Chapter 29: The Examiner's Banquet

  The luxurious private room of Fengze Building, the Qin family of three was led to the door. Qin Wushuang pushed open the door and saw that the examiner with a white beard was already seated inside.

  "It's really fast!" The old man stood up, came forward to welcome him, patted Qin Lianshan's shoulder, and laughed with a slightly exaggerated tone, "Qin clan leader, congratulations on having a good son!"

  Qin Lianshan knew that these examiners were all figures from the True Martial Sacred Land, and he felt a bit flustered and constrained. He hastily spoke in a humble tone, "This is the result of his own hard work and cultivation."

  "Ah, Luojiang County's top ten thousand martial arts practitioners, your family's Qin Wushuang is indeed the most diligent and persistent one. Every day, he insists on climbing Mount Taihang for twelve hours a day, except for three hours spent eating and sleeping, all his time is devoted to practicing martial arts. With talent and diligence, such a child will not fail to achieve greatness, heaven itself would be unjust if he didn't!"

  The old man's opening remarks left the Qin family father and son stunned. Silently, they thought that this true martial sacred place was indeed impressive, having investigated so much information in such a short period of time!

  Seeing the Qin family's stunned expressions, the old man burst out laughing and said: "Don't be surprised, in Baiyue State, there aren't many things that can't be investigated by the True Martial Sacred Ground."

  "True Martial Sacred Ground..." Qin Wuyi murmured this sacred name that symbolized the pinnacle of martial arts. In Baiyue Country, and even in all countries around the world, each had their own True Martial Sacred Ground, and without exception, they all represented the supreme authority of their respective nations.

  "No wonder those aristocratic old men didn't even dare breathe loudly when they saw that elegant messenger!"

  "Hmph, in any country, the True Martial Sacred Land is the highest existence of secular power, with supreme authority. Let alone the wealthy and influential families, even the great aristocratic families dare not challenge the True Martial Sacred Land." The old man said lightly.

  "Alright, let's not talk about that. Qin Wushuang, I'm telling you, in this martial arts test, out of the 10,000 participating martial artists, you are the only one who has been invited to dinner by the examiner!"

  Qin Lianshan was taken aback at first, then overjoyed. The meaning of these words couldn't be clearer: the examiner from the true Wu Sheng Di told Qin Wushuang that he was the unchallenged king of this year's Wu Tong test!

  Receiving an invitation from the Zhenwu Sacred Land means what? It's already very obvious. Even Qin Lianshan couldn't help but feel a little proud and pleased with himself at this moment.

  If Qin Wushuang were truly favored by the Zhen Wu Holy Land, then the status of the Qin family would definitely skyrocket!

  "Your Honor, it's an honor for me, Qin Wushuang." Qin Wushuang was very tactful and showed his modesty at the right time.

  "No, this is the treatment you deserve. It's not easy for a family like yours to produce someone like you. We've also investigated, your Qin family used to be a wealthy and influential family, right?"

  Qin Lianshan hastily nodded repeatedly, in front of this elder, Qin Lianshan felt it was hard for him to hold back his emotions.

  "Qin Wushuang will definitely think that his test was good, so why did he only get seven points?" The old man smiled and said, "Actually, with your score, nine points are a sure thing. However, the chief examiner's consideration is deeper than that. He asked me to tell you to appreciate his kindness."

  Qin Wushuang thought for a moment, nodded and said: "A tree that stands out in the forest will be felled by the wind. As a poor scholar who has made it to the top nine grades, I'm too conspicuous, which is not beneficial for my growth. Your Honor's intention is to protect me while also goading me, making me unsatisfied with the status quo and forcing me to continue striving. This kindness truly moves Wushuang."

  Qin Wushuang understood, but couldn't help feeling a wry smile in his heart. The starting point of the True Martial Sacred Land protecting the Hanmen disciples was good. However, this way, his plan to shock everyone with one move had gone bankrupt. But there's still a long way to go, and it wasn't bad that the guys from the Xu and Zhang families were suspicious and couldn't figure out the door.

  The old man slapped the table and sighed: "Good boy, good boy! At such a young age, you are so meticulous and thorough. Lian Shan, this son of yours, has unlimited prospects!"

  For a sixteen-year-old martial arts student, being able to analyze things so thoroughly in the blink of an eye is no wonder that it would elicit such a reaction from others.

  Qin Lianshan felt greatly relieved after listening to his son's words, and hearing the old man's praise, he was delighted but didn't forget to be humble: "This child has a good temperament and foundation, but still needs to continue tempering."

  "Haha, come on, let's have a drink!"

  The old man didn't say anything else, and picked up the wine jug to fill it. Qin Shou was quick-witted and hastily got up to grab the wine jug: "Old sir, let me pour wine for you."

  The old man was taken aback for a moment, then burst out laughing.

  "Mountain, mountain, I really admire you. You gave birth to a son with boundless prospects; and your daughter is also so elegant and refined, in the city of Lujiang County, the old man has never seen any family's daughter as lovely as this."

  Qin Yu smiled and said: "Old man, I won't let you tease me with your sleeve, let me fill up a cup for you."

  The old man and Qin Lianshan father and son each drank a cup, put down the wine glass, and changed the subject: "Lianshan, your daughter hasn't married yet, has she?"

  "It's a shame, this daughter of mine is clever and capable, she has been helping me manage some of the family's businesses, but until now, I haven't been able to arrange a marriage for her. As a father, thinking about it also makes me feel anxious." Qin Lianshan said with a tone full of guilt when talking about his daughter Qin Xiu.

  The old man laughed: "Don't worry, don't worry, 22 years old is the prime age. Lian Shan, you must not rush, such a good girl can't be married off hastily. We have to find a good family."

  "It's still up to our daughter herself to be happy, as a father I shouldn't wrong her." Qin Lianshan said.

  "We Baiyue people value a door-to-door match. I'm talking about the Lian Shan, your Qin family ancestors were also a prominent family, this time 'family theory', don't you have any bigger ambitions?"

  This is a topic that makes Qin Lianshan even more ashamed.

  "I won't deceive you, sir. I, Qin Lianshan, am incompetent. This time, my goal is to maintain my humble status. If I can prevent the decline of the Qin family's legacy of over 400 years, it would be a stroke of luck."

  The old man was taken aback, glanced at Qin Wushuang and advised: "Lian Shan, you have such a good son, there will be a day when he will bring glory to the Qin family. The key is not to lose heart."

  "The honorable examiner said that I, Qin Lian Shan, am not of high status, but neither do I fear the invasion of evil winds and wicked airs. Family matters must be handled to the end."

  "Hmm, Heaven won't cut off all paths for a man. Come on, let's finish this cup of wine, I need to go back and report now."

  Returning from Fengze Building to the inn where he was staying, Qin Lianshan began making final preparations for "Family Theory", starting to research some potential opponents' information and preparing for battle with all his might.

  Qin Wushuang really wanted to tell his father in advance about signing up for the competition, but he ended up holding back. Let's just give Father a surprise.

  With nearly half a month left before "Family Goods", Qin Lianshan did not leave the house, every day was either practicing or studying materials.

  Qin Wushuang didn't stop her father, and together with her sister Qin Xiu, they would occasionally go out for a stroll. After several days, the entire city of Lujiang was already very familiar to them, and they had indeed bought quite a few things.

  Qin Shou suddenly had a craving for the spicy crab at Feng Ze Tower, and pulled Qin Wushuang to go eat it.

  The Qin family has a lot of property and is quite wealthy, so they don't have to worry about expenses for food and clothing.

  The two siblings arrived at Feng Ze Tower with great enthusiasm and immediately ordered eight spicy crabs. The shop assistant, who found the siblings familiar, couldn't help but tease them, saying: "You two are really lucky, I won't lie to you, these crabs, today there are only eight left."

  Luojiang County does not produce crabs locally, and the daily goods are all shipped from outside. The supply channel is very narrow, so this spicy crab can be said to be a signature dish of Fengze Building. One crab costs two silver coins, no bargaining allowed.

  Qin Wushuang smiled and said: "This is called coming early is not as good as coming cleverly. Sister, this is your destined mouth blessing."

  Two siblings took a private room and went upstairs on their own.

  In no time, they ordered four dishes and three were served. Only the signature dish, Spicy Crab, had yet to be served.

  Qin Wushuang was obsessed with martial arts in his past life and rarely enjoyed other pleasures. In this life, his personality had been influenced by his family since he was young, and he also became more particular. He picked up his chopsticks, tasted a few bites, and then put down his chopsticks.

  "Sister, you're still so mouthy! The dishes at Feng Ze Lou may be delicious, but if I'm being honest, the best one is indeed the spicy crab. You've got me craving it now too."

  Two siblings chatted and laughed while waiting for the signature dish, Spicy Crab, to be served. However, no matter how long they waited, it still hadn't arrived.

  "Today this chef is slow, I'll tell the apprentice to hurry him up." Just as he was about to get up, the sound of footsteps came from the corridor.

  The shop assistant walked to the door of the private room, but his hands were empty, and he looked embarrassed.

  "Hey, your chef's hands and feet are too slow! We've been waiting for half an hour already."

  The shop assistant hesitated for a long time before saying: "You two, there's someone in the VIP room who wants to see you. They say they have something to discuss with you."

  "What guest?" Qin Wushuang was surprised.

  "Just like you, they're all dressed in noble attire, but it seems they're just a few young masters from wealthy and influential families in Luojing County, people with some reputation in the city." The shop assistant smiled apologetically.

  "Not interested, don't see!" Qin Wushuang waved her hand impatiently and frowned, "Hurry up, serve the dishes!"

  The shop owner was embarrassed and had no choice but to reveal the truth: "Young master, I won't hide it from you, your spicy crab dish has been ordered by someone else!"

  "What's going on here?" Qin Wushuang said with an unpleasant tone, "Just now the front desk staff clearly said there were only eight left. How did it get reserved? Do you think we can't afford to pay or what?"

  The shop assistant waved his hand and said, "No, no, it was indeed available earlier, but now it's been reserved by those few young masters. I tried to persuade them, but they wouldn't listen, insisting on ordering the spicy crab. They even made a remark, saying 'If you want to investigate, go find them yourself!'"

  In this day and age, I've heard of people fighting over land, money, and even wives, but fighting over dishes is a new one. Qin Wushuang's eyes blazed with anger: "Can't you see who came first? Don't waste my time, I was the first to order, so serve me first! Anyone who dares to make a fuss will have to answer to me!"

  Seeing Qin Wushuang's anger, none of the shop assistants dared to make a sound, and they hastily nodded and went down.

  Both sides are nobles, both are big shots, his small shop can't afford to offend them, can't he just ask the boss?