Chapter 44: Not the Hongmen Banquet?

  (PS: Today I decided to work hard and rush for three updates. One update in the morning, one in the afternoon, and one at night. Just ask my brothers to click on the membership and recommendation votes with their hands. The current recommendation votes are a bit tragic, oh, the ratio of clicks to recommendations has fallen to 40:1 or even more precarious. Hehe. No worries, heaven rewards diligence, I'll work hard to code words, and my brothers will definitely open fire for me.)

  In the castle of the Daqi family, a secret report had already been sent to the patriarch, Daqi Heng.

  "Clan leader, reliable news, the first son of the Ximen family, Ximen Qian, has arrived today and is staying at the Huaomen Xu family's estate. His intentions are unknown."

  Da Yu Heng has always been steady and calm, known for being "unfazed even if Mount Tai were to crumble before him". Upon hearing this news, although he was shocked in his heart, he remained expressionless, nodding slightly: "Alright, investigate further."

  After the scout left, Da Xiheng ordered: "Let Ming'er and Yang'er go to the garden to find me."

  Daxi Ming and Daxi Yang are brothers, the only two sons of the clan leader Daxi Heng. The eldest son, Daxi Ming, is 27 years old, with a free-spirited personality; the second son, Daxi Yang, has a calm temperament, his emotions not visible on his face, and although he is only 16 years old, he has a lot of his father's style.

  Between the two sons, Yu had a daughter named Dahu Yue, who was just twenty years old and whose birthday was approaching. A birthday banquet would be held in the family castle soon.

  The two brothers received the notice and immediately went to the garden.

  Arriving at Huayuan Gate, he saw his father Da Xiang's figure shuttling back and forth, with palm winds swallowing and spitting out, like a giant python flipping and dancing wildly, vaguely containing the momentum of wind and thunder, practicing a family martial art.

  This martial art is a secret that has been passed down through the Da family for generations, known as "Wind and Thunder Formula", with an aura that can swallow mountains and rivers, extremely overbearing.

  In the hands of Da Xuheng, it was even more terrifying. Wherever the palm wind reached, the grass was trampled, the tree trunks were bent, the leaves fell in profusion, and the petals danced in the air.

  After a set of martial arts moves, Da Xuheng finally gathered his energy and stood still, with his hands behind his back. Without turning around, he said calmly, "Ming'er, Yang'er. Tell me, what have you understood after watching for so long?"

  Daxi Ming is the eldest son, so he should answer first.

  "The child watched his father's martial arts, strong and fierce beyond the ordinary, with an aura that could swallow mountains and rivers, and a fist that swept away the wind and thunder. If it weren't for his father's true seventh-level mastery of the Martial Realm, he would never have achieved this kind of presence."

  He spoke of pure martial arts, Da Xuan nodded slightly and said: "Yes, Ming Er you are enthusiastic about martial arts, having this understanding is also reasonable. But you must know that human strength is limited while the power of heaven and earth is boundless, to understand how to utilize the power of heaven and earth is the ultimate in martial arts. How about Yang Er?"

  Da Xiyang's personality is more stable than his brother's, allowing him to think for a longer time and consider angles outside of martial arts.

  "The child watched as his father's fist struck with great force, like a wave crashing against the shore. The flowers and trees around him were all destroyed, but in the corner of the courtyard, a few weak-looking willow branches remained unscathed. Compared to the strong winds that had broken the large trees, these willows swayed gently in the breeze, yielding to its power, yet remaining resilient. This seemed to be connected to the way one should navigate life."

  This answer, however, was more to the liking of Xi Heng than his brother's. He chuckled and nodded: "A tree that stands out in the forest will be felled by the wind. Yet these seemingly weak willows are able to yield to the wind and remain standing. If a few willows can do this, how can a family hope to stand firm without yielding to the greater trend?"

  "What's the big trend?" Da Xi murmured to himself, suddenly understanding his father's implicit meaning. Could it be that this marriage was what he meant by "the big trend"?

  Da Xu Ming was also a clever person, knowing that his father was hinting to him that he should follow the trend and not get entangled with Qin Xiao again. However, thinking about it, his heart felt like it was being cut by a knife, and he couldn't bear to let go in any way.

  No one knows a son better than his father. Da Xu Heng knew that his eldest son was a stubborn person, with a personality formed since childhood, and it's hard to change him. Therefore, he never gave orders or instructions to Da Xu Ming, who just followed suit at this time. Seeing him silent, he calmly said: "Intelligence reports that the first heir of the Ximen family, the number one young master of Nan Yun State, and one of the four beauties of Chi Mu, Ximen Qian, has arrived in Luo Jiang County with his followers and is staying at the wealthy Permitted family's residence."

  As for the matter of Ximen's forced marriage, Da Yu Heng's anger in his heart was no less than anyone else. Of course, he also understood Da Yu Ming's pain and depression.

  But for the Daxi family, every move of the Ximen clan is a major trend. The trend is unstoppable, and the Daxi family has no power to go against it, so they can only follow the tide.

  "What's your name?"

  A flush of anger rose to Da Xu's handsome face, and his mind was filled with a buzzing noise like thunder. It was a name that he found hard to let go of.

  Ximen Qian, one of the Four Young Masters of the Redwood Clan, who once offered a plan to defeat the 100,000-strong Northern Barbarians. Ximen Daxia is the number one young master of his generation, the designated heir of the Ximen clan, with all sorts of halos surrounding him, and has even been received by the Emperor himself.

  Compared to Da Xu Ming, the so-called "First of the Luo Jiang Seven Gentlemen", all his achievements seem insignificant.

  Every time Da Xiu Ming recalls the year he was young and vigorous, on the birthday of Chi Mu Wang, he had a fierce battle with Xi Men Qian, resulting in a defeat, his heart would surge with waves of unyielding spirit and indignation. This knot has always been the greatest obstacle for Da Xiu Ming to move forward to higher martial arts realms.

  But what was even more lethal to Da Xiu Ming was another identity of Xi Men Qian - the elder brother born to the same mother as Xi Men Yan! It is worth noting that Xi Men Qian's first murder was for the sake of this younger sister, which shows how close their sibling relationship was.

  Facing Ximen Qing, Da Xi Ming felt a deep sense of defeat for the first time in his life.

  "It's exactly Simen Qian." Da Xuheng repeated in a certain tone.

  "Father." Da Xi Ming suddenly lifted his head, "You're telling me this, what do you want me to do?"

  "You bear the surname Da Xu for a day, and you must put the interests of the Da Xu family first."

  "Should the invitation to the poor Qin family also be cancelled?" Da Xi Ming asked in a low voice.

  "No, stick with the original plan."

  Upon hearing his father's words, Da Xi Ming's hanging heart finally fell back into place. If his father had said the word "cancel", Da Xi Ming would have executed his "fake death escape" plan without any hesitation.

  The trend is irresistible, he can't stand alone, and resistance is futile. He can only use this method to escape marriage in a roundabout way.

  ……

  On the twentieth birthday of Da Xu Yue, Luo Jiang County was indeed much more lively than usual. Many unfamiliar faces came and went, all dressed in their finest attire, clearly from out of town to attend Da Xu Yue's birthday banquet.

  According to Qin Wushuang's meaning, there is no good banquet, he simply doesn't want to attend. However, he can't bear his sister's eagerness, and he himself also wants to experience what it means by the grandeur of a noble family.

  The three men set out from the inn shortly after noon and soon arrived at the gate of the Da Xu family's private castle in the central area of Luo Jiang County.

  Handing over the invitation, the three of them easily passed through the gate. Led by a servant, the three of them walked towards the castle. Without taking many steps, Qin Shou's sharp eyes caught sight of Da Xi Ming walking from the opposite direction.

  "Qin Clan's leader, Miss Qin and the Unparalleled brothers, you've arrived."

  Qin Wushuang smiled secretly, thinking to himself that in front of his father, it wasn't convenient for Da Xuanming to call him "sleeve sister" after all. He then said with a smile: "Big Brother Da Xuan, you've had enough excitement for today, haven't you?"

  "It's not very busy, everything in the family is taken care of by someone. We're just in charge of entertaining guests, three of you, I'll take you in."

  Da Xu Qi led the way with a majestic and elegant demeanor, guiding the three of them towards the central area of the castle.

  Passing through the front yard, in sight is a spacious small square, and a large crowd has already gathered on the square, with about 70% to 80% of the guests having arrived.

  A group of guests saw Da Xi Ming personally bring in three guests, and they were all very curious. Who was this person from afar that the young master of the Da Xi family would personally welcome?

  Half of these guests are nobles from Lujiang County, and the other half are some noble forces who have connections with the Da Xu family from all over the world.

  Among them, the lowest level of invited guests is also a prominent family, many are wealthy families, and several come from other places, all being influential forces in society.

  These forces are all very self-aware, each with their own small circle, gathering together in threes and twos, with clear hierarchy, without any mistakes.

  The banquet had not yet begun, and these young nobles were extremely bored. Seeing Da Xun bring in three people himself, they all focused their attention on them. The clothing of the nobility had clear hierarchical distinctions. Therefore, these people almost suspected that their eyes were seeing illusions.

  Daxi Qing personally welcomed the three guests who came in, and they were actually dressed in humble attire!

  The nobles who didn't understand suddenly became suspicious. What play was this Daxi family performing?