Eddard Stark, watching from the sidelines, gazed thoughtfully at the steel fortress on the field, wondering if this tactic would work on the battlefield.
Robb then discovered that of the hundred soldiers he led, only twenty-odd remained; the rest had been declared dead and were eliminated.
"Spread out and continue the advance!"
Since the enemy did not surrender, Hao Yun commanded the battle formation to continue the attack.
"Okay, Robb lost."
As he entered the arena, Eddard Stark waved to indicate that he had conceded defeat.
The soldiers in the battle formation did not disperse, but turned to look at Hao Yun, awaiting his orders.
Caitlin, Ed's wife, who had just arrived, couldn't help but frown upon seeing this.
"You've won. Disband."
The soldiers in the battle formation began to cheer. They never imagined that in a battle of one hundred against one hundred, their side would suffer no casualties.
"Traveler from the East, you have earned the respect of the North. Would you be willing to join our banquet?"
Ed took a liking to Hao Yun's talent and wanted to recruit him to the North.
"Can."
Hao Yun accepted the invitation. Since he didn't know where to eat dinner anyway, he might as well stay and have a meal with the other party.
"I lost, you're really good."
Robb gave a wry smile and moved closer to Hao Yun. Looking at this man who was about his age, he couldn't help but sigh that he still had a long way to go before he could become a qualified lord.
"You're not bad either."
Hao Yun had high hopes for this future young wolf master.
Why didn't you join the fight?
The youngest daughter, Arya, squeezed in, looked up at Hao Yun, and asked with a puzzled expression.
"Why should I join? Haven't they already won?"
Hao Yun smiled down at Arya, without explaining further. He simply felt that his involvement in the battle would severely disrupt the balance of the competition.
If you can defeat a hundred people all by yourself, that kind of victory is meaningless.
Ed and Hao Yun chatted for a few minutes when an elderly man dressed in a black robe with a string of iron rings around his neck walked over.
"Lord Ed, you should attend to state affairs."
"Okay, I'll go now. Hao Yun, why don't you come with me?"
Upon receiving the invitation, Hao Yun went along.
After listening for a while, Hao Yun was speechless. The things Ed dealt with were either someone's chickens that had gone missing in the territory or a house that needed repairing its leaks. They were all trivial matters.
Seeing that Hao Yun wasn't interested, Ed smiled and said to Hao Yun.
“I’m still busy for a while, so why don’t you let Robb take you around Winterfell?”
"Can."
Feeling drowsy, Hao Yun got up and walked outside, and Luo Bo hurriedly followed.
After Hao Yun left, the old man in black robes said in a low voice.
"Sir, judging from his appearance, he seems to have come from the other side of the Narrow Sea, is that...?"
Ed interrupted him, not letting him continue.
As Robb and Hao Yun walked a few steps after leaving the city lord's mansion, Arya pulled Jon Snow and caught up with them, followed by Theon.
"We meet again. How was your night?"
Theon grinned, moved closer to Hao Yun, and gave him a sly, winking laugh.
Hao Yun rolled his eyes. This guy really is a persistent ghost.
Robb looked at Theon with a puzzled expression. "You two know each other?"
"Of course, we met yesterday."
Theon nudged Hao Yun with his elbow and whispered, "Want to come out with me tonight and broaden your horizons? I can introduce you to someone impressive."
"No need, I'm leaving tomorrow, so I should get some rest tonight!"
"Don't worry, you'll get plenty of rest there."
Robb interrupted their conversation. He finally understood what Theon meant; he was going to take Hao Yun to that kind of place.
Chapter 133 Specialty Dishes
"Theon! He's a guest, how could you take him to a place like that!"
As the heir to the lordship, Robb was very upright and strict with himself, so he would not go out and mess around.
Where we go is none of your business!
Theon and Robb have always been at odds because he always felt that Robb looked down on him, his adopted son.
When Theon was very young, he was sent to the Stark family as a hostage. Having lived in Winterfell for so many years, he naturally heard a lot of rumors.
However, Eddard treated him very well, almost like his own son, over the years, so Theon had no complaints, only that he didn't get along well with Robb.
Seeing that the two were about to start arguing, Jon quickly stepped in to smooth things over.
"The guests are still here, everyone please stop arguing, or why don't we go outside for a walk?"
Theon snorted and turned his head away, ignoring Robb. Robb, of course, ignored Theon as well, and the two followed Hao Yun on either side.
Hao Yun glanced at Jon Snow out of the corner of his eye and couldn't help but mutter to himself, "He really is a miserable male protagonist, with such a bitter look on his face."
The most interesting thing is Jon Snow's background. His mother is Eddard's sister, and his father is the son of the former king, who is also the crown prince.
Eddard and his brother Robert rebelled because of the tyranny of the previous king.
The two were at war when Eddard's sister was kidnapped by the prince. Eddard's sister was Robert's fiancée.
In fact, Eddard's sister and the prince had known each other for a long time, and the two were in love with each other.
By the time Eddard and Robert overthrew the former king and went to rescue Lyanna, she had already given birth to Jon Snow.
In order to ensure the survival of his sister's child, Eddard deceived everyone, saying that Jon Snow was his bastard son.
Of course, these things haven't been exposed yet, and Eddard has never told anyone about this secret. Among the Shrek family, only Eddard's wife has a lot of resentment towards Jon.
Jon, who was following behind, noticed that Hao Yun was observing him, so he nodded and smiled.
Hao Yun laughed too. He thought Jon was quite suitable to be king. After all, the kings of the Seven Kingdoms didn't need to do anything, as long as they didn't cause trouble.
Look at Robert, that guy, he's always living a life of debauchery, yet the Seven Kingdoms are still quite stable.
Arya moved closer to Hao Yun, tugged at his sleeve, and asked him a question.
"Can you teach me martial arts?"
The youngest daughter, Arya, looks like a tomboy at first glance, and prefers swords and guns to everything else.
"Why do you want to learn martial arts? Isn't it better to be a lady?"
Hao Yun asked Arya a question in return, and then patted her head.
“I don’t like being a lady, nor do I like embroidery. I like riding horses and shooting arrows, but unfortunately my mother won’t allow me to learn. However, I think if you are willing to teach me, my father will definitely agree.”
The tomboyish Arya looked at Hao Yun with anticipation, afraid that he would refuse.
"I'm so sorry, I'm leaving tomorrow. If we have the chance to meet again, I can teach you if you want to learn."
After hearing Hao Yun's words, his youngest daughter, Arya, was disappointed. However, being a child at heart, she quickly forgot about it and instead enthusiastically introduced Winterfell to Hao Yun.
Winterfell is a good place in the North, which is bitterly cold. Even in summer, it often snows and the temperature is frighteningly low.
However, the temperature inside Winterfell is not as low as outside, thanks to a large hot spring located underground.
After strolling around the city, Hao Yun couldn't help but sigh, "The Northern Territory is really poor."
There are at least a dozen shops in the city, and the items sold in them are not expensive.
With lunchtime approaching, the group didn't go back for lunch but instead found a restaurant on the street.
"The food at this restaurant is pretty good. Here is the menu."
Robb called over the maid and then, with a smile, began explaining the dishes on the menu to Hao Yun.
After listening to a few sentences, Hao Yun thought to himself, "What kind of rubbish is this? Is it some kind of culinary disaster?"
Seeing that Hao Yun hadn't ordered anything for a long time, Arya snatched the menu.
"I want this, this, and this."
Arya quickly ordered eight dishes and put the menu down.
"These dishes are all unique to the North; you can't find them anywhere else."
Robb smiled sheepishly and reached out to pull Arya to his side.
"I'm sorry, my sister is a bit immature."
"It's okay. I didn't know what to order anyway, and she actually helped me a lot."
Hao Yun smiled and shook his head, indicating that he didn't mind.
In his mind, all the dishes on the menu were culinary disasters, and it didn't matter which one he ordered.
The dishes were served quickly. Apart from the two grilled meats which looked good, the other six dishes looked very abnormal in terms of color, each one being a riot of colors.
"Try it, it tastes pretty good."
Arya began promoting the Northern specialties, and Hao Yun smiled helplessly, picked up his spoon, and scooped up a spoonful of the blood-red soup.
Upon tasting the thick soup, Hao Yun found it quite palatable. The soup was very viscous, with a slight sweetness, but mostly spicy. However, after drinking it, he felt warm all over.
"The taste is not bad."
After putting down his spoon, Hao Yun boldly tried a few other dishes.