Chapter 9 : Chapter 9
Chapter 9: Zhang Family’s Zhang Qinhu
Deep into the night,
under the cover of moonlight, several figures rode hard out of Qingfeng Valley.
They galloped in the direction of the prefectural city.
Two days later...
the dust-covered group finally arrived beneath the walls of Shenglong Prefecture City.
As the seat of a prefecture, the prosperity of Shenglong Prefecture was naturally far beyond anything Baihe County could compare to.
Its permanent population alone numbered in the millions.
Looking at the towering city walls standing majestically before him,
something called ambition blazed fiercely in Li Xingge’s eyes.
“One day, this land will be ruled by me.”
Li Xingge spoke inwardly to himself.
The group entered the prefectural city without obstruction.
As they walked through the streets crowded with traffic and people,
Li Yanzhao, dressed in a green robe at his side, smiled and said, “Family Head, we’ve been rushing about for two days now. Everyone must be tired. The auction only begins tomorrow, so why don’t we first find a wine house, have a meal, and rest for the night?”
Li Xingge glanced at the weariness on everyone’s faces, then nodded.
Very soon...
under Li Yanzhao’s lead, the group stopped in front of a wine house called Green Willow Tower.
With a smile, Li Yanzhao introduced it. “Family Head, the medicinal cuisine at Green Willow Tower is second to none in all of Shenglong Prefecture.”
“Then let’s try it.”
At his current realm, ordinary medicinal meals no longer had any real effect on him.
Still, there was no harm in satisfying his appetite.
Qi-Blood Realm cultivators still did not possess the ability to abstain from food.
The moment they reached the entrance,
the welcoming waiter came scurrying over with an ingratiating smile. “Honored guests, are you dining or lodging?”
“Dining. Prepare a private room, and bring out one serving of every signature dish you have.”
Li Yanzhao answered from beside him.
After taking one look at the extraordinary bearing of the group,
the waiter bent even lower, his attitude turning ever more respectful. “Please come this way, honored guests. This way inside.”
With that, he extended a hand and led the way.
The group followed.
Before long, the waiter had settled Li Xingge and the others into a private room.
“Please wait a moment, honored guests. This humble one has already informed the kitchen. The dishes will be ready at once. I’ll be waiting outside, so if you need anything, just call.”
With that, he turned and withdrew, closing the door behind him.
Li Xingge and Li Yanzhao sat down one after another.
The guards remained standing respectfully at the side.
Li Xingge did not have to wait long. After about half a quarter of an hour...
the medicinal dishes, each carrying a unique fragrance, were brought in by the servants.
“White Jade Lingzhi Soup!”
“Coiling Dragon Eel!”
“Steamed Spirit Fish!”
“...”
Ten dishes in all were served, filling the entire table.
“The dishes have all been served. Honored guests, please enjoy them. A little later, Miss Wenxi, the famous qin player of Shenglong Prefecture, will be performing here at Green Willow Tower for the guests.”
the servant said respectfully.
Looking at the delicious feast before him, perfect in color, aroma, and taste, Li Xingge’s appetite immediately stirred.
As for the words the servant said afterward, Li Xingge did not hear a single one of them.
He had already begun sampling the dishes before him.
As Li Yanzhao had said, the taste truly was excellent, and it did indeed offer some benefit to cultivation—but only for the Body Tempering and Physical Body Realms.
Its effect on the Qi-Blood Realm was negligible.
………………
(PS: There is no damsel-in-distress plot here. Please read patiently.)
………………
At the same time,
outside the private room, the melodious sound of a qin rose softly into the air.
The music flowed like a gentle stream, slowly drifting through the atmosphere.
At times it rose high and stirring, like a waterfall plunging down a mountain ravine.
At times it sank low and tender, like candlelight swaying in the night wind.
All at once, Green Willow Tower seemed to become hushed and tranquil.
Everyone appeared immersed in the enchanting melody, unable to pull themselves free.
Only Li Xingge continued calmly enjoying the food before him, wholly unaffected.
He did not understand music. He merely thought it sounded pleasant—but that was all.
Soon, the song ended.
Outside the private room, applause and cries of praise surged like a rising tide.
“This song should exist only in heaven—how many times can it be heard in the mortal world? Miss Wenxi truly deserves her fame as the most renowned qin player in all Shenglong Prefecture. To witness her performance today is the blessing of three lifetimes!”
“Not only does Miss Wenxi play beautifully, she is beautiful herself as well.”
“If I could marry Miss Wenxi as my wife, I would willingly give up ten years of my life!”
“A toad lusting after swan meat.”
“Careful that Young Master Zhang the Second doesn’t hear you, or he’ll skin you alive.”
“Hahahahaha!”
“...”
The clamor outside made Li Xingge frown instinctively.
At the side, the sharp-eyed Li Yanzhao at once gave a look to the guard beside him.
The latter understood and shut the door tightly.
The noise immediately became much quieter.
After another half an hour or so, everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, and they prepared to settle the bill and leave.
The moment he stepped out of the room,
a fierce argument reached Li Xingge’s ears.
“Wenxi, don’t refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit. I’ve already given you enough time. Whatever you say now is useless.”
Across from the private room,
a young man in brocade robes snarled viciously. He was short, pale-faced, and so fat that he looked almost like an oversized marmot.
Behind him stood two middle-aged men dressed in black warrior robes.
Li Xingge was somewhat surprised. Both of them were actually cultivators of the Physical Body Realm.
In Baihe County, cultivators of the Physical Body Realm were already the backbone of any local force.
Yet here, two Physical Body Realm cultivators were serving merely as guards and attendants.
Clearly, this brocade-robed youth’s identity was anything but ordinary.
The woman called Wenxi was pressed against the wall in the corner. Her eyes were wet, and her expression was filled with terror.
“Wenxi, I’ll ask you one last time. Are you coming with me or not?”
The woman was like a startled kitten.
She shook her head again and again, her voice trembling. “N-no...”
The brocade-robed youth seemed to lose patience.
With an expression of impatience, he strode directly toward her. Seeing him come closer and closer, the woman bit her lip. Somehow, she found a burst of courage and shoved him hard.
Caught off guard, the brocade-robed youth was pushed straight to the floor.
Seizing the chance, the woman turned in panic and tried to run.
But the two guards stepped forward expressionlessly and blocked her path.
Looking at the gleaming steel sabers in their hands, the woman instinctively retreated.
She lost her footing, staggered, and fell to the ground.
Her pleading gaze swept toward the guests who had just been praising her a moment ago. Among them were no few officials and nobles.
Yet all she saw was that, upon looking at the figure on the ground, they revealed expressions of apprehension, turned their heads aside one after another, and pretended not to see.
At the height of her despair...
the corner of her eye caught sight of Li Xingge’s group, and it was as though she had found the straw that could save her life.
She hurriedly crawled up and, under Li Xingge’s somewhat stunned gaze...
grabbed hold of Li Xingge’s robe and hid behind him.
Only her head peeked out as she begged bitterly, “Young Master, please, have mercy and save me! This Young Master Zhang is a notorious wastrel in the prefectural city. Almost no one who falls into his hands meets a good end.”
It had to be said—this woman was indeed somewhat beautiful.
Together with that pitiful, pleading expression on her face,
it would have been difficult for most people to say the word no.
Seeing this, the two guards walked forward with hostile expressions and stopped before Li Xingge and the others.
Naturally, the guards behind Li Xingge were unwilling to yield. They drew their sabers and stepped in front of Li Xingge.
Bloodshed seemed ready to erupt at any moment.
By now, the stout young man who had fallen to the floor had finally managed to get back up. He hurried over.
He first glanced at the woman hiding behind Li Xingge, anger plain on his face.
He had just opened his mouth to speak—
when Li Xingge smiled faintly, reached back, grabbed the woman named Wenxi by her waterfall-like hair, and shoved her toward the stout youth.
The pain of her scalp feeling as though it were being torn apart made the woman let out a scream, and she stumbled straight into the stout youth’s arms.
“This brother, I do not know this woman. Now I return her to you. I hope I have not spoiled your pleasure.”
The stout youth stared blankly.
Only after a while did he recover and burst into loud laughter. Then he glanced at his two attendants, who still stood with drawn blades.
His face turned cold as he barked, “Put your blades away. This young master here is my friend now!”
The two Physical Body Realm attendants sheathed their sabers and stood respectfully behind the stout youth once more.
Li Xingge’s guards also returned to their places.
The tension vanished in an instant.
“My servants are ignorant and acted out of turn. I apologize on their behalf. I hope this brother will not take offense.”
The stout youth tossed the woman in his arms to his two guards, then cupped his hands toward Li Xingge with a cheerful smile.
“My name is Zhang Qinhu. I’m second in my family, so if you do not mind, you may call me Zhang Er. May I ask your honored surname, brother?”
The moment Li Xingge heard that name, he could not help laughing inwardly, though nothing showed on his face.
At his side, however, Li Yanzhao—whose expression had until now been perfectly calm—changed color abruptly the moment he heard the name.
Li Xingge smiled slightly and returned the greeting.
“My surname is Li. Li Xingge.”
Zhang Qinhu’s mind spun rapidly. He thought for a while, yet could not recall any great family in the prefectural city bearing the surname Li.
Even so, no change appeared on his face. Instead, he became even warmer.
“So it is Brother Li. It was my fault for disturbing your meal today. As compensation, let me host a feast here at Green Willow Tower, and the two of us can have a proper drink together!”
Li Xingge shook his head.
A slight change came over Zhang Qinhu’s expression.
“I appreciate Brother Zhang’s kindness, but I have already eaten and drunk my fill. I truly cannot eat another bite. Besides, I have important matters to attend to. How about another day? I will host, and offer Brother Zhang my apologies then.”
At once, a smile bloomed again across Zhang Qinhu’s face.
“In that case, I won’t insist.”
Then he called out, “Manager!”
No sooner had the words fallen than a kindly old man came hurrying out. The moment he saw Zhang Qinhu, a fawning smile appeared on his face, and he said respectfully, “Second Young Master, what are your orders?”
Zhang Qinhu’s gaze swept toward Li Xingge.
Smiling, he said, “Put today’s bill for this young master on my account.”
“Of course, of course.”
The manager hurriedly accepted with a smile.
This time, Li Xingge did not refuse.
“Then I have troubled Brother Zhang to spend money on my behalf.”
Zhang Qinhu laughed boldly.
“What are you saying, Brother Li? The moment I met you, I felt as though we had known each other forever. What are a few dishes worth? Since Brother Li has important business today, I will not keep you any longer. We can speak again another day!”
“Another day, then.”
The two parted ways and brushed past each other.
As Zhang Qinhu watched the backs of Li Xingge and his group disappear into the distance, a thoughtful look appeared on his face.
At his side,
Wenxi, however, looked after Li Xingge with eyes full of venom.