Outside the private room, the atmosphere gradually grew livelier as Cloudsplendor Tower's proprietor led his staff in serving one dish after another, each a feast of color, aroma, and flavor.
Cloudsplendor Tower was the restaurant where Chu Tianshu had stopped earlier, right beside the site of Hu Lenghui and Murong Zhe's battle.
The proprietor and his staff had hidden themselves long ago and only hurried back after the people from the great houses arrived.
As a famous restaurant in northeastern Chang'an, Cloudsplendor Tower rivaled the nearby Moon-Gazing Tower in renown. Its cuisine and scenery were both among Chang'an City's finest.
Everyone took their seats.
Gao Ying's gaze roamed over the gathering before finally settling on Shen Lang.
Recalling Shen Lang's earlier attitude toward the girl named Xiao Yi, he could not help feeling a flicker of doubt.
Shen Lang had clearly been elevating Xiao Yi's standing, quite possibly at Chen Xiaojun's instruction.
After all, as a member of a branch of the Chen Clan, how would Shen Lang dare casually pass judgment on the clan's future young matriarch?
Yet Gao Ying also recalled what his son Gao Yunhe and granddaughter Gao Cuilan had said.
They had said Young Master Xiaojun intended to keep information about Xiao Yi under wraps, which left Gao Ying even more puzzled.
After some thought, however, realization dawned on him: Young Master Xiaojun was elevating Xiao Yi's status while concealing the specifics of her strength and talent.
Even Gao Ying himself knew little about those details.
With that in mind, Gao Ying decided to share what he knew and add another log to the fire beneath Xiao Yi's rising reputation.
He cleared his throat and said, "Everyone, I have some information about the dragon-phoenix grass that I can share."
Everyone immediately perked up.
Chu Tianshu grumbled,