Chapter 44: A Banquet? This Is Going Too Far
Chapter 44: Chapter 44: A Banquet? This Is Going Too Far
Zhu Ge saw stars as the world spun around him.
He went blind and deaf for a split second before his senses returned.
’Such an overbearing personality...’ Anger flared within Zhu Ge, but he could only suppress it.
’This Jingzhe Official’s accent doesn’t sound local. He seems more like an official dropped in from somewhere else.’
’After all, while the Da Sheng Dynasty might exist in name only, at least the name still exists.’
’So some officials were still transferred from place to place.’
’But what I didn’t expect was for this Raincoat Fisherman to be so tyrannical he wouldn’t even let others speak.’
’Rank and status...’ Zhu Ge mulled over Yu the Scholar’s words, feeling like he was starting to understand something.
"Song and dance?" Yu the Scholar’s voice piped up. "Jianshan Village is a remote place. We don’t really have anyone who can sing or dance..."
"No matter." The Raincoat Fisherman waved a dismissive hand, cutting Yu the Scholar off. "My legacy is the Fishing Dao. I am a master of fishing shanties. Once I begin my ’Raincoat Song,’ the woman can dance to my tune."
Yu the Scholar hesitated.
There was only one woman in the village who came to mind. The Raincoat Fisherman was clearly telling Sui Niang to dance.
"I’m going to take a look around. The rest of you can prepare the banquet." Without another word, the Raincoat Fisherman strode off, disappearing from Yu the Scholar’s and Zhu Ge’s sight in seconds.
"Zhu Ge, are you badly hurt?" Yu the Scholar moved to support him.
Zhu Ge shook his head and wiped the blood from his face. "I’m fine. But Hua Xiaomei isn’t responding."
The "Double Happiness" character in his mind had gone dim. No matter how many times Zhu Ge called out to it, there was no response.
"She’ll probably need a few days to recover," Yu the Scholar sighed. "This Jingzhe Official has come on strong. It seems Yuan Yang City is truly in a dire state because of the plague."
"I just didn’t expect..." Zhu Ge glanced at the blood smearing his palm from wiping his face, his brow furrowed. "The Human Race is already in such dire straits. Why are we still... like this?"
Yu the Scholar didn’t answer. He just patted Zhu Ge’s shoulder.
"I’ll go with the Raincoat Fisherman to keep an eye on him. If I don’t, and things go south, the Tiger God and Mr. Chong will be in grave danger."
"You have Big Belly Dog and the others get started on the food. Tell them to bring out plenty of sausages and cured meats. Go pick a few baskets of mushrooms from the woods, too. We have to do this banquet right. I fear this won’t end well if we don’t."
"Alright." Zhu Ge understood. This was no time for impotent rage.
’The Raincoat Fisherman grievously wounded Hua Liusha and forced her into slumber with a single shout. If he got serious, even the Tiger God and Mr. Chong combined wouldn’t be a match for him.’
’Fishing Dao!’
’It’s obviously a path of cultivation, just like the Immortal Dao or the Confucian Dao.’
’Practitioners of the Immortal Dao are generally called "Zhenren," while those of the Confucian Dao are called "Masters."’
’And practitioners of this Fishing Dao are called "Fishermen."’
’It just sounds like the Fishing Dao isn’t as widespread as the Immortal Dao or Confucian Dao.’
’Of course, an existence in the Third Realm, regardless of their path, was not someone they could hope to fight.’
’That included the Tiger God and his kind.’
’The Raincoat Fisherman wants to look around, so Yu the Scholar should go with him. In fact, he *must* go with him.’
’Otherwise, if the Raincoat Fisherman decided to kill the Tiger God and Mr. Chong, it would be a disaster.’
’After all, the Tiger God and Mr. Chong were the current powers around Jianshan Village, and they were reasonable.’
’But if they were replaced by a malicious entity like the Fungus God, communication wouldn’t be so easy.’
’Therefore, until they had the power to change their circumstances, maintaining the status quo was the best option.’
’The only fear was that this Raincoat Fisherman was some kind of psychopath who would kill any non-human on sight without a second thought.’
’If he decided he didn’t like the look of the Tiger God and Mr. Chong and killed them, other creatures would immediately move in to occupy their territory. Jianshan Village would never know peace again.’
’And from what he’d said earlier, the Raincoat Fisherman very well could be that kind of psychopath.’
’Whatever. First things first, get the banquet ready.’
Zhu Ge suppressed his anger and went to prepare the banquet.
’I could fly into a rage. I could fight back. But there wouldn’t be many possible outcomes.’
’The most likely outcome is that I’d throw a useless tantrum and get myself killed.’
’If that’s the case, I might as well have died during the Fungus God’s possession attempt. It would have saved me these last few days of painful struggle.’
’This is a world where might makes right...’ The phrase echoed in Zhu Ge’s mind once more.
’There are no laws. No iron fist to sweep away all the ghosts and monsters. No one is here to serve you.’
’Without power, you live at the mercy of others just to get a full meal.’
And for that very reason, an even stronger desire for power ignited within Zhu Ge’s heart.
’I must get stronger!’
"Big Belly Dog! Go get Sui Niang and the others! The Jingzhe Official is here, and we need to prepare a banquet, fast!"
Zhu Ge got to work, cleaning and arranging the area.
Ji Fuhui brought out the cured pork, preserved pig’s trotters, and sausages—meats usually saved for the New Year festival.
Duan Lei ran around catching hens for a soup, Sui Niang started steaming the red rice harvested from Jianshan Village’s own terraces, and even little Xianxian helped by gathering firewood.
They all worked quickly. The banquet was set up in the widest part of the village—the very spot where they had fought the Fungus God during the mushroom festival just days before.
A few hours later, plumes of cooking smoke drifted into the sky, and the air filled with savory aromas.
「The sun began to set.」
Zhu Ge finished arranging the seats and looked over the spread of delicacies, his mouth watering.
’This is all good stuff!’
The pigs and chickens were raised right here on the farm, fed with rice and swill, and given fresh mountain spring water to drink. The wine was brewed from the fruits of late summer and early autumn.
"GULP—"
Duan Lei rubbed his flat stomach.
"Hey, Big Belly Dog, the Jingzhe Official isn’t here yet. You can’t eat!" Ji Fuhui teased.
"I shouldn’t be called Big Belly Dog! I’m obviously thin!" Duan Lei lifted his shirt, revealing a solid eight-pack. "See? I’ve just got these small little muscles on my stomach. How is that big?!"
Ji Fuhui lifted his own tunic, showing off his abs. "I only have six. You have eight. You’re bigger than me!"
"Alright, that’s enough!" Zhu Ge cut in, exasperated with the two jesters. "Sui Niang and Xianxian are watching, you know!"
Sui Niang covered Xianxian’s eyes and tutted in mock disapproval.
Xianxian, however, tried to pry her mother’s fingers away. "What muscles? What muscles? Xianxian has them too! I want to see!"
"Don’t mind them, Xianxian," Zhu Ge said with a smile, bending down to pat her head. "We’re going to eat here in a little while. You have to promise not to cry or make a fuss. You have to be a good girl, okay?"
Xianxian looked up at Zhu Ge, her eyes shining with affection for him. "Mhm!"
Zhu Ge’s gaze then fell on Sui Niang. He hesitated, unsure how to bring it up.
’Sui Niang was the only one who could perform the "song and dance" the Raincoat Fisherman wanted.’
’Even though Sui Niang was already a mother, she had a good figure and pleasant features. People in the countryside married young; she was actually not even twenty yet.’
’But that being said, Sui Niang was just a farmer’s wife. She had never danced in her life and didn’t know how.’
’Besides, Zhu Ge felt that this was no different from forcing an innocent woman into prostitution.’
"You can say whatever is on your mind, Brother Zhu." Sui Niang gave him a gentle smile. "You saved my life and Xianxian’s. I’ll agree to whatever you ask."
"No, it’s nothing," Zhu Ge said, shaking his head. He decided he would try to brush off the Raincoat Fisherman’s demand for a dancer.
’Maybe the Raincoat Fisherman has already forgotten about it himself.’
Seeing that Zhu Ge didn’t want to talk about it, Sui Niang didn’t press him. She just held Xianxian and tickled her, making the little girl giggle.
Ji Fuhui and Duan Lei were back to their pointless competitions.
If he ignored their circumstances and everything that had just happened, Zhu Ge would have found this scene beautiful. It had the peaceful, idyllic feeling of a mountain village where time stood still.
But this tranquility only made Zhu Ge feel like it was the calm before the storm.
The thought had barely formed when a cold shout echoed from the distance.
"Vile demons! How dare you call yourself a ’Mountain Monarch’? You, a creature without king or kin—submit and be slain!"