151: Chapter 151 World Martial Arts Tournament

An hour later.

Chen Ran arrived at the teahouse he frequented.

Located in a bustling market, this teahouse attracted people from all walks of life, making it an excellent place to gather information.

"Oh, Master Chen, you're here! The usual?"

The waiter, quick-eyed, welcomed him from afar. With a white towel draped over his shoulder, he grinned so widely his eyes narrowed into slits.

"Yes, a pot of Longjing, two plates of dim sum, and another plate of melon seeds."

Chen Ran casually tossed over a few copper coins.

"Right away! Please head to the second floor by the window!"

Chen Ran went up to the second floor and sat down at a window seat.

As soon as he sat down, he heard a flurry of chatter in the main hall, the atmosphere much livelier than usual.

"Have you heard? The Red Lotus Demonic Cult has captured another city!"

A bearded man at the neighboring table lowered his voice, his expression tense.

"What? Didn't we even lose the Shenghai region recently?" a companion at his table exclaimed.

The bearded man swallowed hard, a trace of fear flashing in his eyes.

The teahouse patrons whispered among themselves, their faces filled with unconcealable panic.

The words "Red Lotus Demonic Cult" now weighed heavily on everyone's mind like a mountain.

Under the sensationalized reports of the imperial court, the Red Lotus Demonic Cult was portrayed as a band of madmen who acted without bottom lines, leaving utter devastation in their wake.

"What is there to panic about?"

A middle-aged man dressed in a silk robe spoke calmly.

"The court has already taken action. Have you read this morning's imperial gazette?"

Everyone turned to look, and even Chen Ran pricked up his ears.

"Your Majesty has issued a decree. Early next month, the 'Grand Martial Arts Tournament' will be held in the capital!"

The middle-aged man spoke with spit flying, his expression excited.

"A martial tournament?"

"That's right! Broadly inviting fellow members of the Martial Forest and Grandmasters from all paths to gather in the capital!"

The middle-aged man grew more excited as he spoke, as if he were already standing on the arena stage.

"This is the very first time since the founding of our Great Wei. It is called a martial competition, but in reality, it is to display our national prestige, review the world's martial power, and deter those demonic cult heretics!"

"I heard that as long as one performs exceptionally well at the tournament, not only can they obtain top-grade Medicinal Pills and peerless Cultivation Techniques from the royal treasury, but they can even be directly granted official titles, nobility, and thousands of acres of fertile land!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire teahouse instantly erupted.

"Granted official titles and nobility? Oh my goodness!"

"This time, those reclusive old monsters in the Jianghu probably won't be able to sit still, will they?"

"That goes without saying! This is a golden opportunity to bring honor to one's ancestors."

"Who wouldn't want to show their face in front of Your Majesty? If one is favored by some high official, they would truly reach heaven in a single step!"

Several saber-carrying Jianghu travelers were flushed with excitement, wishing they could draw their sabers right now and chop a few people to add to the fun.

Chen Ran held his teacup, listening quietly.

The Grand Martial Arts Tournament?

He blew away the foam on the surface of the tea and took a sip.

"To put it bluntly, the imperial court just wants to use the experts of the Jianghu as tools, dragging them to the front lines as cannon fodder."

Chen Ran understood everything perfectly clearly.

The Red Lotus Demonic Cult was powerful, and the imperial army was likely struggling, which was why they came up with such a scheme.

Under heavy rewards, there will surely be brave men.

This martial tournament might not necessarily attract truly top-tier experts.

But those Jianghu travelers who were blinded by the pursuit of fame and fortune would definitely swarm to the capital like sharks smelling blood.

"The capital will certainly be lively for a while then."

Chen Ran set down his teacup, grabbed a handful of melon seeds, and began cracking them.

"But what does that have to do with me?"

He was just a Prison Officer of the Heavenly Prison.

The fiercer the fighting outside, and the more experts died, the better the "performance" in the Heavenly Prison would be.

He wished they would capture more serious offenders and bring them in, so he could farm more rewards.

As for going up to the arena to fight to the death?

Don't be ridiculous.

Win, and you get dragged by the court to fight the demonic cult; lose, and you get beaten to death on the arena stage.

Only a fool would do such a thankless task.

Chen Ran brushed the melon seed shells off his hands, stood up to pay the bill, and strolled out of the teahouse.

...

The Capital, the Lin Family Mansion.

Outside the main gate, a tall horse galloped up, its hooves striking sparks on the bluestone pavement.

"Whoa—"

A tall, upright man flipped off the horse's back.

The man was dressed in black martial attire, looking travel-worn, but with sharp eyebrows and starry eyes, his entire body exuded a fierce sharpness, like an unsheathed steel blade.

The guards at the gate were stunned when they saw who it was, then overjoyed, and hurriedly went to welcome him.

"Second Young Master, you're back!"

Lin Sheng casually threw the reins to a guard and strode into the mansion.

"Where is my father?"

"The Master is discussing matters in the study."

Lin Sheng nodded and asked as he walked inside, "Where is Waner? It's been a long time since we last met. Where is she? Go call her quickly."

An excited gleam flashed in his eyes.

"On this trip, I took down three bandit strongholds in a row, and my saber technique has improved a lot. She definitely wouldn't expect..."

Lin Sheng was a pure martial fanatic, and a well-known expert throughout the capital.

Hearing that the capital was going to host the Grand Martial Arts Tournament, he rode three horses to death overnight, rushing back from thousands of miles away just to meet the world's heroes at the tournament.

Naturally, the first thing he wanted to do upon returning was to spar with his younger sister.

Hearing this, the guard's face turned somewhat strange, and he stammered, not daring to answer.

"What's wrong?" Lin Sheng frowned and stopped in his tracks.

"Second Young Master, the Young Miss... she is not in the mansion."

"Not in the mansion... Where did she go?" Lin Sheng asked casually.

The guard swallowed hard and cautiously took half a step back.

"The things that have happened over the past few months are a bit complicated..."

A quarter of an hour later.

"What?!"

Upon hearing the guard's words,

Lin Sheng suddenly raised his voice, causing the guard's ears to ring.

"Waner actually agreed to go on a blind date?"

Lin Sheng's face was filled with disbelief, as if he had heard some absurd fantasy.

He knew his younger sister's temper better than anyone.

It wasn't that the family hadn't arranged blind dates before, but she had ended up breaking their legs and throwing them out.

This time, she actually went obediently, and they even said she hit it off with someone?

"Who is the other party?" Lin Sheng grabbed the guard's collar, his eyes as sharp as knives.

"It's... it's a Prison Officer of the Heavenly Prison named Chen Ran," the guard stammered in fear, cold sweat pouring down.

"A Prison Officer?"

Lin Sheng was stunned.

He had thought that whoever caught his sister's eye would at least be the chief Disciple of some prestigious sect, or a young general in the military.

A Prison Officer guarding prisoners in the Heavenly Prison?

What a joke.

Lin Sheng let go of the guard and sneered.

"I'd like to see just how many heads this guy named Chen Ran has, to dare have designs on my sister!"

He suddenly spun around and strode out of the mansion.

"Second Young Master, where are you going?" the guard called out anxiously from behind.

But his figure vanished from sight in the blink of an eye.