Under everyone’s watchful eyes, that unlucky young man suddenly tripped face-down, abruptly prostrating towards Qiao Mu with grand ceremony.

  With a flop, he crashed pathetically to the ground, even getting a nosebleed in the process.

  Mo Lian, Eldest Qin, and the others all couldn’t resist averting their gazes. However, they were only silent for one second before bursting out in guffaws in the next.

  Duan Yue pulled out a small fan embroidered in gold and covered the lower half of his handsome face with it. Even though he was blinking his peach-blossom eyes sympathetically, he was in fact smiling very wickedly. “Oh my, Third Brother, what are you doing? The new year’s already passed, but even then, you don’t need to pay such formal obeisance!”


  The Duan Clan’s third young sir, Duan Younian, was flushed red in anger. He quickly struggled to get up from the ground, and he looked at the sniggering crowd in frustration.

  Those spectators and their friends were all rocking so much with laughter that some of them even lost their footing.

  Therefore, in this kind of situation, our dear Qiao Mu who had on a stoic and impassive expression particularly stood out.

  Duan Yue leaned in to specially examine the little stoic’s expression. Afterwards, he frowned in a huff. “Why didn’t you laugh.”


  He had originally wanted to amuse her!

  “It’s very funny?” After rolling her eyes at him, Qiao Mu turned around to walk inside the martial arts centre, leaving him with the word “boring.”


  The people that were still cracking up in laughter all clammed up awkwardly, and their expressions suddenly turned a bit queer.

  It was a feeling of wanting to laugh, yet having been suddenly doused with a bucket of cold water from head to toe, which flushed away all their enthusiasm in an instant.

  However, Duan Yue followed inside while continuing to laugh out loud. “Qiaoqiao, it originally wasn’t that funny.”


  After Qiao Mu walked inside, the master of the martial arts centre, Hou Ping, came over, and her eyes flickered as she revealed a smile.

  “Greetings to the crown prince and the crown prince consort.” Hou Ping bowed in greeting.

  Meanwhile, Fan Qiuming and Hong Bawei’s entourages were stuck at the entrance to the martial arts centre. Neither side was willing to give in, so they blocked up the entrance.

  “Bawei!” “Qiuming—” They were all persistently hollering.

  The two teams were stuck at the door like in a cockfight. The competition had yet to start, but they had already rolled up their sleeves and were readying their fists for an all-out fight!

  When Zhao Qiran walked over on foot with her personal maidservant, she saw these two teams blocking up the entrance, unwilling to give in no matter what. Hence, they also blocked out other people who wanted to go inside.

  “Isn’t this Jade Hue Parlor’s Miss Ran?”


  “Why did a courtesan come here?”


  “Tsk! She couldn’t be thinking that she can go in to spectate the eight great patrician families’ competition?”


  While everyone was jabbering, the master of the Assembly of Worthies Martial Arts Centre, Hou Ping, ran outside again like a firefighter. She hastily separated the two teams that were about to come to blows and mediated, “The competition’s about to start. You had best go in quickly to prepare. Otherwise, you won’t make it in time for the first match.”


  Fan Qiuming and Hong Bawei both stepped through the Assembly of Worthies Martial Arts Centre’s door at the same time. Luckily, they both had standard body figures, so they were able to walk inside at the same time after shoving each other here and there.

  Simultaneously, their teams hollered while brandishing their fists in a mad rush to be the first to enter.

  This scene caused the master of the martial arts centre, Hou Ping, to repeatedly shake her head while wiping her sweat.

  “Centre Master Hou.” Zhao Qiran nodded at Hou Ping before walking inside leisurely.