Chapter 212: Who Is the Host and Who Is the Guest

Above the clouds, Lu Xingzhou sat in a wheelchair with Shen Tang in his lap, forcibly turning the wheelchair into a couple's airship as they leisurely returned to the sect.

If Wu Jianchen saw this, he would never dare believe that the little woman nestled in her lover's arms was the same enemy sect leader who had just shattered his sect's main hall with a single sword strike, utterly domineering.

"As you said, running over to cause this fuss, is it really useful?" Shen Tang muttered, "Why do I feel this not only offends people more, but also fails to remove the future threat... It would have been better to kill them."

"Oh, my little sect leader, your killing intent is still quite heavy."

"... I am older than you!"

"Fine, fine, fine, sister."

Shen Tang pouted slightly, then sighed: "When have I ever wanted such heavy killing intent... But in this world, for a sect to rise, it must advance stepping on blood and fire. I have already suffered the losses of being too soft-hearted."

Lu Xingzhou smiled: "Different opponents require different tactics. Even if we dominate a thousand li of land in the future, it is impossible to kill every sect below us clean; we need different responses. Believe me, handling the Cangshan Sword Sect this way is more suitable than killing them."

"Hmm..."

"The Cangshan Sword Sect is merely a fourth-grade sect, while we are already a third-grade powerful sect. Since the Huayua Sword Sect connection exists, Wu Jianchen cannot use his own backing and is naturally inferior and timid towards us; we only need to suppress him with authority so he dares not make waves. Conversely, if we really killed their people, we would exhaust that Huayua Sword Sect connection entirely, and then our opponents might not be limited to this mere fourth-grade sect. At the same time, we would give Wu Jianchen an object to vent his anger..."

Shen Tang interjected: "The reason we have conflicts is because bad people are stirring things up..."

The young couple grinned in unison.

"What about the others?" Shen Tang asked, "The ones who truly need to see blood should be the Dongjiang Gang, right?"

"The Dongjiang Gang depends on the situation... I feel the ones who truly need to see blood are probably the Lingyun Gate."

"Why?"

"The Lingyun Gate and we have already seen blood before; logically, their grudge is the heaviest, and they will be more proactive in this opportunity. Look, the Dongjiang Gang had to deliberately drag the Cangshan Sword Sect into it, yet they didn't need to drag the Lingyun Gate... But so far, they have made no move, probably saving up for something big. A dog that bites doesn't bark... Plus, they have the Chunshan Pavilion behind them."

"Anyway, I'm too lazy to think, you think for me."

"Fine, fine, fine." Lu Xingzhou rested his head on her shoulder: "Then I want a reward."

Shen Tang turned her head and pecked him once.

Lu Xingzhou's hand accurately grasped the steering wheel.

Shen Tang shivered, struggling carefully: "It's broad daylight, outside..."

"It's so high in the sky, who can see..."

"Th-then that won't do either." Shen Tang scolded, "What if someone else is flying and happens to pass by!"

Lu Xingzhou sighed and withdrew his hand listlessly.

Shen Tang scolded, "What, did Pei Chuyun not feed you enough?"

"Why bring that up again..."

Seeing his listless, little puppy-dog look, Shen Tang found it amusing: "Alright, after today's matters are done, sister will reward you."

Lu Xingzhou blinked.

Pei Chuyun indeed hadn't fed him enough, but they had researched many fancy tricks together that could be put to use now...

Now he only hoped the Dongjiang Gang's troublemaking wouldn't start too soon... Hadn't they requested help from Prince Jin and the Huo family? A round trip to the capital would take a long time; just wait and see.

Just as he thought this, below the clouds, a convoy of carriages like ants became visible on the road, already about to arrive at Xiazhou.

Pressing down through the clouds to look closely, the convoy's flags bore the large characters "Dongjiang" and "Shi".

They arrived really fast.

Lu Xingzhou suddenly found it amusing: "They directly call themselves the Dongjiang Gang, hanging 'Dongjiang' on their flags; it seems there are some benefits. When transporting goods outside, others might think it's an official convoy from Dongjiang Commandery, avoiding many troubles."

Shen Tang smiled: "Perhaps they had that intention too."

"If they did, it shows they lack confidence."

Outside the city gate, a voice from a Tianxing Sword Sect disciple sounded: "Leader Shi, my lord is at Songfeng Tower to welcome you all."

Shi Tielong said coldly, "Would Shen Tang have such good intentions? I'm afraid she just wants to give me a warning shot."

The Tianxing Sword Sect disciple replied without being humble or arrogant: "My lord said that regarding the Incense Burning Tower incident that day, Leader Shi fought alongside us, so there is camaraderie. Now that Leader Shi has traveled far as a guest, our Bi Sect must, by both emotion and reason, act as the host. As for the things Leader Shi worries about..."

He paused, then sneered: "My lord is a figure like a heavenly immortal; his magnanimity is beyond the understanding of ordinary mortals. Whether Leader Shi goes or not is Leader Shi's own judgment; I have delivered the message and will take my leave."

"This disciple is good!" Lu Xingzhou bit Shen Tang's ear while saying "heavenly immortal": "Where did you dig this disciple up from?"

Shen Tang shrank back as if afraid of tickling: "These are the original disciples of my Tianxing Sword Sect; now they are all elites. After all, tempered by blood and fire, having climbed out of a dead-end valley, they are indeed different from other disciples."

Lu Xingzhou said, "Resources should also be tilted towards them more; they deserve it."

"I know." Shen Tang turned to ask with a smile, "Don't you think my favoritism will be detrimental to the sect?"

"This is your basic support base; even if you favor them several times more, others won't be able to say anything. Besides, I believe you won't go too far." Shen Tang's smiling eyes curved: "I'm not afraid of what others say, I'm afraid of what you say."

"I will only say, my lord, you should go to Songfeng Tower. I will go invite the Prefect."

When Shi Tielong, bringing his uncle Shi Zhong, a group of Canglan Sect experts, and over a dozen high-level elites from his own gang, surged into Songfeng Tower, only Shen Tang was sitting quietly in the private room drinking tea.

Seeing so many people from Shi Tielong, Shen Tang was momentarily stunned, then laughed: "No wonder it's a big gang; quite imposing."

Shi Tielong: "..."

"Everyone, please sit." Shen Tang made a "please" gesture.

Shi Tielong really suspected five hundred axe-wielding soldiers were buried nearby; otherwise, why was Shen Tang so calm? There were second-grade experts here, plus a group of third-grade ones; did Shen Tang not want her life?

In the middle of introductions, he said: "This is my uncle, Elder Shi Zhong of the Canglan Sect."

Shen Tang looked at Shi Zhong's white hair and beard, smiled slightly, and said, "Long heard of you."

Yet she didn't even bow.

Shi Zhong could even see the contempt hidden in Shen Tang's eyes and found it incredible.

You, a third-grade, discriminating against me, a second-grade?

Shen Tang really did discriminate against him, this second-grade, because a person's appearance can prove many things. Generally, after entering the middle three grades, aging slows down; for example, someone in their forties might look thirty, but they will eventually grow old. Only by breaking through to third grade can one maintain eternal youth, which is also considered seizing the creation of heaven and earth, thus causing a minor heavenly tribulation.

Most who can be considered talents should break through to third grade in their prime, like Gu Zhanting, who looks only in his early thirties, an old general. As for someone like the Imperial Preceptor, who has eternal youth in her twenties, no matter how you look at her, she is just a big sister.

This Shi Zhong before her had white hair and beard; considering he had previously delayed aging, it shows the age at which he broke through to third grade was even older, at least seventy or eighty. He wasn't even as good as Shi Tielong, who at least broke through to third grade in middle age.

With such talent, his future is very limited; second grade is probably the end of his life, and reaching first grade would be very difficult. Of course, it cannot be ruled out that there are a few late bloomers who find the true meaning of cultivation more easily as they get older after struggling in early cultivation, but such people are not many.

And she, Shen Tang, broke through to third grade at twenty-two—before the prodigies Du Guo Qingli and Pei Chuyun's twin stars rose to third grade—Shen Tang was unprecedented, faster even than the State Tutor, and thus had every right to look down on those who broke through only at seventy or eighty.

The true prodigy is Yuan Muyu, but the world doesn't know how young she was when she broke third grade, so she has to wear a Yama mask to frighten people. Only Lu Nuonu might one day break her record.

Shen Tang's seat was on the left of the main position—the host's place for guests. Shi Zhong's face was grim; he sat directly in the main seat: "Master Shen…"

Shen Tang suddenly raised her hand to stop him: "Mr. Shi, this seat is not yours."

The words stuck in Shi Zhong's throat; his body was still half-bowed, his eyes dark and menacing: "Master Shen, are you deliberately humiliating us?"

"Mr. Shi misunderstands. I have no leisure to humiliate irrelevant people. This seat is indeed occupied."

Shi TieLong roared: "You don't mean to say you invited the Dongjiang Gang—we're the main guests? This is my uncle!"

"The Dongjiang Gang is indeed a guest, but I never said you were the main guest," Shen Tang smiled faintly. "When your gang entered Xiazhou, I was pleased and wished to foster mutual development with allied gangs, so I invited important figures to meet and know each other. But I never expected Brother Shi to overestimate himself so much—he simply assumed he was the main guest without a word…"

"You—" Shi Zhong slammed his right hand on the table: "You're deliberately provoking us!"

"Crack!" His hand came down—but did not touch the table.

Shen Tang extended her palm, blocking Shi Zhong's hand beneath.

Their qi surged violently into collision—yet strangely, no explosion or leakage occurred.

Shi Zhong was stunned: his power could not overpower this seemingly frail woman. The force emanating from her palm surged like a tidal wave, pushing all downward qi upward. The simple wooden table bore not even a trace of energy.

Everyone stared, frozen like wooden statues, watching Shen Tang block Shi Zhong's palm.

Third grade holding off second grade—perfectly matched!

Just as someone stirred, eager to rush forward and gang up on her, Lu Xingzhou's voice came from outside: "What's going on? Why are you all crowding at the door?"

Shi TieLong said coldly: "Elder Lu, is this the sincerity of your invitation? Let's see how you'll handle it when the main guest doesn't even exist!"

"What?" Another voice came: "What do you mean the main guest doesn't exist? Can't I be the main guest?"

Shi TieLong turned toward the voice—his face turned green.

The Prefect, Zhang Rongzhi.

The Prefect—who, since taking office, had been rebuffed by every invitation, known as "upright" and "impervious to bribes"—stood right before them, declaring himself the main guest.

Shi TieLong had never imagined this turn of events.

Even though he was only fourth grade, among everyone present, he was only worthy to stand beside Lu Xingzhou. Yet even second-grade Shi Zhong had no choice but to acknowledge him as the main guest—otherwise, Shi TieLong's Dongjiang Gang would never survive in the prefecture again.

Shi Zhong and Shen Tang simultaneously withdrew their qi. Only then did Shen Tang bow respectfully: "Greetings, Prefect Zhang. Perhaps Brother Shi has misunderstood."

Zhang Rongzhi entered the private room, glanced once, and understood everything. He sneered: "Master Shen said she invited me to mediate, to help friendly gangs establish a shared plan for development. But it seems someone is already eager to storm my door! Today you try to seize my seat—tomorrow will you demand I hand over the Prefect's chair? Is the Canglan Sect planning to appoint and dismiss officials now?"

Shi Zhong's face flushed purple and pale, then after a long pause, he moved aside: "It was merely a misunderstanding. My lord, please forgive me."

"A misunderstanding?" Zhang Rongzhi sneered. "Look at how Master Shen conducts herself—alone, with only her Assistant Elder. That is the proper attitude for hosting a banquet. Now look at you: a crowd of gang members surrounding the Songfeng Pavilion, and a dozen third and second grades surrounding Master Shen. I see—your Dongjiang Gang didn't come to do business. You came to show off your strength? Do you think the imperial court is already dead? Do your gang fists now decide everything?"

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PS: Extra chapter added—still begging for monthly votes~

(End of Chapter)