The Martial Arts World is Full of Experts Chapter 64

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Zhang Xiaoyuan looked around nervously, trying to find a way to stop Mei Leng'an from continuing.

After Lin Yi spoke, Mei Leng'an smiled slightly and engaged in polite small talk. He didn't rush to announce his retirement. As they exchanged pleasantries, Zhang Xiaoyuan felt that if he thought quickly enough, he could prevent it all.

He looked at the people around him.

Eldest Senior Brother held his hand, looking tense. Second Senior Brother looked excitedly at Mei Leng'an, the words on his forehead still noisy.

The others at the table were young martial artists of the same generation, mostly outstanding youths in the martial arts world. Although Zhang Xiaoyuan didn't recognize their faces, a glance at their heads revealed that most of them were people he had heard of.

「Sikong Hao, aged 31, Sword Resentment Villa's Master, ranked 111th in the martial arts world, married to Flower Picker Sect's disciple Fan Lianlian. Despite his fierce temper, their relationship seemed harmonious. He was injured by the Demon Sect Elder Wen Chuge earlier in the year and has not recovered, making mobility difficult.」

「Fan Lianlian, 20 years old, Sword Resentment Villa's young Madam, Flower Picker Sect disciple, ranked 361st in the martial arts world. Before marrying Sikong Hao, she was a well-known beauty in the martial arts world with countless suitors, including many from prestigious families.」

Oh, the relationship seemed harmonious?

Zhang Xiaoyuan furrowed his brow, sensing that things were not as simple as they appeared.

Seated beside Fan Lianlian was Sikong Xuan, the master of Sword Resentment Villa's Wind and Thunder Hall, and the half-brother of Sikong Hao. With a genuinely handsome face and youthful appearance, the trio sitting together created the impression that he and Fan Lianlian were the couple.

As Zhang Xiaoyuan pondered, he suddenly saw Sikong Xuan lift his head, quickly glancing at Fan Lianlian. Their eyes met, and Fan Lianlian, with a coy smile, indicated that something had happened that Zhang Xiaoyuan wasn't aware of.

After a moment of silence, Zhang Xiaoyuan shifted his gaze to the two of them.

「Sikong Xuan, aged twenty-three, master of Sword Resentment Villa's Wind and Thunder Hall. He is one of Fan Lianlian's suitors, and their relationship has not been severed. Last night, without Sikong Hao's knowledge, they met in Xianglin.」

Zhang Xiaoyuan turned his gaze to Fan Lianlian.

Fan Lianlian had prominent words floating above her head.

Fan Lianlian: 「You devil~ what are you groping around for~」

Zhang Xiaoyuan: "......"

Zhang Xiaoyuan raised his wine glass, looking at Sikong Hao with a hint of sympathy in his gaze.

It was really unfortunate. His wife and brother were flirting right in front of him, and he remained completely oblivious.

However, for Zhang Xiaoyuan, this turned out to be an excellent opportunity.

Seizing the moment while Mei Leng'an and Lin Yi were still talking, Zhang Xiaoyuan approached Sikong Hao and said, "Big Brother Sikong and Sister-in-law seem to have a great relationship!"

Sikong Hao and he were not acquainted. When they first met, Zhang Xiaoyuan introduced himself as Zhang Gaoling's son. Sikong Hao politely smiled and didn't say much.

Zhang Xiaoyuan, filled with envy, exclaimed, "Last night, I saw Big Brother Sikong and Sister-in-law strolling in the night market. It was truly enviable. If I could have such a relationship in the future, that would be wonderful."

Sikong Hao paused. "Last night?"

Zhang Xiaoyuan nodded incessantly.

Sikong Hao looked at Fan Lianlian, repeating, "Last night?"

Fan Lianlian felt awkward and hurriedly said, "Last night, I never left the Scattered Blossom Palace. Little Brother, are you sure you didn't see it wrong?"

Zhang Xiaoyuan, innocently blinking, replied, "Maybe I misspoke. Last night, I didn't leave the Scattered Blossom Palace, but I saw Big Brother Sikong and Sister-in-law walking back hand in hand. What else could they be doing so late besides going to the night market in the mountain city?"

Sikong Hao: "......"

Fan Lianlian: "......"

Zhang Xiaoyuan sighed inwardly.

I'm sorry, both of you.

Although he really didn't want to get involved in the messy gossip of the martial arts world, nor did he want to expose the disputes within the families of the two, now as he looked around, this was the only thing that could cause chaos for the moment.

Sikong Hao, with a dark expression, looked at Fan Lianlian and said, "Shouldn't I wait for an explanation?"

Fan Lianlian, extremely nervous, stammered, "This is a misunderstanding."

Zhang Xiaoyuan softly made an "Ah" sound, as if suddenly recalling something. In a hushed tone, he mumbled, "Big Brother Sikong has an injury, but that person didn't seem like someone with impaired mobility..."

He stopped abruptly, hastily covering his mouth, picked up a glass of wine, using it as a distraction.

Sikong Hao forcefully set down his wine glass, shaking the dishes and utensils on the table. Even the people at nearby tables curiously glanced over. Fan Lianlian, extremely anxious, held onto his hand. "Listen to my explanation."

Sikong Xuan raised an eyebrow. "Explain what? Is there anything that needs explaining?"

Zhang Xiaoyuan: "......"

This was getting a bit thrilling.

Originally, he just wanted to witness some family discord, at least make Sikong Hao create a bit of a commotion, buying some time. However, he didn't expect Sikong Xuan to step forward directly and confront Sikong Hao. The situation suddenly became tense. Zhang Xiaoyuan even heard Jiang Jianyu, who had been staring at Mei Leng'an, exclaim in surprise, then shift his gaze to the confrontation between the Sikong brothers and Fan Lianlian.

Fan Lianlian, holding Sikong Hao's hand, anxiously said, "It's Senior Mei's birthday celebration here. Please don't cause trouble..."

"Cause trouble?" Sikong Hao sneered. "Who's causing trouble?"

He stood up decisively, bowed directly to Mei Leng'an, claimed he wasn't feeling well, ignored what others were saying, and walked away.

People started discussing, while Fan Lianlian remained in her seat, unsure whether she should go after him.

......

Lu Zhaoming frowned. "You went to bed so early last night. When did you see all this?"

"Eldest Senior Brother, I'll explain when we get back." Zhang Xiaoyuan hastily stood up. "I have urgent matters to attend to."

Lu Zhaoming puzzled. "Urgent matters?"

With Zhang Xiaoyuan's actions, Fan Lianlian finally decided to get up and chase after Sikong Hao. However, Sikong Xuan held onto her hand, not allowing her to leave. Amidst the chaos, Mei Leng'an's intended words naturally got stuck in his throat. He looked at the unfolding situation with astonishment. If it continued like this, it could only delay what Mei Leng'an wanted to say but wouldn't be able to stop him.

Zhang Xiaoyuan picked up a wine glass, rushed to the side of Ke Xingwen, and amidst the chaos, caught him, wanting to share a drink.

Ke Xingwen was puzzled, having no idea what Zhang Xiaoyuan intended.

Raising his wine glass, Zhang Xiaoyuan lowered his voice, leaned close to Ke Xingwen, and said, "I know what you want to do."

Ke Xingwen was already extremely nervous. Zhang Xiaoyuan's sudden remark nearly startled him to his feet. He stared wide-eyed at Zhang Xiaoyuan, unsure of how Zhang Xiaoyuan got information.

With many people around, and unsure if anyone noticed them, Zhang Xiaoyuan dared not elaborate. He could only try to lower his voice and lean in towards Ke Xingwen's ear, "A favor is a favor, but isn't gratitude towards a mentor also a favor?"

Ke Xingwen's expression changed, looking shocked at Zhang Xiaoyuan. "How did you know..."

Zhang Xiaoyuan grabbed Ke Xingwen's arm, signaling him not to talk.

He glanced at Mei Leng'an. With the commotion at the table now settled, Mei Leng'an seemed ready to return to the main topic.

Zhang Xiaoyuan didn't know how Lin Yi wanted to stir up the current situation, nor did he know what Lin Yi was trying to achieve. But judging from the stories he had heard from storytellers, if Lin Yi wanted to control the Scattered Blossom Palace, he would definitely find a way to support someone he could control to become the palace master after Mei Leng'an decided to retire.

That person wouldn't be Lu Yanfeng, as Mei Leng'an was determined to pass the leadership to him.

After careful consideration, Zhang Xiaoyuan felt that the only thing that could bring down both Mei Leng'an and Lu Yanfeng was the matter that Ke Xingwen and Mei Leng'an had mentioned in private conversation that night.

There were rumors within the sect that Mei Leng'an and Lu Yanfeng had some unclear, possibly unsavory, relationship.

Coupled with Mei Leng'an's past involvement in illicit affairs, especially with the former sect master, it was impossible for no one in the sect to know about it. Putting these two things together, it would probably be enough to completely ruin the reputation of both Mei Leng'an and Lu Yanfeng.

The perfect timing to drop the bombshell was obviously after Mei Leng'an declared his intention to retire and pass on the leadership to Lu Yanfeng.

Zhang Xiaoyuan asked Ke Xingwen, "Have you thought about the consequences?"

Ke Xingwen: "I..."

"What's the use of feeling guilty?" Zhang Xiaoyuan raised an eyebrow, questioning him. "If you know you'll feel guilty, why still go through with it?"

Ke Xingwen: "......"

Zhang Xiaoyuan: "Many things, once missed, can never be regained."

......

Ke Xingwen reciprocally held Zhang Xiaoyuan's hand, both holding wine glasses, giving the impression of a good relationship. Privately, he asked in a hushed tone, "Given the current situation, what should I do?"

Zhang Xiaoyuan: "Pretend to be ill."

Ke Xingwen: "Huh?"

Zhang Xiaoyuan had swiftly turned around, grabbing Ke Xingwen's shoulders, shouting loudly, "Young Hero Ke! What happened to you!"

Ke Xingwen: "......"

Ke Xingwen simply closed his eyes, leaned backward, intending to fall onto Zhang Xiaoyuan for support. Unfortunately, the position of his backward fall wasn't quite right, and Zhang Xiaoyuan failed to catch him. He slumped directly to the ground, the back of his head hitting the floor, causing him to wince in pain, but he had to endure it.

The person Mei Leng'an cared most about was Ke Xingwen. Zhang Xiaoyuan knew that if Ke Xingwen suddenly fainted, Mei Leng'an wouldn't be in the mood to announce any retirement from the martial arts world.

Fearful that others might not have noticed, Zhang Xiaoyuan shook Ke Xingwen's shoulders, loudly shouting, "Young Hero Ke! Wake up!"

His guess was spot on. Mei Leng'an hurriedly approached, grabbing Ke Xingwen's hand and asking, "Xingwen? What happened?"

Ke Xingwen kept his eyes tightly shut, seemingly truly unconscious, remaining silent.

Mei Leng'an, in a panic, hurriedly checked his pulse.

Zhang Xiaoyuan: "......"

Wait, Mei Leng'an was actually checking his pulse?!

This was bad.

Zhang Xiaoyuan hadn't anticipated this.

If Mei Leng'an checked the pulse, Ke Xingwen's feigned fainting would be exposed.

With several layers of people surrounding them now, Zhang Xiaoyuan felt increasingly anxious. Unsure of how to stop Mei Leng'an, he suddenly noticed Ke Xingwen's hand move slightly. Ke Xingwen's fingers hooked onto Mei Leng'an's wrist, gently tapping on the inner side of his wrist.

Except for Zhang Xiaoyuan, from the perspectives of others, they probably couldn't see Ke Xingwen's subtle actions. Mei Leng'an paused, as if suddenly understanding something. He held onto Ke Xingwen's hand, checking his pulse with a serious expression. "The pulse is chaotic, seems like there's a hint of demonic influence... I've advised him before that cultivating should not be rushed."

Zhang Xiaoyuan: "......"

He didn't believe it.

Could Mei Leng'an, with his martial arts skills, truly discern signs of demonic influence?

Mei Leng'an looked up at the others and said, "Everyone, my disciple's sudden condition may require me to take my leave for now. I will come back later to drink three cups as self-punishment and apologize to everyone."

The crowd expressed their understanding. Mei Leng'an helped Ke Xingwen up, furrowing his brows slightly. He looked at Zhang Xiaoyuan and said, "Young Hero Zhang, could you lend a hand?"

Zhang Xiaoyuan nodded hurriedly.

He was unaware of the meaning behind Ke Xingwen's subtle gesture, but Mei Leng'an seemed to understand, hence deliberately inviting him to follow along.

At least for today, he managed to put a stop to the situation.

Zhang Xiaoyuan breathed a sigh of relief.

Supporting Ke Xingwen, he looked up in the crowd to find Lin Yi. Even from a distance, he noticed a row of flames above Lin Yi's head. In a moment, he accidentally met Lin Yi's gaze. Shortly after, within those flames, the familiar words Zhang Xiaoyuan knew so well appeared once again.

「...🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥... Why is it Wang Henian's silly disciple again!」

Zhang Xiaoyuan: "......"