Chapter 1005: You Are Not Worthy

Feeling Zuan's confusion, Sang Hong explained, "Look at Xu Yu; has he genuinely shown anger from beginning to end?"

Zuan immediately looked over. As expected, although Xu Yu was questioning Jian Taiding, his gaze remained calm. When he looked at the general, there was no anger, only mockery.

At that moment, Xu Yu spoke up, "I'm also thinking about your Governor's Mansion's reputation. General Dian might not be able to hold this position securely; it would be even more embarrassing if he were to be ousted later."

Jian Taiding merely smiled faintly, dismissing it as Xu Yu's attempt to be clever with words.

General Dian burst into laughter, his voice making everyone's ears ring. "Aren't I sitting quite securely now? If anyone wants this seat later, let them come find me, and we'll see who can hold it." As he spoke, wine dripped down his beard, adding an air of wildness and ferocity to his demeanor.

Sang Hong whispered, "Judging by his laughter just now, this man seems to have reached the seventh rank of cultivation. No wonder he's so arrogant."

Zuan scanned the entire hall. Those with higher cultivation than the general were already seated in the front row; everyone else was inferior to him. No wonder he was so fearless.

Other officials in the hall watched the scene with varying expressions. Some looked worried, clearly on good terms with Xu Yu. Others were gloating, evidently belonging to the opposing faction. Overall, most people seemed to be waiting for Xu Yu to make a fool of himself.

At this point, Prefect Zuo Su looked at Sang Hong, gesturing for him to speak. Sang Hong frowned slightly. Although he was sent by the imperial court and, in theory, should support Xu Yu, who was also from the court, he was new to the region. Taking a side so early would clearly hinder his future work. However, a direct refusal would easily offend the Prefect's Office.

Fortunately, a commotion from nearby resolved his predicament.

"What's all this noise?" Zuo Su looked displeased towards the distance, seeing a group of guards retreating step by step towards them.

"Reporting, sir, this man insists on entering," the guards said with distraught faces.

Zuo Su was furious, thinking, *Are they all useless? I've already lost face in front of the Imperial Commissioner; now they can't even stop a casual visitor. Won't everyone laugh at me?*

Indeed, Jian Taiding toyed with his cup, watching them with a half-smile. Beside him, Sima Yuxuan chuckled, "I previously suggested holding the welcome banquet at the Governor's Mansion, but Master Zuo refused. I was puzzled then, but now I understand: a banquet at the Governor's Mansion couldn't be as exciting as one here at the Prefect's residence."

Zuo Su snorted coldly, about to order the man to be thrown out, when a lazy voice drifted over: "I was invited by your Vice-Prefect. Why don't you believe me?"

The other guards scoffed, "How could the Vice-Prefect invite someone like you! Get out quickly! Offending the Imperial Commissioner is a capital offense!"

Just then, Xu Yu, who had been resting with his eyes closed, spoke up, "He is indeed a friend I invited. Let him in." His status was comparable to the Prefect's. With his word, the guards naturally dared not block the way and moved aside.

It was only then that everyone clearly saw the newcomer: dressed in disheveled and tattered clothes, wearing straw sandals in the dead of winter, his toes exposed without fear of frostbite. His face was unkempt, his eyes half-closed as if he hadn't fully woken up, and a large wine gourd hung from his body, its strong alcoholic scent noticeable from a distance.

The officials in the hall secretly frowned, wondering how Vice-Prefect Xu could have such a friend. However, no one spoke. No one who had reached their current position was a fool; could an ordinary person truly be a friend of the Vice-Prefect? Moreover, seeing him wear only straw sandals in such freezing weather, with no sign of frostbite on his toes, they knew he was certainly no ordinary person. Even Jian Taiding frowned, scrutinizing the man up and down, feeling that the other party was somewhat inscrutable.

Zuan, however, was utterly shocked, for he recognized the man as the one who had drawn his sword on him back at the Pei Mansion. According to Xiao Jianren's guess, he was likely the third disciple of the Libationer, the former Sword Immortal Xiao Yao.

At that moment, the drunkard seemed to sense something, looking towards Zuan with a flicker of confusion in his eyes. Zuan thought, *Good thing I was disguised then, otherwise being recognized now would be quite awkward. After all, Pei's father is here, and me sneaking into his daughter's quarters would be difficult to explain.*

"Brother Xiao, over here." Xu Yu stood up and waved to the drunkard.

Zuan's heart skipped a beat. *As expected, his surname is Xiao.*

The drunkard then shifted his gaze and walked directly to Xu Yu's side. Xu Yu said apologetically, "I originally prepared a seat for you, but unfortunately, this person took it."

"Oh," the drunkard murmured, then turned and walked to the back, seemingly looking for another seat.

At this, General Dian burst out laughing, "Vice-Prefect Xu, is this the friend you value? Isn't he just a useless drunkard?"

Hearing his words, the drunkard slowly turned around. "Is this your friend?" He didn't look at the general at all, but rather at Xu Yu.

Xu Yu hesitated. "Just a colleague in the official circle, no real connection."

The drunkard nodded, then approached General Dian and looked down at him. "Get lost." There was no trace of anger in his tone, as if he wasn't infuriated but merely stating an ordinary, trivial matter.

General Dian: "???"

Not just him, but the other officials in the hall were also somewhat bewildered. Although they often engaged in schemes against political rivals, they usually employed subtle methods and rarely resorted to such blunt, open conflict.

At this point, General Dian finally reacted, becoming enraged. "You brat, what did you say?" As he spoke, his large hands reached to grab the drunkard's collar, while simultaneously, his palm, as wide as a cattail-leaf fan, slapped directly towards the drunkard's face. With his seventh-rank cultivation and mastery of wrestling, this grab was as swift as lightning. Many thought the drunkard was about to suffer a major loss; getting injured from such a slap would be minor, but losing face would be significant. Only Zuan secretly mourned for General Dian.

At that moment, General Dian stumbled. His grab had found nothing, as if the other person were transparent. But the other person had clearly been there all along, hadn't they? Only a few people saw that the drunkard had actually stepped back half a pace, then forward half a pace, precisely evading the attack. Because his speed was so fast, it seemed as if he hadn't moved from his spot.

Jian Taiding's pupils contracted, and he quickly said, "General Dian, come back." He had already seen that General Dian was no match for this mysterious drunkard.

However, General Dian was naturally reckless. How could he endure such humiliation under everyone's gaze? He merely thought he had been careless and made a mistake, so he rolled up his sleeves, glaring fiercely at the drunkard. "Draw your sword! Let's have a proper fight, and whoever wins gets to sit here."

The drunkard, with his sleepy eyes, glanced at him, then slowly uttered a few words: "You're not worthy."

At these words, gasps of astonishment echoed throughout the hall. *This person is so arrogant!*

General Dian was so furious he nearly fainted. Roaring, he charged at the drunkard. This time, he held nothing back; his vital energy circulated throughout his body, and he charged like an enraged bear.

"Stop!" Zuo Su rushed out to intervene. With such force, even a slight brush or touch could break bones for those with lower cultivation. How could such deadly force be used at a welcome banquet? Unfortunately, the enraged General Dian wouldn't even listen to Jian Taiding, much less to him.

Facing the furious charge, the drunkard didn't even lift an eyelid. The sword in his hand suddenly sprang a few inches from its sheath, striking later but arriving first. The hilt collided with General Dian's body, sending him flying backward instantly, only stopping after crashing into a distant rockery. With a crash, the rockery was shattered into pieces by the immense impact. General Dian struggled several times to get up from the ground, but failed each time.

The drunkard's sword had already sprung back into its sheath, having emerged only a few inches from start to finish. "He defeated a seventh-rank master just like that?" Everyone in the hall was bewildered, except Zuan, who remained calm because he had personally experienced how formidable the other's swordsmanship was.

The drunkard sat down in that spot as if nothing had happened. He didn't drink the wine on the table but unstoppered his own gourd and gulped from it.

"How dare you! You actually tried to harm an imperial official!" someone from the Governor's Mansion shouted, a mix of shock and fury in their voice.

At this, Xu Yu smiled faintly. "All the esteemed sirs just witnessed it: the two agreed that whoever won would claim this seat. The Great Zhou was founded on military might and has always supported such contests, right?"

"But General Dian is an imperial official! He shouldn't have struck so hard; it clearly went beyond the scope of a contest!" the other side retorted.

Xu Yu said calmly, "General Dian only looks disheveled; he isn't injured. What fault is there with my Brother Xiao?"

The people from the Governor's Mansion froze, then quickly looked back. General Dian had already gotten up. It turned out he had only been unable to stand because his internal energy had been scattered; he wasn't actually injured. However, he was too ashamed to remain there. He cupped his hands to the assembly, covered his face, and hastily departed.

At this point, Sang Hong finally spoke up to smooth things over. "Haha, we've just witnessed a spectacular duel and truly felt the martial spirit of Yunzhong Commandery. Our Great Zhou was founded on military strength, and the court truly needs such heroes. For the prosperity of our Great Zhou, let us all drink this cup!"

With such a justification put forward, both the Prefect's Office and the Governor's Mansion had to save face. One by one, they seized the opportunity, raising their cups in agreement. The people from the Governor's Mansion had initially been thinking that if the drunkard didn't raise his cup, they could later accuse him of disrespect. To their surprise, the drunkard, who had seemed completely unconcerned, also raised his cup. Seeing this, Zuan felt even more certain: only someone from an academy, even in such a fallen state, would still retain a sense of loyalty to their country and family.

After a cup of wine, the previously tense atmosphere gradually became pleasant and harmonious. Soon, the maids and servants came forward to distribute roasted meat to everyone's tables.

Although Sang Hong was curious about the drunkard's background, he worried that asking would break the hard-won peace. So, he remained silent, instead discussing official matters with the other attendees. Everyone present complimented Sang Hong's past achievements: borderland reclamation, military agricultural colonies, salt and iron equalization, and more. This made Zuan look at him in a new light; he had known Sang Hong was formidable, but hadn't realized he was so adept in economic affairs. Sang Hong, naturally, returned the favor by praising the proud achievements of the local officials, and soon the atmosphere grew even livelier.

As they chatted, the conversation naturally turned to the Imperial Commissioner's delegation arriving later than expected.

"Speaking of which, it's all because of the Demon Sect causing trouble," Sang Hong said, briefly recounting what had happened in Yi Commandery. The many officials began to denounce the wickedness of the Demon Sect, eventually discussing how terrifying the Demon Sect Leader, Yun Jianyue, was.

At this moment, Sang Hong smiled and patted Zuan's shoulder. "By the way, A'Zu even exchanged blows with Yun Jianyue."

As soon as these words were uttered, the previously noisy hall fell silent. Even the drunkard, who seemed to be asleep, raised his head and looked at Zuan, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.