Half a month later.
The annual martial arts competition finally began.
Tens of thousands of people watched, blocking the East Street, talking and excited.
On the high platform, the masters of the five major martial arts schools sat in the highest position, chatting and laughing with each other, and the atmosphere was quite harmonious.
On the high platforms on both sides, there were several personal disciples of the museum owners, as well as some wealthy businessmen and dignitaries in Changping City, and two people from the Wang family, the governor of the county, also came.
"Little junior brother."
Zhang Yannian sat next to Zhang Yao and whispered: "The one in the middle is Zhao Donglai from Kuanglei Martial Arts School, the master of Zhao."
When Zhang Yao heard this, his heart moved.
In the middle of the five hall masters is a tall and strong man, eight feet tall, with eyes as bright as lightning and a look of power.
The master of the hall, Zhao Donglai, is the leader of the martial arts in the city. He is the only master among the five major masters of the hall who has both internal and external skills. He is a very important figure in Changping City.
He was so powerful and influential that even the county governor who ruled Changping City had to give him some respect.
"Fellow folks, welcome..."
A martial artist jumped onto the ring, with a loud voice, and said some scene words, arousing the enthusiasm of the people watching.
Accompanied by the loud sound of gongs and drums, the martial arts competition officially began.
As the leader who had been appointed long ago, Zhang Yao naturally dominated the whole process after taking the stage. He played brilliantly in every game and won several games in a row, attracting bursts of applause.
"Is that Lao Zhou's young apprentice?"
"Old Zhou is not young anymore. This must be a closed disciple, right?"
"My kung fu is pretty good, it doesn't look like I just learned it for a few months..."
"Yes, if Lao Zhou hadn't accepted him just this year, I would have thought he had been studying with Lao Zhou for several years."
On the high platform, several museum owners were talking condescendingly to each other, somewhat surprised by Zhang Yao's level.
With their eyesight, they can naturally judge the essence through the appearance, and they can see that Zhang Yao is not only good at performing routines, but also his true strength is very good.
Among the many people watching, a rich old man and a scar-faced young man stared blankly at Zhang Yao on the ring.
"this……"
The two looked at each other and saw surprise in each other's eyes.
Without saying a word, the old man and the young man quietly broke away from the crowd of onlookers and came to a secluded place.
"Uncle Master, I recognize him!"
Qingzhuo was the first to speak, with a complicated look on his face: "He should be a Taoist boy from the Alchemy Hall, his name seems to be... yes, his name is Qingxu!"
"oh?"
The old man's expression moved slightly and he said thoughtfully: "I don't have much impression. I just vaguely felt that he looked familiar. I didn't expect that I was actually from Qingping Palace."
Qingzhuo heard this and said, "Uncle Master, I don't know something."
"Not long after you returned to secular life, he suddenly emerged in the Alchemy Hall and was expected to take over the position of Master Guanlu, so I paid attention."
"I see……"
When Taoist Guanyuan heard this, he immediately understood.
As the true successor of Shangqing Pavilion, Taotong Qingzhuo will most likely take over one of the three pavilions in the future, so he will naturally pay attention to some of the best among his peers.
"I thought you were the only one who survived the upheaval that night, but I didn't expect there was another one."
Taoist Guanyuan didn't know what he thought of, and said excitedly: "In this way, we have an excellent breakthrough."
"I heard from the martial arts master who presided over the martial arts competition that he is now a closed disciple of Master Zhou of Jinding Martial Arts School. Maybe he can make an introduction on his behalf."
"this……"
Qingzhuo was a little hesitant and said hesitantly: "I'm afraid it's hard to say."
"He escaped from Qingping Palace for so long and remained anonymous. He probably wanted to break away from the past."
"If we come to the door rashly..."
"It doesn't matter."
Taoist Guanyuan waved his hand and said: "The so-called lotus roots are broken, he has been on the mountain since he was a child, and he has been in the palace for so many years. Is it possible that he has a hard-hearted heart and no emotions at all?"
"We came to him just to ask him for a favor. He's not so unkind, right?"
"...That's right."
Qingzhuo agreed with Taoist Guanyuan's words, nodded and said: "Then listen to Uncle Master. After the martial arts competition is over, we will go to find him together."
…………
Two hours later.
The lively martial arts competition came to an end.
Without any surprise, Zhang Yao won nine consecutive victories and won the first place in the martial arts competition.
With the spread of the news among the onlookers and the deliberate efforts of several martial arts schools, it can be judged that within a few days, he will become a well-known "martial arts genius" in Changping City.
After returning to the martial arts gym happily:
Zhang Yao opened the ebony box, and inside was the prize for the leader of the martial arts competition - a century-old wild ginseng.
"It's not a small gesture, it's worth at least two to three hundred taels of silver."
Zhang Yao's face showed a hint of joy.
For him, the value of this old wild ginseng was secondary, and he wasn't going to sell it anyway.
The true value of this precious medicine is that it can replenish energy to a great extent, and combined with his talent, it can be used as a life-saving trump card.
"A piece of ginseng root from a century-old ginseng can be used to kill someone."
"If you swallow it all and refine it into essence for healing, even if you are seriously injured, you can heal in a short time."
Zhang Yao carefully collected the old wild ginseng and hid it in his room.
A moment later, Zhang Yao, who was preparing to practice Jinding Kung Fu, heard a report from a martial arts apprentice and said in surprise:
"Someone is looking for me?"
"right."
The martial arts apprentice nodded and said, "It's an old gentleman and a young man. They say they are your relatives and they want to see you if they have something to do."
"my relatives?"
Zhang Yao frowned when he heard this.
"I have stayed in Qingping Palace since I was a child. Where do I have relatives from? Wait..."
He suddenly thought of something and his heart moved.
"Could he be from Qingping Palace?"
When he thought of this, he immediately said: "Okay, I understand, I'll go there right away."
Soon, he came to the entrance of the martial arts hall and saw a rich old man and a young man with a slender scar on his forehead.
"Master Guanyuan? Junior Brother Qingzhuo?"
He recognized the identities of the two people in an instant, and there was a hint of emotion in his expression: "I didn't expect that we would have a chance to meet again."
"Senior nephew Qingxu."
A smile appeared on Taoist Guanyuan's face, and he said, "Previously, when I saw you at the martial arts competition, I almost thought I was wrong."
"Seeing you safe and sound also gives me a little more comfort."
"Senior Brother Qingxu."
Qing Zhuo on the side suddenly spoke, staring at Zhang Yao, his voice low: "Did anyone else escape with you when the rebel army raided that night?"
Hearing this, Zhang Yao sighed, shook his head and said, "There was a big change that night, so I and several Taoist boys from the Alchemy Hall escaped towards the back mountain together."
"But it's a pity that there was an ambush at the back door... In the end, I was the only one who managed to escape under the cover of night. The remaining brothers and sisters all died in the hands of the rebels."
After hearing this, Taoist Guanyuan and Qingzhuo both fell silent and felt heavy.
After they discovered Zhang Yao at the martial arts competition, they still had a sense of luck in their hearts. Maybe someone else could escape?
But now Zhang Yao's words undoubtedly shattered the last trace of illusion in their hearts.
"Junior Brother Qingzhuo."
Zhang Yao looked at Qingzhuo and said solemnly: "I want to ask you too."
"You were the only one who escaped that night? I don't know that Master Guanlu..."
