Chapter 116: Pei Yu

The group stepped out, and around the corner stood a wine tower, quite tall among the buildings of the capital.

Sheng Yuanyao did not stop, leading them straight past it.

"Hey, hey, hey," Lu Xingzhou called out strangely, stopping her: "Is this wine tower not good? The building looks quite tall."

"This is called Misty Rain Tower, seven stories high, a famous tower in the capital. The wine and food are naturally delicious, and there are some rare delicacies," Sheng Yuanyao said leisurely: "If one can reach the top floor to overlook the misty rain, taste wine and discuss literature, it counts as a sight."

"Then why not eat at this place?" Pei Chuyun heard this and felt her heart stir: "Sounds very good, hey."

"Because your Young Master sits in a wheelchair. Do you really want to carry him up seven floors? Just find a private room on the first floor to eat."

Pei Chuyun: "... Actually, I can do it."

It was all because of this rascal's boring groin kick that made it inconvenient for everyone to eat.

Sheng Yuanyao said: "It is not easy to go up. One must fight on every floor; only by defeating the guards on each floor can one proceed. So although the top floor has no private rooms and everyone views the scenery on one level, none who come and go are commoners."

This time it was Lu Xingzhou who felt stirred: "How strong is the highest guard? Could it be one grade per floor, finally reaching third grade?"

"No, a third-grade cultivator is a guest of honor wherever they go; how could there be any obstruction? The last three floors are merely the lower, middle, and upper stages of fifth grade, not even reaching fourth grade. The original intent was to screen young talents for recruitment and training. Young people who reach fourth grade are often already at the forefront of the New Talent List; why would they need this wine tower to screen them?"

"Does this wine tower have a strong background? Ordinary people cannot play such tricks."

"The Pei family," Sheng Yuanyao said: "Actually, I was just speaking. For instance, if I really wanted to go up, I wouldn't need to fight... after all, it is a place that values connections."

Upon hearing the Pei family mentioned, Lu Xingzhou and Pei Chuyun exchanged a glance: "Then this is the place."

"... I don't want to fight; you two do."

"Is your face worth that little?"

Sheng Yuanyao said impatiently: "If you were my attendants, no. But you are external guests."

Lu Xingzhou laughed helplessly: "So you mean I just need to fight, and the two of them don't have to."

Sheng Yuanyao looked him up and down: "Hey, you just arrived. Are you really going to make such a scene?"

"Since I came to the capital, I am destined to make a scene. Don't you still want to eat melon..." Lu Xingzhou leisurely turned his wheelchair: "Let's go."

"Oh, Young Lady Sheng." As soon as they entered the wine tower, the Shopkeeper rushed forward: "Young Lady Sheng, it has been quite some time since you last came."

Sheng Yuanyao said: "I want to go to the seventh floor. These few are my attendants, and the one sitting in the wheelchair is my idle servant, Little Gou."

Lu Xingzhou: "..."

The Shopkeeper looked at Lu Xingzhou with a half-smile: "Then follow me."

Even Sheng Yuanyao was stunned for a moment. She had only been joking, never expecting they really wouldn't have to fight. Was the rule of Misty Rain Tower so loose now?

The Shopkeeper added: "This Mr. Lu only needs to fight the last floor. The previous floors are just to screen nameless people. Mr. Lu is already famous on the New Talent List; there is no need to fight slowly."

Sheng Yuanyao's face burned hot, and she stuck her neck out: "What Lu? I said he is a dog, so he is a dog."

"Fine, fine, fine. Whatever Young Lady Sheng says he is, he is," the Shopkeeper said with a smile, leading them up the stairs: "Mainly because Young Master Pei is treating guests on the top floor today, so I cannot act on my own authority. Otherwise, just for Young Lady Sheng's sake, everyone would be exempt from fighting."

Sheng Yuanyao's expression shifted: "Who is Pei Yu treating?"

"Seventh on the New Talent List, a twenty-two-year-old upper-stage fourth grade, Chu Qingchen of the Wanhua Sword Sect."

"Not bad," Sheng Yuanyao looked quite pleased: "I will go and get to know him too."

Upon reaching the stairs, A'nuo was about to carry the wheelchair, but Pei Chuyun helplessly stopped her: "I'll do it."

Letting a child carry this, my role as a maid would be in vain.

Sheng Yuanyao glanced at Pei Chuyun panting and hauling the wheelchair up seven floors, finding it quite amusing in her heart; this green tea was also quite cute...

Lu Xingzhou was asking: "Hey, why is it that both are twenty-two-year-old upper-stage fourth grades, yet Chu Qingchen is seventh while Shen Tang is only thirtieth?"

Actually, Shen Tang is already third grade now, absolutely capable of slaughtering this Chu Qingchen.

Sheng Yuanyao sighed: "Because your Shen Tang has a broken leg. Can he really be compared with those of the same grade?"

Lu Xingzhou snorted twice: "That is not necessarily so. How can one calculate it like that?"

While speaking, they quickly arrived before the seventh-floor stairs, where a middle-aged man was guarding the spot.

The Shopkeeper stepped aside: "Does Mr. Lu wish to challenge? Mr. Zhang is an upper-stage fifth grade, while you are only a middle-stage sixth grade, and your body is inconvenient. If you do not wish to challenge, the sixth floor is not bad either."

Lu Xingzhou said: "Just let Young Lady Sheng see if sitting in a wheelchair affects fighting."

Sheng Yuanyao stepped aside with interest, while Pei Chuyun rolled her eyes, too lazy to even look.

Ordinary fifth-grade cultivators might not even be able to defeat Huo Lu; the skills Huo Lu learned are very high. He was played by Lu Xingzhou like a newbie, yet still had the energy to design a trap to catch himself. How could ordinary cultivators play with Lu Xingzhou...

Moreover, Lu Xingzhou was no longer the middle-stage sixth grade people knew. Right in this carriage traveling and sightseeing, he quietly reached upper-stage sixth grade. These small breakthroughs that were hurdles for ordinary people were almost no hurdle for Lu Xingzhou.

At the moment of breakthrough, he was secretly holding Pei Chuyun's hand under the excuse of getting some snacks. She slapped him backhand; Lu Xingzhou was startled and parried rapidly, and thus broke through...

That Mr. Zhang looked at Lu Xingzhou, with barely visible contempt in his eyes: "Mr. Lu, right? You strike first."

"Really let me strike first?" Lu Xingzhou smiled: "That would be improper."

Mr. Zhang waved his hand: "It is customary for the guest to strike first."

"In that case, Mr. Zhang, be careful." Lu Xingzhou clenched his fist like a newbie, with almost no energy gathering visible.

Mr. Zhang glanced over, too lazy to make any defense.

A fist struck out, silent and soundless.

Mr. Zhang casually blocked it, and with a "Bang," he was knocked backward, crashing into the wall.

The wall seemed reinforced by a formation, very sturdy; otherwise, a normal wine tower would have collapsed long ago.

"If you had said it was reinforced earlier, I wouldn't have held back," Lu Xingzhou withdrew his fist and turned to the stunned Shopkeeper: "Can we go up now?"

The Shopkeeper came to his senses as if waking from a dream and apologized with a smile: "Yes, yes."

Laughter came from the stairs: "Judging by Brother Lu's strength, he should not stay on the supplementary list of Alchemists; he should have entered the main New Talent List long ago. The Demon Suppression Bureau's intelligence is unqualified."

Sheng Yuanyao felt very ashamed: "Hey, the intelligence on Lu Xingzhou's strength was submitted by me."

"Ha... then Brother Lu was hiding his strength in Xiazhou."

Lu Xingzhou looked up. A gentle and refined young master in white robes bowed to him: "Pei Yu of Hedong greets Brother Lu."

Lu Xingzhou instinctively wanted to turn his head to look at Pei Chuyun, trying to see if the two shared any similar features, but forced himself to stop. He bowed and said: "Pleased to meet you. Brother Pei is only one year older than me, yet has already broken through to fourth grade, ranking twelfth on the New Talent List. This is truly a dragon and phoenix among men; I, Lu, am not worthy to compare."

"The true dragon among men should be the one Lord Lu assists," Pei Yu said politely, gesturing with a "after you" motion.

Pei Chuyun wheeled the chair upstairs, brushing past Pei Yu as if utterly indifferent.

As Sheng Yuanyao said, the top floor had no private rooms—only four tables, one at each corner, spaced far apart. There were no walls on the upper level; leaning on the railing, one could gaze into the misty rain, taking in the entire capital's view, and it felt deeply satisfying.

At this moment, only Pei Yu's table was occupied; Sheng Yuanyao led Lu Xingzhou's group to sit at the neighboring table.

Lu Xingzhou quietly transmitted a voice message to Pei Chuyun: "How is it? Does it feel like him?"

Pei Chuyun shook his head, unable to tell.

After all, men and women are different; insisting on likeness or difference is inevitably biased. But Pei Yu was indeed handsome—none of these aristocratic young masters or young ladies were ugly; their genes had been refined over generations, making ugliness nearly impossible, and in a cultivation world, one's skin and aura always improved.

Sheng Yuanyao was ordering dishes from the menu, while across the table, Pei Yu laughed: "I was wondering whether we should combine tables—nobody's here but a few of us."

Lu Xingzhou smiled: "If I socialize too closely with Young Master Pei, it might not be wise."

Pei Yu snorted: "That business with the Huo family? Even without Lord Lu, we've always disliked them. What you did was a joy to us—we've wanted to invite you for a drink already."

Lu Xingzhou glanced at Sheng Yuanyao, seeking her opinion. She gazed at the menu, calmly saying: "If your Pei family wants to host, we can arrange another time. Lu Xingzhou will be staying in Jingcheng for a long while—he's not leaving today. I'm hosting a reunion with my old friend's heavy 【burden】; I won't yield this seat."

In truth, Sheng Yuanyao didn't want to grow too close to the Pei family and refused to be drawn too deeply into factional struggles.

Pei Yu understood, laughing wryly: "Little Miss Sheng still has no patience for giving others face. Fine—we'll arrange another time."

After finishing her order, Sheng Yuanyao handed the menu away, leaned back in her chair, and smiled at Lu Xingzhou: "You actually asked for my opinion? I thought you were eager to rush over and conspire with the Pei family."

Lu Xingzhou smiled: "You're my friend—they aren't."

Sheng Yuanyao was very satisfied: "Your affairs? I'll just watch from the sidelines—don't drag me in. But small things, like giving your green tea a false identity—you can ask me. I'm no longer a commander with real authority, but my rank is higher now."

"What's your current position?"

"Public order and bandit suppression," Sheng Yuanyao sighed. "In Jingcheng, major cases involving powerful cultivators never fall to us. We mostly handle petty theft, ordinary brawls, and common murders… even those are mostly the government office Runners' work. We rarely get assigned anything—just a lazy meal."

Lu Xingzhou laughed: "You hate being sent out to govern a region, yet you beg to return to Jingcheng. When you're back here, you complain you have no outlet. Why do you do this to yourself?"

Sheng Yuanyao said: "Other things are fine, but whenever I'm idle, my family pushes me into matchmaking—it's maddening. Now I regret coming back…"

Lu Xingzhou subtly pointed toward Pei Yu's table: "That one seems suitable. Is he married?"

"He's long been married," Sheng Yuanyao scoffed. "His family's status is too high—it's not for me."

"Oh? So you actually considered it?"

"Which eligible young man haven't I considered?" Sheng Yuanyao glared. "You're not being forced into marriage—what do you know?"

Lu Xingzhou was about to reply when footsteps climbed the stairs again.

Everyone instinctively fell silent and turned. A young man strode in, his gaze sweeping the room before settling on Lu Xingzhou's face for a long moment. He said coolly: "My father requests you come to the mansion for a meeting, Mr. Lu."

Lu Xingzhou poured himself wine, not looking up: "Who's your father?"

The newcomer replied proudly: "My father is the Marquis of Zhenyuan."

The entire floor fell utterly silent—only the soft trickle of Lu Xingzhou pouring wine could be heard.

The Marquis of Zhenyuan—Huo Xingyuan.

This young man was Young Master Huo Five, Huo Jin.

Pei Yu watched Lu Xingzhou with interest. Lu Xingzhou sipped his wine calmly: "I wondered who had such poor manners, interrupting a meal. Now I know—it's the Huo family. That explains everything…"

Huo Jin's face darkened: "I came personally to invite you—I've shown you every courtesy. Don't refuse the wine and take the punishment."

"You came personally?" Lu Xingzhou drawled lazily. "What are you, exactly? Go tell your father: I find Huo family meals nauseating. I won't go."

Huo Jin was momentarily at a loss for a reply.

He hadn't imagined Lu Xingzhou would skip even the pretense of politeness—openly defying the Huo family the moment he arrived in the capital… Didn't he fear dying in some dark alley?

(End of Chapter)