"Are you all alright…?"
Gu Luotang, Qi Miaomiao, Huang Yaodong, and Zhao Yushi also stood up, looking at the people who had fallen to the ground with worry. Their eyes were filled with panic, indicating they had been shocked by the powerful sword intent contained within Wan Yunting's creation.
"Haha, this kid peed himself!"
Hou Xuesong noticed Wang Xiuwei sitting on the ground, a puddle of liquid slowly flowing from between his legs. He burst into laughter.
Those talented scholars and beauties behind Hou Xuesong, who had not seen Wan Yunting's creation, were stunned. They didn't mock Wang Xiuwei for being scared and urinating, but rather, they were astonished at how truly terrifying Wan Yunting's work was.
Someone pulled out a phone, and they all began to take pictures of Wang Xiuwei and his companions in their disheveled state, uploading them directly to their Douyin and other platforms…
Wang Xiuwei, finally recovering his senses, realized he had urinated uncontrollably. His face turned red with shame. Supported by two companions, he quickly got up, didn't say a word, turned around, pushed through the crowd behind him, and ran desperately downstairs, leaving the scene.
Wan Yunting, seeing this, shook his head and smiled, his hands once again rolling up the calligraphy he held.
"Using qi to transform ink, sword moves infused into the calligraphy, such potent sword intent!"
Suddenly, a voice came from the back of the crowd. Wan Yunting paused, his hands stilling, and looked up. Two waitresses were pushing through the crowd, and then he saw her. She was tall, wearing a long coat over a white training outfit paired with sneakers, as if she had just finished practicing martial arts.
Her figure was slender and well-formed, her long hair tied into a braid that swung behind her, revealing her beautiful, oval face. Her features were lovely, especially her heroic eyes, and her entire demeanor exuded a chivalrous aura!
"Isn't that the owner of the little tavern, Lu Xiaodie!"
Someone recognized the woman. She was indeed the owner of this small tavern.
Lu Xiaodie approached Wan Yunting and smiled, "Handsome man, did you write this calligraphy?"
Hearing that this woman was the proprietress, although her appearance was not as outstanding as Gu Luotang's, the chivalrous spirit radiating from her caught Wan Yunting's eye. He nodded and smiled, "I wrote it."
Lu Xiaodie narrowed her eyes, sizing him up. She smiled and said, "Forgive my intrusion, but from which sect do you hail? Are you from Wudang or Huashan?"
Wan Yunting also realized that the proprietress practiced martial arts, otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to discern the sword intent in his calligraphy. "Heh, not from those major sects. I am merely a disciple of the Wuliang Daoist Temple on Mount Wuliang!"
"Oh, so you're a disciple of the Wuliang Daoist Temple."
Lu Xiaodie nodded, understanding immediately. She looked at Wan Yunting and smiled, "I was once a disciple of the Hengshan Sect, but I left the sect many years ago. I returned to my hometown to open a small tavern to make a living."
"So you're a senior sister from the Hengshan Sect."
Wan Yunting immediately cupped his fists and bowed slightly, smiling politely.
Lu Xiaodie cupped her fists in return, but then waved her hand and smiled, "Don't call me that. I left the sect long ago. Little brother, just call me proprietress like everyone else."
Wan Yunting nodded, seeing that the proprietress was a straightforward person.
"However, little brother, I couldn't see clearly just now. Could you let me see your calligraphy again?"
Lu Xiaodie gestured to the rolled-up calligraphy in his hand. Wan Yunting smiled, knowing she was a martial artist, and handed her the calligraphy directly.
"Thank you."
Lu Xiaodie hadn't expected him to be so agreeable. She took the rolled-up paper and slowly unrolled it. As she looked at the strokes of the wild cursive script, it was as if she saw Wan Yunting wielding a long sword on the paper, performing sword techniques. Each character was imbued with a potent vital energy and sword intent, causing Lu Xiaodie's eyes to widen involuntarily. Her expression turned solemn as she stared at the calligraphy, captivated, unable to break free for a long time…
At this scene, many young scholars and beauties who hadn't seen Wan Yunting's calligraphy yet began to crowd over. Some were also taking pictures and recording videos of the calligraphy held by Lu Xiaodie with their phones…
Wan Yunting, standing before her, smiled. He knew the proprietress was a martial artist, and the fact that she could look at his calligraphy for so long indicated that her skills were not shallow.
Gu Luotang approached, looking somewhat worried. Wan Yunting turned and waved his hand at them, signaling that he was fine…
Thump…
Then, behind Lu Xiaodie, several youths who had craned their necks to peek were suddenly so startled by the sword intent in the calligraphy that they collapsed to the ground. They clutched their necks with their hands, their eyes filled with terror, and let out involuntary cries. The commotion briefly pulled Lu Xiaodie out of her reverie.
She glanced back at them before turning her gaze back to Wan Yunting. She was greatly shaken because even she had almost been struck by the sword intent contained within the calligraphy just moments ago.
"Hoo…"
Lu Xiaodie took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, calming her taut nerves before putting down the rolled-up calligraphy. She then looked up at Wan Yunting, her eyes filled with admiration, and smiled, "Little brother, being able to write such powerful sword intent indicates that your martial arts are very profound."
Wan Yunting took the rolled-up calligraphy she handed back and smiled, "Just so-so."
Lu Xiaodie chuckled and shot him a glance, "You are truly humble. But I am very curious, how did you manage to transform qi into ink, use your brush like a sword, and write calligraphy with such potent sword intent?"
Wan Yunting ignored the others and pointed to his table, "If the proprietress waives our drinks, I'll tell you."
Lu Xiaodie's expression faltered for a moment, then she burst into laughter and said heartily, "Let alone waive your drinks, I can even give you ten more pots of premium yellow wine. Xiaohua, go get the wine…"
The waitress behind her nodded and turned to fetch the wine. Lu Xiaodie was not one for formalities. She pulled over a stool and smiled at Wan Yunting, Gu Luotang, and the others, "You don't mind if I sit down and chat with you, have a drink, do you?"
"Since the proprietress is waiving our drinks, of course, we don't mind," Huang Yaodong said with a smile.
Gu Luotang also smiled. Lu Xiaodie glanced at her and then smiled at Wan Yunting, "She's your girlfriend, isn't she? She's so beautiful."
Gu Luotang's pretty face instantly blushed, feeling a little shy. It was the first time someone had called her a man's girlfriend in such a setting, and it made her inexplicably happy.
Wan Yunting smiled and said nothing. He sat down and asked curiously, "Proprietress, where is the Hengshan Sect? I've never been there before."
The waitress brought the wine. Lu Xiaodie opened a pot and poured wine into Wan Yunting's cup, smiling, "It's on Mount Hengshan in Datong, Shanxi. However, the Hengshan Sect has declined. Now, it's considered a small sect. I was sent to the Hengshan Sect to practice martial arts at the age of seven and didn't descend the mountain until I was twenty-five. Upon my return, I opened this small tavern to make a living…"
Wan Yunting raised his wine cup and drank a toast with her. Then, he, Gu Luotang, Qi Miaomiao, Huang Yaodong, and the others all looked at Lu Xiaodie curiously, listening to her recount her experiences at the Hengshan Sect, which they found very interesting.
It was evident that Lu Xiaodie was like a chivalrous heroine from a wuxia novel. Her frankness and boldness made Wan Yunting feel quite fond of her.
So, they drank and chatted, exchanging stories. Lu Xiaodie was even more astonished to learn that Wan Yunting had reached such a level after only practicing martial arts for six or seven years.
She had practiced in the Hengshan Sect for a full eighteen years, and now she was only at the late stage of the Martial Dao Hua Jing realm. "Brother Wan, tell me truthfully, what is your current cultivation realm?"
"What…"
Lu Xiaodie exclaimed, rising to her feet abruptly, startling Gu Luotang, Qi Miaomiao, Huang Yaodong, and Zhao Yushi, who looked at her and Wan Yunting with confusion.
As they didn't practice martial arts, they didn't understand what the mid-stage of Martial Dao Dan Jin signified.
"Are you really at the mid-stage of Martial Dao Dan Jin?"
Lu Xiaodie's eyes widened, staring at Wan Yunting with disbelief and incredulity. "How old are you? How is this possible? Even my master is only at the mid-stage of Martial Dao Dan Jin, and she is already over sixty."
Wan Yunting chuckled at her words and admitted with a touch of pride, "Perhaps I'm just a martial arts prodigy…"
"It's out! The top ten rankings have been released!"
Suddenly, Huang Yaodong shouted. He was looking at the official website on his phone, where the results of the judges' selection of the top ten had been announced. He opened it and saw that the first place was Wan Yunting, the second was Gu Luotang, the third was Huangfu Hongfang, the fourth was Huang Yaodong, the fifth was Ning Yuqing…
"Haha, congratulations Brother Yunting, you're number one…"
Lin Yushu and Hou Xuesong exclaimed with excited laughter.
"Gu Luotang, you're second," Zhao Yushi said happily to Gu Luotang. Upon hearing that the man was first, she also nodded with a smile.
Wan Yunting, however, looked rather surprised. He smiled and said, "That's not right. Shouldn't Huangfu Hongfang be first? Did that Mr. Yuan get sick from my calligraphy?"
Gu Luotang chuckled at his words, "You cured him, didn't you? Are you saying your medical skills are also problematic?"
Wan Yunting laughed, "Of course, my medical skills are fine. I just find it strange."
"Oh, Brother Yunting, your work was inherently better than what Huangfu Hongfang wrote. Perhaps the masters on the judging panel put aside their personal opinions and made a fair and just decision, awarding you first place," Huang Yaodong said with a smile.
He himself hadn't expected to get fourth place, which was a complete surprise.
Wan Yunting nodded and smiled, accepting this explanation.
However, he was unaware that Fan Liren had altered the outcome. But Wan Yunting was indifferent, as he truly didn't care about it…