Yan Li opened his eyes and said to himself with a smile, "So, the stage for the first scene is set."
He called out, "Let him in."
"Ah?" The waiter was stunned. In his subconscious, even if Yan Li had some background, he wasn't someone that could make a general pay a visit to him. He might even think that Yan Li had done something wrong.
Although he didn't understand the situation, he was still a waiter in the restaurant. He responded quickly, "This lowly one will pass on the message for the young master."
Then he left in a hurry.
Not long after, he brought Yan Shaoqun in with a strange expression. He reevaluated Yan Li's identity in his mind, and at the same time, tried to remember if he had been rude to this lord in the past.
The result of his recollection made him feel slightly relieved. Although his attitude towards this lord was a bit casual, such an important person probably wouldn't mind.
Yan Shaoqun waved him away, pushed open the door, and cautiously closed it. He walked two steps to Yan Li and bowed, "Young Master Yan, the matter you asked me to do a few days ago has been completed."
As he said this, he took out a few white booklets from his bosom and handed them over, saying, "These are all famous assassins of the underworld. One of them has even escaped death many times. They were all secretly done by Yu Xingzhi."
Yan Li took them and looked through them carefully. He nodded, "I didn't expect it to be so smooth. But there was no need to send them so early in the morning and make Lord Yan run errands. "
"Not at all." Yan Shaoqun said, "If it wasn't for Young Master Yan's advice, this lowly official wouldn't know how to solve the current predicament. If I can be of help to Young Master Yan, this lowly official is willing to do my best. I only hope that after this matter, I can continue to stay in Yongling and be at Young Master Yan's beck and call. "
Yan Li said, "Of course. Even if I miss the position of capital governor, I won't let a talent like you be buried in the study. I will definitely report to His Majesty and give you a suitable position."
"Thank you, Young Master!" Yan Shaoqun seemed very excited.
After a pause, he said, "Actually, this lowly official didn't rush here to deliver the evidence of Yu Xingzhi's crimes."
"Oh?" Yan Li put away the booklet and looked up at him.
Yan Shaoqun said, "This lowly official has heard something from my former subordinates. Yu Xingzhi and his son seem to have obtained evidence of Young Master Yan's crimes, and will act against you at any time."
"Don't mind them. They are just clowns." Yan Li sneered.
Then, he smiled at Yan Shaoqun and said, "Thank you, Lord Yan, for sending the message. You can go back first. By the way, when the time is right, I'll have to ask Lord Yan to testify. Otherwise, the evidence will be useless. "
Yan Shaoqun nodded, "Rest assured, Young Master Yan. This lowly official understands."
He bowed and retreated.
Yan Li got up to wash up, then went to the main hall and ordered some snacks to eat. He saw the horse-faced shopkeeper fiddling with an abacus at the counter, so he got up to go over and called out, "Shopkeeper Zhan, how have you been?"
The horse-faced shopkeeper's name was Zhan Mu. A few days ago, he had led Yan Li to see Ji Zhiyuan. It could be seen that he was also Ji Zhiyuan's trusted aide. Yet, he had been arranged to stay in a restaurant.
"I'm not very happy when I see you. When I'm not happy, my body feels uncomfortable." Zhan Mu didn't even raise his head, minding his own business.
"Hey, hey, don't be like this. We were colleagues, after all," Yan Li casually picked up a bamboo toothpick from the counter, picking his teeth in a sloppy manner.
Zhan Mu said expressionlessly, "I heard that you also flirted with His Majesty in the palace? Has your wound healed? "
Yan Li raised the back of his hand proudly, pointing at the wound that had yet to completely heal, saying, "This was personally bestowed by His Majesty! I heard that you followed His Majesty for five or six years, but didn't even leave a mark. Clearly, His Majesty values me even more. "
Zhan Mu glared at him angrily, saying, "Don't think of me as a pervert like you. I'm not jealous at all, you perverted scoundrel! What's more, you're a thing that flirts with His Majesty time and time again. What right do you have to live in this world? "
Yan Li whistled, moving his wound closer to him, swaying it back and forth. "No jealousy? Really no jealousy? Why do I seem to smell something sour? "
Zhan Mu gritted his teeth, saying darkly, "Scram as far as you can for laozi. Be careful or I'll slaughter you, you brat! "
Yan Li said with a smile, "Master Zhan, don't be so narrow-minded. Actually, His Majesty still relies on you a lot. Otherwise, why would she let you monitor me?"
Zhan Mu's brows furrowed slightly, then immediately calmed down. He lowered his head and began to calculate again, saying, "Your senses are very sharp. Should I say, as expected of a wolf cub?"
Yan Li shrugged, saying, "Isn't this obvious? I just happen to live here, and you just happen to be the shopkeeper here. Do you still need to feel? "
Zhan Mu rolled his eyes, saying, "What do you want from me? Laozi doesn't have time to chat with you."
As he spoke, he sneered, "Also, today's duel isn't going well. You boasted before, but now it's hard to get off the tiger, right? With your cultivation, it's impossible for you to get off the duel stage. Do you want me to intercede for you with His Majesty and have her order to cancel the duel? "
Yan Li said with a smile, "Alright, I'll also intercede for Master Zhan and have His Majesty leave a mark on your body, so that you can enjoy it for the rest of your life."
Zhan Mu sneered, saying, "Looks like you have a card up your sleeve. But is it good for you to be idling around like this? You haven't done a single thing that you promised His Majesty. I'm sure that in another two days, His Majesty will lose her patience. At that time, the one to punish you won't be the capital government, but the Judicial Department. "
Yan Li said, "This is the reason I came to find you."
"Oh?" Zhan Mu slightly narrowed his eyes, "There's progress?"
Yan Li took out a booklet from his chest pocket and handed it over.
After Zhan Mu flipped through it, he said disdainfully, "With just this?"
Yan Li smiled, "Of course there's a witness."
Zhan Mu said meaningfully, "Witness? Haha, I seem to have misjudged you. You don't have a long life. "
The corners of Yan Li's mouth rose slightly, saying, "I'll have to trouble Master Zhan to pass on a message for me. Just say, 'The stage has already been set up, let her just wait and watch the show.'"
"You really have a card up your sleeve." Zhan Mu said meaningfully, "But, you must be careful, don't screw up."
Yan Li smiled, "Ah, of course. If I screw up, the matter that His Majesty gave me is small, how can I still show my face in Yongling?"
Zhan Mu rolled his eyes, saying exasperatedly, "In the end, the most important thing is your face!"
"Let's not talk about this." Yan Li smiled, "This one is a 'secret agent of the Imperial Palace', can't you give me a token to facilitate my work? For example … "
His smile suddenly disappeared, his eyes becoming deep and boundless. "Gold medal, something like that."
Zhan Mu frowned, saying, "If you don't prove your worth, how can he give you such an important thing?"
Yan Li said, "Is that so? But I heard that the former Emperor liked to give gold medals. "
Zhan Mu coldly rebuked, "Nonsense!"
"Just joking." Yan Li smiled again, turning around and waving his hand. "Then I'll have to trouble Master Zhan."
Zhan Mu looked at his back, frowning, deep in thought.
…
In the morning, it was a class by an old pedant from the outer courtyard, talking about the scriptures of the 《Treatise on Strategy》. An old pedant was an old pedant. Other than being careful with his words, he also had all kinds of class discipline. No one dared to disobey him. Because, if he reported them, no matter how the essay was written in the written exam, it would be rated as bad, and they wouldn't be able to get a single point.
So, although everyone was drowsy from listening, they still didn't dare to fall asleep.
Finally, when they heard the bell for the end of class, everyone's spirits rose. Because at noon, there would be a grand duel — Zhang Zhixiong, one of the top ten in the Academy, challenging Yan Li, an influential figure who wasn't in the top ten.
This battle could be said to be the center of attention.
Because in this battle, not only could they see the top ten experts of the Academy fight, but they could also completely tear apart the mysterious veil on Yan Li. Whether he was a paper tiger to please the crowd, or a real dark horse, would be revealed in this battle.
In reality, even now, there were still many people who wanted to see Yan Li make a fool of himself.
After lunch, a large number of spectators began to gather towards the Martial Arts Practice Field. Most of them were students of the Academy, a small portion were Yongling citizens who liked to join in on the fun.
There were probably thousands of people, causing the Martial Arts Practice Field to be filled with noise and excitement.
At noon, the two protagonists signed the life and death contract in front of the crowd, indicating that they had no grievances in life or death. Both stood on the stage.
Zhang Zhixiong cracked his neck, and at the same time, he sneered, "You didn't run away. Good, very good. It seems that you can at least let me enjoy a little longer. If this can prove your value, it means that you didn't live in vain."
"Yes, prove my value, and you can die a worthy death." Yan Li nodded in agreement.
"I really don't know where his confidence comes from." On the city wall near the Martial Arts Practice Field, half of the top ten experts of the Academy gathered. Their hearing and eyesight were extraordinary, so they didn't need to crowd around the stage to see what was going on in the Martial Arts Practice Field.
Ye Qing said sarcastically, "A mere Level Five warrior wants to challenge a Level Four expert who has been on the battlefield. Doesn't he think the world of cultivators is too simple?"
As she said this, she glanced at Tang Sanghua beside her, "And there's also a certain infatuated fool. I don't know when she drank his magic potion, but she actually thought he could win and went to bet."
Tang Sanghua had never been easy to deal with, but she didn't respond to Ye Qing's sarcasm. She just smiled and said nothing.
Lianhai Zhangjin laughed, "That might not be the case. All the major gambling dens have given him a payout of 1: 3, while Zhang Zhixiong's payout is 1: 1. Clearly, Brother Yan has a chance of winning."
"Oh?" Wang Yuanqing said meaningfully, "What are the odds that Lian Hai Bank has offered?"
"On the contrary." Lian Hai Changjin smiled slightly.
Everyone looked at each other in surprise.
Wang Yuanqing's eyes flashed, and he said, "Brother Lian Hai really thinks highly of Yan Li."
Lian Hai Changjin smiled, "I learned the art of divination in my early years. From your appearance, Brother Yan isn't a short-lived person."
The crowd naturally didn't believe it, but they were even more interested in the outcome of this battle, so they stared unblinkingly at the Martial Arts Practice Field.
On the Martial Arts Practice Field, Zhang Zhixiong raised his hand and grasped the hilt of the saber on his back, staring coldly at Yan Li. "In the tenth year of the Emperor Awakening, in the ninth month, Yuan Prefecture, thirty-seven heads of Desolate Hunters, two heads of their leaders; in the tenth month of the same year, sixteen heads of Desolate Hunters, helping to destroy the Desolate Tribe … in the eleventh month of the same year … one head of the Desolate Hunter's leader, awarded with a first-class merit, becoming a Martial Marquis of the Army …"
As he listed out his achievements, the crowd below the Martial Arts Practice Field erupted.
It wasn't that the Academy hadn't sent students who hadn't graduated yet, but it was rare to see someone who could achieve such a terrifying feat as Zhang Zhixiong.
"Martial Marquis of the Army, haven't you heard of a saying?"
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