Zhang Yuanshan's hair was originally tied up neatly, but now it looked a bit disheveled. His face showed obvious emotions of anxiety, self-blame and pain. Meng Qi knew for the first time that a person's facial expression could be so colorful.

  He completely lost his usual calm and composed demeanor, after hearing Meng Qi's words, his eyes flickered a few times, painfully looking at Yang Tang with a guilty conscience, reluctantly turning his head, and nodded laboriously: "Okay."

  Down the stone steps, along the small path, onto the official road, and not long after, a bustling little town came into view. Some of the people coming and going were wearing the Eight Trigrams robe characteristic of the Zhenwu Sect, some were dressed as Taoist priests, while others looked like ordinary townspeople.

  All the way, Zhang Yuanshan remained silent, his eyes fixed on the front, wondering what he was thinking about. Meng Qi also didn't rush to speak out, it's hard for a clean official to meddle in family affairs, this kind of thing, as a friend of both parties, he simply didn't know what stance to take.

  "This is Tonglong Town west of Zhenwu Mountain, where disciples often come down the mountain to drink. " Zhang Yuanshan squeezed out a sentence with great difficulty.

  "Let's find a less crowded tavern." Meng Qi Ping said calmly, trying to infect Zhang Yuanshan with his calmness, lest he burst into emotions and do something irreparable.

  But acquaintances in the wine house can't help but know people who know Zhang Yuanshan, if they hear a word or see Zhang Yuanshan's painful and drunk appearance, it will be spread out, after all, it involves the marriage between the Zhang and Song families.

  Alas, I've thought of everything... At this moment, Meng Qi thought of the neighborhood committee auntie, thought of his confidante sister, and thought of the emotional hotline host. If he weren't a big strong man, tears would have fallen already...

  Zhang Yuanshan nodded silently, leading Meng Qi through the alley to a very humble wine house. The walls were covered with footprints and mud stains, and occasionally you could still see bloodstains.

  The wine house was a humble flat house, with about ten tables scattered randomly inside. The smell was unbearable and the noise was deafening. It was packed with all sorts of Jianghu heroes, but surprisingly, there wasn't a single true Wu Pai disciple.

  Two people made their way through the crowd of red-faced men, and found an empty table in a corner. Meng Qi took off the long sword at his waist and placed it horizontally on the table, making it easier to draw - after sitting down, drawing a sword would often be hindered, which was not very convenient. Although for someone with his level of skill, the impact was minimal, but in life-or-death situations, even a slight delay could make all the difference.

  After so many years of struggling, Meng Qi had already developed a basic sense of self-awareness as a Jianghu person.

  But Zhang Yuanshan saw Meng Qi doing this, and suddenly came to his senses. He took off the Xuan Snake Sword. Originally, he was not such a careless person, but today he was really absent-minded.

  The two of them looked at each other in silence until the waiter brought over two jars of niang hong, a plate of boiled peanuts and bowls with chopsticks.

  Meng Qi picked up the wine jug and poured a bowl for himself and Zhang Yuanshan. He raised it and said, "Cheers!"

  Zhang Yuanshan took a deep breath, picked up his wine bowl, clinked it with Meng Qi's, tilted his head back, and gulped down the entire bowl in one swift motion.

  Meng Qi felt the same way, only feeling a scorching heat from his throat to his stomach, and then he poured another bowl: "Dry!"

  Although the wine was not strong enough, after three consecutive bowls, Meng Qi, who had not drunk for a long time, felt a bit dizzy and his stomach churned, almost vomiting. He quickly picked up a few broad beans and put them in his mouth.

  Zhang Yuanshan drank hastily, the wine rising to his head, his face flushing red, and he stared blankly at the broad beans in front of him. Suddenly, he opened his mouth and said: "Meng Shidi, do you still remember when you first drank wine and were choked by it, coughing?"

  "Got it." Meng Qi's old face turned slightly red, that was when he completed the task of Duo Er Cha, he forgot that this body had not drunk before, after drinking a mouthful, not only did he feel nauseous and uncomfortable, but also choked and coughed, while Zhang Yuanshan had expected this and handed him a cup of clear tea.

  It was precisely because of this move that he truly felt that Zhang Yuanshan, who was calm and steady like a leader in his daily life, was a friend worth making friends with.

  "At that time, although there was a risk to life and pressure from the task, but it was much more lively than now..." Zhang Yuanshan said painfully, pouring another bowl of wine to drink, without waiting for Meng Qi's response, he continued to talk to himself, "I didn't see Zhenzhen, but I know she must be very sad and painful, because I am too."

  "I had always planned that after breaking through the True Martial North Dipper Formation, I would go down the mountain and travel north, using the journey to get to know her and bring her back home under the pretext of mutual affection. However, unexpectedly, my master and father suddenly arranged for me to be engaged to Ming Xi Shimei."

  Meng Qi tapped out the rhythm lightly on the table, using the dull thudding sound to mask Zhang Yuanshan's scattered voice outside, trying only to let himself hear it.

  He didn't drink heavily again, previously finishing three bowls in one go was mainly to make Zhang Yuanshan relax a bit and create an atmosphere for pouring out his heart. If the person listening got drunk himself, that would be embarrassing.

  Zhang Yuanshan took another sip, his eyes reddening as he said: "I know their intentions, so I couldn't refuse. My Zhang family seems prosperous, but in reality it's not the case. For 47 years, no one from our clan has become a Grandmaster and risen to the top of the rankings. We're barely holding on thanks to our ancestors' efforts, and things are getting increasingly difficult within the sect. Meanwhile, the Yao family is thriving, with three consecutive generations having Grandmasters who made it onto the rankings. The current Yao brothers have all been listed among the True Martial Seven Sons."

  "The Taoist sect has always been laissez-faire, as long as the secular family's open and secret struggles do not exceed the limit. They have always been non-interfering, but the Yao family is pressing us hard, step by step, without giving us a chance to breathe. Therefore, forming an alliance with the Song family, who are in a similar situation, becomes the best and most effective choice."

  The Zhenwu Sect is divided into the Taoist and secular branches. Although the head of the sect has always been a member of the Taoist branch, it does not prohibit members of the secular branch from practicing the fundamental great law, making it an oddity among the three major schools of Taoism.

  Zhang Yuanshan's words were still somewhat reasonable, and he had not lost his basic sanity. However, as he spoke, his emotions became slightly agitated: "I am a member of the Zhang family, my flesh and blood are all thanks to my parents' blessings. Food, martial arts, elixirs, clothing - which one was not given by my parents or family? Now that our family has reached this point, how can I indulge in filial piety and let them fall into crisis?"

  "Parental love is as heavy as a mountain." Meng Qi sighed.

  Zhang Yuanshan poured a bowl of wine, his voice trembling with tears: "But I couldn't bear to part with Zhenzhen, didn't want to see her in distress, didn't want her to suffer, wanted to roam the Jianghu with her, sing songs by the East Sea..."

  Meng Qi tapped on the table and listened quietly, a sentence suddenly popping up in his mind: "The word 'love' is the most hurtful."

  The normally calm and gentle Zhang Shixiong, who has a natural leadership quality, now looks completely different from his usual self. No matter who looks at him, they can only see a lovesick drunkard.

  After Zhang Yuanshan calmed down a bit, Meng Qi said: "Zhang Shixiong, you and I have a life-and-death friendship, truly a bond of life and death. Your two matters, one is the great virtue of kinship, the other is the deep affection of life and death, I really don't know what to say or suggest. So earlier, I said that whatever you say, I'll listen to it, if there's any difficulty, I won't hesitate to help you with it immediately. As a friend, this is all I can do."

  "But why must you be the one to marry?"

  Zhang Yuanshan vented his emotions and felt a bit better, then smiled wryly: "The Song family directly pointed at me. Ming Xi is one of the seven sons of Zhen Wu, and they want to form an alliance through marriage. Among the Zhang clan's children, they only look up to me, after all I have opened six orifices and initially mastered a sword move that has reached the peak of external skills, ranking among the seven sons of Zhen Wu."

  Meng Qi nodded thoughtfully, and according to the timing, perhaps due to the influence of his family situation, Zhang Yuanshan forcibly opened up his nasal passages with "Tian Shi Di Ting Wan".

  Zhang Yuanshan sighed, "I've always been clear that the foundation of an alliance isn't a marriage arrangement, but rather mutual interests. Yet Father told me that if we can't even manage to arrange a marriage, how can others believe in our sincerity towards forming an alliance? How could I refuse?"

  He was drunk and had a heavy heart, asking himself and answering: "Can't refuse. In this generation of true martial arts seven sons, the most promising is Yang He, followed by Yang Tai and Yao brothers, I and Ming Xi Shimei are relatively inferior, only when the two families unite can they let the door master and the vein look at it seriously."

  "Yang He, although only opened four apertures, was like Jiang Shi Mei in her early years, who at a young age grasped the true meaning of the 'True Wu Seven-Cut Manual', a high-level killing move. Even if it's just superficial, it's still worthy of admiration and fear." He thought to himself, "Yang Tai's six apertures are solid, his Taichi divine skill has reached small success, he has gained insight, not only is he not inferior to anyone who masters external styles, but his foundation is even more stable. In the future, rapid progress is a given, and just the other day, he had already passed through the True Wu North Dipper Array and gone down the mountain to travel."

  "Yao Xinghen also had a stable six senses, and he had already grasped the two external killing moves early on. His strength was above mine. He was just about to charge into the True Martial North Dipper Array. Yao Xingliu was only seventeen years old, but he had already opened up four of his senses and initially mastered the sword move that was also at the peak of external skills. He was a martial arts fanatic, dedicated to the martial way, and was favored by many elders..."

  Listening to Zhang Yuanshan's words, Meng Qi secretly curled his tongue. The competition within the prestigious schools was indeed terrifying. Fortunately, he had already left Shaolin, and the True Character Generation had only just begun seven or eight years ago. Moreover, Shaolin martial arts often progressed slowly and had yet to reach the time of blossoming results.

  "I'm no match for them now, I can only do my best for the family." Zhang Yuanshan's eyes were hollow, his voice became ethereal. "Sometimes, I feel like parents, expectations, arranged marriages, the Seven Sons of True Martial, the head of the household, ancestors... they're all like ropes binding me, stones weighing on my heart, suffocating me, making me want to cut free from these shackles and regain my freedom."

  "But then, I just occasionally think about it, they're so good to me, how can I bear to disappoint them? Can only...can only..." His eyes became even redder, he poured a bowl of wine and drank it down in one gulp.

  Meng Qi shook his head and said seriously, "Zhang Shixiong, although as a friend, I can only accompany you to drink and help you with things. But there's one thing that I must say, no matter what decision you make, you must do it quickly, don't drag your feet or be indecisive."

  "If you value your family ties, then formally inform Zhenzhen and thoroughly dispel her illusions, giving her a chance to move on. If you choose Zhenzhen, you must muster the courage to face being ostracized by your family, find a way to dissolve the arranged marriage, and try not to delay or harm the innocent Mingxi."

  Zhang Yuanshan was dazed and distracted, his eyes full of struggle, while Meng Qi habitually knocked on the table.

  At this time, a drunken swordsman stumbled over and shouted loudly: "From the moment you came in, you've been tapping and tapping, making me so annoyed! Do you think you're a woodpecker?"