After a while, Shi Hao entered the hall and paid his respects to the Marquis of the County.
Wusu Baoteng nodded, asked some questions about Xiaohanshan City, and said some comforting words.
He then said, "There will be a banquet at Hongshan in the north of the city tomorrow. Several young masters from noble families in the county city have also been invited. You should go with them then!" He asked the butler to write an invitation to Shi Hao.
Shi Hao accepted the invitation and said goodbye. After he left, Wu Subao asked, "Brother, are you going to let him attend the Hongtong Banquet as well?"
Wusu Baoteng said: "When he marries Ya Nu in the future, he will be your son-in-law and a member of our Wusu clan. In addition, I heard that although Shi Hao is just a scholar, he has some abilities. In the past two or three years, he has made some miraculous achievements in the construction of Xiaohanshan City."
"Since you have the ability to govern a region, you may become a great help to our Wusu clan in the future. Let Ya Nu go to the meeting tomorrow. By the way, since we have invited the young city lord of Xiaohanshan City, then that Deng, Deng from Yuanrong Chamber of Commerce..."
The butler next to him said, "Are you talking about Deng Liang from Yuanrong Chamber of Commerce?"
Wu Su Bao Teng said: "It's him. You should also write an invitation and have someone send it to Yuanrong Chamber of Commerce. After all, they are all young people and it will be more lively."
The butler replied, "Yes!"
—
Shi Hao walked out of the mansion holding the invitation and walked on the road.
He opened the red invitation and looked at it, thinking: "Hongtong Banquet?"
Hongshan Mountain in the north of the city is a famous scenic spot in Jin County, but it has long been occupied by the Wusu clan, who built a palace. It is no exaggeration to say that "untouchables and dogs are not allowed to enter". To the so-called royal family, the people of the Huaxia clan are "untouchables".
He didn't expect that Wusubaoten would let him attend the Hongtong Banquet. It seemed that the Man Court was really planning to implement the "Jinxia Family" decree
When he was in the Marquis' Mansion, he suppressed his inner strength, not wanting anyone to discover that he knew martial arts.
At this moment, when he was walking outside, the Immortal Ice Art and the Mysterious Charm Art in his body were running at the same time, and he was practicing even by walking.
He thought to himself: "There must be an opportunity to get rid of the relationship with the Wusu clan without involving Xiaohanshan City."
He returned to his residence, took out the Jade Purity Pearl, and quietly placed it on the eaves. Following the instructions of Fairy Shengxuan and the Fire Charm Girl, he let it absorb the essence of the sun and the moon. He took it back half an hour later.
At this moment, he didn't want to attract too much attention, so he didn't go out again. He stayed in his own residence that night.
The next day, he calculated the time, changed into new clothes, took the invitation, and went to the party...
Chapter 11: Red Mountain Red Paulownia Banquet
When we arrived at Hongshan, in this season, the whole mountain was covered with red flowers. At first glance, it looked as if it was dyed with red clouds, layer upon layer, pleasing to the eye.
Entering the palace, suddenly, someone in front called out, "Brother Hao!"
Shi Hao looked in surprise, and saw a young man running towards him.
Shi Hao couldn't help but laugh and asked, "Why are you here too?"
This person is Deng Liang, the young master of Yuanrong Chamber of Commerce.
Deng Liang quickly ran to Shi Hao and said with a smile, "Thanks to you, Brother Hao, I was not originally qualified to attend the Hongtong Club. I heard that the Marquis sent you an invitation, so he also sent me one."
Yuanrong Chamber of Commerce has a huge business in the Western Shu Province. Although Deng Liang is the "Young Master", the president of Yuanrong Chamber of Commerce is elected by many wealthy merchants and is not a family inheritance.
Despite this, the Deng family itself is the largest wealthy merchant family in the Western Shu Province, and is also a wealthy local gentry. As the young master of the Deng family, Deng Liang grew up with a silver spoon in his mouth.
The Deng family has a lot of business dealings with Xiaohanshan City. Most of the brocades and silks produced in Xiaohanshan City are sold through the Deng family's channels.
Last year, Shi Hao helped Deng Liang come up with an idea in business, which enabled the fledgling Deng Liang to make a fortune and made him famous in the business world at a young age. The old man of the Deng family praised his son for his promising future.
It is for this reason that Deng Liang admires and is grateful to Shi Hao, and calls him "Brother" all the time.
Shi Hao walked with him and whispered, "What exactly is this Hongtong Banquet for?"
Deng Liang looked at him in surprise and said, "Brother Hao, you didn't know? Think about it, this Hongshan is the treasure land of the Wusu clan, and the daughter of the Marquis is called Litong. What do you think this Hongtong Banquet is for? This is to select a county prince consort for the Princess of Hongtong County from the princes of the royal families."
Shi Hao suddenly realized that probably because only young people were invited, he and Deng Liang were invited.
Deng Liang said self-deprecatingly: "Of course, the two of us are just here to make up the numbers. Brother Hao, you must also know that the court has issued a decree that 'Jinxia is one family'. The Yueketai clan is a strong supporter of the prime minister, and the Wusu clan is a vassal of the Yueketai clan. Even if it's just for show, we have to show it to others.
"If it were in the past, we wouldn't have had the opportunity to attend this kind of banquet."
Shi Hao nodded slightly, although he was not interested in such an "opportunity" at all.
What he wanted more was to get rid of these entanglements as soon as possible and embark on the path of cultivation with all his strength.
"Brother Hao, look at that person!" Deng Liang pointed at a young man in the distance.
Shi Hao looked over and saw that the man was quite tall and sturdy, wearing a short robe with arrow sleeves, and was accompanied by a number of servants.
Deng Liang whispered, "That's Wu Yankui from the Wu Yan family. The Wu Yan family is a hereditary thousand households. This guy has been learning martial arts since he was young. I heard that he has now entered the rank. Although he is only at the ninth rank, for people like us, he is already a master."
He pointed to the other side and whispered, "There is another one, that is Tushan Xiongcai, also of the ninth rank. His father is a county lord. Although he is much inferior to the Wusu family, he is still a famous family in Jin County. They are all here for the Princess of Lirong County!"
Deng Liang pointed at the young people who came to the meeting one by one. Basically, except for Shi Hao and Deng Liang, the others were all "royal family members", and among the royal family members, they were all young talents with a certain status.
Perhaps because of the competition, these young men didn't talk much to each other, and they ignored Shi Hao and Deng Liang, as if it would be a waste to even look at them.
Shi Hao had no interest in these people. Instead, he pulled Deng Liang aside and whispered, "I have three rare medicinal herbs, called Great Cold Peony Fairy Bud, Water Moon Wonderful Lotus, and Fire Heaven Leaf. Do you know where to buy them?"
Deng Liang was stunned: "What is this? How come I have never heard of this kind of medicinal material?"
Shi Hao replied vaguely: "Actually, I don't really understand either. I just met someone who wanted to buy these three things at a high price, so I asked you. If you know, you might be able to make a big profit."
Deng Liang smiled and said, "Brother Hao, you asked the wrong person. Although my family's business is big, we only deal in silk and brocade. As for medicinal materials, the biggest and best business in Jin County is Sichuan Jinbao Pavilion.
"Chuan Jinbao Pavilion is also in our Chamber of Commerce. Brother Hao, you can go there and ask. When you go in, just report my name and say that I introduced you."
Shi Hao silently wrote down "Chuan Jinbao Pavilion" and then changed the subject.
As they were talking, they passed each other between a bush of flowers, and saw five girls passing by on another road. One of the girls, who was plain-looking and wearing a light red skirt, immediately frowned when she saw Shi Hao, glanced at him angrily, and turned away, pulling the other four girls.
The other girls also looked at Shi Hao, but they were talking and laughing.
Deng Liang whispered, "Brother Hao, is that girl looking at you with a slanted eye?"
Shi Hao said calmly: "Probably!"
Deng Liang said: "It looks like she is a girl from the Wusu clan. Brother Hao, have you offended her?"
Shi Hao shook his head and said, "I don't even know who she is."
Deng Liang said, "I'll go ask for you." He actually ran over and asked the maids who were passing by.
After a while, he ran back and said, "Brother Hao, that turned out to be your fiancée."
Shi Hao frowned tightly.
Deng Liang said: "The girl just now was Wusu Yanu. Well, she is not good-looking, and she seems to have a bad temper. Brother Hao, I'm afraid you will suffer a lot in the future." Seeing that Shi Hao did not respond, he did not continue the conversation and changed the subject.
As the junior chairman of the Yuanrong Chamber of Commerce, Deng Liang naturally knew that in this "marriage", the Xiaohanshan City side had no choice at all.
After all, Shi Hao is the young lord of Xiaohanshan City, but Wusu clan just randomly chose a girl of similar age from among the clan members to "marry him down". Even so, from Wusu clan's perspective, this is also a "favor" to Xiaohanshan City, and this is the most annoying thing.
After strolling around Hongshan for a while, a maid came and invited everyone to the mountainside, where they saw clusters of flowers and scattered pavilions.
After waiting for a while, a girl, surrounded by maids, walked out of the pavilion. It was obviously the county lady Wusulitong.
Shi Hao looked and saw that this county princess was also a beauty. Although she was far from being as stunningly beautiful as Fairy Sheng Xuan and Fire Charm Girl, she was also pretty.
Due to her so-called "royal" bloodline, her frame is slightly larger than that of ordinary Chinese girls, her forehead is relatively high, her eyes are slightly cyan, and she seems to have practiced some family martial arts.
Seeing the county princess appear, Wu Yankui, Tushan Xiongcai and others all surrounded her, laughing and talking, trying to please her in various ways, trying their best to leave a deep impression on the county princess.
Shi Hao and Deng Liang both knew that they were only here to make up the numbers, so they did not follow these people to join in the fun.
On the other side, there were Wusuyanv and some other girls. Seeing that the county princess was being treated like a star by those rich young men, they also moved away.
As for the wealthy young men of the Jin clan, they didn't even look at Shi Hao and Deng Liang.
It was not contempt, nor was there any fuss or shouting about why two people like this were allowed to attend the Hongtong Banquet. Instead, he completely ignored them, as if he had not noticed that there were two people like this at the banquet from beginning to end.
Because it was a party for young people, the whole process was rather chaotic. Shi Hao and Deng Liang drank a few glasses by themselves in a corner.
Suddenly, Shi Hao raised his head and looked at the peaks and rocks on the other side. Those peaks and rocks that were moved from other places to embellish the garden were of different shapes and each had its own characteristics.
Deng Liang followed him and looked over: "Brother Hao, what are you looking at?"
Shi Hao shook his head, with some doubt in his eyes. He thought to himself: "Is this an illusion?"
At that moment just now, he sensed a sharp gaze scanning the entire place, and when he looked quickly, there was no one in that direction.
I don’t know whether it was an illusion, or whether the man quickly glanced away and then hurried away, hiding among the rocks to prevent himself from being seen by anyone.
Before they knew it, Lady Litong and those wealthy young men were walking in front, while Shi Hao and Deng Liang were walking with Wusuyana and the others.
Wusu Ya Nu and the girls around her were all from the Wusu clan, but their status and position were obviously much lower than that of the county lord. It was obvious that they were just here to make up the numbers.
At one point, Shi Hao and Wu Suyanu were getting closer, but she turned her head and glared at him fiercely: "Don't think I like you."
Shi Hao almost asked her, "How can you be so confident when you are so ordinary?" But after thinking about it, he ignored her.
Avoiding Wusu Ya Nu, he walked behind Deng Liang. Suddenly, his brows furrowed again and he asked in a low voice, "Do you smell blood?"
Deng Liang looked left and right: "Blood?"
He couldn't help laughing and said, "Brother Hao, what are you talking about? This is the treasure land of the Wusu family, the county lady is here, and there are many rich young men. Don't think that there are not many people around us, in fact, there are countless people protecting us in secret.
"Brother Hao, when did you become so fussy and imaginative?"
Shi Hao looked up. At this moment, they were walking on a secluded path with undulating mountains on both sides and many elegant pavilions along the way.
Although the so-called royal family is essentially a barbarian tribe, they have incorporated a lot of Central Plains culture over the years. These pavilions and waterside terraces are full of poetry.
He found that they were just at a deadly place. He had never been there before, so he didn't know the scenery ahead, but he could clearly see that behind the towering eaves was a cliff.
The two sides were steep and dangerous, with layers of red flowers swaying like blood.
"Brother Hao," Deng Liang's voice also became a little strange, "It seems that there is really a smell of blood. Could it be that they are slaughtering chickens in front..."
In the eyes of Shi Hao, who turned his head to look up, the flowers unfolded like fireworks. Many figures jumped out from the flowers and drew out their weapons that shone with cold light.
The rolling blade light rolled down. In the team, young warriors like Wu Yankui and Tu Shan Xiongcai became alert and shouted, "Who are you?"
The blade light swept into the crowd, blood splattered, and bang bang bang sounds were heard, accompanied by screams and cries.
"Go!" Shi Hao grabbed Deng Liang and turned to retreat. But a strong wind came from behind, and a cold light whistled towards them.
Not caring about exposing his own strength, Shi Hao grabbed casually, and a branch beside him broke off and flew into his hand. With a flick of the sword's force, the sword shadow exploded. It was exactly "Instant Sword Hua", one of the Six Styles of Immortal Li.
There were two people rushing in front, both of them were wearing black clothes, with black scarves covering their faces. With a sword and a knife, the energy was surging.
He took Shi Hao's knife and stabbed Deng Liang with his sword, wanting to chop them down together.
Suddenly, the two masked warriors saw a flash of sword in front of them, and brilliant ice flowers burst out. The ice flowers pierced their eyes, causing them to stop subconsciously and step back.
At that instant, they all felt a pain in their wrists, and their knives and swords fell at the same time, banging on the cobblestone ground.
"Be careful, there are good guys around!" The two men who were retreating quickly exclaimed, and behind them, more people rushed up.
"Get behind me!" Shi Hao shouted.
He said this to Deng Liang, but Wu Suyanv and the others subconsciously hid behind him.
The two black-clothed warriors who were retreating saw that the young man was holding a thin branch, and the branch was shaking, just like ice and snow.
Amid the cold air and the hissing sounds, each of their companions who rushed forward was stabbed by a "sword" on the wrist.
"Damn it, Brother Hao, you are such a hidden talent!" Deng Liang cried out in surprise and joy, "You lied to me before and said you were just a scholar!"
Shi Hao's sword power exploded, and he was able to stand alone against all the masked men who were rushing towards him.
I took the time to look back quickly, and saw chaos at the other end.
There were quite a few enemies lying in ambush on both sides. If it weren't for Shi Hao's single-handed attack, most of them would have been killed by now.
Even so, many people had already fallen in a pool of blood. These masked men were ruthless and spared no one.
Wu Yankui and Tushan Xiongcai are indeed the best among the young "royal family". Although most of the other rich and powerful children are good-for-nothings, the two of them, together with their guards, managed to barely block a wave of attacks.
To Shi Hao's surprise, Princess Li Tong took out a soft sword and wielded it with almost the same strength as Wu Yankui and Tu Shan Xiongcai.
In other words, she also has the foundation of the ninth rank.
Although Shi Hao could see that she had practiced martial arts to some extent, her tall frame and delicate skin did not look like someone who had practiced martial arts for many years.
Looking at her again at this moment, I saw that her sword energy was radiating and her true energy was faintly overflowing, which turned out to be the authentic Taoist internal energy.
Only those who practice the inner alchemy of Taoism can hardly tell their cultivation level from their appearance.
Of course, although she had a ninth-grade foundation, County Lady Litong had obviously rarely fought against enemies, and soon she became flustered.
"You running dog of the Barbarian Court, prepare to die!" A warrior in black, seeing that he could not break through Shi Hao's sword blockade, decided to die together with his enemy, and without hesitation, he chopped off Shi Hao's head with a knife.