Chapter 1001: You Are Not Worthy

Sensing Zu An's confusion, Sang Hong explained, "Look at Xu Yu; did he genuinely get angry at any point?"

Zu An immediately looked over. Sure enough, although Xu Yu was questioning Jian Taiding, his eyes remained calm. His gaze towards the colonel was not one of anger, but of mockery.

At that moment, Xu Yu also spoke, "I'm also thinking about the reputation of your Governor's Mansion. Colonel Dian might not be able to hold this position securely; it would be even more embarrassing if he were to be ousted later."

Jian Taiding smiled faintly, dismissing it as mere bravado.

Colonel Dian burst out laughing, his voice echoing and making everyone's ears ring. "Am I not sitting here quite securely now? If anyone wants this seat later, tell them to come find me and see who can hold it."

As he spoke, wine trickled down his beard, adding to his wild and rugged demeanor.

Sang Hong whispered, "Judging by his laughter just now, this man seems to have reached seventh-rank strength. No wonder he's so arrogant."

Zu An scanned the hall. All those with higher cultivation than the colonel were already seated in the front rows. The others were inferior to him, which explained his fearless attitude.

Other officials in the hall watched the scene with varied expressions. Some looked worried, clearly on good terms with Xu Yu. Others wore expressions of schadenfreude, evidently belonging to the opposing faction. Overall, most people seemed to be waiting for Xu Yu to make a fool of himself.

At this point, Prefect Zuo Su looked at Sang Hong, signaling him to say something.

Sang Hong frowned slightly. Although he was sent by the imperial court and, in theory, should support Xu Yu, who was also aligned with the court, he was new here. Taking an immediate stance and siding with one party would clearly hinder his future work. However, outright refusal would easily offend the Prefectural Administrator's office.

Fortunately, a commotion nearby diffused his dilemma.

"What's all this noise?" Zuo Su looked displeased towards the distance, seeing a group of guards retreating step by step towards them.

"Reporting, sir, this person insists on entering," the guards said with long faces.

Zuo Su was furious, thinking, *Are they all useless? I've already lost face in front of the Imperial Envoy; now they can't even stop a commoner. Won't everyone mock me?*

Indeed, Jian Taiding toyed with his cup, looking over with a half-smile. Beside him, Sima Yuxuan chuckled, "Earlier, it was suggested that the welcoming banquet be held at the Governor's Mansion, but Lord Zuo refused. I didn't understand why then, but now I realize how much more exciting a banquet at the Prefect's Mansion is compared to the Governor's."

Zuo Su snorted coldly, about to order the man to be thrown out, when a lazy voice drifted over: "I was invited by your Vice-Prefect. Why won't you believe me?"

The other guards immediately retorted, "How could the Vice-Prefect invite someone like you!"

"Get out quickly! Offending the Imperial Envoy is a capital offense!"

Just then, Xu Yu, who had been resting with his eyes closed, spoke, "He is indeed a friend I invited. Let him in."

His status was comparable to the Prefect's, so once he spoke, the guards naturally dared not stop the man and cleared the way.

Only then did everyone clearly see the newcomer: dressed in tattered, slovenly clothes, wearing straw sandals in the dead of winter with his toes exposed, seemingly unafraid of frostbite. His face was unkempt, his eyes half-open as if he hadn't fully woken up, and he carried a large wine flask, the strong scent of alcohol reaching them from a distance.

The officials in the hall subtly frowned, wondering how Vice-Prefect Xu could have such a friend. However, no one spoke. No one who had reached such a position was a fool; could an ordinary person truly be a friend of the Vice-Prefect? Moreover, the fact that he wore only straw sandals in such freezing weather, with no sign of frostbite on his toes, indicated he was certainly no ordinary man. Even Jian Taiding frowned, sizing the man up and down, feeling there was something unfathomable about him.

Zu An, however, was incredibly shocked, for he recognized the man as the one who had drawn a sword against him earlier in the Pei residence. According to Xiao Jianren's guess, he was likely the third disciple of the Libationer, the former Sword Immortal Xiao Yao.

At that moment, the drunkard seemed to sense something, looking towards Zu An, a hint of confusion flashing in his eyes.

Zu An thought, *Good thing I disguised myself then; otherwise, being recognized now would be quite awkward. After all, Pei's father is here, and my sneaking into his daughter's quarters would be hard to explain.*

"Brother Xiao, over here." At this moment, Xu Yu stood up and beckoned to the drunkard.

Zu An's heart skipped a beat. So, his surname was indeed Xiao.

The drunkard then shifted his gaze and walked directly towards Xu Yu.

Xu Yu said apologetically, "I originally prepared a seat for you, but unfortunately, this person has taken it."

"Oh," the drunkard murmured, then turned and walked towards the back, seemingly looking for another seat.

At this, Colonel Dian laughed loudly, "Vice-Prefect Xu, is this the friend you value so much? Isn't he just a useless drunk?"

Hearing his words, the drunkard slowly turned around. "Is this your friend?"

He didn't even look at the colonel, but instead directed his gaze at Xu Yu.

Xu Yu hesitated for a moment. "Just a colleague in the bureaucracy; we don't have much interaction."

The drunkard nodded, then approached Colonel Dian, looking down at him. "Get lost."

His tone revealed no hint of anger, as if he were stating a perfectly ordinary trifle.

Colonel Dian: "???"

Not just him, but the other officials in the hall were also dumbfounded. Although they often engaged in schemes against political rivals, they usually maintained a certain decorum, rarely resorting to such direct, merciless confrontation.

Colonel Dian finally reacted, his face flushing with rage. "What did you say, you brat?" As he spoke, his large hands moved to grab the other man's collar, while simultaneously, a palm as large as a cattail fan swung directly at his face. With his seventh-rank cultivation and mastery of wrestling, this grab was as swift as lightning.

Many thought the drunkard was about to suffer a great loss. A solid slap would be a minor injury; losing face would be the true disaster. Only Zu An secretly felt pity for Colonel Dian.

At that moment, Colonel Dian stumbled. His grab had met empty air, as if the other man were transparent. But the man had clearly been standing right there? Only a few noticed that the drunkard had actually taken half a step back, then half a step forward, precisely dodging the attack. His speed was so great that he appeared to have remained motionless.

Jian Taiding's pupils contracted. He quickly said, "Colonel Dian, come back." He had already seen that Colonel Dian was no match for this mysterious drunkard.

But Colonel Dian was naturally reckless. Under the watchful eyes of everyone, he couldn't endure such an affront. Believing his previous miss was due to carelessness, he rolled up his sleeves, glared fiercely at the other man, and challenged, "Draw your sword! Let's have a proper fight. Whoever wins sits here."

The drunkard, with his sleepy eyes, glanced at him, then slowly uttered a few words: "You are not worthy."

At these words, a collective gasp swept through the hall. How arrogant this man was!

Colonel Dian was so enraged that smoke seemed to pour from his seven orifices. He roared and charged at the other man. This time, he held nothing back, his body surging with vital energy, charging like an enraged bear.

"Stop!" Zuo Su quickly intervened. With such momentum, even a minor contact could cause broken bones for those with lower cultivation. How could such a deadly fight occur at a welcoming banquet?

Unfortunately, the enraged Colonel Dian wouldn't even listen to Jian Taiding, let alone Zuo Su.

Facing the fierce onslaught, the drunkard didn't even lift an eyelid. The sword in his hand suddenly sprang a few inches from its sheath, striking later but arriving first. The hilt struck the colonel, who was instantly sent flying backward, only stopping when he crashed into a distant rockery.

With a loud crash, the rockery shattered into pieces from the immense impact. Colonel Dian struggled several times to get up from the ground but failed. The drunkard's sword had already sprung back into its sheath, having emerged only a few inches throughout the entire encounter.

"He defeated a seventh-rank master just like that?" Everyone in the hall was stunned, save for Zu An, who remained the calmest, having personally experienced the man's formidable swordsmanship.

The drunkard sat down in the vacant seat as if nothing had happened. He ignored the wine on the table, unstoppered his own gourd, and drank noisily.

"How dare you! You intend to harm an imperial official!" someone from the Governor's Mansion exclaimed, a mix of shock and fury in their voice.

At this, Xu Yu smiled slightly. "Everyone here witnessed it: they agreed that whoever won would claim the seat. The Great Zhou was founded on martial prowess; surely, such contests are always supported, aren't they?"

"But Colonel Dian is an imperial official! He shouldn't have been struck so heavily; it clearly went beyond the scope of a contest!" someone from the opposite side retorted.

Xu Yu calmly replied, "Colonel Dian only looks disheveled; he isn't actually injured. What fault does my Brother Xiao have?"

The people from the Governor's Mansion paused, then quickly looked back. Colonel Dian had indeed gotten up. It turned out he had only been unable to move because his internal energy was disrupted, and he had sustained no actual injuries. However, he was too ashamed to remain. He bowed to everyone with an embarrassed face and hurried away, covering his face.

Sang Hong finally spoke, smoothing things over. "Haha, we've just witnessed a spectacular contest and truly felt the martial spirit of Yunzhong Commandery. Our Great Zhou was founded on martial prowess, and the court indeed needs such heroes. To the prosperity of our Great Zhou, let us all drink this cup!"

With such a rationale, both the Prefect's Mansion and the Governor's Mansion had to save face for him. One by one, they accepted the convenient excuse and raised their cups in agreement. Those from the Governor's Mansion had originally thought that if the drunkard didn't raise his cup, they could later accuse him of disrespect. To their surprise, the drunkard, who had appeared completely indifferent, also raised his cup.

Seeing this, Zu An felt even more certain: only someone from the academy, no matter how down and out, would still retain a sense of loyalty to the nation.

With a cup of wine down, the previously tense atmosphere gradually became pleasant and harmonious. Soon, maids and servants came forward to distribute roast meat to everyone's tables.

Although Sang Hong was curious about the drunkard's background, he worried that asking would break the hard-won peace. So, he remained silent, instead discussing official matters with the other attendees. The officials present praised Sang Hong's past achievements, such as establishing military colonies on the frontier and standardizing salt and iron distribution. This made Zu An look at him with new respect; he had known Sang Hong was capable, but hadn't realized he was so skilled in economic affairs. Sang Hong, naturally, returned the favor by praising the proud accomplishments of the local officials, and the atmosphere quickly grew more lively.

As they chatted, the conversation turned to the Imperial Envoy's delegation arriving later than expected.

"Speaking of which, it's all because of the Demon Sect's troubles," Sang Hong said, briefly recounting what had happened in Yi Commandery.

Many officials began to denounce the wickedness of the Demon Sect, eventually discussing how terrifying their leader, Yun Jianyue, was.

Then, Sang Hong smiled and patted Zu An's shoulder. "Speaking of which, Ah Zu even crossed paths with Yun Jianyue."

At these words, the once noisy hall fell silent. Even the drunkard, who seemed to have been asleep, lifted his head and looked at Zu An, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes before fading away.