The boat owner was furious after being hit, but he endured and remained silent.

The Cao Gang was not afraid of the Wang family, but they didn't want to get involved in a fight over such a trivial matter. It would most likely end up being a waste of effort.

The man's gaze swept across the bow of the boat, and the first person he saw standing up was Xuan Chong. "So Xuan Chong is here."

Xuan Chong was surprised. "Are you here to find me with that tone of voice?"

"Yes, we went to Mount Tai a few days ago. Our master said you have been traveling in the south for a long time, so we came to find you. We heard that you were at the bow of the Cao Gang's boat, so we came to see you."

Xuan Chong frowned slightly. "What's so important that you have to find me?"

The man took out what seemed to be an invitation. "Our young master's birthday is coming up, and he has invited fellow members of the Qianlong List to a banquet. Our group was assigned the task of inviting ten to twenty people, and we must complete it."

"Just for this? Blocking the boat, forcibly boarding, and even hitting someone?"

"A mere boatman dares to defy the will of the Wang family. If we want to hit him, what can he do?"

Xuan Chong's expression turned ugly. It was because of him that his friend's subordinate was hit, and he was extremely angry.

However, the Taiyi Sect and the Wang family were in the same state. Although they were not very close, they were still aware of each other's existence. If they fought, it would bring trouble to the sect. So he restrained himself and said, "I have no intention of having any dealings with the young master of the Wang family. I won't attend the banquet. Please leave."

The man sneered, "Not everyone on the Qianlong List can participate in our young master's banquet. The Qianlong List only looks at potential, not strength. But potential may not have time to turn into strength before one dies. What's the point of that? If it's just empty potential, there's no need to invite."

Even a clay figure would be angered by these words. Xuan Chong finally became furious and couldn't help but draw his sword, saying coldly, "If that's the case, I'll take the invitation by force."

Before he finished speaking, a big man who had been sitting by the chessboard suddenly stood up and kicked the man in the groin.

The man was startled and dodged, but the swift kick turned into a graceful step, and the seemingly clumsy big man agilely moved to his side. His palm, like a fan, came down towards the man's face.

The man urgently dodged.

The palm turned into an illusion, and the fingers blossomed like flowers, brushing against his chest's vital point.

The man's body went numb, and he instantly lost his strength.

The big man leisurely grabbed his collar with his left hand and slapped him in the face with his right hand, knocking out one of his teeth.

The big man laughed, "I thought you were something special, but you dare to challenge heroes of the world. What a joke!"

The next moment, the man felt like he was flying through the clouds and was thrown into the river with a loud splash.

It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from bit.ly/3iBfjkV.

The big man clapped his hands and spat into the river, saying, "The Huren knocking on the Yanmen Pass. Why doesn't your young master go challenge Chili? Fuck, let your young master keep his banquet and invite his mother instead, idiot!"

The man struggled in the water and shouted, "Who are you? How dare you provoke the Wang family? Leave your name!"

Xuan Chong finally laughed, "You're responsible for inviting ten to twenty people, right? He didn't offend you, you were already planning to challenge him. You just did it a bit earlier."

The riders on the shore looked at the big man's face in astonishment and suddenly remembered someone.

"Bloodthirsty Asura Zhao Changhe..."

A person's name, a tree's shadow.

Most of the people on the Qianlong List didn't have many achievements. Many of them were recognized by the Chaos Chronicles for their outstanding achievements in their early years, but their subsequent remarkable deeds were few. Wan Dongliu and Tang Buqi were typical examples. One was low-key, and the other was stagnant. In a sense, the Wang family's challenge was not entirely wrong. Xuan Chong hadn't shown any outstanding performance in a long time. It was said that he had been embarrassed by Chi Li. Maybe he was just famous for nothing?

On the other hand, Zhao Changhe had been killing people like crazy for over half a year. He had even beheaded a general in front of the enemy's camp a few days ago and retreated unscathed. In that environment, he could easily defeat someone at the Xuan Guan Sixth Level, or even just cut a watermelon. If they had known he was here, these people wouldn't have dared to "challenge" him. His impressive record didn't need any challenge.

But this guy didn't have the iconic broadsword on him, and his moves were elegant. Who could recognize him?

The man who was slapped and thrown into the river didn't say a word. He was rescued by his companions and only spoke when they reached the shore. "If we had known it was Zhao Gongzi here, we wouldn't have dared to challenge... Our young master instructed us to invite you, please attend the banquet without the need for an invitation."

"Damn it." Xuan Chong was so angry that he laughed and shook his head, sitting back at the chessboard without saying a word.

Zhao Changhe also laughed in anger. "I still prefer your rebellious appearance just now. In my opinion, your young master's actions are like those of an idiot. I'm afraid I'll catch his stupidity if I go."

The man touched his cheek, feeling the mission was about to fail, and quickly brainstormed a solution. Suddenly, an idea struck him, "There will be many old acquaintances of the young master at the event, wouldn't you want to meet them?"

Zhao Changhe replied, "Yue Hongling is no longer on the Hidden Dragon List, let alone her lack of interest in such a trivial event. I doubt you could even find Xia Chichi, and even if you did, she wouldn't bother to go. Who else is there? Cui Yuanyong or Han Wubing?"

The man forced a smile, "Young Master Cui won't be coming, as he is engaged to our young lady and according to tradition, they cannot meet before the wedding. However, Miss Cui Yuanyang will be there."

"..." Zhao Changhe didn't expect Cui Yuanyang to be allowed out so soon. He was taken aback and choked on his words. After a while, he waved his hand, "We'll see how it goes."

His expression was distant, and he couldn't help but reveal a hint of a maternal smile.

It had been a long time since he had seen her, and he missed the adorable little girl. He wondered if she was still as cute as before.

The onlookers also thought: We also like your rebellious attitude just now...

The farce ended like this. The remaining knights helped the one who had lost his teeth onto his horse, and the group left in a dejected manner.

The boat owner came forward to thank them, "Thank you both for avenging me."

Xuan Chong waved his hand, "I'm ashamed. I couldn't confront them directly. It was only when I was pushed to the limit that I drew my sword. I'm nowhere near as heroic as Brother Zhao, who didn't leave any face for the Wang family."

"I just didn't want to wait for them to come to me one by one to challenge me. What's the point?" Zhao Changhe said, "Brother Dao, since you know about the Wang family, do you know why they invited me to this banquet? Is it just to entertain a guest? Isn't that too stupid?"

Xuan Chong chuckled, "The likelihood of being invited to spar with him is higher. After all, it's not convenient to practice alone when traveling. This is an invitation to all Hidden Dragons to spar. Similar incidents have happened before, where people were accidentally killed. In a sense, this invitation can be considered a death notice..."

Zhao Changhe was taken aback, "This is too outrageous. Are they trying to offend everyone?"

"Generally speaking, receiving an invitation from the Wang family is considered an honor. It's just a sparring match, and it's not certain that someone will be accidentally killed. If you can make a good connection, it will be beneficial for the future." Xuan Chong sighed, "Not everyone is like you, who has connections with the Cui family right after stepping into society, and doesn't look up to these top families. Most people are afraid and try to curry favor with them."

"They're too arrogant. It seems that the Cui family has better manners."

Xuan Chong thought to himself that it might not necessarily be the case. Cui Yuanyong and Cui Yuanyang might be fine, but what about others?

Individuals can never represent the entire class. In the eyes of others, there is no difference between the Cui family and the Wang family. And the behavior of the Wang family wouldn't matter to the Cui family, they're still marrying into each other's families, aren't they?

Moreover... the queen's family is the Wang family, which is the mother of the deceased crown prince.

The truth behind the death of the crown prince is still unclear, with at least a hundred different theories. Tang Wanzhuang has never mentioned this to Zhao Changhe, perhaps even she doesn't know the truth.

Seeing Zhao Changhe deep in thought, Xuan Chong said, "Of course, whether this is the purpose of the invitation is hard to say. I'm just guessing, maybe there's nothing to it. Brother Zhao, are you really considering going?"

Zhao Changhe snapped back to reality, grinning, "I hope there is something to it. I want to see how they can play the role of the King of Hell!"

PS: No more updates tonight, taking a break.