Chapter 544: 498 Grand Banquet

The bustle and intensity of this night belonged only to the battlefield in the suburbs, while the city remained calm and tranquil.

The large dye house of Changfa Manor was even more tranquil, without a single ripple.

Things were tranquil on the Young Master's side, with only various pieces of information flowing silently; although there was unexpected news, it ultimately did not escape his grasp, so naturally, it was very calm.

On Xing Cang's side, it was even more tranquil, to the point of being eerie.

He seemed completely unaware that the assassin he had sent out had been killed in return, that he had lost his most important arm at the foot of the mountain, and that he had subsequently pushed another still-wavering Sword Guest to the opposing side; it could be called a total defeat.

He simply closed his doors and rested in silence, neither causing trouble nor doing work, like a retired old man, his ears deaf to matters outside his window, shrinking into his thick shell, waiting only for the Young Manor Master to go up the mountain before showing his face again.

As for the Young Master's side, he did not deal with him, nor did he have any interest in going over to slap his face; he only sent the idlest person to watch him, then busied himself with his own affairs...

Which was to open a banquet!

The grand banquet the Young Master spoke of, that costly and much-anticipated grand banquet, had finally begun.

The Manor Master of Wangliang Mountain, the heir to Changfa Manor, the master of numerous Sword Guests and sword slaves, the generous and hospitable Young Master Jian Chenglong, made a dazzling appearance in Yulang City.

His first move was to spend money like dirt, indulging in luxury and dissipation.

Starting from the second day, the dye house was still quiet during the day, but at night it was brightly lit with doors wide open, the fragrance of wine and meat wafting throughout the city, and precious horses and ornate carriages blocking half the street until it was impassable.

The first day of such a grand feast was fine; although it attracted attention, Yulang City was already a place where winds and clouds gathered and dragons and fish mingled, and there were many large and small banquets every day, so Changfa Manor was merely one of the more extravagant ones.

But the second day was the same, another banquet lasting until dawn, then the third day, then the fourth...

In the blink of an eye, the banquets had been held for half a month straight.

Over this half month, every person of status in the city surely knew that Changfa Manor had a New Master.

This New Master was warm and hospitable, possessed of vast wealth, and treated everyone—whether local or from afar, Manor Masters, wealthy merchants, or mysterious honored guests from various factions—as guests of honor.

At first, he started by inviting those who had friendships or some connection with the previous generation of Changfa Manor. Since the Deep Shadow Society was imminent and every manor had important figures at the foot of the mountain, this Young Master took invitations to visit them one by one and invited them to his home for warm hospitality.

Immediately after, he began inviting honored guests he had never met before; as long as he learned the name of a certain noble person, or heard someone mention that this person was good, he would have his Sword Guests take an invitation to invite them. If they accepted, he would invite them inside for good food and drink to build a friendship; even if the other party refused, he would not be the least bit annoyed, but instead would provide gifts, saying that their fate was shallow this time and hoping to meet again later.

After inviting the honored guests at the foot of the mountain, two days later, he sent his own White-haired Swordsmen who had just come down the mountain back up to receive the Manor Masters who were free on Wangliang Mountain; those who wished to attend the banquet could come down, and if it was inconvenient to come down, he would first offer gifts and wait for the Young Master to go up the mountain to host them later.

Developing to the end, the Young Master would move a chair to the door early every morning to sit, and if he saw someone passing by who caught his eye, he would personally go to invite them, regardless of their status or background, whether black or white, inner or outer, all were welcomed with a smile and brought into the room for a banquet, with fine wine and delicacies provided without stint, until late at night or dawn when host and guest were both satisfied.

Furthermore, for the grand banquets held later, he would also set up flowing banquets on the street in front of the dye house. Long tables were lined up along the street, piled with various delicacies; during the day, they were mainly fruit, cakes, and salty or sweet snacks, and at night there was wine and meat, a full set of dishes. Several lamps were lit in front of each table, and this expense alone was not small. The flowing banquets were not restricted by status; neighbors and passing merchants could all take a seat, eat, and leave. It was no different from the long sheds and grand banquets set up by wealthy families in the Central Plains for weddings or funerals, except that there were actually powerhouses like White-haired Swordsmen sitting in charge of the flowing banquets, which looked exceptionally imposing, so those thieves and robbers dared not harbor any thieving intentions.

The food for the flowing banquets was guaranteed to be fresh every day; anything not finished that day was cleared away at night and distributed to the servants and even the destitute people inside and outside the city, without the slightest regret.

After more than ten days, there was no one in Yulang City who did not know that this Young Master was hospitable, generous, and filial.

How could one tell he was filial?

Every banquet hosted by the Young Master was in the name of doing things for his own father, and the first cup of wine was always a toast to the old Manor Master. The Young Master would hold the wine in front of the banquet and weep, weeping as he recalled how wise and martial his father was, how he loved and honored him, how he had once enjoyed his father's company, and how regretful he was that he could not see his father one last time upon returning, only wishing to invite everyone to toast his father in the underworld first to comfort the old man's heart. And when he was tipsy from the wine, the Young Master would also cry his heart out, truly displaying the sincere heart of a devoted son.

As for how a son could eat and drink luxuriously when his father had died?

Sorry, this is Wangliang Mountain, this is Yulang, not the Central Plains. There is no such thing as mourning, abstaining from wine, or eating vegetarian food. Not only did the Young Master eat and drink himself, but he also set an empty seat for his father at the banquet, saying that his father loved making friends during his lifetime, and letting him participate in the banquet to see new and old friends every day would allow him to smile in the afterlife.

What did everyone say?

Naturally, they praised him unanimously.

Eating fine wine and delicacies, taking gold and silver jewelry, what fault could they find? Any moral gentleman who was consistent in word and deed would not come to Wangliang Mountain anyway.

After each banquet ended, the Young Master would say that he would hold another grand banquet to entertain everyone on the day of the funeral on the mountain, and asked everyone to do him the honor of attending; everyone promised without exception that they would definitely be there on that day. If even one-tenth of these people actually came, Changfa Manor might not be able to accommodate them.

On this night, the fragrance of wine once again filled the mouth of the alley, the lanterns were just lit, and the high candles cast a hazy glow; the halo mixed with the aroma of wine and meat, accompanied by the noisy sound of guests at the banquet shouting and clinking glasses, created an atmosphere where one felt as if they were in a dream, unaware of what time it was.

A woman walked alone through the alley; she was so quiet, standing in stark contrast to the bustle spilling out from beside her.

Jiang Shenyi, who was presiding over the flowing banquet outside, was directing several children in their teens to serve wine and food; he turned his head, saw the woman, a flash of surprise crossed his face, and he smiled: "A rare guest. Long time no see."

The woman gently smoothed her gray hair, her expression calm, and said: "Long time no see. Are you all well? Is Alie well?"

Jiang Shenyi said: "We are doing quite well. You can see, we have food and drink, and are carefree. As for Alie, how could she not be well? Even without mentioning that you entrusted her to our care, she was brought by us; would we mistreat her? Look, children of similar age are all working, but she doesn't have to."

That woman was naturally Chi Mingjing; ever since she went to save Xing Wu that night, she had only returned once, which was to send Feng Zhilie back, and then she went out alone.

She had been gone for more than ten days.

She had a cooperative relationship with this side, and in theory, they should not interfere with each other, so Tang Zhao and the others did not ask where she had gone. Even if she never returned, it wouldn't matter, as long as she didn't get in the way.

In fact, from the news brought by the white fox, Tang Zhao had also guessed where she had gone.

He heard that her target had gone down the mountain and found a place to do things.

It was just unexpected that she would actually return.

In theory, the cooperation between the two sides had not been dissolved, and had not even officially begun, so Jiang Shenyi could not stop her from entering the door when Chi Mingjing acted as if she were returning home; at most, he was curious whether she had succeeded or failed on this trip.

But it was ultimately inconvenient to ask in detail, so Jiang Shenyi only asked one sentence: "It's good that you're back. Are you hungry? Have something hot."

Chi Mingjing was startled, suddenly stopped in her tracks, stood quietly for a while, and said: "Alright."

Near Jiang Shenyi's position was a banquet table, and on the table were hot dishes that had just been served. At this time, the chill of the night had not yet dissipated, so two steaming pots were served, one braised with mutton and one stewed with tofu. Chi Mingjing took a bowl, served herself a bowl of steaming hot soup and food, and first picked up a piece of hot tofu and took a bite. A clever child nearby stepped forward and poured her hot milk tea.

As she was eating, a burst of cheers erupted from behind the dye house, and clearly something worth getting excited about had happened at the banquet.

This sound was not small, but the people at the table did not care. It was just something at the banquet; it couldn't be that big, perhaps it was just someone picking up a large bowl and drinking it all in one gulp, which could trigger laughter and shouting from the whole table.

Chi Mingjing had actually stayed in the suburbs for a few days, but she had also vaguely heard about the nightly banquets here, and asked: "By the way, who came today?"

Jiang Shenyi said: "More than a dozen guests came today; you might know the main guests, they are the two Manor Heads from Changyi Manor."

Just hearing a 'clatter', it was the spoon in Chi Mingjing's hand falling onto the table. Because the surroundings were full of noisy sounds, no one paid any attention.

The calm and even comfortable demeanor Chi Mingjing had before was swept away; her eyebrows stood upright, and she gritted her teeth: "So they are here... they are actually here!"

In the moment Jiang Shenyi was startled, Chi Mingjing had already stood up and darted into the back room with lightning speed.

Only half a bowl of vegetable soup that was still steaming remained.

Chi Mingjing was both angry and happy in her heart; she was angry that she had wasted a lot of effort, and happy that she had finally found them.

Passing through the front courtyard, she saw that the back hall was brightly lit and even noisier.

She had been impulsive just now, wishing she could rush over immediately, but when she reached the place, she calmed down; she did not enter the door directly, but circled to a side door used for serving food and wine to peek into the main hall.

Approaching the side door, she immediately smelled a scent of blood.

Chi Mingjing's heart tightened, and she thought to herself: Aren't they drinking? Why is there a scent of blood? Did a conflict break out in the main hall, turning it into a slaughterhouse?

Then the voice of Wei Se was heard from inside saying softly: "That's enough, carry him away. Go to the side room and hand him over to Zisu."

Footsteps approached, and it was two youths carefully carrying a person covered in blood as they came out.

Chi Mingjing stepped aside to avoid them and glanced over; he did not recognize the person, only feeling that he was very young, still able to be called a youth, and although he looked severely injured, he still had breath.

Entering the side door, he saw that in a small room partitioned off by a screen, Wei Se was washing his hands in a basin, the entire basin of water having been dyed the color of blood. Beside him, a box contained bandages, medicines, and the like, which should have just been used.

Beside him sat a boy, half his body covered in fresh blood, yet his expression was very calm. On a face that was young, or even one could say juvenile, it was as if he had already become numb to blood.

Chi Mingjing felt he looked somewhat familiar, seemingly one of the four precious slaves brought by that YoungMaster, but upon seeing those eyes, his heart gave a jolt, as if he had seen himself at a certain period, and he Ask: "What? Did you kill someone at the banquet?"