Mountain and River Festival 246. Heroes Gathering

During the fight, the two swords collided from time to time, emitting dazzling flames, but the three people sitting in the pavilion strangely did not hear any sound of weapons colliding. Ye Li leaned against the pillar of the pavilion, closed her eyes slightly, and carefully felt the flow of energy in the air. Finally, she slowly found the energy vibration that was not easy to detect but incomparable to see. It was the vibration caused by the collision of the internal forces of the two people when they fought.

This battle lasted for two hours. But even though none of the three people watching could really see a single move, they still didn't show any impatience. Ye Li suddenly felt a sharp impact in the air piercing his brain, and he quickly opened his eyes. Just in time, he saw two figures, one blue and one white, retreating to both sides.

"Big brother!" Leng Liuyue called out softly, flew out and stretched out his hand to protect Ling Tiehan who was about to fall. Ling Tiehan let go of Leng Liuyue's hand, waved his hand to signal her not to worry, then turned back to look at Mo Xiuyao and smiled: "Prince Ding is really a genius, I admire you." Although Mo Xiuyao still stood straight, his face was no better than Ling Tiehan's, but both of them were full of joy and happiness in their eyes, and smiled: "Master Ling is an excellent writer, I admire you as well. I have benefited a lot from today's battle, thank you Master Ling."

Ling Tiehan laughed loudly and said, "There is no need for us to say these things. It is worthwhile for me to have a fight with Prince Ding. I will take my leave first and will not disturb Prince Ding and the Princess."

"Master Ling, take care." Ye Li said softly as she stepped out of the pavilion. She walked to Mo Xiuyao's side and looked at him. He had used up too much energy, and his internal energy was severely depleted. He also had some minor internal injuries. In such a well-matched master-level competition, these were considered minor injuries, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

After watching Ling Tiehan and the other two go down the mountain, Ye Li helped Mo Xiuyao into the pavilion and sat down. She asked, "How badly are you injured? Can you go down the mountain now?"

Mo Xiuyao smiled helplessly and said, "I have neglected my training in the past few years. I think I am more seriously injured than Master Ling."

In terms of hard work, Mo Xiuyao is not as good as Ling Tiehan. Not to mention that there are so many military, political and civil affairs in the northwest that he needs to take care of personally, his identity as the King of Ding destined him to not be able to spend a lot of time on martial arts training. Ling Tiehan has to practice hard at least half a year every year. If Ling Tiehan's current achievements are 30% talent and 70% hard work, then Mo Xiuyao's is 70% talent and 30% hard work. But now it seems that the foundation of hard work is more solid. Mo Xiuyao has to admit that even if he will not lose to Ling Tiehan, he is still a little inferior.

"You are not of the same kind, or do you want to be the best in the martial arts world?" Ye Li did not intend to comfort him, but just said lightly. No matter how high Mo Xiuyao's martial arts skills are, he still needs to focus on the Mo family army and the people of the northwest. Even if he becomes the best master in the world, he can't dominate the world by himself. It is right to work hard to improve one's own strength, but if you ignore the overall situation in order to blindly improve each person's individual strength, it can only be said that it is putting the cart before the horse.

Mo Xiuyao had no intention of getting entangled in this matter, and he was more of a request for comfort in front of Ye Li. Hearing what Ye Li said, he naturally didn't care, and smiled and said, "This place is good. If I go back to the city, I will be disturbed. I want to rest here for a while, Ah Li, can you wait for me?" Ye Li nodded in agreement, and Mo Xiuyao stopped talking and sat in the pavilion, closed his eyes, and used his internal energy to heal himself.

Mo Xiuyao sat there for a whole half day and a whole night. He didn't know if it was because of Miss Murong that no one went up the mountain to play that day.

Ye Li did not disturb Mo Xiuyao, and at night she casually picked a few wild fruits that were still green in a place away from the Liangting Pavilion and ate them. The next morning, when the morning sun rose from the sea of ​​clouds in the east, Mo Xiuyao finally opened his eyes.

A gleam of brilliance flashed across the eyes that had just opened, and the originally cold and indifferent expression seemed to have a hint of warmth. Mo Xiuyao turned his head and saw the woman sleeping against the pillar on the side, and his eyes were filled with infinite tenderness. As soon as Mo Xiuyao stood up, Ye Li opened her eyes, "Alright?"

"Thank you for your hard work, Ah Li, why don't you sleep for a while?" Mo Xiuyao held her in his arms and said softly. Ye Li shook her head, leaned on him for a while and said, "Let's go down the mountain. I'm a little hungry, and you must be hungry too after not eating for a day." One or two nights without rest was not a big deal for them, especially since she slept half the night. Ye Li generally didn't like to be hungry unless it was necessary. Mo Xiuyao held her in his arms and smiled softly, "Okay, let's go down the mountain."

The fact that Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li did not return home overnight did not affect anyone. Ren Qining did notice it, but he had a lot of things to do, so he naturally had no time to ask about the whereabouts of these two people whose identities he had not even found out. So after the city gates opened early in the morning, Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li walked back to the inn in the capital without attracting anyone's attention. The two sat in the lobby of the inn and ordered breakfast. While eating, they listened to the people who were also eating discussing what happened in Zhaoning Temple yesterday.

Miss Murong's appearance in Zhaoning Temple with such pomp and ceremony naturally attracted the attention of countless people. It is said that a sudden breeze blew off Miss Murong's veil at the temple gate, revealing the woman's beauty and charm, which attracted many heroes. Such a holy place of Buddhism suddenly became more charming.

Ye Li found it interesting and asked Mo Xiuyao, "Is Miss Murong really so gorgeous?" She had also seen Miss Murong before. Although she could only see her eyes because of the veil, Ye Li felt that at least those eyes were not as good as Su Zuidi, Liu Guifei or even Yao Ji. With such eyes, Ye Li felt that even if Miss Murong was really a beauty, she would never be so gorgeous.

Mo Xiuyao said calmly, "Nothing special." Ye Li tilted her head to look at him and smiled, "Your Majesty has high standards." Mo Xiuyao had seen almost all the famous women in the world, so it was no wonder that he looked down on a beauty like Miss Murong. Mo Xiuyao looked at Ye Li with a smile and said softly, "Of course, my standards are high, otherwise how could I have a good wife like Ah Li?" Ye Li pouted. Did he choose her? But over the years, Ye Li also understood that if Mo Xiuyao really didn't want to marry her, there were many ways to stop this marriage. "So should I thank your Majesty for looking up to her?"

"My lady, please don't be polite. I, your husband, also want to thank you for not minding it." Neither of these two people is an easy target. If they are determined not to want that marriage, let alone the marriage arranged by Mo Jingqi, even the king of heaven can make them suffer.

"What does the Murong family mean?" Ye Li asked in a low voice with a frown on her face. The veil was blown off by the wind just at the temple gate. This inexplicable coincidence was really speechless. Only those who have used the veil know how strong the wind would take to blow it off.

Mo Xiuyao snorted and said, "Choosing a son-in-law... Not everyone in this world loves money. If there are not many people, the Murong family will lose face. The rich and powerful young masters who come forward to compete for it will definitely feel proud." Ye Li raised her eyebrows. Mo Xiuyao was free now and didn't want to think about the problem. She shrugged. She didn't want to think about these problems. Anyway, her elder brother was here. "Okay, let's just watch the excitement. There's no point in thinking too much." Mo Xiuyao nodded with satisfaction, "My wife, you finally understand your husband's intentions."

Soon the long-awaited martial arts conference arrived. The venue for the conference was outside the Murong family, on a wide open space that could be built into a large square.

On the day of the conference, Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li arrived at the right time. When they arrived at the Murong family, the venue was already crowded with people. There were not only martial arts masters such as Wang Sun and the powerful, but also the people of Ancheng who came to join in the fun.

What surprised Ye Li was that even King Zhennan and Mo Jingqi came in person. King Zhennan was fine, as he was from Xiling and one of the four great masters, so it was natural for him to appear at the martial arts conference. But Mo Jingqi, let alone when he was an emperor, never left Chujing. Could it be that the attraction of the Murong family was more important than his own life?

"Xiu Yao?" Seeing Mo Jingqi, Ye Li's first reaction was to turn around and look at Mo Xiu Yao. Mo Xiu Yao lowered his head and smiled at her faintly, saying, "Don't worry, I won't do anything to him now."

If he had suddenly met Mo Jingqi six years ago, Mo Xiuyao would have probably killed him on the spot out of impulse. But six years later, the deep hatred he felt was still there, but the impulse had gradually disappeared. He would not let Mo Jingqi die so easily, he wanted him to be neither alive nor dead!

Seeing that Mo Xiuyao was very calm, Ye Li felt relieved and continued to observe. Only then did she realize that the people following Mo Jingqi were all top-notch masters without exception. Although they were not as good as Mo Xiuyao and others, any one of them would definitely be a famous figure in the martial arts world. This made Ye Li wonder if Mo Jingqi had mobilized all the masters of the Great Chu royal family. Although Mo Jingqi and his brothers were both annoying, Mo Jingqi's courage was at least more decent than his emperor brother.

There were many tables and chairs placed in the front, and on the tables were fresh seasonal fruits bought from the south of Da Chu. These seats were naturally reserved for people of status and prestige. Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li were just an unknown young couple at this time, so naturally they had no chance to sit in those seats.

The two of them just stood under a big tree not far from the stand. If they were tired, they could rest against the tree trunk or even sit on the tree. The Zhennan King, who had arrived earlier, was leading Lei Tengfeng and Mo Jingqi brothers to fight. Ye Li asked curiously, "Lei Tengfeng seems to have married the Crown Prince's wife. Could the Zhennan King also be interested in Miss Murong?"

Mo Xiuyao held her waist and leaned lazily against the tree trunk, saying, "What's so strange about that? The princess of Zhennan Prince passed away many years ago. But the Murong family may not look down on the Zhennan Prince's Mansion." It's not that the Zhennan Prince's Mansion is not strong enough, but that it is too strong. It just so happens that the Zhennan Prince and the Murong family are both in Xiling. No matter who Miss Murong marries in the Zhennan Prince's Mansion, the Murong family can be said to no longer exist.

Ye Li understood, frowned in confusion and said: "If I were a member of the Murong family, I should be more low-key and find a capable and reliable person to support the Murong family. With Murong Xiong in charge, I'm afraid not many people would have the courage to do evil. Now, isn't it like inviting a wolf into the house, or is Murong Xiong already capable of fighting against the heroes of the world?"

Mo Xiuyao smiled and said, "Just like what my wife said... Some people just like to show off their presence."

Most of the important people in front had already taken their seats, so the few seats that were deliberately left vacant were particularly eye-catching. King Zhennan glanced at the seat opposite him and raised his eyebrows and said, "Did King Ding not come to participate in this year's martial arts conference?"

Lei Tengfeng said with a smile: "Prince Ding and his wife returned to the northwest before Princess Anxi got married. I'm afraid he was busy with something and couldn't come back."

No matter how suspicious the people present were, they would never have thought that someone would not attend the coronation ceremony of a monarch just to accompany his wife on a trip. So everyone firmly believed that Prince Ding and the Princess hurried back to the northwest because of something important.

"It is my lifelong regret that I cannot fight Prince Ding again." Prince Zhennan said with some regret, but he was already thinking about the recent developments in the northwest. He did get the news that Prince Ding and Princess Ding had returned to the northwest, and the Mohist army in the northwest also showed signs of mobilization, but it did not look like they were going to start a war. For a while, Prince Zhennan could not guess what Mo Xiuyao was going to do, but for the sake of safety, Prince Zhennan secretly mobilized 200,000 troops to strengthen the border garrison bordering the northwest.

"It is indeed a great pity that Prince Ding cannot come. But the King of Chu can actually come to Xiling. As the host, I should properly welcome the King of Chu." Prince Zhennan looked at Mo Jingqi and smiled. Mo Jingqi smiled and said, "Your Highness, you are too polite. I am just here to join in the fun. Please forgive me for making fun of you."

King Zhennan smiled but said nothing. It was indeed embarrassing. Even though King Zhennan had three thousand golden guards, he had never had people like Mo Jingqi who followed him around, from personal guards to low-ranking servants, who were all top-notch masters. This was already a state of fear of death. Did Mo Jingqi really think that so many top-notch masters didn't want money? Or did he think that those masters were willing to be his low-ranking servants without any temper? Recalling the look of relief on Mo Jingqi's face when he heard that Mo Xiuyao would not come, King Zhennan suddenly felt that he had realized something. After offending someone like Mo Xiuyao, Mo Jingqi should really find more powerful bodyguards for himself.

"The head of Yanwang Pavilion, Ling Pavilion, has arrived!" A loud announcement echoed throughout the venue. It was obvious that the person arranged by the Murong family to announce the names of the guests was a master. Everyone turned around and saw Ling Tiehan still wearing his usual blue cloth clothes, followed by Leng Liuyue and Bing Shusheng, who were walking like a dragon and a tiger. Compared to many people present who were dressed in gorgeous clothes and riding horses, Ling Tiehan, who was as usual, was even more imposing. Many young knights present could not help but show respect and admiration when they saw Ling Tiehan.

When the King of Zhennan saw Ling Tiehan approaching slowly, his eyes twitched. Compared with the last time they met, Ling Tiehan's martial arts had actually reached a higher level. If he was confident that he could at least draw with Ling Tiehan or even slightly win the last time they met in Licheng, he was not confident at all this time.

"Master Ling." Although Ling Tiehan had an aura that was formidable, he had a special status after all. As a well-known assassin leader, not many people greeted him. Ling Tiehan nodded to the person who greeted him, raised his head and glanced at the seats around him, with a hint of disappointment in his eyes.

King Zhennan smiled faintly and said, "Master Ling, are you looking for King Ding? It's a pity that King Ding may have something to do and didn't come to participate in the martial arts conference this year." Ling Tiehan lowered his eyes and didn't say that he had met Mo Xiuyao two days ago. He said calmly, "Since King Ding didn't come, please give me more advice later." King Ding is not here, right? Then you can be his opponent. Ling Tiehan, who had just broken through the bottleneck, urgently needed a master to teach him moves, otherwise he would not come to participate in this so-called martial arts conference today.

King Zhennan choked up. Although he had come, he had no intention of fighting with anyone. As he grew older, King Zhennan no longer focused on martial arts. No matter how invincible one's martial arts were, how could it compare to the pleasure of ruling the world?

"The head of the Murong family has arrived! Miss Murong has arrived!" The conference hall was once again filled with the sound of the announcement, but the Zhennan King and others present all looked unhappy. They were all powerful figures, and it had long been their habit to flaunt their dominance. However, they hated it most when others showed off more than they did. If this person was evenly matched with them, it would be fine, but a mere merchant should be treated the same way. The ones with the ugliest expressions were the Zhennan King and Lei Tengfeng. After all, the Murong family was actually in Xiling, and they were also considered Xiling's subjects.

Not long after, the head of the Murong family, who was over sixty years old and had gray hair and beard, walked out of the gate of the Murong family with Miss Murong, who was wearing a light purple brocade dress with hibiscus flower patterns. As they walked, the people in the field naturally made way for them. It looked like many people were waiting to welcome them.

Everyone soon noticed that there was an old man who looked about the same age as Murong walking beside him. He was not dressed gorgeously, and his appearance was not particularly outstanding. Most people might not have thought much of it, but Ling Tiehan and King Zhennan's expressions changed, and they both looked at each other. The aura of this old man was clearly ten or a hundred times stronger than that of Murong. Although he looked inconspicuous, he was able to walk side by side with Murong. If you look closely, you will find that Murong was also respectful and cautious to him. Without thinking too much, the two of them had already guessed the true identity of this man.

The head of the Murong family walked forward and glanced at the people present. His eyes paused at the empty seat left for Prince Ding, and he smiled as he said, "I am the head of the Murong family. Thank you all for coming to participate in this martial arts competition. For fairness, the Murong family specially invited the top martial arts expert Murong Xiong, who was the best in martial arts fifty years ago, to be the judge."

As soon as these words came out, everyone was shocked. They all looked at the old man in plain clothes who sat down at the first seat as soon as he arrived. They were still guessing about the identity of this old man, but now that they knew who he was, they immediately started to talk about it like a boiling pot.

The head of the Murong family was obviously very satisfied with the astonishment of the crowd. He nodded and smiled, "Senior Murong has been in seclusion for more than ten years. His martial arts skills are unparalleled in the world. It is naturally more appropriate for him to be the judge."

Ling Tiehan sneered and said calmly, "Why haven't I heard that a martial arts conference needs judges?"

Masters of martial arts competitions always fight until one side is convinced, so there is no need for any so-called judgment. The head of the Murong family froze, glanced at Ling Tiehan and smiled faintly, "Since this competition is held in the Murong family, the Murong family has always disliked bloodshed. Naturally, we have to stop when the time is right."

Ling Tiehan snorted and leaned back in his chair without saying anything. He didn't even glance at Miss Murong who was standing behind the Murong family master. Such a rude behavior really embarrassed the Murong family master. He glanced at Murong Xiong who sat down with a closed eye. The Murong family master was about to say something when he heard someone outside loudly report: "Master Qingchen of Licheng has arrived!"