M49S Vol 1 Chapter 34. A Toast Together

When Wang Ziqian was forced out of Lion Tower and stood alone in the cold evening wind, he was still in a daze. He had actually been driven out by Wang Ziling just like that?

How could this be?

He turned around sharply and saw red lanterns lighting up one by one outside Lion Tower. From the first floor, to the second, and all the way to the roof adorned with a giant jewel, they glowed like blooming red plum blossoms, unfolding one after another.

Night had come to Lion Tower.

At the second quarter of Youshi, the banquet began. Fragrant wine and steaming hot dishes were served to the tables in succession. Well-trained attendants moved steadily between the tables, carrying trays without a hint of hesitation, even in the presence of so many cultivators.

Wang Ziling stood on the dueling stage, looking out at the gathering of young cultivators who represented half the strength of the entire cultivation world. His heart surged, and for a moment, he completely forgot about Wang Ziqian. A grand sense of pride rose within him.

He had never imagined that one day, he would stand at the center of such a crowd, all eyes turned toward him. Whether they were from Tianlao or Beidou, or other sects hailed for their genius disciples, at this moment, all of them looked up at him.

They were waiting for him to speak. They were all listening closely.

Wang Ziling gripped his wine cup tightly. For the first time, he truly understood the feeling that Wang Changlin and the Grand Elder had always pursued: the sense of power held firmly in one’s grasp.

When all fell silent, when every ear turned to listen, that feeling was indeed sublime.

Wang Ziling raised his cup, his heart swelling with emotion. “Thank you all for honoring us with your presence. I may not have much to offer, but I do have this one cup of wine. May you all triumph tomorrow. I drink first in respect.”

Wang Ziling tilted his head back and drained the cup. The strong wine burned down his throat and turned to valor in his chest, reaching deep into his core. Yin Wuhua, who had not thought much of this timid little fat boy at first, now found himself somewhat impressed. He raised his own wide bowl, filled it to the brim, and laughed, “Good. I’ll take that blessing, Young Master Wang!”

Meng Qiqi stood with his hands behind his back by the second-floor railing. He smiled and said, “But Brother Yin, you’re a senior, and you’re not competing tomorrow. What blessing is there for you to take?”

Yin Wuhua was about to curse him out, but when he looked up and saw it was Meng Qiqi, he could only laugh. “Meng Xiu, why are you always undercutting me? Damn it, can’t an old man just have a drink in peace? Do I really have to give a speech first? Come, come, this bowl is on me!”

Yin Wuhua was clearly teasing him, but Meng Qiqi was not about to be polite. With a sweep of his arm, the bowl in Yin Wuhua’s hand flew up in a clean arc to the second floor. Meng Qiqi unhurriedly opened his palm, and the white porcelain bowl landed neatly in the center of his hand.

“Cheers.” Meng Qiqi curved his lips into a smile. Dressed in his sky-blue gauze robes, he stood with effortless elegance.

Yin Wuhua had half a mind to spit out the words dainty pretty face, but just then, everyone in the hall lifted their cups. On the second floor, Shen Qingya, Xu Mengyin, Jiang Xie, and the others also stepped up to the railing.

From top to bottom, the entire building of cultivators raised their cups in unison.

“To the cultivators present, and to Young Master Wang,” Shen Qingya said with a calm and cultured voice. His gaze finally shifted to Meng Qiqi, resting on the large bowl in his hand.

That glance drew everyone’s attention over. No one had taken a close look earlier, but now they clearly saw that Meng Qiqi’s bowl was enormous, and the aroma rising from it was rich and heady.

If he could not finish it, wouldn’t it just make him look like a fool?

Yin Wuhua was even more eager to see the outcome. That was his own liquor, a proper bottle of Shaodaozi.( A strong, fiery baijiu from northeastern China, known for its intense alcohol content and burning aftertaste.) Drinking a full bowl of that stuff was no joke for the average person.

Meng Qiqi gave a helpless smile. So the whole hall was just waiting for him to embarrass himself. He shot a sideways look at his so-called friend. This gentle, aloof man who usually acted as if he had no worldly desires clearly had a bit of mischief hidden in some corner of his heart, and every now and then, he just had to shake it loose.

And shake it he did, letting every bit of it fall squarely on Meng Qiqi’s head.

“Little Martial Uncle.” Chen Boyan took a step forward. That bowl was no small amount. He was worried. If Meng Qiqi got drunk, then everyone present would see him in that state.

All of a sudden, a hundred thoughts of refusal rose in Chen Boyan’s chest.

But Meng Qiqi raised a hand to stop him, then lifted the porcelain bowl and drained it in one long gulp.

“Good!” Yin Wuhua could not help but clap and cheer. The other cultivators, stirred by the burst of boldness, followed Meng Qiqi’s lead and emptied their cups.

In an instant, the fragrance of wine filled the entire hall.

Xiao Yu’er sniffed with his little nose, then could not resist leaving his seat to run over to Meng Qiqi’s side. He stood on tiptoe and peered into the bowl. After a moment, he said with regret, “It’s all gone…”

Meng Qiqi patted his head and placed the bowl in his hands. “See that bald man downstairs? Go ask him for more.”

“Mm!” Xiao Yu’er’s eyes lit up as soon as he picked up the wine. Hugging the bowl tightly, he took off like the wind. He ran so fast he nearly crashed into Chen Boyan.

Chen Boyan’s attention was entirely on Meng Qiqi. Seeing that his expression remained composed, he felt somewhat reassured. Yet when Meng Qiqi turned his head to warn Xiao Yu’er to watch his step, the brightness in his eyes, sharpened by the alcohol, still left Chen Boyan unsettled.

He unconsciously stepped a little closer. His gaze swept over Meng Qiqi’s slightly damp lips. He reached out to steady him, his hand just barely supporting his arm, and said in a low voice, “Little Martial Uncle, it’s time to return to your seat.”

Meng Qiqi lowered his eyes and glanced at him. “Senior Nephew, I’m not drunk.”

Chen Boyan remained unmoved. “Please, Little Martial Uncle.”

The fragrance of wine lingered in the air. Accompanied by music and song, it made the whole building feel like spring. Outside, the night wind swept in from Mochou Lake and rang the golden bells hanging from the eaves, but it could not break through even the thin layer of paper windows.

The chill of the night seemed reserved for Wang Ziqian alone.

The louder the laughter inside, the richer the scent of food and wine, the deeper the resentment in Wang Ziqian’s chest. His fists were clenched tightly, but even after several attempts from his attendant to persuade him to leave, he refused to go.

“Young Master, forget that fool Wang Ziling. He can’t compare to—”

“Shut your mouth.” Wang Ziqian’s voice was colder than the night wind. “He is the young master. This is Lion Tower. Keep running your mouth and you’ll lose your tongue.”

The attendant fell silent at once, bowing in frightened submission, completely unable to guess what Wang Ziqian was thinking.

Just then, Wang Ziqian turned his eyes toward Lion Tower, bathed in moonlight, and suddenly asked, “Where is Lu Yunting now?”

“Y-Young Master… I don’t… I don’t know…”

“Don’t know? Then go find him,” Wang Ziqian said sharply. His gaze turned cold. “Go. Find him and tell him Jin Man is here.”

The attendant flinched and hurried off at once.

At that very moment, the Jin Man that Wang Ziqian had just mentioned was sprinting through the alleys and streets of Jinling, chasing after a man in black. The city, though no longer bustling like it was by day, still held its own kind of nighttime splendor. Dressed in crimson, he slipped among the crowd like a fallen maple leaf, brushing across the vault of night, landing briefly on a painted decorated boat along the Qinhuai River, then catching the wind again and drifting into the depths of a courtyard in Wuyi Lane.

For the past few days, he had done nothing but chase. From the southern edge of the city to the north, and then from the north to the east. Wuhou Manor claimed to have three thousand disciples spread across the realm, and once Jin Man moved, he cast a net wide enough to cover all of Jinling, determined to trap Wuyan within it.

But Wuyan was too slippery. Despite mobilizing every person he could in Jinling, all Jin Man had managed to catch was a decoy. As for the man he was chasing now, even he could not be certain if it was real or fake.

Still, real or fake, Jin Man’s killing intent had already fully surfaced. He would never let the man go.

A sharp whistle cut through the night, and a flying sword swept in from the side to block the black-clad man’s path.

It was Yao Guan.

He had not followed directly behind Jin Man but had instead circled ahead, calculating the route the target would take. He now appeared at the perfect moment, cutting him off.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Yao Guan shouted. He was not alone. Two disciples of Wuhou Manor followed close behind. The three of them closed in together, blades and swords flashing, forming a net of cold steel that fell upon the man in black.

The front and both sides were sealed off. The black-clad man had no choice but to retreat, only to find Jin Man behind him.

A flurry of thoughts surged through his mind. He clenched his jaw, then suddenly turned and lunged straight at Jin Man.

Jin Man let out a cold snort. “Perfect timing.”

Golden threads shot from his fingertips. Each strand was soft as silk, light as willow fluff, and drifted toward the black-clad man. But the man could see clearly that every falling leaf brushing against those golden threads had been sliced clean in half.

The man in black shouted and struck at Jin Man with his longsword, putting all his strength behind the blow. Jin Man immediately sent the golden threads flying in a sweeping arc, aiming to entangle him. But just as the threads were about to touch the sword, the man suddenly pulled back.

He came to an abrupt stop, then pivoted and charged toward one of the Wuhou Manor disciples on the right.

Caught off guard, the disciple hastily raised his sword to block. But the man in black moved with speed and precision, forming a sword seal with his fingers. A glow of deep violet light gathered in his left palm and shot straight toward the disciple’s chest.

“Get back!” Yao Guan shouted.

The disciple jumped aside just in time, exposing an opening in his defense. The man in black took the chance to dart past him and plunged straight into the Qinhuai River, disappearing beneath the surface almost instantly.

Jin Man rushed to the riverbank, killing intent nearly bursting from his chest. He quickly scanned both directions. Upstream was crowded with pleasure boats and revelry. Downstream, the river flowed toward Lion Tower.

“Go upstream. If you catch him, signal with fireworks,” Jin Man said. He and Yao Guan went their separate ways to continue the chase.

The commotion had not gone unnoticed. Elsewhere in the city, Xiao Xiao received word through one of the Holy Sovereign’s agents. He swiftly led a group to join the pursuit. Though he was not too far from Jin Man, he was not close either. To ensure the Lion Banquet would proceed smoothly, he had been circling the area near Lion Tower all night.

Jin Man now moved downstream along the Qinhuai River, heading toward Lion Tower. Xiao Xiao, starting from nearby, took a different route. But with the darkness of night between them, they unknowingly passed each other.

After running a few more steps, Xiao Xiao sensed something was off and stopped immediately. Judging by the time, he should have already run into Jin Man, yet there was no one in sight.

“Backtrack,” Xiao Xiao turned around without delay.

At that moment, a figure streaked across the night sky. The person was none other than Lu Yunting.

Not good.

Xiao Xiao feared that Lu Yunting might collide with Jin Man, and quickened his pace to catch up. But Lu Yunting was no ordinary cultivator. There was no way someone like Xiao Xiao could keep up. In mere moments, Lu Yunting had already vanished from sight.

Xiao Xiao reached into his robe and took out a black orb the size of a walnut. He channeled his vital force into it and hurled it into the sky.

“Bang!”

With a loud blast, the orb exploded midair.

The sound rang out across the city. Inside Lion Tower, Meng Qiqi lifted his head sharply. His gaze pierced through the half-shuttered vermilion window, staring out toward the sky in the distance.