Young hero, stay put and don't be reckless.

Chapter 111 Famous Throughout the Martial World

Ye Qingying couldn't help but roll her eyes at him; this guy never told the truth.

Tuoba Feng suddenly stood up.

"I'm leaving now."

"So fast?" Jiang Xun was taken aback.

"Something's up."

Tuoba Feng didn't explain, nodded to Chen Lei, but didn't look at Ye Qingying, and turned to leave.

Jiang Xun sighed inwardly: Why is this person so cold to Fairy Mirror Lake? I'll have to give him a good talking-to next time.

The courtyard gate opened and closed again, and the footsteps gradually faded into the distance.

The courtyard fell silent again.

Chen Lei coughed lightly, breaking the silence.

"Brother Jiang, I'm calling you so late because there's something I'd like to discuss with you."

"What is it?"

"Zhao Tieyi of Canglei Pavilion was thrown from his horse yesterday when they were almost at Shuofeng City. He was seriously injured and has already returned to the Central Plains for treatment. We are now one person short."

"so what?"

"Therefore, we would like to invite you to participate in tomorrow's competition."

"Me?" Jiang Xun leaned back in his chair, crossed his legs, and grinned. "I wasn't chosen by Huang Hu, would he agree?"

Seeing that he didn't refuse outright, Chen Lei's expression relaxed a bit: "Before I came, I asked Senior Huang, and he said that as long as you're willing, it's fine."

Jiang Xun blinked.

Huang Hu agreed so readily?

This old man doesn't seem to care much about the candidates.

If that's the case, then what's the point of him picking and choosing and going through all this trouble for so many days?

However, he quickly dismissed the thought. His expression remained impassive; he merely frowned slightly, feigning a troubled look.

"Brother Chen, it's not that I don't want to help. I came to Shuofeng City this time to do business; you see, I've even rented a house. If I go to the martial arts competition, it will interfere with my business..."

"I won't let you help for nothing." Chen Lei interrupted him, taking out a silver note from his pocket. "Here is one hundred taels, as compensation for your loss. When we return to the Central Plains, Yinzhai will prepare another generous gift."

Jiang Xun still looked hesitant.

"So what if we're one less person? It's not a big deal," he asked deliberately. "It's not like we need all five of us to fight."

"This competition is not only about the inheritance of the Sword God," Ye Qingying continued, "but also about the reputation of the Central Plains martial arts world and the Northern martial arts world. The inheritance of the Sword God cannot be allowed to fall into the hands of the Northern Kingdom."

Jiang Xun was taken aback.

This was the first time he had ever heard such a thing.

It seems he wasn't involved in this matter before, so they didn't mention it to him.

"Alright then." He sighed, accepting the silver note while feigning reluctance, "I'll give it a try."

Chen Lei looked grateful: "Thank you very much, Brother Jiang."

"Don't thank me too soon." Jiang Xun waved his hand. "I'm just here to make up the numbers; I can't guarantee whether I'll win or lose."

"Just do your best." Chen Lei stood up, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "Meet me at the city lord's mansion tomorrow at Chenshi (7-9 AM)."

Jiang Xun nodded.

The two left the courtyard, their footsteps fading into the distance.

Jiang Xun sat alone by the stone table, looking at the dying fire in front of him, and suddenly smiled.

He laughed heartily.

It was Zhao Tieyi's affair that he had Ying Qi do.

His best opportunity was to explore the city lord's mansion and participate in the competition for the successor of the Sword God.

Sure enough, Chen Lei and Ye Qingying came to the door and even gave him a hundred taels of silver for free.

Cool!

…………

The city of Shuofeng was shrouded in a thin layer of gray fog in the early morning.

Jiang Xun wrapped his sheepskin vest tightly around himself and headed towards the city lord's mansion.

The city lord's mansion is located directly north of Shuofeng City, facing south, and occupies a very large area.

From a distance, the gray-blue walls stretched endlessly, like a giant beast lying in the north of the city.

The gate of the mansion was vermilion, with gleaming copper nails. Two stone lions, larger than the pair at the Duke of Wei's mansion, crouched in front of the gate. Their manes were clearly defined, and their eyes were wide open, exuding a sinister aura in the morning light.

Two rows of guards stood at the entrance, each clad in iron armor, with a curved sword at their waist, standing ramrod straight, their eyes fixed straight ahead.

As Jiang Xun approached, he saw Chen Lei and Ye Qingying standing at the door.

"Brother Jiang, this way." Chen Lei led them inside.

Passing through the gate, there is a wide bluestone path with two rows of old locust trees on both sides. Their branches are gnarled and twisted, and their leaves have not yet grown. The bare branches cast fine shadows in the morning light.

At the end of the passageway stands a tall screen wall, made of blue bricks, with the four large characters "朔风永固" (meaning "The North Wind Will Remain Forever") carved on it, the strokes powerful and deeply embedded in the stone.

After passing the screen wall, the view suddenly opened up before us.

"This is the training ground of the City Lord's Mansion," Chen Lei introduced.

Jiang Xun stopped and looked up.

The training ground is extremely large, capable of accommodating at least a thousand people.

The ground was paved with huge bluestone slabs, the gaps filled with mortar, making it as smooth as a mirror.

To the north of the venue was a high platform with a bluestone base and a red felt covering the surface. Several chairs were placed on it, clearly prepared for VIPs.

On the east side of the training ground, there is a moon gate leading to the central courtyard. Four guards stand at the gate, with curved swords hanging at their waists and their postures upright.

On the west side was a row of side rooms, with the doors and windows tightly closed, their purpose unknown.

Behind the high platform to the north, a winding corridor can be vaguely seen, leading deeper into the area.

As Jiang Xun walked, he took notes, sketching out a rough outline of the city lord's mansion in his mind.

The map Yingqi gave him only went up to the main courtyard; there were no markings beyond that.

But he could see that behind the main hall were several courtyards, layer upon layer, extending all the way to the foot of the city wall in the north of the city.

That should be the core area of ​​the city lord's mansion.

On the east and west sides of the courtyard, there was a shed, with tables and chairs placed inside.

Chen Lei led Jiang Xun toward the stands on the Central Plains side.

"Brother Jiang, let me introduce you to a few friends."

He walked to the front row of the stands, where two people were sitting.

A man in his mid-twenties, with a stern face, dressed in a black outfit, with a long sword hanging at his waist, the scabbard engraved with cloud patterns.

He sat upright, his eyes looking straight ahead, exuding the dignified air of a disciple from a prestigious family.

"The Jade Cang Sect, Zhou Jing," Chen Lei introduced.

Jiang Xun's heart stirred.

He had seen this person before—the first time he saw Huang Hu set up a fighting arena in Jiangning Prefecture, where Zhou Jing had a match with Lin Nan of the Chunshui Sect.

At that time, Zhou Jing stood on the stage, his sword flashing, and beat Lin Nan so badly that he had no chance to fight back, winning a round of applause.

He could only watch the excitement from the crowd.

Now, he stands here, fighting alongside others as a contestant.

Jiang Xun was momentarily moved, but showed no emotion on his face. He simply cupped his hands in greeting and said sincerely, "I've heard so much about you."

Zhou Jing nodded slightly: "I have long heard of Brother Jiang's great name."

"Lingyun Sect, Song Qingshu."

Another young man has stood up.

He was in his early twenties, tall and slender with a handsome face. He wore a blue outfit and had a long sword at his waist, looking more like a scholar than a martial artist.

"I've heard so much about you." Jiang Xun cupped his hands in a respectful gesture.

"Brother Jiang, you're too kind." Song Qingshu's smile was sincere. "I heard that you defeated Zhang Tao in Qiantang. I admire you greatly."

"Just lucky, just lucky," Jiang Xun said modestly, but secretly he was pleased with himself—it turned out that he had already become famous in the martial arts world.