Chapter 218: The Feast of Dragon and Tiger (Combined)

The tense standoff outside the Divine Guard Army's camp was broken by Lord Master Gongyang Yu's appearance.

Zhang Jing, the Vice Master of Fire Dragon Temple, turned and left; Li Yuan, sharp-eyed, saw the people of Fire Dragon Temple retreat like a tide into the night, and a rough glance showed no fewer than three hundred.

"Zhang Jing..."

Lord Master Gongyang Yu watched with cold eyes until the backs of the Fire Dragon Temple crowd were no longer visible, then turned and glanced at Li Yuan and Qiu Qiu Changying.

The two exchanged a look and quickly followed.

'From the Valley Master's words, it seems he returned long ago? Was he also waiting for Fire Dragon Temple to make a move?'

Li Yuan muttered to himself.

Once they reached the barracks, he was certain: Lord Master Gongyang Yu was fishing again!

Inside the not-large room, it was packed full; besides Long Sheng and Fang Fang Bao Luo, Elder Ku Yue and Qiu Qiu Zhengxiong were also clearly present.

"Good heavens!"

Li Yuan's eyelid twitched; Qiu Qiu Changying also seemed startled, but quickly reacted.

These old fellows had even kept her in the dark...

"Feng Feng Yuanqing is dead?"

Before the two could pay their respects, Qiu Qiu Zhengxiong spoke first.

"According to the spies, about an hour ago, Feng Feng Yuanqing was assassinated; the killer struck twice, first severing his left arm, then taking his life, smashing his skull with a single hammer blow, coming and going with composure!"

Lord Master Gongyang Yu sat at the head, his expression somewhat subtle:

"Feng Feng Yuanqing held the Fire Dragon Sword; those capable of killing him swiftly, counting all of Zhe Long and Dechang's two estates, number only a handful."

"Han Han Chuijun?!"

Qiu Qiu Zhengxiong blurted out.

"..."

Fang Baolao, who hadn't intended to speak, now felt unable to sit still:

"Elder Qiu, my master hasn't returned to the city yet!"

"No, he has returned."

Elder Ku Yue added a sentence.

"My master has returned?"

Li Yuan felt a slight stir in his heart.

"Valley Master."

Elder Ku Yue looked at Lord Master Gongyang Yu, frowning deeply: "Did you order Old Han to act?"

Fire Dragon Temple indeed has ties to Dragon Tiger Temple; unless they initiate the attack, other sects, including Divine Weapon Valley, dare not easily move against them.

"..."

Lord Master Gongyang Yu also furrowed his brow.

Learning from the spies that the Martial Hall and Fire Dragon Temple intended to move against the Divine Guard Army, he had rushed back; yet even he had not intended to kill Feng Feng Yuanqing.

Over the past few centuries, Fire Dragon Temple had sent at least twenty or thirty disciples, openly or secretly, to Dragon Tiger Temple; though no notable figures were heard of, he truly did not wish to provoke them.

Otherwise, when he annihilated Thousand Jin Cave, he would have easily wiped out Fire Dragon Temple at the same time.

"Did Old Han act on his own again?"

Elder Ku Yue's expression was not good: "With Feng Feng Yuanqing dead, Dragon Tiger Temple will surely inquire; this..."

"It counts as a good thing."

Lord Master Gongyang Yu glanced at everyone:

"With Feng Feng Yuanqing dead, Fire Dragon Temple will surely be shaken in the short term; once this period passes, making a move again will not be much trouble."

Fire Dragon Temple's extraordinary status in Dechang Prefecture stems from generations of disciples entering Dragon Tiger Temple, but for that very reason, it has never been able to surpass Thousand Jin Cave, let alone his own Divine Weapon Valley.

"It is not Han Han Chuijun."

At this moment, Qiu Qiu Zhengxiong finally realized:

"If he had acted, those people of Fire Dragon Temple would never have had the chance to come knocking."

Everyone in the room spoke up one after another, discussing the matter.

Li Yuan found a seat and sat down, listening to the crowd's discussion, feeling slightly enlightened in his heart.

Lord Master Gongyang Yu had no intention of fishing; in these turbulent times, he only wished for a smooth transition; before the situation calmed, he was unwilling to go to war with Fire Dragon Temple.

But upon learning Fire Dragon Temple intended to target them, he smoothly recalled all the true disciples and elders; if Fire Dragon Temple truly attacked tonight, then counter-killing them would leave Dragon Tiger Temple with nothing to say.

"All old foxes."

Li Yuan lifted his teacup and took a sip; the tea was slightly bitter, followed by a sweet aftertaste.

Inside the barracks, the elders and true disciples discussed heatedly.

However, compared to Feng Feng Yuanqing's death, they cared more about the assassin who killed him.

"I heard the assassin claimed to be Li Li Yuanba; this person..."

Long Sheng paused slightly, looking at Lord Master Gongyang Yu: "Valley Master, rumors in the Jianghu say that Li Li Yuanba is Elder Shi's alias; I wonder, is this true or not?"

As soon as Long Sheng spoke, the expressions of everyone in the room varied.

Fang Baolao and Li Yuan exchanged a glance, feeling somewhat subtle in their hearts; the others all looked at Lord Master Gongyang Yu.

"Shi Hong..."

Lord Master Gongyang Yu's face twitched, feeling a hidden pang of heartache, but he said nothing more, merely shaking his head:

"Feng Feng Yuanqing had fully mastered the meridian channels and held the Fire Dragon Sword; what merit or ability does Shi Hong have to assassinate him?"

"Not him?"

Everyone thought for a moment and felt it made sense; although Shi Hong also mastered the meridian channels, he was by no means a match for Feng Feng Yuanqing.

Elder Ku Yue and Qiu Qiu Zhengxiong remained silent, quietly sipping tea.

"Rumors of the Jianghu cannot be trusted."

Lord Master Gongyang Yu lifted his teacup, took a sip, and set it down; his expression had already returned to normal:

"Who Li Li Yuanba is has little to do with us; why he wants to kill Feng Feng Yuanqing also has little to do with us..."

After a slight pause, he looked at Li Yuan:

"The most important matter now is the Dragon-Tiger Banquet."

The Dragon-Tiger Banquet.

Feeling the varied gazes of everyone, Li Yuan also set down his teacup: "This disciple will certainly do his utmost."

"Do not covet the legacy of Master Master Fulong."

At this moment, Qiu Qiu Zhengxiong spoke.

He glanced at Li Yuan, feeling quite complex in his heart; this young man, after all, held the position of true heir to his Li Chen Hall.

He had initially found much to dislike, later gradually changed his view, but never expected this young man to have such an opportunity.

That was Master Master Fulong...

"This disciple understands."

Li Yuan lowered his head slightly, his thoughts drifting.

Old Man Qiu's internal energy was deeper than Feng Feng Yuanqing's, but in a real fight, without that flying eagle, he might not necessarily defeat the latter.

In other words, he could not withstand his own ambush...

"Although I do not know how you caught Master Master Fulong's eye, this is your fortune. Do not think about Master Master Fulong's legacy, but take this opportunity; if you can enter the Dragon-Tiger Temple, it would be a great good for the Sect."

Qiu Qiu Zhengxiong's expression softened slightly:

"Regarding this matter, if you have any needs, the Sect will also assist..."

A Divine Weapon?

Li Yuan's thoughts turned, but he still did not ask for the moon; he simply rose to thank them:

"Thank you, Elder, Valley Master. This disciple will certainly exert all his strength."

"Mm."

Regarding Li Yuan's attitude, Qiu Qiu Zhengxiong was very satisfied; although Han Han Chuijun was a number-one scoundrel, this disciple was truly not wrongly accepted.

"Yesterday, this old man obtained intelligence from the Yunshu Tower regarding this Dragon-Tiger Banquet."

Lord Master Gongyang Yu took a letter from his robe, gave it a casual flick, and it floated to the table beside Li Yuan.

"Thank you, Valley Master."

Li Yuan hurriedly expressed his thanks.

The Yunshu Tower was the largest information broker in Huizhou, but all intelligence regarding the Dragon-Tiger Temple was not sold to outsiders; he had circled around several times but learned nothing.

This letter was likely not easy to obtain.

"The initiator of this Dragon-Tiger Banquet is Yu Yu Xuanji, an inner sect disciple of the Dragon-Tiger Temple; she hails from the Yu family of the Great Dragon Gate, and her master, Gong Gong Jiuchuan, is said to be a supreme expert who has already perfected Bone Marrow Refining."

Lord Master Gongyang Yu scanned the crowd, speaking in a deep voice; this was intelligence obtained from the Yunshu Tower.

"Bone Marrow Refining!"

Everyone in the room was shocked in their hearts.

In the entire Zhe Long Prefecture, there were only a handful of experts who had refined their Organs, let alone Bone Marrow Refining?

The last time such an expert appeared in the Divine Weapon Valley was over three hundred years ago.

Qiu Qiu Zhengxiong glanced at Lord Master Gongyang Yu but said nothing.

"Yu Yu Xuanji initiated the Dragon-Tiger Banquet; the initial invitation was sent only once, namely Li Yuan's, but a few days ago, due to some change, several more were suddenly sent."

Lord Master Gongyang Yu spoke to the crowd.

Li Yuan casually opened the letter; the content matched what Lord Master Gongyang Yu had said, mostly, but was more detailed, such as who those invitations were sent to.

Those names were somewhat familiar, all famous geniuses of the eight prefectures of Huizhou, and the number was not small; the name of Yue's weight was prominently on the list.

Besides that, he also saw the name Shi Hong...

"Eighty Thousand Miles?"

Li Yuan turned to the second page and couldn't help but raise his eyebrows; he actually saw the name of Eighty Thousand Miles; was the latter also on the invitation list?

"According to the Yunshu Tower, the change came from the Dragon-Tiger Temple; among the second batch of invitations sent, there was Eighty Thousand Miles."

"Eighty Thousand Miles?!"

Everyone in the room exchanged glances; Fang Fang Bao Luo's expression changed, but he looked at Qiu Qiu Changying, the second true heir of the Divine Weapon Valley, who wore a blank expression.

"Perhaps there will be a third batch of invitations?"

Long Sheng's mind immediately became active; he felt nothing regarding the Daoist Tianyun Daoist Tianyun Xuanbing; to him, that was something of legend.

But Master Master Fulong's legacy was different...

"It is hard to say whether there will be a third batch of invitations, but as of now, there are already sixteen participants, all famous young... hmm, geniuses of the prefectures of Huizhou."

Thinking of Eighty Thousand Miles, Lord Master Gongyang Yu swallowed the word 'young'; although he had not yet lost his virginity, Eighty Thousand Miles had not been a young man for thirty years.

"Only sixteen people?"

Long Sheng bitterly smiled in his heart and immediately extinguished that thought.

"The Fire Dragon Temple has never had ambitions to contend for the Prefecture, willingly remaining under the Thousand-Weight Cave; before and after the destruction of the Thousand-Weight Cave, they made no response; now suddenly targeting us, it is likely still related to this Dragon-Tiger Banquet?"

Qiu Qiu Zhengxiong suddenly spoke.

"It is not impossible, but..."

Lord Master Gongyang Yu shook his head in his heart.

Before the second batch of invitations was sent, the Fire Dragon Temple had already been contacting other forces in the Dechang Prefecture.

……

The house was brightly lit; a headless body lay on the ground. Zhang Jing's brows were tightly furrowed, his face quite ugly.

"All tendons and bones broken, the skull burst..."

"That assassin used a long-handled heavy hammer. No internal qi residue remains; we do not know what Wu Gong style it was."

"It does not resemble the Soldier Dao's Battle-Hammer..."

Several old men surrounded the corpse to inspect it, each stating the clues they had found.

"Zhong Tian."

Zhang Jing turned, looking at Yue Yue Zhongtian, whose face was full of grief: "Are you certain that person's weapon was destroyed, and that he killed the Sect Master with a pair of bare palms?"

Looking at the corpse, which was like mud, Zhang Jing felt shock and rage, yet also found it incredible.

The Fire Dragon Temple's 'Crimson Fire Dragon Body', though not as good as the Thousand-Quintain Cave's 'Thousand-Forged Horizontal Cultivation Body', still belonged to superior horizontal cultivation. Feng Feng Yuanqing had long cultivated this horizontal art to perfection.

His entire body of tendons and bones was like refined steel; blades and swords could hardly wound him.

A pair of flesh palms...

"Every word the disciple speaks is the truth."

Yue Yue Zhongtian wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes and said solemnly: "That killer's heavy hammer did not have time to be taken away; it is still in the courtyard. Many senior and junior brothers saw it as well..."

"Correct. That assassin was disarmed by the Sect Master after a few exchanges..."

Someone spoke, corroborating Yue Yue Zhongtian.

"What, exactly, is this Wu Gong?"

Zhang Jing murmured.

One punch drove the skull into the chest cavity and, in one motion, shattered the entire body's tendons and bones. If it were a heavy hammer, it would be one thing, but if fists and palms could be this ferocious...

"Could it be a Supreme Art-level Quan Fa?"

Zhang Jing's brows were tightly furrowed.

More than ten experts in the room took turns examining the corpse. In the end, they all shook their heads, detecting no residual qi gong on the body, nor seeing the slightest trace of any other Wu Gong.

"Either this person's Wu Gong is far superior to the Sect Master's, or this assassin possesses a Supreme Art-level Quan Zhang Wu Gong similar to 'Pure Gang Fist', 'Ten Thousand Phenomena Fist', or 'Surging Palm', and has cultivated it to great perfection."

Several elders of the Fire Dragon Temple exchanged glances and gave their conclusion.

"If this assassin's Wu Gong were higher than the Sect Master's, he would not have carried out this assassination."

Zhang Jing rejected the first guess: "As for Supreme Arts, regarding fist and palm-type Supreme Arts, Huizhou only has the Huai Dragon Palace's 'Great Might Dragon God Fist', but..."

The room fell into silence.

After a long while, it was Yue Yue Zhongtian who spoke:

"Elder Zhang, that Gong Gong Yangyu..."

"That old fellow hid his tracks and returned to Huicheng; he likely intends to ambush us."

Zhang Jing's chest heaved.

"Which of those families leaked the news?"

Yue Yue Zhongtian's expression darkened.

"This matter must be thoroughly investigated! But since that Gong Gong Yangyu has already shown himself, killing that Li Li Yuanzhong will be ten thousand times more difficult."

Zhang Jing sighed.

Everyone in the room was quite indignant, but none spoke further.

Many of them had personally witnessed the destruction of the Thousand-Quintain Cave; that Gong Gong Yangyu's Wu Gong was far beyond what they could handle.

"Then, Young Master Chu..."

"Silence!"

Zhang Jing angrily interrupted, sweeping a cold gaze over the people in the room:

"There are some words I will not say twice. Anyone daring to leak news about that person, do not blame me for ruthless, unfeeling hands, disregarding the bond of fellow disciples!"

Everyone in the room fell silent as if frozen by cold cicadas; the old man who had spoken turned deathly pale.

"Disperse!"

Zhang Jing sighed, waved his hand to let everyone leave, keeping only Yue Yue Zhongtian behind.

"Elder Zhang."

Yue Yue Zhongtian closed the doors and windows tightly; his face still held some sorrow.

"Daring to kill the Sect Master, no matter who that assassin is, must die!"

Zhang Jing's face sank like water: "With the Sect Master fallen, Elder Gong will surely come. At that time, this Divine Weapon Valley..."

Gong Gong Jiuchuan.

Yue Yue Zhongtian's heart trembled.

"That Li Li Yuanzhong, if he cannot be killed, set him aside for now. The Dragon and Tiger Banquet is the most urgent matter."

Glancing at his senior brother's corpse, Zhang Jing took a deep breath and looked at Yue Yue Zhongtian:

"For this Dragon and Tiger Banquet, I will do my utmost to assist. I also hope you do not forget the grace of master and disciple, nor the grace of the Sect!"

Yue Yue Zhongtian bowed until he touched the ground:

"The disciple will surely not forget!"

……

……

The next day, the sky was clear.

At dawn, Li Li Yuanzhong had just returned to his room. He took a short nap, and when he woke again, he was full of energy; yesterday's minor injuries had greatly improved.

"Dragon and Tiger Banquet."

Li Li Yuanzhong sat cross-legged on the bed and took out that letter from his robe.

The letter's content was very detailed, but it only briefly mentioned Yu Yu Xuanji and Gong Gong Jiuchuan; what was truly detailed was the Dragon and Tiger Banquet.

The origin of the Dragon and Tiger Banquet must be traced back to the Longhu Temple's recruitment of disciples.

As the Hengshandao Sect, the Longhu Temple's mountain gate was always open, but its methods for recruiting disciples were divided into several types.

Under the Hengshandao Sect were counties, prefectures, and provinces; anyone under sixteen with superior bone structure could pay a sum of silver to enter directly as an outer sect disciple.

If one's family was poor, one could enter as a menial disciple and later, through the sect's selection, enter the inner sect.

The second method was for sect disciples to recommend relatives over sixteen with superior bone structure and comprehension to enter.

The third was the Dragon and Tiger Armies.

The Dragon and Tiger Armies had over a hundred thousand soldiers; half came from within the Longhu Temple, and half came from martial artists across the five lakes and four seas.

The threshold to join the Dragon and Tiger Armies was low, but those who joined the Longhu Temple this way had to achieve merit to enter the sect walls and could not learn the secret Wu Gong.

The fourth was the Dragon and Tiger Banquet.

Normally, only elders from inside and outside the Longhu Temple were qualified to host the Dragon and Tiger Banquet, inviting martial artists who did not meet the first two conditions to join the sect.

Because the threshold for the Dragon and Tiger Banquet was extremely high, anyone who passed could enter the inner sect.

This secret letter detailed the Dragon and Tiger Banquet, mainly the three Dragon and Tiger Banquets held in Huizhou over the past twenty years.

"Bone structure, comprehension, martial arts competition."

Li Li Yuanzhong murmured to himself.

The methods for sects across the world to recruit disciples were largely the same, differing only in the height of the threshold; the Longhu Temple was no exception.

The three Dragon and Tiger Banquets recorded in the letter were quite similar, but these three prioritized martial arts competition over bone structure and comprehension.

"Yu Yu Xuanji was merely an inner sect disciple; by rights, she had no qualification to host the Dragon and Tiger Banquet. Initially, she must have received the support of that Master Fulong Chan Master..."

Li Li Yuanzhong pondered.

The first batch of invitations had only him, which matched Wang Wenyan's instructions, but this second batch...

"From within the Longhu Temple?"

Li Li Yuanzhong narrowed his eyes, noted the names of the people in the second batch of invitations, then rose, practiced several sets of the Soldier Body Stance, and went to find Wang Wang Peiyao.

"These people..."

Wang Wang Peiyao took the half-letter Li Li Yuanzhong handed her and looked at the fifteen names on it:

"Eighth Senior Brother, Young Valley Master. There are two from the Zhe Long Mansion: Yue's weight and Yan Xiong. These are from Dechang Prefecture. Yan Xiong is the Iron Sword Sect's current top true disciple; it is said he has the Small Dragon Form bone structure and excellent comprehension, and he underwent Yi Duo Xing years ago."

Wang Wang Peiyao was very eager to gather intelligence; she knew the dozen or so people on the letter like the back of her hand, able not only to name their sect Wu Gong but also to recall their deeds.

"They are all from the eight prefectures of Huizhou."

Wang Wang Peiyao spoke with certainty.

"Is that so?"

Li Li Yuanzhong nodded slightly; he had thought there might be people from within the Longhu Temple among them, but now it seemed there might be, yet Yunshu Lou's intelligence did not record them?

He thought for a moment and put the letter away.

He kept Wang Wang Peiyao for breakfast; afterwards, Li Li Yuanzhong continued practicing martial arts. After Yi Duo Xing twenty-seven, his physical strength began to increase again.

"Huff!"

In the small courtyard, Li Li Yuanzhong slowly pushed the fist forms.

This was the Soldier Body Stance, yet not only the Soldier Body Stance; it was mixed with the Qi Ta Wu Gong he had learned, including the forms he had undergone Yi Duo Xing into.

Yi Duo Xing, as the name suggests, is a method that Nai Shi Xiao Fa the myriad beasts of heaven and earth to alter one's own bone structure and raise the limits of the human body.

There is no upper limit to the forms a martial artist undergoes Yi Duo Xing into, and the more forms one undergoes, the deeper the endowment, directly affecting subsequent Meridian Opening, Organ Refining, and even Marrow Refining realms.

Therefore, even great masters at the Marrow Refining realm still practice Cheng Wu Gong to seek to undergo more forms.

And the essence of Yi Duo Xing lies in the change.

During the process of Yi Duo Xing, the limits of the human body are raised to an incredible degree; the human body gradually changes until it is no longer human.

This process begins with Yi Duo Xing and only ends when Marrow Refining is fully accomplished.

"No longer human..."

Li Li Yuanzhong slowly pushed the fist forms encompassing all the forms, his mind divided, also contemplating the cultivation of Yi Duo Xing and even the realms that follow.

After a long time, he let out a long breath.

"Master!"

Li Li Yuanzhong settled his stance and bowed respectfully.

Under the old tree stood a person, covered in Jin Guang; that was the light of divine weapons. The visitor was Han Han Chuijun, whom he had not seen for many days.

Old Han's lightness skill was excellent, but the Jin Guang of his divine weapons was too glaring; the moment he arrived, Li Li Yuanzhong had sensed him.

"Dragon Body Spirit Form, very good. The Dragon Transformation Pill was not wasted!"

Under the old tree, Han Han Chuijun stroked his long beard. His expression behind the mask was unseen, but his satisfaction could be heard.

"Thank you, Master, for gifting the pill."

Li Li Yuanzhong was very grateful.

A single red dragon fish cost hundreds of taels of gold; let alone the Red Dragon Fish King, tens of meters in size.

One Dragon Transformation Pill was worth as much as a mine.

"If you truly wish to thank me, bring me a few Great Return Pills after you go to the Longhu Temple!"

Han Han Chuijun swept his sleeve to blow away the fallen leaves under the tree and sat on the stone bench.

Li Li Yuanzhong glanced at Pan Yi and Yu Xiang under the eaves and sent the two of them to cook.

"Your comprehension truly surprises even me, your master..."

Under the old tree, Han Han Chuijun carefully examined Li Li Yuanzhong, feeling truly shaken in his heart.

He had lingered in the Yi Xing Zhi Jing for sixty or seventy years, becoming utterly familiar with the art of transformation; from Li Yuan's physique and fist stances, one could discern how many forms he had assumed.

Has it only been a few months?

"My meager achievements pale in comparison to yours, Old Master."

Li Yuan was humble, yet his words came from the heart.

Upon their reunion after his transformation, he could still feel immense shock and oppression radiating from Han Han Chuijun, far surpassing that of Feng Feng Yuanqing.

Indeed, even Lord Master Gongyang Yu had not exerted such strong pressure upon him.

This was certainly not due solely to that set of Crimson Flame Flood Dragon Armor...

"How old are you?"

Han Han Chuijun glanced at him.

The master and disciple exchanged pleasantries, mainly inquiring about each other's recent circumstances.

Blood qi still lingered around Han Han Chuijun; in fact, since parting ways at the Divine Weapon Mountain, he had fought bloody battles in dozens of skirmishes, mostly killing others, and only a few times being hunted.

"Fought a few battles, killed a few people, and took a few wounds."

Old Han spoke lightly, yet Li Yuan knew clearly that in recent months, regarding the pursuits against the Divine Weapon Valley by those families, Old Han had shouldered the majority of the burden.

"And you?"

Han Han Chuijun asked; the moment he entered the courtyard, he noticed the young man's aura had changed, as if he had engaged in numerous fights, his fist stances becoming more refined and brimming with killing intent.

"Fought one battle, killed one person, and took a few wounds."

Li Yuan mimicked him, concealing nothing.

Old Han could endure much and kept his mouth shut; at least, Lord Master Gongyang Yu did not know that Li Li Yuanba was himself.

"Good, very good."

Looking at the young man before him, Han Han Chuijun felt quite satisfied; in him, he seemed to see his own reflection.

'This disciple resembles me deeply!'

As the master and disciple chatted, before long, Pan Yi and Yu Xiang arrived carrying wine and dishes; after setting them down, they wordlessly closed the courtyard gate and departed.

"You have held yourself well; you have not broken your chastity..."

Han Han Chuijun suddenly praised him, causing Li Yuan to pause; he raised his head, sensing there was more to Old Han's words.

"Eight Ba Wanli, that young man."

Beneath the mask, Han Han Chuijun's face twitched; thinking of Eight Ba Wanli, he couldn't help but clench his fingers.

"The Eldest Senior Brother? What happened to him?"

Li Yuan felt somewhat curious.

"He... is addicted to women."

"What?"

Li Yuan was somewhat bewildered.

With Eight Ba Wanli's physique, addicted to women?

"Let's not speak of him!"

Han Han Chuijun did not elaborate further, instead asking:

"For this Dragon and Tiger Banquet, what are your odds? Do you need your master to help you weed out the obstacles?"