They drove everyone away?
Li Yan was sowhat surprised. The Yunyang Prefecture had already transferred away quite a few, leaving them short-handed, and now they’d driven away the remaining disciples...
Could they have committed so kind of mistake?
Although he felt it was strange, Li Yan didn’t ask further.
After all, they were not acquainted, and there was no need to ddle in other people’s business.
After stepping out of the City God Temple, Sha Lifei shook his head and said, "We clearly can’t get any information here; it’s better to go look for a pugilistic world inn."
Saying so, the two of them strolled along the city streets, looking for secret signs while also taking the opportunity to observe local customs.
For veterans of the pugilistic world, these seemingly insignificant details could reveal a lot of information.
For instance, comrce was thriving here; along the way, they saw many workshops, the power of the craftsn guild was definitely not small.
Unlike Yichang, the city was predominantly populated by the Han people. Those dressed in Tu Clan or Miao Family attire were only occasionally seen, mostly distant rchants buying and selling goods.
Since there were tens of thousands of troops stationed at the Wuchang garrison nearby and the Wenjin Academy, the literary atmosphere was flourishing, so there were many seen in martial robes and Confucian robes on the streets.
Finally, after running around half of Han Yang, they found a pugilistic world inn, its doorway columns bearing carvings of auspicious clouds and lotus flowers.
Like other such inns in different places, the lobby was packed with people, all ordinary characters of the pugilistic world, including street perforrs and peddlers.
The inside was very lively, even a bit noisy.
An elder stood in the center of the lobby, animated and spitting as he spoke, "This event, it’s a rare sight indeed, we’ll definitely see so masters..."
The waiter, with a white towel draped over his shoulders, was leaning against the doorway, listening to the elder speak.
Seeing Li Yan and his companion approaching, he hurriedly ca to greet them.
Sha Lifei made a gesture and said, "Fellow insiders, first we’ll have a cup of tea (’bite a tooth rinse’), then listen to the wind (seek information)."
The waiter imdiately understood, bowed respectfully, and then gestured, "This way, please, honored guests."
After saying so, he led the two to a corner table.
Sha Lifei quietly asked, "What’s the occasion? Why so lively?"
The waiter did not conceal anything, smiling as he said, "You two seem to be new to Han Yang. In a short while, it will be the Dragon Boat Festival. Quite a few people from the pugilistic world in Ezhou are heading this way."
"The Prince Wuchang’s Mansion is looking to hire so expert guards, so taking advantage of this, they plan to hold a martial arts competition, organized by the Three Cities Divine Fist Association. The prizes are quite generous and will likely attract many people."
"That is Master Feng, a storyteller who beats the drum and speaks. Today he’s drunk and happy, talking about this matter."
"Oh? That’s tily..."
Li Yan beca interested as soon as he heard this, ordered a pot of "Jade Leaf Eternal Spring" tea, and also requested candied fruit, peanuts, Purple Perilla Paste, and snowflake crisp as four varieties of snacks. He sat down to listen quietly.
"There’s a common saying: those who master martial arts, sell them to a royal house..."
The storytelling elder was in high spirits, suddenly pulling out a fan from behind his neck, flipping it open with a whoosh, fanning himself twice before continuing,
"It’s a hard life in the pugilistic world, and with the world in so disorder these days, finding refuge in the Prince’s Mansion is not a bad option, with many conveniences to boot."
"Because of this, nearly every local martial arts faction will send their top disciples. These people are seldom seen on ordinary days, let alone gathered together to compete. Gentlen, you wouldn’t want to miss this opportunity."
"If you can get into the Prince’s Mansion, why suffer in the wind and rain?"
"Are you joking, Master Feng?"
A peddler chuckled, "Our little skills are just for self-defense at most. Fighting with those from the martial factions, isn’t that just looking for trouble?"
"It’s better you tell us about the masters, so we can go and see for ourselves!"
"That’s right, Master Feng has a wealth of knowledge, tell us about it!"
"Waiter, bring another pot of good tea for Master Feng!"
The surrounding crowd imdiately egged him on.
The storyteller, loving the attention, was even more enthusiastic, snapping his fan closed with a slap in his hand.
It was like a gavel bringing the hall to attention, and suddenly everything quieted down.
The old storyteller leisurely continued, "This Wuchang pier of Han Yang is indeed a precious spot, connecting the north to south, linking nine provinces; naturally, the martial world here is extrely prosperous."
"Just to ntion our Ezhou, we have Hongn Boxing, Kongn Fist, Yue Family Fist, and Fish Gate Fist, all with long traditions and many practitioners."
"Hongn Boxing originates from Song Taizu, known as ’The Thirty-Two Hands to Stabilize the World,’ fierce and powerful, expansive and overwhelming, winning by strength. Cheng from Cheng’s Martial Arts is in his pri, rumor has it he’s close to reaching Force Transformation, and unless sothing unexpected happens, he will participate personally..."
"Kongn Fist, closely associated with Confucianism, excels in the energy of both hardness and softness, capable of countering hardness with hardness or dissolving it with softness. The participants will likely be a few Protectors from the Wenjin Academy..."
"There’s no need to ntion Yue Family Fist, it’s very likely Lei Poshan from the Lei Family, young yet already made a na on the pugilistic world..."
"The Bai brothers of Fish Gate Fist are top-notch fighters at the Yangtze Pier; they definitely won’t skip such an occasion."
"Further south, martial factions in Ganzhou and Xiangzhou, such as Hard Gate Fist, Witch Boxing, Xue Boxing, have long been established here and will have top disciples competing."
"But the real highlight is Shaolin, Ei, Wudang, Qingcheng and other sects, they might send experts skilled in martial techniques to compete."
"Unfortunately, due to the hostilities in the southwest, sects like Wudang and Ei have called back their disciples for protection, so this ti, it may be the solo performance of the Zen sect."
Soone confusedly said, "These are all top experts in the pugilistic world, naturally very proud. Even with the Prince’s Mansion offering a large reward, they wouldn’t climb the arena just for so silver, would they?"
"Haha, you don’t understand,"
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