Chapter 112: Luring with Myself as Bait

Night fell, and the Deng family courtyard gradually grew noisy.

Jars of fine wine were carried into the main hall, and countless delicacies were placed on the round tables.

Lin Rou took her seat accompanied by Deng Mingxu, while Jiang Chengyun sat boldly beside her.

The two exchanged a silent glance.

Shen Yi knew nothing of aristocratic customs, so he maintained his aloof persona, using illness as an excuse to stay away—perfect for reinforcing the prestige of the so-called “Lin family” of Yushan County.

“What a pity.”

Deng Mingxu helplessly tugged at his meticulously chosen elegant blue robe, yet inwardly sighed with relief.

Compared to the Lin family heir’s natural aura, even though he had tried his best to appear courteous, the subtle air of detachment clearly showed he looked down on the Deng family.

Simply standing there in plain clothes chilled others by three degrees; yet no matter how he dressed, he always seemed poor and shabby.

Fortunately, his ancestral grandfather was still there to uphold the atmosphere.

As long as he lived, the Deng family would remain a second-rate power in Qingzhou.

Thinking of this, Deng Mingxu instinctively glanced toward the main seat—no sign of his ancestral grandfather, only his father escorting a flamboyant red-clad woman over.

The woman had a fox-like beauty; had it not been for her courtesan’s aura, she would have outshone all others.

The more he looked, the more familiar she seemed.

As if remembering something, Deng Mingxu clenched his teeth—could his father not stop humiliating himself!

He was hosting Miss Lin, so why bring a courtesan?!

Lin Rou and Jiang Chengyun both changed expression slightly—the former awkwardly lowered her head, the latter narrowed his eyes slightly, adding a colder edge.

If you can’t catch the young one, go for the old one.

They’ve clearly decided to compete with him.

“… ”

Xiao Qiangwei slowly took her seat, casting a provocative glance toward the two.

Lin Rou shrank back.

“Miss Lin, are you cold? Bring me a fox fur coat! Wait—no fox fur, too stinky—bring the marten fur.”

Deng Mingxu pointed at the mulberry tree while cursing the plum tree, clearly declaring his stance.

“Thank you.”

Lin Rou whispered her reply, yet felt her back grow even colder…

The minor drama passed quickly; once everyone was seated, a problem emerged.

Besides Shen Yi, the figure who should have sat in the main seat was also absent.

Jiang Chengyun and Xiao Qiangwei both lifted their heads, their eyes flickering with surprise.

…

Compared to the bustling main hall, the small courtyard was quiet.

Shen Yi sat alone in the yard, a cup of plain water, a dish of soy-braised meat.

On his panel, numerous martial arts scrolled past his vision.

He quietly calculated the maximum power he could unleash now.

The martial arts from the Regional Commander, even against a half-Golden Core abbot of the Golden Body Sect, could still deliver some effect.

The perfected Bodhi Golden Body also offered decent defensive capability.

The main asset was still the Heavenly Demon Yama External Core.

Based on Shen Yi’s observations along the way, the danger he sensed from Jiang Chengyun was roughly comparable to that of Jiao Jun, who used the alias Zhang Hengzhou.

Both likely reached the “Core Formation” realm—if they took one more step, they would achieve Golden Core Perfection, capable of condensing the core and nurturing the spirit.

If the Heavenly Demon External Core were counted as his own cultivation base.

Then Shen Yi and these two should be of the same martial realm, yet it wasn’t truly so—Jiang Chengyun undoubtedly possessed many Golden Core martial arts, and Jiao Jun had demonic Tianfu and physique.

In an actual fight, he might be crushed.

Using these two as the benchmark, anyone weaker by one level should still be able to fight.

Too bad there was no reference point; relying solely on imagination for comparison was unreliable.

“… ”

Shen Yi picked up a piece of soy-braised meat, gently placed it in his mouth, then turned his head toward the courtyard gate.

A frail old man in a loose white robe shuffled in, placed his wine jar on the table, and belched: “You have meat but no wine, I have wine but no meat—why not combine?”

“Who are you?”

Shen Yi asked knowingly—only one person in Yong’an City could give him even a hint of threat.

Jiang Chengyun and the others had prepared so much; they couldn’t afford to ruin things for him.

“Just an old man near death in this courtyard.”

Deng Jianyuan chuckled, his thin face flushed with a faint red hue.

Perhaps fearing Shen Yi would overthink, he added: “Too old—the heavens are coming to take me.”

Hearing this transparent excuse.

Shen Yi smiled slightly, shifted aside to make room, and said coolly: “No wine needed. Please, eat.”

Someone who had lived this long, especially a local power, sensing something was only natural.

“You’re from Yushan County? I’ve never been there.”

Deng Jianyuan didn’t press for wine, drinking alone—his face redder, his eyes brighter: “When young, I never had the chance; now I’m old, I dare not go—too many eyes watch me; if I leave, they panic.”

“Say.”

The old man suddenly hugged the wine jar, turning to stare blankly at Shen Yi: “Do I still have a chance to go?”

“… ”

Shen Yi fell silent, feeling that if the old man truly entertained that thought, Jiang Chengyun would be the first to pin him to his chair.

Fortunately, Deng Jianyuan seemed to expect no answer; he waved his hand: “Forget it—I don’t want to go anymore. Yong’an City is fine. If it could stay like this forever, that’d be good enough.”

After that remark, the old man became much more ordinary.

Like a frail, average elder, he began recalling the past: “When I was your age, I was lazy about training—never learned anything thoroughly, thought perfection too hard to grasp, just a little mastery was enough… and I was lucky…”

Shen Yi didn’t think the old man was being deliberately modest.

After all, nearly all second-rate powers were like this—either lucky enough to gain a rare opportunity, or took some unorthodox path; their peak came with the ancestral elder, and once he died, the family could rarely reproduce a second Golden Core, slowly sinking to third-rate status.

“Enough. Thank you for listening to this old fool’s rambling—I rarely find anyone to talk to these days. Young people nowadays rarely have your patience.”

Deng Jianyuan shook the wine jar, belched again, rose with a smile, and casually snatched the last piece of soy-braised meat: “I’m off.”

The courtyard was left alone again—just a cup of plain water, a dish…

Shen Yi stared at the empty dish, lost in thought.

Well, at least now he had a reference—Golden Core wasn’t as overwhelmingly strong as he’d assumed; this old man’s threat level was only about four or five percent higher than the Golden Body Sect’s abbot.

Even within the “Forming a Proto-Core” tier, he was borderline.

Lacking techniques, lacking killing moves—this was the norm for martial artists; the way the Demon Suppression Office cultivated Golden Core experts with cultivation methods, martial arts, and even temple purification was unimaginable to ordinary martial folk.

Not long after, Jiang Chengyun returned with Lin Rou, his expression slightly grim.

“… ”

Lin Rou, hands behind her back, whispered gently: “Jiang Boss, why rush? If you’re truly worried they’ve sensed something, you could just give him a lesson.”

Jiang Chengyun made no rebuttal, saying coldly: “I’m worried about Xiao Qiangwei.”

All this preparation was for these three likely-to-breakthrough Golden Core cubs—he didn’t want to lose even one.

After brief small talk, everyone returned to their rooms to rest.

The next morning.

At cockcrow.

A group of Deng family members surrounded the ancestral elder at the courtyard gate.

He wore luxurious robes, his thin face radiating the authority of Yong’an City’s strongest, his silver-white hair neatly combed, his bearing majestic—where was the melancholy of last night?

…

(End of Chapter)