What a lucky world!

Chapter 119: Lanling Ye Clan! Knife Sharpening Conference!

After leaving Taiping County and crossing the Anyong River, one officially enters Lanling County. Lanling City, the county seat, is located in the north of Lanling County, not far from Taiping County, about two or three days' journey.

It was a time of lush grass and singing birds, and the green mountains and clear waters along the way created a beautiful scene.

"Nanxian, there is a tea shop in front. Let's go in and have some tea and rest our feet." Zhang Mu said to Zhuge Nanxian.

I thought Zhuge Nanxian was a delicate girl. Although she was responsible for her own food and accommodation along the way, she would definitely complain a lot if she followed me on such a fast journey. Unexpectedly, she was so worry-free. She would only exclaim a few times when she saw the beautiful scenery, and the rest of the time she would follow me obediently.

"Okay, I've finished my water." Zhuge Nanxian nodded.

The two men reached an agreement, pulled the reins in front of the teahouse, dismounted, and walked into the teahouse.

The teahouse was bustling. Zhang Mu looked around and found only an empty seat in the corner.

"Sir, would you like to have a meal or tea?" the waiter greeted him with a smile.

"Let's have a pot of tea first." Zhang Mu replied and sat down with Zhuge Nanxian.

After sitting down, Zhang Mu looked around and saw that most of the people were carrying knives and swords, and most of them had a fierce aura.

At this time, the waiter came to serve tea. While he was pouring the tea, Zhang Mu casually asked, "Shopkeeper, is it usually this busy?"

"Hey, it's good to see such a lively atmosphere." The waiter smiled and replied, "These are all heroes who have come to participate in the sword-sharpening competition at Jinchuan Mountain in Lanling City."

"Once every seven years!"

"Jinchuan Mountain Knife Sharpening Conference? What is it?" The waiter's answer seemed to have touched upon Zhuge Nanxian's key words, and he asked with curiosity.

"This knife-sharpening meeting is..." The waiter was about to explain when he heard a call from the other side. He had no choice but to smile apologetically at Zhuge Nanxian and turned around to serve other guests.

Just when Zhuge Nanxian was feeling depressed, a smiling voice came: "Girl, do you want to know what the Knife Sharpening Conference is? I, an old man, will tell you..."

Zhang Mu and Zhuge Nanxian's expressions changed. Zhuge Nanxian's disguise technique was not just a simple makeup adjustment, but was also related to a talisman she wore. They didn't expect that someone could see through Zhuge Nanxian's identity.

The two looked in the direction of the sound and saw an old man in a patched gown leaning against a donkey outside the teahouse, eating a white flour bun in his hand.

The old man looked to be over sixty years old, with a Taoist bun on his head, and looked like a teacher.

"Father-in-law, please move over and have a chat." Zhang Mu bowed and invited.

The old man ignored Zhang Mu and looked at Zhuge Nanxian, saying, "Girl, do you want to listen?"

Zhuge Nanxian's eyes rolled around and he said, "If you want to say it, then say it. If you don't want to say it, forget it!"

"Hehe..." The old man grinned upon hearing Zhuge Nanxian's words, walked over, and then, somewhat comically, climbed over the low fence of the teahouse and sat down directly next to Zhang Mu. He lowered his head to look at the table and said to Zhang Mu, "Please come and sit down. There's not even a cup?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Mu immediately waved to the waiter to bring another teacup.

Zhuge Nanxian didn't care about the old man's attitude and asked directly, "How did you see my true identity?"

"Hey, I've been traveling all over the country for so many years, and my skills aren't that great, but these eyes..." The old man pointed to his own eyes and said proudly, "They're shining!"

"I can smell the scent of the Fish Dragon Talisman from eight hundred miles away."

At this time, the waiter brought a teacup. Zhang Mu quickly placed the cup in front of the old man and poured tea for him.

Only then did the old man glance at Zhang Mu again, his gaze lingering for a moment on the image of Xuan Ji transformed into a black cat on his chest. He said, "You are such a good young man, why are you thinking of becoming a monk?"

Zhang Mu was startled for a moment, then realized that the old man had seen through Xuan Ji's identity. Because Xuan Ji was a guardian beast of Buddhism, she thought he was also a monk.

However, Zhang Mu did not explain, but asked respectfully: "May I know what your name is, Senior?"

"My last name is Qin. I'm not a senior, just a wandering storyteller!" The old man replied perfunctorily, then looked at Zhuge Nanxian with a smile, "Girl, what's your last name and name? Where do you live? Do you have any elders at home?"

Zhuge Nanxian glared at the old man and said, "You are always so dishonest!" "Ah! How can you say that? I, Old Qin, am a man of integrity. When have I ever been dishonest?"

"You're an old man, and you're asking about a young girl's background right after we met. How can that be serious? My second uncle told me to stay away from people like that!"

"Hmph, what a shitty second uncle, he has no vision!" The old man Qin snorted coldly.

Unexpectedly, after hearing what Old Man Qin said, Zhuge Nanxian chuckled and nodded: "Well, well said, my damn second uncle is just ignorant!"

As he spoke, Zhuge Nanxian raised his teacup and said, "Old man, I'm very satisfied with what you said. Come, let's drink tea instead of wine. Cheers!"

Hearing this, Old Man Qin's smile grew even wider, and he quickly raised his teacup: "Come, come, drink this cup to the full."

Zhang Mu sat aside and watched the conversation between Zhuge Nanxian and Old Man Qin, completely confused.

How did you create this atmosphere that feels both unfamiliar and familiar?
Zhang Mu saw that the two of them actually clinked their teacups together, and then each finished their drink.

Then, Old Man Qin nodded to his teacup and said to Zhang Mu, "Pour more! You have no manners!"

Zhuge Nanxian grabbed the teapot and said with a smile, "I'll do it..."

As he spoke, Zhuge Nanxian poured tea into the cup and said, "Old Qin, Brother Wei paid for this tea, so you can't drink it for free. Just tell me what the knife-sharpening meeting was all about."

"Hey, that's nothing." Old Man Qin took another sip of tea and said, "There's a Jinchuan Mountain outside Lanling City, and on top of Jinchuan Mountain there's Fenglin Villa!"

"The owner of Fenglin Villa is named Ye Dafeng. Thirty years ago, he mastered the mysteries of the Dao, where heaven and earth merged, and he was promoted to Grandmaster."

"Back then, the leader of the evil Dark Moon Cult, Kong Pingbo, was being hunted by the Demon Suppression Division. In a panic, he fled to Lanling County with his two guardians. Grandmaster Ye, with his sword, stood in the sky and slew Kong Pingbo and his two guardians. Blood filled the sky, and the martial arts world was shaken!"

"Since then, the Jinchuan Ye family has become a resounding golden signboard in the world!"

Zhang Mu was quite entranced by Old Man Qin's storytelling. Zhuge Nanxian, on the other hand, curled his lips, seemingly unconcerned, and simply asked, "What's the connection between this knife-sharpening meeting and what's the connection?"

"Don't worry, I'll get to it soon." Old Man Qin took a sip of tea and continued, "This Ye Dafeng attaches great importance to his descendants and hopes to train another master for Fenglin Villa."

"His knife skills are special, and he needs to have someone sharpen his knife."

“So, he held this knife-sharpening meeting!”

"Every seven years, he would distribute sharpening irons and invite the heroes of the martial arts world to go to Fengling Villa to fight his disciples. This is called sharpening the sword!"

Zhuge Nanxian frowned slightly: "Only a fool would do such a thing as making wedding clothes for others."

"Alas, that's wrong." The old man Qin waved his hand. "Sharpening knives for the children of the Ye family is naturally making things easier for them."

“But it’s not without benefits!”

“Anyone who defeats the Ye family’s disciples will be rewarded at the Sword Sharpening Conference, ranging from silver to personal instruction from Ye Dafeng.”

"What's more, if I can stand out at the Knife Sharpening Conference and win Ye Dafeng's praise, at least in Lanling County, everyone will give me some respect."

"Even if there is a powerful force trying to win them over, the price will still be three times higher."

"It's just a knife-sharpening meeting, everyone gets what they need!"

Zhang Mu was listening from the side and felt that it was a bit strange.

The person with the "Grandmaster's Appearance" drawn from the Juyi Hall seems to be called Ye Hanzhou, right?
They all have the surname Ye, so they must be descendants of the Ye family.

But if he really has outstanding talent, he would become famous in this knife-sharpening conference. Logically, he would be trained by the Ye family and even the master Ye Dafeng. Why would the Tianji Scroll think that his fate has an overlapping trajectory with that of the Shanzhai?
"Mr. Qin, let me ask you, apart from Ye Dafeng, is there anyone else in the Ye family who is famous and has the status of a master?" Zhang Mu asked.

(End of this chapter)