Chapter 27 : Chapter 27
Chapter 27: Zheng Lingjun’s Renewed Show of Goodwill
After arranging a place for Li Xingge and the others to rest, Zheng Lingjun excused himself and went off to receive the other guests.
At noon, one of the Zheng Clan’s Elders came to invite Li Xingge to the honored guests’ hall for the luncheon.
Those qualified to dine in the honored guests’ hall were all the powerful and influential figures of Baihe County.
And Li Xingge was undoubtedly among the very highest tier of them.
At his arrival, everyone rose one after another to greet him, and Li Xingge returned their greetings in turn.
Only one person remained unmoved, reclining sideways in his chair, his eyes narrowed as he looked at Li Xingge.
Li Xingge naturally recognized this man. He was an “old acquaintance” of the Li Clan—the Family Head of the Baibo Song Clan, Song Tianbo.
The Baibo Song Clan was one of the families that had initially joined forces with the Mangshan Su Clan to kick the Li Clan while it was down.
Later, after Li Xingge completely fell out with the Su Clan, the Song Clan had made no move at all.
Li Xingge guessed that the Song Clan had likely wanted to sit atop the mountain and watch the tigers fight, waiting for the Su and Li Clans to wound one another so that the Song Clan could reap the fisherman’s profit.
What they had not expected was that the Su Clan would fall so quickly...
Since Song Tianbo refused to give him face, Li Xingge naturally had no intention of showing him any courtesy either.
He directly ignored Song Tianbo’s cold, gloomy stare and walked straight to his own seat.
The seating arrangement set by the Zheng Clan was quite interesting: the upper seat on the left.
Li Xingge did not hesitate in the slightest and sat down at once.
The moment he took his seat, the expressions on everyone’s faces became somewhat strange.
As for Song Tianbo, his face turned as black as coal.
And in Song Tianbo’s eyes, the reactions of the others looked like silent mockery.
He could not hold back any longer. Letting out a cold snort, he sneered, “The younger generation nowadays truly knows no rules. Relying on a bit of strength, they already think they can climb onto our heads.”
He had assumed this would trigger a chorus of agreement and condemnation from the room, but to his surprise, the hall fell completely silent.
That instantly made Song Tianbo feel rather awkward, and his face flushed red at once.
No one present was a fool. Song Tianbo was clearly trying to drag them into the water with him and offend Li Xingge, but they had no great enmity with the Li Clan, so naturally they had no intention of stepping into his trap.
To offend someone for no benefit at all was the act of an idiot.
And those who could sit here were all shrewd old hands.
Li Xingge glanced at him. Under normal circumstances, if anyone dared provoke him, then even if that person were the Family Head of the Baibo Song Clan, he would not show the slightest courtesy.
But today was Zheng Lingjun’s birthday banquet, and Li Xingge had to give him some face.
Still, if this Song Tianbo pushed his luck, then he could hardly blame Li Xingge for what followed.
At this moment, however, Song Tianbo found himself in a rather awkward position.
He had originally wanted to use the strength of everyone present to make Li Xingge lose face.
Who would have thought that these old foxes would all fear that little brat of the Li Clan?
While he was caught in this dilemma...
the timely appearance of the host family gave Song Tianbo a way to step down.
“The Family Head has arrived!”
Everyone present immediately rose to their feet.
Surrounded by a group of Zheng Clan Elders, Zheng Lingjun walked in from the rear of the hall.
“We pay our respects to Family Head Zheng. May your blessings be as vast as the Eastern Sea, and your longevity as enduring as the Southern Mountain!”
With a smile on his face, Zheng Lingjun returned the salute.
“Honored guests, please be seated.”
Everyone sat down one after another.
Zheng Lingjun then took his place at the seat of honor and raised a cup of wine.
Beaming like the spring breeze, he said, “That you honored guests could come to attend my birthday banquet is my, Zheng’s, good fortune. I shall first offer everyone a toast.”
“Everyone, drain your cups.”
After speaking, he boldly emptied the fine wine in his cup in one swallow.
The crowd raised their cups and drank deeply.
Once that cup had been emptied, Zheng Lingjun filled another.
“As for this second cup, I wish to toast one of my friends despite the age difference between us.”
“A friend despite the age difference?”
Everyone was puzzled at first.
But Zheng Lingjun soon cleared up their confusion.
Holding his wine cup, he rose to his feet.
He looked toward Li Xingge and said with a smile, “This friend of mine despite our age difference is none other than the new Family Head of the Qingfeng Li Clan, Li Xingge.”
“I believe all of you have long heard my young friend’s great name as though it were thunder in your ears.”
Everyone burst into laughter and hurriedly echoed his words.
“The Li Clan’s young qilin—who in Baihe County does not know his name? This is a young heaven’s favored the likes of whom our Baihe County sees only once in a hundred years!”
“Family Head Lu speaks truly. Ever since he was young, this old man has sighed in wonder—why was such a young qilin not born into my Yuan family?”
“Family Head Li truly shows that the later waves drive on the earlier ones. We can only admire you.”
For that instant, it was almost as if Li Xingge, rather than Zheng Lingjun, was the true central figure of today’s birthday banquet.
“To have made the acquaintance of this worthy younger brother is my, Zheng Lingjun’s, good fortune.”
The moment those words were spoken, everyone present could not help sucking in a cold breath.
This Family Head Zheng, whose power in Baihe County reached the heavens, actually valued Li Xingge so highly that he was willing to lower himself like this in order to befriend him.
After today,
the news that the Li Clan and the Dongjiang Zheng Clan were on good terms would surely spread throughout all of Baihe County.
With the Dongjiang Zheng Clan supporting Li Xingge, the Li Clan would become Baihe County’s unquestioned second great clan.
For a moment, the looks everyone cast at Song Tianbo carried no small measure of schadenfreude.
And Song Tianbo’s face was now flushed scarlet, his qi-blood already surging wildly within him.
Unfortunately, Zheng Lingjun was not someone he could afford to offend.
At the same time, he silently cursed Zheng Lingjun in his heart. For the sake of befriending a mere youthful genius, the man had thrown away even his dignity, stooping so low to fawn over him.
Did he not understand that once this boy grew up, the first person whose position would be threatened would be Zheng himself?
Since he did not dare offend the Zheng Clan, he instead laid all this humiliation upon Li Xingge’s head.
One day, he would make Li Xingge repay today’s disgrace with both principal and interest.
“Worthy Younger Brother, drain this cup with me.”
Zheng Lingjun raised his wine cup toward Li Xingge as he spoke.
Li Xingge truly could not understand Zheng Lingjun’s attitude.
He and Zheng Lingjun had met only once, so why was this Zheng Clan Family Head, a man whose power in Baihe County reached the heavens, treating him with such warmth?
When something was too abnormal, there was usually something hidden behind it.
A trace of wariness quietly arose in Li Xingge’s heart.
Still, one did not strike a smiling face.
Besides, forming ties with the Zheng Clan would bring the present Li Clan nothing but benefits and no harm.
At that thought, a smile spread across Li Xingge’s face as well.
He raised his cup. “Elder Brother, please!”
“Worthy Younger Brother, please!”
The two smiled at one another and drained the fine wine in their cups in a single swallow.