Mountain River Festival 245. Mountain Summit Competition

With Xu Qingchen keeping an eye on the situation in Ancheng and the Murong family, Ye Li and Mo Xiuyao felt more relaxed. Every day, Mo Xiuyao took Ye Li for a stroll in and out of the city, aimlessly, as if they were a young couple killing time before the martial arts conference. This made the people who were sent to follow them very depressed. They couldn't see anything wrong with this young couple. Even though the man was more handsome and had better martial arts skills, and the woman was more beautiful and seemed to be more outstanding than the average lady from a wealthy family, it had nothing to do with their master. They really couldn't understand why their master was so persistent in thinking that these two people were dangerous.

After following them for two days, he still didn't find any problems with these two people. Even so, Ren Qining was too embarrassed to let anyone follow them anymore, so he had to withdraw the people who followed Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li.

When Ye Li left the house and found that there was no one following her, she was a little surprised. "They left so soon?"

Mo Xiuyao said calmly, "He is a smart man. Since he can't find out our origins, it will be embarrassing for everyone if we continue to fight." Ye Li frowned and said, "Brother, do you know Ren Qining's background?"

Mo Xiuyao shook his head and said, "I can't find out. This person and the forces behind him should not have appeared in the martial arts world or among the dignitaries of various countries, otherwise there should be some clues. But it doesn't matter... This is Xiling's territory." The person appeared in Xiling, so even if there is a headache, it should be Lei Zhenting. "Your eldest brother has already asked someone to remind Lei Zhenting and Lei Tengfeng. Let's see how they react first."

Ye Li nodded. If Ren Qining hadn't been so smart as to send someone to follow them and investigate their background, Ye Li wouldn't have had any interest in this person. Now that Mo Xiuyao knew what was going on, Ye Li didn't bother to care.

In the past few days, they have been wandering around Ancheng. Although they have been followed by an annoying tail, they have also learned a lot of news. Although the Murong family is not well-known in the northwest and Da Chu, Ancheng is less than ten miles away from the Murong family. It can be said that the entire Ancheng is the sphere of influence of the Murong family, so naturally, they will not talk about the news about the Murong family.

It is said that Miss Murong is beautiful and kind. She is very famous in Ancheng and is like a living Bodhisattva in the hearts of many people. It is said that every first day of the month, Miss Murong goes to Zhaoning Temple outside the city to burn incense and pray for her grandfather. Today happens to be the first day of the month. Even though the martial arts conference is about to be held, it seems that Miss Murong has not changed this habit. Therefore, the heroes and nobles who received the news early rushed to Zhaoning Temple without even having breakfast. It made Ancheng, which has been crowded these days, suddenly much quieter.

Since Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li came to join in the fun, they naturally had to go to Zhaoning Temple to join in the fun. After breakfast, the two of them wandered out of the city. When they arrived at Zhaoning Temple, they saw a crowd of people everywhere. If an outsider who didn't know about it saw it, he would definitely be amazed at the prosperity of the Zhaoning Temple.

Although there were too many people, fortunately Zhaoning Temple itself was still a place worth visiting. Especially the vast expanse of quiet forest in the back mountain was picturesque. People who came here all crowded in the front mountain to see Miss Murong's beauty. At this time, the back mountain seemed particularly quiet and comfortable. Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li walked hand in hand on the path in the back mountain. The faint noise coming from afar made the back mountain seem even more deserted. Thinking of those people who were waiting with their heads raised, Ye Li couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Mo Xiuyao looked down at her, "What are you laughing at, Ah Li?"

Ye Li raised her head to look at his expression, and said with a smile: "I was wondering if Mo Jingli and Lei Tengfeng would be among those people, and...what would it be like if the prince followed those people to attack the prime minister?"

Mo Xiuyao snorted in displeasure. Prince Ding had been proud all his life, and others had always been waiting for him. He had never waited for others. "Besides A'li, who else in this world is worth waiting for?" Ye Li rolled her eyes helplessly. She felt somewhat immune to Prince Mo's sweet words at any time and place.

As they were talking and laughing, Mo Xiuyao looked up and forward with a fixed gaze. Then he picked up Ye Li's clone, walked up the hillside beside the path, and landed on an old tree covered with green vines.

Mo Xiuyao's move did not surprise Ye Li. She leaned in Mo Xiuyao's arms and looked in his direction. After a while, she heard a crisp conversation. A group of people walked down the mountain. Ye Li looked around and saw more than a dozen strong men and women holding swords. Protected in the middle was a girl wearing a light purple silk dress, followed by six green-dressed girls dressed as maids and two maids. At a glance, Ye Li saw that the purple silk dress on the girl was Shuiyun silk, the first of the three treasures of Nanzhao, and the gauze covered outside the silk dress was Furong gauze.

The Nanzhao people valued blue and white the most, so the color of Shuiyun satin, one of the three treasures of Nanzhao, was relatively plain, and they did not produce dark purple. Therefore, Shuiyun satin was naturally not a tribute to Nanzhao, and no one else in the world could make such a high-quality satin except Nanzhao, so this purple Shuiyun satin could only be made by themselves. In other words, someone had already mastered the most precious secret craft of Nanzhao. Once they produced a large amount of Shuiyun satin, it would definitely be a huge fortune. However, the world has not heard of any place outside Nanzhao that has Shuiyun satin. I'm afraid that people don't take this business seriously.

Looking at the girl's jade pendants and necklaces, all of them were of the finest quality. Her attire was so extravagant that even the princesses of the royal family could not have it. Without even thinking about it, Ye Li had already guessed who this girl who was protected by so many people was.

"Miss, there are so many people outside the mountain gate. Let's go out from the side door." The nanny beside the purple-clothed girl suggested softly. Although there were not many people here, it was because those people thought that the young lady had not come yet. Little did they know that they had already gone up the mountain before dawn. If you go out from the main gate at this time, you may disturb the young lady. The purple-clothed girl smiled lightly and said, "Don't worry, Nanny Su, those people are all heroes from all over the world who came to participate in the martial arts conference. I believe they will not be so ignorant of the rules."

"That's right, young lady. Those people are trying to curry favor with young lady, how dare they offend her." The maid next to the purple-clothed girl said with a smile, "The head of the family and the great uncle said that they would select the best man in the world as a husband for young lady. They also want to let those people know that our young lady is not only the daughter of the richest family, but also a great beauty who would conquer the whole country."

"What nonsense are you talking about, little girl? When you go back, I will teach you a lesson!" The purple-clothed girl scolded, and her watery eyes outside the lavender veil showed a faint smile, obviously not blaming her. The little girl knew that her mistress was always kind, so she was not afraid and said with a smile: "Miss is the kindest, she will not let the old man punish Lu'er." The purple-clothed girl sighed and said: "Forget it, go back quickly so that the old man and uncle will not worry."

"That's right, young lady." As the others talked and walked further away, Mo Xiuyao finally landed on the path with Ye Li in his arms. Ye Li looked at the empty path thoughtfully and smiled, "It seems we are lucky. We can see the young lady of the Murong family first without squeezing with those people."

Mo Xiuyao snorted lightly, obviously not taking it seriously. Ye Li helplessly stretched out her hand and poked him, saying, "I don't believe that you didn't see it, Your Majesty."

Mo Xiuyao looked down at her and smiled, "What did you see?"

Ye Li said, "That Miss Murong, the patterns on her clothes and the hairpins on her head are all phoenix patterns. It seems that Miss Murong likes phoenixes very much."

In Xiling and Dachu, where the culture and customs are similar, not everyone can use phoenix patterns. With Ye Li's status, no one cares what patterns she likes to use now, but when she was in Chujing, Ye Li herself rarely used phoenix patterns. Especially the dark pattern on Miss Murong's clothes just now, which looked inconspicuous but could not hide the eyes of Ye Li and Mo Xiuyao, was a nine-tailed phoenix pattern, the totem of the true king of birds. This alone is enough to prove that the Murong family and Miss Murong's ideas are probably extraordinary.

"They are spoiled by everyone, why should A'li care what they do?" Mo Xiuyao said silently, holding Ye Li's waist arrow with one hand and leading her to the top of the mountain.

The scenery behind Zhaoning Temple is beautiful, and there are often tourists who come to burn incense and play on the mountain. Therefore, the temple specially built a pavilion on the top of the mountain for people to rest. When the two people reached the top of the mountain, they saw that there was already someone in the pavilion.

Ling Tiehan was sitting in the pavilion talking with Leng Liuyue and the sick scholar. When they heard footsteps, they turned around and saw Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li. They were a little surprised and paused before saying, "Prince Ding? Princess Ding?" Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li had only been slightly disguised. People who had never seen them would naturally find it difficult to connect them together, but people who knew them would never be able to hide the truth face to face.

Mo Xiuyao did not avoid it either. He helped Ye Li walk up to the last step, looked at the three people, raised his eyebrows and smiled: "Master Ling? It's a pleasure to meet you." Ling Tiehan saw that Mo Xiuyao was in a good mood, and laughed loudly: "It is indeed a pleasure to meet you. I originally thought that Prince Ding would not be able to come this year. I didn't expect to meet him here. How about it? Can the prince fulfill the martial arts competition that he owed a few years ago?"

Mo Xiuyao raised his sword-like brows, looked at Ling Tiehan with a smile and said: "Master, do you really want to fight with me now? Then at the martial arts conference... Just now, I saw that Miss Murong is a beauty, but Master is not moved at all?" If after the two of them have fought with all their strength, who can continue to participate in the martial arts conference, it can only mean that both of them are just perfunctorily trying to please each other.

Ling Tiehan sneered, a trace of contempt flashed in his eyes and he said indifferently: "Stop, you smart little girl. This master of the pavilion did not come here for the Murong family." Although Ling Tiehan was the leader of the killers, he had a calm and resolute personality. He seldom expressed his dissatisfaction in front of others like this. He didn't know what Miss Murong had done to offend him.

"I was originally planning to look for Lei Zhenting, but now that I've met you, Lei Zhenting, it doesn't matter. How about... Prince Ding, can you give me some advice?"

Ling Tiehan spoke openly. Although he wanted to find trouble with Lei Zhenting, Lei Zhenting could go anytime, but Mo Xiuyao could not fight him at any time. In the past few years, Ling Tiehan also felt that his cultivation had stagnated and had obviously reached a bottleneck. If he could fight with a master like Mo Xiuyao, he might gain some insights and reach a higher level.

Mo Xiuyao looked down at Ye Li, who smiled faintly and patted his arm before letting him go and taking a few steps back into the pavilion. Ling Tiehan, however, walked out first.

Mo Xiuyao smiled and said, "In this case, it is a rare honor for me to learn from Master Ling's skills."

In the pavilion, Ye Li only nodded to Leng Liuyue and the sick scholar. The three of them stared at the two people outside the pavilion and had no time to greet or chat.

Ling Tiehan was dressed in blue cloth, and his demeanor was calmer and more majestic than a few years ago. Ling Tiehan was already over 40 years old, but his profound inner strength cultivation made him look like a strong man in his thirties. A flash of cold light passed by, and an ancient long sword fell into Ling Tiehan's hand. On the top of the mountain, the man in blue stood with a sword in his hand, as majestic as Mount Tai, which made people look sideways.

Mo Xiuyao was also dressed in his usual white clothes, with black hair like clouds and a faint smile on his lips. He was obviously in a good mood to fight Ling Tiehan. His eyes flashed, and a ray of snow flashed before his eyes. In Mo Xiuyao's hand was a soft sword that was cold and bright. Unlike the ancient bronze heavy sword in Ling Tiehan's hand, Mo Xiuyao's soft sword was as thin as a cicada's wing, and the tip of the sword trembled slightly in the air with a flick of his wrist.

Neither of them took the initiative to attack, but stood there staring at each other, their clothes and hair fluttering around them without any wind.

The three people in the pavilion held their breath and stared at the two people standing there. The energy gradually building up around the two people made them feel a little pressure.

After an unknown amount of time, the two suddenly rose from the ground at the same time and turned into countless phantoms that flew through the air. Ye Li couldn't help but widen her eyes and tried to watch the two people's fight, but all she could see were blue or white phantoms.

Ye Li knew that they did not really become phantoms, but that their speed was too fast. With her eyesight and the palace, she could not see their movements clearly. At this moment, Ye Li understood one thing. With her own ability, she might be able to deal with ordinary masters, but if she really faced top masters like Mo Xiuyao and Ling Tiehan, it would still be far from enough. With a slight pain in her heart, Ye Li couldn't help but frown.

A hand was placed on her shoulder. Ye Li wanted to fight back reflexively, but she heard Leng Liuyue's voice faintly ringing, "Don't force it."

Ye Li looked to the side, and saw that Leng Liuyue and Bing Shusheng were no longer staring at the two people fighting. Instead, they looked at them from time to time. Leng Liuyue was fine, but Bing Shusheng's face, which had improved a lot in the past few years, turned pale again.

Leng Liuyue looked at her and explained seriously, "It's a fight between real top masters. We are too far behind each other to see any benefit from it. It might even lead to infatuation."

Mo Xiuyao and the King of Zhennan had fought before, but that was not a true all-out fight, as both sides held back. This time, Ling Tiehan and Mo Xiuyao both fought at their peak strength, and the vigor and fighting spirit between the two of them was enough to cause people with shallow cultivation or unstable minds to suffer internal injuries at best or even go crazy. Ye Li's mind was among the top ten in the world, but her internal strength cultivation started too late, and at most she could be compared to the Sick Scholar, and even worse than Leng Liuyue. Just now, she concentrated all her energy on watching the moves between Mo Xiuyao and Ling Tiehan. If Leng Liuyue hadn't stopped her, she would have suffered internal injuries by now.

Ye Li naturally thanked Leng Liuyue for her kindness, glanced at the two people fighting, and sighed softly in her heart. Seeing the martial arts skills of Mo Xiuyao and Ling Tiehan, she was not envious, but she started too late. And martial arts, especially internal strength, should be trained from childhood. Those stories in novels about people who got some magic medicine or strange secret book and became masters from nothing are just stories after all.

Leng Liuyue seemed to have a good impression of Ye Li. Seeing her frown, he said softly, "It's okay to watch. Just don't force it. Prince Ding and Big Brother know their limits and won't really end up hurting both of them." Ye Li nodded and said, "Thank you, Master Leng." She just looked outside helplessly. If she tried hard, she could still see roughly, but if she didn't try hard, she really couldn't see anything clearly. After thinking for a while, Ye Li stopped looking outside and closed her eyes to listen carefully to the movements outside.

Leng Liuyue saw it all, and his cold eyes changed to a hint of admiration.