Chapter 115: Chapter 74: I’ve noted this grudge! (Thanks to the generous reward from Deep and Endless, bonus chapter!)
 

The person had not arrived.

Yet their voice had already reached.

Qiao Songshan rushed in hastily, without needing Cheng Guang to come out to welcome him.

The aura around him was much denser than when they first met.

Not having seen him for a few days, his cultivation had improved greatly.

As soon as Qiao Songshan entered the room, he began to cry out dramatically, just about to throw himself at Cheng Guang and cling to his legs, when he suddenly noticed Bai Shuxuan quietly receiving Cheng Guang’s strokes like a cat would.

His eyes widened.

He put on an immediate brake.

Bang.

Qiao Songshan stumbled to the ground, his gaze lingering on Cheng Guang, then shifting to Bai Shuxuan held in Cheng Guang’s arms, his surprise and tongue-clucking mixed.

“Big brother, did you buy Bai Shuxuan?”

Qiao Songshan did not know Bai Shuxuan’s real identity and still thought Bai Shuxuan was just an ordinary Oiran from Wanhuatower.

Cheng Guang, with no intention of explaining, simply nodded in response, then looked at Qiao Songshan with a puzzled face.

“What brings you here today?”

At those words, Qiao Songshan chuckled, “Big brother, after I accompanied you on the brothel visit last time, my dad caught me and made me train.”

“The Martial Arts tournament between Great Zhou and Great Wei is about to begin, and my dad wants me to participate in this tournament to win some glory for Great Zhou. If I can distinguish myself in this tournament, I can be granted an official position even without participating in the Martial Cultivation imperial examinations.”

Cheng Guang glanced at Qiao Songshan, “Do you even care about that?”

Children of nobility are born with official positions, and even without participating in examinations, they can inherit their family businesses and live a wealthy life.

Just the title of Shenyong Duke alone is an enviable position that many people long for.

Qiao Songshan shook his head, a bitter expression on his face, “I don’t care indeed.”

“But my dad does. They say this year’s Martial Cultivation tournament is more grand than any before, and many important figures will be watching, some of whom don’t get along well with my dad.”

“Their son has signed up as well.”

“So… he’s forcing me to pull out all the stops and win, at least to not lose to that guy.”

Cheng Guang gave a light “Oh”, uninterested in such trivialities.

Fights between big shots over jealousy are not very common.

“This person your dad doesn’t get along well with, does your mom know him too?”

Cheng Guang asked with a teasing tone.

Qiao Songshan scratched his head, looking puzzled, and nodded, “Yeah, big brother, how did you know?”

“It’s Duke of Pingjiang, Wang Cheng. I usually call him Uncle Wang, he used to come to my house to play when I was little.”

Damn, really?

Cheng Guang was about to concoct a dramatic soap-opera scenario, when Qiao Songshan added something else.

“Back in the day, my dad and this Uncle Wang both pursued my mom. Later, my dad secretly met with Uncle Wang and suggested they fight a duel, and whoever lost would give up.”

“And then…”

At this point, Qiao Songshan’s face showed a hint of embarrassment.

“And then what happened?” Cheng Guang asked.

Narrowing his eyes, Qiao Songshan continued, “After that, my dad did nothing humane. While Uncle Wang was in seclusion, cultivating to enhance his cultivation, my dad directly sent people to propose marriage.”

“My mom didn’t object, and they got married and had a child in short order, oh, that’s me.”

There was absolutely no need for that last detail.

Qiao Songshan sighed, “Later, when Uncle Wang came out of seclusion, all ready for the duel with my dad, before they even fought, he was first greeted with the news of my parents’ wedding feast.”

“After that, the two of them became like fire and water.”

Cheng Guang listened quietly and couldn’t help saying, “Your dad really played dirty.”

First, he tricked him with the promise of a duel, only to seize his chance to level up, preparing for a great battle.

Who would have thought, his base was raided, and he ended up having to surrender?

Qiao Songshan exhaled deeply, “I also think my dad was too cunning. Maybe because he was ashamed for not following the code of martial honor or something, he didn’t squabble much with Uncle Wang before, and he used to actively avoid him when they saw each other.”

“It’s only recently, now that the tournament is unavoidable, that he wants to show his mettle. And now, he’s passing that on to me.”

With a pained expression, Qiao Songshan said, “I had just returned to the Capital city and was confined at home for so long. If I hadn’t had a breakthrough to the Divine Power realm, I would probably still not be able to get out.”

Cheng Guang knew about Qiao Songshan’s cultivation. He practiced Martial Arts with the Overlord Spear, and its divine quality was considered high-grade, which was quite commendable.

He took a sip of his tea and looked at Qiao Songshan, “So you came to me looking for help?”

“How could I? My dad’s still hale and hearty. If I can’t beat him and he troubles me afterward, I’d be in a sorry state.”

Such filial piety.

So if you can beat him, it’s all good, right?

Speaking of which, Qiao Songshan remembered the real reason for his visit.

“Oh right, big brother, the delegation from the Great Wei Martial Academy arrived in the Capital city today. The Great Wei envoy is hosting a banquet to welcome and refresh the students from the Martial Academy.”

“It looks quite lively.”

“Big brother, do you want to go over and have a look?”

Cheng Guang pondered for a moment, “Sure, let’s go have a look.”

With only a few days left until the Martial Arts tournament, there weren’t many from the Great Wei Martial Academy he could meet openly in the city.

This arrival was a rare opportunity to see them all gathered together.

He planned to see if those in the Great Wei Martial Academy, marked as “unknown” in the martial arts data, were actually part of the same group,

Or if they had any commonalities Cheng Guang himself had yet to discover.

Before the tournament, if he could uncover all the details about the men in black robes, then at least he wouldn’t be backstabbed by someone close on the day of the tournament.