Chapter 130: 125 Birthday Banquet (Part 2)

After switching to a new table, everyone initially went through the motions of wishing Hua Xifu a happy birthday and presenting their gifts. Hua Xifu could not help but feel flattered; although the gifts from the True Jade Disciples were mostly devoid of sentiment, their mere presence was already quite prestigious.

After the gift-giving, Hua Xifu also left. With only the True Jade Disciples left at the table, the conversation shifted. They first chatted about what Shi Chunqing had seen and heard on his recent trip, then quickly steered the topic toward the upcoming journey to Jianzhou.

The Seventh Senior Brother, Qin Haizhou, said, "Jianzhou is the ancestral land of all Sword Smiths in the world, and a holy land in our dreams. For us Talisman Sword Masters who cannot become Sword Smiths, this might be our only chance in a lifetime to step foot in Jianzhou. Eighth, Ninth, you two must cherish this."

Beside him, Deng Chong, who was about the same age, said coldly, "Just because you can't become a Sword Smith in your lifetime doesn't mean others can't. What kind of defeatist talk is that?"

Qin Haizhou chuckled and said, "When I said 'us,' I mainly meant you and me. Especially you. What, did I touch a sore spot? Then let me be blunt: you won't become one in this life, the next life, or the life after that."

Deng Chong said, "Then that would be your next life, the life after that, and the life after that..."

Shi Chunqing said, "Enough—are you two being childish? Do you still think you're little kids?" He also sighed a little—these two junior brothers were less than a year apart in age, joined the sect one after the other, and were true childhood friends. They had no deep-seated grudges and had been quite close when they were young. He didn't know from which year they had suddenly fallen out, or how they had stepped by step reached the point of being at each other's throats. Now that the Eighth and Ninth Junior Brothers were getting along well, he hoped they wouldn't learn from these two bad examples.

Deng Chong turned his head and said, "Two junior brothers, I have a heartfelt word of advice for you. Your natural talent is of course good, but Jianzhou is full of heaven's proud sons who may not be any worse than you. Moreover, our Zhuoyu Villa is a small, humble sect; how can we compare our foundation to those great sects that have stood for hundreds or thousands of years? After you go, be steady and keep a low profile. Answer only what people ask you, and wait until the end to pick souvenirs from the storehouse. Those are all rare treasures you'll rarely see in a lifetime. But if you provoke others at will, acting all defiant and resentful, don't blame others if you get beaten up."

This was again pointed, and Qin Haizhou followed up with a cold laugh: "But you can't be too cowardly either, not daring to lift your head when someone points at your nose and curses you. Before, you wouldn't stop talking about your family, but when someone cursed your ancestors back a dozen generations, you didn't dare to say a single word in return. It was clear you were a soft persimmon; if people don't bully you, who would they bully? And talking about picking souvenirs—after you pick them, you get blocked on the road, hand over the souvenirs with both hands, and end up with nothing. That's a small matter, but in the end, you become a laughingstock known throughout all of Jianzhou."

Deng Chong raised his eyes and said, "A laughingstock, I wonder who is being laughed at. Is it the one who was beaten until he was crawling and fell headfirst into a pond?"

Qin Haizhou said, "It must be the one who, as soon as someone arrived, crouched in the bushes and didn't dare to lift his head for half an hour after everyone else had left."

Deng Chong said, "It must be..."

Xue Yeyu suddenly called out, "Azhao!"

Tang Zhao turned his head. Xue Yeyu lowered her voice and said, "Think of some way to soundproof this."

Tang Zhao tilted his head and looked; there was still a certain distance between the two tables. Usually, the people at that table wouldn't be able to hear, but he was worried that among them were those with decent martial arts and sharp hearing who could hear the conversation here clearly.

It would be best to not only block the sound but also the line of sight.

He looked around and saw two potted plants nearby. He moved them over, blocking the front of the table one on the left and one on the right, then tore off a Talisman Page and wrapped it around the flowering trees.

Rune Formula—Lush Vegetation!

The branches of the flowering trees grew rapidly, and the leaves and flowers expanded. The branches and leaves intertwined, instantly forming a screen that isolated the two tables from each other. The screen was emerald green and dripping with vitality, dotted with flowers, with waves of fragrance, as if they were in a Huayuan.

Xue Yeyu breathed a sigh of relief. This move was truly beautiful; not only did it block the wine table, but it also improved the environment, somewhat salvaging the image of the True Jade Disciples in the hearts of the young disciples.

Shi Chunqing stood up and shouted, "You two keep talking; I'd like to know what other embarrassing things happened back then that we don't know about? It would be best if you spoke even louder so that all the children at that table can hear! You only have skill in your mouths. Look at your junior brother's Rune Formula; never mind back then, can you do it this cleanly and efficiently even now? With only this much ability, you still have the nerve to spout nonsense in front of your junior brother!"

The two looked at each other and were momentarily speechless.

Tang Zhao sighed. These two senior brothers were a pair of "Crouching Dragon and Fledgling Phoenix," natural-born rivals. Not only were they at odds themselves, but they had also split the disciples below them.

Letting White Jade Disciples study with fixed True Jade Disciples was originally meant for schoolwork, with the idea of "Teaching Assistants helping to guide students," but it unexpectedly created natural camps.

Now, starting from the White Jade Disciples, the disciples below were roughly divided into two factions. The faction under Qin Haizhou, which Tang Zhao called the "Liver" faction, was mostly from commoner backgrounds and prioritized hard study. Deng Chong's faction could be called the "Krypton" faction; they came from higher backgrounds and were more willing to spend money on materials. The remaining disciples could only follow the Fifth Senior Sister, Fu Qinghuan, which was the "Fish" faction—being a salted fish.

But this wasn't just a difference in learning methods; it was true factionalism, infighting, and bullying. Both sides were at loggerheads in every field, fighting like gamecocks. It was only because Shi Chunqing and Xue Yeyu were still above them and could manage them to some extent, plus the two knew their limits, that the intensity was kept under control and didn't blow up.

Tang Zhao disliked this kind of struggle, but he was a junior and couldn't manage his senior brothers' affairs. Furthermore, he had a detached status and focused on his studies, so these struggles didn't affect him.

Setting that aside, in terms of background and learning attitude, Tang Zhao naturally felt closer to the Liver faction, but he would also do business with Krypton faction disciples, and his relationship with both senior brothers was okay. At least they had never had a falling out.

After Shi Chunqing's outburst, everyone turned back to drinking and eating. Tang Zhao maintained the atmosphere and toasted a few times. As everyone ate and drank, the awkwardness gradually faded.

When he toasted Deng Chong's side, Deng Chong drank the wine, then hesitated to speak. Tang Zhao said, "Senior Brother, is there something the matter?"

Deng Chong hesitated for a moment and said, "A small matter, I'll tell you in private later."

Then he heard Qin Haizhou say from the side, "Just say it, why hide it? There's nothing that can't be said to others... *hic*..."

Tang Zhao looked and saw that Qin Haizhou was actually flushed red from drinking, his tongue thick when he spoke. He quickly said, "Senior Brother has had too much to drink, why not go back and rest?"

Qin Haizhou shook his head and said, "I'm not going back, I want to drink more. I haven't had too much... *hic*!" A puff of wine breath sprayed out, and his eyes actually welled up with water.

Deng Chong had actually drunk quite a bit too, but his face was pale, so it didn't show. He suddenly pointed at Qin Haizhou and said, "Haha, you're crying! You coward, you drank until you cried!"

Qin Haizhou jumped up with a start and shouted, "Coward, you call me a coward? Who's the coward?! It's because of you, you coward, who didn't dare to fight back when bullied, that our Zhuoyu Villa can't hold its head up! To stand up for you, I fought so many people alone and was stepped on under their feet... You, why are you so cowardly!" As he spoke, he grabbed Deng Chong by the collar.

Deng Chong's heartstrings were also touched. He immediately twisted back and shouted, "It's all because of you, you idiot—if it weren't to save your dog life, would I have endured that? Even the face of our sect was lost completely... Why can't you be a bit more sensible? Idiot, idiot!"

As the two spoke, they were already wrestling together. Chairs were overturned, half the tablecloth was pulled down, and cups and plates clattered loudly.

Tang Zhao and Jiang Shenyi were right next to them and rushed up to pin one down each. Deng Chong was fine; his reason was still there, and he stopped moving once Tang Zhao pressed him back into his chair. Qin Haizhou was already drunk out of his mind and kept struggling even when Jiang Shenyi pinned him against the flower tree wall. But he wasn't Jiang Shenyi's match even when sober, let alone drunk; he just kept making a scene.

He shouted, "Let go of me, let go of me! Jiang Shenyi, you come from a wealthy and powerful family, are you siding with the one surnamed Deng too?"

This was just drunken nonsense. Jiang Shenyi didn't need to answer, but unexpectedly, he replied, "I am not."

Then Jiang Shenyi said, "My family is not a wealthy and powerful one; they are all dead."

Tang Zhao turned his head in shock to look at Jiang Shenyi's profile. He saw that his expression was calmer than usual, but Tang Zhao felt that he had also drunk too much, because the corners of his mouth were upturned, as if he were smiling. Then he heard him whisper, "If you make a mistake, you have to be punished."

*Whoosh—Boom! *

A loud explosion sounded outside; it was the sound of fireworks.

Tang Zhao felt as if he had been granted an amnesty and said loudly, "It's time for the fireworks! There are fireworks outside, let's all go out and watch together."

Taking advantage of everyone going out, Tang Zhao quietly asked Jiang Shenyi to take Qin Haizhou back. It just so happened that Jiang Shenyi had also drunk several cups, so he could go back to rest after dropping him off.

Before leaving, Qin Haizhou was actually streaming with tears. He grabbed Tang Zhao's hand and cried like a child, saying, "It's all because we were useless and lost the face of the Villa. We were bullied for nothing and couldn't pay it back in a lifetime, only able to be angry with ourselves. Don't learn from us; you must win some glory for Master..."

Tang Zhao held his hand back and said, "I know. Whatever grudges there were back then, we will repay them for you." Jiang Shenyi added from the side, "Repay them a hundredfold."

Above Qingyan Valley, strings of fireworks burst open, colorful and dreamlike, without a single unpleasant color.

Hua Xifu looked up at the sky, her face full of joy.

Xue Yeyu was also very surprised. Although they weren't set off for her, she couldn't help but feel happy in her heart, saying, "Is this really not Azhao's sweetheart? He put in so much effort."

Shi Chunqing looked up at the sky and said, "He really did put in a lot of effort. Junior Brother is a thoughtful person."

Tang Zhao was also watching the fireworks. These fireworks were bought by him through Shopkeeper Liu, and he had only brought them up after coming down the mountain this time. The effect was truly good.

I wonder...

If he used fireworks to advertise the Boutique Shop in the city, would the effect be good?

Just as he was thinking, a flower was suddenly thrown over and hit Tang Zhao on the shoulder. Tang Zhao turned his head and saw a woman in red standing in the night under a large tree in the distance. Her figure was hazy, as if wrapped in a thin mist.

He was slightly pleasantly surprised and ran over.

"You came?"