An Audience

"Shangguan Yu, master of Wuji Gate; Ye Guhong of Hidden Sword Manor; Xiao Zhanfeng of the Tyrant Blade Sect, together with the four elders of the Four Great Clans—Cui, Wang, Li, and Xue—have come to pay our respects to the great hero Shen Yi. We sincerely invite Hero Shen to Taian Town for a talk, to discuss all matters concerning the Martial Arts Tournament."

A deep, ancient voice suddenly carried into the wooden hut, bringing its cheerful atmosphere to an abrupt halt.

Chen Zhi'ang reined in his irritation and said solemnly:

"They came quickly."

"It seems Taian Town, inside and out, has long been under their tight surveillance. Shen just showed himself, and they came on his heels."

Shen Yi raised a brow slightly.

"They mean to..."

"Invite us to dinner?"

Qingfeng lightly clapped his hands in mock applause, clicking his tongue.

"They're planning to use the same old trick again."

"They want Brother Shen to have another taste of the Paradise Grand Formation—though I wonder whether Miss A' Yue will let you go."

As Qingfeng spoke,

he cast a sidelong glance at Chen Zhi'ang.

Chen Zhi'ang was furious and snapped:

"Are you done yet?"

Ji Congyun took a sip of wine.

"Paradise Pavilion hides danger at every turn. They offer courtesy before force, and who knows what backup plans they have concealed. We cannot let down our guard."

Suddenly, a sweet, silver-bell voice cut in.

"But I want to go."

A' Yue blinked her large eyes,

looking intensely interested.

Other than Shen Yi, the other three were all struck speechless.

Chen Zhi'ang said:

"According to my investigation, the heads of these three sects and four clans have recently, for no apparent reason, either taken concubines, remarried, or accepted female personal disciples."

"I saw nothing strange about it before, but