Chapter 231 Conference Opening

Chang'an.

Wulin Village.

In order to host this martial arts conference, the imperial court converted a large examination hall into a clubhouse, which provided all the necessary food and accommodation, and all invited sects could stay for free.

Tomorrow is the day of the martial arts conference. Except for the Sanqing Sect and Shushan, all the invited sects have arrived in Chang'an.

For many sects, this journey was not smooth sailing.

It wasn't that something happened on the way, the problem occurred after they arrived in Chang'an.

The leader of the Sky Eagle Sect was taken away by the imperial guards for spitting on the first day he arrived in Chang'an. He was not released until an official from the Ministry of Rites came to plead for him.

This incident made him laughed at for several days.

There are also people from the Silver Spear Sect.

The Ministry of Rites kindly provided them with fruits grown by farmers. After enjoying them, they threw the peels and cores everywhere and were caught by the imperial guards.

In Chang'an, littering and destroying the environment will be punished.

The situation of the Kuang Dao Sect and the Xuan Jian Sect was even more outrageous. Disciples of the two sects actually fought with weapons in Chang'an City. Not only were they punished, but even their leaders were implicated and thrown into jail together with them.

Last night, all the masters of the Five Mountains Sword Sects were wiped out.

Drinking is prohibited inside the guild hall.

But warriors usually love drinking, especially when they meet old friends. If they don’t drink a few glasses, they always feel like something is missing.

So, the masters of the Five Mountains Sword Sects, including several heads, met at a restaurant in Chang'an. After drinking heavily, they accidentally missed the time and passed the curfew, and were caught by the patrolling guards.

Even if they could easily get rid of the guards, they could not go against the court in the capital of Daxia. They could only stay in the guards' prison for one night. In the morning, the guards notified the Ministry of Rites to come and pick them up.

These martial arts sects usually act like local bullies in their own territories.

As long as they don't commit murder, arson, or robbery, the government won't do anything to them.

But Chang'an was the capital of Daxia, and a capital had its own rules. Not only was fighting not allowed in the city, but even spitting, littering, and loitering on the streets at night were not allowed.

They were used to freedom, and when they came to Chang'an, it was easy for them to break the rules.

These days, the small official from the Ministry of Rites has been busy putting out fires everywhere.

This made all the factions feel a little embarrassed. They were invited to participate in the martial arts conference, but they only caused trouble for others...

Li Nuo sent the masters of the Five Mountains Sword Sect back to Wulin Village. The elderly looked extremely embarrassed. The head of Huashan Sect said with great shame, "I'm sorry. I really caused trouble for you..."

Li Nuo waved his hand and said, "Senior, don't blame yourself. It's my fault that I didn't tell you about the rules of Chang'an in advance. After 11:30, you can't walk around the streets. I should have recommended a restaurant that's closer to you..."

The Five Mountains Sword Sects gathered together yesterday, but Li Nuo had set a rule in Wulin Village that no alcohol can be consumed.

Therefore, he recommended a restaurant outside the guild hall to these masters.

The wine of Zuiyuelou is the best in Chang'an. The grains and fruits used for making the wine all come from farmers. Without any financial strength and background, it is impossible to make a reservation at Zuiyuelou on weekdays.

So Li Nuo used his own reputation to temporarily reserve a private room for them in Zuiyue Tower.

But they drank too late yesterday, and Zuiyue Tower was not close to the guild hall. These masters were unaware of the curfew in Chang'an, and they were still wandering the streets when it was almost past 11 p.m., and were caught by the patrolling guards.

Li Nuo received the news in the morning and brought them back.

Fortunately, the guards knew the identities of these people and did not make things difficult for them.

Although Li Nuo said that the responsibility lies with him, the masters of the Five Mountains Sword Sect certainly cannot think so.

I learned from several junior brothers including Yueyang Liu Feng that this martial arts conference was entirely organized by him. It was also he who pushed for the martial arts master to be recognized by the Great Xia court and obtain all the privileges.

Besides, the wine in that restaurant was really mellow, and the table full of sumptuous banquet was reserved for them in advance, so they didn't spend a penny from beginning to end.

They have good intentions. If they blame others for their own mistakes, then at their age, they are really living a dog's life.

After sending these masters back to Wulin Village, Li Nuo returned to the Li family.

His several months of planning paid off. Before the martial arts conference even started, he had already achieved half of his goal.

There are seventeen grand masters in the Five Mountains Sword Sect, plus those of the scattered smaller sects, there are nearly thirty grand masters’ portraits in the code.

There were also many sects that were very well-behaved after arriving in Chang'an, and Li Nuo was unable to find any evidence against them.

To his surprise, even with so many portraits of great masters, there was still no sign of fusion.

But it’s not a big problem. It just consumes some life when lighting up the portrait.

He can definitely afford it now.

Sanqing Sect and Shushan were the last two sects to arrive in Chang'an.

It is normal for a sect that has a strong man in the sixth realm to be a little arrogant.

Tomorrow at noon, the opening ceremony of the first martial arts conference hosted by the imperial court will be held in Furong Garden.

Furong Garden is the highest-standard royal garden in Daxia, and some grand ceremonies and rituals are held here.

The next morning, officials from the Ministry of Rites led people from various factions to Furong Garden.

There are many tall ships moored on the lake in the park.

The second floor of the building is a platform for enjoying the scenery.

On the platform, there are rows of tables, which are filled with fine wines, delicacies and various cakes.

From the second-floor platform of the ship, the view is extremely clear and you can clearly see a square by the lake.

The Ministry of Rites has arranged ten programs, including drama, singing and dancing, drums and music..., all of which are performed by the palace masters in accordance with the palace etiquette. One program often involves hundreds of people, and ordinary people will never have the opportunity to enjoy them in their lifetime.

Sit comfortably on the boat, enjoy delicious food, admire the scenery, and watch these wonderful performances.

Ya, it's really too elegant...

People say warriors are crude, but human beings all share a common appreciation for art.

If you ask them to describe in detail how well the music was played or how beautifully the dance was performed, they would not be able to give a clear answer.

But in this scene, everyone can feel the spiritual joy.

Compared with the martial arts conference held by the imperial court, the martial arts conference of the Sanqing Sect seems particularly shabby.

Such a grand ceremony greatly satisfied the vanity of the masters.

After returning, those young disciples also had something to brag about to their fellow disciples.

The opening ceremony lasted for an hour, and after the ceremony, there were performances by various factions.

Disciples from various sects take turns to perform their own martial arts on stage. This is an occasion for major sects to show their strength, and for those smaller sects, it is also a rare opportunity to show up in front of the major sects.

The pastries on the ship can only be considered as appetizers.

After the opening ceremony and the show, everyone went to the hall behind the square to have dinner.

The banquet was prepared by the imperial chefs in the palace, and the dishes were much richer and more exquisite than those in Wulin Village. The masters of various sects reminded their disciples more than once to be careful with their expressions while eating and not to embarrass their own sect.

Li Nuo kept moving around the table, chatting and laughing with the masters of various factions.

The Ministry of Rites is best at playing these kinds of tricks. People were sent to jail as soon as they arrived, so of course they had to make up for the lost tricks later.

After the opening ceremony and welcome banquet on the first day, everyone was free to move around.

With the previous lessons, disciples from all factions paid more attention.

Walking on the clean and tidy streets of Chang'an, no one dared to spit or litter. They even dared not wander around Chang'an, but returned to Wulin Village as soon as possible to avoid breaking any laws without knowing it, which would be a small shame for themselves but a big shame for their sect.

Li Mansion.

Li Nuo looked at a map of human meridians and acupuncture points in front of him. Some hazy things seemed to be within reach, except for a layer of thin membrane as thin as a cicada's wing. However, he could never break through this layer of membrane.

He withdrew his gaze from the portrait. The number of Grandmasters was not enough...

I really can't write today. If there is no second update before 12 o'clock, this will be all I have for today. I will make up for it in a few days when I feel free.

(End of this chapter)