Heroes gathered, the court took the matter seriously, fortunes shifted, ghosts and gods patrolled, and the Heavenly Court watched. This martial arts gathering was lively indeed. Yi Shuyuan neither wanted to tug one hair and set the whole body moving nor forgot that his transformation into Long Feiyang was ultimately only a guise. Guiding a trustworthy junior to lend a hand was naturally the safer choice.
Yi Shuyuan was in quite a good mood when he left A Fei. The lad had not been idling his days away; he seemed to have made considerable progress. Especially when Yi Shuyuan pointed out his heart's devotion to martial arts, he could directly see A Fei's fortune rising.
In A Fei's present state, unless his luck was abysmal beyond belief, he could not possibly lose in the opening rounds. That would give Yi Shuyuan time to keep helping him improve.
A Fei was not the only person Yi Shuyuan admired. Emotionally, of course he hoped A Fei could take first place, but A Fei was certainly not the only one worthy of it.
However lively the sleepless city of Moon City might be, its bustle still waxed and waned with the hour. By the fourth watch, although lanterns and decorations still adorned every part of the city, it had plainly begun to quiet down. Some restaurants had stopped calling for customers. After all, travelers heading to Moon Province who felt they truly could not make it would camp outside for the night.
With fewer people around, certain unusual things became more noticeable.
Yi Shuyuan walked along a street in the city, his gaze sweeping the roadside. A shop assistant dozed at one entrance, swaying as he leaned against the doorframe. Inside a shop on the other side, a married couple washed their pots