M49S Vol 1 Chapter 33. King vs. King

Wang Ziling had never imagined that one day, he would be so mesmerized by watching a cook chop meat. More than once, he thought, dishes made like this must taste amazing.

Chewy, flavorful, and brimming with aroma.

In Wang Ziling’s eyes, Wang Wan’nan’s head was practically glowing with golden light.

Wang Wan’nan glanced over at the two of them. One looked utterly awestruck, while the other looked dumbfounded, like he’d just seen a beautiful woman.

Tsk. Wang Wan’nan thought, This nephew must be an idiot. How pitiful. I’ll stew him some pig brain later.

Not until much later did Wang Ziling finally snap out of his daze. Guests were arriving one after another for the banquet, and he barely managed to shake off the shock. But the moment he came back to his senses, he was furious.

He was the one hosting this banquet, so naturally, it should be him greeting the guests. Yet now, at the entrance of Lion Tower, two Wang clan disciples stood on either side. Cultivators passing by glanced at one, then the other, and couldn’t tell who was the host and who was just tagging along.

Just then, Wang Ziqian noticed several rogue cultivators from Nandao approaching. He quickly put on a proper smile and gave a courteous nod. “Welcome, everyone. Please come inside.”

As Wang Ziqian ushered them in, they naturally didn’t stop to speak with Wang Ziling. They just gave a quick greeting before heading in. Wang Ziling was seething, but couldn’t lash out.

After watching this play out several times, he finally saw through the pattern. Whenever disciples of prestigious sects or well-known rogue cultivators arrived, Wang Ziqian would rush up to greet them. But when it came to ordinary cultivators, he suddenly remembered how to be modest and stepped aside.

Wang Ziling simply couldn’t compete with Wang Ziqian’s social finesse, despite being a few years older. He grew more and more anxious. If this Lion Banquet ended up benefiting someone else for nothing, not only would Meng Qiqi butcher him, he wouldn’t be able to forgive himself either.

What should he do? What now? Wang Ziling kept turning it over in his mind, and before he could help it, his expression darkened even further. But this was the front of Lion Tower, where people were coming and going. As soon as others saw the look on his face, they began to frown.

Right on cue, Wang Ziqian asked, “Cousin, are you tired? If so, why not go inside and rest for a bit. I’ll take care of the guests out here.”

Wang Ziqian hadn’t raised his voice, but he hadn’t bothered to lower it either. The moment the words left his mouth, people nearby began snickering.

“All this just to greet a few guests? Don’t tell me he’s too fat to stand steady anymore, hahahaha…”

That careless-sounding but cutting laughter drifted past Wang Ziling’s ear and faded into the distance, leaving behind a dense ache that crawled across his chest. He whipped his head around and locked his eyes on Wang Ziqian, as if he could flay him alive on the spot.

Wang Ziqian was momentarily startled. He had rarely seen his cousin like this, but he quickly returned to normal. He was sure Wang Ziling wouldn’t dare pull the same stunt here at the entrance to Lion Tower as he had inside the secret realm. The only thing Wang Ziling could do now was keep up the act of brotherly affection.

And indeed, that was the case. Wang Ziling forced himself to swallow the fury down, inhaling deeply again and again to calm his nerves before stiffly continuing to greet the guests.

He could brush off the others’ mockery. So what if he was fat, or useless? What business was it of theirs?

But Wang Ziqian openly stealing the spotlight was something he couldn’t ignore. He had never fought for anything in his life, and yet these people came at him again and again, trying to take away everything he had. Enough was enough.

So when Meng Qiqi showed up with a whole gaggle of disciples and junior sect members, Wang Ziling was taken aback.

Meng Qiqi leaned over and whispered to Chen Boyan at his side, “Doesn’t he look like a cocky rooster strutting around, ready for a fight?”

Chen Boyan said, “Whatever Little Martial Uncle says, I agree.”

Meng Qiqi raised an eyebrow, just about to quibble with him, when someone suddenly barreled in from the side. It was Yin Wuhua.

Candlelight flickered across his shining bald head, making him the most eye-catching person in the room.

Not that Yin Wuhua noticed. His eagle-like eyes swept around until they landed on Meng Qiqi. His face lit up at once, and he hollered from afar, “Hey, kid, finally willing to show your face?”

Meng Qiqi wanted nothing more than to roll his eyes, but today he was here as a guest, and guests couldn’t wear veils. To preserve the refined, aloof image of Gushan’s Little Martial Uncle, he had no choice but to pretend not to hear him.

Yin Wuhua didn’t mind the cold shoulder. He rubbed his bald head and strode up with a grin. “Come on now, don’t ignore me. Let’s sit together, yeah?”

Just then, Chen Boyan abruptly stepped forward to block his path. He turned his head and gave a polite nod. “Senior, you misspoke.”

“Misspoke?” Yin Wuhua looked puzzled.

“My Little Martial Uncle is of your generation. Calling him ‘kid’ may be inappropriate.” Chen Boyan’s tone was calm but firm. He lifted a hand and gestured to the northeastern corner of the main hall. “The cultivators from Nandao are seated there. They appear to be waiting for you. Please excuse us.”

Chen Boyan strode off to catch up with Meng Qiqi, once again following behind him in silence, keeping a low profile.

Yin Wuhua stood there stunned for a long while before he came back to his senses. He carefully turned Chen Boyan’s words over in his mind, and instead of getting angry, he actually laughed. “Interesting. Very interesting.”

Over on the other side, Meng Qiqi had already started walking up the stairs to the second floor. He nodded politely to the cultivators he passed and quietly asked Chen Boyan, who had caught up behind him, “What did you say to him?”

“Nothing much.”

“Really nothing?”

“I simply told him that Little Martial Uncle wouldn’t be sitting with him.”

Chen Boyan spoke honestly. Meng Qiqi did not press the matter, but a faint trace of pleasure bloomed quietly in his heart.

When they sat down, Chen Boyan, as usual, took the seat at Meng Qiqi’s right. On the other side sat Xiao Yu’er. Xiao Xiao and Qing Gu were absent. Qing Gu was still at Granny Zhu’s place. Granny Zhu had taken quite a liking to the little girl, and who knew when she’d be willing to send her back.

“Master,” Xiao Yu’er tugged on Meng Qiqi’s sleeve, “Brother Shen and the others are here.”

Meng Qiqi looked up. It was not only the people from Tianlao who had arrived. Beidou, Ruizhu, Fotu Temple, even Wuhou Manor, who had been preoccupied with hunting down the Black Demon, had come to join the festivities. Only Jin Man and Yao Guan were still nowhere to be seen.

Xiao Yu’er leaned in and whispered, “Master, can monks eat meat?”

Meng Qiqi replied, “Xiao Yu’er, wine and meat may pass through the bowels, but the Buddha stays in the heart. Your Brother Shen wouldn’t touch meat, though.”

Xiao Yu’er nodded in understanding, while Dai Xiaoshan chuckled. He nudged Xiao Yu’er and said, “Why don’t you go ask Master Yinian directly? He’s a good man. I’m sure he’ll answer you.”

But Xiao Yu’er was no fool. “I’m not going to ask him.”

Dai Xiaoshan gave a helpless smile. “Gushan will never find another junior like Youqiong who’s easier to fool.”

“What does this have to do with me?” Tu Youqiong protested. “Third Senior Brother, you’re always making fun of me. You’ve ruined my grand and noble image in Xiao Yu’er’s eyes!”

“Grand and noble? Are you eight feet tall or nine? Aside from Xiao Yu’er, the only thing shorter than you around here is the table leg.” The moment Dai Xiaoshan said this, things were bound to get out of hand.

Tu Youqiong’s cheeks flushed with anger. He slammed his hands on the table and shot to his feet. “I’m still growing!”

At that, the entire hall fell silent. Countless eyes turned in unison toward the Gushan Sword table. Tu Youqiong was so mortified he nearly flew off on his sword. Dai Xiaoshan, on the other hand, was laughing so hard he nearly fell over. Even Song Ru couldn’t help herself.

Tu Youqiong sat down, utterly crestfallen, his big eyes dewy as he looked toward Chen Boyan for support. But Chen Boyan simply said coldly, “Sit down.”

Tu Youqiong pouted and sat down, sulking like a wronged bride. But then Chen Boyan turned and rebuked Dai Xiaoshan with a stern “Mind your conduct,” and Tu Youqiong lit right up again. The speed of that emotional shift made both Meng Qiqi and Xiao Yu’er sigh in amazement.

Just then, Meng Qiqi felt a gaze sweep over him. He turned his head and locked eyes with Xu Mengyin.

She had actually been looking at Chen Boyan, but unexpectedly met Meng Qiqi’s gaze instead. Embarrassment and annoyance flickered across her eyes for a moment, but she quickly composed herself and offered a graceful smile.

Meng Qiqi smiled back. The faint curve at the corners of his lips gradually deepened, reaching all the way to his eyes. Only then did Xu Mengyin notice the two barely visible dimples on his cheeks, which only appeared when he smiled like that. Those long, black eyes, dark as a starless night sky, were fixed intently on her, creating the illusion that they were the only two people in the room.

She looked away in a fluster, and the smile on Meng Qiqi’s lips faded with her. He turned his head back and shot a glance at Chen Boyan. Though the corners of his eyes still held a trace of a smile, a sudden chill rose behind them, and the contrast left Chen Boyan momentarily stunned.

“What are you staring at? A gentleman should know not to look at what he shouldn’t,” Meng Qiqi said lightly.

Chen Boyan offered no rebuttal. The other disciples looked on in shock, especially Tu Youqiong.

Whoa, even Senior Brother got scolded? Little Martial Uncle is amazing.

By now, there was not a single empty seat left in Lion Tower. Wang Ziling glanced over the hall and saw that nearly every major sect attending the Knock at the Immortal Gate had shown up. His heart lifted. He adjusted his robes, preparing to open the banquet.

But just as he stepped onto the dueling stage, ready to speak, a sudden thought struck him when he spotted Wang Ziqian.

Wang Ziqian was standing not far away, turning back to say something to someone. Judging by his expression, it could not have been anything good. Wang Ziling cleared his throat at once, stepped up onto the stage, and, as if suddenly remembering something, turned back and called out in a loud voice, “Cousin Ziqian, would you mind checking the entrance to see if there are still any guests who haven’t arrived?”

Wang Ziqian’s expression froze. A bad feeling rose in his chest. He quickly said, “That matter…”

“This is something I can’t entrust to anyone else,” Wang Ziling interrupted, looking sincere. “Ours is a scholarly family. We treat all guests with respect, regardless of status or background. I’m unable to leave at the moment, so I must trouble you.”

As soon as he finished speaking, praise rose from all corners of the hall. This was the Wang family’s banquet. Whoever initiated it, joining in the applause was just good manners.

The more praise he heard, the more satisfied Wang Ziling felt.

Putting on an act? You think I don’t know how? You love greeting guests so much? Then go. Greet them all you want.