Starting from Tianlong, Wudu Tianxia

Inside the courtyard, the noise had subsided.

Ma Wude came out of the inner room with a smile, carrying two cups of freshly brewed tea: "Brother Cui, come and try this, it's just arrived 'Misty Green'."

Cui Poyun took the teacup, suppressed a smile, and said, "The young swordsmen of Jingzhao Prefecture have impressive names, but their martial arts skills are mediocre and boring."

The disciples of Nianhua Manor looked proud upon hearing Cui Poyun's words.

Ma Wude is a shrewd man, and besides, it's not like he just met Young Master Cui. He's not old, but he has all the airs of a "wise man," so you have to go along with him.

"Brother, can you just shut up? You've beaten up all the young people here, there's really no need for you to stay any longer."

The young master's smile deepened.

"That's true, Brother Ma is right. I've delayed you for quite some time, and I'm ashamed to say so. I'll leave it to you to arrange."

Ma Wude's eyes lit up.

"How about finishing the next day?"

"Speaking of which, besides you, my brother, I have another friend traveling with me on this trip back south. With you both by my side, I'm sure the journey will be safe and sound."

"Well!"

When Ma Wude put someone else on the same level as him, Cui Poyun raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Who is this martial arts hero who commands such high praise from Brother Ma?"

"I wouldn't presume to call myself a master, but I'm definitely not bad!"

Ma Wude gave a thumbs up and said softly, "He's a young brother I recently met, named Gao Yuan. Although he's young, his martial arts skills are unfathomable."

"Gao Yuan?" Cui Poyun ran the name through his mind, but had no recollection of it.

Cui Poyun's eyes were sharp and piercing.

"Brother Ma, please tell me in detail."

Ma Wude responded in agreement, then continued seriously:

"Brother, you might be wrong about tea, but you're never wrong about people! As for Zhu Ran, as you know, his family's Twelve Styles of One-Word Wind-Chasing Sword is no slouch. He sparred with Brother Gao the other day."

Cui Poyun and the people from Nianhua Manor around him smiled and took a sip of tea, eager to hear what was so remarkable about it.

Ma Wude suddenly piqued our interest again:

"Guess what?"

"Brother Ma, when did you become so fussy? Stop guessing, just tell me, Brother," Cui Poyun urged impatiently.

"Brother Gao only used grappling techniques to deal with Zhu Ran, and he defeated him completely."

The people from Nianhua Manor around them frowned, exchanged glances, and suddenly fell silent.

They were very familiar with Ma Wude, not to mention Zhu Ran. Apart from the young master, no one sitting here could subdue him.

"How many moves did he need to defeat his enemy?" The young master asked earnestly, his eyes gleaming.

The disciples of Nianhua Manor nearby were also very curious.

"perhaps……"

"I probably won by about one and a half moves against Zhu Ran!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the surroundings became even quieter than before.

But the next second...

"Hahaha!"

All the disciples of Nianhua Manor burst into laughter. The young master even forgot to maintain his "masterly" demeanor and grinned, thinking that Ma Wude was joking.

He knew about Zhu Ran's Twelve Styles of One-Word Wind-Chasing Sword. Although it was difficult to deal with, he was confident that he could capture this person within twenty moves.

He only won by a move or two, so their skill levels are probably very similar.

Ma Wude was a seasoned veteran. Although the Twelve Styles of One-Word Wind-Chasing Sword had some obscurity, to be praised so highly by him and ranked alongside himself was simply an insult to him.

If Cui Poyun hadn't known Old Ma's temperament, he would have thought that Old Ma was deliberately trying to embarrass Nianhua Manor.

"Boss Ma must have been blinded by the aroma of tea. To defeat Guard Zhu in a few moves is just a matter of luck at best. Does he even deserve to be compared to our young master?"

"That's giving him too much credit."

"Hahaha!"

The disciples of Nianhua Villa around them felt that Ma Wude was teasing them.

"Brother, you may not know this, but Zhu Ran told me in private that Brother Gao never seriously fought him from beginning to end. The grappling techniques he used were not ordinary; they were rather elegant and unpredictable."

"A couple of days ago, Zhu Ran was joking with his older brother that his forearm had been numb for three days, and he felt that Brother Gao had at least held back half his strength, deliberately giving him face!"

Ma Wude, of course, wouldn't expose the affair between Gao Yuan and Ye Hanbing; he would only bring up Zhu Ran to carry the banner.

No one at Nianhua Manor believed it.

"Boss Ma has traveled far and wide and has extensive experience. Could he have been fooled by some nobody?"

"A true man should have lofty aspirations and a broad mind. If such a person truly exists, he will surely roam freely across the land, how could he remain unknown and obscure?"

Ma Wude, however, was not annoyed and slowly sipped his tea.

"Why is it impossible? The martial arts world is vast, and there are few hidden talents. For example, the young hero Qiao from the Beggar Clan, or the junior from the Murong family, are young but can make senior martial arts masters show them respect."

His words were cryptic, deliberately elevating his stance, and sure enough, Cui Poyun smiled wryly.

"Whether it's true or false, you'll know once you try."

Ma Wude wanted to hear those words. His chubby face grew even more amiable with a smile, but a glint of calculation flashed in his eyes.

"But... let me make this clear, Brother Gao is introverted and doesn't like to compete. If you challenge him rashly, he most likely won't accept."

"He's not answering?"

Cui Poyun seemed to have heard a joke.

"Brother, if you want to spar, you should see if he'll accept?"

He was successful at a young age and fought his way through the competition, never having the preconceived notion of being "rejected".

"Hey, forced love is never sweet."

Ma Wude then casually suggested, "How about... we make a bet?"

"What are we betting on?" Cui Poyun raised an eyebrow.

"I'll bet you, brother, can force Gao Yuan to use his true abilities."

Ma Wude held up two fingers: "If you can beat him, then even if I lose, the 'Dragon Ball Victorious Snow' that I recently acquired in Yingtian will be yours."

Dragon Ball Tea is a top-grade tea, with a price that is hard to come by!

By the way, Miss Li likes camellias, so she must also like tea. If I present it to her then, I'm sure I'll win a smile from the beauty.

More importantly, he didn't think he would lose; he was just an unknown nobody.

"good!"

"But a betting contest is only interesting if both sides have a stake. If you lose, brother..."

Ma Wude paused deliberately: "How about we ask Master Cui to help my brother open up the southeast trade route?"

The disciples of Nianhua Manor around them also quieted down, looking at their young master. They knew his temperament well, and he would definitely take the bait in such a provocation.

"Brother Ma, what's our relationship? Why are you trying to sneak something into me? Are you afraid I won't accept it, so you're just making up an excuse? Haha, I'll take it."

Cui Poyun suddenly smiled, a smile that carried absolute confidence and a hint of a newly ignited competitive spirit.

They're already in their trap.

"I'll take the Dragon Ball, it'll be pure snow. As for that Brother Gao..."

Ma Wude picked up his teacup, using the rising steam to conceal a triumphant smile on his lips.

His move was to find out Gao Yuan's true intentions, since seeing is believing.

Furthermore, this opportunity could be used to have Nianhua Manor help him open up trade routes in the southeast.

He's been envious for a long time.

Even if Gao Yuan is no match for Cui Poyun, he won't suffer any loss. Just as Cui Poyun said, he'll find ways to slip things into Gao Yuan's body. If he wins easily, he won't be able to forget it.

Killing two birds with one stone—this kind of business is quite clever.

Meanwhile, Gao Yuan and Zhu Ran were drinking and discussing martial arts when, in the heat of the moment, Gao Yuan suddenly sneezed several times.

He slightly furrowed his brow and looked out of the building, wondering who was talking about him.

……