Night Banquet (Please Bookmark)

Great Liang World.

Fang Manor.

Inside a fine blue-and-white porcelain dish lay Taisui Meat, carefully prepared by the chef.

Its strange fragrance grew stronger, making Bai He, who was serving nearby, involuntarily swallow.

Bai He was something of an oddity among the Twelve Flower Hairpins. She was neither as gentle and considerate as Yue Gui nor as charming as the other women.

Compared to them, she was too tall, and the angles of her features were too sharply defined. She did not fit the typical aesthetic of the scholars and officials of Daliang.

When the maids had originally been purchased, she had been given as an extra.

But Fang Xi thought the girl looked quite good. She possessed a vibrant, heroic beauty, and if she changed into more masculine attire, she would look like an exceptionally graceful and handsome man.

At this moment, Fang Xi had deliberately asked Bai He to change into a white outfit suited for combat. At first glance, she looked like a white fox that had gained human form.

Fang Xi usually enjoyed teasing Bai He, because she was naturally rather competitive, and the process of subduing such a stubborn girl was quite interesting.

But today, he was in no mood for it.

Fang Xi bit down hard on a piece of Taisui Meat, making its rich juices explode in his mouth.

The next moment!

The skin over his body turned somewhat red, as though he had gotten drunk.

At the same time, the muscles in his thighs writhed. The pattern resembling a black snake rapidly expanded and grew larger...

The next instant, Fang Xi's figure moved like the wind, appearing and vanishing in a flash as he threaded through the Plum Blossom Stakes.

Bang! Bang!

Bai He felt as though she had seen a giant python weaving back and forth, and her body trembled in fright.

Amid repeated explosive cracks, Fang Xi kicked apart stake after stake, sending tiny splinters of wood flying in all directions.

Only after a long while did Fang Xi stop, gazing down at his legs.

The trousers below his thighs had already become tattered, revealing smooth skin and a snake pattern upon it.

"A complete pair of snake patterns means that my Red Snake Leg has also reached the Three Changes of Qi and Blood."

Fang Xi was not surprised by this.

After all, his White Cloud Palm had already broken through. Red Snake Leg was merely benefiting from the same principles.

"Master."

Bai He offered him a towel, her movements stiff.

But Fang Xi liked her heroic air and said with a smile, "This is Red Snake Leg. What do you think? Want to learn it? I can teach you..."

With this woman's long legs, if she also learned Boneless Snake Form... hiss...

Fang Xi sucked in half a breath of cold air.

After his usual teasing of the maid, he went to the White Cloud Martial Arts School.

Ever since he had advanced to the Three Changes of Qi and Blood, the Martial Arts School disciples had all treated him with awe.

As for Wu Ji?

That man had already appeared at the Martial Arts School very rarely.

Aside from that, he had not made any move to seek revenge. Instead, he had become much more low-key.

This made Fang Xi look at him in a new light. At the same time, he felt that fools and clever people alike were rare in this world, while mediocre commoners made up the vast majority.

The main hall.

"Master!"

Fang Xi clasped his fists and gave a slight bow.

Mu Canglong sat in a Grand Tutor's chair, holding his beloved purple clay teapot. He took a sip from its spout and narrowed his eyes in contentment. "Fang Xi, you're here... Oh, right. Your breakthrough to the Three Changes of Qi and Blood is a major event for the Martial Arts School. By convention, we should celebrate. How do you think we should go about it?"

"I don't think there's any need."

Fang Xi waved his hand in refusal.

It was only the Three Changes of Qi and Blood, not the cultivation of true force or advancement to the Martial Hall Master realm. What was there to celebrate?

Besides, holding a celebration was either for fame or profit!

He did not care about a little empty reputation, and as for profit? That was even more laughable. The gifts those Martial Arts Schools sent were not worth as much as a few leaves he could casually pick up!

"This... all right."

Mu Canglong had originally been somewhat unhappy. After all, if Fang Xi had been a genuine Martial Arts School apprentice, then a day as a teacher would be a lifetime as a father. How could his words go unheeded?

Unfortunately... Fang Xi was different from the other apprentices. He was already very wealthy!

The White Cloud Martial Arts School had only recently become more prosperous because of him, so it was difficult for Mu Canglong to reprimand him...

"If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave first."

Fang Xi bowed once more and walked out of the main hall.

He had mainly come today to find an opportunity to imprint the Divine Intent Diagram of White Cloud Palm.

Once he got the Divine Intent Diagram, the White Cloud Martial Arts School would truly be of little use to him.

This is the trouble with third-rate Martial Arts. A slight breakthrough brings you straight to the limit. What should I do next?

Fang Xi's eyes flickered slightly, and he thought of what came afterward. "Yuan He Mountain..."

"Junior Brother, Father has actually been stifled for far too long."

While borrowing the Divine Intent Diagram, Mu Piaomiao spoke in defense of Mu Canglong. "Father supports the White Cloud Martial Arts School, and he usually works very hard. The disciples under him aren't very capable, and it's rare that someone like you, Junior Brother, appears..."

At this point, Mu Piaomiao felt somewhat regretful as well.

Fang Xi's talent in White Cloud Palm was truly the greatest since the White Cloud Martial Arts School had been founded.

Unfortunately... he was too wealthy.

Sometimes, being too wealthy was not a good thing.

For example, if Fang Xi had come from a beggar's or commoner's background, Mu Canglong might even have taken him in as an adopted son and carefully nurtured him. In the future, he could have been used to uphold the school's prestige!

What did upholding its prestige mean? Naturally, it meant sending him out to fight other Martial Arts Schools in challenge matches, exchanging blows!

After the master grew old, a disciple who inherited his art also had the duty of protecting him from all sorts of challengers who came to the door.

If Fang Xi could do that, Mu Canglong might even have married Mu Piaomiao to him.

Unfortunately... Fang Xi was too wealthy!

How could he possibly fight to the death for a small Martial Arts School?

"I naturally understand Master's painstaking efforts..."

Fang Xi pondered for a moment before seeming to answer reluctantly. "How about this? I can promise to make one move for the Martial Arts School in the future!"

"Really?" Mu Piaomiao's eyes lit up slightly.

"But I have a condition..." Seeing this, Fang Xi immediately put forward his demand.

"What condition?" When Mu Piaomiao saw him staring straight at her, her cheeks reddened slightly. She then thought: If it's Junior Brother, it might not be unacceptable...

The words I agree nearly slipped out of her mouth.

Then Fang Xi's voice continued beside her ear. "I want to comprehend the White Cloud Divine Intent Diagram by myself... for one night!"

"Huh?" Mu Piaomiao's eyes widened, and she looked somewhat at a loss.

Fang Xi seemed a little embarrassed as he explained, "When I comprehended the Divine Intent Diagram today, I always felt unable to enter the threshold. It's probably because having someone beside me made it easy to lose focus. That's why I made this unreasonable request."

"You only want to borrow the Divine Intent Diagram... for one night?"

Mu Piaomiao did not know what she was feeling. In any case, she suddenly felt terribly annoyed!

She had nearly agreed to such a wonderful opportunity...

"Of course. Senior Sister, if you're worried, you can stand guard outside the door and inspect it afterward." Fang Xi adopted the bearing of a true gentleman.

But in the next moment, Mu Piaomiao threw the White Cloud scroll into Fang Xi's arms. "All right, I agree."

She turned and ran, as though some monster were chasing her from behind.

"Heh..."

Fang Xi rubbed his nose.

He naturally understood the thoughts of a young girl like Mu Piaomiao. Just now, he had deliberately created an awkward atmosphere, making her too embarrassed to appear before him again.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, a blank jade slip appeared in his hand, and he began copying...

A moment later, he had obtained the White Cloud Divine Intent Diagram!

In the entire White Cloud Martial Arts School, this was the only possession that still caught Fang Xi's eye.

Night.

The Black Stone City branch of Yuan He Mountain.

Several Martial Artists were feasting and drinking, occasionally discussing interesting anecdotes from the city.

The cold and elegant White-Robed Woman, "Chunyu," looked at the young martial uncle, "Linghu Yang," seated at the highest position. She seemed somewhat hesitant to speak.

This martial uncle possessed extraordinary talent. When he was young, he had been taken under the eye of an elder of Yuan He Mountain, brought up the mountain, and accepted as a direct disciple. From then on, his Martial Arts had advanced by leaps and bounds, and at a young age he had already broken through to a realm above that of the Martial Hall Master!

Precisely because he devoted himself wholeheartedly to Martial Arts and rarely interacted with others, he had developed an aloof and eccentric temperament.

That elder had therefore ordered him to enter the mortal world and serve as the guardian of Black Stone City, intending for the mortal world to temper his state of mind as well.

Unfortunately... after all these years, he seemed to be exactly the same as before, utterly ignorant of human affairs.

"Chunyu, why do you keep hesitating to speak?"

Linghu Yang's senses were extremely sharp. After drinking a cup of wine, he grew somewhat impatient and asked casually.

Only then did Chunyu part her red lips. "Martial Uncle... do you still remember Fang Xi?"

Linghu Yang froze. "Who is that?"

Chunyu immediately felt utterly helpless. But there was nothing she could do. Even the names of some of the disciples in the branch still escaped Martial Uncle Linghu Yang.

She could only explain, "Several months ago, this person wanted to join our Yuan He Mountain, but after being rejected, he went to the White Cloud Martial Arts School. In the past few days, news came that he had practiced White Cloud Palm and entered the Three Changes of Qi and Blood..."

"Really? Although his talent seems ordinary, it appears his luck is not bad." Linghu Yang toyed with his wine cup. "His body must be exceptionally compatible with the White Cloud Palm lineage... But that's all it amounts to. How can that third-rate Martial Art compare with the secret teachings of Yuan He Mountain? He'll spend his entire life wandering among the Martial Hall Masters... Why do you bring him up?"

Chunyu replied with a bitter smile, "This disciple merely feels some regret. For him to break through to the Three Changes of Qi and Blood means he must possess at least some talent. Perhaps this disciple misjudged him that day."

"Then I misjudged him. So what? How many outstanding talents are there beneath heaven? Even if it's an uncut jade, without someone to carve it, it can never become useful. Perhaps among the starving corpses lying dead by the roadside right now, there's a genius whose aptitude surpasses mine. But what of it?"

Linghu Yang waved his hand dismissively, his eyes gleaming with wisdom. "Martial Arts are broad and profound. Aptitude is merely the threshold. More important are the resources after one enters the path, guidance from one's teachers and elders, and even one's own diligence!"

Among all of these, the cultivation method was the most important!

Therefore, no matter what the outcome had been that day, Linghu Yang would not regret it. Once the other party practiced a third-rate Martial Art, his ceiling had already been set.

"Martial Uncle's words are truly wise."

A chubby Martial Artist immediately slapped the table and cried out in admiration. "This calls for a toast!"

Chunyu glanced over and recognized the man as the sect steward, "Qiao Wuchang." He was always a sycophant, but his Martial Arts were genuinely formidable, and his hidden attacks were especially vicious.

At this moment, she said nothing more.

She had always been cold by nature. Tonight, she had merely felt a little wistful...