Chapter 264 - 163: Made a Killing
Whether it was Lian Junmiao and his friends, or Yan Chengdu, Gao Yimu, Qi Shiwei, and Lin Longde who arrived later, they had all come to Baiyang County to cheer him on.
Lian Junmiao’s group had even spent the last twenty-some days sparring with him.
His victory over Samba today was not only due to Master Guo’s teachings and his own hard work but also to the sincere support from this group of friends.
At the very least, the arrival of Yan Chengdu and the others showed him that, apart from Mrs. Chu of the Zhang Family and Guo Wei, there were many others in this world willing to stand by his side.
This bond was something Chu Lingguang could not ignore, regardless of its perceived value. Even without receiving any Favor Points in return, he knew he would have to repay this kindness in the future.
"Gentlemen, please, join me on Wine Street for a few drinks. I’ve already booked an entire restaurant. I hope you’ll stay for a few days to spend more time with Chu Lingguang. I imagine you all have many questions for him, and I know he has much to say to all of you."
Guo Wei said, cupping his hands in a salute to Emperor Yue Xuan and the others.
In that moment, he was Chu Lingguang’s guardian. He had already sent someone ahead to Wine Street to reserve the entire Fengyue Building, intending to host Emperor Yue Xuan’s party and properly thank Lian Junmiao and the others for their recent help sparring with Chu Lingguang.
"Excellent. In that case, it would be rude to refuse."
Emperor Yue Xuan replied with a nod, cupping his hands.
"Thank you, Master Guo!"
Lin Longde, Qi Shiwei, Gao Yimu, and the others all chorused their thanks.
They had previously received guidance from Guo Wei at the small lakeside restaurant. That, combined with the power he had just displayed, made their hearts pound in their chests. It was even more shocking than the day they saw him fight Eunuch Liu.
They felt both respect and admiration for Guo Wei, and their cries of "Master Guo" were entirely sincere.
In fact, their decision to come together to support Chu Lingguang and share their insights was partly due to the deep impression Guo Wei had made on them.
As for Lian Junmiao, Xue Bingsheng, and Yuan Zeng, they had spent the last twenty-odd days with Guo Wei at the Martial Arts Hall and had long since come to approve of his character.
Even women of royal and noble birth like Du Juan and Liu Qingqing held a heartfelt reverence for Guo Wei, addressing him as "Master Guo" with no hint of insincerity.
After Chu Lingguang’s narrow victory and Guo Wei’s subsequent thunderous outburst, these youngsters were filled with even greater admiration for him.
And so, the large group followed Guo Wei in a grand procession toward Wine Street.
The owner of the Fengyue Building had already heard that Chu Lingguang had defeated Samba, striking a blow for the Court. Astonished by the news, he also seized the opportunity, sending up a stream of exquisite dishes, practically free of charge.
He made sure everyone was comfortable and well-catered to.
Chu Lingguang had drunk the Seven Herbs Liquid, which had already healed thirty to forty percent of his internal injury. A little ordinary wine wouldn’t affect his recovery. At the banquet, he and Hei Hu first poured wine for Guo Wei, Feng Junyi, and Lord Xu, and after offering them a toast, he received Guo Wei’s permission to start drinking heartily with Emperor Yue Xuan and the others.
Guo Wei, meanwhile, sat with Feng Junyi, Lord Xu, and Feng Zhiwen, chatting about everything under the sun and thanking them for their support of Chu Lingguang.
He refused to take credit for the victory, instead attributing it to Feng Zhiwen’s two packets of Heart-Devouring Powder, the help in activating the Bloodline Dragon Elephant, and Feng Junyi’s guidance in the forest. He also expressed his gratitude to Lord Xu for bringing Doctor Xu to treat Chu Lingguang’s injuries.
The men were all impressed by Guo Wei’s magnanimity.
"Brother Li, thank you for coming to see me."
Chu Lingguang had noticed Li Yishan sitting at the same table as Wang Chao. After a round of drinks with Emperor Yue Xuan’s group, he hurried over to greet him.
Seeing Chu Lingguang now famous and surrounded by a group of Noble Family Descendants, Li Yishan was acutely aware of their difference in status and hadn’t dared to approach. He could only wish him well from afar. ’I hope he achieves even greater glory.’
But to his surprise, Chu Lingguang hadn’t forgotten him. He still addressed him as "Brother Li" and even sat down beside him to make small talk. Deeply moved, Li Yishan picked up his wine jug and began to drink heartily with him.
Chu Lingguang brought up Mrs. Chu of the Zhang Family and Zhang Da, noting that the world was a dangerous place. He asked that if they were to ever find themselves in trouble, and if Li Yishan was in a position to help, he hoped he would lend them a hand.
How could Li Yishan refuse? He committed Chu Lingguang’s words to memory. Chu Lingguang also told him to visit the Martial Arts Hall more often and mentioned that he would use Lord Xu’s connections to have Doctor Xu examine the hand that Liu Quan had crippled, to see if there was any chance of it recovering.
Doctor Xu was, after all, Lord Xu’s personal physician and highly skilled. While he couldn’t restore Li Yishan’s arm to its original state, he could treat it to prevent the soreness and numbness that plagued him in cold weather.
Li Yishan was immensely grateful, contributing several dozen Favor Points to Chu Lingguang. In turn, Chu Lingguang gave Doctor Xu a sum of silver taels as payment for the consultation. Though the amount wasn’t large, it made Doctor Xu feel greatly appreciated. Realizing that Chu Lingguang was now famous and had a boundless future ahead of him—one that would surely involve many wives and concubines—the doctor immediately wrote out a prescription for a tonic to boost male vitality, telling Chu Lingguang to save it for later.
The Fengyue Building was filled with laughter and cheerful voices.
Shop owners from all over Wine Street lined up to offer their congratulations to Chu Lingguang.
Back in Liu Family Gully, the villagers were putting on forced smiles. Every household hung up lanterns and festive decorations, wanting Chu Lingguang to see that they were all celebrating his grand victory.
Mrs. Liu not only brought out all of her family’s own sweet potatoes but also went out of her way to buy several more pounds. She prepared them in a variety of ways—roasted, boiled, and even shredded and stir-fried with chunks of meat. She also cooked a large pot of sweet potato congee. Her entire family, young and old, stood at the village entrance, anxiously awaiting Chu Lingguang’s return.
PTHOO!
「On the road to the county seat.」
Iscoha finally couldn’t hold on any longer and spat out a mouthful of blood.
That palm strike from the enraged Guo Wei had been terrifyingly powerful. If Guo Wei hadn’t been worried about jeopardizing diplomatic relations between their nations and simply transmitted the force through Samba’s corpse, a direct hit would have blown Iscoha to smithereens on the spot.
COUGH! COUGH!
Mahmoud, beside him, was finally able to catch his breath. He hadn’t spat out any blood—he had swallowed it back down.
As he rode, he kept replaying the image of the enraged Guo Wei in his mind, especially that terrifying aura and the phantom of the Dragon Elephant that had appeared around him.
"Who in the world is that Guo? How can he be so terrifying?" Iscoha asked.
"Did you notice? The Dragon Elephant phantom that appeared around Guo Wei just now... it looked a lot like the one that man who fought our Elder Kaise had," Mahmoud asked.
"What are you saying?"
Iscoha froze.
"Five years ago, Elder Kaise was severely wounded by a man who was a master of the Spear Technique and had a fully formed Dragon Elephant. If our clan’s experts hadn’t arrived in time, Elder Kaise would have likely died at his hands," Mahmoud said.
"You suspect that man was Guo Wei?" Iscoha asked, shocked.
"Perhaps my eyes deceived me. But we must have revenge for what happened to Samba and to us. When we get back, have someone investigate Guo Wei. Find out if he ever left the Great Yuan and entered Turkic lands five years ago."
Mahmoud couldn’t be certain.
"And if it was him?"
"If it was, we’ll let Elder Kaise come and take his revenge personally. That will save us the risk of facing him ourselves."
"Elder Kaise had a breakthrough after that battle; it was a blessing in disguise. If we can help him find the man who attacked him, it would be a great service. It might even be enough to offset the blunder we made this time."
"A three-layered Dharma Aspect, Double Potential Energy Superposition... Chu Lingguang will become a great enemy to us in the future. We have to find a way to eliminate him."
The two continued their discussion as they rode farther and farther away.
(Thank you to Carefree Divine Venerable for another reward!)