Chapter 527 - 309: Banquet
Chapter 527: Chapter 309: Banquet
"I knew it. There’s no way the Kong Family would ever try to recruit Sun Tao."
Zhang Hanzhou breathed a sigh of relief. He had been genuinely terrified of that possibility; if it had happened, he would have lost sleep over it.
Qi Xuancheng and Ye Qiuling wore similar expressions. They had all dreaded the idea of Sun Tao becoming a Kong Family subordinate.
In truth, none of the three respected Sun Tao much. After all, Xu Yang at least had a track record of defeating Li Chuyang and Lin Jingyu. Sun Tao, on the other hand, had absolutely no notable achievements.
Disappointment flickered across Sun Tao’s face. Who wouldn’t want to curry favor with a Thousand-Year-Old Noble Family?
Unfortunately, even if he climbed a few more ranks on the Lingyun List, it still wouldn’t be enough to catch their eye. Unless he broke into the top twenty, it was useless.
However, Xu Yang had also pointed out that hope wasn’t entirely lost. The Kong Family might be secretly observing everyone at the upcoming banquet.
"Huh? You still have invitations left?" Qi Xuancheng stared intently at the two remaining invitations in Xu Yang’s hand, his breathing suddenly turning ragged.
There were two pure gold invitations from the Kong Family left. Could one of them be his? Attending the Kong Family’s genius banquet was an extraordinary honor.
"I can’t believe I got one too!" Zhang Hanzhou was overjoyed.
There were two left. One inevitably belonged to Ye Qiuling, which meant the last one naturally belonged to him. After all, in terms of talent, Zhang Hanzhou considered himself superior to Qi Xuancheng.
As for Xu Yang, his involvement with Huo Xiaochen meant he was completely shunned by the major families of Yunzhou City.
Xu Yang gave Zhang Hanzhou a mild glance before handing an invitation to Ye Qiuling. "This one is yours, Senior Sister Ye."
"Thank you, Junior Brother Xu!" Ye Qiuling said, beaming with excitement.
Despite her deeply calculating nature, her cheeks flushed as she allowed her genuine joy to show. Her smile was so radiant that even Xu Yang felt a moment of awe.
Ye Qiuling’s beauty was arguably the greatest he had seen so far. She was undeniably stunning, fully possessing the capital needed to attract those so-called geniuses.
After handing over Ye Qiuling’s invitation, Xu Yang casually pocketed the last one.
"Where’s mine?" Zhang Hanzhou demanded, glaring daggers at him.
"The Kong Family’s standards aren’t that low," Xu Yang said with a chuckle.
Ye Qiuling had received an invitation because she possessed a flawlessly exquisite face and was a Pill Master. Zhang Hanzhou wasn’t even on the Lingyun List. Why would the Kong Family invite such a nobody?
While an extra mouth to feed meant nothing to the Kong Family, inviting a nameless nobody would only drag down the prestige of their banquet.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Zhang Hanzhou snapped, instantly flying into a rage.
"Exactly what it sounds like." Xu Yang kept his expression flat. "The Kong Family doesn’t even know your name. Did you honestly think they would invite you?"
These words left Zhang Hanzhou speechless. His face burned with embarrassment as he realized how delusional he had been to think the Kong Family would invite him to a genius banquet.
Just as Xu Yang had said, they probably hadn’t even heard the name Zhang Hanzhou. Inviting him was out of the question. He might have been a renowned, heaven-chosen prodigy in Fufeng County, but here in Yunzhou City, he was nothing more than an absolute nobody.
Sun Tao roared with laughter. Zhang Hanzhou had been constantly making passive-aggressive remarks lately, and Xu Yang had finally put him in his place.
The night quickly passed.
The next morning, Xu Yang dressed in a fitted martial outfit and strapped on Fenli. Under the envious gazes of Qi Xuancheng and Zhang Hanzhou, he headed out with Sun Tao and Ye Qiuling.
"A Thousand-Year-Old Noble Family like the Kong Family values etiquette above all else. You absolutely cannot commit a faux pas," Ye Qiuling nagged. "Especially when it comes to food and drinks. Do not gorge yourselves like starving beggars. You must maintain elegant conduct."
She worried that these two inexperienced men from a backwater town would embarrass her. Since a Thousand-Year-Old Noble Family was hosting this genius banquet, the food and wine would undoubtedly be extraordinary. She feared they would throw their image out the window and stuff their faces like beggars invited to a wealthy lord’s table.
Neither Xu Yang nor Sun Tao bothered to reply. It was not Ye Qiuling’s place to teach them how to behave.
"We need to rent a carriage," Ye Qiuling added.
Although walking would be faster, arriving at a Thousand-Year-Old Noble Family’s banquet on foot would look incredibly cheap. It wouldn’t match the grandeur of the event, would invite contempt from others, and blatantly defied high-society etiquette. Furthermore, as a woman, she felt it was inappropriate to show her face publicly in the streets.
"She really thinks she’s some grand lady, or the future daughter-in-law of the Kong Family," Sun Tao couldn’t help but complain via a telepathic message to Xu Yang.
Xu Yang hadn’t expected the woman to be so pretentious and calculating, insisting on renting a carriage even when they didn’t have one readily available.
"What an absolute hassle!" Xu Yang muttered.
Biting the bullet, the two men accompanied Ye Qiuling to a carriage rental. After browsing for a while, she set her sights on an exquisite carriage, spending fifty silver taels to rent it.
"How about you two Junior Brothers drive the carriage for me?" Ye Qiuling asked, smiling brightly at Xu Yang and Sun Tao.
"We aren’t coachmen!" Sun Tao shot back without hesitation.
"Having geniuses from the Lingyun List drive your carriage? You sure dream big, Senior Sister Ye," Xu Yang added, completely unmoved.
Ye Qiuling simply didn’t have the qualifications to make him drive for her. Did she really mistake him and Sun Tao for lapdogs like Zhang Hanzhou and Qi Xuancheng?
"You..."
Furious that her scheme had been exposed, Ye Qiuling seethed. Having Lingyun List geniuses acting as her coachmen would have been a massive boost to her prestige. Unfortunately for her, neither Xu Yang nor Sun Tao were the type to freeze in awe at her beauty like Zhang Hanzhou. They had no intention of indulging her.
In the end, she had to fork over more money to hire a coachman from the rental service.
Ye Qiuling climbed into the carriage, and as it slowly pulled out of the lot, Xu Yang and Sun Tao walked behind it. After a short while, the two realized how awkward this was. Whether they walked in front of or behind the carriage, they looked like Ye Qiuling’s bodyguards. Deciding they had enough, they simply sped up their pace. Neither wanted to serve as a prop for this scheming woman.
A Thousand-Year-Old Noble Family like the Kong Family possessed an unimaginable number of clan members. Naturally, their main headquarters couldn’t be located inside the city. Although they owned estates within the city walls, this banquet was being held at their primary settlement just outside the city.
The two quickly left the city limits. After walking a bit further, a beautifully arranged expanse of pavilions and palaces nestled between a mountain and a river came into view.
"A Thousand-Year-Old Noble Family indeed!" Sun Tao marveled.
The sight before them didn’t look like a family estate at all; it resembled a small town. Judging by the sheer scale of the buildings, there had to be at least tens of thousands of people living here. Looking from a distance, they could even see bustling marketplaces.
"The Spiritual Qi here is abundant too. It’s even denser than inside Yunzhou City," Sun Tao noted.
As they drew closer, they indeed found that the Spiritual Qi encompassing the Kong Family grounds was incredibly rich. At the entrance stood two towering structures, manned by formidable experts with piercing auras. Guards were stationed below, while armed patrols wielding blades roamed the perimeter.
Above a massive archway constructed of white jade, the characters for "Kong Estate" were carved in bold, vigorous strokes. In the White Jade Plaza beside the archway, carriages pulled to a halt, and young masters and ladies dripping with nobility stepped out.
Some attendees hadn’t taken carriages but rode in on ferocious-looking Exotic Beasts. The estate featured specialized stables for housing these creatures, and Kong Family servants stepped forward one by one to help the honored guests lead their mounts away. Of course, there were also those who, like the two of them, had arrived on foot without the luxury of carriages or Exotic Beasts.
"Greetings, Young Masters. Are you two geniuses here to attend the banquet? If so, please present your invitations."
The moment Xu Yang and Sun Tao approached the archway, a member of the Kong Family immediately came forward to greet them with a polite smile, showing no hint of disdain over their arrival on foot.
"We are," they affirmed, taking out their invitations and handing them over.
The man inspected the invitations before returning them with a respectful bow. "So it is Mr. Xu and Mr. Sun. Please, follow me."
The two followed the man through the archway and deep into the estate. They soon arrived at the entrance of a large courtyard, from which lively sounds echoed.
A handsome young man—dressed in a cloud-patterned brocade robe and wearing a jade belt around his waist—stood at the entrance with a few attendants, welcoming the arriving guests.
"Mr. Sun Tao, ranked ninety-ninth on the Lingyun List, and Mr. Xu Yang, ranked ninety-eighth, have arrived!" announced the Kong Family member who had escorted them.
Instantly, several young men and women who were about to enter the courtyard paused and looked back.
The young man in the brocade robe smiled and descended the steps. He cupped his hands respectfully toward Xu Yang and Sun Tao. "I am Kong Cheng. A pleasure to meet you, Brother Xu, Brother Sun. Welcome to our humble gathering."
His etiquette was impeccable, and not a single flaw could be found in his tone. Both Xu Yang and Sun Tao’s eyes lit up. This Kong Cheng was also on the Lingyun List, and he held a very high rank—thirty-ninth, if they recalled correctly.
"Xu Yang pays his respects to Brother Kong."
"Sun Tao pays his respects to Brother Kong."
The two cupped their hands in return, introducing themselves formally.
"Please, head inside and make yourselves comfortable. I still need to greet the other geniuses, but I will come by later to make amends for not keeping you company," Kong Cheng said.
He motioned for an attendant, who then guided Xu Yang and Sun Tao into the courtyard.
Many guests had already gathered inside. There was a mix of men and women, though Xu Yang noticed that the women actually outnumbered the men. Most of these women were not dressed as Martial Artists, but rather in the elegant attire of noble ladies.
Evidently, the Kong Family hadn’t just invited geniuses from the Lingyun List, but also young ladies from the major families of Yunzhou City. They were all exceptionally beautiful, radiating gentle elegance and moving with graceful poise. Many of the young geniuses from out of town were pulling out all the stops to charm them, eliciting demure, face-covering giggles from the ladies.
The banquet had not yet officially started. The tables were currently set only with tea, fruits, and light refreshments.
Xu Yang and Sun Tao exchanged a glance and immediately found an empty table to sit at, making no effort to mingle with the other geniuses or the noble ladies. The two knew their own situation well. Because of the incident with Huo Xiaochen, the majority of these geniuses did not care for them. They couldn’t be bothered to ask for a snub.
Fresh fruits were laid out on the table. Though they were not spiritual fruits, it was impossible to buy such high-quality produce outside during this season, no matter how much money one had. As they savored the refreshments, they chatted idly.
"There are certainly a lot of geniuses here. That guy over there is Guo Xu, ranked eighty-first on the Lingyun List."
"And the one in white with the longsword at his waist is Chen Ping, ranked seventy-sixth."
As Sun Tao listed off a few more names, Xu Yang realized that after the Lingyun List was released, quite a few families had tried to recruit Sun Tao, which had allowed him to recognize many of the geniuses on the list.
Following his gaze, Xu Yang noticed that these Lingyun List geniuses were incredibly popular. Every single one of them was surrounded by at least three or four noble ladies, with some of the more exaggerated cases having as many as seven or eight fawning over them.
"I am Xiao Ya. You are quite handsome, sir. May I ask your name?"
A fragrant breeze wafted over as a woman in a green dress approached Xu Yang with a smile. She carried an air of dignified elegance, and a large emerald pendant rested against her forehead.