Chapter 412: Yonghe Lake

Chapter 412: Yonghe Lake

The third group included Lin Yuhuai, Chu Nianjiu, and Gao Ningan. Chu Nianjiu was unfortunate enough to be matched up against Zhao Lu and defeated, but Lin Yuhuai and Gao Ningan both won their matches by a hairs breadth.

During the fourth groups matches, Qi Xuanyun fought Wealth of Wine, Sex, Wealth and Popularity. Wealth was a stout man who was as wealthy as his name might suggest. Literally every piece of clothing on his body was a Strange Artifact. Even his shoes were Strange Artifacts. In a sense, he was covered from head to toe in money.

Unfortunately, he was only an early-stage Spirit Purifier, and Qi Xuanyun was quite powerful. Even so, he managed to last dozens of exchanges before losing.

Wealth didnt get angry despite losing. Instead, he saluted Qi Xuanyun smilingly before taking his leave.

Fu Chaogangs opponent was a woman in her twenties named Henshui (Hating Water). It sounded like a mans name, but Zhuo Henshui was definitely a woman.

Fu Chaogang practiced a do-or-die fist art where all of his power was invested into his fists. It was why his first strike was usually his strongest, and why the best way to defeat him was to avoid his first punch and stall him out.

However, Zhuo Henshui chose to meet him at his strongest. Not only that, she threw a punch just like he did.

Fu Chaogang lost. Zhuo Henshuis first punch broke his arm, her second punch collapsed half of his chest, and her third punch shattered his head.

As a result, Fu Chaogang became the first casualty of the Hidden Dragon Meet. He wasnt a nobody either.

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Inside his kiosk, the Harmony King was watching Zhuo Henshui with a deep frown on his face. Hong Jianglong answered, According to our intel, Zhuo Henshui hails from the Zhuo Clan from the capital.

The Zhuo Clan? The Harmony King furrowed his brows in thought. Do we have a Zhuo Clan? Im pretty sure I havent heard of it before.

Hong Jianglong clarified, Its a small clan. One of their ancestors was an Attendant Gentleman[1].

Oh, theyre just a small clan? The Harmony King remarked before asking, So, whats up with this Zhuo Henshui?

Hong Jianglong shook his head. Im not sure, but it was said that Zhuo Henshui was trained under an unknown master. But whoever they are, they must be quite powerful to have raised such a student.

You dont say? The Harmony King rolled his eyes. He returned his attention to the platforms since Hong Jianglong wasnt able to provide a satisfactory answer.

Wei Bulao and Flower Butterfly also successfully advanced into the next match. After all thirty two matches were over, Hong Jianglong gave everyone a four-hour rest. After that, the participants drew lots again to find out who their opponents were.

As there was still an odd number of participants, one person was allowed to advance to the next match without fighting again. This time, it was Lin Yuhuai who got dogshit lucky and qualified for the Top 16 without needing to lift a finger.

Ye Qing had to fight, of course. In fact, his next opponent was much stronger than Han Zhou. It was Zhao Lu of the Ragged Villa.

The Ragged Villa was a strange place where only people wearing rags were allowed to enter. If your clothes were a little too tidy or intact, then you would be barred from entry. As a result, everyone in the Ragged Villa looked like beggars.

It was said that the founder of the Ragged Villa was, in fact, a beggar. He was also extremely hostile toward well-dressed people who looked down on those who were poor or poorly dressed. That was how the strange rule came to be.

The two Zhao brothers were the disciples of the current head of Ragged Villa. As the founder served under the Beggars Gang before he left to create his own gang, their martial arts were also rather similar. The Ragged Villa boasted two signature martial arts, and they were the Eight Directions Art of Begging and the Dog Beating Stick Technique[2].

The Eight Directions Art of Begging was a powerful cultivation art that honed all three major components of the body, the qi, essence and spirit. A beggar must survive not just a cruel environment and horrible living conditions, but also the harassment of their own kind. Hence, they must possess a strong body that could withstand both nature and violence.

On top of that, a beggar must endure pain that most could not, and hardships that would break most men. Hence, they must possess an iron will and determination as well.

This was why the Eight Directions Art of Begging honed the qi, essence and spirit. Those who grasped it not only possessed a tough body that could withstand most beating, but also gained the Eight Directions Begging Astral Qi, an astral qi that was exceptionally good at recovery. Besides that, they also attained a powerful spirit that could be combined with Lotus Fall to hamper an opponents mind.

The waiter, Ah Fu, answered smilingly, As long as youre happy, Lord Ye.

Oh right, do you know how Gao Ningan and Chu Nianjiu managed to book a table? Its famously difficult to book a table for the fish head banquet. I know that there are many wealthy and influential people who tried repeatedly to book a table to no avail, Ye Qing asked curiously.

Ah Fu smiled. Its because Lord Gao and our steward are friends. Half a month ago, he already booked a table saying that he would like to hold a welcoming ceremony for his friend.

I see! No wonder, Ye Qing exclaimed in realization. No wonder Gao Ningan told him that he had a pleasant surprise for him before he left this morning, but refused to say what it was when he asked him about it. It was the fish head banquet.

I heard that you use over a hundred types of fish to create the fish head banquet. Is it true? Ye Qing asked another question. This was the reason why the Wine Are Songs Boat could only hold the fish head banquet once per month. The amount of time and effort necessary to catch the fishes alone, much less create enough dishes to serve thousands of customers, all of them different, must be mind-boggling.

You truly are erudite and well-informed, Lord Ye. That is correct. Ah Fu explained smilingly, The reason this is possible is because we occupy the Yonghe Lake. The Yonghe Lake is Tian Yongs biggest lake, and its waters are rich enough to host at least hundreds of kinds of fish, most of them as edible as they are tasty. That is why we are able to come up with the fish head banquet. Otherwise, it wouldve remained an impossible dream.

It wasnt long before the duo arrived at Yonghe Lake. At first glance, wisps of white vapor could be seen floating whimsically across the mirror-like waters. This was just the edge, and already they were treated to a great sight. This was why Yonghe Lake was also a famous scenic spot of Tian Yong.

Wheres your boat? I dont see it, Ye Qing voiced his confusion after looking around and finding nothing.

Ah Fu explained, Thats because its parked at the center of the lake. Please, follow me.

Ah Fu led Ye Qing to a black-topped boat. Then, he pushed off the shore and slowly rowed to the center of the lake.

It bore repeating that the Yonghe Lake was a famous scenic spot in Tian Yong. It was crowded even during the quietest times, much less the middle of the Hidden Dragon Meet. Therefore, countless people could be seen sitting on their own pleasure boats or rowing small boats on the lake, all enjoying the beauty the lake offered them to their hearts content.

Ye Qing was having a great time as well. He sipped his wine while leisurely taking in the sights around him. Now this, was life.

Hmm? Why did it get misty all of a sudden?

Suddenly, Ye Qing noticed that the lake had turned misty before he knew it. At the bow, Ah Fu launched into another explanation, Its a normal phenomenon. Yonghe Lake is warm and humid, so it tends to mist up every once in a while. Its also one of the reasons Yonghe Lake is as famous as it is.

The great poet Wang Zengse once made a poem that went something like this: O beautiful lake, your mist reminds me of faint sorrow, like a white veil masking an otherworldly beauty. And is it not true that our lake is beautiful in a different way when peered through a white curtain?

Youre right. Ye Qing nodded smilingly. As Ah Fu said, the people, the boats, and the lake itself looked different in the mist, but not in a bad way.

As the boat sailed deeper and deeper toward the center of the lake, the mist thickened until it became near impossible to peer through. Puzzled, Ye Qing looked at Ah Fu and asked, Why is the mist getting thicker?

His heart skipped a beat then. There was no one on the bow. Ah Fu was just chatting with him a moment ago, and suddenly, the man was gone like he was never there. He never felt the man leaving even with his spirit. He didnt know if he existed in the first place.

Ah Fu wasnt the only one who had gone missing. The boats around him had vanished without a trace as well.

The entire lake was as silent as death itself.

[4]

1. Based on The Dictionary by Harvard University, Attendant Gentleman, in Han the 2nd highest of 3 categories in which Court Gentlemen were divided, with status below Inner Gentlemen but above Gentlemen of the Interior; rank=400 bushels.

2. Im not even going to comment on the first martial art, but the second one is literally just changing Staff to Stick. Im surprised this sect is still standing after all the plagiarism they committed lol.

3. Dont ask me why there can be seventeen people in the Top 16. Im sure there are real life examples out there but I cant be arsed to search for it LOL.

4. So, how many of you saw this coming?