Chapter 86. A figure who has recently been shaking the martial world.

Hou Gong smiled slightly at the woman and immediately averted his gaze.

Beauty must contain some kind of inexplicable magic.

A smile naturally formed on his lips.

If it's a familiar face, the heart is even more drawn to it.

'That girl has become even more beautiful.'

He recognized her at first glance.

The beauty was the youngest daughter of the current Nan Gong family head.

Nan Gong Xiao Ye.

It had been about a year since he last saw her.

In that time, her beauty had blossomed like a flower in full bloom.

Perhaps it was because she was in her prime.

Xiao Ye was close friends with Zhuge Hui, who was like a niece, and came to the Martial Alliance more often than her father, the family head.

"Nan Gong young lady, is there anyone outside?"

Nan Gong Xiao Ye, who had been staring blankly out the window, reacted to the voice.

Pang Wu Jue, who was sitting opposite her, had said something, but she hadn't heard it.

"Just now... what did you say?"

Today's gathering included six young heirs from prestigious families, including Nan Gong Xiao Hui, who had attended for the upcoming Heavenly Dragon Tournament.

Pang Wu Jue, who had taken it lightly, repeated what he had said.

"Haha, I just asked if there was anyone outside."

"Oh! One of the elders of our family is probably bringing a guest here for a meal."

"Is that so? If it's someone the elder is escorting, they must be a highly respected figure in the martial world."

Someone who had overheard the conversation joined in.

"It would be a great honor to join them. What do you all think?"

"If it's a high-ranking elder, it might be better to ask their opinion first."

"Of course."

Xiao Ye also secretly wished to join them.

It seemed possible.

Despite her young appearance, she had a reason to want to join.

Just one reason.

Because she truly saw him for the first time today.

'For Qibidan Hun to show such tenderness...’

The scene was so absurd that she wondered if she had seen it wrong. She knew Qibidan Hun well, having seen him since childhood, and he was far from tender. He had no intonation or expression.

He only smiled to mock.

He had never shown a warm smile, even to her. She had even thought that people were naturally like that, but here he was, smiling tenderly at a young scholar.

No, it wasn't just tenderness.

He was even giving a warm, friendly smile.

'Who could this be?'

Curiosity wasn't just Xiao Ye's.

Everyone was curious about who the distinguished guest would be when Hou Gong and his group ascended to the third floor.

Then, everyone's curiosity turned to surprise.

The person who appeared was too unexpected for everyone.

"Haha, is it really the eldest son of the Heavenly Flower Pavilion?"

"I didn't expect to meet you here."

"You look completely different from what I imagined. Ah, of course, in a good way, so don't misunderstand."

The reactions were enthusiastic as soon as Qibidan Hun introduced him.

After all, the person who had recently been shaking the martial world was none other than the 'eldest son of the Heavenly Flower Pavilion.'

From a genius who once yearned for death,

To the one who saved a family on the brink of destruction.

The one who brought down one of the Ten Great Families, the Ximen family.

A rising star in the martial world.

Rumors had it that he had hired an assassin to kill himself but then changed his mind and was trying to destroy the assassination organization, leading to speculation that he might be a 'psychopath.'

With so many descriptors,

Everyone had been eager to meet the person included in the guest list for the Heavenly Dragon Tournament.

"Junior, are we invisible right now?"

"Yes. No one is looking at me even though we didn't use stealth. I feel bad. I'm sad."

Feeling left out as the attention was focused on one side, the beggars looked dejected. Only then did Qibidan Hun introduce the beggars and Miaobingbing. This time, everyone was surprised for a different reason.

They thought the beggars were just standing there aimlessly.

They thought they were just passing by to beg, but when they learned that they were the disciples of the current leader of the Beggar Sect, everyone's perception changed.

Miaobingbing also received attention as the eldest daughter of the Baihua Hall, a prestigious family in northern Anhui.

The young heirs of the Ten Great Families also introduced themselves.

Hou Gong looked at each of them with a gentle expression.

They were the future of this era,

The young sprouts of the martial world.

Pang Wu Jie of the Hebei Pang family.

Huang Bao Zhong Xian of the Huang Bao family.

Sima Jiang of the Sima family.

Yan Jiao Yun of the Pearl Yan family.

And two women.

Yue Ying Shan of the Shandong Yue family, with her adorable beauty and prominent dimples when she smiled, and the dazzlingly beautiful Nan Gong Xiao Ye.

Some had conversed before, and some were meeting for the first time, but all had bright expressions and sharp eyes, making Hou Gong feel good just by looking at them.

As they sat down and the dishes were served, questions poured in.

"I was shocked to hear about the Ximen family. Who would have known they were committing evil under the guise of a prestigious family? Their threats must have been severe. How did you face them?"

Huang Bao Zhong Xian started,

"Is it true that the Ximen family head activated his latent potential?"

"I heard that the illusionary array surrounding the Heavenly Flower Pavilion is incredibly sophisticated. Does it contain the art of killing?"

"There are rumors that the eldest son's sword skills are exceptional. Did you have a fortuitous encounter?"

They bombarded him with questions.

Hou Gong gave vague answers and passed the credit to other sects.

"The rumors in the martial world are exaggerated. The Heavenly Flower Pavilion is not a martial family, and I am not extraordinary. The Ximen family was stopped entirely by the heroes of the Beggar Sect and the prestigious families of northern Anhui. Without them, the Heavenly Flower Pavilion would have been in great trouble."

The Silver Beggar nodded.

"Right, right, it was our Beggar Sect. Ahem~."

"What? It was our Baihua Hall! Anyway, the Beggar Sect always sticks its nose in everything."

Miaobingbing shot back at the arrogant Silver Beggar.

Hou Gong chuckled inwardly.

'Bingbing has really improved her perception.'

These guys were trying to support his intentions. While the Beggar Sect's judgment was understandable, Miaobingbing's quick response showed that her time with the Heavenly Gong Sect wasn't wasted.

Even Xiaotian Beggar joined in.

"Hey, the Heavenly Flower Pavilion is just mediocre. They were just stomping their feet, trying to do something. You know? The final blow to the Ximen family head was dealt by our Beggar Sect. Nom nom nom..."

"Hahaha!"

Thinking it was just a joke, Hou Gong burst out laughing.

He couldn't help it. This was the charm of the Beggar Sect.

It was hard to hate them.

Xiaotian Beggar's story wasn't entirely made up, and the memories of the situation made Hou Gong unable to stop laughing.

Qibidan Hun, who had already heard the details from the Silver Beggar, laughed heartily.

"..."

"..."

"..."

However, the onlookers were skeptical.

They thought it was just a joke when he didn't get angry at the insult, but then they wondered how the Heavenly Flower Pavilion could have dealt with the Ximen family without external help.

- Sister, what do you think?

Yue Ying Shan sent a mental message.

Nan Gong Xiao Hui subtly shook her head.

- It's a lie.

- Why? You see something different?

- Because of the family elder. That's not how he usually smiles. I keep being surprised. He's changed.

- How was he before?

- I saw him smile for the first time today.

- Really? What happened to him?

- Yes, I'm sure. Zhuge Hui told me something.

- Zhuge Sister?

- Yes. The leader said that when a martial artist suddenly changes, there are only two possibilities. One is being beaten, and the other is taking medicine.

- So, he took medicine? The Medicine King Sect isn't far.

- What are you talking about? He was beaten.

- No way.

- It would be good to test it.

- Should I ask Pang Gongzi?

- Should I?

The mental message concluded.

Yue Ying Shan secretly sent another mental message to Pang Wu Jie. Pang Wu Jie then discussed with Yan Jiao Yun.

Meanwhile, Hou Gong was chatting with Huang Bao Zhong Xian and Sima Jiang, subtly asking about the parts he was curious about.

The current situation of the Zhuge family and the participants in the Heavenly Dragon Tournament,

The answers were as expected.

Only two elders from the Zhuge family would attend this Heavenly Dragon Tournament.

Huang Bao Zhong Xian added,

"You've heard of Wu Gong, the leader of the Martial Alliance? It's because of him. He passed away recently, and the Zhuge family hasn't recovered from the shock. The relationship between Wu Gong and the Zhuge family was that close. There are no external activities, and I heard that the Zhuge military strategist has been in seclusion since leaving the alliance."

"Hmm, I see."

Hou Gong nodded. It was still too soon.

Time is the only medicine. It would take about a year to accept it.

The children of Tianzhan,

The Zhuge family.

In the meantime, Hou Gong sensed the atmosphere becoming subtle.

Nan Gong Xiao Ye and Yue Ying Shan's eyes were busy, and their lips were moving, as if exchanging mental messages. It seemed like the situation was spreading to Pang Wu Jie and Yan Jiao Yun, and they were up to something.

'These kids, what are they planning?'

They were in their prime.

At this age, it's better to try things out than to just measure them.

Of course, the target of their plan would be him.

He could roughly guess, so he watched calmly.

"Eldest Son."

"..."

Yan Jiao Yun spoke up.

"I secretly expected the Heavenly Flower Pavilion's martial skills to be impressive, but if they are mediocre, I am greatly disappointed."

"..."

It seemed to have started.

Yan Jiao Yun slightly twisted his lips and continued.

"Brother Fan, to ease my disappointment, may I pour you a drink?"

"Of course."

Hou Gong raised his cup.

Yan Jiao Yun grabbed the wine bottle and tilted it.

But for some reason, not a drop of wine came out.

"Ah? That's strange. The bottle is full, but the wine isn't coming out."

Yan Jiao Yun frowned with a smirk.

Hou Gong almost chuckled.

'Kid, you're clumsy but decent.'

The clumsiness was because,

Hou Gong knew Yan Jiao Yun.

He had met and talked with him when visiting the Pearl Yan family. Jiao Yun was so gentle and polite that it was worrying how he would navigate the harsh martial world.

His personality was similar to the youngest son of the Heavenly Flower Pavilion, Bu Meng.

So, even when Yan Jiao Yun twisted his lips, it was clumsily done. When someone tries something they don't usually do, it turns out like this.

However, what made him think it was decent was,

Yan Jiao Yun was using his inner strength to wrap the wine inside the bottle, preventing even a drop from spilling.

The skill of 'drawing' and 'blocking'.

The common training method used by various sects to cultivate this skill is water.

If you can hold water in your palm and shake it vigorously without it spilling, you have reached the level of 'drawing' and 'blocking'. After reaching a certain level, you cannot advance in sword or palm techniques without this skill. It requires precise control of inner strength.

Now, Yan Jiao Yun was,

Proving that he had surpassed that level.