"This is my daughter!"

Auntie frowned, picked up Lingyin, and placed her on her lap.

"Isn't she supposed to look like me?" Auntie was a little unhappy.

She doesn't look anything like you... Auntie's face froze for a moment with a faint smile, then quickly recovered, and said with a gentle smile, "Upon closer inspection, there is indeed some resemblance in the eyebrows and eyes. It must be my poor eyesight."

Hmm, the eyebrows and eyes do resemble the coachman outside.

They continued on in silence.

Xu Pingzhi drove the carriage to the vicinity of the Star Observation Tower. He first heard the noisy crowd, turned a corner, and saw the vast sea of people.

With a quick glance, he estimated that there were at least one or two thousand people in the crowd he saw. And this was only a small portion of the common people. One can imagine how many people there were in the crowd radiating from the Star Observation Tower in all directions. It was an astonishing number.

"It's even more lively than the Spring Festival..." Xu Pingzhi pulled the reins and stopped the carriage outside.

"Why did we stop?" Auntie's voice came from inside the carriage.

"There's no way ahead, it's all people." Xu Pingzhi explained, "Let's get off here."

Auntie rolled down the carriage window and got off with her husband's support. Xu Lingyue also got off the carriage with her father's support, while Xiaodouding was carried down by Xu Pingzhi.

Auntie frowned. Usually, there would be a maid bringing a small wooden stool to welcome her when she got on and off the carriage. She was not used to it now.

Fortunately, the carriage was simple and not high off the ground, unlike her luxurious carriage made of golden nanmu wood, where the carriage floor was as high as a person's waist.

She easily jumped down from the carriage.

Xu Pingzhi waved and called over a royal guard on the street, instructing, "Take care of the carriage."

As he spoke, he showed his own royal guard waist token.

The young royal guard respectfully agreed.

Xu Pingzhi led his wife and children through the crowd towards the passage cleared by the Forbidden Army. The passage was lined with Forbidden Army soldiers, separating the common people and forming a "safe passage" specifically for high-ranking officials and nobles.

At the entrance of the passage, two Forbidden Army soldiers with spears crossed their weapons, blocking Xu Pingzhi and his group.

Xu Pingzhi took out the waist token given by Xu Qian and the Forbidden Army soldiers glanced at it before letting them pass.

"Ningyan's status is getting higher and higher," Auntie said happily, "Master, I never dreamed that I would be sitting with the high-ranking officials and nobles of the capital."

Xu Xinnian couldn't help but sneer, "Mother, you will become the Lady of the Imperial Decree in the future."

Xu Pingzhi immediately countered, "You should think about how to stay in the capital first."

Xu Xinnian instantly deflated.

According to the academy's intention, they wanted to find a way to send him to Qingzhou, far away from the capital, to pursue his grand ambitions.

But Xu Xinnian didn't want to go. Going to Qingzhou meant being far away from his parents, older brother, and sisters. If he couldn't return to the capital after the three-year term, he would have to serve in another place for another three years.

Three years and another three years, he could only see his family when he returned to the capital for a performance review.

Of course, there was another reason. If he couldn't enter the Hanlin Academy, he would basically have no chance of entering the Cabinet.

His father's "My son has the potential to be a prime minister" had become an empty phrase.

After passing through the "safe passage," the family looked around and saw the grand official field, with many pavilions set up. Civil officials, military generals, and nobles were sitting in an orderly and distinct manner in their respective areas.

In addition, there were many noble ladies and young ladies, most of whom brought their families to watch the competition.

For these noble ladies, the face of The Great Feng was secondary. Watching the excitement was the most important thing.

Xu Pingzhi scanned the area and led his wife and children towards the area where the Nightwatcher's yamen was located. Sitting in the main seat was a man dressed in green robes with white temples.

On both sides of him were all golden gongs, behind the golden gongs were silver gongs, and the bronze gongs were arranged to be on duty and did not have the qualifications to stay in the pavilion to watch the show.

Xu Pingzhi approached with his wife and children, bowed, and quickly led his wife, children, and the unfamiliar woman to their seats.

The famous Wei Yuan and the golden gongs ignored him, which made Uncle Xu breathe a sigh of relief. It's better to be a small transparent person.

Auntie also breathed a sigh of relief. It's good to be a small transparent person.

...........

Among these pavilions, the most luxurious one was a resting platform wrapped in yellow silk. There were tables and cases set up under the platform, and members of the royal family and noble families were sitting at the tables.

The Empress and the Imperial Concubine, who almost had a brain hemorrhage in the harem, also came. Everyone was talking and laughing as if they had always been harmonious sisters, without any dirtiness.

The four princesses were all present, with Huai Qing sitting in the first seat and Biaobiao sitting next to her.

Among the princes, the Crown Prince was still under house arrest and not allowed to leave, but the other princes were all here.

For the royal family, this competition was not just a lively event, but also related to the face of the court and the royal family.

"Where is Xu Qi'an? Why hasn't he come out? Can he defeat those bald donkeys? How do the bald donkeys plan to compete..."

Lin'an kept chattering, her watery peach blossom eyes wandering around, but she didn't see her dog servant, which made her feel a little disappointed.

"Wait!"The seventh prince shook his head, "How can Xu Qi'an, a martial artist, compete with the Buddhist sect? Besides, with his low cultivation level, can he really handle it?"

The third prince smiled and agreed, "Unless they compete in poetry."

The two princesses and the other princes couldn't help but laugh.

Lin'an became furious and glared at his siblings, scolding, "Are you happy that he lost? Should I have a Buddha statue made for you?"

The third princess frowned and said, "We were just joking, Lin'an, why are you so angry?"

The other princes also frowned.

Since the incident with the concubine, Lin'an had become irritable and treated his siblings harshly, speaking more and more aggressively.

Huai Qing calmly said, "In a battle between the Daoist sects, the stronger one will win, and it's the same for other systems. But the Buddhist sect is different. They emphasize understanding, the Buddha's heart, and Zen."

"Xu Qi'an is indeed only a seventh-grade warrior, and there are many with higher cultivation levels than him. But what's the use of a high cultivation level? Can anyone be higher than Du'e Luo Han?"

Huai Qing's words always left people speechless and unable to refute.

The princes and princesses fell silent.

...........

In a position adjacent to the imperial family's pavilion, Prime Minister Wang Zhenwen took a sip of wine and noticed that his daughter's gaze was fixed on the area where the Nightwatcher's yamen was located.

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He furrowed his brows and asked, "Mu'er, what are you looking at?"

Miss Wang withdrew her gaze and replied with a faint smile, "It's the first time I've seen the famous Wei Gong. He truly has an extraordinary presence."

She glanced at a handsome and unrivaled young man out of the corner of her eye.

"By the way, why haven't we seen His Majesty?" Miss Wang smoothly changed the topic, diverting her father's attention.

Prime Minister Wang looked to the imperial pavilion and smiled, "The two empresses are having a heated argument, and His Majesty is annoyed and doesn't want to come down. He should be overlooking from the gossip platform."

Miss Wang responded with an "Oh" and then asked, "Father, what is the purpose of the Western Region delegation's visit this time? This unreasonable challenge is really puzzling."

The delegation wouldn't come without a reason, and the recent actions of the Buddhist sect, full of gunpowder, made people realize that the Western Region delegation's visit this time was not a good sign.

"Perhaps it's related to the Sangbo case," Prime Minister Wang said calmly.

Miss Wang furrowed her brows and extracted two pieces of information from her father's answer. First, even her father, as the prime minister, didn't know much about it. Second, the Sangbo case seemed to have deeper secrets.

Just as she was about to ask further, Prime Minister Wang impatiently waved his hand, "You're just a daughter, don't meddle in court affairs. Save your cleverness for your future husband."

Miss Wang pouted and stopped talking. Taking advantage of her father's inattention, she once again cast her gaze towards the Nightwatcher's yamen.

"After the competition, I will hold a literary gathering at home..." she secretly thought.

On the other side, Xu Pingzhi, relying on his years of experience in serving in the capital, scanned each pavilion one by one. He recognized some important figures, but most of them were unfamiliar to him.

However, the closer they were to the imperial pavilion, the higher their status.

Suddenly, he had the feeling of stepping onto the stage of power in the capital, and all of this was brought by Ning Yan... If Ning Yan wins after this competition, he will become famous in the capital and in The Great Feng... But if he loses, he will likely be despised for a long time, and if it is recorded in history, he will bear eternal infamy.

Thinking of this, Xu Ershu's mood became complicated.

"Master, do you see that princess? Is she the one who came to pay respects to Ning Yan that day?" Xu Pingzhi's wife was also watching the scene and recognized the cool and radiant Princess Huai Qing.

Xu Pingzhi responded with a grunt, acknowledging his wife's words.

His wife continued, "The princess in the red dress next to her is also beautiful, but... her gaze seems seductive, not very proper."

Xu Pingzhi was startled and whispered, "Nonsense, don't talk nonsense about the princess in this kind of occasion. Do you want our whole family to be executed?"

His wife quickly shut her mouth.

"There's nothing that can't be said. There's not a single good person in the imperial family of The Great Feng." Auntie said indifferently.

"We don't know you, so go away and say that somewhere else..." Xu Xinnian silently cursed in his heart.

Xu Pingzhi let out a sigh of relief, forcing himself not to pay attention to that woman, and warned his wife and children, "In this kind of occasion, you must observe more and speak less. Don't do anything, and you won't make any mistakes... Lingyin?!"

The two words "Lingyin" came out with a change in tone.

At some point, Xu Lingyin had walked up to the green-robed eunuch with her short legs. She raised her head, pointed at the food on the table, and said with longing, "Uncle, can I eat your food?"

Seeing this scene, Xu Pingzhi felt a tingling sensation from his tailbone to the top of his head.

The golden gongs around Wei Yuan frowned at the same time, thinking that this child was impolite and lacked manners.

Yang Kaitai, who had paid respects to Xu Qi'an, recognized the little bean sprout and quickly said, "Wei Gong, this is Xu Ningyan's younger sister."

The Jinluo men looked at Xu Lingyin with gentle eyes, thinking to themselves that this child is not afraid and has a lot of courage, he will definitely become someone great.

Wei Yuan picked up a piece of preserved fruit and handed it over.

Xu Lingyin took it and swallowed it in a few bites.

"You're not supposed to eat preserved fruit like that. The longer you keep it in your mouth, the longer the sweetness lasts," Wei Yuan smiled.

"When the sweetness is gone, someone else will eat the preserved fruit," Xu Lingyin frowned.

"I just have to keep eating, then it will always be sweet... Uncle, I want to eat more," Xu Lingyin said.

Wei Yuan smiled and fed Xu Lingyin a few more pieces of preserved fruit. After eating for a while, Xu Lingyin felt a little embarrassed and said, "Uncle, why aren't you eating?"

Wei Yuan shook his head and smiled.

"It's because you're not eating," Xu Lingyin blinked his innocent and clear eyes, cautiously asking, "If you don't eat, then I'll finish them all."

"You can finish them all?" Wei Yuan laughed, glanced at Xu Lingyin's little belly, and then looked at the table full of fruits, preserved fruit, and exquisite pastries.

"Wei, Wei Gong..."

Xu Pingzhi came over with a stiff face, bowed his waist, and tried to keep his voice from trembling, "My daughter is mischievous, please don't mind her."

Wei Yuan raised his sleeve, picked up a golden pear, and handed it to Xu Lingyin.

Jiang Lvzhong saw this and smiled, "Wei Gong, you can talk to the child, you can go back."

Xu Pingzhi looked at his little daughter, then at Wei Yuan who ignored him, and helplessly turned and left.

"Dad, what are you afraid of? Big Brother is a Jinluo, highly regarded by Wei Gong, Lingyin will be fine," Xu Erlang said.

Xu Pingzhi sighed.

Young people would not understand how terrifying Wei Yuan was. Those who had experienced the Battle of Shanhaiguan would not think that Wei Yuan was a kind and amiable person.

As time passed, the food in front of Wei Yuan became less and less. He looked at Xu Lingyin's little belly, frowned, and placed his hand on her head.

Then, he pressed and kneaded various parts of the little girl's body for a long time.

"What a pity," Wei Yuan lamented.

"Adoptive father, what's wrong?" Yang Yan asked.

"This child has a strong body and a solid foundation, but her tendons and bones are too weak, she is not suitable for martial arts," Wei Yuan shook his head.

"No wonder she eats so much, this girl is a foodie," Nangong Qianrou sneered.

"Tuituitui..." Xu Lingyin spat at her, her small eyebrows raised lightly, "You're a bad person."

She still remembered this beautiful sister who came to their house and lied, saying that her big brother had died, causing her parents to cry for a long time.

Nangong Qianrou snorted coldly, took out a handkerchief from her pocket, and wiped the saliva off her pants.

Unconsciously, time passed until the afternoon. Du'e, who was sitting cross-legged under the cool pavilion, opened his eyes and spoke loudly, "Jianzheng, do you know about the mustard seed?"

"It's just a trick!"

Above the nine heavens, the voice of Jianzheng sneered.

Everyone present, whether they were high-ranking officials or common people, became excited and agitated.

The main event was about to begin!

They saw Du'e take out a golden bowl from his sleeve and gently threw it out.

"Boom!"

The golden bowl weighed over a thousand catties, smashing the stone slab and deeply embedding itself into the ground.

A pure golden light rose from the bowl and unfolded in the sky, revealing a towering mountain with winding stone steps extending to the end of the forest.

On the mountaintop, there was a temple.

"Divine technique..." Auntie was stunned, her eyes widened.

Except for the martial artists with cultivation, ordinary people who saw this scene couldn't control their expressions, and there was a commotion.

"Adoptive father, what is the mustard seed?" Nangong Qianrou frowned.

"This is a Buddhist allusion," Wei Yuan glanced at Xu Lingyin, who seemed indifferent to everything around her, and said lightly, "The mustard seed hidden in the mustard seed, the mustard seed contains the mustard seed. Legend has it that Buddha had a mountain in his hand called Mount Sumeru, which was his dojo. Wherever he went, his dojo would be there."

Yang Yan remembered the Battle of Shanhaiguan twenty years ago and the scene of the Buddhist monks transporting the army. He suddenly realized, "A world in the palm of one's hand?"

Wei Yuan nodded, "There is a mountain hidden in the golden bowl."

"Jingsi, you go into the mountain and guard the second checkpoint," Du'e instructed.

A handsome monk in a green robe stood up, clasped his hands together in a salute, and then, in front of countless people, stepped into the golden bowl.

In the next moment, the scroll that was unfolded in the sky had an additional young monk climbing the mountain.

He climbed the steps unhurriedly, arrived at the mountainside, and sat cross-legged.

Golden light poured down from the sky, gathering on his body. In an instant, his body was covered with a golden light, as if he was cast in gold.

...............

"So there really is a mustard seed in this world," Xu Qi'an exclaimed.

Yang Qianhuan, who was facing away from him, nodded, "Mustard seed, also known as the world in the palm of one's hand. However, this should be an ownerless world hidden in the golden bowl."

"If it were a 'Buddhist country' with an owner, then victory or defeat would depend on the owner's thoughts, which would be fair."Chu Caiwei stuffed a bag of pastries into his arms and said in a sweet voice, "Xu Ningyan, go, eat on the way up the mountain."

".......Thank you, but I'm not hungry." Xu Qian'an politely declined.

Behind him, a group of white-robed sorcerers encouraged, "Go, Young Master Xu. Although we don't know why Master Jianzheng chose you, he must have his reasons."

"You must return triumphantly, Young Master Xu."

Whether or not I can return triumphantly, I'll deal with this opportunity first in front of the entire capital city... Xu Qian'an patted Yang Qianhuan's shoulder and said,

"Senior Brother Yang, after today, you will understand what it means to be revered in public!"

.............

Outside the venue, on the rooftop of a restaurant, Chu Yuanzhen, dressed in green, stood side by side with the burly bald Heng Yuan, looking at the radiant little monk Jing Si. Chu Yuanzhen clicked his tongue:

"Jing Si has forged his body with golden light. This Indestructible World has enhanced his Vajra Body. With Xu Ningyan's current strength, it is impossible to break through."

Heng Yuan's mood was somewhat complicated. According to reason, he was a disciple of Buddhism and should stand on the side of Buddhism. But at the same time, he was also a person of The Great Feng, and Xu Da's righteous man was fighting.

"By the way, what happened last night? Why didn't you receive my message?" Chu Yuanzhen asked.

"Master Jin Lian blocked it," Heng Yuan said.

This morning, Chu Yuanzhen came to him to "watch the show" together and asked about the message from last night. After they compared their testimonies, they unanimously believed that Master Jin Lian had blocked Number Four.

"I know that Master Jin Lian blocked my message, but why?" Chu Yuanzhen expressed his confusion.

"Master Jin Lian didn't want you to mention that Xu Qian'an was representing the Bureau of Heavenly Masters in the fight," Heng Yuan said.

"Huh, do you think that makes sense?" Chu Yuanzhen sneered.

"No, it doesn't," Heng Yuan shook his head.

"I always feel that this matter is not simple," Chu Yuanzhen pondered. He didn't dwell on this question and instead said:

"You stayed at the Three Yang Relay Station for three days. Did you gain anything?"

"The Diamond Sutra cannot be easily taught. Master Du'e told me that if I want to see the Diamond Sutra, I can go with him to the Western Regions and cultivate on Mount Xumi for three years." Heng Yuan said.

"Once you become a true disciple of Buddhism from the inside out, you will have nothing to do with The Great Feng anymore?" Chu Yuanzhen raised a mocking smile.

"Not exactly," Heng Yuan explained, "The Diamond Sutra cannot be cultivated by ordinary people. Don't you find it strange why it was Jing Si who came forward to fight, and not someone else?"

Chu Yuanzhen's mind stirred, "Among the Western Regions' envoy, only Jing Si has cultivated the Diamond Sutra?"

Heng Yuan nodded, "Either he has an innate Buddha nature and can comprehend its profound meaning, or he went to Mount Xumi to listen to the Buddha's teachings and has a slim chance of understanding the Diamond Sutra."

Chu Yuanzhen suddenly realized something and struck his palm, somewhat annoyed, "So even if Xu Qian'an wins the fight and obtains the Diamond Sutra, it will be useless?"

"Because a person like Xu Qian'an, who is so lustful, cannot possibly have the Buddha nature." Heng Yuan fell silent for a moment and nodded slowly.

During the conversation, the two heard Master Du'e loudly say, "In this fight, you shall climb the mountain! If you reach the mountaintop and still refuse to convert to Buddhism, then it will be considered a loss for Buddhism. The Bureau of Heavenly Masters has three chances."

Upon hearing these words, Wei Yuan smiled.

"Climbing the mountain..." Yang Yan pondered, "There will surely be many difficulties along the way. One misstep and it will be an immediate defeat."

After the Arhat Du'e finished speaking, he fell silent and meditated.

Inside and outside the venue, the audience waited for a long time, but still no one from the Bureau of Heavenly Masters came forward to fight. There was a flurry of discussions for a while.

"Why is the Bureau of Heavenly Masters not making a move? Could it be that they are afraid?"

"What about Master Jianzheng? Can't he say something?"

"What's going on? If the Bureau of Heavenly Masters is afraid, then why agree to the fight? Do they think The Great Feng is not embarrassing enough?"

Suddenly, someone exclaimed with joy, "Someone is coming out of the Bureau of Heavenly Masters' Observatory."

In an instant, countless people turned their heads at the same time, countless gazes focused on the entrance of the Observatory.

A figure wearing a cloak slowly walked out of the first-floor lobby. He was carrying a wine jar and wearing a hood, his head lowered, making it impossible to see his face.

As soon as the cloaked figure stepped onto the stairs, a deep chanting voice spread throughout the venue, accompanied by a powerful aura that reached everyone's ears.

"When I was fifteen or twenty, I wore a green robe and wielded a sword to travel the world."

With the second step, the low voice suddenly became high-pitched, "Like a great roc soaring in the wind, I rise straight up ninety thousand miles."

This... in those pavilions, civil officials unconsciously stood up and saluted the figure.

With the third step, the cloaked figure pointed to the sky with one hand, and the voice changed from high-pitched to majestic, "Where the sea ends, the sky becomes the shore. In martial arts, I am the peak!"

Inside and outside the venue, the martial artists raised their eyebrows and looked strange. The martial artists outside the venue even responded with their own aura.

With the fourth step, the cloaked figure shouted, "I have traveled three thousand miles, and my sword has faced a million enemies."

Wei Yuan's eyebrows twitched, and his body leaned forward slightly.

The generals suddenly stood up.

With the fifth step, the cloaked figure sighed, "Heaven did not give birth to Xu Ningyan, and the Nine Provinces have been in eternal darkness!"

Xu Xinnian was trembling with anger. This was his life's masterpiece, created in a moment of despair.

His elder brother was truly shameless.

In his fury, he looked around and saw the stunned faces. They were all focused on the cloaked figure who was slowly entering the arena.

When I recited this poem, I was mocked by my family. But when my elder brother recites it, he is the center of attention, admired by thousands... Xu Xinnian thought resentfully:

My elder brother is truly shameless.

In his annoyance, Xu Xinnian glanced at the woman beside him. She was staring at the cloaked figure, seemingly lost in thought.

She was gazing at the cloaked figure so intently, as if nothing else existed in her world.

Huai Qing's eyes were sparkling. For the first time, she thought this man was truly dazzling.

Xu Qi'an didn't recite any more poetry. He held a jug of wine and slowly entered the arena. He finally stopped by the golden bowl, then he took off his hood and drank the wine.

The wine flowed down his chin, wetting his clothes, unrestrained and bold.

Suddenly, he smashed the jug on the ground. Amid the sound of shattering, he laughed wildly:

"Heroes of the world are from our generation, once entered the jianghu, time erodes. Great ambitions are discussed with laughter, unable to withstand a drunken life."

In the midst of his wild and unrestrained laughter, he jumped into the golden bowl.

At that moment, the entire arena fell silent.

After a long while, suddenly, a roar came, like a tidal wave, sweeping across the entire arena.

"The Great Feng, will win!"

"The Great Feng, will win!"

This high-profile entrance, these lines of brilliant work, instantly overshadowed the Buddhists in style and looked down upon them in momentum.

It also restored the confidence of the people in the capital.

The civil and military officials slowly nodded, showing their appreciation. So, Xu Qi'an's high-profile entrance had a deeper meaning.

To sweep away the decline and regroup.

............

PS: Update first, revise later.

I've been writing since nine in the morning, this is a big chapter, I'm exhausted, please subscribe to the official version.