Lu Ziyuan spoke confidently, his voice not soft, which drew the attention of those around him.

After noticing his unusual attire and appearance, many people watched him go up on stage.

There were many participants, all of whom were men, regardless of their wealth or poverty. In this event, everything was based on merit.

Zhong Muyu took a seat in the viewing area prepared by the event organizers, where she could see the entire event venue. Looking at the fancy facilities, Zhong Muyu thought of an old TV program she used to watch—"Boys and Girls Rush Forward."

These facilities are rudimentary, but they look much more difficult to construct.

Soon everyone was in their positions.

The first challenge is to tie everyone's hands behind their backs, then hang a dagger on a pole. Everyone has to bite off the dagger with their teeth, place it in a fixed position, bite off the scabbard, and then cut the rope by feel.

As Zhong Muyu listened to the host's explanation, she learned that there were two fewer daggers than expected, which meant that two people would be forcibly eliminated in the first round.

At a single command, everyone rushed toward the railing where the dagger was hanging. Lu Ziyuan was incredibly fast; he was the first to accurately bite off the dagger, then quickly delivered it to its designated spot and cut the rope in one swift motion, drawing cheers from the crowd.

Next, he had to cross a wooden bridge swaying in the air, made of extremely thin plum blossom stakes, which was not difficult for someone who knew light-body skills.

To Zhong Muyu's surprise, after the physical labor, she had to climb to a high platform to solve a math problem and a riddle. There was really all sorts of things involved.

"Go! Go!"

Zhong Muyu took out a small colorful flag and waved it continuously to cheer on Lu Ziyuan. Encouraged by her, the already excited people cheered and waved the flag, creating a lively atmosphere.

Upon reaching the high platform adorned with ears of wheat, only eight of the original twenty-odd people remained. Now, it was time to test their martial arts skills.

Zhong Muyu wasn't worried about martial arts skills, but figuring out how to snatch something without hurting anyone was a skill in itself.

At this moment, Zhong Muyu, like everyone else present, craned his neck, not daring to blink for fear of missing an interesting scene.

Lu Ziyuan climbed up first, but the people behind him wouldn't let him have his way, trying to grab his feet and pull him down. Lu Ziyuan shook off the people below, but others took the opportunity to climb ahead of him.

He immediately chased after him, only to find that someone in front of him was about to kick him and launch a sneak attack!

Zhong Muyu clenched her hands. Some of these people were really ruthless. Lu Ziyuan had always been holding back his strength, unlike them who were so vicious.

At this point, the remaining people are all from wealthy families and wouldn't be short of money for a gold-inlaid jade pendant. Is it really necessary to beat people like this?

Thinking of this, Zhong Muyu realized that two people had already started fighting.

Seeing that they were not polite at all, Lu Ziyuan did not intend to waste time with them. He kicked out and used the force to spin around in the air. He then grabbed the bundle of wheat and landed steadily in front of everyone's astonished gazes.

The movements were elegant, clean, and efficient!

Zhong Muyu immediately stood up and clapped, followed by thunderous applause from the surrounding area.

Some of those who failed were dejected, while others admired him from the bottom of their hearts.

"The match is over! The champion has been decided!"

The excited host rushed onto the stage and kept clapping.

"Young master, may I ask your name?"

Lu Ziyuan thought for a moment: "A-Yuan."

"puff!"

Zhong Muyu couldn't help but laugh; it was actually a nickname.

Fortunately, the host didn't mind: "Let's congratulate this young master A Yuan! The prize is yours!"

After receiving the prize, Lu Ziyuan rushed off the stage and went straight to Zhong Muyu, like a puppy eager to claim credit.

"Madam, I haven't broken my promise, have I?"

"Of course, you did a fantastic job!"

Zhong Muyu wanted to rush up and hug him, spinning him around, but considering they were in public and the place wasn't very open, she decided to restrain herself.

"Then there's only one last step left."

Lu Ziyuan squatted down and tied the waist ornament to Zhong Muyu's belt.

"That would be perfect."

"Wow!"

Before Zhong Muyu could even speak, a chorus of envious voices rose from the surrounding area.

Countless young women and wives stared at them in awe.

"He actually tied the commemorative prize to his wife himself, isn't that wonderful?"

"I wonder whose son this is. Sigh, he's already married."

"Even if you don't get married, it's not your turn. You should just stick to selling your vegetables."

"..."

The surrounding chatter was deafening, but the two pretended not to hear it.

At this moment, the host said, "Young Master A Yuan, and Madam, our lord would like to meet this year's winner. Please come with us to the Prefect's residence."

"No, we were just passing through and decided to participate in the event on a whim, so we won't bother you."

"Hey! Our master values ​​talent. It will only take the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. It won't take up much of your time!"

"Yes, you should go and take a look. We'd also like to get to know Young Master A Yuan!"

As more and more people gathered around, Zhong Muyu asked in a low voice, "Shouldn't we keep our identities hidden?"

"Yeah, so it's time to run."

Once they made up their minds, they held hands and ran out of the crowd.

The noise around them faded into the distance. After running for an unknown amount of time, the two finally stopped by a lake where there were few people.

Zhong Muyu leaned against a tree, panting heavily: "Where did they run off to? They didn't chase after us, did they?"

"No, we've already shaken them off."

Lu Ziyuan has good physical fitness. He only had some breathing difficulties after running such a long distance, and he didn't need to pant or rest at all.

"That's good. I ran too fast, I need to rest for a while."

Zhong Muyu sat on a stone bench by the lake. Although she was tired, she still looked very excited.

Lu Ziyuan sat next to her, the two of them shoulder to shoulder, the noise of the celebration not far away was no longer clear, and only the whistling wind could be heard.

"Are you going back? You've sweated so much, be careful not to catch a cold."

Lu Ziyuan touched Zhong Muyu's forehead; they had run quite a distance and were both sweating.

Zhong Muyu took out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from her forehead, but her interest remained undiminished: "Why go back so early? It's easy to catch a cold sitting here. Let's go for another stroll."

"That's good. There won't be a curfew tonight, and there should be fireworks to be set off."

The two wandered around for a while longer, and soon it got dark. Standing by the river, clusters of colorful fireworks rose into the sky, a breathtaking sight.

Although they were all very common types of fireworks, the atmosphere was wonderful, and Zhong Muyu, like everyone else, couldn't help but be mesmerized by them.

"Yu'er".

Lu Ziyuan tugged at her clothes, and Zhong Muyu looked up to see that he was holding two lit lanterns in his hand, their soft light conveying a warm feeling.

"It's time to release lanterns now, so I specially went and bought two."

Following his gaze, Zhong Muyu saw that people watching the fireworks along the river were releasing lanterns in twos and threes, and the water was dotted with colorful lanterns.