Banquet

The news exploded in everyone's minds like thunder on level ground.

Yunlin County could not afford to lose Zhang Ming.

Why had the gangs never dared to reach into the Inner City before? Because the major Lineages of the Inner City kept one another in check.

And all of that had been brought about by Zhang Ming alone.

He came from a sect, and his strength made him the number one man in Yunlin County.

As long as he remained, the demons and monsters of Yunlin County, along with all manner of crooked schemes, only dared to hide underground.

When he announced his seclusion last time, people had already begun to stir restlessly.

Now that he was gravely wounded and at death's door, with dragons leaderless, would things not become even worse?

After Zhou Muyun calmed down, he found it increasingly suspicious.

How had this news gotten out?

By all rights, this should have been top secret. The authorities would certainly have sealed off the information.

"Unless someone did it deliberately!"

An inexplicable chill rose in Zhou Muyun's heart. Only people within the authorities could have accessed such news.

And they had to be high-ranking figures in the County Magistrate's Office, or trusted confidants.

The waters were growing deeper and deeper! Strength! I needed strength!

Zhou Muyun's thirst for strength rose once more.

If he could suppress an entire region like Zhang Ming, what would he have to fear?

Over here, the people from the Leng Household responsible for receiving Zhou Muyun had also come back to their senses.

The elderly man leading them stepped forward, came before Zhou Muyun, bowed, and said with a smile,

"This old man is Leng Weiyu. I am a little older than the rest, so everyone calls me Uncle Leng. I am in charge of this herbal shop.

I have never forgotten Master Zhou's bearing during that fist match. Now that you are here to hold the fort, there should be nothing to worry about!"

"Uncle Leng." Zhou Muyun gave a slight nod.

"I wonder what matters at this herbal shop require my help. Please tell me."

The herbal shop was located in West Market. The only trouble he could think of was the Dragon Household.

But had the Dragon Household not just lost the fist match? Had they not promised not to offend again?

"Master Zhou, please come inside and take a seat. Shall we discuss this in greater detail?"

"Alright!" Zhou Muyun nodded.

Uncle Leng led Zhou Muyun into the herbal shop.

The shop was spacious, though it was merely a single-courtyard compound.

The courtyard was piled high with all kinds of medicinal herbs, and quite a few workers were sorting and selecting them.

Only a patch in the northwestern corner had been cleared out.

Judging from the traces, Zhou Muyun guessed it had been cleared only recently.

Leng Ni must have given the order beforehand.

The group soon arrived in the main hall of the herbal shop.

This was where they usually received guests or discussed business.

The Leng Household's herbal shop did not supply only Hundred Herbs Pharmacy; it also sold to individual customers.

After they sat down, Uncle Leng instructed someone to serve tea and pastries, then began recounting the matter in a measured tone.

"Every three days, we must go to a scattered market twenty li outside the city and haul the medicinal herbs we collect back into the city.

Few people travel this road. It could practically be said that the Leng Household opened it up ourselves.

But for some unknown reason, a band of bandits has appeared on the road lately."

As Uncle Leng spoke, he looked at the six people standing behind Zhou Muyun.

All six wore awkward expressions and did not dare lift their heads.

Zhou Muyun understood at once. There was a gap in strength, and they had suffered a setback!

So this was what Senior Sister Leng meant by holding the fort!

"How strong are those bandits?" Zhou Muyun asked.

"You tell him. This old man is not a martial artist!"

Uncle Leng shot the six men a cold glare, his tone carrying a trace of anger.

The six looked at one another, all unable to save face, yet not one of them spoke.

"Three Organ Refinement Realm martial artists and several Tempered Bone Realm martial artists. One of them is skilled with the sword. I... we were no match for them!"

Seeing that no one was willing to speak, one of the men, who had an honest-looking face and slightly dark skin, answered helplessly.

"What is your name?"

"Niu Jin."

"How do you think that man compares to me in strength?"

"This..." Niu Jin looked at Zhou Muyun, then thought for a moment. "I cannot say for certain, but I think he should be somewhat stronger than Long Qian. We have fought Long Qian before, and he did not have that kind of oppressive force."

Zhou Muyun was somewhat surprised upon hearing this. With such strength, why would he become a bandit?

Would it not be better to attach himself to a Lineage and live without worry over food or clothing?

Everyone had their own choice. Zhou Muyun did not dwell on the question further.

"Niu Jin, if I defeat that man, are you confident you can take down the rest?"

Zhou Muyun looked at Niu Jin and asked slowly.

"Master... Master Zhou, we are confident!"

Niu Jin hurriedly replied. If they still lacked confidence after that, they might as well stop working for the Leng Household.

Zhou Muyun nodded slightly, then looked at Uncle Leng. "Uncle Leng, when is the next shipment of medicinal herbs?"

"Replying to Master Zhou, two days from now."

"Good. I will go with you two days from now."

"Then we will have to trouble you greatly." A few more smiles appeared on Uncle Leng's face.

Afterward, Zhou Muyun discussed several more details with Niu Jin and the others.

Only then did he go to the room the Leng Household had prepared for him.

It was right beside the cleared space in the northwestern corner. It seemed the arrangements had long been made.

Since he was holding the fort at the herbal shop, he would need to stay there except at night.

Naturally, he needed a room to rest in.

"They paid two hundred taels of silver just to get the medicinal herbs back?"

Inside the room, Zhou Muyun recalled what Niu Jin and the others had said and shook his head to himself.

A shipment of medicinal herbs only earned three or four hundred taels, yet half of it was handed over in one stroke. No wonder the Leng Household could no longer sit still.

Skilled with the sword? Zhou Muyun's eyes narrowed slightly.

He wondered whether his Seven-Colored Glazed Body could block it.

Without thinking further, Zhou Muyun adjusted his breathing for a while.

Then he went to the cleared space and began training.

Racing against time to improve his strength was the true path!

Dragon Residence.

Today was neither a festival nor a birthday celebration or joyous occasion.

Yet the entire Dragon Household was hung with lanterns and colored decorations, its halls filled with a roaring crowd.

A banquet had been laid out in the Dragon Household's main hall, which was packed with people.

Long Teng sat upright in the seat of honor. Beside him sat a tall figure in black robes, a black hood concealing his face and making his features impossible to discern.

On both sides of the hall sat people who appeared to hold high positions, each with a martial artist of deep, unfathomable aura standing behind them.

"Everyone, thank you for honoring my Dragon Residence with your presence!"

Seeing that everyone had arrived, Long Teng raised the wine cup before him and drained it in one gulp.

The people on either side, however, varied in their reactions. Some raised their cups and drank, while others merely nodded slightly.

Long Teng was not embarrassed by this.

Those who humored him were heads of smaller Lineages, while those who did not were heads of Lineages comparable to the Dragon Household.

But the one sitting in the seat of honor today was him!

That was right. Long Teng himself had initiated today's banquet.

As for the reason, he glanced at the black-robed man beside him. He did not know why either.

In any case, it was the black-robed man who had told him to host the banquet and sit in the seat of honor.

If anyone had objections, they could find him first.

After receiving the Rejuvenation Pills that day, Long Teng had mulled over the matter in his room before finally deciding to discuss it with his uncle, Long Jinglei.

Long Jinglei was the strongest person in the Dragon Household, possessing Mid Blood Exchange strength.

But he was already advanced in years, and his qi and blood had declined. He normally did not take action, preserving his strength instead.

At crucial moments, he could then remain at his peak and shine for the Dragon Household.

When Long Teng brought the pills to Long Jinglei, Long Jinglei immediately had an idea: find a martial artist whose qi and blood had declined to test the medicine!

As for testing it on himself, that was absolutely impossible.

In the end, they found an elderly, frail guest elder who had already left the Dragon Household.

That guest elder did not have much time left to begin with, and Long Teng promised to look after his descendants.

Thus, without another word, the guest elder swallowed the pill.

But what they had not expected was that after taking it, the guest elder's wrinkled face suddenly gained a healthy glow, and even his complexion turned ruddy again.

He even declared that it felt as if he had become ten years younger, his qi and blood reborn anew.

Long Teng and Long Jinglei exchanged glances. There was actually such miraculous medicine in this world?

Yet neither of them immediately let down his guard. Only when the guest elder was still full of life seven days later did they finally believe it.

After all, some forbidden medicines could restore a person to their peak for a brief moment. They feared mistaking one for the other.

What came next was simple. Long Teng folded a thousand-paper crane and placed it outside Dragon Residence's gate.

The black-robed man came to Dragon Residence that very night and gave Long Teng even more Rejuvenation Pills.

Their cooperation naturally fell into place.

The black-robed man also told Long Teng that he could simply call him Lord Shan.

Afterward, Lord Shan told him to hold a banquet and gave him a guest list.

When Long Teng looked over the list, it practically included every small and medium-sized Lineage in Yunlin County.

Some were even somewhat stronger than the Dragon Household.

But he did not ask further and sent invitations according to the list.

As a result, everyone on the list came, and every one of them had come personally as the head of their household.

That made him feel a degree of awe toward Lord Shan.

As the head of a household, he was not so foolish.

These household heads could not possibly have come for his sake. Then whose face were they honoring?

The answer was obvious!

These household heads had likely cooperated with Lord Shan just as he had, and perhaps had also received Rejuvenation Pills.

Then he recalled how some Lineages had shown faint signs of joining forces recently.

Long Teng could not help but marvel. Lord Shan truly had formidable methods.

What was he planning? To overthrow the four great Lineages and take control of Yunlin County?

"Lord Shan, you had the Dragon Household hold this banquet and summoned us here. What is this for?"

A rather wealthy-looking middle-aged man did not even glance at Long Teng as he looked toward the black-robed man and asked.

Long Teng recognized him. He was Qian Yue, head of the Qian Household. Half the restaurants in the city belonged to him.

"Heh heh." The black-robed man gave a hoarse laugh and rose to his feet.

The eyes beneath his black hood swept over the crowd like those of a venomous snake, sending chills down their spines.

"I wish to establish the Yunlin Chamber of Commerce and have specially invited you all to join. Is anyone willing?"