Over there, Fan Xian's moves were crude and unskilled, raising his palm horizontally and vertically, like a cleaver chopping back and forth, lacking any agility. Yet, with each palm strike, he feigned power, creating a whistling wind that seemed to cleave the air. It appeared domineering, but each strike landed only on the air around Haitang, never touching even a thread of the girl's skin, only stirring the edges of her coarse cloth clothing.

What kind of technique was this? It was the technique of a fan placed in front of Wu Bai when he sang on stage! It was the technique of Stephen Chow throwing scraps of paper in front of a wind machine, undoing the buttons of the protagonists' and supporting characters' long pajamas!

Haitang's clothing billowed like clouds, smiling in the palm wind, ethereal and fairy-like above the long imperial platform reflecting the water, as if about to ride the clouds and leave. Occasionally, she pointed a finger east, then a finger west, seemingly aimless, but not a feint to deceive; it was actually the playful gesture of a little girl commanding soldiers.

The two exchanged countless moves in this manner, without a trace of aggression. Since they didn't want bloodshed, their strikes were naturally light, like vegetarian food in a temple so bland that even bean oil was spared, bland to the point of nausea...

...

...

Even a minor eunuch could see that the two masters were faking it. How much more so the old foxes, little foxes, male foxes, female foxes, and hermaphrodite foxes in the hall! Some ministers' eyes had long glazed over; they never expected Haitang and Fan Xian to shamelessly perform like this, showing no regard for the court's dignity.

The Empress Dowager watched the figures bathed in light on the long platform in the hall and couldn't help but let out a cold snort. Although she didn't lose her composure, the fine lines at the corners of her eyes betrayed her suppressed anger. On the contrary, the young Emperor watched his little martial aunt and Fan Qing fluttering about in the light and couldn't help but smile.

Lang Tao remained calm, watching this scene. He knew that Fan Xian's seemingly clumsy strikes were actually the formidable Great Coffin Split, but that was the Ye family's inherited martial art from the Southern Dynasty capital. How did this Fan Xian learn it?

The crowd in and out of the hall, full of anticipation, was finally disappointed. After watching for so long, some couldn't help but yawn. The leading eunuch couldn't help but shake his head and say, "Who knows how long this will go on? Anyway, they won't be able to determine a victor."

Wang Qinian also shook his head with great regret: "I think someone will be calling a stop to this soon."

The little eunuch didn't believe him, shaking his head, "The adults in the hall are all shrewd; who would stick their neck out?"

Wang Qinian argued with him, and finally, in the heat of the moment, they started betting on when the two dancing on the long imperial platform would stop. The people around them, seeing how lively the argument was, joined in, each placing their bets with various strange stakes: a cart of sea urchins, two cucumbers, and other bizarre items.

————————————————————————

"Outrageous!"

Finally, a minister, seeing the Empress Dowager's increasingly gloomy face, couldn't help but stand up, slam the table, and angrily rebuke, "At the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet, what kind of hocus pocus are you engaging in? Are you perhaps trying to deceive the Emperor?"

These words were poorly chosen, like a foolish child shouting that the Emperor was naked. No matter how ugly the world is, whoever shouts it out first is always an unpopular fellow. Like today, knowing that Fan Xian and Haitang were playing at the Chong Ling Swordplay, even if they didn't point it out, the Empress Dowager could have watched with a thick face. After all, it was her birthday, and watching young people dance wasn't a big deal.

But this minister's cry of deceiving the Emperor forced the Empress Dowager to lose her temper. So, the Empress Dowager prepared to erupt, coldly watching the minister, her mind racing with thoughts of tearing the skin off his mouth.

The Emperor, however, continued to smile.

The two in the pool, on the imperial platform, seemed not to have heard the audience booing, earnestly acting their parts. Haitang fluttered about, and Fan Xian strode vigorously. The girl's figure was graceful and beautiful, and young Fan Xian was handsome. Their fighting was truly pleasing to the eye. In a moment, they had moved from the imperial platform to the front of the hall behind the platform, only a few zhang away from the dragon throne, stopping right in front of that minister's table.

Fan Xian turned his palm into a cleaver and fiercely chopped at the empty chopping board, but cried out, "Ouch!" as if he had missed.

Haitang paused in mid-air, her right hand forming a sword with two fingers, and with a "chi" sound, she was about to pierce Fan Xian's chest.

No one knew how the two switched positions, but in the next moment, the palm wind and finger energy didn't strike anyone's body. Instead, with a "chi chi" sound, the surging energy blasted towards the rear.

The rear was that minister's seat.

The minister was terrified. Haitang and Fan Xian attacked at the same time; even if Grandmaster Ku He himself were present, he would have to temporarily avoid their combined force!

...

...

The short table was instantly shattered into countless pieces. The wine pot on the table cracked, the dishes fell, and wine and greasy food turned into a shower of colorful filth, covering the minister's head and face! Vegetable flowers hung on his eyebrows, radish flowers stuck in his mouth, and a few strands of golden mushrooms clung to his ears. He was washed with soup and water, looking as disheveled as could be.

The hall immediately fell silent. The ministers then realized that Haitang and the Southern Dynasty envoy were both mischievous ancestors at times. For the sake of their own faces, it was better not to say much.

The clear light was slightly still. Fan Xian and Haitang stopped at the same time, a few steps apart, and smiled slightly at each other.

Haitang slightly bowed to the Empress Dowager and said, "Lord Fan's Great Coffin Split is exceptionally skilled. This humble girl couldn't cope, so it affected this lord. I hope the Empress Dowager will forgive me. Everyone makes mistakes..."

Fan Xian also looked remorseful, waving his right hand: "Even horses stumble."

The Empress Dowager was extremely fond of Haitang and would never blame her. Besides, it was her birthday banquet, and a bit of mischief to enliven the atmosphere wasn't bad. It was just a pity that she hadn't seen the Southern Dynasty man suffer a bit. But watching Fan Xian's amusing self-deprecating words, the corners of the Empress Dowager's lips couldn't help but curl into a faint smile.

The Emperor also smiled strangely, and the ministers laughed as well, their laughter a bit awkward. Only true martial arts masters knew that the seemingly playful fight contained some intentions of the two young powerhouses. The Great Coffin Split seemed crude, but was actually deadly. Haitang's finger-sword seemed gentle, but was actually sharp. The dance on the long imperial platform was actually a competition, but in the end, Fan Xian seemed to have subtly lost.

At this time, the fake fight ended, and the clear light from the top of the hall still shone in the spacious hall. Fan Xian and Haitang stood in the clear light, their faces appearing incomparably soft in the radiance. The crescent palace lanterns hanging from the top of the hall were reflected in the pool.

This competition can truly be described as: a bow and a laugh, a bright moon in the river, a palace shamed.

———————————————————————————

Night gradually enveloped the deep palace, and a half-moon slowly climbed up behind the green mountains behind the palace, casting its warm, hazy light into the Northern Qi palace. The black eaves and gray-white palace walls reflected a beautiful figure at the beginning of the night.

The ministers in front of the main hall were retreating out of the palace. Many guards could be seen around the palace city, and some eunuchs were serving along the way. The ministers retreated extremely quickly, and in a short while, the palace returned to tranquility. No more idle people could be seen on the spacious square. The transformation from extreme liveliness to extreme silence only took the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

After the grand banquet ended, the Empress Dowager rubbed her temples and returned to her palace. Fan Xian, however, was left behind by the Northern Qi Emperor, waiting in the Huaying Palace. The palace was extremely quiet, with a faint scent of calming incense entering his nostrils. Fan Xian sat with his eyes and nose fixed, his heart at peace. The Northern Qi Emperor should be showing filial piety in the Empress Dowager's palace at this time. He didn't know why he was being made to wait here.

Palace maids served him tea, fruits, and snacks. Fan Xian thanked them with a smile, but found that the palace maids were all extremely charming, especially the slightly shy look in their eyes, which stirred his heart.

But when he thought that the young Emperor had left him in the night palace, and associated it with the fact that the Emperor seemed to have some problems in certain aspects, Fan Xian's heart felt a chill.

"His Majesty has something to ask Lord Fan for help with." Another girl, with her eyes and nose fixed, who seemed to have guessed his fear, said calmly from the side. Naturally, it was Haitang who was speaking. Fan Xian was staying in the palace as a guest, and she couldn't help but act as half a host. At this time, the girl thought of the scene in the hall earlier and found it a bit funny. Why did she always seem to be much more unrestrained than usual when she was with Fan Xian?

Fan Xian smiled slightly, without explaining anything.

A eunuch shouted something outside the palace, and a burst of hurried but orderly footsteps approached the Huaying Palace. Fan Xian thought, so hurried? What kind of help did this young Emperor want from him? The other party was an Emperor, and apart from things like unifying the world, there was probably nothing he couldn't do.

Just as he was full of doubts, the young Emperor had already stepped into the Huaying Palace. He waved his hand to stop Fan Xian and Haitang from performing the customary greetings, took off his outer robe and threw it to the little eunuch who was eagerly following behind him, leaving only the thin, plain yellow clothing inside, which looked quite energetic. Then, the Emperor sat on the soft couch and kicked his feet. Naturally, a eunuch carefully took off the soft boots from his feet, revealing his feet wrapped in thin socks.

Haitang was probably used to the Emperor's private appearance, so she wasn't very surprised. Fan Xian was a bit surprised that the Northern Qi Emperor would reveal such a private side in front of him. He didn't hide his surprise and cast his gaze towards the soft couch, intentionally or unintentionally glancing at the Emperor's chest and feet.

Not big, not small.

Chest not big, feet not small.