157: Chapter 136: Press-ganging?

Since Zhuang Sixuan was here, it was only natural that the master of the Heart Meeting Martial Arts Hall, Tian Yun, would be present as well.

Sure enough, just as Zhuang Sixuan appeared, a woman dressed in lavish, elegant attire with an extraordinary grace stepped out.

Shi Yangming, standing beside him, directly revealed the woman’s identity, confirming Zou Feng’s suspicions.

Zou Feng had heard before that the master of the Heart Meeting Martial Arts Hall, the number one expert among the Seventh Grade Martial Artists in Yuan Guang County, was a woman.

He had assumed Tian Yun must be quite old, but seeing her now, she looked to be only in her early thirties.

’No, it’s impossible for her to be just over thirty.’

’She must be like Deng Guangxin, skilled in preserving her youthful appearance, making her true age impossible to guess.’

Shi Yangming, on the other hand, clearly didn’t care about her age. He stared at Tian Yun with a burning gaze, practically drooling.

“This old broad is getting spicier and spicier!”

“Too bad I can’t beat her. Otherwise, I’d definitely drag her back to be my thirteenth wife.”

Zou Feng couldn’t help but glance at Shi Yangming again. ’If this guy weren’t so obsessed with women,’ he thought, ’he’d probably be a Gang Qi Realm expert by now, wouldn’t he?’

He had heard before that Shi Yangming, the leader of the Danxin Alliance, was a concubine-collecting maniac. Now, it seemed the rumors weren’t exaggerated at all.

As for Tian Yun’s strength…

After sizing her up, Zou Feng had to admit that she did indeed look very strong.

Just like Deng Guangxin, she was definitely at the Half-Step Gang Qi Realm.

However, if Deng Guangxin managed to absorb Bian Yixia and perfect his Six Harmonies Reincarnation Skill, that would be a different story entirely.

While Zou Feng was observing them, Zhuang Sixuan naturally sensed his gaze.

She turned to look at him, her eyes filled with a complicated expression.

’Who the hell could have imagined that not long ago, Zou Feng was just a household servant?’

’Because he was so handsome, I even gave him a few pointers on a whim.’

’How did that somehow lead to him unifying the three gangs and becoming the General Leader of the Hongxing Gang?!’

Seeing her look over, Zou Feng smiled and nodded at her.

Before, even though Zhuang Sixuan acknowledged Zou Feng’s good looks, her heart wouldn’t have fluttered in the slightest.

But now that Zou Feng was a General Leader and was greeting her of his own accord, the effect was completely different.

And so, Zhuang Sixuan’s cheeks flushed red in an instant.

Zou Feng, however, didn’t notice this, as his attention was currently focused on Tian Yun.

After all, Yuan Guang County’s top expert was also sizing him up.

Since they were all about to enter Furong Pavilion one after another anyway, Zou Feng decided to take the initiative, cupping his fist and saying, “Master Tian, I’ve long admired you!”

Tian Yun returned the gesture, her expression filled with emotion as she said, “General Zou, you are truly a rare genius of the Martial Dao!”

“Before long, our Yuan Guang County will have another Gang Qi Realm Martial Artist…”

Hearing this, Zou Feng immediately felt that Tian Yun’s words were packed with information.

’What does she mean, *another* Gang Qi Realm expert?’

’Is she saying that she herself is about to break through, or that Yuan Guang County already has other Gang Qi Realm experts who haven’t revealed themselves?’

Moreover, just by looking at Tian Yun’s expression, he could tell her confidence in his promotion to the Gang Qi Realm wasn’t mere pleasantry.

’It feels like she saw that even though my promotions have been so rapid, there are no major hidden dangers left in my body.’

’To practice an Evil Skill without causing major problems for one’s body… in that case, advancing to the Gang Qi Realm would be a natural next step.’

Tian Yun’s perceptiveness secretly astonished Zou Feng.

At the same time, he was very curious. ’How on earth did she see that? Surely someone at the Half-Step Gang Qi Realm wouldn’t possess an ability like the “Transparent Realm,” right?’

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Zou Feng and Tian Yun walked side by side into Furong Pavilion.

The few Seventh Grade members of the Heart Meeting Martial Arts Hall, including Zhuang Sixuan, and Shi Yangming’s group from the Hongxing Gang, dutifully followed behind.

Watching Zou Feng chatting and laughing amicably with her master up ahead, Zhuang Sixuan felt increasingly awkward.

Huang Wenbin did not come out to greet them personally. The one leading the way was Master Sun, whom Zou Feng had met before.

Before long, Zou Feng and his party arrived at a reception hall large enough to accommodate a hundred people.

This place was originally used by Furong Pavilion to hold large-scale song and dance performances.

Just as he entered, Zou Feng glimpsed Liu Xian’Er playing the zither near the front stage.

A single look at her headdress told him she was still a Pure Official.

He had intended to look away after a single glance, but unexpectedly, Liu Xian’Er happened to look over at that exact moment, their eyes meeting for a brief second.

Then, Liu Xian’Er actually blushed as well, shyly lowering her head.

When Zou Feng had come here before as just a Hall Master, aside from accidentally falling into the water and making her laugh, they had never interacted.

But now that he had returned as the General Leader, all of Liu Xian’Er’s previous composure vanished, her face turning as red as a monkey’s butt…

Unfortunately, even if Liu Xian’Er was genuinely interested in him now, Zou Feng would keep his distance.

After all, Huang Wenbin was using this woman as an important bargaining chip.

’If I really get involved with her, I’m afraid I’ll have to pay a hefty price.’

Many people had already arrived in the reception hall. Looking around, Zou Feng saw that they weren’t all high-level Martial Artists.

There were also wealthy households from Yuan Guang County Town and figures widely acknowledged as respectable and virtuous.

Zou Feng even saw Yang Wu, the Patriarch of the Yang Family.

With so many people invited, Zou Feng grew even more puzzled about what exactly Huang Wenbin was up to.

However, as Zou Feng walked into the reception hall, nearly all the people who had arrived earlier stood up in unison. Acting very familiar, they all started greeting him.

“General Zou, this old man was right about you…”

Even Yang Wu came over, his emotional words clearly coming from the heart.

Yang Wu was now incredibly grateful that he had formed a good relationship with Zou Feng when he left. Otherwise…

After exchanging a few pleasantries with Yang Wu, Zou Feng was led to his seat.

His seat, like Tian Yun’s, was one of the closest to the main seat of honor, a clear sign that Huang Wenbin now considered Zou Feng to be on equal footing with her.

However, there were clearly two seats arranged at the head table, obviously prepared for the “distinguished guest” mentioned in the invitation.

Not long after they were seated, Huang Wenbin finally arrived.

But Huang Wenbin’s entrance lacked the dignified air of a county magistrate that Zou Feng had expected.

The man was bowing and scraping, his face full of sycophantic flattery, leading a handsome young man into the reception hall like a common attendant from Furong Pavilion.

This scene immediately made everyone present realize that the “distinguished guest” Huang Wenbin had mentioned was indeed a very important person.

After arriving, Huang Wenbin first offered a few conventional pleasantries, then immediately tried to introduce the handsome young master to everyone.

Unexpectedly, just as he was about to speak, the young master interrupted, “Let me do it myself.”

Huang Wenbin could only give an embarrassed smile and take two steps back.

“Who I am isn’t really important. What’s important is that rebels are now rising up everywhere, and the Southern Prince has even openly rebelled, disrupting the peace and prosperity our Great Yan Dynasty once enjoyed…”

“As the saying goes, every man has a duty to his country. I’m sure you all have long wished to help ease the Holy Emperor’s worries, but simply lacked the means to do so.”

“And my purpose in coming to Yuan Guang County this time is precisely to show you heroes a clear path forward…”

As the handsome young master continued his self-absorbed speech, the crowd finally figured out what this guy was up to.

It turned out this person actually wanted to take the lead in getting all the Jianghu influences in Yuan Guang County—the wealthy to contribute money and the powerful to contribute their strength—to form a new force.

Then, this force would be temporarily incorporated into the Cheetah Camp to jointly participate in an operation to wipe out a group of Roving Bandits within Jiangnan Province.

After listening to this guy’s eloquent but absurd speech, many people would have burst out laughing if they weren’t holding back.

’What kind of brain-dead idiot is this? He’s fucking nuts!’

’Where did this lunatic come from? Even if he has a prominent background, why should anyone here listen to him?’

Just because “every man has a duty to his country,” the Martial Artists of Yuan Guang County have to be conscripted into the army? That’s just too ridiculous.

So, when the handsome young master finished speaking, no one in the hall responded, and the atmosphere became very awkward.

Huang Wenbin quickly coughed to break the silence and stepped forward again. “Everyone, what Young Master Yuwen says makes sense. You should all consider it carefully!”

“Otherwise, if those Roving Bandits enter our Yuan Guang County, none of us will have an easy time of it…”

With this attempt to save the situation, Huang Wenbin also highlighted the young master’s identity.

Many people immediately understood, since the current Governor of Jiangnan was named Yuwen Boxi.

’So, this guy is one of Yuwen Boxi’s sons?’

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep