Southwest Shandong, Mekong Delta.

Hongdu University.

A mountain gate that is more than ten feet high stands in front of the steps at the foot of the mountain, and there is an endless stream of guests coming and going.

Streams of rainbow light flew from the sky.

In order to show respect, everyone will enter through the main gate. There are two Jindan real people on the left and right at the door to greet them.

Lin Shan, Yang Zhenren, and the five gentlemen from Yunchuan Academy came here together.

Everyone took out their own invitations and showed them to Master Jin Dan at the door, who would immediately teach them how to lead the way.

Along the way, we will introduce them to the scenic spots along the way.

"Senior, please see, this is Confucius Cliff in the southwestern part of Shandong Province. It is said that a certain literary sage, the old master, once fell down in front of the abyss here and attained enlightenment in three days."

This cliff is flat and protruding and looks nothing special.

"Senior, please see, here is the Bald Dragon Stone. It is said that a blue dragon once descended here, galloped and danced here, and rode the electricity."

This stone has a slightly narrow oval and is nothing special.

"Senior, please take a look. This is the Temple of Seeking Taoism. It is said that a generation of great Confucians once asked questions about heaven and earth here, and finally made up their mind and destiny to find the true self."

This temple is old and has no special features.

...

A few of them followed the crowd and treated it as a sightseeing tour.

Anyway, what the teachers at Hongdu Academy say is what they say, and they don’t know whether it’s true or not.

Arriving at the mountainside, there is a large platform and square, full of people coming and going, and countless tables and seats have been set up.

It covers an area of ​​nearly a hundred acres!

There are seven or eight teams of dancers from the royal palace, singing and dancing on various stages in advance to activate the atmosphere and adjust the artistic conception.

Below, there are young people in black and red academic robes standing guard all around, stretching for a mile.

These are obviously students from Hongdu Academy. They have resolute eyes and sharp faces. They are young people who have experienced the flames of war and grown up in fighting. They will definitely be pillars in the future.

The banquet was now mostly filled with guests, and from time to time teams of maids came up to pour wine and add dishes.

Just by smelling the aroma of the wine and looking at the dishes, you will know that both are precious things.

"Hongdu University has been fighting for so long. It was founded in ashes, and everything is ready to be renovated. Yet it can still host such a big banquet. Either the family is rich, or it is willing to spend a lot of money."

Several gentlemen from Yunchuan Academy whispered to each other, sighing at the size of the banquet. The teacher from Hongdu Academy next to them did not explain, but bowed his head and respectfully invited them to take a seat.

Even though Lin Shan had seen many big scenes, he couldn't help but be amazed at the scale of this one. He and Master Yang identified the different major forces from all over the Lu Kingdom one by one.

Among them, I passed by some familiar people one after another, such as the aristocratic families and sects in Luxi where the ancestors of the late Jindan period were in charge. However, because they were not dealing with the Lujiang Alliance, they sat together and talked and laughed, and neither of them did anything.

You must go and ask for trouble.

There is also the Zhenyue Sect in Northern Lu, but the newly appointed chief elder has no friendship with Lin Shan and Yang Zhenren, so he just nodded casually.

"Seniors, your seats are here."

The seat ranking is not random. You can sit according to your friendship level, as long as your power is not too different and not too outrageous.

However, the size of Lujiang League and Yunchuan Academy is obviously of a certain quality.

As one of the top ten academies, he was naturally the heavyweight guest at this opening banquet and was arranged at the front.

Next, slight adjustments were made to both sides. The left side was all local forces in southwestern Shandong, and the right side was divided into foreign forces.

As the second echelon, Lujiang League ranks behind the top ten academies.

Yang Zhenren represented the Yang family and Zhan Guang sat next to Lin Shan.

What a coincidence, at the top of Linshan Mountain, he happened to run into his old enemy!

"How do you rank Hongdu University? Why do our businesses have to be ranked below Lujiang League?"

When Lin Shan heard the sound and took a look, he was immediately happy.

Yo!

Isn't this the merchant's real person Shang Ding?

This person was protesting at this time, feeling that he had been unfairly treated, and asked to rearrange his seat.

Seeing Lin Shan sitting in front of him, he felt unhappy, because the forces behind the two were secretly confronting each other in the far northwest of Shandong Province, and no one was convinced by the other.

How can you be willing to be inferior to others?

The teacher from Hongdu University who led the way was a little embarrassed and pointed to the two signs on the desks, which read "Lujiang League" and "Merchant" respectively.

"Reporting to senior, this seat has been arranged long ago. This junior is just following orders and has no knowledge."

"Then ask those of you who can take care of things to come over!"

Master Shang Ding yelled and shouted, expressing dissatisfaction on the spot.

Because there are many forces from western Shandong and northwestern Shandong around, everyone is looking here and waiting to see the joke. How could he give up on behalf of the merchant?

The frontline confrontation is evenly matched,

When I get here, I feel inferior to others,

How can you still have the face to face the elders of the clan after you return?

"Master Shang Ding, the Lujiang League represented by Mr. Lin is already bigger than your business, so it is natural for him to sit in front of you. Why are you making such a fuss?"

Lin Shan didn't tolerate him at all and directly confronted him face to face!

In fact, there is nothing wrong with it, because the merchants are just fighting against their own Xungu Cult, and the Lujiang League has not yet come to an end. Why do you think the merchants can compete with the Lujiang League?

But how could Master Shang Ding lose face? Lin Shan not only represented the Lujiang League, but also the Xun Gu Sect, so he was placed above him. He always felt that he was exhausted from the banquet, as if he had eaten a fly.

"Master Lin, what you say is a bit arrogant. The energy of my business is beyond your imagination. Do you really think that a mere Xungu Sect can compete with us?"

Lin Shan was immediately unhappy after hearing this.

What is a mere ancient-seeking religion?

Make it look like you are awesome.

"Why are you still stunned? Why don't you go find the person in charge and wait for me to change my position!"

Behind Master Shang Ding was a group of juniors, probably brought here to see the world. They did not dare to be rude to Lin Shan, and they all urged the organizer to change seats.

The teachers at Hongdu Academy had no choice but to find someone on the other side.

Lin Shan and Yang Zhenren didn't care, they just took their seats first.

Master Shang Ding stood there, waiting for a reply.

...

The time for burning incense has passed.

The person who led the way before came back again, and finally found a person in charge who could speak to him, who was a golden elixir stage monk.

"I am Dr. Dan Zhuan of Hongdu Xinfu, Dan Yangzi. I have met fellow Taoist."

Master Shang Ding quickly returned the gift, followed by a group of handsome young people behind him.

"Fellow Taoist Danyangzi, whose Taoist name is Shangding, will lead a team to the appointment on behalf of merchants in northwest Shandong."

"I already know."

Danyangzi twisted his beard and smiled, already understanding the cause of the incident.

"Fellow Taoist raised an objection because he was dissatisfied with the seating arrangement. I am sorry that I cannot agree to this."

"The size of the Lujiang Alliance is indeed larger than that of the merchants, at least on the surface. We also follow the usual comparison and sorting of basic information. It is impossible to investigate in detail the secret background of the nobles."

"Besides, among the top ten academies, both the Lujiang League and the merchants are already at the top and cannot be adjusted."

Lin Shan was on the side, nodding while eating vegetables with Yang Zhenren, and briefly said hello to Danyangzi.

"What my fellow Taoist said makes sense. This businessman is a mess and an ugly person, so there is no need to pay any attention to it."

Master Shang Ding's anger surged. He could feel the gazes coming from all around him. Many people were watching his joke, and their faces were burning.

He himself lives under the forest. To be honest, it doesn't matter. The key is that he represents a merchant now. The two are hostile, and he is afraid that someone in the clan will make a fuss about it when he returns.

I had no choice but to send the message secretly, with a hint of discussion in my tone.

"Fellow Taoist Danyangzi, can you please be accommodating? If that doesn't work, you can move me to an equal seat opposite."

In order to save his face, Danyangzi also secretly sent a message to reply.

"No, there are our local forces in southwestern Shandong on the other side. How can we send merchants there alone? Besides, there are all supporters of my Hongdu New Mansion, and we can't let them move..."

"Then there's no discussion at all?"

"It's not impossible. You can negotiate with Alliance Leader Lin. If he is willing to trade with you, then of course we will not interfere."

Having said this is like saying nothing. Who is stupid enough to take the initiative to lower his status?
To be continued...