Several servers wheeled dining carts into the private room in a line, setting the dishes on the enormous table one after another.
Jiang Nan had been worried about how he would reach the food on such a huge table without even a lazy Susan. As it turned out, a separate row of attractive, poised waitresses was there specifically to serve the dishes.
Pei Hu raised his glass and asked with a smile, "How well do you hold your liquor, Brother Jiang Nan? Let me offer you the first toast."
Under the circumstances, Jiang Nan could only raise his glass in return. The liquor looked a little like baijiu, but its alcohol content seemed lower. A sip brought only a mild sting, followed by a delicate fragrance that lingered in his mouth. It was fine liquor indeed.
The dishes covering the table were beautifully presented, their colors fresh and vibrant. Jiang Nan had not eaten such a lavish meal since arriving in this world. He swallowed despite himself, inwardly cursing his own embarrassing behavior.
Pei Hu noticed these little details and felt a surge of delight. The waitress who had attended Jiang Nan's bath earlier had already reported what had happened. Clearly, Jiang Nan was not particularly calculating and had seen little of the world. Someone like that would be easiest to win over.
If he could bring Jiang Nan into his service, Black Tiger Hall might continue to grow. Becoming the most powerful underground organization in all of East City was hardly out of the question.
Pei Hu warmly served Jiang Nan a morsel with the communal chopsticks and announced the start of the banquet. Everyone else began eating as well.
Like industrious bees, the waitresses moved constantly around the private room, portioning out food with serving utensils. The waitress stationed beside Jiang Nan gently wiped the grease from the corners of his mouth every so often, leaving him inwardly decrying the decadent lives of the rich.
Pei Hu cheerfully described White Cloud City's local customs, then entertained Pei Zheng and Tang Fei with amusing stories from his youthful travels. There was never a lull throughout the banquet.
Figuring that he was already here and might as well enjoy the free meal, Jiang Nan focused on eating and drinking his fill, chiming in now and then.
"You're a fine young man, brother. I've really taken a liking to you," Pei Hu said with a beaming smile, taking Jiang Nan's hand. "Have you settled the matter of marriage yet?"
Jiang Nan paused, then replied, "I haven't had time to think about that yet."
"Heh, you seem about the same age as my daughter, Pei Yuan. You young people should have plenty to talk about. Why don't I introduce you so you can get to know each other and become friends?" Pei Hu smiled like an elder of his own family.
Jiang Nan adopted an equally formal tone to decline politely. "Thank you for your kindness, Brother Pei, but a man should set his sights on the wider world. For now, I have no thoughts of romance."
Pei Hu was not the slightest bit annoyed by the rejection. After all, someone as young and powerful as Jiang Nan probably would not be interested in an ordinary woman. It was only natural that he would decline.
Still smiling, Pei Hu said, "That was presumptuous of me. Please don't take it to heart. By the way, may I ask who your master is?"
Having spent several years navigating the workplace, how could Jiang Nan miss Pei Hu's attempt to sound him out? He decided to borrow someone else's prestige for himself.
"Brother Pei, have you heard of the Turtle School?"
Pei Hu's expression changed dramatically. Even with his deeply guarded nature, he could not keep his eyebrows from twitching. Startled and uncertain, he asked, "Could your master be the man known as the God of Martial Arts-Master Roshi?"
Jiang Nan neither confirmed nor denied it. He was not actually lying, either. After all, he really was training according to the Turtle School's principles.
Though shocked, Pei Hu also felt that it made perfect sense. If not Master Roshi, the man known as the God of Martial Arts, who else could train a disciple to be so powerful at such a young age?
Master Shen might be capable of it, but the Crane School's disciples were probably all insufferably arrogant. Why would one of them sit here so amicably, drinking and chatting with him?
Recalling the old man he had met twenty years earlier, Pei Hu asked, "In my youth, I once happened upon an elderly man near Mount Paozu in the Phoenix Mountain range. I vaguely remember him saying he was also a disciple of the Turtle School. Do you happen to...?"
"That was my eldest senior brother, Son Gohan!"
Jiang Nan told the lie without blushing or missing a beat. Pei Hu suspected nothing and inwardly congratulated himself for not rashly making an enemy of Jiang Nan.
"Uncle, is Master Roshi really that powerful?" Tang Fei could not contain his curiosity.
"Powerful hardly begins to describe him," Pei Hu explained. "He's the God of Martial Arts! Legends of Master Roshi's invincibility have been passed down for more than two hundred years. I never imagined I would meet one of his disciples in person today!"
"More than two hundred years? Then how old is Master Roshi?" Pei Zheng's mouth hung open in astonishment.
"My master turned 310 this year," Jiang Nan said. He was not making that up. Master Roshi had been born in Age 430, making him exactly 310 this year, Age 740.
Pei Hu's eyes lost focus. As for Pei Zheng and Tang Fei, they looked as though they had heard something utterly beyond comprehension.
"Can a human really live that long?" Pei Hu murmured.
"Perhaps my master's mastery of martial arts transformed his body completely," Jiang Nan said.
Jiang Nan knew Master Roshi had once said he had drunk from the Fountain of Youth, but in reality, it had only granted him a longer lifespan, not true immortality. Jiang Nan was not sure whether the Fountain of Youth still existed, either. Since revealing that information would inevitably drive many people into a frenzy, he offered a different explanation.
Filled with emotion, Pei Hu said, "So pursuing the pinnacle of martial arts can have such miraculous effects? What a pity. I've squandered decades without advancing further along the martial path. What a pity, what a shame!"
"You're being too modest, Brother Pei. You look strong and full of vigor to me, right in your prime. Why dwell on regrets?"
Jiang Nan had the art of polite flattery down pat.
Pei Hu burst out laughing. "Right in my prime-well said! Come, brother, let's have another drink!"
After downing another glass, Jiang Nan said, "Brother Pei, I have a rather presumptuous favor to ask."
"Go ahead, brother!"
"My master told me to travel the world and gain experience. It's been almost half a year since I left him, but I still haven't had a chance to spar with anyone. I'd like to have a match with you, Brother Pei. I hope you'll be generous with your instruction!"
Pei Hu smiled at that. "Of course! I haven't fought anyone in years myself, and I've been itching for a match. How about this? I own a martial arts gym with a sparring ring. Once the banquet is over, we can go there and have a bout. It'll be a good way to work off the meal."
By then, everyone had eaten and drunk their fill. Pei Zheng arranged the convoy again, and the group headed to Black Tiger Hall's martial arts gym.
Jiang Nan had imagined the gym would be like the training schools in shopping malls in his previous life. He had not expected Black Tiger Hall's gym to be so large-it occupied an entire building the size of a sports arena.
The ring inside was spacious, with spectator seating all around it. Apparently, Black Tiger Hall also ran boxing matches. No wonder the ring looked so professional.
After changing into training clothes, Jiang Nan and Pei Hu stepped into the ring. Pei Zheng and Tang Fei watched from outside. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to observe such a match, and neither would dream of missing it.
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