The banquet eventually took place on the top floor of the Bright Moon Tower, with Wan Dongliu, Xuan Chong, Yue Hongling, Zhao Changhe, Tang Buqi, plus a few local "Little White Dragons" of Yangzhou—a table of fewer than ten people, yet it gathered five young talents from the Hidden Dragon List. Such an occasion was a rare sight, even in Wan Dongliu’s years of generous hosting.
Without the walls surrounding the top floor, the view was unobstructed on all sides, and a bright moon hung far in the sky. A gentle breeze carried the scent of flowers, and the surrounding bridges and flowing water, with small boats leisurely passing by, created an exceptionally beautiful night scene adorned with night market lanterns.
Without the oppressive presence of bureaucrats, sitting there felt more like friends gathering for drinks. Wan Dongliu’s face showed no trace of the rage from before, instead replaced by a look of concern, "Miss Yue, is your injury serious? Shouldn’t you take some time to rest first?"
Yue Hongling shook her head, "The interruption was timely, it’s only a cut from the curved saber, without any internal injury from the blade’s energy. It’ll be fine once the medicine is applied."
Xuan Chong clapped his hands and laughed, "Zhao, your stroke really took advantage. That smash was brutal; had it been me, I would have lost the will to attack and would’ve had to back off. Tell me, Zhao, how did you discern that lethal intent in that moment? To be honest, I didn’t see it."
Zhao Changhe smiled naively, "Just a guess, the atmosphere felt off."
Wan Dongliu said, "Zhao, it’s your keen perception of killing intent. A man who has faced various assassination attempts on his journey is indeed different."
Zhao Changhe glanced at him, the comment was not wrong.
He hadn’t really understood the details of Yue Hongling and Chi Li’s exchange, it was purely an intuitive feeling that something was amiss. This was not a reminder from the Dragon Sparrow, as it only cared about threats to his own life, but he also wasn’t sure whether this was due to his acute senses honed by experiencing various assassinations, or an additional boon of the Five Senses that came with his sightlessness.
If it was the former, that would be good, as it was something he had learned from experience; if it was the latter, then it was a bonus from being blind, and might not be something he could always rely on. Zhao Changhe also wanted to understand the exact origin of this kind of keen perception.
But didn’t Wan Dongliu say he hadn’t fought anyone in a long time? Where did his judgment come from...
Tang Buqi spoke up from the side, "Brother Wan, about the Alien Clan market..."
Wan Dongliu sternly waved his hand, "I’ve just sent someone to scout it out, Chi Li and the others are no longer there."
Tang Buqi’s expression also darkened. Regardless of whether they were profligates or not, the Tang family members had a strong sense of allegiance to Great Xia, even planning to arrange Tang Wanju’s marriage to the Royal Family. If any Aristocratic Family was highly averse to the Alien Clan, the Tang family was certainly one of them, and the first to lose patience and act today was Tang Buqi himself.
He took a deep breath and asked, "Nowadays, the barbarians are drilling their troops and there have been multiple small-scale conflicts at the border, with frequent raids causing endless misery to the border population. Although Your Majesty hasn’t yet restricted trade, tolerating martial artists like Chi Li to train and kill within our borders is quite bizarre. If it were up to me in Gusu, I would have hunted them down by now, or at least expelled them. What is Yangzhou’s stance on this?" Thɪs chapter is updated by novel•fire.net
Wan Dongliu gave a bitter smile, "The authorities haven’t explicitly banned anyone from entering, so Yangzhou thinks we should demonstrate the tolerance of a great nation, and there’s not much to say."
Tang Buqi sneered, "That’s one thing, but I fear the Maitreya Sect is colluding with the barbarians, right?"
He paused, holding back the rest of his words.
The Demon Suppression Department in Yangzhou faced an uphill battle in scrutinizing the Maitreya Sect, feeling as though they were adrift in a vast ocean of popular resistance, with the Cao Gang playing a particularly disgraceful role. As a member of the Tang family, Tang Buqi was acutely aware of these affairs. The possibility of collusion with the sect might include Wan Dongliu, who, while perhaps having a differing attitude toward the barbarians, was unlikely to antagonize the Maitreya Sect over it.
But the Cao Gang was not to be trifled with lightly, and they couldn’t just arrest Wan Dongliu and his father, Wan Tianxiong, without care, even Tang Wanju was extremely cautious on this matter.
As if unaware of his thoughts, Wan Dongliu suddenly chuckled, "Now that the unpleasant guest is gone, let us not dwell on these disheartening matters. Why don’t we talk about something more pleasant and drink to our hearts’ content?"
A local youth ribbed, "Speaking of which, does Miss Yue’s response mean that Zhao now meets her criteria for a partner?"
Zhao Changhe stealthily glanced at Yue Hongling and thought to himself, here it comes, right?
Yue Hongling smiled calmly, "Yes."
The crowd started to tease, "Does this mean there might be a chance for something more?"
Yue Hongling cast a glance at Zhao Changhe, "Let’s wait and see."
Wan Dongliu clapped his hands and laughed heartily, "Brother Zhao! Aren’t you going to seize the opportunity and show what you’ve got, when else?"
Zhao Changhe was stupefied for a moment before managing to say, "How should I demonstrate?"
Yue Hongling couldn’t help but let out a dry laugh.
The others were taken aback by that question. You’re courting a woman and you’re asking us how you should go about it?
Wan Dongliu asked cautiously, "Brother Zhao, could it be that you’ve never pursued a lady before?"
Zhao Changhe thought about it and had to admit, "No."
Being with Chichi day and night, feelings had developed unknowingly, and it wasn’t until they clashed in a fight that sparks flew. He had never truly pursued someone... To pursue this demoness who spewed nothing but lies, probably no one in the world would know where to start, getting played to death by her was more like it.
Others, who knew of his liaisons, asked curiously about another matter, "What about Cui Yuanyang?"
I never wooed her; she liked me on her own... Of course, Zhao Changhe couldn’t say this, so he simply responded, "I directly discussed that matter with the Cui family head."
The crowd’s gaze shifted, impressed. That was ballsy—going straight to propose to Cui Wenjing, no wonder... Normal nuptial ties would require various traditional formalities. Did he really assume top-ranking aristocratic families were rivaling him for a bandit’s bride?
In other words, despite the rumors and scandals, this man really had no proper experience chasing girls. All those tales of taking bandits’ brides were probably just abductions.
The crowd glanced over at Yue Hongling, who sat there calmly sipping her wine, inscrutable.
Wan Dongliu cleared his throat and said, "Ahem, I also lack such experience. My engagement was arranged by my father, and I haven’t even seen the girl’s face to this day."
Xuan Chong said, "I’m a monk, don’t look at me."
So, everyone turned to Tang Buqi. If anyone knew about flirting and seducing, surely it would be this libertine.
Unexpectedly, Tang Buqi almost jumped up as if pricked in the behind, "Even if you kill me, I won’t teach him!"
The crowd looked at him in utter confusion, unable to fathom his reaction.
God only knew Tang Buqi was thinking, This guy is already suspected of using my aunt’s Spring Water Sword Intent against me, do you want to let him use my courting tricks on my aunt later on?
The Tang family is not so wronged!
Facing everyone’s strange looks, Tang Buqi coughed and said, "Discussing how to court someone in front of Miss Yue? Do you think Miss Yue is a fool? Use your own techniques if you have any!"
Wan Dongliu blinked and sighed, "Brother Zhao, it’s clear Miss Yue is giving you a chance. If you can’t come up with something today, it’s not just me who will lose respect for you, but are you even a man? Are you waiting for Miss Yue to take the initiative or what?"
Poor Zhao Changhe felt both embarrassed and anxious inside. He thought to himself, Sister Yue, what’s with you today? If you’d just show any reaction, this cheap flirtation would have stopped. Instead, you’re just sitting there drinking, watching my blunders... Or do you find it amusing, and want to see how I’ll go about pursuing you?
But the way she was acting made others think she was interested too! Couldn’t they see it was becoming increasingly straightforward? I felt like I was being roasted over the fire...
Seeing that Yue Hongling really wasn’t speaking and just waiting to see a show, Zhao Changhe finally couldn’t take it anymore, Chichi had already told me to let down my guard; why should I care so much!
He simply closed his eyes and loudly said, "Miss Yue mentioned her heart lies at the end of the world as a reason to refuse. But I, Old Zhao, wander the Worldly Society, always on the end of the earth! As long as you’re willing to join hands and journey together, then wherever we are can be our home!"
Damn, this guy is straightforward...
Everyone looked strangely at Yue Hongling, wondering if the words had made her furious...
Yet, to everyone’s shock, Yue Hongling wasn’t angry or embarrassed; she just quietly watched Zhao Changhe blush deeply with mortification, and in her eyes, there was a trace of... confusion?
PS: Today there’s a special Alliance Hierarch, and I feel the need to thank them in the main text... Thank you, Grand Alliance Hierarch Fenghuo, for your support.