Chapter 16

Everyone was overjoyed at the wonderful news. The fat guy and Little Wu were so thrilled they hugged Su Heng and planted several loud kisses on his cheeks, leaving him utterly bewildered and speechless. For the next few days, he'd avoid them on sight.

With Su Heng's help, the seven of them set out that morning and reached the capital city before lunchtime.

The capital was a different world. Compared to the small Yuzhou County, this place was far more prosperous. The streets bustled with crowds, lined with countless stalls and shops. Even the buildings stood taller and more colorful. Horse-drawn carriages passed by from time to time—four large wheels supporting an enormous cabin, its pillars carved with intricate patterns and hung with beautiful fabric curtains. A faint, pleasant scent even wafted from within.

They watched with envy; this was a proper carriage. Xiao Ai and Little Wu couldn't help but lament, wondering what on earth they had been riding a few days ago—it was so small, cramped, and smelly.

The seven followed closely behind Su Heng, thoroughly enjoying the sights. However, their large group made quite a procession, inevitably drawing curious glances from passersby. Gradually, more and more people turned to stare.

Lost in their excitement, they didn't notice the attention and boldly made their way down the entire main street. But at the entrance, they saw several armored men, with hundreds of soldiers lined up in rows behind them, guarding the palace gates. The sight was truly intimidating.

Having never witnessed such a formidable display, their legs instantly turned to jelly. The fat guy and Little Wu even instinctively prepared to turn tail and run. A Xu forced himself to stay calm and grabbed the two behind him. Xiao Ai and Youyou very naturally hid behind Jing Yuan's back. Among them, only Jing Yuan and Xu Haoyue remained relatively composed.

Jing Yuan adjusted his glasses, which he had finally managed to repair and put on these past couple of days. With surprising leisure, he even counted the number of people in the formation behind the guards. Xu Haoyue was even more outrageous; she secretly pulled out her phone and snapped a few pictures. However, it was almost out of battery, so she quickly powered it off.

Su Heng turned back and gave them a reassuring smile. After calming their nerves, he stepped forward a few paces, clasped his fists, and addressed the middle-aged man with a full beard standing at the forefront: "General Lou, these are the righteous individuals I recommended to His Majesty. Have you come to receive them?"

Upon hearing this, General Lou, surnamed Lou, gave a cold laugh and said, "I have been awaiting your arrival here for some time, by His Majesty's decree."

Everyone just started to relax when he continued, "It's a perfect coincidence. I, Lou, also wish to see for myself what remarkable skills you seven possess, to have earned such high praise from Magistrate Zhang and Young Master Su Heng."

"What?!"

"What the hell?!" The seven exclaimed simultaneously. A Xu was so startled he even blurted out a phrase with a northeastern accent.

"D-do we have to fight?" Xiao Ai glanced nervously at the dense crowd of soldiers behind General Lou and swallowed hard.

The group pushed and nudged each other, none willing to step forward and accept whatever challenge General Lou had in mind. Seeing their cowardly, mouse-like behavior, General Lou sneered repeatedly. Finally, with a grand gesture, he pointed directly at A Xu.

"Holy shit!" A Xu couldn't help but curse. Though extremely reluctant, he steeled himself and stepped out. Closing his eyes as if marching to his doom, he assumed a stance and shouted, "Bring it on!"

It looked rather tragic. Little Wu and Youyou stared at General Lou's burly physique; they weren't even in the same weight class. It was easy to imagine how badly A Xu would get pummeled once the fight started. Covering their eyes, unable to bear the sight, they felt deep sympathy for him.

General Lou sneered coldly, tossed his sword to a subordinate behind him, and took a large stride to stand opposite A Xu. A Xu rolled his neck, then clasped his fists in a polite, proper salute to his opponent.

He thought to himself, even in such a mismatched contest, he was showing such good sportsmanship. If his old master saw this, he'd probably be moved to tears! It was just a shame neither his master nor his senior brother were here. He'd definitely make sure to tell those guys all about it later.

A Xu was still lost in thought when General Lou, without any warning, swung both fists at him. Xu Haoyue and Xiao Ai cried out in alarm, "Watch out!"

Fortunately, A Xu's reflexes were quick. He immediately sidestepped, then spun around with a roundhouse kick, planting his foot squarely on General Lou's back. It didn't seem to do much damage, though. Seeing this, A Xu hastily retracted his 'beautiful leg,' afraid it might get grabbed.

Kicked like that, General Lou's face turned ashen. Clenching his fists, he whirled around, his hands wreathed in a purple glow, and lunged for A Xu's face again. While A Xu wasn't usually one for meticulous grooming, he still cherished the handsome face heaven had blessed him with. He really couldn't understand why this General Lou was so fixated on attacking it.

Knowing the purple light was useless against him, A Xu simply leaned back slightly to dodge the punch. Seizing the chance, he twisted his hand, grabbed the general's wrist, and shoved backward with force, pushing his opponent back several steps. A Xu used the moment to put some distance between them.

General Lou was stunned to see his magic have absolutely no effect on the young man across from him, but he recovered quickly.