Chapter Fifty-One: The Banquet

Since their minds were made up, Ye Pei and his companion decided to linger in Juyi City for a few days before heading out with Yang Qin.

“Brother Pei, I’ve managed to contact another friend of mine,” Yang Qin said.

Ye Pei had immediately sensed that Yang Qin was a capable man at first sight, but upon meeting this friend, Yun Jian, he felt nothing remarkable.

“He’s just an ordinary martial artist,” Ye Pei thought.

Though the Bandit Domain was chaotic, in a place ruled by disorder, the strongest fist became the undisputed authority, even more plainly so.

Because Ye Pei and Yang Qin had both gotten into two fights within the city in a single day, the city lord, Chen Jiren, summoned them to the lord’s manor the very next day.

“Brother Pei, perhaps your wife should stay behind. That city lord clearly has no good intentions in calling you both over,” Yun Jian suggested.

Ye Pei looked at Yun Jian with some amusement.

“Is this boy interested in her? But Qingrong’s appearance right now is nothing special... Has he never seen a girl before? There are plenty of women in the Bandit Domain more beautiful than Qingrong’s disguised face… Hmph.”

Ye Pei teased silently in his heart. Though he couldn’t tell if Yun Jian was acting out of kindness or for some other reason, it was better to be cautious.

“No need. My wife is highly skilled—she’s not a whit inferior to me,” Ye Pei replied calmly.

Yang Qin looked somewhat perplexed, glancing at Ye Pei and thinking, “What’s going on? Didn’t he just say yesterday his wife’s skills were lacking...?”

And so, Ye Pei brought Zi Qingrong along with Yang Qin, following the city guards toward the lord’s manor. Yun Jian, left behind at the inn, muttered to himself, “Pei Ye, Ye Pei—is it really him? His appearance doesn’t match the reports, but his eyes do mark him as a member of the Yan clan. I’ll have to test him.”

“Careful you don’t alert the real one. If it isn’t him and you spook the actual person, he’ll be even harder to find,” a sudden voice spoke from behind.

“Yikes!” Yun Jian jumped, turning to see the newcomer. He breathed a sigh of relief and said, “You experts—” he paused deliberately on the word “experts,” “—do you all enjoy appearing out of nowhere?”

“Whether he is or isn’t, I want to stir things up a bit. Even if he’s not the one, with so many from the three factions entering the Flow Domain, I’ll find him soon enough. But if he is, then it’ll be a great achievement for me, Yun Jian.”

The lord’s manor wasn’t far from the inn. Though the city lacked order, the manor itself was impressive—spacious, grand, and heavily guarded. Just entering, Ye Pei counted no fewer than twenty guards stationed at various gates.

“Lord, Pei Ye and Yang Qin have arrived.”

“Hahaha, please, come in!” After this announcement, a hulking man in brocade robes and a middle-aged man with a long beard greeted them and led them inside to be seated.

Once they sat, Ye Pei quietly whispered to Zi Qingrong, “The wine is fine, the food is good, but I doubt this banquet is a friendly one.”

Once all were settled, the burly man spoke, “I am Chen Jiren, lord of Juyi City, and this is my adviser, Cheng Fang.” He then ordered wine served for the three.

“My lord,” Ye Pei waved his hand, “my wife can’t hold her liquor; I’ll drink on her behalf.”

Chen Jiren didn’t argue, simply ordering tea to be poured for Zi Qingrong.

Raising the first goblet, Chen Jiren declared, “Pei Ye, Yang Qin, you two were as lively as startled hares in my city yesterday! Cheers!”

At this, the corners of Cheng Fang’s mouth twitched.

Ye Pei merely chuckled softly, saying nothing, and drank his cup in one go. Yang Qin, too, shook his head and downed his drink. Zi Qingrong nearly laughed out loud, only restraining herself by pinching Ye Pei hard under the table.

“Hey,” Ye Pei leaned in to whisper, “this man is clearly uncultured. Just bear with him—he might blurt out even more ridiculous things. Are you going to keep pinching me every time?”

“Pei, is there anything about my hospitality that’s been lacking? Why not tell me, so I can address it?” Chen Jiren set down his cup, his face darkening.

Ye Pei picked up the wine pot and filled both their cups. “Not at all. I just remembered I might have left something at the inn and wanted to let my wife know. Forgive my rudeness, my lord, let me toast you.”

His demeanor made it impossible for Chen Jiren to press further, so he drank and ordered more wine.

The banquet proceeded smoothly until Chen Jiren could hold back no longer.

“Pei, Yang, the two of you stirring up trouble in my city made me lose face as lord!”

Cheng Fang’s mouth nearly twitched up to his temple.

“Hmm…” Ye Pei paused with his cup. Zi Qingrong leaned over and whispered, “I think he means ‘reckless.’”

Ye Pei shot her a look that said “impressive,” then, stifling a laugh, raised his cup. “Forgive us, my lord. The circumstances left us no choice yesterday. We meant no offense and beg your understanding.”

“Ahem…” Chen Jiren coughed. “‘Understanding’? What’s to understand! I know I can hold my liquor, but drinking more won’t help! You owe me an explanation!”

Smack!

While Ye Pei and the others sat quietly, Cheng Fang suddenly slapped himself across the face.

Seeing the stunned expressions around the table, he calmly stroked his beard and said, “No worries—just a mosquito.”

He paused, then continued, “Gentlemen, the brawl you caused yesterday is a matter of both gravity and triviality for Juyi City.”

Ye Pei and Yang Qin exchanged glances and set down their cups. “How so?”

“Normally…” Cheng Fang tugged his beard, “in the Bandit Domain, everyone looks out for themselves—no exceptions. By law, the two of you should have your limbs broken and be expelled from the city.”

Zi Qingrong’s eyes showed a hint of panic. Were it not for her disguise mask, her fear would have been plain as day.

But Ye Pei remained calm for good reason. The man had opened with legal threats—a clear sign he neither desired nor dared to enforce them and likely had another motive.

Ye Pei glanced at her, gently patting her hand. Seeing no shift in Yang Qin’s expression, he turned to Cheng Fang. “But… breaking our limbs—that’s no easy feat.”

Ye Pei had no patience for riddles; his words carried open contempt and threat.

Chen Jiren started to rise, but Cheng Fang pressed him back down.

“You two are exceptional men. We have no wish for bloodshed between us. Just last month, my son crippled several wanderers in broad daylight, and none dared object. The ones you fought yesterday were outsiders, nothing more.”

At this point, the city lord’s intentions were clear enough. By labeling the others as “wanderers” and “outsiders,” and mentioning his own son’s violence, he was obviously courting Ye Pei and Yang Qin to join him.

Ye Pei drained the last cup and said, “Let’s just leave it at that. I’ll be gone in a few days anyway. Farewell.”

With that, he rose, pulling Zi Qingrong with him. Yang Qin hurried to follow.

“Stop!” Chen Jiren could no longer restrain himself. “Do you think my place is a vegetable market you can come and go as you please?”

Ye Pei laughed quietly, not turning. “My lord must be overworked. If you think back carefully, you’ll recall you invited us here—we never requested it.”

Having said this, he left with Zi Qingrong and Yang Qin.

“Damn it…” Chen Jiren flipped the table and started after them.

Cheng Fang stopped him. “Calm down, my lord. The boy is arrogant, but reports say he’s the real deal. With your son and most of our men out of the city, we may not be able to keep them here.”

After much effort, Cheng Fang finally soothed Chen Jiren’s anger and added, “My lord, those things I taught you to say…”

Chen Jiren grabbed the wine pot and gulped, “Forget it! I couldn’t recall a word of it when the time came, and I couldn’t even understand what that brat was muttering about!”

Sacrificial Mountain.

“Sanhu, let’s go.”

“Huh? But the courtyard isn’t finished yet.”

Ni Manxiu shot the tiger a look. “My face has healed. The courtyard can wait.”

With that, Ni Manxiu mounted Sanhu, and the two hurried down the mountain, vanishing without a trace.

Wangmai, North Mountains of the Snow Kingdom.

“Ah…” Ni Manxiu sighed. “This girl really lives a primitive life.”

Not far off, little Miss Ye Feilan sat on a rock, her clothes filthy and oily hair gleaming, quietly eating fruit.

“But,” Ni Manxiu muttered, “she shouldn’t be this demure…”

Before he finished speaking, the girl exploded in a tantrum.

Ye Feilan flung her fruit several yards away. “Autumn fruit tastes awful! I haven’t had meat in ages! Mother’s gone, Aunt Yue is missing, and Old Meng hasn’t come for me…”

After only a few complaints, the little lady seemed on the verge of tears.

Sanhu said, “She’s about to cry. Why don’t you give her some of the meat we brought?”

Ni Manxiu laughed. “What’s the rush? She’s far from starving. This priest won’t waste meat on her—I barely have enough for myself. Besides…”

He glanced east toward the mountains. “Meng Huaicheng left the Muyue Grasslands long ago to look for her, yet she blames him for not coming, when she’s the one who wandered west.”

Sanhu sprawled on the ground. “Aren’t you trying to win her over? There’s no better chance than now.”

Ni Manxiu replied, “It’s still too soon. This is hardly an opportunity.”

Just then, wolf howls rose nearby, joined by the desperate cries of a wild deer.

“Now this is more like it,” said Ni Manxiu, his smile broadening. “But it’s not the best moment yet.”

“Can she get away? I’m not fast enough to save her from a wolf’s jaws.”

“I never told you she’s a princess of the Star Clan—she has wings. She’s nowhere near a dead end.”

Upon hearing the wolves, Ye Feilan stood, terror written across her trembling body, scanning her surroundings.

“Is anyone coming to save me…”