Meeting Ren Qi Ning again at the same inn didn’t particularly surprise Ye Li. However, it confirmed that this Master Ren wasn’t as harmless as his exterior suggested – his background was likely extraordinary. Even so, this wasn’t enough to impress Mo Xiu Yao and Ye Li. To put it bluntly, in terms of status, aside from various royal families, who in this world had the right to catch Mo Xiu Yao’s eye? So upon seeing Ren Qi Ning again, Mo Xiu Yao’s attitude remained cold and distant.
Master Ren was somewhat frustrated by this. He had always been superior to others, and his warm, refined exterior naturally made people trust and feel close to him. How could he have imagined meeting someone so completely impervious to his charm? If it wouldn’t have been too impolite, Ren Qi Ning would have asked Mo Xiu Yao if he had somehow offended him.
“Brother Ye, are you also here for the Martial Arts Assembly?” Ren Qi Ning asked loudly, as if not noticing Mo Xiu Yao’s coldness.
His voice wasn’t quiet, so this question drew most people’s attention on the second floor to Mo Xiu Yao. Their gazes were full of wariness and hostility. After all, even without considering Mo Xiu Yao’s hidden identity and martial arts skills, his handsome appearance alone was enough to provoke hostility in most men.
Mo Xiu Yao barely lifted his eyelids, seemingly oblivious to everyone’s hostile glances. He smiled faintly, “We’re just passing through. My wife wanted to see what the excitement was about. But… given Master Ren’s status, shouldn’t you be staying at the Murong family’s guest residence? Why are you at an inn?”
Hearing this, the surrounding hostility instantly vanished. Of course – this handsome young man had a graceful, elegant woman sitting beside him. Though they couldn’t compare to the nation-rivaling wealth of the Murong family, this young woman was beautiful and refined, with an outstanding bearing that clearly showed her scholarly family background. Miss Murong might not surpass this lady much in beauty or bearing – perhaps this young man loved beauty more than wealth? Instead, their attention turned to the young man in blue silk robes, equally handsome and clearly from a distinguished background, and most importantly – single!
Ren Qi Ning’s eyes flickered as he smiled, “Brother Ye jest. What status do I have to qualify for staying at the Murong family residence? Like Brother Ye, I’m just here to join the festivities. May I join you?” Mo Xiu Yao made no response, but Ren Qi Ning took this as agreement and sat down opposite them.
Drinking tea, Mo Xiu Yao was unwilling to converse with Ren Qi Ning, making the atmosphere at the table rather cold. Ye Li lifted her teacup for a sip and said casually, “This Martial Arts Assembly seems quite strange. Weren’t previous assemblies always set by the masters from the last one? Did the masters choose the Murong family’s place for competition this time?” Usually, masters would choose rather remote scenic locations. Reportedly, the most extreme case had someone choosing the snowy peak in northern Xi Ling – that assembly had the lowest attendance ever, as many couldn’t even climb to the peak.
Ren Qi Ning smiled, “Does madam know who the current Four Great Masters of the martial arts world are?”
Ye Li nodded, “I’ve heard some mention of them.”
Ren Qi Ning smiled, “Actually, these four aren’t from the last competition, but from the one before. In fact, you could say the last Martial Arts Assembly never really happened.” Ye Li asked curiously, “How so?”
Ren Qi Ning explained, “During the last assembly, Prince Ding couldn’t attend due to injury, and Master Ling of the King of Hell Palace didn’t participate due to Prince Ding’s absence. Xi Ling’s Zhen Nan Wang was busy with state affairs… so, that assembly only had Mu Qing Cang, but none of the challengers could defeat or even match him. What was meant to be a three-day assembly ended in half a day.”
Ye Li glanced discreetly at Mo Xiu Yao and smiled, “Such a thing happened?” Ren Qi Ning sighed, “Indeed. Actually, the rankings of masters in the martial arts world haven’t changed for eighteen years, so naturally many rising talents are eager to test their skills.”
“What does this have to do with the Murong family?” Ye Li raised an eyebrow. The Murong family were merchants, with no connection to the martial arts world.
Ren Qi Ning smiled, “Madam may not know, but it’s said the Murong family has a mysterious master who was the greatest master under heaven fifty years ago – Murong Xiong.”
Ye Li made no effort to hide her confusion – she barely knew current masters, let alone the greatest master from fifty years ago. Mo Xiu Yao clearly knew something about this person and showed interest, “Murong Xiong is still alive?”
A thoughtful look flashed in Ren Qi Ning’s eyes as he looked at Mo Xiu Yao, “That’s the rumor, though no one has seen him. This Martial Arts Assembly was called in Murong Xiong’s name. They say the martial arts world has declined, and Elder Murong wants to see the younger generation of masters, perhaps even take a disciple. As for the other aspect…” Ren Qi Ning looked at them with a pleasant smile, “The Murong family’s only bloodline, Second Miss Murong, is seventeen this year. It’s said Elder Murong wants to choose a reliable husband for his descendant.”
“Master Ren is certainly well-informed.” Having heard what he wanted, Mo Xiu Yao’s attitude immediately returned to its previous coldness. Ren Qi Ning knew he had said too much and merely smiled faintly without speaking.
“Why are they here?” Ye Li noticed the crowd on the street below and frowned.
Mo Xiu Yao raised his head to look down. Several familiar faces were in the crowd – Mo Jing Li, Lei Teng Feng, and most surprisingly, Xu Qing Chen.
Ren Qi Ning naturally also spotted these exceptionally outstanding figures in the crowd and raised an eyebrow, “Madam knows them?” Ye Li shook her head, “Not really. I’ve met Master Qing Chen a few times, and that Zhen Nan Wang’s heir – I saw him in Nan Zhao. Doesn’t Master Ren know them?”
These were all currently celebrated young talents of the world – claiming not to know them would be too obviously false. Ren Qi Ning smiled, “I’ve met Young Master Lei and Prince Li a few times, but this is my first time seeing Master Qing Chen – truly an extremely refined person. No wonder we see them here – they were all at Princess An Xi’s wedding and coronation in Nan Zhao, presumably coming directly to the Martial Arts Assembly afterward. However… Prince Ding and his princess returned to the northwest first. I wonder if they’ll come? If Prince Ding comes, this year’s assembly will truly be lively.”
“Master Qing Chen isn’t a martial artist,” Ye Li said.
Ren Qi Ning smiled, “This isn’t a regular Martial Arts Assembly. With Master Qing Chen’s reputation, even if he couldn’t fight at all, he’d still be far superior to ordinary masters. However… Master Qing Chen likely wouldn’t be interested in Miss Murong.”
Ye Li privately agreed with Ren Qi Ning’s assessment. Putting aside Xu Qing Chen himself, his parents would likely not approve of this match. Though the Xu family wasn’t arrogant, the gap between merchants and scholarly families would matter more to them than any wealth disparity. The Xu family would rather marry a daughter from an impoverished scholarly family than a merchant’s daughter. If the merchant family were known for charity it might be different, but the Murong family’s nation-rivaling wealth and near-monopoly of Xi Ling’s commerce made them even less appealing to the Xu family. In some ways, the Xu family was stricter about choosing daughters-in-law than emperors choosing consorts – emperors needed merchants’ money so their daughters could become imperial consorts, but the Xu family needed nothing, so they had no reason to marry a merchant’s daughter. Though she had long worried about her brother’s marriage, this time Ye Li truly harbored no hopes.
Late that night, Xu Qing Chen sat alone drinking tea in his inn chamber. Though he had also received an invitation from the Murong family, he hadn’t stayed at their prepared residence like Mo Jing Li and Lei Teng Feng, instead finding a decent inn in An City. A slight sound came from the window, and Mo Xiu Yao turned to look, smiling, “So you are here.”
Ye Li and Mo Xiu Yao stood at the window, looking at Xu Qing Chen who appeared to have been specifically waiting for them. Ye Li said, “Brother, you’ve had a difficult time lately.”
Xu Qing Chen casually drank his tea, smiling faintly, “So little sister knows it was difficult for your brother? You seemed quite happy running off with His Highness.”
Ye Li looked apologetically at Xu Qing Chen, at a loss for words. How could Mo Xiu Yao bear to see his beloved wife distressed? He led Ye Li to sit opposite Xu Qing Chen, saying, “The matters in Nan Zhao weren’t beyond your abilities, and our presence might have made things more difficult for you to handle.” Xu Qing Chen smiled faintly and poured tea for both Ye Li and Mo Xiu Yao. Ye Li felt slightly relieved – her brother wasn’t angry anymore.
Xu Qing Chen looked at Mo Xiu Yao with an enigmatic smile, “Speaking of which, Your Highness seems to find trouble wherever you go. Weren’t you just traveling for pleasure? How did you end up at a Martial Arts Assembly that seems more like Miss Murong’s matchmaking event? Is it alright to bring A’Li here?”
Mo Xiu Yao gritted his teeth, inwardly wanting to strike Xu Qing Chen dead – did he have to stir up trouble? But with Ye Li watching, he could only maintain a proper smile and look at Xu Qing Chen warmly, “Brother Qing Chen exaggerates. A’Li and I are just an ordinary couple here to see the excitement. But speaking of which, I hear Miss Murong is quite beautiful. Brother Qing Chen isn’t getting any younger – you should consider marriage seriously. After all, age can become… quite undesirable. Most importantly… Miss Murong comes with a substantial dowry. Wouldn’t marrying her be a contribution to our northwest’s economy?”
Xu Qing Chen remained composed, saying calmly, “I believe I’ve heard rumors that I have no interest in women. I’m afraid I must disappoint Your Highness.”
Ye Li sighed helplessly – these two could never get along peacefully. Should she be grateful that her brother didn’t know martial arts and that Mo Xiu Yao had no habit of attacking non-martial artists? Otherwise, their meetings wouldn’t just be trading barbs – they’d likely break into all-out fights.
“Brother, why did you come to join this event?” Ye Li smoothly changed the subject. Xu Qing Chen gave her a meaningful look and said lightly, “Prince Li and Zhen Nan Wang’s heir invited me so enthusiastically, I couldn’t refuse.” Ye Li blinked, her eyes full of disbelief. When had Master Qing Chen ever had something he couldn’t refuse? If he didn’t want to do something, even ten or a hundred times more enthusiasm wouldn’t stop him from pushing people thousands of miles away in an instant.
“Brother, is there something wrong with this Martial Arts Assembly?” Ye Li asked with furrowed brows.
Xu Qing Chen looked at Mo Xiu Yao, “What does Your Highness know about the Murong family’s mysterious master?”
Mo Xiu Yao pondered for a moment before saying, “He’s not really that mysterious. Murong Xiong was the only person in the Murong family who practiced martial arts instead of commerce. They say he disliked business from childhood, so the family didn’t value him much. Starting at eighteen, he made a name for himself in the martial arts world. At twenty, when a notorious outlaw sect caused trouble for the Murong family, and the Xi Ling royal family seemed ready to take advantage of the situation, Murong Xiong single-handedly massacred the entire troublemaking sect in one night, leaving no survivors. His reputation in the martial arts world wasn’t good because of his ruthlessness. Various forces still came to challenge the Murong family under different pretexts, but Murong Xiong defeated them all thoroughly. At thirty, he claimed the title of greatest master under heaven, overwhelming all opponents. He remained undefeated for three consecutive assemblies until suddenly disappearing the year before the fourth assembly. No one in the martial arts world has seen him since. Many claimed he died, but those who continued to provoke the Murong family still met gruesome ends, including two of the Four Great Masters who succeeded him… so in recent years, few martial artists have dared to cause trouble for the Murong family. What’s this? Is it Murong Xiong this time?”
Xu Qing Chen nodded and produced a glittering golden invitation card, placing it before them. The signature at the bottom read “Murong Xiong.” Mo Xiu Yao held the invitation, examining it for a while before frowning, “Murong Xiong is the current Murong family head’s uncle – he must be at least eighty now. What is he trying to accomplish by appearing at this time?”
“Who knows? Perhaps as everyone suspects, he wants to choose a suitable husband for Miss Murong to prevent the Murong family from dying out?” Xu Qing Chen didn’t seem particularly concerned. If Prince Li and Lei Teng Feng hadn’t shown interest, and if there weren’t rumors that even the Da Chu capital was stirring, he wouldn’t have made this trip at all. Though the Ding Wang Manor and the Xu family weren’t interested in the Murong family’s assets, such vast wealth falling into the wrong hands could cause considerable trouble.
Mo Xiu Yao snorted coldly, a mocking smile appearing on his lips, “Gathering the world’s heroes for him to choose from? Murong Xiong thinks too highly of his family.” Xu Qing Chen smiled faintly, “Yet many are rushing to attend.” To the Xu family, such arrogant behavior itself was beneath them, so naturally they wouldn’t take them seriously.
Mo Xiu Yao nodded, looking at Xu Qing Chen sincerely, “Like before, I’ll have to trouble Brother with matters here.”
Xu Qing Chen was speechless – he’d figured it out. When Mo Xiu Yao needed his help, he was “Brother”; at other times, he was “Brother Qing Chen,” “Master Qing Chen,” or “Young Master Xu.”
“You’re not participating?” Xu Qing Chen asked.
Mo Xiu Yao smiled, “If it were just a simple Martial Arts Assembly, I might exchange moves with Ling Tie Han. But for something like this, I suspect even Ling Tie Han won’t participate, so this prince needn’t appear. A’Li and I will just go watch the excitement that day. You can handle everything else – Brother, don’t I trust your ability to handle matters?” When Young Master Xu truly wanted to accomplish something, he would do it so thoroughly that others would feel ashamed of their efforts. Since Xu Qing Chen had followed them here, it meant he had taken the matter to heart, so Mo Xiu Yao was naturally happy to leave it to him.
Xu Qing Chen watched Mo Xiu Yao speak casually without any trace of reluctance or regret and finally nodded. No matter how Mo Xiu Yao might shirk responsibility or act unreasonably, at least he was absolutely sincere and serious about A’Li. The Murong family’s assets weren’t something just anyone could resist – even national treasuries might not match the Murong family’s wealth. This was true wealth to rival nations. Mo Xiu Yao could unhesitatingly reject the chance to obtain the Murong family’s assets for A’Li’s sake – for this alone, Xu Qing Chen was willing to handle this matter for him.
After talking with Xu Qing Chen a while longer, seeing it was getting late, Mo Xiu Yao finally took Ye Li’s hand to leave. Before leaving, he said, “We’re staying at the Qing Yuan Inn in the city. If anything comes up, just send someone to find me.” Xu Qing Chen nodded and saw them out.
At that moment, in a quiet chamber in the Qing Yuan Inn’s back courtyard, Ren Qi Ning stood by the window with his hands behind his back, contemplating the view outside. This was an independent courtyard – the inn only had three such courtyards, which were better and more expensive than even the “Tian” grade rooms. That Ren Qi Ning could stay in such a place while Mo Xiu Yao and Ye Li could only get a “Di” grade room showed how extraordinary he was.
“Lost them?” Ren Qi Ning turned around to look at the middle-aged man standing in the doorway, his voice deep. His face no longer showed its previous refined warmth – his handsome features were now cold and displeased. The middle-aged man trembled, saying shakily, “Please forgive me, young master. That Master Ye and his wife were incredibly skilled. Our men lost them almost immediately after beginning to follow.” Ren Qi Ning’s brows furrowed tightly, but he didn’t blame them. After all, even he couldn’t gauge the martial arts level of that young man who claimed to be surnamed Ye – it was natural that his subordinates couldn’t keep up. “Have you discovered their identities?”
The middle-aged man’s face paled, “These two seemed to appear suddenly in that small town. This servant was useless – I couldn’t discover where they came from or their identities.”
“Useless! Wait… they’re surnamed Ye?” Ren Qi Ning appeared thoughtful. The middle-aged man carefully asked, “Has young master thought of something?”
Ren Qi Ning said deeply, “I remember Prince Ding’s princess is also surnamed Ye…” In this world, there weren’t many people of that age with such martial arts skills, so he couldn’t help but suspect. The middle-aged man hesitated before saying, “Prince Ding has white hair, and these two’s appearances seem somewhat different from what we know of Prince Ding and his princess. Additionally, this servant has received news that Prince Ding and his princess have indeed returned to Li City.”
Disappointment flashed in Ren Qi Ning’s eyes. Were that couple, not Prince Ding and his wife? Then when had such a couple appeared in the martial arts world, and most importantly, why appear at this particular time?
“Investigate further. Their identities must be discovered before the Martial Arts Assembly,” Ren Qi Ning ordered.
“This servant obeys.”