All Cultural Relics

The registration review for the Nine Provinces Martial Tournament had already begun. Every participant had to undergo a rank assessment, or they would not be allowed onto the stage.

Just as he was about to leave, Ji Xuanyuan sent someone to invite Xiao Fan to Cloud Rest Garden, saying there was an important matter to discuss.

Xiao Fan could make a stop at the Martial Arts Association along the way to undergo a rank assessment and register his information.

In the southern district of the city, an enormous arena under construction stood out in particular.

Two large tents had been erected beneath the arena, with queues winding outside them like long serpents. This was the temporary rank assessment site set up by the Martial Arts Association.

At a glance, there had to be at least a hundred people!

"Huh? Why are there so many applicants for this year's Nine Provinces Martial Tournament?" Xiao Fan wondered. He patted the young man in front of him and asked.

The young man ahead had delicate features and wore an embroidered silk robe, every inch the picture of grandeur. One look told Xiao Fan he was some young master from a powerful family out to experience common life.

"Oh? You didn't know? This year's Nine Provinces Martial Tournament has changed its rules. It's much more interesting than before!" The young man held a folding fan and spoke with great gusto.

Xiao Fan was like a country bumpkin entering the city, knowing nothing at all. "Oh! There's such a thing? Brother, please tell me more?"

"Haha, you've come to the right person. My father happens to have friends in the Martial Arts Association, so my information is guaranteed reliable!" The young man raised his brows with a proud smile.

Seeing the envious look in Xiao Fan's eyes—an act—he secretly relished it and continued, "In the past, the Nine Provinces Martial Tournament was a platform for Central Plains martial artists to exchange pointers and test each other."

"But this year is vastly different. Aside from Great Liang and Eastern Yue, the Martial Arts Association has also invited the Buddhist sects of the Western Regions, the East Sea Dragon Palace, and warriors from the Southern Frontier to the capital to compete!"

Xiao Fan was stunned by those words. "Whoa! That'll be lively enough."

Smack!

The young man snapped his fan shut. "Of course! The excitement is only the surface. This Nine Provinces Martial Tournament is meant to display Great Liang's national might! The imperial court has even prepared generous rewards!"

At the mention of rewards, Xiao Fan's true feelings immediately showed. His eyes gleamed. "What rewards?!"

"Hehe, take a guess?" The young man began to play coy.

Guess my ass! Xiao Fan's appetite had been thoroughly whetted, only for the man to maliciously cut things off there. It was infuriating!

Xiao Fan suppressed his irritation and forced out a smile. "If you ask me, Young Master doesn't actually know what the court's rewards are. You're deliberately trying to bluff me."

Provoked by that, the young man's face immediately fell. "Who says I don't know? I was among the first batch to hear the news, understand!"

"Ah, yes, yes, yes..." Xiao Fan's face was full of disbelief, though his words expressed agreement. It was a divine skill for shutting people down that he had learned on the internet in his previous life!

The young man was annoyed. He had to let this ignorant youth know just how badass he was!

"Let me tell you: the champion of this Nine Provinces Martial Tournament will be rewarded with a God-Tempering Pill!"

"Not only that—if the champion is a citizen of Great Liang, they may also cast off slave status or be granted a noble title!"

Whoa! Xiao Fan paused in slight surprise. He could not help but be tempted by these rewards. The court is really going all out. Either one of those rewards is an extra-large serving!

One had to understand what casting off slave status or being granted a noble title meant in a feudal era like this! It could change an entire family's fate.

Moreover, the God-Tempering Pill was priceless. It was an essential supplementary medicine for breaking through the great barrier of the seventh martial rank!

This stuff was difficult to obtain among the common folk. It was the sort of thing with a price but no market, and the means of refining it were basically controlled by the court and several large martial sects.

At that thought, Xiao Fan asked with some skepticism, "Is what you say true, Young Master?"

"Hmph! Could intelligence that comes from this young master's mouth possibly be false?" The young man instantly became haughty.

Xiao Fan kept his sunny smile, while the abacus in his heart clattered furiously...

This fellow actually knew so much insider information that had yet to be announced. He had some real connections... Xiao Fan absolutely had to make friends with him.

With that thought, he immediately put on an award-winning performance. "Oh my, look at my poor judgment. I had eyes yet failed to recognize Great Azure Mountain. May I ask who you are, Young Master, to know the court's internal news in advance?"

The young man was delighted—utterly delighted. He could hardly wait to let the other man know just what kind of "Great Azure Mountain" he was, so he could stare in shock!

"Since you're so desperate to know this young master's identity, I shall mercifully tell you."

"My father is the Chief Grand Secretary of Great Liang's Grand Secretariat! As for this young master..." The young man deliberately paused, waiting for the other to announce his name in the most awestruck tone possible!

"You are... the legendary Young Master Yu, one of the Four Young Masters of the capital?!"

Just as Xiao Fan had guessed, this man was none other than Yu Hao, the king of show-offs and one of the capital's four notorious dandies—known to everyone under heaven!

Xiao Fan truly did not disappoint Yu Hao. That blazing gaze, tangled with envy and jealousy, made Yu Hao feel incomparably pleased with himself!

"Ahem, keep it down. This young master rarely disguises himself and comes out. Don't shout it so loudly that the whole city finds out. If my father, Grand Secretary Yu, learns of it, I'll surely get a scolding when I return!" Yu Hao feigned reserve, but his voice only grew louder!

Well, now everyone nearby knew he was the eldest son of Grand Secretary Yu... Many people who had been waiting in line no longer cared about the queue. They dropped to their knees and flocked over, their flattery pouring forth like a tide.

Everyone in the capital knew one simple truth: if they could latch onto this lord, how many detours would they save themselves?

In the blink of an eye, Xiao Fan had been squeezed to the outer edge of the crowd. He simply smiled and moved to the very front of the line.

He had already accomplished his purpose. He knew the show-off king's identity and had left a distinctive impression in his mind. That was enough; there was no need for pointless groveling.

After completing the rank assessment, the Martial Arts Association gave him a palm-sized token to verify his identity during the tournament.

Xiao Fan put away the token and headed straight for Cloud Rest Garden. A certain royal young master was still waiting for him.

There it was again—that grand four-entry courtyard!

Standing before its vermilion-lacquered gates, Xiao Fan could not help but sigh. When will I be able to let my family live in a courtyard like this too?

In feudal times, there were some things you couldn't buy just by clutching a pile of silver... like this Cloud Rest Garden.

Merchants might be wealthy, but there were rules for opening an estate and building a residence. It wasn't something you could construct however you pleased.

Ji Xuanyuan had rewarded him with plenty of gold and silver. Buying a luxurious mansion in the northern district would have been no problem, but whether in terms of location or feng shui layout, it simply wasn't on the same level as these residences specially designated and built for such purposes.

"Young Master Xiao! Oh, you've finally come!" Before Xiao Fan could knock, the old steward rushed out from the courtyard in a frantic hurry.

Xiao Fan looked mildly surprised. "What happened? Don't tell me something happened to His Highness?"

"That's exactly it! Hurry, come with me!" The old steward was beside himself with anxiety.

No way... Wasn't he perfectly fine last night? What happened now? Xiao Fan was bewildered too, thinking that this young master truly was plagued by disasters.

The moment he entered the courtyard, he heard a crashing racket from the rear hall... as if someone were smashing things like mad!

Creak...

Xiao Fan pushed open the door and looked inside...

Good heavens! Young Master, please stop!!!

Xiao Fan dashed in with a single stride and caught the porcelain jar Ji Xuanyuan had thrown!

"Your Highness, you mustn't! These are all precious antiques!"

Looking at the shattered porcelain and jade scattered all over the floor, Xiao Fan's heart bled... Never mind whether they were antiques or not—sold on the black market, they would still fetch quite a sum.

"What antiques?! I'm about to die, and you still care about that?!" Ji Xuanyuan wailed miserably as he grabbed an exquisitely crafted blue-and-white porcelain vessel and hurled it at the floor!

Xiao Fan hurriedly dove forward, catching the blue-and-white porcelain jar and inspecting it carefully. Thankfully, it was undamaged...