Chapter 820: Two Idiots

Xu Luo had no idea what method Su Qianqian used, but after being out for just over two hours, she returned with two invitations. Moreover, they didn’t look like ordinary ones.

“How did you get these?” Xu Luo asked, feeling slightly perplexed. If it were him, he probably would have had to resort to knocking someone out and stealing them.

“It was very simple. I just smiled at them, and they gave them to me,” Su Qianqian said, her face expressing that it was only natural.

“You actually used that kind of smile on other people?” Xu Luo rolled his eyes.

“Oh? What kind of smile do you think I used?” Su Qianqian wrinkled her nose and glared at him.

Xu Luo’s lips twitched. He felt that if this topic continued, he would definitely be the one to suffer, so he wisely kept his mouth shut.

Sure enough, Su Qianqian rolled her eyes and said, “There are places in the city specifically for handing out invitations. I just told them I was a member of the Meng Family! When the people there heard that, they immediately showed great respect and handed the invitations over!

“You were overthinking it! Got it?” she added, shooting him a glare.

“Yes, yes, I know, I know!” Xu Luo put on an expression of having been taught a lesson.

Su Qianqian smiled sweetly. Although she was joking, she knew very well her status in his heart.

“But… who exactly is the Meng Family?” Xu Luo asked.

“You’re asking me… but who am I supposed to ask?” Su Qianqian curled her lips and said, “It’s just a family with the surname Meng!”

Xu Luo was left speechless.

The road to Piaomiao Palace was bustling with noise and excitement. Various luxurious carriages formed an almost endless, snaking line. The beasts pulling these carriages were all kinds of Spirit Beasts, and some were even Holy Beasts! Although Piaomiao Palace was not as dazzling as Celestial Brilliance, as a super sect second only to Celestial Brilliance, it still had a rather resounding reputation throughout Xi Hezhou. Even though the New Palace Master’s succession and grand wedding came rather suddenly, the stream of people coming to offer their congratulations was endless.

Xu Luo and Su Qianqian mingled within the procession. Looking at the lively scene, Su Qianqian suddenly said, “I’m so envious!”

“Of what?” Xu Luo looked at her in confusion.

“Nothing.” Su Qianqian’s pretty face flushed slightly. She had unconsciously blurted out her inner thoughts. As a girl, how could she have the nerve to repeat such a thing?

Xu Luo thought for a moment beside her, then said, “Don’t worry. When it’s the day of our grand wedding, I promise it will be a hundred times more lively than this! I’ll have all the famous figures of Jiuzhou come to congratulate us!”

“Ah! You heard what I said?” Su Qianqian’s face turned crimson, but her eyes bloomed with a dazzling light. Looking at Xu Luo, she said softly, “You’re so good to me!”

PFFT!

A sudden sneer came from the side. Xu Luo and Su Qianqian glanced over and saw a young man dressed as a noble scion looking at them with a teasing expression.

Since both Xu Luo and Su Qianqian were in disguise, they looked very ordinary. Su Qianqian’s current appearance was that of a delicate young girl; although she was somewhat pretty, she was definitely far from stunning. Walking down the street, people might give her a second glance, but certainly not a third. Xu Luo, on the other hand, was disguised as a dark-skinned youth. He looked energetic but not handsome in the slightest. Their clothing wasn’t particularly expensive, and from head to toe, there were no decorations that hinted at wealth. Therefore, when Xu Luo spoke those words, he was immediately mocked by this young man.

Su Qianqian rolled her eyes at Xu Luo without saying a word, but her meaning was obvious: That’s what you get for bragging!

Xu Luo just chuckled and cupped his fists toward the young man in greeting. Then, he whispered to Su Qianqian in annoyance, “Who knew that even a little bragging would be overheard!”

Seeing that the two weren’t angry and were instead blaming themselves—especially when the dark-skinned youth offered a friendly greeting—the noble-looking young man suddenly felt a bit embarrassed. He took the initiative to walk over and apologize. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to mock you two. I just thought it sounded quite funny. I truly apologize!”

“It’s fine, it’s fine. I was just bragging; I didn’t expect you to hear it,” Xu Luo smiled innocently, then asked, “May I ask your esteemed name, brother?”

“I am Meng Lin of the Meng Family Manor!” The noble young man cupped his fists at Xu Luo.

Xu Luo and Su Qianqian were instantly stunned. They looked at each other and then almost couldn’t stop themselves from bursting into laughter.

Meng Lin looked strangely at this young man and woman. They appeared ordinary, yet seemed to exude an invisible air of nobility. He didn’t know what they were laughing about.

“What… is my name… very funny?” Meng Lin frowned slightly, somewhat displeased.

“Ah, no, no, it has nothing to do with you, Brother Meng. We just remembered something else,” Xu Luo hurriedly apologized.

This noble scion didn’t seem annoying, and since they needed some cover to sneak into Piaomiao Palace, Xu Luo struck up a conversation with this Young Master Meng. He didn’t know it at first, but once they started chatting, he discovered that this Young Master Meng was actually quite remarkable!

“I was preparing to participate in the Xi Hezhou Grand Competition to fight for one of the hundred spots. As a result, I suddenly received a message from my family saying that Piaomiao Palace’s New Palace Master was succeeding the throne and getting married at the same time. Because my family has a very good relationship with Piaomiao Palace, they asked me to stop here for a while. After attending the New Palace Master’s succession and grand wedding, I will go participate in the Xi Hezhou Grand Competition!”

As Meng Lin spoke, his eyes held deep confidence. His voice was calm—neither boastful nor falsely modest.

“The Xi Hezhou Grand Competition? Is it to select the number one expert in Xi Hezhou?” Xu Luo asked with a look of interest.

Meng Lin’s lips twitched slightly. He looked at Xu Luo and asked, “What is your esteemed name, brother? Which sect are you from?”

Xu Luo’s face reddened as he said rather ashamedly, “I am Xu Luo, from a small sect. This time, I heard that Piaomiao Palace’s New Palace Master was succeeding the throne and getting married, so I wanted to come…”

“Oh, oh, oh, I get it, I get it!” Meng Lin suddenly realized the situation. It turned out these two were just joining the fun to show their faces. Along the way, there were plenty of people who wanted to go to Piaomiao Palace to network and build connections; it was far more than just these two in front of him. Therefore, Meng Lin didn’t find it strange at all. It was understandable that young people from small sects and factions wanted to find some powerful thighs to cling to. Although he felt contempt in his heart, Meng Lin didn’t show it at all. Anyway, the journey was boring, so finding someone random to chat with wasn’t a bad idea, right?

“The Xi Hezhou Grand Competition isn’t to select the number one expert in Xi Hezhou, but a prelude to an even grander event!” Meng Lin glanced around and whispered, showing off a little, “This competition will determine one hundred strong youths, all under three hundred years old!”

“Woah! A hundred or two hundred years old is still considered young?” Xu Luo looked at Meng Lin in surprise.

Meng Lin’s lips twitched again. He looked at Xu Luo and explained helplessly, “The strong youths of Jiuzhou aren’t what you think—that twenty or thirty is a youth, and forty or fifty is an elder. As long as someone is under three hundred years old, wherever they go in all of Jiuzhou, they are considered a youth!”

“I don’t believe it! Those eighty- or ninety-year-old geezers with white beards, how do they look like youths? If I called the old men in my sect ‘youths’, wouldn’t they beat me to death?” Xu Luo said with a serious expression.

“Exactly, exactly! My grandfather is seventy-eight this year. According to your logic, he’s still a youth… If I dared to call him a youth, he would definitely hit me!” Su Qianqian added, equally serious.

Meng Lin fell silent. He suddenly felt a bit of regret, thinking that choosing to chat with these two idiots was a mistake. If people were considered grandpas at eighty or ninety in their sect… damn, just how trashy was that sect!

“Hehe, please continue, continue!” Xu Luo looked at Meng Lin with an expression full of curiosity, like an inquisitive child. Beside him, Su Qianqian’s delicate face was also filled with a thirst for knowledge.

Meng Lin glanced at the two of them and suddenly got the feeling that if he didn’t continue, he would be doing them a great disservice.

He thought, “What the hell!”

However, on second thought, it wasn’t a bad thing. After all, news about the Peak of Jiuzhou wasn’t something just anyone could know. Many people knew about the Xi Hezhou Grand Competition, but they had absolutely no idea why it was being held!

So Meng Lin braced himself and continued, “After selecting one hundred youths…” He subconsciously glanced at Xu Luo and Su Qianqian, who were curling their lips, causing his own mouth to twitch violently. “…Ahem, after selecting these experts under three hundred years old, they will head to a certain place to participate in a life-and-death battle!”

“So they’re selecting a suicide squad!” Xu Luo said as if he had suddenly understood everything.

“So that’s how it is!” Su Qianqian also indicated that she understood.

Meng Lin fell speechless again and decided to terminate the discussion with these two idiots.

He thought angrily, “Suicide squad, my ass! You don’t understand a damn thing! Damn it, since when did the Peak of Jiuzhou become a game for a suicide squad? How did these two idiots end up in front of me? Can time rewind a bit so we can start over? I’d absolutely rather die than mock you two! Yeah, I can swear on it! Even if your joke is hilarious, I definitely won’t laugh!”

Meng Lin felt that his status had almost been dragged down into the abyss by these two. Deeply hurt, he hastily ended the topic and sensibly moved out of the way to the side.

Su Qianqian stifled her laughter as she looked at Xu Luo and sent a voice transmission, “I almost couldn’t hold it in… You’re too wicked! You almost broke a perfectly ambitious young man!”

“Who told him to laugh at me!” Xu Luo huffed, clearly still holding a grudge over being mocked earlier.

“You… you’re killing me with laughter. I can’t do this, I need to find a place to laugh for a bit. Since when did you become so petty? HAHAHAHAHA!” Su Qianqian truly couldn’t hold it in anymore. Looking at Meng Lin, who stood not far away with a hurt expression, she turned her face away, her shoulders shaking violently.

Meng Lin caught sight of this from the corner of his eye. His whole face twitched as he squeezed out two words from between his teeth, “Idiots!”

A stretch of towering mountains suddenly appeared in the distance. Amidst the mountains, a majestic complex of palaces was hidden within the forest, looming faintly through the trees.

“We’re here!”

“That’s Piaomiao Palace up ahead!”

“Haha, look at all the festive lanterns and decorations. It really is a double blessing!”

“Yeah, even though it’s a bit sudden, it looks truly festive!”

“Not bad at all. Drinking wedding wine here and then going to watch the Xi Hezhou Grand Competition—this is truly one of life’s great joys!”

The crowd grew excited and buzzed with discussion. Even Young Master Meng, who had been deeply hurt by Xu Luo and Su Qianqian, revealed a faint smile in his eyes. Faced with such a festive occasion, people couldn’t help but be infected by the joyful atmosphere.

It was just that… would what happened next truly remain so festive?

A cold light flashed in Xu Luo’s eyes. He thought, “If you dare to hurt Yu Rou, I will make you pay an unimaginably tragic price!”