The Bribe Had Barely Warmed in His Hands When He Lost His Memory

The next day, Wei Mao wore a grave expression when he received the invitation.

It was only a matter of claiming kinship, yet they had even invited the governor. That was taking things a bit too far.

The Old Drunkard's true aim was not the wine. Wei Mao felt that there was more to this matter than met the eye—it definitely wasn't as simple as making connections.

And...

Wei Mao stared at Lu Bei's name on the invitation, utterly baffled. Zhu Ting was hosting a banquet at Bright Moon Tower, and there were several explanations for inviting him—but what did inviting Lu Bei over mean?

Did they think there weren't enough people and need someone to make up the numbers?

Wei Mao had no idea what was going on, but he still chose to attend. He couldn't refuse the governor's invitation. After sending word to his superior, the County Lieutenant of his commandery, he arrived at Bright Moon Tower at the appointed time.

Bright Moon Tower stood on the bustling main street. Most of its patrons were wealthy merchants. As a renowned local banquet venue, reservations and queues were mandatory.

It was a century-old establishment, and those were its rules. No one was exempt.

Except the governor.

The proprietor's attitude was perfectly clear: breaking the rules had nothing to do with the governor. He was doing it purely out of respect for him.

Lu Bei accompanied Wei Mao to the banquet, where they met the governor in an elegant private room on the second floor—a man who had climbed to high office through his own efforts rather than relying on his ancestors.

He had an elegant bearing and was a refined middle-aged man.

Wei Mao was heading to the military camp the next day, so he substituted tea for wine and downed three cups in succession as an apology. Zhu Ting wasn't offended. He claimed to be unwell and switched to tea as well.

After three rounds of tea, Zhu Kui extended an invitation, saying he had found a singer in the private room next door and wanted to take Lu Bei over to appreciate her performance.

Lu Bei was familiar with this sort of situation. Zhu Ting and Wei Mao were the protagonists tonight. The two had secret matters to discuss and were clearing the room.

He nodded at Wei Mao and followed Zhu Kui next door. Another banquet table came into view. To his disappointment, behind the half-transparent screen there wasn't even a shadow of a person, let alone a singer.

"Brother Lu, don't be shy. Come, let's have two cups first."

"Let's skip the drinking."

Lu Bei waved his hand. "I can't hold my liquor. Two or three cups is my limit. Let's talk about the real business instead!"

Where's the singer? Hurry up and call her in!

"Good. Straight to the point, quick and frank."

Zhu Kui slapped the table in approval, opened the food box at the very center of the table, and slowly pushed it toward Lu Bei.

Inside was a stack of Silver Notes. They had no fragrance to speak of, but their appearance was excellent. Their denominations and quantity were both immensely tempting.

"Brother Lu, this dish is called 'Wealth Knows Its Own.' Please savor it!" Zhu Kui said solemnly.

"???"

Lu Bei wore a blank expression and inwardly exclaimed that he had learned something new. So this is how people in a world with spiritual energy eat.

If I'd known this was how it worked, why would I bother refining pills? Wouldn't it be better to eat out every day?

"Brother Lu, how do you find it? Could it be that you think the dish is too small?"

"It isn't small. I'm practically stuffed."

Lu Bei was filled with doubts and was about to ask, but after thinking it over, he first packed the delicacy into his arms. Only then did he ask, "Young Master Kui, one should accept no reward without earning it. You suddenly gave me this fortune. To be honest, I don't dare take it."

Then take it out!

Zhu Kui looked down on him inwardly and smiled. "Brother Lu, I just praised you for being quick and frank. How did you suddenly... Oh, I understand. The misunderstanding has already been put behind us, hasn't it?"

A misunderstanding?

What misunderstanding? Can you just spell it out?

Do you know how annoyingly cryptic you are?

Lu Bei thought it over. To avoid any unnecessary misunderstanding, he decided to be direct. "What exactly is the misunderstanding Young Master Kui mentioned? Please explain it in detail. If the governor wants to win over my cousin... to be frank, that man values principles above all else. I'm afraid I won't be able to help much."

"Hahaha, Brother Lu, you're truly humorous. I understand what you mean. The past is like smoke; one gust of wind and it scatters. Nothing ever happened." Zhu Kui nodded repeatedly, inwardly thinking that Zhu Ting had worried too much. The spy was greedy, but he certainly knew how to conduct himself.

See? The gag fee hasn't even warmed in his hands, and he's already lost his memory.

Very professional!

What do you mean, the past is like smoke? What exactly have you understood?

Sensing that something was off, Lu Bei found the Silver Notes in his arms growing rather hot to the touch. He promptly tossed them into the Qiankun Bag and straightened his expression. "Young Master Kui, let's stop speaking in riddles. What exactly was the misunderstanding? If you don't spell it out, I'm leaving."

"Brother Lu, you're making this dull. Some things hurt people's feelings when you put them into words!"

Meanwhile, in the private room next door.

The hand holding Zhu Ting's teacup trembled slightly, and a hint of embarrassment appeared on his face. "General Wei, is what you said true?"

Wei Mao fell silent for a moment before helplessly saying, "My lord governor, you know what kind of person Wei Mao is. I had no intention of raising the price. Lu Bei really isn't a spy. He's my wife's Junior Disciple Brother and is merely staying here for a while."

"Then..."

"A misunderstanding."

"..." x2

Having exposed himself, Zhu Ting felt deeply humiliated. If Zhu Kui hadn't been elsewhere, he would have strangled him on the spot.

Wei Mao simply acted as though nothing had happened. He raised his teacup and toasted several times. Before long, the two of them had brushed aside the awkwardness and were chatting and laughing as they discussed government affairs.

The two had served as officials for many years. They possessed both cultivation and thick skin, and could laugh off even the most awkward situations. Lu Bei and Zhu Kui, however, were an entirely different story.

"Damn it, you cheated me out of my money!"

"Damn it, you sold me fake medicine!"

Zhu Kui stared in stunned disbelief, as did Lu Bei. The look they gave each other grew increasingly hostile. No wonder he hadn't refined a single Premium Quality Qi Ling Pill in the past month. So the problem had been with the raw materials.

He had previously thought that the Huangji Pill Nurturing Art was too useless, with finished pills being its limit, while Premium Quality pills were something one could admire from afar but never touch.

"So it was you who did this!"

Lu Bei narrowed his eyes. The quality of the Qi Ling Pills affected how much experience he gained. Without Premium Quality pills, he had lost at least tens of thousands of experience—rounding up, that was practically a hundred million.

How can I possibly endure losing a hundred million experience?

Lu Bei couldn't endure it, and Zhu Kui could endure it even less. He slammed his palm onto the table. "Brat, know what's good for you and hand over the money obediently. Otherwise, don't blame me for turning against you."

"Money? What money?"

"Stop pretending to be stupid. The money I just gave you!"

"Bah!"

Lu Bei spat and shouted angrily, "When you gave me the money just now, I said that one should accept no reward without earning it. You insisted on giving it, and I tolerated it at the time. Now you want to take it back? That's simply bullying!"

"You, you..."

Zhu Kui extended a trembling hand. "I've never seen anyone as shameless as you."

"What? You sell fake medicine, yet you've never looked in a mirror?"

Lu Bei widened his eyes. "Then again, look at your features. Each one grew its own way, and none of them will submit to the others. Not looking in a mirror really does help you live longer."

Bang!

Zhu Kui flew into a rage, slapped the table, and lunged at Lu Bei.

"Are you sure?"

Lu Bei didn't move an inch. He curled his lips and said, "I'm not trying to scare you. The governor and my cousin are chatting happily next door. Go ahead and touch me. See what happens."

Zhu Kui looked ready to vomit blood. He withdrew the hand that was about to seize Lu Bei by the throat and said through clenched teeth, "The governor... is my uncle. Your cousin is merely a County Lieutenant, an ordinary brute."

"It's precisely because the governor is your uncle and my cousin is merely an ordinary brute that you're in deep trouble."

Lu Bei sneered. "Think about it. The dignified governor exposed his family's scandal and lost face in front of a County Lieutenant. He's got a bellyful of anger. Do you think you'll come out of this smelling like roses?"

"Ah, this..."

Sweat beaded on Zhu Kui's forehead, and he sucked in a sharp breath.

"Look at you. I was merely refining a pill. I didn't provoke anyone or offend anyone, so why did you pin the blame on me?"

Lu Bei mocked him mercilessly. "Now look what happened. The next time we meet, I can only attend your funeral."

"Isn't all this your fault?"

Zhu Kui gnashed his teeth. Unable to think of a retort, he sneered, "You never leave through the front gate or enter through the inner gate. I sent people to invite you to Yunshui Tower, and you refused to go. You say you're normal—who would believe you?"

"Come on, then. If you have the guts, invite me again and see whether I agree!"

"..."