Chapter 60: The Shadow of the Martial Arts Assembly
Riding horses out of town, Su Dong and his four companions headed towards the Martial Arts Conference.
The venue was held in a grassland north of the city, where all were martial artists. Fighting and killing within the city walls would not be appropriate, so this time the Great Leaf Country had placed the venue twenty miles outside the city.
On the way, Su Dong suddenly became quiet, not only was he not excited, but he also kept pinching his fingers and calculating something, his face was also very gloomy.
"Su Dong, just ahead is the arena! Look, there are quite a few commoners who have come to watch the battle!" Li Yu exclaimed excitedly.
Su Dong reluctantly lifted his head, scanning the crowd around him, then looked up at the dumb sun in the sky and muttered to himself: "It seems not quite right."
"What's wrong? Such a grand scene is rarely seen in Hanshing City, and this time you will be amazed." Zhou Xing said with a smile.
At this time, Su Dong only let out a sigh and said in a somewhat suppressed tone: "Zhou Jiao, if there's nothing special, let's take a break and head back to the city."
Return to the city!?
As soon as this was said, not only did Zhou Xing become stunned, but Li Yu and Xuan Yuanfeng's faces also turned pale. They were both young and hot-blooded, and they couldn't bear to miss out on the excitement, it was as if their lives depended on it!
"No need to be in such a hurry, right? I agree not to participate in the martial arts conference, but returning directly to the city will make other martial art schools look down on us and think we're afraid of them." Zhou Xing said after some thought.
Su Dong's expression was very serious, and he said lightly: "This is not a matter of face, if you trust me, it's best to listen to me."
Xuanyuan's urgent grasp made Su Dong wave his hand impatiently, saying: "If you trust me, don't ask for a reason!"
Su Dong is usually gentle and courteous, especially to Zhou Xing and the others, even calling them brothers. But today, his face was dark and he spoke with an attitude that didn't allow for any questioning.
Zhou Xing and the others didn't understand Qimen transmission, Su Dong was too lazy to explain it to them. He noticed that some pedestrians on the road had black faces, so he quietly started a game. The result shocked Su Dong - it was a very dangerous double kill!
It's just a double kill, but it might still be an inevitable situation!
……
The vast grassland had no fence, only a row of tents for the soldiers to rest in. From afar, they looked like scattered chess pieces on the prairie.
The royal guard gradually increased, and in order to show their support for the Martial Arts Association, the Oba clan sent out its most elite guards to maintain law and order.
From a distance, I saw a young general with a bright helmet and armor, riding a dark red horse galloping towards this side, looking very excited. The pedestrians on the road dodged one after another.
He dismounted and was about to bow, which shocked Zhou Xing and the others. Even a blind man could see that this person must be a big shot in the Imperial Guard, and letting him pay respects would be unacceptable!
"Mr. Su, we meet again!" Ye Wei exclaimed happily at Su Dong.
Su Dong nodded slightly and said: "Oh, it was you. I was deep in thought just now and didn't notice, please excuse me."
Ye Wei smiled and said: "Nonsense, I'm already very happy to see you! Emperor..."
As soon as he said a word, Su Dong suddenly started coughing loudly. Ye Wei's face turned red and he awkwardly rubbed his head, saying: "Mr. Su, let's take a step aside to talk."
Su Dong got off his horse and went to a secluded place with Ye Wei, but Zhou Xing and Xuan Yuanfeng as well as Li Yu were shocked. They knew that Su Dong had sold some spiritual grains to the Da Ye imperial clan, but the people of the imperial clan wouldn't be so excited just because of those few kilograms of grain, would they?
Su Dong was only in his teens, yet everyone called him Mr. Su with such sincerity, and Su Dong also had an air of calm acceptance about it, leaving Zhou Xing and the others utterly bewildered.
By the roadside, Su Dong made a courtesy inquiry about the emperor and the crown prince, then suddenly asked: "Have you noticed that all these common people have dark faces?"
Ye Wei shook his head and said, "The common people are suffering, their lives are bitter, they're just trying to make a living under the scorching sun."
Su Dong sighed and said in a low voice: "I don't know what to say either, just take care of yourself."
Ye Wei knew Su Dong was formidable, and this remark gave him a fright. As a young member of the imperial family who had just taken over the Imperial Guard, his position was still unstable, and he feared that something unexpected would happen!
"Mr. Su, what do you mean by this?" Ye Wei hastily asked.
Su Dongdao said: "Nothing, got up in the morning and fell, having a bit of a bad premonition."
Ye Weidao said: "Fell down? Mr. Su, please tell the truth, today His Majesty will also come to the scene to watch the battle, your words make me feel very uneasy!"
Su Dong thought for a moment and said in a low voice: "Try not to let him come down, also be more careful."
Ye Weidao was puzzled again and asked, but Su Dong refused to say anything else.
The power of Qimen is very strong, but it can only be pointed out, not spoken!
Yue Wei can understand it if he understands, and if not, then it's the will of heaven. Su Dong also has no way to change this, after all, saying too much goes against the harmony of nature, and doing so might bring about retribution.
……
Yue Wei, who had been splashed with water, continued riding with the other three into the arena, revealing their identities and being led to the tents set up for the various martial arts schools.
Although Tiān Xīng is an outsider, they are also a well-known presence on the mainland, so the organizers specially left four tents for the Tiān Xīng Wu Guan. According to Xuán Yuǎn Fēng's words, the four of them each had one tent, just enough not to disturb each other.
"Hey, look! A large group of people from Tianxing Martial Arts Hall has arrived!"
"I should have known better and prepared eight tents, four are far from enough for them!"
Some cold and sarcastic voices echoed around, Su Dong slightly frowned, Zhou Xing pulled him and said: "The four countries in the north are closely related to each other, we are outsiders, naturally we will be excluded here, don't mind them."
Four people entered the main tent of the Martial Arts Association in a very unfriendly atmosphere, where all the masters of various martial arts schools were seated. Even if they weren't, they were high-level warriors with some reputation. Seeing Su Dong and Zhou Xing as unfamiliar faces, many curious glances were cast their way.
"Which martial arts school are you from?" asked an elderly man in charge of the documents.
"Tianxing Wuguan." Zhou Xing said in a low voice.
"Heavenly Star? Why hasn't Master Yang arrived?" The old man asked again.
"The master of the hall and all the brothers in the martial arts hall have suddenly fallen ill, so they won't be able to make it this time. I'm here on behalf of the master to apologize to everyone. We'll meet again another day, and when the master's health improves, he will naturally come visit in person."
Zhou Xing's words were also quite impressive, repeating what Yang Taishi had instructed him to say before he left.
The old man didn't show any expression, while the others all had a look of disdain on their faces. These were after all people with some status, not like those petty individuals outside who were so narrow-minded, but it still made Su Dong and the others feel quite displeased in their hearts.
"Alright, since Master Yang is not feeling well, you should rest properly. Report your identities to me and I'll take note of them. It's also a way for the Tianxing Martial Arts Academy to show its support today." The old man said as he picked up his pen.
"I am the head of the Wu Guan Academy's Disciple Department, my name is Zhou Xing. This is the president of the Tianxing Ling Nong Society, named Su Dong." Zhou Xing only mentioned his own and Su Dong's names, Xuan Yuanfeng and Li Yu were both disciples and did not need to be registered.
Ling Nong! ?
The old man heard that Su Dong was a Ling Nong, and immediately frowned. After thinking for half a day, he didn't write anything down, saying: "Those in charge of farming don't need to register, just record the name of the head teacher who taught you."
Although Su Dong was young, Zhou Xing had always regarded him as a brother. As soon as he heard this, he immediately stopped and his face turned dark.
Su Dong pulled him and said in a low voice: "No need to argue, anyway we're going back now."
At this time, a strange and eerie voice sounded in the tent, "Since you've all arrived, what's the hurry to leave? Aren't you Tianxing, one of the three major martial arts schools of the Sacred Star Empire? Not going to come on stage for a match? Could it be that you've heard this is a battle to the death and are afraid?"
Su Dong turned his head and saw that the speaker was a young man under thirty, sitting in a chair with his legs crossed, shaking his head.
Zhou Xing was a man of few words, and even if he felt resentful in his heart, he wouldn't speak out against it. He clenched his fists and was about to charge forward when Su Dong hastily pulled him back. The strange gate calculation was indeed mysterious, and Su Dong knew that this martial art would have unexpected changes. Not wanting to stay for even one more second, he just wanted to leave early.
Hmph!
Zhou Xing gritted his teeth and let out a cold hum as he followed Su Dong outside.
Suddenly, a 17 or 18-year-old girl was dragged into the tent by someone, pushed to the ground and kicked hard. "Young master, this little fox is quite arrogant, she actually bit me! She's going to die!"
Su Dong inadvertently raised his head and took a look, suddenly his face changed greatly!
