Starting from Tianlong, Wudu Tianxia

Not only them, but if Ruan Yujia hadn't nudged Chen Xiaotian with her elbow, he probably would still have thought he was seeing things.

He turned around and exchanged a glance with Ruan Yujia, then looked at Gao Yuan.

Although Gao Yuan made his move while Jiu Yi and Cui Poyun were locked in combat, Jiu Yi was a beat slow in responding.

but......

The boy's strength cannot be denied.

At least no one present could defeat the Nine-Winged Taoist in two moves; the result is the result.

In the world of martial arts, most people only care about the outcome; no one gets hung up on the details. If you really want to know, the details are, frankly, part of one's own ability.

"Don't ask around. His name is Gao Yuan, and he's from Xuzhou. Don't let his young age fool you; his martial arts skills are no less than any of the people here."

Chen Xiaotian recalled Ma Wude's words when introducing Gao Yuan at the banquet. At the time, he thought Ma Wude was just being polite, but who knew that what he said was more than just the truth.

What does it mean to not even a fraction of what is present here?

Damn it, you're far superior. Without real skill, you can't break through the Nine Wings' inner energy.

Old Ma is really good at hiding his true identity; no wonder Zhu Ran praised him highly during the banquet.

"Haha, my brother, you've got some skill! It's truly like meeting a dragon in shallow water!"

Ma Wude broke the silence by speaking first, and Reno put his arm around Gao Yuan.

"Brother Ma, you flatter me. I was just lucky. It was thanks to Young Master Cui and the other martial arts seniors that I was able to take advantage of the situation."

Gao Yuan was naturally humble and polite.

Standing not far away, Cui Poyun's lips twitched twice. Although he was very unhappy, he still did his best to save face and stepped forward to thank him with clasped hands.

Under Ma Wude's instructions, the body of Jiu Yi was carried away in no time.

The table was cleaned and rearranged, tea was served and lamps were lit, and everyone was asked to sit down comfortably, but the lively atmosphere from before was gone.

After all, with something like the Nine Wings incident, few people could keep Chen Jing calm.

During this time, Gao Yuan had to take his leave.

Unfortunately, Ma Wude, Zhu Ran, and the others held them back so they couldn't move.

He really wanted to slip away, but seeing Old Ma's smiling face, he couldn't bring himself to slap him in the face, so he could only sit back down at the original table.

"The Zoroastrian heretics are utterly wicked, and the Nine-Winged Taoist has committed countless evil deeds. Today, thanks to the joint efforts of the Young Master, Young Hero Gao, and all the fellow martial artists, we have managed to kill this fanged creature. It is truly a great fortune for the martial arts world."

Everyone present echoed the sentiment, but their eyes couldn't help but keep glancing at Gao Yuan and his group's table.

Zhuo Xiangzhen and his daughter were overwhelmed with excitement. They had only come in to get acquainted and drum up business, but they never expected that such a great opportunity would fall into their laps.

If anyone ever asks who Zhuo Xiangzhen is again, he can shout, "I am Zhuo Xiangzhen, one of the nine heroes of the Ma family who killed the evil Daoist priest of the Fire Worship Cult!"

The father and daughter were very pleased with themselves, probably already having a slogan in mind to attract business.

"Brother Ma is right, but this scoundrel has also killed many of our brothers. It would be a disgrace to not avenge this. We should also think about how to prevent him from running rampant in our Jingzhao Prefecture."

"Absolutely! Absolutely! This matter should be informed of the Beggars' Sect. Perhaps we should have another fight with them to settle this score!"

"Brother He is absolutely right!"

"Nianhua Manor and Shaolin Temple have a long history..."

Some wanted revenge, some wanted to pass the buck to the Beggars' Sect when they heard that they were going to oppose the Zoroastrianism, and some already had grudges against the Zoroastrianism and wanted to take this opportunity to drag others into the conflict and cause them trouble.

With everyone preoccupied with their own thoughts, they chattered and argued, creating a noisy and chaotic atmosphere that filled the hall once again.

Gao Yuan naturally wouldn't get involved in their affairs; he just wanted to sit for a little longer, make sure Old Ma saved face, and then leave.

Having made an appearance here, it remains to be seen whether anything unexpected might happen.

But he doesn't regret it. A person can't just live for the sake of living. He lived a muddled life in his previous life.

In this second life, I will not speak of roaming the martial world with a sword and upholding justice.

At the very least, he should live freely and unrestrained, with no one to control him. He can kill the Nine Wings whenever he wants. If he hesitates and looks back, his mind will never be at peace, and he will never be able to reach the pinnacle of martial arts.

He wants to...

Everything I desire is what I desire, and everything suits my heart. In this way, I have not lived this life in vain.

"Brother Gao, are you returning to Xuzhou after this matter is settled?"

Ma Wude went to the table to discuss matters, and Chen Xiaotian prepared to start poaching his men.

He was too lazy to listen to everyone's idle chatter, so he started chatting with Gao Yuan, intending to make a good acquaintance with him.

"I won't be back for now; I have other important matters to attend to."

"Hmm! What a coincidence. Huazhou, where the Hundred Patch Sect is located, is actually not far from the capital. I was planning to invite Brother Gao to visit Huazhou together, but it seems that we will not be able to."

Although Ruan Yujia is a woman, she is more free-spirited than Chen Xiaotian; she gets straight to the point:

"No need for trouble. I didn't enjoy the drink today. When you have some free time, come to the Ruan family home. I'll host a banquet, and that will make up for the disappointment."

After saying that, she disregarded Gao Yuan's wishes and directly took out a jade pendant and put it into his palm.

"If my sister is not here at that time, take out the jade pendant, and the Ruan family will have someone serve tea and make arrangements."

Upon hearing this, Chen Xiaotian's lips twitched slightly. What a fine young lady from the Ruan family! She even brought out her own jade pendant as a token. Compared to her, it seemed that our Hundred Patch Sect had no sincerity.

"Miss Ruan is absolutely right. We hit it off immediately. Brother Gao, if you ever have the chance to come to Huazhou, you must seek out your elder brother to show me hospitality."

As he spoke, he pulled out a reddish-yellow iron seal from his pocket and handed it to Gao Yuan.

"This is a token from my elder brother at the Hundred Patch Sect. As long as you are in Huazhou, just give your name and someone will inform him."

After saying that, he winked at Ruan Yujia, the meaning of which was simply to say, "We have that too."

"Hey, this is a good thing. You can keep it, brother. If you don't want it, you can give it to me. In the future, when I take the iron seal to Huazhou, I can just let Chen Lao Er pay on credit."

"Hmm, Ruan Yecha's jade pendant is also quite nice. Jade pendants are good for you, you know. If you don't want it, give it to us too. If we can't sleep in the future, just hold it and smell its fragrance, hahaha!"

Zhu Ran is not picky about food or drink; he knows several people and can tell dirty jokes off the top of his head.

This made Ruan Yujia blush, and she spat lightly, threatening to tell Sister-in-law Zhu on the matter.

Gao Yuan was both amused and exasperated, looking at the two items but unable to refuse them outright.

Thinking to myself...

Am I now considered to be part of the first wave of "angel investment"?

"Brother Chen, Sister Ruan, you're too kind! You're too kind!"

The three of them declined again, but the two of them put on a sincere and enthusiastic attitude, and after much persuasion, they finally got Gao Yuan to accept the gifts.

Taking advantage of a break, Zhu Ran leaned close to Gao Yuan's ear and whispered:

"Brother, the Bai Na Men and the Ruan family are both quite famous in their respective regions, and are considered top-tier forces in the area. They are the best in martial arts among those who roam the Jianghu, but they are not immune to interpersonal relationships. It's always better to have someone help you when something happens than to fight alone."

Even if you can't help them then, those you have a good relationship with won't kick you when you're down. Since they want to befriend you, you don't need to be too resistant.

"Brother Zhu, I understand."

Gao Yuan nodded slightly, understanding the sincerity in Zhu Ran's words.

After some thought, he no longer resisted the overtures from the group.

The group kept complimenting each other, while Zhuo Xiang, who was being neglected, was pacing around anxiously.

The incident happened suddenly, and Lao Zhuo was completely unprepared.

His family was small and his business was small, so he didn't have anything good to give Gao Yuan, but he didn't want to miss the opportunity to make friends. His eyes rolled around and he set his sights on his daughter, who was quite pretty.

Zhuoxiu was very clever. As soon as she saw her father staring at her, she knew what he was up to. She immediately raised her eyebrows and glared back fiercely.

Although the young man was exceptionally handsome, she did not object. However, the Zhuo family had its own businesses and were not so desperate that they had to resort to "honey traps."

My father is senile; he actually came up with that foolish idea.

Zhuo Xiangzhen's thoughts were seen through by his daughter, and he gave an embarrassed smile.

It was three quarters past Chen Shi (7:45 AM).

Gao Yuan bid farewell to Ma Wude. Seeing that he was determined to leave, Old Ma wanted to personally see him off.

During this time, Old Ma winked at Cui Poyun repeatedly, but the young master ignored him completely.

Ah!

I know perfectly well that Old Ma shouldn't let me cause him any trouble. It's just the Southeast Trade Route, isn't it?

Rather than saving face, the young master had already prepared his words of advice for going back to persuade Cui Donglai.

Just then, a disciple from Nianhua Manor came to report from the gate: "Young Master, Lu Shou, the deputy leader of Tianyi Gang, has arrived."

The young master of the manor displayed an indifferent attitude.

However, the disciple who reported it muttered something unpleasantly:

"Young Master invited them for drinks, but the man surnamed Shen made excuses that he was busy. Now he sent Lu Shou instead. What kind of intention is this? He probably still remembers losing to you, Young Master."

"Alright, for Shen Moxuan's sake, let's not make a fuss about it. Let's go and invite him in."

"Yes."

Having received the instructions, the disciple took a step and left the hall.

......