The Martial Arts World is Full of Experts Chapter 55

149

Zhang Xiaoyuan really wanted to decline.

But they had a common objective, and their understanding was remarkable. If he refused here, there might be encounters in the future, so it was better to travel together. Mei Leng'an and Ke Xingwen had their own carriage, and they wouldn't stay together at night anyway. It was better than encountering each other in strange places later on.

Zhang Xiaoyuan looked at Lu Zhaoming, seeking his approval. However, Lu Zhaoming turned away and looked at Hua Liuque.

Whether to travel with the people from the Scattered Blossom Palace or not, they should first ask for Hua Liuque's opinion.

Since Ke Xingwen and Mei Leng'an appeared, Hua Liuque had been uncomfortable. He didn't speak and didn't look in their direction, pretending to enjoy the courtyard's beauty. He knew Lu Zhaoming was watching him but refused to turn his gaze back, only saying, "I'll listen to Eldest Senior Brother."

Zhang Xiaoyuan looked at Hua Liuque's head and finally saw a sentence emerging.

「Don't look back. Looking back means you lose!」

Zhang Xiaoyuan turned to look at Mei Leng'an.

Mei Leng'an had a line of text floating above his head.

「Don't acknowledge. If you do, you lose!」

Zhang Xiaoyuan: "......"

Wait, what's going on here?

Mei Leng'an recognized Hua Liuque?

He frowned, then suddenly saw Mei Leng'an let out a deep sigh. The text above his head underwent a new change.

「It's a pity. Just when I finally persuaded Wenwen to travel together...」

Zhang Xiaoyuan looked at Ke Xingwen.

Ke Xingwen didn't have any thoughts. His invitation for Zhang Xiaoyuan and others to travel together seemed sincere. Seeing Zhang Xiaoyuan looking at him, he smiled friendly and asked, "Young Hero Zhang, how about it?"

Lu Zhaoming didn't object. As Zhang Xiaoyuan was about to nod in agreement, he faintly felt something was amiss. With his Eldest Senior Brother present, why did Ke Xingwen directly ask him? Wanting to assert Eldest Senior Brother's authority, he turned and loudly asked Lu Zhaoming, "Eldest Senior Brother! What do you think?"

Lu Zhaoming nodded.

Zhang Xiaoyuan: "If my Eldest Senior Brother says it's fine, then it's fine!"

Ke Xingwen nodded and continued to tend to the horses. Zhang Xiaoyuan turned around, wanting to discuss matters about Mei Leng'an and Hua Liuque with Eldest Senior Brother. With only two carriages, no matter how they split, there would inevitably be an extra person on one of the carriages.

Hua Liuque couldn't be present, and Cao Zilian and Ashner weren't very familiar. It would be strange to suddenly bring the Second Senior Brother over.

Zhang Xiaoyuan had a sudden inspiration, recalling that Lu Zhaoming once mentioned that Jiang Jianyu's mother used to be a tailor in Fengji County, and Jiang Jianyu himself was skilled in needlework.

Although Zhang Xiaoyuan couldn't imagine what it would be like for the towering Jiang Jianyu, the emperor's elder brother, to engage in sewing, it was indeed an excellent excuse.

Zhang Xiaoyuan turned and grabbed Lu Zhaoming's arm, pitifully saying, "Eldest Senior Brother, my clothes are torn."

Lu Zhaoming didn't immediately respond. He was clearly taken aback. "Ah?"

Jiang Jianyu indeed heard.

He rolled up his sleeves, indicating his proficiency in this matter. Retrieving needle and thread from his bundle without hesitation, he crawled over to join them on the carriage.

Hua Liuque and Cao Zilian, both with leg injuries, stayed together. Fortunately, Ashner knew how to handle the carriage, and they didn't suspect anything. Only then did Zhang Xiaoyuan breathe a sigh of relief. Then, he felt a bit embarrassed to admit, "Second Senior Brother, my clothes aren't actually damaged."

Moreover, whenever his clothes were damaged, he simply discarded them. Growing up, he had never worn patched clothing.

Jiang Jianyu looked puzzled. "Then why did you say your clothes were damaged just now?"

Zhang Xiaoyuan lowered his voice and told Jiang Jianyu, "I wanted to talk to you and Eldest Senior Brother about Hua Liuque."

......

Zhang Xiaoyuan's carriage led the way, with the noisy sounds on the road making it impossible for the carriage behind to hear their conversation.

Jiang Jianyu still held an embroidery needle, momentarily looking confused. He asked, "Little Liuque? What about him?"

Lu Zhaoming had lifted the carriage curtain. This time, he finally caught up with Zhang Xiaoyuan's train of thought. He said, "It seems like he doesn't mind."

"I'm a bit worried." Zhang Xiaoyuan frowned. "Elder Mei and Young Hero Ke must remember him, but they don't say anything. We don't know what exactly happened back then."

Jiang Jianyu understood.

He nodded. "Don't worry. If we can meet again, it's not a significant issue."

Zhang Xiaoyuan propped up his chin. "But I think it's a big deal."

Jiang Jianyu put away the needle and thread, placing the items back in his bundle. As he spoke, he said, "I'm more curious about another matter. Why did Master Mei choose to travel alone?"

Zhang Xiaoyuan: "What do you mean alone? Clearly, he's traveling with someone."

Jiang Jianyu: "That's still a bit strange."

Lu Zhaoming was even more straightforward.

"They are a couple," he stated plainly. "Nothing strange about it."

Jiang Jianyu: "......"

Jiang Jianyu was utterly stunned.

Lu Zhaoming: "I was surprised when I first found out."

Despite his calm demeanor, his tone was devoid of any ripples, showing no sign of surprise.

Zhang Xiaoyuan coughed and took the initiative to explain the situation to Jiang Jianyu, "Young Hero Ke originally stayed next door to us..."

Jiang Jianyu was even more shocked. "You all heard that!"

Zhang Xiaoyuan: "...I didn't!"

Lu Zhaoming frowned. "We overheard some of their conversation."

Jiang Jianyu couldn't help but exclaim, "You actually heard it, tsk tsk, and you didn't wake me up, tsk tsk tsk."

Zhang Xiaoyuan: "......"

Zhang Xiaoyuan wore a puzzled expression.

Did Second Senior Brother misunderstand something? Even if it was a misunderstanding, why would they wake him up?

Lu Zhaoming was unaffected by Jiang Jianyu's words. He remained serious, discussing the main topic, "Elder Mei mentioned that he plans to retire on his birthday and pass on the leadership to his junior brother, Lu Yanfeng."

"This birthday celebration is going to be lively." Jiang Jianyu rubbed his chin, already looking forward to the upcoming drama. "With such a significant age difference between the master and disciple, they are still genuinely in love."

Lu Zhaoming added, "Lu Yanfeng seems to have some connection with them as well."

Jiang Jianyu's eyes lit up. "More stories?"

Lu Zhaoming glanced at Zhang Xiaoyuan, who immediately understood. He retrieved a stack of the Martial Arts World's Secrets Digest from under the chicken coop and handed it to Jiang Jianyu.

Jiang Jianyu flipped through a few pages, his eyes practically shining with excitement. "There's such good stuff!"

Zhang Xiaoyuan: "I still think Hua Liuque's situation is not simple."

"It's alright. He won't accompany us into the Scattered Blossom Palace," Lu Zhaoming said. "I'll leave him in the mountain city beneath the Scattered Blossom Palace. As long as he doesn't cause trouble by going out, he won't encounter people from the Scattered Blossom Palace."

Zhang Xiaoyuan propped up his chin. "But what if he does cause trouble?"

Lu Zhaoming: "......"

Lu Zhaoming paused for a while before slowly saying, "With a broken leg, he won't be causing trouble."

Zhang Xiaoyuan inexplicably felt a twinge in his knee.

Jiang Jianyu turned another page of the Martial Arts World's Secrets Digest. "Senior Brother, you're too harsh. You won't find a wife this way."

Lu Zhaoming retorted, "You're not harsh, but do you have a wife?"

The twenty-seven-year-old bachelor, Jiang Jianyu, froze mid-flip.

Lu Zhaoming continued, "Master and Martial Uncle aren't harsh. Do they have one?"

Zhang Xiaoyuan: "......"

Eldest Senior Brother really knew how to speak.

Zhang Xiaoyuan glanced at Jiang Jianyu's gloomy expression and thought, if it weren't for Eldest Senior Brother's martial arts skills, Second Senior Brother might have kicked him off the carriage right there.

Eldest Senior Brother's high martial arts skills and incredible luck really saved the day, Zhang Xiaoyuan muttered in his mind.

After all, with Eldest Senior Brother's straightforward temper, he might not have lived past his twenties.

150

After several days of travel, they finally arrived at Xianglin, beneath the Scattered Blossom Palace.

Scattered Blossom Palace was located at the summit of Xianglin Mountain, with the mountain city situated halfway up. Most residents in the city were ordinary people with little connection to Scattered Blossom Palace. Within Xianglin Mountain, countless flowers adorned the landscape, creating breathtaking scenery. As they entered Xianglin Mountain, Zhang Xiaoyuan climbed from the carriage to Lu Zhaoming's side, finally experiencing the sensation of leaving the sect to explore the mountains and rivers.

Today was Mei Leng'an's birthday, and many martial artists who had left the Martial Arts Alliance gathered here. The road outside Xianglin Mountain city was bustling with people. Although the city gate was still a distance away, Zhang Xiaoyuan unexpectedly saw several disciples dressed in Scattered Blossom Palace attire waiting. This was beyond Zhang Xiaoyuan's expectations. He had thought Scattered Blossom Palace disciples would only greet esteemed guests outside their mountain gate.

Upon closer inspection, those disciples from Scattered Blossom Palace, though very polite to the arriving martial artists, did not welcome them. They seemed more like they were waiting for someone.

Zhang Xiaoyuan vaguely felt something was amiss.

Several young disciples from the Scattered Blossom Palace followed a young man who appeared to be in his prime. Carrying a long sword with a cold demeanor, he was heading towards them.

More precisely, he was looking at Mei Leng'an's carriage.

When they set off today, Ke Xingwen intentionally had the carriage lead the way. Zhang Xiaoyuan didn't think much of it at the time, but now, as Ke Xingwen instructed the carriage to stop, they had no choice but to follow suit. Nervously, Zhang Xiaoyuan looked at the man atop the carriage and speculated that he must be here to bring Mei Leng'an back to the Scattered Blossom Palace.

DING.

「Lu Yanfeng, the Chief Disciplinary Elder of Scattered Blossom Palace, grew up with his senior brother, Mei Leng'an, since childhood, fostering a strong bond with him. Possessing exceptional martial arts skills, he holds the thirty-first position in the martial arts world rankings.」

Thirty-first. Lu Yanfeng should be around the age of maturity. His martial arts skills were indeed terrifying.

Lu Yanfeng respectfully helped Mei Leng'an off the carriage. Apart from the reverence for his senior brother, there was no other expression on his face. Ke Xingwen was polite to him, and as Zhang Xiaoyuan observed Lu Yanfeng supporting Mei Leng'an's arm, there was no hint of jealousy. Looking at the three of them, Zhang Xiaoyuan thought that the rumors about their complicated relationships were false. Mei Leng'an and Ke Xingwen were the real couple, likely victims of malicious gossip.

The carriage came to a sudden stop, with Ashner's carriage at the rear. He was quite puzzled and, after peering from behind for a while, couldn't help but inquire in somewhat inaccurate Mandarin, "What's happening?"

After a moment, a head emerged from one side of the carriage window. Cao Zilian on the left side struggled to extend his neck to look out, anxiously asking, "Are we at the inn? Is it time for dinner? Can we have meat today?"

On the right side, Hua Liuque poked his head out, looking pale and speaking in a shaky tone, "The mountain road is too bumpy. I feel so nauseous—"

He halted mid-sentence, abruptly swallowing the latter part of his words. At that moment, a line of bold words jumped out above his head.

「It's not too late for me to run now.」

Immediately, he contradicted himself.

「But my leg is broken... Ah, that Lu Zhaoming, that jerk!!」

He suddenly pulled his head back inside.

Zhang Xiaoyuan keenly perceived.

There was definitely a story behind all this!