Matchmaking by Martial Arts

The jianghu, in the end, could never do without taverns.

And every place in the jianghu had a Drunken Immortal Tower.

There was an obscure connection between these Drunken Immortal Towers. Some said they were secret agents planted throughout the jianghu by the Imperial Guards, while others said their true master was Prince Ning, the most powerful man in Jiangnan.

There were plenty of rumors, true and false. Eventually, no one bothered guessing anymore and simply treated them as ordinary taverns for eating, drinking, and bragging.

The Drunken Immortal Tower in Pingyang City had been open for more than thirty years. Its liquor was strong, its meat fragrant, and its building tall.

The second floor.

There were four large tables in the middle and six small tables by the windows.

Seven or eight accountants and men dressed as escorts sat around the octagonal tables. They were all old acquaintances. Normally separated by the ends of the earth, they were reunited after a long absence and joked without restraint.

"Lin Family is holding another martial arts matchmaking tournament? I remember passing through Pingyang this spring..."

"Don't just say this year. Wasn't there one last summer too?"

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

"Heh heh, it's nothing more than a trick of hanging out a sheep's head while selling dog meat."

"I say, Tiger Second Master, you'd better keep your voice down. Dragon Scale Association dominates Pingyang City. Things are different now, so don't invite trouble."

The burly man's palms were unusually broad, and he toyed with a pair of iron gallstones. He laughed loudly. "What Lin Kun did was disgraceful. Are people not even allowed to talk about it? I'm a real man who's hunted black bears in the forests of the northeast. Why would I fear a little snake like him?"

"Mr. Pi, you're being far too cautious. Forget whether anything happens—even if trouble does come, I'll protect you and fight our way out of Pingyang City. Dragon Scale Association won't be able to harm a hair on either of our heads."

Outside the window, a platform had been erected at the crossroads, draped in red silk and colorful ribbons.

Several hundred people surrounded it. Some had come to watch the excitement, while others carried weapons and were prepared to step onto the platform and compete.

They were all young talents who had hurried over after hearing the news in the surrounding prefectures and counties.

Everyone knew that Lin Kun had no son. Whoever became the Lin Family's son-in-law would be the next leader of Dragon Scale Society.

For many penniless and powerless people of the jianghu, rising from the grassroots to the peak of life was a deadly temptation.

A man who looked like a steward climbed onto the platform. He cupped his hands and gestured, then rambled on with some inconsequential pleasantries. The jianghu men below grew so impatient that they nearly rushed up to beat him before he finally got to the point.

"This martial arts matchmaking tournament follows the old rules. One person defends the platform while challengers take turns. Whoever remains standing on the platform in the end will be the victor. He may choose either to marry my family's young lady or to become my master's adopted son."

"Besides that, to thank all the young talents for coming from afar and to demonstrate Dragon Scale Society's desire to recruit worthy people..."

"Anyone who wins three rounds in a row will receive ten taels of silver. Anyone willing to join Dragon Scale Society will immediately receive a hundred taels as settling-in money."

"Anyone who wins six rounds in a row will receive forty taels of silver. Anyone willing to join Dragon Scale Society will immediately receive four hundred taels as settling-in money."

"Anyone who wins nine rounds in a row will receive a hundred taels of silver. Anyone willing to join Dragon Scale Society will immediately receive a thousand taels as settling-in money..."

The burly man holding the iron gallstones at Drunken Immortal Tower walked over to the window and looked down.

"Lin Family has come up with another new trick."

At that moment, tremendous cheers erupted around the platform, nearly overturning the neighboring Drunken Immortal Tower. The diners on the first, second, and third floors were roused by their curiosity and all crowded toward the windows to watch.

"Lin Kun's methods may be disgraceful, but Miss Lin... with a figure like that, she truly deserves her reputation as Pingyang City's number-one beauty."

The waiter carried a wooden tray to the small table by the window and set down two bowls of plain noodles, a plate of beef, and a pot of Tou Ping Xiang Wine.

"Please enjoy your meal, honored guests. If you need anything else, just call for me."

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

The young man was looking outside. The woman on the platform wore a pale-yellow palace dress with a glimpse of snowy-white skin. A veil covered her head, and when she bent to salute, even the wide skirt could not conceal the proud curves beneath it, inspiring even more fantasies.

Below the platform, the jianghu men looked even more frenzied, eager to rush up and fight to the death for the beauty. Ideally, they would enter the bridal chamber that very night and have a child the next day.

"Interesting. Dragon Scale Society understands the art of attracting traffic."

When Zhang Yu looked toward the tabletop, the plate of beef was already empty.

"Didn't you order beef? Why did they bring an empty plate?"

"You didn't touch your chopsticks, so I thought you were full."

"Do girls really eat that much?"

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

Zhang Yu swept her a disdainful glance. "I haven't seen you grow any meat, though."

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

"Heroine Yue, are you finished?"

"Not bad. The noodles were springy, no worse than those in Guanzhong. The beef was just too loose and got stuck in my teeth."

Zhang Yu smiled. "Do you have any loose silver on you? Pay the bill first."

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

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

Yue Lingshan asked in surprise, "If you had no money, how did you dare enter a tavern to eat?"

"I used the money from those two senior brothers of yours from Mount Song Sect to do good deeds, and I forgot about it for a while."

"What about your own money?"

"When people from the Demonic Cult travel the jianghu, why would they carry money?"

The two stared at each other in silence.

Zhang Yu looked toward the platform below.

"Stay here and don't move. I'll find some money."

On the platform.

A nine-foot-tall giant from Shandong, his face black as the bottom of a pot, had already sent four opponents flying in succession.

The giant was named Fan Zhutian, a native of Jiaodong.

At eight, he had grown taller than his father. At ten, he had eaten his family out of house and home and was sent to apprentice at a blacksmith's shop, only to eat his master out of house and home as well.

After drifting through the jianghu, he initially made a living by plowing fields for others. Later, he assisted in several clashes between minor sects and gradually made a name for himself around the border of the two provinces, earning the nickname Little Giant Spirit God.

"Who else?"

He practiced the external martial art Iron Sand Fist and fought barehanded with astonishing power. Combined with his thick skin and flesh, his defense was maxed out.

The giant looked toward the woman in red sitting in the embroidered tower and laughed. "If no one else comes up, Miss Lin will belong to me."

The giant appeared to weigh at least three hundred pounds, while Miss Lin was as delicate as a flower. How could she withstand this fool's abuse?

The young heroes below the platform were frantic with anxiety, hoping someone would step up.

A figure walked onto the platform.

The young man was quite handsome, with phoenix eyes, curved brows, a tall jade-like figure, and a carefree bearing.

But could he withstand two punches from the giant?

Five or six people sat in the embroidered tower.

The man seated in the center was around fifty years old. He wore a silk robe, and the joints of both hands were thick. He was none other than Lin Kun, the leader of Dragon Scale Association. He was rather famous in Pingyang and skilled in palm techniques, earning the jianghu nickname Dragon Catcher Hand.

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

"If one trains the fists without training the internal arts, all one's effort comes to nothing in old age. His bones are good, but unfortunately, he never encountered a famous teacher when he was young. He pursued speed and force, devoting himself entirely to the path of external martial arts. Perhaps his current combat strength is no weaker than that of an ordinary Dan Energy practitioner, but this is as far as he will go in this life."

"As expected of a master from Mount Song Sect, Mr. Zhong has truly discerning eyes." The man Lin Kun was trying his best to flatter was in his forties and wore a red robe with a black belt around his waist.

Upon closer inspection, the belt was made from python skin and contained a flexible sword. When facing an enemy, it could suddenly snap out, strange and unpredictable.

He was none other than Zhong Zhen, the "Nine-Bend Sword," one of the Five Grand Guardians of Mount Song.

"I have already reached the age when one knows one's destiny and have been stuck in the Armor-Breaking Realm for many years. There is no hope of breaking through in this life. I only hope to recruit a worthy son-in-law to inherit Dragon Scale Society's foundation and give my daughter Youlan a good home. All these years, I have never found anyone to her liking. Instead, quite a few rumors have spread."

Zhong Zhen looked toward Lin Youlan, who sat on the left. Her gaze rested on the platform, and her face was somewhat pale. She was undeniably beautiful, but like her name, she was too quiet and cold. Even a red dress could not make her seem lively.

"Oh? Then what sort of man does Miss Youlan wish to find?"

Lin Kun looked at Zhong Zhen, who was only seven or eight years younger than him, stroked his beard, and smiled. "Youlan has high standards. She once said that in this life, she only wished to marry a great hero who possessed formidable martial arts and came from a prestigious, orthodox sect."