Chapter 45: Dog
Chapter 45: Chapter 45: Dog
’The Raincoat Fisherman ran into the Tiger God?’
Zhu Ge frowned.
It sounded like a fight had broken out.
’Just as I expected, that Raincoat Fisherman really is insane.’
But after only a moment, the distant battle was already winding down.
"Human brat, I will have my revenge for this one day!"
The Tiger God’s mournful howl echoed across the sky. He had clearly been defeated.
This was to be expected. The Tiger God was only at the Second Realm, at best, while the Raincoat Fisherman was in the Third Realm. He was no match for him.
’The Third Realm!’
Zhu Ge’s Martial Dao was still showing no signs of progress, and his Confucian Dao was still in the accumulation phase of study, not yet having produced any Literary Energy.
’I wonder when I’ll finally be considered one of the ’worthy’ that the Raincoat Fisherman mentioned.’
"Liusha? Liusha?"
Zhu Ge took advantage of the free moment to call out to Hua Liusha in his mind, checking to see if she had woken up.
But Hua Liusha still didn’t respond.
Just then, the figures of the Raincoat Fisherman and Yu the Scholar appeared in the distance.
Yu the Scholar’s brow was furrowed, and his expression was one of displeasure.
The Raincoat Fisherman, however, wore the same smile as always. Disregarding his status, one might have mistaken him for a simple young farmer from a village.
"It seems the banquet is ready!"
The Raincoat Fisherman’s voice carried from afar, his tone unreadable.
Zhu Ge and the others had been making preparations for some time now. In that short while, the Raincoat Fisherman had not only finished exploring the surrounding area but had also dealt with the Tiger God.
’But Mr. Chong really is good at hiding,’ Zhu Ge thought. ’Not even a Third Realm master could find him. His concealment skills are truly exceptional.’
"Welcome, Raincoat Fisherman." Zhu Ge bowed deeply, his etiquette impeccable.
Duan Lei, Ji Fuhui, and Sui Niang followed his example, greeting him with the same formal courtesy.
The Raincoat Fisherman, however, didn’t even glance at them. He walked straight to the head of the table and sat down. Then, he immediately picked up a wine cup and raised it toward Yu the Scholar. "Come, Little Brother Yu, drink this cup with me!"
With a sullen expression, Yu the Scholar sat down. He didn’t say anything, simply raising his cup and taking a small sip.
"Haha, good wine, good food! The countryside really does have some fine things. Come on, Brother Yu, let’s eat!" After finishing his drink, the Raincoat Fisherman seemed to be in high spirits.
"That Yuan Yang City is overflowing with sewage and swarming with people. It may not be as crowded as my Dongting Prefecture, but you could still call it a stinking city."
"This place is nice. This place is nice! Haha, very nice!"
"Raincoat Fisherman, please, you first." Yu the Scholar’s expression shifted from sullen to one of resignation. He glanced at Zhu Ge and gave a slight shake of his head.
’Does Yu the Scholar know something...?’ Zhu Ge lowered his head to hide his thoughts, then prepared to take his own seat.
"Insolence!"
But the next instant, the Raincoat Fisherman suddenly slammed his chopsticks on the table and snorted. "A lowly commoner, and you dare to take a seat?"
With that, the Raincoat Fisherman violently swung his sleeve. A force erupted from thin air, flipping over four or five tables, leaving only his own and Yu the Scholar’s standing.
Zhu Ge was knocked sideways to the ground by the force, while Duan Lei and the others were sent tumbling away.
Sui Niang, however, was not knocked over. She just clutched Xianxian tightly, her terrified gaze darting from the Raincoat Fisherman to Yu the Scholar, and then to Zhu Ge.
"This countryside rabble doesn’t understand propriety. It seems, Brother Yu, that your and your master’s teachings have been inadequate!" The Raincoat Fisherman glanced at Yu the Scholar.
Yu the Scholar shot to his feet, slamming his hands on the table with a BANG.
"How can someone like you exist among the Human Race?"
"Instead of showing compassion for the people, you prey on the locals and act like a tyrant! Do you think we’re all just pushovers, made of clay? If you want to kill us, then just kill us all! What’s the point of humiliating us like this?!"
’This is bad...’ Zhu Ge sighed inwardly.
’Is the Raincoat Fisherman’s goal to kill us?’
’I doubt it.’
’If he really wanted us dead, it would have been better to do it right from the start. Why bother with a banquet?’
’He could have killed us, framed the Fungus God or the Tiger God, and just left.’
’So, the Raincoat Fisherman is putting on this act for some other reason.’
’And to achieve that goal, he must need to provoke us.’
’I’ve been holding back this whole time precisely to avoid falling into his trap.’
’But Yu the Scholar is a student of the Confucian Dao, after all. He has a rigidly upright character, and he’s only in his twenties. A moment of carelessness was all it took for him to fall for the Raincoat Fisherman’s ploy.’
Sure enough, after Yu the Scholar flew into a rage, Zhu Ge caught the faintest hint of a smile flash across the Raincoat Fisherman’s face.
"If that’s the case, are you saying, Brother Yu, that I, a dignified Jingzhe Official, should be seated at the same table as this worthless rabble?"
The Raincoat Fisherman sneered. "Am I insulting you? Or are you insulting me?"
"I rushed here as soon as I took office, fearing that some incident might delay the tax collection. And what do I find the moment I arrive? This lowly commoner has a vicious Ghost of the Extraction Realm in his head."
"A common little Ghost of the Lonely Soul Realm would be one thing, but to raise a Ghost all the way to the Extraction Realm? This is an atrocious crime!"
"Of course, we could let the vicious Ghost be. But as a Jingzhe Official, it is my duty to help you all sweep away the surrounding threats. And after I’ve done so, what then?"
The Raincoat Fisherman also shot to his feet.
"You expect me to dine with these clay dolls?"
"Back in the city, is there ever a day I don’t dine on fine meats and delicacies, with song and dance to entertain me? Yet here, forget song and dance—you can’t even provide a decent set of bowls and chopsticks?"
"In the city, not even a Second Realm cultivator can sit at my table. I am already showing you great favor by calling you ’brother’ today, yet you truly don’t know what’s good for you!"
The Raincoat Fisherman looked absolutely furious. His hair stood on end, and his robes began to stir as if in a phantom wind.
"I was the one suffering this indignity, yet you twist it to make it sound like I’m in the wrong? This is utterly outrageous! I’ll kill you and then report the incident exactly as it happened!"
Hearing this, the color drained from Yu the Scholar’s face.
He didn’t fear dying for his principles after being insulted.
But if his name was slandered, his death would be a disgrace that would last for ten thousand years.
He whipped his head toward Zhu Ge, hoping he would say something.
Despite being a Confucian Scholar, he wasn’t actually very eloquent. He had a feeling, however, that Zhu Ge would know what to do.
But when his eyes met Zhu Ge’s, Yu the Scholar was taken aback.
Zhu Ge’s eyes were as calm as a deep pool, and he gave an almost imperceptible shake of his head.
Yu the Scholar’s pupils widened slightly. Then, he slowly sat back down and fell silent.
Duan Lei and Ji Fuhui scrambled up from the ground and stood there in a daze, heads bowed and legs trembling.
Sui Niang, having heard the Raincoat Fisherman’s mention of "song and dance," glanced at Zhu Ge. As if she understood something, she lowered her head thoughtfully.
With wide, timid eyes, Xianxian looked at the fuming Yu the Scholar and the furious Raincoat Fisherman. It looked like she was about to burst into tears with a loud "WAAAH!"
She was just a child, after all, and her natural reaction to being frightened was to cry.
"Mmph!"
But just then, a pair of hands clamped over her mouth.
It was Xianxian herself, who had suddenly clapped her own little hands over her mouth. Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears, but she didn’t make a sound, nor did she let them fall.
’Xianxian can’t make trouble for everyone...’ The thought was simple but clear in her mind. But the tears kept welling up in her eyes, threatening to spill over.
And Zhu Ge took it all in.
The atmosphere was frozen.
No one spoke. Zhu Ge simply got back to his feet and dusted off his pants.
The Raincoat Fisherman maintained his furious expression and posture, as if time itself had frozen around him.
But a closer look would reveal a flicker of amusement and interest in his gaze as he watched Zhu Ge.
After a moment, a smile spread across Zhu Ge’s face. "Raincoat Fisherman, may we be seated now?"
"Hahaha! Interesting! Ha, hahaha!"
The Raincoat Fisherman abruptly threw his head back and roared with laughter, then pointed a finger at Zhu Ge.
"So, this backwater village does have one clever person. I happen to be in need of a Quanya. What do you say?"