Chapter 128: Someone Is Boasting

After passing through the entrance, Wei Wuji and his group forged straight ahead. Throughout the journey, Wei Wuji’s bravado never ceased; the initially gentle and charming young lady was frequently reduced to fits of unrefined laughter by his antics. The resulting spectacle was that of a delicate beauty followed by a dozen rough-looking men. As if that were not enough, the young lady was seen chatting and laughing with one of the men, completely disregarding the social boundaries of status and propriety—a truly scandalous sight.

Wei Wuji remained oblivious to the fact that his behavior had already earned him the disdain of the surrounding young men and women. Of course, even if he had known, he would not have cared; no one dared to whisper complaints in his presence anyway. Along the way, Wei Wuji had made decent progress, having managed to discern the general identity of the young lady.

Just as Wei Wuji was holding court with great enthusiasm, the beauty, Cao Xin, spoke up: "Young Master, you have arrived at your destination."

Wei Wuji finally tore his gaze away from her and looked ahead. Indeed, they had reached a garden with a plaque hanging above the gate that read "Xiangling Hall."

"We're here already?" Wei Wuji said with a sheepish grin; he hadn't finished chatting with the beauty yet.

"Since I have delivered you, Young Master, it is time for me to take my leave," Cao Xin said with a smile. She cared deeply about the side-glances and whispers they had been receiving, even if Wei Wuji did not.

"The young lady is not attending?" Wei Wuji asked.

"This is a gathering for gentlemen; it is not a place for a lady like me to enter," Cao Xin replied, shaking her head.

Damn it, Wei Wuji cursed inwardly. A gathering that segregated by gender. If he didn't still have his "big move" left to play, he would have loved to turn around and walk a bit further with the beautiful Miss Cao.

"In that case, I thank you, Miss, for your assistance," Wei Wuji said, cupping his hands and dropping his playful demeanor. He still wanted to leave a good impression on the beauty.

"Then I shall take my leave. May you be well, Young Master." Cao Xin offered a slight bow and then hurried away with her maid, as if escaping; it seemed Wei Wuji’s enthusiasm had startled her.

Wei Wuji retracted his lingering gaze and, after composing himself, walked into Xiangling Hall. However, bringing such a large group was a bit much. In the end, he only brought Zheng Dali inside, leaving the others outside to enjoy tea and refreshments, which was perfectly fine.

Upon stepping into the courtyard, he saw that many had already arrived, all dressed with such affected elegance that they looked like a flock of... ducks. Naturally, the attire of Wei Wuji and his companion stood out as entirely out of place. Fortunately, Wei Wuji was a "nobody," and since few recognized him, no one bothered to approach him.

He found an empty spot to sit and began to snack on the pastries laid out on the table. This behavior only drew further sneers; others wished they could move even further away from him, muttering under their breath about how such a character could have managed to sneak in.

However, the attention paid to Wei Wuji lasted only a few minutes. Once they grew accustomed to his "eyesore" presence, they resumed their previous discussions. The group closest to Wei Wuji was engaged in a heated debate about the war on the eastern front against the State of Qi.

Wei Wuji’s ears immediately perked up; this was exactly the information he needed.

"I heard the siege of Xiangping Commandery has been lifted. The Lord led the main army and routed the Qi forces in one fell swoop..." someone said.

This was the latest news Wei Wuji had previously heard.

"That's news from over half a month ago! According to a recent letter from my uncle in the vanguard, our army has fought another battle against the Qi!" another person chimed in, revealing new information.

As soon as this was said, the attention of those around him—including Wei Wuji—was immediately captured. Seeing his friends waiting expectantly, the man put on airs, not rushing to continue. Only after the atmosphere was sufficiently built up did he speak slowly: "I don't know the full details, only that it took place south of the commandery."

"What was the outcome?" someone pressed. Their own relatives, brothers, or uncles were fighting on the front lines.

"Sigh..." The man let out a sigh, leaving everyone in suspense, fearing the worst. After a moment, he continued, "Although our army won this battle, there was little to show for it. The main force of the Qi had already withdrawn..."

Relieved that it wasn't a defeat, the group let out a long sigh, but their curiosity was immediately piqued by another question: If the main Qi force wasn't there, where did they go? Everyone began to speculate.

Hearing this, Wei Wuji felt the urge to hit someone. Why was this guy as frustratingly prone to cliffhangers as the web novelists of his past life? Did he make a living off of this?

"The main Qi force withdrew into Linjiang City..." In order not to lose his audience, the man finally spilled what he knew.

Linjiang... Wei Wuji knew a thing or two about this place. It was a county under the jurisdiction of Xiangping, located near a major river. Because of its proximity to the State of Qi, its walls were exceptionally sturdy, rivaling those of the commandery seat itself. Had Gao Chengde not voluntarily abandoned it, the State of Qi would have had a very difficult time capturing Linjiang. But between the commandery seat and Linjiang, the Pillar of State Gao had chosen the former, leading to the rapid fall of the latter.

Now that the Qi forces had flooded into Linjiang, the war would likely become even harder to fight, Wei Wuji sighed to himself.

"So what is the current state of the battle?" another asked.

"What else can it be? Just a stalemate!" the man replied helplessly. Everyone sighed; no one wanted to see the war drag on like this. At this rate, who knew when their relatives would return home?

After a while, someone broke the silence: "Since the Great Battle of Changping, our army has produced many heroes. This is truly a blessing for our Great Wei!"

This topic naturally reignited everyone's interest. Who wouldn't want to be a hero in armor, pacifying the world?

The same youth from before spoke up again: "If we are talking about heroes, I believe Young Master Chengze is the first among them." He continued, "I heard from my uncle that during the lifting of the Xiangping siege, the Young Master personally led an army and fought the Qi forces."

These words naturally reached Wei Wuji’s ears, and they made him feel uncomfortable. What did he mean by "Young Master Chengze is the first"? What about him? He was the one who had actually crossed swords with the Qin forces. Had Wei Chengze ever done that? Wei Wuji felt a surge of indignation. Furthermore, it was irritating that Wei Chengze was back in favor, once again commanding an army of ten thousand.

"I heard that the... Fifth Young Master also performed extraordinarily in the previous battles," someone else spoke up, pointing Wei Wuji out.

Wei Wuji felt a bit better; at least someone hadn't forgotten him. He carefully memorized the man's face, deciding he would have to thank him later. But no sooner had the man made the comment than he was immediately drowned out by others.

"The Fifth Young Master? You mean the one who is completely unknown?" someone asked skeptically.

"I know who you're talking about, but in my opinion, it must have been pure luck!" another added. This made Wei Wuji’s blood boil. If he didn't want to hear what followed, he would have overturned the table and started a fight.

But the subsequent conversation was heartbreaking, as everyone’s topic shifted entirely to Wei Chengze.

"I heard the Second Young Master personally went to the front lines to command during this battle against the Qi. For a nobleman's son to have such courage is truly rare," one person remarked with genuine admiration.

"Indeed, indeed... the Second Young Master is both a scholar and a warrior," others immediately chimed in to flatter him, acting as if Wei Chengze were their own father.

Wei Wuji stood up. He decided it was time to speak up for the "Fifth Young Master."

"What are you all babbling about? What do you mean 'unknown'? What do you mean 'luck'?" Walking up to them, Wei Wuji reprimanded them directly. He could not tolerate their disparagement—he had come here to make a name for himself, and if he let a bunch of losers dictate the narrative, his plans would be ruined.

"Who are you?" someone retorted, ready to challenge him. They had already looked down on this crude man, and now he was actively provoking them.

"Never mind who I am, but I certainly cannot agree with the disparaging remarks you just made about the Fifth Young Master," Wei Wuji said, ignoring the man and spilling his thoughts all at once.

Just as he was expecting them to debate him, giving him a chance to attract more attention and then brag about his own heroic deeds, a shrill voice rang out:

"The Young Master has arrived..."