Chapter 39: Martial Arts Gathering and Marriage (Part 2)

  Everyone followed the sound and looked over, only to see that this young master seemed to be around 18 or 19 years old. His face was handsome and extraordinary, his clothes were elegant and full of noble air. At a glance, he didn't seem like an ordinary person's son, but rather an official's son or a noble prince. Ling Mu Yun saw the young master and had a sudden thought: "This kid looks oily and powdered, could it be Yang Kang?"

  Just as Ling Muyun was pondering in his heart, he saw the young master see the "Martial Arts Recruitment" banner and immediately stopped his horse, looking at Mu Nianci under the banner for a few moments, smiling slightly, dismounting and walking into the crowd. The strong men who followed him rushed forward to clear the way, and the onlookers saw that the young master was dressed in luxury, with people calling out in front of and behind him, knowing that he was probably a noble son, not daring to provoke him, they retreated one after another, quickly clearing a path.

  The young master arrived at the scene, surrounded by a crowd of servants, and glanced at Mu Nianci with a faint smile. "Miss, is this martial arts recruitment for you?"

  Mu Nianci saw that the young master was handsome and charming, and she immediately blushed and turned her head away without answering. Yang Tie Xin, who was standing beside her, saw this scene and knew that his daughter was shy, so he quickly stepped forward to greet him with a bow: "I am Mu, I don't know what teachings this young master has?"

  "That young master asked: 'How did you decide on this rule of competing in martial arts to win a bride?'"

  Yang Tie Xin immediately recited the rules of the martial arts contest to win a bride, and upon hearing this, the young master nodded and said, "Then I'll give it a try."

  Ling Yun stood at the edge of the arena, watching and listening to the conversation between the two. By now, he had no more doubts in his mind that this young master was indeed Yang Kang. Just as he thought so, he heard Guo Jing whisper beside him: "This young master is quite handsome and not very old either. He's a good match for this young lady. Luckily, the monk and the fat old man weren't skilled enough earlier. If they had won this young lady over to their side, it would have been disastrous."

  Ling Muyun burst out laughing and said: "Brother Guo, you're too naive. If this kid wins, it's no better than the previous monk and fat old man."

  Guo Jing shook his head in disbelief: "Ling brothers, you're talking nonsense. This young master is just the right age and looks handsome, isn't he a perfect match for this lady? How can you say he's not as good as that monk and fat old man?"

  Ling Muyun coldly laughed and explained to him, "Look at this young man who is being flanked by attendants from front to back. His family background must be extraordinary, most likely a son of some royal or noble family in the Central Plains. But the marriages of sons of royal or noble families are not so casual, they require matching social status and interests combined, just like your fiancée Huazhen, if it weren't for your Temujin Khan having a falling out with Wang Han and you rendering great service to him, would he have given his daughter to you?"

  Guo Jing was taken aback, although he was a bit dull-witted, but not to the point of being stupid. He knew that Linghu Chong's words were reasonable, yet somehow, his heart couldn't accept it and he asked blankly: "Ling brother, if what you say is true, then even if this young master wins against this young lady, wouldn't the marriage still be impossible?"

  "Right, it was impossible from the start. So I said this kid is not as good as that monk and that fat old man before, at least if those two won, they could happily take the girl home, but if this kid wins, he can only humiliate the girl for nothing."

  Guo Jing suddenly became somewhat anxious: "If that's the case, then why did this young master come down to fight? If he can't marry this young lady, why bother to provoke her?"

  "Guo brothers, those aristocratic young masters are different from you in their approach to things. In your opinion, if you can't marry that girl, you won't attend the martial arts gathering, but for those aristocratic young masters, it's completely not a concern. They might just treat this as a fun distraction and wouldn't care what others think. With their noble family background as backing, even if they cause trouble, their families will take care of it, so why worry? Just let them be reckless and arrogant."

  "Isn't he taking advantage of the girl by doing this?"

  Ling Muyun smiled slightly coldly: "This kind of heat is only concerned with having fun oneself, who would care about others' lives and deaths?"

  ……

  Just as Linghu Chong was explaining to Guo Jing the way of doing things for a noble son, Yang Tie Xin was also negotiating with Yang Kang.

  Yang Tie Xin saw Yang Kang wearing a brocade robe, with extremely luxurious attire, and knew that he was mostly from a noble family. Therefore, he didn't want to get entangled with him too much, so he cupped his hands and smiled: "This young master is joking, my humble father and daughter are from the rivers and lakes, how dare we compete with the young master? Moreover, this is not an ordinary gambling match, it concerns my daughter's lifelong major event, please forgive me."

  After hearing Yang Tie Xin's polite decline, Yang Kang did not withdraw but instead looked at Mu Nian Ci and smiled, asking: "How many places have you been to for this martial arts recruitment, and how long has it lasted?"

  Yang Tie Xin said: "Traveling thousands of miles, it has been more than half a year."

  Yang Kang said: "Is it possible that no one can beat her in so many places? I don't believe this."

  Yang Tie Xin smiled slightly and said, "It's not that the little girl's martial arts are really exceptional, but because those who truly have high martial arts skills are either already married or look down on the little girl and don't bother to fight her, which is why it has been delayed until now."

  "Is it? Then I'll give it a try." Yang Kang, however, ignored Yang Tie Xin's polite refusal and walked slowly into the arena.

  If Yang Tie Xin hadn't mentioned how many places they had been to and how long it took for the martial arts match to find a son-in-law, perhaps Yang Kang wouldn't have come down. But he happened to say that, which piqued Yang Kang's interest, and he insisted on coming down to try.

  It is the nature of young people to show off, Yang Kang learned a set of martial arts from Qiu Chuji and Mei Chaofeng, two top-notch masters, and naturally wanted to find an opportunity to show off.

  He was just the young master of the Zhao Wang Fu, and normally he had nothing to do with anything, as there were always people under him who would rush to do things for him. Even if he got into trouble, the other party would often be intimidated by the power of the Zhao Wang Fu and not dare to argue with him. As a result, his martial arts skills had no place to be displayed, which made him often lament that he was a hero in a place where his martial arts were useless. Now that he had run into Yang Tie Xin's father and daughter competing in martial arts to find a son-in-law, and heard that the other party had been traveling extensively for a long time, it was clear that the girl's martial arts skills were not ordinary. Wasn't this a great opportunity for him to show off his skills? How could he miss it?

  Yang Tie Xin saw Yang Kang insisting, and couldn't help but feel difficult in his heart. Judging from Yang Kang's attire and the commotion he caused when he arrived, he must be a young master from a wealthy and noble family. And this was the capital of the Jin Dynasty, so it was likely that his father and brothers were officials in the imperial court, or at least people with wealth and influence. If his daughter were to engage in a martial arts match with him and won, Yang Kang would likely feel humiliated and might cause trouble later on. But if she lost to him, how could they possibly form an alliance with such a family? So he refused again, saying: "My daughter and I are just common people from the mountains and forests, we don't dare to exchange blows with you, young master. Let's part ways here." As he spoke, he turned around to gather his things and leave with his daughter.

  Yang Kang suddenly slid in front of Yang Tie Xin, laughing: "Everyone else can come on stage to compete, but only when it comes to me, you repeatedly refuse. Are you looking down on me? Just a little sparring, why are you so reluctant? Don't worry, we'll just touch and I won't hurt your daughter."

  Yang Tie Xin saw that his words already implied a threatening tone, and knew that if he refused again, things might turn ugly. He and his daughter were just ordinary travelers, with no power or influence, and in the capital of Jin country, if they offended a powerful family, it would be troublesome, and with just one word, they could be oppressed to death, so he didn't dare refuse again, and could only acquiesce silently.

  Yang Kang, having defeated Yang Tie Xin, felt triumphant and turned to Mu Nian Ci with a smile: "Miss, let's have a friendly match. You only need to hit me once, and it'll be considered your win, okay?"

  Mu Nianci said: "In a martial arts competition, victory or defeat must be decided fairly."

  At this moment, someone in the crowd shouted again: "Come on, let's get married early and have a fat baby!" The onlookers burst into laughter.

  Mu Nianci's eyebrows furrowed instantly, her face a picture of displeasure, she shed her cloak and stepped down to bow to Yang Kang, saying: "Young Master, please."

  Yang Kang appeared very arrogant, not taking off the brocade long gown on his body, and directly said to Mu Nianci: "Be careful, miss." His sleeves fluttered lightly as he turned right, and his left sleeve suddenly swept across Mu Nianci's shoulder from behind.

  Mu Nianci saw that his move was extraordinary, and she was slightly startled. She hastily bowed her head and pounced forward from the bottom of her sleeve. But Yang Kang's moves were extremely fast, and as soon as she emerged from the bottom of her sleeve, his right hand's sleeve had already struck with a burst of wind, making it impossible for her to dodge. Mu Nianci's left foot tapped, and her body shot out like an arrow leaving its bowstring, barely avoiding the attack by leaping backward.

  Yang Kang saw Mu Nianci's swift and agile movements, and couldn't help but exclaim "good". He immediately stepped forward with a move, not waiting for her to land on both feet. Following that, he swung his sleeve and shook it off. Mu Nianci twisted her body in mid-air, her left foot flying out, directly kicking Yang Kang's nose bridge. This was the method of using offense as defense. Yang Kang could only dodge to the right, allowing Mu Nianci to land safely on the ground.

  After the two separated, they took a deep breath and clashed again, fighting together once more. Yang Kang's moves were swift and fierce, while Mu Nianci's moves were clever and agile, also extraordinary.

  Two men fought to a critical point, and Yang Kang was seen walking all over the field, his brocade robe shining brightly; Mu Nianci advanced and retreated, her red shirt and skirt fluttering, as if she had turned into a cloud of red mist. The onlookers cheered and shouted in praise without end.

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