Young hero, stay put and don't be reckless.

Chapter 91 Reconciliation

Su Guanlan, sitting in the audience, was stunned.

A guest of the Spring Water School?

When did he take in such a guest advisor?

Su Miao, who had already been helped down, clutched her shoulder and whispered a few words to her father.

Su Guanlan's expression changed several times—first surprise, then realization, and finally a complex mix of emotions.

He recognized him: this young man was the thief who had helped out in the kitchen of the Chunshui Sect years ago and stole the Chunshui Sword Technique.

Jiang Xun didn't care what the people below the stage were thinking; he was having a great time fighting.

Since absorbing the energy of the dragon crystal, he could feel himself becoming stronger.

But it's unclear exactly how much stronger he's become, and he's struggling to find someone to spar with.

Although Dugu Hong's martial arts skills are not as good as Zhang Tao's, he is still a master, much better than Huang Shan of the Golden Feather Guard. He's a good match to practice with.

Therefore, Jiang Xun held nothing back, unleashing the full power of the fifth level of the Spring Water Sword Technique, with sword light surging like waves.

Unfortunately, Dugu Hong's plans were thwarted. He only managed to hold out for a dozen or so moves before revealing a weakness. Jiang Xun struck him in the chest with a sword, sending him flying backward and crashing to the edge of the arena.

The audience erupted in cheers.

Dugu Hong got up from the ground, his face bruised and pale, feeling both ashamed and angry.

With a wave of his hand, several of his followers rushed onto the stage, rolled up their sleeves, and were about to attack.

"stop!"

A voice rang out from below the stage.

Xu Chen somehow managed to squeeze to the front and stood there. His face was expressionless, but his aura was imposing without being angry.

Dugu Hong's expression changed slightly upon seeing him: "Young Master Xu?"

Xu Chen ignored him and only said to his followers, "Get out of here."

The attendants looked at each other, all staring at Dugu Hong.

Dugu Hong gritted his teeth but didn't dare to lash out. With a wave of his hand, he led his men off the stage in a sorry state.

There was a lot of discussion in the audience.

"Who is that young man? Even Young Master Dugu is afraid of him?"

"I don't know, it looks unfamiliar..."

"Who cares who he is? Good riddance! That Dugu Hong deserved to be taught a lesson long ago!"

Jiang Xun sheathed his sword, turned to look at Xu Chen, and his gaze was somewhat appraising.

Xu Chen felt a little uncomfortable under his gaze and gave an awkward laugh: "Brother Jiang, I..."

"Your father is the Duke of Wei?" Jiang Xun asked bluntly.

Xu Chen was taken aback, then nodded.

Jiang Xun gasped.

Wei Guogong.

He was a founding hero of the Dayong Dynasty, holding military power, guarding Jiangning, and a veteran who fought alongside the emperor to conquer the country.

His eldest daughter married the former crown prince and became the crown princess; his second daughter is the one who is choosing a son-in-law on the stage today.

No wonder Dugu Hong had to lower his head when he saw Xu Chen.

"You've been keeping this a secret for a while now," Jiang Xun patted him on the shoulder.

Xu Chen smiled sheepishly: "I didn't mean to hide it from you, it's just... I didn't want anyone to know."

Jiang Xun nodded, indicating his understanding.

With this kind of identity, you're watched wherever you go, which is definitely not as carefree as being an ordinary person.

On the other side, Su Guanlan looked at the injury on Su Miao's shoulder, then at Jiang Xun on the stage, his expression complicated.

Jiang Xun felt a little guilty when he sensed Su Guanlan's gaze. He instinctively wanted to run away, but after hesitating for a moment, he still walked towards him.

"Sect Leader Su," Jiang Xun scratched his head sheepishly, "about what happened back then..."

Su Guanlan waved his hand and sighed, "Your Spring Water Sword Technique is already on par with mine. That sword manual is not a disgrace in your hands."

Jiang Xun smiled awkwardly, took out the "Spring Water Sword Technique" from his pocket, and handed it back to Su Guanlan: "This is your sect's most prized possession. Please forgive me, Sect Leader Su."

Su Guanlan accepted the sword manual, then suddenly gave a strange smile: "You just said on stage that you are a guest elder of my Spring Water Sect?"

Jiang Xun chuckled awkwardly, "That was just something I said casually, to spite Dugu Hong..."

"I am serious," Su Guanlan said solemnly. "Your Spring Water Sword Technique has reached the fifth level, surpassing any disciple in my sect. If you are willing, I will formally appoint you as a guest elder of the Spring Water Sect."

Jiang Xun was stunned.

Su Guanlan continued, "Guest elders do not need to reside permanently in the sect; they only need to lend a helping hand when the sect is in trouble. Therefore, I will forgive and forget about your mistake of taking the sword manual."

Looking into Su Guanlan's sincere eyes, Jiang Xun finally clasped his hands in a salute: "Sect Leader Su, rest assured, the affairs of the Spring Water Sect are my affairs."

Su Guanlan nodded with satisfaction, then glanced at Xu Chen on the stage and whispered, "You know the young master of the Duke of Wei's mansion?"

Jiang Xun nodded: "A friend I just met."

Su Guanlan gave a thoughtful "Oh" and didn't ask any more questions.

He turned and told his disciples to pack their things and prepare to leave.

"Sect Leader Su is leaving already?" Jiang Xun asked, somewhat surprised.

Su Guanlan gave a bitter smile: "I originally came here hoping to curry favor with the nobles in the capital, but now that I've fallen out with the Dugu family, what's the point of staying? Returning to the Chunshui Sect and properly teaching my disciples is the right thing to do."

He glanced at Su Miao, sighed, and said, "Miao'er's marriage is off. As for the Dugu family, we'll skip it."

Su Miao stood to the side, her eyes slightly reddening upon hearing this, and whispered, "Father, I'm sorry..."

Su Guanlan waved his hand, showing no sign of blame, but instead revealing a relieved smile: "Let's go home."

The group from the Spring Water Sect gradually walked away into the distance.

Su Miao glanced back at Jiang Xun, her lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she turned around and followed her father.

Jiang Xun stood there, watching the figures of the Chunshui Sect members disappear into the crowd, and suddenly felt a sense of emotion.

When he stole the sword manual back then, he never imagined things would turn out this way.

"Jiang Xun!" Ajiu squeezed through the crowd, her face full of admiration. "You're amazing! You beat that Dugu Hong to a pulp!"

Xu Chen grinned and chimed in, "Brother Jiang, you really stole the show today. If my sister saw you, she might just fall for you."

"Your sister?" Jiang Xun was taken aback.

"Yeah, right." Xu Chen winked. "My second sister, Xu Shan, has a bit of a temper, but she's really pretty."

Jiang Xun rolled his eyes at him: "Don't give me that. I have no interest in your family's affairs."

Xu Chen chuckled twice and didn't say anything more.

Even after the arena closed, Xu Chen remained excited, his mouth never closing the entire way.

"Brother Jiang, you didn't see Dugu Hong's face! It looked like he'd swallowed a fly!" He gestured wildly, his eyes narrowing into slits with laughter. "I've disliked him for a long time, and today I finally got my revenge!"

Jiang Xun smiled but didn't reply.

The three of them found a noodle stall on the street and ordered three bowls of plain noodles.

The broth was clear and the noodles were chewy. It was served piping hot, and Ajiu buried his head in his food, slurping loudly enough to be heard across two tables.

Xu Chen took a couple of bites, then suddenly put down his chopsticks, looked around, and lowered his voice to ask, "Brother Jiang, are you free tonight?"

"What's wrong?"

Xu Chen leaned closer, lowered his voice, and said with a mysterious air, "We're having a banquet at our residence tonight to entertain a big shot from the capital."

I can't stand him, and neither can my second sister. Now that you're here, give him a good talking to.

Jiang Xun's heart skipped a beat, but he remained outwardly calm and casually asked, "What important person?"

"You'll find out when the time comes," Xu Chen said, winking and keeping everyone in suspense. "Anyway, it's not anything good."

Jiang Xun thought to himself that he could probably guess who it was.

When the Second Prince arrived in Jiangning Prefecture, the Duke of Wei's mansion hosted a banquet. Who else could he have invited?

He was worried about not having a chance to get close to the Second Prince, but unexpectedly, the opportunity came to him on its own.

"Okay." He nodded. "I'll go."

Ah Jiu, listening nearby, had her eyes light up and, with noodles still in her mouth, shouted, "Me too! Me too!"

Xu Chen glanced at him, hesitated for a moment, and said, "You can go, but don't say anything out of line. My dad has a bad temper, and if you anger him, I can't protect you."

Ah Jiu nodded repeatedly, patting her chest to assure her, almost choking on the noodles in her mouth: "Don't worry, don't worry, I'm very tight-lipped!"