"No hurry, no hurry. Young friend Taiping, please come inside first. We can discuss this after we've had our fill of food and wine."
Mr. Yashan smiled and waved a hand.
"No need."
Xu Taiping shook his head and held out a hand, his gaze resolute.
"Hand him over."
At those words, Mr. Yashan's face immediately darkened.
"Xu Taiping, don't refuse a toast only to drink a penalty. Inviting you to join the Cloud Tower Society is a mark of our esteem."
Mr. Yashan rested his hand against his lower abdomen and looked at Xu Taiping, his voice thick with menace.
The two pretty maids also shut the courtyard gate, then stationed themselves behind Xu Taiping, one on either side, hemming him in.
"I'm not interested in the Cloud Tower Society."
Xu Taiping shook his head. His raised hand settled on the saber at his waist, and the true qi in his Dantian began surging through the meridians throughout his body like a raging torrent.
A powerful fluctuation of aura instantly spread through the little courtyard.
Xu Taiping's progress was indeed slow, but its strength lay in its solid foundations. He had refined every strand of true qi in his body dozens of times, and his meridians were nourished by true qi every day.
Now, he was like a stone that was small but exceptionally hard.
"Ha ha ha..."
Just then, Mr. Yashan suddenly gave a hearty laugh.
"Since you don't wish to stay for this meal, young friend Taiping, I won't insist."
With that, he turned toward the house and continued:
"Old Qian, bring out the little monkey and return him to our young friend Taiping."
Hearing this, Xu Taiping frowned and looked warily at Mr. Yashan.
His instincts told him things could not possibly be so simple.
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