Chapter Forty-Four Begins

  The central square of Tianlang City was packed with people. Today's test between the various families would be held right here. Whether it was ordinary people who came to watch the excitement or warriors who wanted to gain experience, they had all chosen a spot with a good view near the square.

  The lord of the castle dispatched dozens of black-clad guards to the square, who stood guard at the edge of the square, separating the various families about to take the test and the crowd that had come to watch from each other, which finally stabilized the order inside.

  The heads of the sixteen families gathered in the square under the summons of the city master, and most of them came alone without bringing guards.

  The sixteen heads of the families were divided into three groups. The heads of the three major families stood in the center, five medium-sized family heads stood slightly further out, and the remaining eight weak and small family heads stood scattered at a distance.

  At this moment, the three family heads, Qin Feng of the Qin family, Lin Zhanbei of the Lin family, and Lan Yi of the Blue family, who each occupy a dominant position in Tianlang City, were exchanging pleasantries with each other. Lin Zhanbei and Lan Yi had a relatively good relationship, so they stood closer together, putting pressure on Qin Feng. The heads of the smaller families also positioned themselves according to their closeness to each of the three major families, some forming cliques, others standing in opposition. The tense atmosphere had already spread before the competition even began.

  Apart from the sixteen family heads, almost all the owners of large and small workshops, shops, wine houses, and jewelry pavilions in the city gathered in the square to watch the outcome of this competition.

  "Qin Feng, I'm afraid you'll have to excuse me again this year." Lin Zhanbei said with a stiff smile.

  Lan Yi smiled and said, "Brother Qin, I mean the same thing. My Lan family's rough hands didn't hold back, if they hurt any of the Qin family's children later, Brother Qin will have to forgive them."

  "It's your business if you can hurt him." Qin Feng's face didn't change at all, and he said calmly: "Of course, I think it's hard to hurt him too."

  "Qin brother is indeed calm and composed." Lin Zhanbei flicked a corner of his robe with some disdain, saying with a hint of pride: "However, Qin Feng, no matter how calm and composed you are, it's impossible to change the outcome. Every time I see you these past few years, you've had this expression on your face, but who knows if the result will be the same as before."

  Lin Zhan's words were spoken with great confidence, his tone carrying a hint of arrogance. As the first-place winner in the competition for three years running, he had earned the right to say such things.

  Qin Feng's face, with its sharp and stern lines, rarely showed a smile, but now he burst out laughing loudly: "I don't know what the outcome will be later. But I also need to ask for your understanding, esteemed heads of both families. Qin Hao is too reckless, if during the trial he accidentally hurts one of your young masters like last time, I'll have to ask you to forgive him again."

  "Qin Feng, Qin Hao is indeed formidable, but have you forgotten the format of this competition? Your Qin family still can't win." Lan Yi frowned and asked with a bad expression.

  "The outcome will be clear soon enough. There's no use talking more about it." Qin Feng cut in, his face once again expressionless.

  Unexpectedly, Lin Zhanbei didn't get angry with Qin Feng, but instead had a calm and collected expression: "Very good, you really think that just because you're a mere Condensed Mystique Tenth Order cultivator, you can run amok? I'll wait and see if Qin Hao is truly as arrogant as you claim."

  The conversation among the three came to an abrupt end. No one said another word, their eyes scanning the scene, taking in the surroundings.

  Just then, a group of people walked slowly from outside the field. The newcomers were all wearing light yellow robes, with their black hair tied up with light yellow silk ribbons. On the hem of their clothes, there was an embroidery of a small seal character "wood" in light blue color, which was the member of Tianlangmu family.

  After the people from the Wooden House entered, a line of men in white martial attire walked in. The "white" character embroidered on their chests made it clear that they were descendants of the White House.

  Row after row of boys wearing the same uniform and boots walked into the square. After entering, they all stood behind their respective family heads, with their hands down and standing silently.

  When the eleven young men, all dressed in blue robes with their hair tied back and jade pendants at their waists, walked into the room with an elegant demeanor, the commotion in the room gradually subsided until only a faint murmur remained. Qin Feng's face also revealed a hint of solemnity.

  Lan Yi couldn't help but reveal a hint of pride on his face upon seeing this scene. This was the young master of the Lan family, and in the city of Tian Lang, whoever saw him would unconsciously weaken by three points in terms of aura.

  Eleven people passed by, and a path was naturally cleared for them. Almost all eyes were focused on them, with expressions of admiration, disdain, fear, and reverence. The eleven people, however, stood behind Lan Yi, chest out and hands down, without looking around.

  And when the Lin family's young master also entered, the voices in the field finally quieted down completely. The Lin family's young master had occupied first place in the trials for three consecutive years, and it seemed that this position was as stable as Mount Tai, impossible to shake. Although they were a bit arrogant in their actions, simply as a martial artist, watching their performance was still worthy of praise.

  When the young master of the Lin family walked in with a spirited and confident demeanor, some of the heads of small families couldn't help but exchange glances, while the owners of various shops, Treasure Pavilion, and markets all had their thoughts stirred up.

  This city's strongest is indeed the Qin family, and among the older generation of the Qin family, their experts are also stronger than the other two families. It's just that the younger generation of the Qin family really isn't up to par.

  Whether a family can thrive and prosper depends on whether it has vitality, whether the younger generation can become the new blood of this family, maintain its normal operation, and the inheritance and prosperity of the family have never been supported by just a few powerful warriors. The Qin family is now strong, but what about when Qin Feng and those old guys in the Qin family leave one day? Can the remaining Qin family children really continue to carry on the glory of the Qin family? These are all the problems that some major forces in the city think about day and night.

  If it weren't for the city lord and the Qin family being relatively close, perhaps most of the forces would have already turned to the Lin and Lan families.

  Many people in the field were thinking about their future stance, and Qin Feng quietly observed the expressions of several family heads, his expression becoming increasingly solemn.

  This solemnity was soon broken, for Lin Bi, who stood in the middle of the eleven people, was caught by someone with sharp eyes.

  "Isn't that the master of Cai Ju Men? He dares to show up again." A low voice came from somewhere.

  "Who is the master of the gate picking chrysanthemum?" Someone asked solemnly.

  "Don't you know?"

  "Cut the crap, I know I can still ask you..."

  "Do you know what happened in the square a few days ago? The thing that happened to Lin Bi is all over the place."

  "Hmm, that's indeed an interesting matter, but what is this 'Cai Ju Men' thing?"

  "As for me, I'd say that the one who picked chrysanthemum at the gate is a character in the latest story. What? You ask where this latest story comes from? Isn't there a storyteller named 'Bo Jie' in our city? Bo Jie has created a complicated and touching love story based on this incident..."

  "Still talking about love stories? What kind of thing is this?"

  The murmurs started very small, only a few people could hear. But soon it was like a snowball rolling, the crowd discussing grew bigger and bigger, the voice also got louder and louder, until almost the whole audience was staring at Lin Bi's face which turned as red as pig liver. Even some serious-looking family members couldn't help but secretly laugh.

  "Ah! I'm not late, am I?"

  Suddenly, an old voice came, and then a wooden wheelchair was slowly pushed in by Ji Fan. An old man sat upright on the wheelchair. The old man had white hair, very old, with wrinkles all over his eyes, and his eyes looked dull. His feet were dry and thin, looking like he didn't even have the ability to stand up alone.

  The old man's voice was very small, but when the sound appeared, everyone's eyes turned to the entrance road, and then the entire square fell silent, without even a moment of transition.

  The old man sat quietly, allowing Ji Fan to push him in. His eyes were tightly closed, but at this moment, the masters of the house and the neighborhood were all secretly shocked.

  To be honest, there are indeed people in the arena who hate this old man to the bone. Especially Lin Zhanbei and Lan Yi, if it weren't for the appearance of Old Man Chen, the Qin family would have been completely defeated long ago, and all the major forces in Tianlang City would have been integrated by them. All of this was thoroughly destroyed by this old man. And those forces that rely on Lin Zhanbei and Lan Yi also have no less hatred for Old Man Chen.

  But at this moment, no one dares to think of it again.

  No, perhaps these people are all like wolves, clever, ferocious and dare to fight to the death, can bare their teeth and thoroughly tear apart all enemies in front of them. But when they face this frail old man sitting in a wheelchair, no one has such confidence anymore.

  This old man looked frail and harmless, but everyone remembered how he had wiped out the Wind family with just a few words back then, and they also remembered the fate that those foreign strongmen had suffered after showing off their strength in Tianlang City. Years of accumulated prestige had already shrouded him in layer upon layer of mystery.

  Like a lion standing at the peak, overlooking the world, no one knows where his claws will stretch: in front of this lion, no matter how fierce you are like a wolf, the outcome is no different from that of a chicken or a dog.

  The old lion slowly arrived at the center and moved in front of the three masters.

  "Old Chen." The three masters bowed their hands in unison. Even Lin Zhanbei and Lan Dou did not dare show any disrespect on their faces.

  The old man nodded and swept his gaze around the room, asking indifferently: "Qin Feng, why haven't any members of your Qin family arrived yet?"

  Qin Feng hastily replied, "Qin Hao will bring people here soon." Although he said so with his mouth, in his heart, he was somewhat puzzled. He had ordered Qin Hao to set out promptly, but unexpectedly, they still hadn't arrived by now.

  "Sorry about the delay. But it looks like I still made it on time."

  Another loud and clear voice directly rushed into everyone's ears, followed by, under the gaze of countless people in surprise, Qin Hao finally brought the ten members of the Qin family, swaggering in with an air of complacency.

  "However, I will seize the time." Chen Lao's voice was flat and even, with no hint of underlying meaning.

  Qin Feng hastily gave Qin Hao a signal with his eyes, indicating him to be careful what he said.

  "It's not too late anyway, and Uncle Chen shouldn't mind such a small matter." Qin Hao seemed to have not seen Qin Feng's expression, and continued to speak carelessly.

  Someone gloated in their heart, how can they be so disrespectful when interacting with this city master?

  Qin Feng's expression was also somewhat helpless. Just as he wanted to help Qin Hao make amends, Chen Lao waved his hand and stopped him: "It's nothing, this really doesn't count."

  Those people who were previously lucky and unlucky suddenly became stupid. When did this old man become so easy to get along with?

  Chen Lao nodded at Ji Fan, and after seeing him, he stood in the center of the square, his loud voice spreading throughout the scene.

  "The contest among all families begins now."