Chapter 3

How dare someone criticize Yuan Shao for being unfair in his dealings!

The festive atmosphere came to an abrupt halt, and everyone's gaze turned curiously toward the source of the voice.

Yuan Fang, standing in the corner, was also quite surprised. He looked up and saw that the critic was Tian Feng.

Yuan Shao frowned and said in a deep voice, "Yuan Hao, what do you mean by that?"

Tian Feng stood up, bowed, and said seriously, "My lord, by age, the second son should marry first, followed by the third son. Now, my lord has chosen the third son for this marriage, which is against propriety and fairness."

"Indeed, Tian Feng is truly upright and incorruptible. If I had a minister like him, I would certainly give him a prominent position..."

Yuan Fang, hidden in the corner, nodded in approval, greatly admiring Tian Feng. It wasn't because Tian Feng was speaking up for him, but because Tian Feng dared to disregard Yuan Shao's personal preferences and uphold justice.

However, a hint of displeasure flashed in Yuan Shao's eyes, clearly dissatisfied with Tian Feng's words and actions.

He did not lose his temper, but forced down his dissatisfaction and said calmly, "Yuan Hao's words are not without merit. However, this marriage was proposed by Brother Ziran. How can I make a unilateral decision? Brother Ziran, why don't you choose one of my sons to be your son-in-law?"

All eyes turned to Zhen Yi.

Yuan Shao did not want to be seen as unfair, so he passed the ball back to Zhen Yi.

Yuan Fang saw through Yuan Shao's intentions at a glance and was even more impressed by his tactics.

Zhen Yi first looked at the "handsome" Yuan Xi and then at the "crippled" Yuan Fang, his eyes filled with difficulty.

After a few coughs, Zhen Yi sighed, "Actually, my daughter has sworn to marry only a man of both literary and martial prowess, so..."

Zhen Yi did not say it outright, but the implication was clear. The key was the "martial" aspect.

Yuan Fang was a cripple, and if he were to fight, he probably couldn't even beat a woman. How could he be considered "martial"?

Zhen Yi's words clearly indicated that he was politely choosing Yuan Xi as his son-in-law.

Yuan Xi looked at Yuan Fang, his eyes filled with challenge and disdain.

Yuan Fang, however, felt pity for them.

Zhen Yi thought he was making a good deal by climbing the Yuan family tree, but he didn't know that the Yuan family would be defeated by Cao Cao, and none of the Yuan family members would survive.

The crowd's gazes turned to Yuan Fang, some with disdain and others with regret, all thinking that as a cripple, Yuan Fang had no chance of being both literary and martial. If he were sensible, he should have given up.

But Yuan Fang remained silent, watching their hypocritical faces.

Seeing that Yuan Fang did not refuse, Yuan Xi's face showed annoyance. At this moment, Yuan Tan leaned over and whispered a few words in his ear.

Yuan Xi's lips curled into a sinister smile, and he stood up, bowing to Yuan Shao, "Since Uncle Zhen has set this condition, I do not wish to put Father in a difficult position. I request to compete in swordsmanship with my second brother."

Yuan Xi wanted to compete with Yuan Fang in martial arts, clearly intending to defeat him in front of everyone to show his superiority in martial arts, thus meeting Zhen Yi's requirements for choosing a son-in-law.

Yuan Shao nodded slightly, "Very well, you two can spar."

Yuan Fang was a cripple, and how could he be a match for Yuan Xi? The outcome of this competition was clear even before it began.

Yuan Shao, knowing this, still agreed, clearly favoring Yuan Xi.

"Victory over a cripple is not a true victory; even if he wins, it is a defeat..."

Tian Feng saw through Yuan Shao's favoritism, but since the competition appeared fair on the surface, he could not say anything more and could only shake his head in silent disapproval.

With Yuan Shao's approval, Yuan Xi turned to Yuan Fang, his eyes filled with disdain, and sneered, "Second brother, do you dare to compete in swordsmanship with me? If you don't have the courage, you can always give up."

All eyes were on Yuan Fang, and everyone thought that he would surely give up the competition and let Yuan Xi have Zhen Yi's daughter.

Otherwise, would he really be so foolish as to challenge Yuan Xi and be humiliated in public?

Even Xiaocha, standing nearby, signaled Yuan Fang to give up, as she did not want to see her master be defeated and humiliated in front of everyone.

Yuan Fang's expression was calm, and he looked steadily at Yuan Xi's challenging face.

But inside, his anger was burning fiercely.

"I have been tolerant, but you keep pushing me. Now you want to humiliate me in public, Yuan Xi. Do you really think I am easy to bully?"

Amidst the disdainful gazes, Yuan Fang slowly stood up, limping to the center of the hall, standing tall and facing Yuan Xi calmly.

"Since that's the case, I'll accompany my third brother for a few rounds."

Yuan Fang's demeanor was composed, and his tone was calm, as if he didn't take Yuan Xi's challenge seriously at all.

The hall erupted in a buzz of whispers.

"What's wrong with the second son? He's usually timid and weak, but today he's so bold, daring to accept the third son's challenge!"

"Yes, when he came in, I noticed his demeanor was different from usual, much more composed."

"I think he's just pretending to be composed. A cripple like him, daring to challenge the second son, isn't he just asking for humiliation?"

The whispers in the hall were filled with surprise, shock, and mostly disdain.

"The second son has such courage, which is quite impressive..." Tian Feng stroked his beard, muttering to himself, his eyes filled with surprise and admiration.

Even Yuan Shao was taken aback, seemingly unable to believe that his crippled illegitimate son had become so different today.

Behind Zhen Yi, the female servant dressed as a male servant showed a hint of surprise and nodded slightly.

Yuan Xi, however, was stunned, his face filled with disbelief.

The brother who had always been submissive and let them bully him, not only hit his maid today but also dared to challenge him openly for a woman.

Yuan Xi could hardly believe that the person standing before him was Yuan Fang.

After a moment of shock, Yuan Xi was enraged and shouted, "Bring me a sword!"

The servants quickly brought two long swords.

Yuan Xi glanced at Yuan Fang with disdain and said arrogantly, "Second brother, you have a leg ailment, and I don't want to take advantage of you. I don't want people to say I won unfairly. Today, you can use a sword, and I will fight you unarmed."

Yuan Xi was extremely confident, not taking Yuan Fang seriously at all. He believed that even if he fought with one hand, he could easily defeat Yuan Fang.

Yuan Fang, however, smiled faintly, "I don't need your handicap. Let's fight sword to sword and see who is better."

This statement caused another wave of surprise. Not only did Yuan Fang dare to accept the challenge, but he also refused Yuan Xi's offer to fight unarmed.

Has he gone mad? Has the second son lost his mind today?

This thought crossed the minds of most people, as they could not find any other reasonable explanation.

Yuan Xi, however, was even more furious. In his view, Yuan Fang's refusal to accept his handicap was a public insult and humiliation.

"Very well, since the second brother is so confident, I'll see your sword skills."

Yuan Xi snorted coldly, snatched the sword, and raised it, the cold blade pointing at Yuan Fang.

Yuan Fang, however, was not in a hurry. He calmly picked up the other sword and stood with it.

The hall fell silent, and all eyes were on the two brothers.

To most people, this was a competition with no suspense; Yuan Xi was sure to win.

Everyone was just curious how many rounds it would take for Yuan Xi to defeat his crippled brother.

Yuan Fang's eyes were fixed on Yuan Xi. He guessed that Yuan Xi would attack his left side, where his leg was crippled, to win quickly and humiliate him.

A cold smile appeared on Yuan Xi's face, and he lunged at Yuan Fang with a swift step.

The sword tip aimed directly at Yuan Fang's left chest.

"Indeed, hum, Yuan Xi, let you taste the humiliation of being humiliated in public."

Yuan Fang's calm face suddenly showed a fierce expression.

The sword tip was just three inches away when Yuan Fang's "crippled leg" moved, and his body agilely shifted to the side.

Yuan Xi's confident expression suddenly changed, never expecting Yuan Fang to be so agile.

In shock, he couldn't retract his move in time, and his sword missed, passing by Yuan Fang.

In the next moment, Yuan Fang's body turned agilely, and his sword smoothly extended, already at Yuan Xi's neck.

The outcome was clear in one move.

Yuan Fang had defeated Yuan Xi in front of everyone with just one move.

Everyone was stunned, their eyes wide open, as if they were seeing an illusion.

Yuan Shao's mouth opened slightly, and the stern expression on his face showed surprise. The result of this competition was far beyond his expectations.

Zhen Yi was also surprised, unable to understand why this had happened.

Xiaocha was overjoyed, never expecting the divine medicine the second son had taken to work at this critical moment.

Most people in the hall were amazed, unable to believe that the Yuan family's crippled illegitimate son had actually defeated the noble Yuan Xi.

Even Tian Feng was greatly surprised, unable to accept this astonishing fact.

Behind Zhen Yi, the female servant dressed as a male servant, after the initial surprise, showed a hint of joy.

"Third brother, you have lost."

Under the astonished gazes, Yuan Fang gracefully sheathed his sword, turning his back to the stunned Yuan Xi, not even sparing him a glance.

——

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