Chapter Fifty-Four: Journey to Tianhuang City

Tong Jin raised his eyes to look at the holy and fair face of the young maiden, then glanced at the four men whose faces bore expressions of anticipation, and nodded. "I shall give it a try."

The maiden smiled, a smile that could put the moon to shame and cause flowers to close in modesty. "My name is Meng Yuerou. Young Hero may simply call me Yuerou."

The bearded man named Meng Man looked robust and fierce, yet he possessed a meticulous mind. Seeing the expression on his young mistress's face and recalling how Tong Jin had momentarily lost his composure upon first seeing her, he immediately understood the situation. The youth before them had handsome facial features and an extraordinary bearing, and judging by his martial prowess, he was certainly no mediocre practitioner. If their young mistress could befriend such a person, the Meng family would have no reason to fear the Gu family any longer.

*Hehe...* Meng Man even thought to himself that if the young man and woman before him were to become a pair, they would truly make a well-matched couple. As he pondered this, he burst into laughter.

Both Tong Jin and the maiden looked at Meng Man in bafflement as he chuckled foolishly. When they looked at the other three men, they saw them staring with strange expressions as well. Tong Jin was completely in the dark, while the maiden suddenly dawned on the reality, turning away in bashful embarrassment.

Seeing Yuerou's shy appearance, Meng Man and the other three men burst into hearty, open laughter.

Though completely bewildered, Tong Jin couldn't help but laugh along seeing how bold and unconstrained everyone was.

"Right, Uncle, may I ask when the competition is scheduled to begin?" Tong Jin asked after the laughter subsided.

Meng Man raised a hand to wipe away a tear of mirth, caught his breath to steady himself, and said heartily, "Young Hero, if you don't mind, you can call me Uncle Man, just like Yuerou does."

Tong Jin grinned. "Uncle Man, then none of you should call me Young Hero anymore either. Just address me as Tong Jin."

Meng Man and the other three exchanged smiles and nodded in agreement before explaining, "The martial competition is on the first day of next month. Today is the fifteenth, so we have half a month left. Since our horses were bitten to death by those beasts, if we hurry back on foot, the timing should be just right."

Tong Jin nodded. "Does Uncle Man know what cultivation realms those two from the Gu family have reached?"

Meng Man furrowed his brow slightly and raised a hand to scratch the beard on his face. "I heard from the family head that Gu Ming is at the Lesser Accomplishment of the Qiization Realm, just like him. However, Gu Feng, who is Gu Ming's uncle, possesses a strength that even our family head cannot fathom. He has reached at least the Great Perfection of the Qiization Realm."

Tong Jin did not show excessive surprise and nodded slowly.

This subtle reaction did not escape Meng Man's notice. He thought to himself that for this youth to remain utterly unmoved upon hearing of the Great Perfection of the Qiization Realm, there could only be two reasons: either he was ignorant and did not know how terrifying someone at that level was, or he possessed the strength to contend against the Great Perfection of the Qiization Realm. Clearly, from their previous interactions, Tong Jin was by no means a reckless fool who overestimated his own capabilities.

"Uncle Man, since the Gu family has no one else who has reached the Qiization Realm apart from those two, why must you travel such a long distance to seek helpers?"

"Young... Young Brother Tong Jin, there is something you do not know. The Gu family has entanglements with the Poison Sect of the highlands. Gu Ming's younger sister, Gu Hong, is married to Ba Xun, the vice leader of the Poison Sect. This time, the Gu family has even invited Ba Xun's three disciples from the Poison Sect. It is said that all three of them have reached the Qiization Realm and excel in raising poisonous insects. Generally, opponents of the same level are no match for them."

"Even if I win a single match, relying on myself alone won't be enough to secure victory, right?" Tong Jin frowned.

Hearing this, Meng Man laughed heartily. "Young Brother Tong Jin, rest assured. We of the Meng family also have friends in the highlands. Two disciples under his sect—one is at the Lesser Accomplishment of the Qiization Realm, while the other has reached the Great Perfection of the Qiization Realm. We invited Young Hero here not necessarily to win outright, but as long as Young Hero can firmly hold down one of the opponents invited by the Gu family, I believe we can emerge victorious."

Tong Jin nodded. "It seems this contest is not as simple as a one-on-one duel?"

The person dressed in leopard skin spoke up, "Young Hero Tong may not know this, but if it were a pure one-on-one duel this time, our Meng family truly would have no chance of winning. After pondering over and over, the family head proposed this single condition: the martial competition will take place in the Tianhuang Valley outside Tianhuang City, fought as a three-on-three melee."

Meng Man nodded and pointed to each of them in turn. "This is Flying Leopard of our Meng family, this is Snow Fox, and this is Silver Marthen." Following the introductions, the three men nodded to Tong Jin in greeting. Flying Leopard even produced a few flasks of wine from his tunic and shared them out among everyone.

Tong Jin did not stand on ceremony; he accepted a flask, popped the cork, and took a large gulp.

*Cough, cough, cough—* Immediately, a burning sensation spread from his mouth down his throat straight into his stomach. "Such fierce wine!"

"Hahahaha!" The other four men burst into hearty laughter and likewise took large gulps from their flasks.

Meng Yuerou, who had been secretly watching Tong Jin all along, covered her mouth and smiled. "Young Hero Tong, that is highland highland barley wine. I heard my father say that this wine is extremely fierce."

Seeing Yuerou smiling so happily, Tong Jin scratched his head and gave a sheepish grin. "The wine I used to drink compared to this barley wine was practically like water." He then recalled the scene of himself and Su Tan drinking on the large ship heading toward the holy capital, and thought to himself that he must bring back a few jars of this barley wine so he could share a proper drinking session with Su Tan again.

"Only such fierce wine is worthy of bold and unconstrained men." Meng Man finished speaking and gulped down several large mouthfuls.

The glow of the campfire blended with the moonlight. It was deep autumn, and the six of them lay down to sleep in their clothes, relying on the meager warmth of the fire. The belongings that Meng Man and the others had brought were scattered and lost when the wolves tore through their horses, leaving nothing to be found. Tong Jin stood up, quietly draped his outer robe over the sleeping Meng Yuerou, added some wood to the campfire, and lay down.

This slight movement unexpectedly woke the maiden who had just drifted off to sleep. Her face flushed red, and she opened her eyes just a slit to secretly gaze at the youth breathing evenly beside the campfire, the firelight illuminating his refined and handsome features.

That night, the maiden slept exceptionally soundly. The trouble her family had encountered stemmed from their love and protection of her, and if she had simply obediently married Gu Ming, perhaps none of this would have happened. For the past several days, the maiden had wept every night, but tonight, she thought of nothing at all. Just gazing at the sleeping Tong Jin brought her a sense of peace, and she drifted into a deep, restful slumber.

Early the next morning, Snow Fox was the first to wake up. Before even getting up, he spotted the gray robe draped over Yuerou. He quietly nudged the other three awake, and they exchanged whispered snickers.

When Tong Jin woke up, he happened to catch their peculiar smiles, and upon turning to look at the still-sleeping Yuerou, he immediately understood. Blushing, he scratched his head and said, "I'm going to wash my face first, hehe." With that, he scurried away as if fleeing.

*Hahaha—* A burst of hearty laughter erupted behind Tong Jin.

After tidying up, the group set off toward Tianhuang City. Tong Jin's robe was not retrieved, and it now hung loosely over Meng Yuerou's shoulders, appearing exceptionally oversized and nearly dragging on the ground. Tong Jin and Yuerou walked along in silence all the way, each casting awkward glances at the scenery along the path. Meng Man and the others did not expose them, though every now and then someone would struggle to hold back a suppressed giggle, making Tong Jin and Yuerou wish the road would split into two just to mask the shy emotions in their hearts.

Tong Jin did not know that at this very moment, within the imperial palace, a maiden of equally peerless beauty was gazing blankly at the deep autumn waters.

"Brother Tianying, is Master returning tomorrow?" asked Tianhu, whose figure appeared slightly plump.

Tianying's face remained as icy as ever as he replied, "Mn, I just received the message."

At that moment, a flock of wild geese was cutting across the horizon. The autumn wind broke the calm surface of the water, and Tianfeng raised her head, murmuring softly, "I wonder how he is doing right now," her tone carrying an unexpected trace of loss and longing.