The three took their seats in turn.
County Magistrate Shen Yanliu sat in the seat of honor, his wife Ma Chunmin took the seat opposite him, and Duan Rong sat crosswise!
Once all three were seated, Duan Rong finally dared to look them over properly.
Shen Yanliu was nearing forty. His face was lean, with a small goatee beneath it. He wore a loose gray robe and a square cloth cap on his head.
His aura was restrained, keen light hidden within his eyes, his temples slightly bulging. As he sat there, he resembled a well-fed tiger resting at leisure, carrying an imposing majesty that needed no anger to inspire fear.
Shen Yanliu was an Outer Sect Disciple of the Taiyi Sect, and his martial cultivation had reached the second level of the True Qi Realm. In Xiangu County, he could be called a towering mountain!
Today, Duan Rong had met Shen Yanliu—he had met a mountain!
At this moment, Duan Rong was naturally insignificant.
But perhaps one day, he would be able to climb over the mountain before him?
Ma Chunmin appeared younger than Shen Yanliu as well, only a little over thirty. She was voluptuous and beautiful, her face like a bright moon, her eyes especially lively, though cold flashes often glinted within them.
During the meal, Duan Rong sat with only half his backside on the chair. He did not dare eat much either, only swallowing small mouthfuls. His heart hung in his throat, and he did not dare savor the food at all, merely swallowing it as though chewing wax, terrified of committing some breach of etiquette!
"Child, do the dishes not suit your taste? Why are you eating so little?"
"They suit me! They suit me!" Duan Rong hurriedly replied again and again.
Ma Chunmin