Returning to his seat with the help of his father, Fang Lin managed to maintain his dignified appearance as the main course was served at last with people on both sides of the hall talking about the display of power they had just witnessed.
"Brother Wu," Su Xiang asked between nibbling on succulent pieces of dry fried chicken. "Do you think Yue could resist Young Lord Zhang's powerful strikes?"
"I think she'd manage the first three for sure," Wu Ling said with some humility. "That last strike reminded me a bit of the power that Fenglun put into his staff strikes when you fought him on the mountain. Yue might be able to resist it but she might be injured in the process." Truthfully, Wu Ling felt it was unlikely that Yue would be injured in a clash with the young Brawler, but he didn't want to draw the ire of the young lord if their conversation happened to be overheard.
"Then does that mean you could fight someone like Young Lord Zhang?" Su Yao asked, still marveling at the power that had been on display moments ago. She'd seen demonstrations of her cousin's sword skills and the sharpness of her techniques but there was something about the overwhelming physical might of Zhang Buyan that was unlike anything the refined young lady had seen before that held a visceral appeal all its own.
"I'd rather not," Wu Ling deflected. "I might be able to win in the end but I'd probably get hurt in the process. I just got over having my ankle mended and I'm lucky to not have scars on my chest thanks to Alchemist Huang's treatment. It's better to not collect any more injuries."
"What about you cousin?" Su Yao asked, turning her attention to Su Xiang. "Could you beat someone like Young Lord Zhang?"
"Probably," Su Xiang said, picking through the pile of dried peppers on her plate and looking for any more hidden morsels of the spicy chicken. "All the power in the world is useless if you can't hit what you're aiming for," she said, finding the last bit of chicken and savoring its rich taste. "He hits hard but that technique takes time to build momentum. Unless he had a way to pin me down, I wouldn't be worried."
"Did you hear that Brother Zhang," Fan Chaoyang said, taking a moment to stir the pot. "It seems that Fairy Su doesn't think too highly of your Golden Tide Martial Sect's technique."
"That's not what I said," Su Xiang protested, glaring at the young lord in white. "Don't put words in my mouth. Young Lord Zhang isn't well-matched against an opponent like me. There are other people against whom I'm not well-matched. Please don't make my statement out to be more than it was," she finished, allowing a trace of her sword aura to spill into her sapphire gaze as she glared at Fan Chaoyang.
"It's true that some people are not well matched as opponents," Xiong Dahuo interjected before Zhang Buyan could swallow the richly sauced duck meat he'd been eating to respond to the conversation. "But I wonder if Fairy Su thinks her Shining Blade Hall's techniques would be able to triumph over the techniques of my Sanguine Saber Sect? Since there's still time in the evening, perhaps we could exchange pointers for the entertainment of Brother Fan, Young Lady Su, and the other esteemed cultivators gathered here tonight," he said in challenge.
For a moment, a heavy weight descended into the hall as Xiong Dahuo let a hint of his bloody violent aura spill forth, startling the servants and unnerving several of the young women that Su Yao had invited to attend today's banquet. When the bloody aura reached Su Xiang, however, it parted instantly before her bright-eyed sharp gaze.
"Brother Xiong," Wu Ling said, setting a hand gently on Su Xiang's wrist before she could respond to the challenge. "I think I speak for both my sworn sister and myself when I say that neither of us underestimates the strength of your Sanguine Saber Sect's techniques," he began diplomatically. "But compared to the other men she's slain, I'm afraid your cultivation is a bit lacking to issue a challenge."
"Is that so?" Fang Lin said, leaning forward in his chair with interest. Before his family had sent an invitation to Su Yao for today's banquet, they'd done a bit of research into the Su family. While they hadn't investigated deeply enough to expose any hidden secrets the family might hold, things like their public business holdings and the cultivation of their prominent family members weren't difficult to discover. All of the information he'd gathered had said that Su Xiang, while young, matched Xiong Dahuo exactly as a fellow middle-stage Brawler. "Should I be congratulating Fairy Su on a recent breakthrough?"
"Exactly as you say," Su Xiang replied. "I found my breakthrough opportunity while fighting a Soldier leading a bandit gang in the mountains. Though I wouldn't have triumphed without support from Brother Wu, the pressure of an overwhelming opponent helped me find the path forward when I needed it the most."
"Still, it's just the difference of a small stage," Xiong Dahuo said, not entirely convinced the woman before him could overpower his sect's techniques. "Perhaps Fairy Su would care to show me how wrong I am about my ability to overwhelm even a stronger cultivator? Perhaps the might of the Shining Blade Hall will triumph this time," he said, emphasizing the last two words as though it would be a surprise for his statement to come true.
"Brother Xiong, I don't think that's entirely appropriate," Wu Ling said, not liking the intense fixation the aggressive redhead seemed to have toward Su Xiang and the Shining Blade Hall. "But if it's a match between fellow middle-stage cultivators you'd like, I'd be happy to stand as your opponent for the entertainment of the folks gathered here. After all, as an Artist, I know a thing or two about how to entertain," Wu Ling added with a dark, challenging smile of his own.
"Did I hear that correctly?" Zheng Buyan finally managed to say after gulping down the last of the duck leg he'd been eating. "Brother Wu, as an Aesthete, you're going to stand against a Brawler from the Sanguine Saber Sect? Brother, please reconsider," he advised. "I still hope to commission a painting from you one day. If you should suffer an injury tonight and lose a hand or arm it would be a tragedy."
"I would never cripple a weaker foe," Xiong Dahuo protested. "Brother Wu, I understand that you've had some success fighting spirit beasts on expeditions but it's a very different matter to fight a skilled cultivator. Think carefully before you press this challenge."
"It's fine," Wu Ling said, standing from his seat. "But clearly I need to add something to secure Brother Xiong's interest in this match. How about this," he said, as though an idea had just occurred to him. "If you can defeat me, I will personally introduce you to any member of my sect that you might wish to meet. If I win, you'll deliver a letter for me to a member of your own sect. That should be an enticing enough wager shouldn't it?"
"Why does Brother Wu believe I'd value an introduction so highly?" Xiong Dahuo asked, perplexed by the wager Wu Ling had proposed. "And who is it in my sect you'd need me to deliver a letter to?"
"I'll tell you the name of the woman in your sect I'd send a letter to if I happen to win," Wu Ling said, holding back his half-sister's name until he could secure a promise to deliver a letter. From the moment he'd found out the sect that Xiong Dahuo belonged to he'd been wracking his brain for a way to leverage this thin connection to reach out to his captive family member, if not to learn of her situation than to let her know that she had a brother who cared for her.
"As to the women of my sect, surely Brother Xiong recalls the company I was able to bring to Brother Fang's gathering this evening. I promise you, there are far more enchanting beauties within the sect who would be happy to make the acquaintance of a powerful young lord who's earned an introduction from me."
"Are there?" Xiong Dahuo said, genuinely considering the challenge. It wasn't the offer of an introduction to beauties that enticed him, rather it was the young Aesthete's unshakable belief that he stood a chance of winning that Xiong Dahuo couldn't help but answer. "I dislike bullying the weak but I will admit that your boldness is worthy of respect if nothing else. So be it, I accept your challenge!"