The Splendor of the Red Chamber

"The Rongguo Mansion is truly magnificent!"

Seeing Jia Lian trying to ingratiate himself with high-ranking military officers, a young officer couldn't help but complain, "If he says we have to compete, then we have to compete. If it were anyone else coming to the army to issue a challenge, they'd probably be beaten out with sticks by now!"

This young player is Zheng Xiao.

His father is Zheng Lin, the current commander of the Tiger Guard. He himself has just become engaged to the late-life daughter of the Duke of Yingguo. He is in the prime of his life, so why would he submit to Jia Lian who suddenly appeared?

Liang Xuan, who had come over specifically for this purpose, didn't seem to care much.

The Eagle Guard has always been the Jia family's stronghold. Even General Feng Tang, in order to secure his position as the commander of the Eagle Guard, had to take the initiative to befriend the Jia family.

Since Liang Xuan was already involved with the Eagle Guard, he naturally wouldn't follow Zheng Xiao's lead in criticizing the Rongguo Mansion.

She smiled and said, "Even if we don't care about the monk, we should care about the Buddha. Even if we don't mention that the eldest daughter of the Rongguo Mansion was just promoted to the rank of Virtuous Consort, we can't refute him just for the sake of Grand Commandant Wang."

As he spoke, he patted Zheng Xiao on the shoulder and asked, "Do you want to go first, or should I?"

"This is the Tiger Guard, so naturally I'll go first!"

Without hesitation, Zheng Xiao stepped forward and shouted, "Young Master Jia, you haven't come to my Tiger Guard just to talk big, have you? Zheng Xiao is here, come and fight!"

The crowd looked in the direction of the voice and saw him with slanted eyebrows, bright and piercing eyes, a resolute and heroic face, and a weathered bronze complexion. His tight-fitting clothes accentuated his tall and upright figure.

He may not be as handsome and dashing as Jia Lian, but he is clearly superior to the Second Master in terms of physique.

"That brat, in front of..."

Commander Zheng Lin of the Tiger Guard wanted to say a few more polite words.

Jia Lian strode into the arena and said with a hearty laugh, "I've arrived! I wonder what General Zheng wants to compete with me in? On horseback or on foot, with long weapons or short weapons, it doesn't matter."

"Hmph~"

Seeing Jia Lian's arrogant tone, Zheng Xiao snorted coldly and said, "You're the guest, and I'm the host. As the saying goes, a guest should follow the host's lead. You draw the line, and I'll accept it!"

Jia Lian didn't bother with formalities and immediately said, "My mount has only traveled twenty-odd miles and probably needs to rest for a while to regain its strength. How about we fight on foot first?"

"Alright, let's fight on foot!"

Swords have no eyes, and both sides were noblemen, so it was impossible for them to fight to the death in front of everyone.

The soldiers quickly brought out the weapon racks for practice, which were made of wood with long handles and short blades, and were about the same weight as the real weapons.

Jia Lian specifically picked out a thick-backed goose-feathered saber, tried swinging it, but it was still a bit light, and there was no better choice.

He raised his sword and bowed to Zheng Xiao, saying, "Since I received the blessing of my ancestors, my strength has increased more than tenfold. I urge General Zheng not to be careless or underestimate the enemy."

He used to boast that it was ten times bigger, but now, after a year of training, he has fully activated the potential of his cheat code, so his words are now truly accurate.

Upon hearing the phrase "blessings from our ancestors," Zheng Xiao couldn't help but scoff. He casually picked up a Qi family sword, clasped it to his chest, and said, "My strength is not insignificant!"

As the two men returned to the center of the training ground after selecting their weapons, the officers of the Tiger Guard and Eagle Guard were all talking amongst themselves.

Most of the Tiger Guards believed that Zheng Xiao would win. After all, they hadn't heard of Jia Lian's name for many years. If he really had martial prowess, even if he wasn't in the army, he should at least be on par with Gu Tingye.

The Eagle Guard firmly believed that Second Master Lian must have his own reasons for daring to challenge Zheng Xiao and Liang Xuan.

Both sides had their own version of events, and if it weren't for the presence of Commanders Zheng Lin and Feng Tang, they probably would have already set up a betting pool and taken a gamble.

Bang!

With the sound of a gong, Jia Lian and Zheng Xiao rushed towards each other simultaneously.

Zheng Xiao scoffed at the nonsense about "ancestral blessings" and deliberately tried to embarrass Jia Lian.

Seeing that Jia Lian was holding the knife with one hand, he lowered his waist, braced himself, gripped the hilt of the knife tightly with both hands, and delivered a powerful and heavy diagonal slash.

Zheng Xiao thought that even if he couldn't make Jia Lian drop his weapon, he could at least give him a warning.

The moment the two knives collided, it was Zheng Xiao himself who changed his expression first.

Jia Lian's strength in wielding the knife with one hand was in no way inferior to that of his two arms; in fact, relying on the momentum of the thick-backed goose-feather blade, he even gained a slight advantage.

How is this possible?!

Zheng Xiao was filled with disbelief. After all, Jia Lian looked like a delicate and refined man, and although his physique was not exactly thin, it certainly did not fit people's stereotypical image of a strongman.

Could it really be a blessing from our ancestors?!

Holding a knife with both hands is not as agile as holding it with one hand. Moreover, Zheng Xiao lost the initiative due to a careless move. In the following rounds, he was relentlessly pursued by Jia Lian and had to retreat seven or eight steps before regaining his footing.

Upon seeing this, the officers of the Eagle Guard, along with the sons of nobles, cheered loudly from the sidelines, with Xue Pan being the loudest.

However, Zheng Xiao played steadily and gradually gained the ability to fight back.

By this time, those who truly understood the situation could see that Jia Lian's physical abilities completely overwhelmed Zheng Xiao, but Zheng Xiao's swordsmanship was far more refined than Jia Lian's.

Both sides have their own strengths, and it remains to be seen who will win.

But at that moment, the situation suddenly changed.

Jia Lian swept past with a single, powerful strike, but Zheng Xiao caught it steadily and was about to use the blade to slash at Jia Lian's wrist.

Suddenly, a crisp "crack" was heard. It was the Qi Family Blade in Zheng Xiao's hand that could not withstand the continuous crushing force and broke into two pieces!

Jia Lian quickly sheathed his sword and stepped back a few paces. Seeing Zheng Xiao standing there with half a sword in his hand, his face turning red and then pale, Jia Lian magnanimously said, "General Zheng, please go and change your weapon before we fight again."

Zheng Xiao's facial muscles twitched a few times. Suddenly, he threw the broken blade to the ground and shouted, "I've lost this round! Your usual weapon must be incredibly powerful. If it were a real fight, I'm afraid I would have lost even faster!"

After saying that, he turned and left.

Seeing this, Feng Tang on the sidelines smiled at Zheng Lin and said, "What a pity. If your son had chosen to fight on horseback, he might have won by virtue of his superior martial arts skills."

"A defeat is a defeat."

Zheng Lin shook his head: "Congratulations to the Eagle Guard for gaining another valiant general."

Feng Tang smiled but didn't say anything, though his gaze toward Jia Lian held a hint of amusement.

At this moment, Liang Xuan of the Eagle Guard also led his horse onto the field, cupped his hands to Jia Lian, and said, "Second Master Jia, as the saying goes, fame and fortune are only gained on horseback. How about we two have a horse duel?"

"I will follow your instructions, Brother Liang."

Jia Lian also ordered Xing'er to bring his own green horse and took a white waxwood staff without a spearhead from the weapon rack.

The soldiers brought ink, and the two men dipped their spearheads in it before mounting their warhorses.

况~

With another gong sound, Jia Lian and Liang Xuan each spurred their horses and brandished their spears. The combined momentum of man and horse was naturally more impactful than that of foot combat.

However, once the two engaged in combat, their tactics completely reversed their previous bold and sweeping style. Jia Lian and Liang Xuan both opted for subtle techniques such as pointing, thrusting, deflecting, and blocking.

Moreover, in several encounters, they were always in a state of alternating separation and reunion, with no instances of the horses being locked in a fierce battle.

Xue Pan, confused, couldn't help but nudge Gu Tingwei beside him: "Gu Sanlang, what are they doing? Why is it all just back-and-forth sprinting?"

"Second Brother Lian is incredibly strong."

Without turning his head, Gu Tingwei said, "If you use too much force, the white waxwood staff in your hand might not be able to withstand it first."

Feng Ziying added from the side: "Although Brother Lian won just now, anyone can see that his moves are not yet proficient enough. He is at least much inferior to Zheng Xiao and Liang Xuan."

Liang Xuan had precisely identified this point, intending to play to his strengths and avoid his weaknesses, and to test his horsemanship and marksmanship against Lian Er Ge in terms of accuracy and ruthlessness!

Anyone can see it, so why can't I?

Xue Pan muttered to himself, then impatiently pressed on, "Won't Second Brother Lian be at a disadvantage?!"

"No."

Feng Ziying and Gu Tingwei shook their heads simultaneously: "It seems Liang Xuan miscalculated. Lian Erge's marksmanship far surpasses his swordsmanship. In terms of 'steadiness, accuracy, and ruthlessness,' he is in no way inferior to Liang Xuan, and his greatest advantage is speed!"

"quick?"

"That's right, his gun was a fraction faster than Liang Xuan's! If he hadn't held back, it probably would have been even faster!"

As the two commentators explained, the situation on the field changed.

At first, both sides fought and charged straight at each other, but after a few rounds, Liang Xuan's white waxwood staff began to tilt, and he could only passively block with techniques such as parrying, grabbing, and thrusting.

The point where their weapons clashed, which had initially been moving in tandem, gradually shifted towards Liang Xuan, getting closer and closer to his arms, chest, and abdomen.

This was entirely due to speed; if Liang Xuan hadn't been a better rider and always managed to avoid close combat and escape in time, he would have been knocked off his horse by Jia Lian long ago.

"I'm not fighting anymore, I'm not fighting anymore."

After passing each other again, Liang Xuan suddenly raised his white waxwood staff and shouted, "I am indeed no match for Jia Ershe."

As he spoke, he cupped his hands and smiled wryly at Jia Lian, "Jia Ershe, were you hiding your true abilities just now? Your spear technique is far superior to your swordsmanship."

"Haha~"

Jia Lian laughed heartily on horseback, "It's not that I'm deliberately hiding my skills, it's just that for some reason, this white waxwood staff without a spearhead is the most handy for me."

No one believed it; who would abandon their long spears and short swords to practice with this wooden stick without a spearhead?

Liang Xuan shook his head and said, "Jia Ershe is really joking. It seems that my Eagle Guard is about to welcome another tiger general who is braver than the rest of the army."

As he spoke, he subconsciously looked in the direction of the reviewing stand, and then couldn't help but let out a soft "Eh."

Seeing this, Jia Lian also looked up and saw that although there were still many generals standing on the platform, the most important commander and the left and right generals were nowhere to be seen.

What does this mean?

Even if they were unhappy with using Zheng Xiao and Liang Xuan to establish their authority, they shouldn't have walked away on the spot, right?

Moreover, even if Zheng Lin acted this way, Feng Tang and Gu Yankai shouldn't have acted this way either.

Just as Jia Lian was feeling puzzled, a personal guard came running over, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "Second Master Lian, an imperial envoy has arrived outside the gate and specifically requests that you come to receive the imperial decree."