Chapter 970: Chapter 138: Duel Between Grandmasters (2/2)
Pillar of the State Lv Hou was surprised to learn that the two were acquainted, but quickly regained his composure. After inviting Jiu Zizai to take a seat, his trusted aide summoned the store staff from below to serve the pre-prepared wine and dishes one by one.
A plate of fresh fruits, rose-gold kumquats, fragrant dicinal grapes, sugar-frosted peach pieces, and various other preserves was laid out, followed by sixteen dishes in total—eight cold and eight hot. While they were not rare delicacies, they were thoughtfully prepared with rich flavors.
Lv Hou poured himself a cup of wine and said to Wang Anfeng:
“Rest assured, those three young ladies are in the side hall, with exactly the sa food as ours, not a bit less.”
Only then did Wang Anfeng feel slightly relieved. As the wine flowed for three rounds, the two elderly n, both with white hair and brows, rely chatted about random matters.
The conversation touched on so old matters of the Jianghu, and so news from the imperial court, but nothing that seed worth noting or caring about, as if Lv Hou, with his status as Pillar of the State, had gone to such lengths just to chat idly with Jiu Zizai.
Wang Anfeng thought for a mont and then understood.
If it was as Lv Hou implied, Jiu Zizai might be a spy for the Ministry of Punishnt in the Jianghu, and a highly regarded one at that. His very presence represented the Ministry’s stance.
From this perspective, the matters concerning Wuxin and Tie Lin should be entirely suppressed, possibly signifying that after a brief detention of a few days, they would be released.
With this in mind, Wang Anfeng felt sowhat at ease, observing the old man laughing heartily across from him. Despite the passage of four or five years, Jiu Zizai seed unchanged from his days at the Qingfeng Edge.
Back then at Qingfeng Edge, they had agreed that if Wang Anfeng could cultivate to the Seventh Rank Realm within three years and enter the Great Qin Constellation Ranking List, the old man would consider him qualified to know about White Tiger Hall and would share so information.
However, neither expected the events that followed. At that ti, Wang Anfeng was planning to study diligently at Fufeng Academy and pursue his cultivation, not anticipating so many things would happen afterward.
Now, over a year later, the agreed ti of three years has already passed thrice, and with his current cultivation level, he no longer needs the ‘Constellation Ranking List’ to prove his strength.
Even the masters who calibrate the Constellation Ranking List for the Great Qin imperial court, he could exchange a few moves with. How could the young martial artists compare?
As Jiu Zizai and Lv Hou chatted and laughed, his gaze frequently fell on Wang Anfeng, sizing him up repeatedly, yet he still couldn’t believe his eyes, wondering if he had drunk too much bad wine lately and burned out his eyes—
Back at Qingfeng Edge, he was just a little kid with so talent, a disposition that matched his own, average martial arts skills, barely reaching the Eighth Rank. Such individuals were not everywhere, but there was no shortage among the legitimate heirs of major sects.
But who could have expected that in just over four years, while so sect elites were still stuck at the Sixth Rank Longn, this boy who couldn’t even ride the wind back then was now at the Fifth Rank, and not just any Fifth Rank martial artist.
Though his sharp essence was entirely concealed, Jiu Zizai’s perception still detected a subtle fierceness and sharpness, faintly tinged with a coldness so potent it made even his heart skip a beat, as if this seemingly amiable junior before him could actually pose a challenge if he fought.
How could it be possible?
Unable to help himself, Jiu Zizai shook his head with a wry smile, thinking perhaps he was indeed still a bit dazed from last night’s hangover.
At this mont, however, as he gazed at Wang Anfeng, he suddenly recalled sothing and said:
“By the way, kid, those little girls from Qingfeng Edge are traveling with you, aren’t they?”
Wang Anfeng nodded, saying:
“Yes, Gong Yu and the others are indeed with this junior…”
Jiu Zizai was slightly taken aback, his thick brows furrowing, before letting out a heavy sigh. Seeing the faint confusion on Wang Anfeng’s face, he smiled and explained:
“Before I ca, I passed by Qingfeng Edge and t with Elder Murong. She told that on this trip, I would encounter Gong Yu and her companions, urging them to return to the mountain promptly.”
“I thought to myself, I’m rushing here and back with no chance to et them, yet she insisted we would cross paths. I didn’t take it seriously. Well, who would have thought, who would have thought, it turned out exactly as she said…”
“Amazing, amazing, if she ever sets aside her sword, her fortune-telling could truly resound through the Jianghu.”
Wang Anfeng, upon hearing of Gong Yu and the others’ imminent departure, paused montarily, initially unresponsive. Once he grasped the aning of those words, a deep feeling of reluctance surged within him, leaving him temporarily speechless.
The past half-year had seen them journey together, sharing life-and-death experiences and leisurely monts, enjoying the scenery. It had never crossed his mind that Gong Yu and her companions would leave; or rather, even knowing they would leave eventually, he hadn’t expected the day to co so abruptly, catching him off-guard and leaving him in silence.
Lv Hou, on the other hand, was more focused on the great elder Murong Qingxue ntioned by Jiu Zizai. When Jiu Zizai jocosely said that even without wielding a sword, that elder could tell fortunes, Lv Hou was as shocked as Wang Anfeng, murmuring:
“Qingfeng Edge… Murong Qingxue…”
Jiu Zizai took a sip of wine and said, “Don’t dwell on it, your martial skills were honed on the battlefield. ‘Observing the heavenly secrets as easily as the lines on one’s palm’—such mysterious matters are beyond your understanding, and the old man here can’t grasp it either.”
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