Martial Arts Tournament for Marriage

The Jianghu, after all, is inseparable from restaurants.

And in every region, there's a Drunken Immortal Tower.

There's a subtle connection between these Drunken Immortal Towers. Some say they are secret outposts set up by the Imperial Guards in the Jianghu, while others claim the powerful Prince Ning from Jiangnan is behind them.

Truth and falsehood mingle, with much speculation. Eventually, people stopped trying to figure it out and just treated them as ordinary restaurants for eating, drinking, and bragging.

Pingyang City's Drunken Immortal Tower has been open for over thirty years. Its wine is potent, its meat fragrant, and the building is tall.

Second floor.

There are four large tables in the center, and six small tables by the windows.

Seven or eight individuals, dressed as merchants and escorts, sat around a round table. They were all old acquaintances, who usually lived worlds apart but were now reunited, laughing and talking freely.

"The Lin Family is holding a martial arts competition for marriage again? I remember passing through Pingyang this spring..."

"Don't just say this year, they did it last summer too."

"That young lady from the Lin Family, she must be around twenty now, right?"

"Heh heh, it's just a trick to sell dog meat by hanging a sheep's head as a sign."

"Mr. Pi, perhaps you should speak a little quieter. The Dragon Scale Society dominates Pingyang City; times have changed. Don't go looking for trouble."

The burly man's hands were unusually large as he played with a pair of iron balls. He laughed heartily, "Lin Kun's actions are unsavory, and I'm not allowed to comment? I'm a true man who's hunted black bears in the northeastern forests. Am I afraid of him, a mere snake?"

"Mr. Pi, you're too cautious. Don't worry, even if something happens, we'll protect you and fight our way out of Pingyang City. I doubt the Dragon Scale Society could even touch a hair on our heads."

Outside the window, a martial arts stage was set up at the crossroads, adorned with red silk and colorful streamers.

Hundreds of people were gathered below, some watching for fun, others armed and ready to compete.

They were all young talents who had rushed here from surrounding prefectures and counties upon hearing the news.

It is widely known that Lin Kun has no sons. Whoever becomes the Lin Family's son-in-law will be the next leader of the Dragon Scale Society.

For many Jianghu members without money or power, rising from obscurity to the pinnacle of life is a fatal temptation.

A butler-like figure ascended the stage, cupped his hands in a gesture of respect, and rambled on with irrelevant pleasantries. The Jianghu men below grew impatient, eager to rush up and beat him, before he finally got to the point.

"For this martial arts competition for marriage, the rules are the same as before. One person defends the stage, and challengers take turns. The one who remains on the stage at the end is the winner, who can choose to marry our young lady or become our master's adopted son."

"In addition, to thank all the talented individuals for traveling from afar, and to express the Dragon Scale Society's desire to recruit worthy individuals."

"Those who win three consecutive rounds will receive ten taels of silver ingots. Those willing to join the Dragon Scale Society will immediately receive a settling-in fee of one hundred taels."

"Those who win six consecutive rounds will receive forty taels of silver ingots. Those willing to join the Dragon Scale Society will immediately receive a settling-in fee of four hundred taels."

"Those who win nine consecutive rounds will receive one hundred taels of silver ingots. Those willing to join the Dragon Scale Society will immediately receive a settling-in fee of one thousand taels..."

The man holding the iron balls in the Drunken Immortal Tower walked to the window and looked down.

"The Lin Family has come up with new tricks again."

At this moment, huge cheers erupted around the stage, almost shaking the adjacent Drunken Immortal Tower. Diners on the first, second, and third floors, piqued by curiosity, all moved closer to the windows to watch.

"Lin Kun's methods may be unsavory, but Miss Lin... her figure truly lives up to her reputation as Pingyang City's most beautiful woman."

A waiter, carrying a wooden tray, approached the small table by the window and placed down two bowls of plain noodles, a plate of beef, and a pot of Tou Ping Xiang wine.

"Please enjoy, esteemed guests. If you need anything else, just give me a shout."

The girl in the green dress said heavily, "Thank you!"

The young man was looking out the window. The woman on the stage wore a goose-yellow palace dress, revealing a hint of snow-white. She wore a veil on her head, and as she bowed, her prominent curves were not concealed even by the wide skirt, further fueling the imagination.

Below the stage, the Jianghu men were even more energized, as if injected with chicken blood, wishing they could immediately fight to the death on stage, win the beauty, and ideally consummate the marriage that very night and have a child the next day.

"This is quite interesting. The Dragon Scale Society knows how to attract attention."

When Zhang Yu looked at the table, the plate of beef was already empty.

"Didn't we order beef? Why is there an empty plate?"

"You weren't eating, so I thought you were full."

"A young lady eating so much?"

Yue Lingshan lowered her head and shoveled noodles into her mouth, "I'm still growing!"

Zhang Yu glanced at her dismissively, "I haven't seen you gain any weight, though."

After eating their fill, Zhang Yu flipped through his money pouch and looked at Yue Lingshan.

"Heroine Yue, are you done eating?"

"It was alright. The noodles were chewy, not worse than those in Guanzhong. But the beef was a bit loose and got stuck in my teeth."

Zhang Yu smiled, "Do you have any loose silver on you? Please settle the bill."

Yue Lingshan said righteously, "You know, the Mount Hua Sect doesn't give money to its disciples."

Zhang Yu sighed, "I don't have any money either."

Yue Lingshan was surprised, "No money? How dare you come into a restaurant to eat without money?"

"Your two senior brothers from the Mount Song Sect's money was used for good deeds. I forgot for a moment."

"What about yours?"

"People from the Demonic Cult don't carry silver when they roam the jianghu."

The two fell silent.

Zhang Yu looked down at the arena below.

"You stay here and don't move. I'll go get some silver."

On the stage.

A Shandong giant, nine feet tall, his face as dark as the bottom of a pot, had already sent four opponents flying.

This giant's name was Fan Zhutian, from Jiaodong.

He was taller than his father at eight years old, and at ten, he ate his family into poverty, so he was sent to a blacksmith's shop as an apprentice, and then ate his master into poverty.

He drifted through the jianghu, initially working as a farmer. Later, he helped out in several small sect skirmishes, gradually gaining fame in the border region between two provinces, earning him the nickname 'Little Giant Spirit God'.

"Anyone else?"

He practiced the Iron Sand Fist, an external martial art. Fighting bare-handed, his power was astonishing. Coupled with his tough skin and thick flesh, his defense was maxed out.

The giant looked up at the woman in the red dress sitting in the embroidered building and laughed heartily, "If no one else comes on stage, Miss Lin will be mine."

The giant looked like he weighed at least three hundred jin. Miss Lin, delicate as a flower, how could she withstand the ravishment of this brute?

The young heroes below were anxious, hoping someone would step onto the stage.

A figure walked onto the stage.

The young man was quite handsome, with phoenix eyes, willow-leaf eyebrows, and a tall, jade-like build, exuding a free and easy demeanor.

But could he withstand two punches from the giant?

There were five or six people sitting in the embroidered building.

The man sitting in the center, around fifty years old, wore a silk robe, his knuckles thick and large. He was precisely Lin Kun, the sect leader of the Dragon Scale Society, quite famous in the Pingyang area, skilled in palm techniques, known in the jianghu as 'Dragon Catcher Hand'.

"Mr. Zhong, what do you think of this fellow?"

"Practicing fists but not conditioning, all your efforts are in vain when you grow old. His roots are good, but unfortunately, he didn't meet a famous master in his youth. He was greedy for speed and strength, focusing solely on external martial arts. Perhaps his combat power now is no less than that of an ordinary Dan Energy martial artist, but this is the limit of his life."

"Mr. Zhong, as expected of a master from the Mount Song Sect, your insight is truly sharp." The man Lin Kun was fawning over was in his forties, dressed in a red robe, with a black belt around his waist.

Upon closer inspection, the belt was made of python skin and concealed a soft sword, which could be suddenly unsheathed during combat, making it unpredictable.

He was precisely Zhong Zhen, one of the five protectors of Mount Song, known as 'Nine-Bend Sword'.

"I have reached the age of knowing my destiny, and I have been stuck in the Armor-Breaking Realm for many years. There is no hope of breaking through in this life. I can only hope to find a worthy son-in-law to inherit the foundation of the Dragon Scale Society, and also to give my little daughter Youlan a good home. Over the years, I haven't found anyone she likes, and instead, there have been many rumors."

Zhong Zhen looked at Lin Youlan, who was sitting to his left. His gaze fell on the arena. Her complexion was somewhat pale. She was beautiful, but like her name, she was too quiet and aloof. Even in a red dress, she couldn't seem lively.

"Oh, I wonder what kind of husband Miss Youlan is looking for?"

Lin Kun looked at Zhong Zhen, who was only seven or eight years younger than him, and said with a smile, stroking his beard, "Youlan has high standards. She once said that in this life, she only wants to marry a great hero who is highly skilled in martial arts and comes from a reputable orthodox sect."