Phoenix Post

The shame and annoyance in his heart vanished without a trace in an instant. Young Master Xiahou fanned himself, his demeanor as distinguished as ever. Although autumn had arrived, the temperature wasn't yet cold, yet he wore a dark red overcoat over his long robe. It didn't look out of place; instead, it added a touch of scholarly elegance, completely overshadowing Wang Anfeng beside him.

Back then, a handsome and refined courtesan, skilled in zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting, had written for him, "I was born before you, and you were born after me, yet I am old." This wasn't achieved with just a few melodies. There were many poor scholars who could only compose music, but he was a rare, once-in-a-lifetime noble son who was not only proficient in music but also capable of engaging in elegant conversation and showing meticulous care for a woman's feelings. He was like a dream.

It was a pity, however, that he already had a fiancée.

Even if she was just a little girl who could be coaxed home with tanghulu.

The guards around them were sharp-eyed and perceptive, their actions becoming even more respectful. However, Wang Anfeng lacked such discernment. His behavior was no different from how he treated the youths in Great Liang Village who used to smear mud on his family's walls. The two of them conversed as they walked towards Willow Catkin Villa above, surrounded by a large group of guards.

Although Wang Bo's screams had drawn away many guards, two stern-faced men still stood guard at the entrance, their left hands behind their backs and their right hands resting on the hilts of their swords.

Their belts were adorned with black iron boxes, more than what ordinary people carried. The Liu family passed down their legacy through mechanical hidden weapons and Qinggong. The contents of these boxes were the renowned mechanical hidden weapons that echoed throughout the region.

The sharpness of their hidden weapons had quenched the blood of countless skilled fighters, but these two men had likely spilled even more. The hidden weapons were their weapons, but not their only ones. They were the weapons of the Liu family master.

And not the Liu family master's only weapons.

Seeing Wang Anfeng and the other approaching, still several steps away, one of them spoke in a deep voice:

"Two young masters, our villa is hosting a banquet today. Please present your invitation scrolls. If you do not have one, please visit another day. Our villa master has already set up a banquet elsewhere to express his apologies."

Xiahou Xuan gently closed his folding fan, his expression serene. Though gentle, there was a subtle air of authority about him. He said:

"I am Xiahou Xuan."

Upon hearing this, the two guards stiffened. They exchanged glances, then clasped their fists and replied, "We did not know Young Master Xiahou was coming. The master had already given instructions: if Young Master Xiahou were to arrive, please enjoy yourself to your heart's content."

With that, they each stepped aside, clearing the main path. Xiahou Xuan gently tapped his fan against his palm, turned to Wang Anfeng, and smiled, "Brother Wang, take out your invitation scroll. Since we came together, we should enter together."

Wang Anfeng fell silent for a moment, his brow furrowed slightly. Where would he get an invitation scroll? But then he remembered Uncle Li's earnest instructions before he left: to only come on the fifteenth of August. Suddenly, he had a premonition that he had fallen into Uncle Li's trap.

Although it was possible this was a sudden turn of events, in his entire life, when had he ever seen Uncle Li at a disadvantage?

When he was young, that old man had pointed at the sun and said, with a rather mystical air, "I bet there will be thunder and lightning at the hour of the snake."

Pity, he was only four years old then. He read books with his father every day; how could he believe such absurdities? He looked at the old man, who was grinning, with the same expression he'd use for an idiot, then glanced at the pork scraps on the old man's hands. He confidently wagered the sugar cake his father had given him.

He would never forget that day.

The sky-high thunderstorm had scared all the dogs and children in the entire village into soiling themselves, a truly spectacular sight.

The old man Li, fearing he might be frightened, had taken apart a pillow, stuffed cotton in his ears, and then, right in front of a four-year-old child, he'd crunched the sugar cake with gusto. He wiped the grease from his mouth, patted his behind, and left.

His father, upon learning of this, laughed for a full quarter of an hour until tears streamed down his face. Then he said only one sentence, which he had remembered ever since.

"There are mountains beyond mountains, and men beyond men. What you think, Feng'er, is ultimately just what you think. Anyone who lives comfortably is definitely more capable than you see."

"This young master, if you do not have an invitation scroll, please proceed to the other banquet. There will be plenty of good meat, fine wine, and fragrant tea. You will not be neglected."

The guard on the left stepped forward and spoke quite politely. Being able to walk alongside Xiahou Xuan, he dared not show any disrespect. Xiahou Xuan, meanwhile, gently fanned himself, watching Wang Anfeng with an amused glint in his eyes.

Wang Anfeng hesitated for a moment, then clasped his fists and asked:

"May I ask, big brother, is this banquet related to the phoenix?"

The guard's eyes lit up slightly. Reassured, he smiled and replied, "Jade shatters on Kunlun Mountain, a young phoenix cries clear. This time, Willow Catkin Villa is hosting the Phoenix Banquet, held once every five years in Wangxian County, to invite talented youths to gather and forge friendships through martial arts."

When the young man from below Great Liang Mountain heard this, he finally confirmed that after several years, he had fallen into Uncle Li's trap again. Even with his good temper, he felt a flicker of annoyance at being tricked into traveling hundreds of miles to fight. He coldly chuckled to himself, crossing out all the fine wine and good meat he had planned to buy for Uncle Li, one by one.

Not a single one for you!

Muttering hatefully about Uncle Li in his heart, Wang Anfeng raised his hand and took out the closely guarded invitation scroll. It was entirely ink-black, with no characters, only a phoenix spreading its wings as if about to fly. With just a few strokes, the artistic conception was almost palpable, clearly no ordinary item. The guard's expression became even more respectful, devoid of his earlier stern demeanor. He carefully returned the scroll to Wang Anfeng and stepped aside.

People always like to compare status. The Phoenix Banquet was already known for gathering outstanding talents, and this Phoenix Post, personally drawn by the Liu family head, was even more precious than ordinary invitation scrolls.

The materials were precious, and the technique was even more extravagant, requiring pure internal energy to create, and then infusing martial arts into the painting to form the image of a flying phoenix. Fewer than three to five had been sent out in total, and each recipient naturally had a significant background. Xiahou Xuan's eyes also showed a hint of surprise.

Judging by his appearance and demeanor, he seemed to be from an ordinary family, but how could an ordinary family possess such a scroll?

Even the so-called top-tier experts, whom the Liu family naturally respected, might not be able to obtain this.

Thinking of the young man's previous behavior, Xiahou Xuan found it increasingly interesting and couldn't help but chuckle softly.

Interesting things in the world are often vastly different from the mundane. For example, the heartless swordsman who frequents brothels, the illiterate young master, or the mad Taoist priest of the past who, carrying a bamboo pole used for drying clothes, wreaked havoc in the ancestral court of the Taoist sect, shouting about the "three ancestors' transmitted methods." He had said, "Cut me and see me." If the old Taoist had seen him, he would have beaten him to death with a stick and fed him to the dogs, bringing peace to the world.

The Taoist priest is gone, the Master is old, and the heartless swordsman who frequented brothels has not touched alcohol since.

But the Jianghu remains the same Jianghu.

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