Between the two groups of people, two young boys were engaged in a sparring match. One was stout and broad-shouldered, though his base was solid and steady; with every punch and kick, he displayed great strength—this was Wang Dabu, a close friend of Han Li's from before. Though physically heavy, Wang Dabu was far from weak. With each shout of his, his punches sent a gusty wind rushing out, commanding attention and presence. The other boy, shorter in stature, moved with swift agility, like a nimble mouse. Instead of blocking Wang Dabu's attacks, he simply darted and weaved, seemingly aiming to tire out his opponent before launching a final, decisive counterattack. Seeing one of his friends engaged in a martial arts duel, Han Li naturally leaned in favor of his friend. After watching for a while, he noticed that Wang Dabu still maintained his vigorous pace. Though Han Li himself wasn't particularly skilled in martial arts, he knew that Wang Dabu wouldn't fall behind in the near term, so he relaxed. He then glanced around, looking for someone to ask what exactly had happened. He was standing near a rock, a young man observing intently, gesturing with his hands while murmuring to himself: "Hit him on the head, kick him in the waist—oh! Just missed! Yes, yes, kick him in the back—harder!" He was animated, speaking with great enthusiasm as he watched. From the tone of his voice, it seemed he was supporting Wang Fat. Han Li found this man interesting, so he slowly descended from the tree and approached him. "Brother, do you know all the people who have arrived on the field? Why are they fighting?" Han Li asked with a sincere and earnest expression. "How could I not know them? Who hasn't I met? They're clearly fighting for... Wait a moment! Who are you? I've never seen you before—new recruit, are you? No, the new recruits don't join until another half-year. Then who exactly are you?" "This person had just begun to feel a bit dazed, trying to respond, when suddenly he realized he had never seen Han Li before, and instantly became alert. "My name is Han Li," he said seriously, "and I am a close friend of Wang Dabao, the one who has been so courageous on the field." "Wang Dabao's friend? I know all his friends—there's no one like you!" the man remained cautious. "Oh, I've been in seclusion at a certain place for several years, not coming out for a long time, so it's quite natural that you wouldn't recognize me," Han Li said half-serious, half-pretending. "Indeed, you're one of the disciples who joined four years ago. I didn't expect there to be someone in the mountain who I didn't know—even among all the people I've met." The man glanced at Han Li's attire and seemed to believe his words. They chatted a bit more, and then the man, feeling compelled, spontaneously explained the reason for this match to Han Li. "This junior disciple, you wouldn't believe it—this has all been caused by the influence of women. It all started with..." Indeed, this young man, who proudly called himself a "jack-of-all-trades," gave a detailed and thorough account of the entire incident to Han Li. Originally, the matter involved two people: one was Wang Yang's younger brother, Wang Da-Pan, and the other was the son of a money warehouse owner named Zhang Changgui. Both were disciples of the Qi Xu Sect, though one was an outer-door disciple and the other an inner-door disciple. Though they lived in the same town, they had never previously interacted. All this began due to the involvement of another girl from a different town, who had been engaged to Wang Yang since childhood. However, recently, while on an outing, this girl caught the attention of Zhang Da-Gong, who happened to be returning home. Under Zhang's persistent financial appeals, the girl—and her parents—were eventually won over, and the engagement was changed to Zhang Changgui. As a result, Wang Yang's dowry was returned. The bride-to-be, ever fond of wealth and status, had decided to marry someone else, which dealt a severe blow to Wang Yang, who had long been deeply in love with her. Upon hearing the news, he became restless and agitated every day, eventually unable to shake off his grief—so overwhelmed that he jumped into the river and died. At first, this seemed to be the end of a tragic tale. Yet Wang Dabu, who had always been close friends with this younger brother since childhood, refused to accept the outcome. He went to Zhang Changgui and demanded a duel, stipulating that the loser would serve tea to the winner and bow humbly in apology. Though Zhang Changgui was proud and high-minded, he knew his martial arts skills were slightly inferior to Wang Dabu’s, so he requested that friends also participate, and that several matches be held to determine the final winner. Wang Dabu readily agreed. Subsequently, Zhang Changgui, relying on his financial resources, generously spent money to recruit skilled peers from among the wealthy families to join the competition. Meanwhile, although Wang Dabu himself had limited funds, he enjoyed wide popularity among his peers and had many solid connections with mid- and lower-level friends, many As a result, many of their peers who heard about the match came to watch and cheer, creating a heated, clearly divided atmosphere marked by strong animosity between the two sides. From the young man's tone, Han Li sensed that the tension between the wealthy disciples and the mid- and lower-level disciples had grown even more pronounced. Such a single match had drawn so many spectators and supporters. "You're on Bao Da Fu's side, aren't you? If they don't abide by the rules, we'll go together and make them—the young lords—run around like chickens with their heads down, so they'll never dare to bully us again," the young man never stopped speaking. Han Li smiled faintly. How could the conflict between these two groups possibly relate to him? It was hard to say who was right and who was wrong. After years of cultivating qi and meditating, the youthful passion and impulsiveness that once defined him had long since faded. Moreover, he had never trained in martial arts or weapon skills, so he was absolutely no match for any ordinary peer. He would simply watch the match and then quietly return to the valley. "Great!" Suddenly, the young man beamed with joy and shouted out. Hearing this, Han Li quickly turned to look toward the center of the arena. It turned out that the opponent of Wang Dabao had ultimately failed to withstand the final blow, unable to dodge the massive punches from Wang's broad, powerful arms. He was struck squarely on the forehead and collapsed, unconscious. Immediately, a group of spectators erupted in cheers, while another group grew visibly displeased. Wang Dabao, now full of confidence, pumped his arms vigorously to the crowd before pouting, then strolled with a slow, dignified gait back to his own side, completely losing the intensity he had shown earlier in the match. Two members from Zhang Changgui's side stepped forward and carried their unconscious disciple back to their camp. Then, one person from each side stepped out—each holding a weapon—one with a knife, the other with a sword. Both appeared to be fiery in temperament, neither speaking, and immediately began to clash weapons with sharp, rhythmic clashing sounds.