Young hero, stay put and don't be reckless.

Chapter 24 A fight broke out

The old man smiled, unfolded his folding fan with a "whoosh," and waved it twice unhurriedly: "What's this? People from Yinzhai and Jinghu have also arrived."

In Jiangning Prefecture these days, you could throw a brick anywhere and hit three or four martial arts practitioners.

"Hidden Studio and Mirror Lake people are here?" Someone's eyes widened, and they forgot to put the peanuts in their mouths.

The crowd erupted in chaos, with chatter bubbling up like boiling water.

Some whispered, speculating about which expert had arrived at Yinzhai, while others counted on their fingers whether the Fairy of Mirror Lake would personally come out of seclusion.

Jiang Xun looked left and right, and gleaned some insights from everyone's reactions.

The Hidden Pavilion and Mirror Lake seem to hold extremely high positions in the martial arts world, far surpassing those of ordinary sects.

Moreover, he felt like he had heard the names of these sects somewhere before.

Oh, right, that old monk in Wuling City mentioned it.

He was completely confused at the time, letting it go in one ear and out the other, and didn't take it seriously at all. He never expected to run into it so soon.

At this moment, the waiter brought the dishes over.

A plate of braised pork belly is glistening with oil, its sauce rich and dark, and its aroma wafts straight into your nose.

Jiang Xun picked up a piece and put it in his mouth. It was fatty but not greasy, soft and flavorful. After chewing it a couple of times, he thought: Is this what the martial arts world is like?

It doesn't seem to be anything special.

…………

Jiang Xun had eaten until he was about 80% full and was hesitating whether to order another dish when a commotion suddenly broke out in the lobby.

It was more like an argument than a complete uproar.

"What the hell did you say?!"

"I'm telling the truth! Your young master of Baoyue Manor is just a pretty face with no substance, all show and no substance!"

"Bullshit!"

Jiang Xun turned his head to look.

At the table near the door, two groups of people were hurling insults at each other, each louder than the last, drawing the attention of the entire cafeteria.

Even the old storyteller stopped talking, holding his teacup and watching the excitement, leaving his folding fan on the table without fanning it.

A nearby diner recognized the two groups of people and whispered to his companion.

One group was from Baoyue Manor, their sleeves embroidered with the moon; the other group was from Tiejian Sect, their sleeves embroidered with swords.

Jiang Xun glanced at it.

The group from Baoyue Manor, dressed in blue robes, were led by a young man in his early twenties with a long face, thin lips, and narrow eyes. He had a sinister look about him and was clearly not a good person.

Several men, also dressed in blue robes, stood behind him, their hands resting on their sword hilts.

The group from the Iron Sword Sect, dressed in gray, were the ones who shouted "embroidered pillow" earlier; their voices were so loud that the entire hall could hear them.

The man in the green robe got angry, slammed his hand on the table, and stood up, causing his chair to crash to the ground.

"Say it again if you dare!"

"Say it then! Your young master Zhang Tao, isn't he just living off his father's name? If you're so capable, let's have a real fight!"

The young man in the blue robe, who was leading the group, had a livid face. With a "whoosh," he drew his sword, the light of which flashed in the candlelight, casting both light and shadow on his face.

"court death!"

The Iron Sword Sect was not to be outdone, and they all drew their swords, the sound of blades being drawn echoing throughout the area.

The diners in the canteen scattered in a flash, some hiding, some retreating, some running to the corner with their bowls, and some simply putting down their chopsticks and running outside.

The shopkeeper peeked out from behind the counter, his face ashen, his lips trembling as he tried to shout, "Stop hitting him!" but dared not utter a sound.

Jiang Xun held his teacup, watching with great interest, took a sip of tea, and remained unhurried.

He was sitting by the window, far from the door, so a fight wouldn't affect him.

Moreover, he had been hiding in the mountains for three months and hadn't seen any excitement in a long time, so he was looking for something to pass the time.

The young man in the green robe thrust out his sword, the sword light like a rainbow, fast and fierce, accompanied by a whooshing sound.

The people from the Iron Sword Sect raised their swords to block, but their movements were a beat too slow.

"when!"

With a crisp sound, the knife broke in two, and one half of the blade flew out and slammed into the door frame with a "thud," trembling precariously.

The man stumbled back three steps, tripped, and fell to the ground with a thud. His face turned pale, and he was still clutching half a broken knife, staring blankly at the ground.

The young man in the blue robe sheathed his sword with clean, swift movements, looked down at him, and a cold smile appeared on his lips.

"With such meager skills, you dare to cause trouble in Jiangning Prefecture?"

The Iron Sword Sect members looked at each other, their hands gripping the hilts of their swords, veins bulging, but none of them dared to move again.

The person sitting on the ground got up, his face turning pale and then red, his lips trembling, but he couldn't say a word.

Jiang Xun stared thoughtfully at the retreating figure of the young man in the blue robe.

This man's swordsmanship is indeed excellent, his moves are sharp and decisive, far superior to his—he can only practice with a tree branch, he hasn't even scratched the surface.

but--

He always felt something was off.

That sword—why is it so slow?

No, it's not slow.

Yes... he couldn't say.

He felt that when the sword was thrust out, every step seemed to be within his expectations, as if he could see it in advance.

Jiang Xun frowned, unable to figure it out, so he simply stopped thinking about it and took another sip of tea.

As he was pondering this, a rapid sound of horses' hooves suddenly came from outside, growing louder as it approached, causing the ground to tremble slightly and the teacups on the table to shake.

Immediately afterwards, a troop of soldiers rushed over, their torches blazing and their horses' hooves thundering.

The leader was a dark-skinned man in official robes, with a knife at his waist. He dismounted and strode in, his gaze sweeping across the hall. His voice boomed like thunder:

"Who's causing trouble?!"

The people from Baoyue Manor and Tiejian Sect changed their expressions upon seeing the official robes.

Just a moment ago they were at each other's throats, but now they're all behaving themselves.

The young man in the blue robe sheathed his sword, while the man in the gray robe sheathed his knife, not even glancing at the other.

The leading officer and soldiers exchanged a few words with both sides, inquired about the situation, and noted down a few names.

The two groups bowed to each other, exchanged a few polite words, and then slunk away, each one leaving faster than the last.

The onlookers dispersed in a flash, returning to their seats to eat and drink as if nothing had happened.

Jiang Xun looked away and continued eating his food.

The braised pork was already cold, and a layer of white oil had solidified on it, but he didn't care and just picked it up and ate it.

The officers and soldiers arrived quickly and left quickly.

The canteen was bustling again.

The storyteller picked up his folding fan again and continued telling his story.

He talked about everything from the Great Han Dynasty in the North to the Golden Silkworm Sect in the South, from Chen Yang, the leader of the Hidden Pavilion, to Fu Hongyin, the grandmaster of Mirror Lake. His words flowed like a machine gun, and he spoke with great enthusiasm.

The audience listened with great interest, and people frequently cheered.

After Jiang Xun finished the last piece of braised pork, he paid the bill and went upstairs to sleep.

Lying in bed, the carved bed canopy hung down, and the candlelight cast swaying shadows on the wall.

He stared at the ceiling, lost in thought for a while.

Treasure map, successor of the Sword God.

Jiangning Prefecture was far more complicated and murky than he had imagined.

But none of this concerns him.

He touched the bag of silver in his arms, its heavy weight pressing against his chest—there were more important things to do tomorrow.