Chapter 164: Banquet! Return to Jianshui City
Chapter 164: Chapter 164: Banquet! Return to Jianshui City
The next person, however, was a woodcutter in his forties.
This woodcutter was an interesting fellow. He wanted to switch careers to become a carpenter or a stonemason. The reason? Before his wife died, her last thoughts were of how she should have married the stonemason from the neighboring village instead.
Also, his wife had died from a foul disease she caught after having an affair with their village’s carpenter.
And so, the woodcutter grew resentful and swore that he would become a carpenter or a stonemason, no matter what.
Thus, in the illusion, he spent over 1,500 years as a carpenter and another 2,000 years as a stonemason.
Even Hua Liusha couldn’t tell if the woodcutter genuinely loved the crafts, or if he was just driven by what his wife had done to him.
"Palace Master, please examine me!"
The woodcutter copied Zhang Bajian’s earlier posture, thrusting his lower body toward Zhu Ge, nearly pressing it against his face.
Zhu Ge had no choice but to step back, avoiding both the man’s groin in his face and a foul stench. He then channeled his Blood Qi into the woodcutter’s Lower Yuan Palace.
"Hmm, your aptitude is quite good." Zhu Ge nodded slightly. "For now, cultivate the Martial Dao. If you decide you want to pursue the Mo Family’s Mechanical Dao later on, I’ll find a Cultivation Technique for you."
"No, no need! I’ll just stick to the Martial Dao!" the woodcutter said, waving his hands with a blank look. "You need strength to forge iron and chop trees!"
The woodcutter’s logic was simple: cultivating the Martial Dao would give him the strength to forge iron.
Zhu Ge, however, found himself looking forward to the future Martial Dao achievements of such a single-minded person.
Zhu Ge nodded and chuckled. "You’re a real piece of work. Alright, you may go."
"Thank you, Palace Master!" The woodcutter nodded, and without knowing how to perform a proper salute, simply walked to the side.
Zhu Ge then proceeded to examine the next person.
By the time he had examined everyone, one by one, it was already afternoon.
Everyone was famished, and Zhu Ge himself was parched, so he took out some Demon Beast flesh and started roasting it.
The Demon Beasts Liu Jianjian had tamed were edible, and with thirty-six new mouths to feed, their food consumption had skyrocketed.
Plus, Zhu Ge had already eaten a good portion earlier, so there wasn’t much Demon Beast left in the grass bowl.
This gave Zhu Ge another headache.
’I can’t afford to feed them!’
If they ate Demon Beast Flesh with such abandon every day, then within two years, all the Demon Beasts in the entire Red River Prefecture would be eaten to extinction.
Fortunately, neither the Demon Beasts of the Demon Palace nor the new disciples of Zhu Ge’s Human Palace were the type to only eat and not work.
Zhu Ge planned to make another trip to Jianshui City to do some serious spending.
After spending the money, he would convert his purchases into power, and then he could start making plans for those Third Realm Demon Beasts.
...
Jianshui City was as bustling as ever.
Moreover, because the news that the Sword and Axe Mantis had been subdued by Zhu Ge of the Six Paths Palace had spread, Jianshui City’s prosperity had reached a new level.
There weren’t even any First and Second Realm Demon Beasts lurking outside Jianshui City anymore.
It was said that the Jianshui City Lord had launched several sweeps outside the city. Without the Third Realm Demon Beast to constrain him, his power was simply overwhelming.
So, when Zhu Ge entered the city with his [Secret] trait, practically no one noticed him.
He went straight to the commercial street he had visited before.
First he browsed a bookstore, but after finding no Cultivation Technique manuals, he went to Shihu Pavilion, where he bought and sold some medicinal soups and pills.
Shihu Pavilion originally didn’t know Zhu Ge’s background, but after Zhu Ge caused a huge scene at the Fish Scale Martial Arts Hall, everyone at Shihu Pavilion, from top to bottom, came to know of Zhu Ge’s strength.
Thus, Zhu Ge was received directly by the Pavilion Master of Shihu Pavilion—a Second Realm Cultivator who was also an Elemental Level Forest Chief and a Spirit Level Florist, a very formidable person.
Cui Xu, who had met with Zhu Ge before, was now completely relegated to serving tea, but he didn’t show the slightest hint of displeasure.
After spending an hour at Shihu Pavilion, Zhu Ge went to shops that sold weapons, equipment, and clothing.
He revealed his identity and then discussed some matters of cooperation.
This time, it was not as troublesome as his first visit.
Fame speaks for itself.
When everyone knew Zhu Ge’s identity, strength, and the potential benefits and resources he could bring, their attitude was naturally vastly different.
Finally, Zhu Ge headed toward his destination.
Tongfu Restaurant.
...
Tongfu Restaurant was as lively as ever.
This was the largest restaurant in Jianshui City, covering several thousand square meters and standing five or six stories tall—a testament to its formidable influence.
Its proprietress followed the Thief Dao, had a Second Realm Cultivation, and seemed to have already reached the Late-Second Realm.
Essentially, Tongfu Restaurant was a power on par with the likes of the Fish Scale Martial Arts Hall and Shihu Pavilion.
However, this time, Zhu Ge hadn’t come to see the proprietress.
Or rather, the proprietress was not his primary objective.
And so, just as he arrived at the restaurant’s entrance, the proprietress just so "happened" to appear at the door.
"Oh, if it isn’t Young Master Zhu?"
The proprietress, Li Hao, wore a look of surprise, as if she was wondering why Zhu Ge was here.
"Alright, stop pretending." Zhu Ge shook his head. "Take me to see your father. I’ve felt his gaze on me ever since I left the Zhu Family Bookstore."
Although he wasn’t yet Third Realm—far from it, in fact, being only at the Early-Second Realm—his Dawn Intent could now manifest outside his body, making him exceptionally sensitive.
The moment the Jianshui City Lord detected his aura, he had locked onto him with his Divine Sense.
Although he couldn’t perceive any specific information, the feeling of goosebumps rising on his skin let him know he was being watched by a Divine Sense.
"Young Master Zhu, your talent is truly exceptional. It’s enough to make one envious..." Seeing Zhu Ge act this way, Li Hao’s tone became plaintive.
"What’s so interesting about that old coot? Why don’t I take you to my boudoir for a chat, let me ’get to know’ Young Master Zhu, and let Young Master Zhu ’get to know’ me as well..."
As she spoke, Li Hao’s enchanting figure drew near. Accompanied by a gust of fragrance, her luscious, crimson lips were about to press against Zhu Ge’s ear to speak and breathe into it.
However, the next moment, Li Hao’s body stiffened for a second, and she immediately let out a light snort. "Damn old man."
After saying that, she put her hands on her hips and stormed into the restaurant in a huff.
As she walked away, her slender waist swayed, causing her peach-like bottom to roll with each step.
Zhu Ge watched with great interest, his gaze extremely aggressive.
As a result, Li Hao, whose exaggerated swaying had nearly twisted her out of her clothes, toned it down a bit, even becoming a little self-conscious.
At the same time, a window on the top floor of the restaurant suddenly opened, and a voice from within reached Zhu Ge’s ears:
"Young Master Zhu, my daughter has been impolite. Please forgive her."
"I have already prepared a banquet. Why not come up for a chat?"
"Then I’ll gladly accept your invitation," Zhu Ge said, cupping his hands.
He didn’t use the main entrance. Instead, he leaped from the ground, jumping directly into the private room on the sixth floor and landing as lightly as a feather.
"Excellent martial skill!" a cry of admiration came from within the private room.
SNAP!
The window behind Zhu Ge closed on its own without a breeze. He, in turn, looked forward.
The private room was very spacious. Sitting closest to the door was an old man with white hair and a white beard, his face all smiles.
On the left and right sides of the old man, a dozen or so people were seated around the dining table, each of them possessing Second Realm strength.
At the same time, two or three First Realm female Martial Artists stood to the side, holding wine ewers and towels.
"Today, I have set this banquet to invite Palace Master Zhu, so that we may discuss our grand plans together!"