The three martial brothers immediately opened the invitation and looked at it. After seeing what it was about, they all felt baffled.
The contents stated that Wang Wentian, the young master of Zheluo Mountain, would be hosting a banquet for the three of them at the “Jinghong Palace” at the third quarter of the酉 hour today, and invited them to do him the honour of attending.
Such a thing suddenly coming out of nowhere, it would be strange if the three of them were not baffled.
The three of them looked at each other.
Yu Qing asked them, “Are they acquaintances of yours?”
Nan and Mu both shook their heads. In front of an outsider, it was not good to say that they had not even heard of him.
They really did not know this Wang Wentian. Absolutely not. They had no impression of him whatsoever.
As for Zheluo Mountain, the three of them had heard of it. It should be a fairly large spiritual plant sect. Otherwise, given their shallow knowledge, they would not have any impression of ordinary sects.
What they did not understand was that they should have no friendship or connection with this sect. Why was the other party’s young master inviting them to a banquet?
Seeing the person who delivered the invitation about to cup his hands and leave, Yu Qing hurriedly called out, “Wait a moment. May I ask, why is your young master hosting a banquet for us?”
The man bowed and said, “As for this, I do not know. The three gentlemen will naturally know when they go.” After speaking, he again cupped his hands and took his leave.
Yu Qing: “Then please convey to Young Master Wang on our behalf. We appreciate your kind intentions, but we will decline the banquet. We have other important duties and truly cannot spare the time.”
The man was stunned and immediately became a bit anxious. “My young master is sincerely inviting you. I hope the three gentlemen will reconsider. Please find time to attend the banquet.”
Nan Zhu chipped in, “We really have important matters and cannot spare the time. Just report back to your young master like this.”
Mu Aotie nodded, looking the same.
How could they agree to something so baffling?
The problem was that this matter was clearly suspicious. Not only did the other party come directly to their door, but the invitation also clearly wrote all three of their names.
What did this mean? It meant that the other party had been secretly watching them. How could they rush in headlong without knowing whether it was good intentions or ill intent?
They were complete strangers. Logically speaking, one should first get acquainted. To send an invitation directly without any prior acquaintance, what was that about?
The man was somewhat helpless. He could not force them. In the end, he could only sigh, cup his hands, and take his leave, flying down the stairs.
Watching the messenger depart, the three martial brothers turned around and began muttering again.
Mu Aotie: “Why is he hosting a banquet for us?”
Nan Zhu nodded toward Yu Qing. “Need you ask? It must be because his identity has been found out.”
At this moment, Hu Youli came clattering up the stairs. Her gaze also fixed on the invitation in their hands. “Do you have friends in the Mirage City?”
She was speaking nonsense. The conversation on the balcony just now had not been concealed. She had eavesdropped from below. She was purely curious and came up to see, wanting to know why someone they did not know would invite these three to a banquet.
Yu Qing was just about to ask her for advice, so he gave her the invitation to look at. After a moment, he asked, “What is the standing of this Zheluo Mountain young master in the Mirage City?”
Hu Youli could not claim to have much knowledge either. She shook her head. “I do not know this young master. I only know that Zheluo Mountain is one of the top ten spiritual plant sects in the Jin Kingdom. It seems to have the backing of the Earth Mother.”
Earth Mother? The three martial brothers exchanged glances with a bit of shock in their hearts, worried that their previous refusal might have been too presumptuous.
They also heard Hu Youli click her tongue and say, “Truly a rich man’s treat. The ‘Jinghong Palace’ is the largest and best pleasure establishment in the Mirage City. A real money pit. A single event costs hundreds of thousands or even millions. To have this opportunity and not go see it is truly a pity.”
Forget it. Asking this fox demon for information was also asking the wrong person. Yu Qing turned and walked to the window, opened it, and looked outside…
In the Mirage City, where every inch of land was worth its weight in gold, having a garden estate as a business premises was rare. The Jinghong Palace was one such place.
Within the garden, there were pavilions, towers, and lush green trees. Beautiful women were as plentiful as clouds. As long as one could afford to spend, beauties of any complexion could be found here.
The Jinghong Palace was at its liveliest after nightfall. It was a scene of singing and dancing,浮华如梦.
During the daytime, the Jinghong Palace was rather quiet, cut off from the bustling prosperity of the outside world. Occasionally, from a remote corner, would come the咿咿呀呀 sounds of a zither master practising with someone.
The sunlight was a bit dazzling. In the shade of an ancient tree, Wang Wentian sat alone, sipping tea.
From the end of a winding path nearby, came the sound of footsteps.
A man with a faintly roguish smile always hanging on his face, dressed rather peculiarly in a sleeveless jacket, with bare arms, carrying a sword on his back, hands in his trouser pockets, and bare feet in wooden clogs, clacked along the stone path.
This unrestrainedly dressed man was named Qingya, the number one local boss of the Mirage City. To most ordinary people in the Mirage City, he was definitely a figure of great renown.
Walking out beside him was Gu Qingzhao, the proprietress of the Jinghong Palace. A woman past her prime, heavily made up, yet the charm in her glances was still captivating.
The two entered the pavilion together and sat down. Qingya also picked up a tea cup and sipped slowly. Gu Qingzhao, with a round fan in her hand, looked at Wang Wentian with a doting expression, gently fanning him.
Wang Wentian glanced sideways at the two of them. “Brother Qingya, is everything arranged?”
Qingya pushed out a tea leaf with his tongue, turned his head, and spat it out. “Brother Wang, rest assured. Tonight, the proprietress will personally arrange everything properly. After the trap is set, the girl will immediately start screaming. I guarantee a crowd will be drawn to catch that fellow in the act of forcibly violating the girl.”
Gu Qingzhao, however, tentatively asked, “Young Master Wang, who exactly is this person? Is he worth you going to such great lengths?”
Wang Wentian snorted with a cold laugh. “Who? You will naturally know when the time comes. It will definitely surprise you. In short, I must ruin his reputation today!”
Qingya smiled. “I just like Brother Wang’s clear-cut sense of gratitude and resentment.”
Just then, a person hurried over. It was none other than the one who had previously delivered the letter to Yu Qing and his martial brothers.
This person was named Sun Jiu. He was Wang Wentian’s attendant and also his trusted confidant.
He entered the pavilion and did not avoid the others. He directly reported, “Young master, the invitation was delivered, but…” He hesitated a bit.
Wang Wentian glanced at him from the corner of his eye. “What? Speak quickly if you have something to say. Do not stammer.”
Sun Jiu had no choice but to report honestly. “The invitation was delivered. I saw the people. They said they have important duties and cannot spare the time.”
No need to say more. Those present immediately understood. The other party was not giving face and was unwilling to attend.
At the very least, it showed that your banquet was not as important as other matters. Otherwise, they would definitely set aside other matters to attend. Was this not a refusal to give face?
Wang Wentian was first stunned. Then his face turned a bit red, as if feeling humiliated and angry. He clearly gritted his teeth.
Qingya and Gu Qingzhao exchanged glances. They did not seem too surprised by this result.
Earlier, when they learned that the guests did not know this person, they had raised objections to this direct method of sending an invitation. However, this person seemed quite confident in his own status and position, thinking that people would have to do this or that upon seeing his name. They could not say much. After all, with the halo of the Earth Mother, who would have thought there would still be an accident.
“Did they look at the invitation?” Wang Wentian asked in a deep voice.
Sun Jiu said helplessly, “They looked at it. They looked at it in front of me.”
Bang! Wang Wentian suddenly slammed the table and stood up. His chest heaved for a good while. In the end, however, he turned to Qingya. “Brother Qingya, you are at least a figure of some standing in the Mirage City. Can you tolerate this kind of thing?”
“…” Qingya opened his mouth for a while, completely stunned by what the other party said. How did this become something I cannot tolerate? It was not even my business.
After coming back to his senses, he still stood up and mumbled, “Naturally, I cannot tolerate it.”
Wang Wentian: “If it were you, what would you do?”
Qingya spoke to suit his mood. “Naturally, if they refuse a toast, they must drink a forfeit.”
Wang Wentian: “How exactly does one refuse a toast and drink a forfeit?”
Qingya raised a hand and pinched his forehead, looking a bit unsure of what to say.
Wang Wentian reached into his sleeve, pulled out a wad of banknotes, took out several large denominations, and slapped them in front of Qingya. “You are the local boss of the Mirage City. I want to vent this anger. Help me think of a way.”
Qingya casually took the banknotes, glanced at them, then stuffed them into his clothes. He walked out with clacking steps, leaving the pavilion, and waved at Wang Wentian as he went.
Seeing that there was something to be said away from others, Wang Wentian immediately perked up and quickly followed him out.
Under a shady tree, Qingya reached out and pulled Wang Wentian’s neck over, whispering in his ear for a while.
Those in the pavilion did not know what Qingya said. They only saw Wang Wentian’s eyes light up, and he slowly nodded there. Finally, he patted Qingya’s shoulder, turned, and left, also waving to summon Sun Jiu.
Sun Jiu quickly chased after him and followed him away.
Qingya, with his hands in his trouser pockets, clacked back again, returned to the pavilion, sat down, and continued drinking tea and eating pastries.
Gu Qingzhao, who had waited for a while, lifted her foot and kicked his calf. “What bad thing did you teach him again?”
Qingya bit into a pastry in his mouth, mumbled, “What bad thing could I teach him? Just the same old tricks. First courtesy, then force. Since they cannot be invited by courtesy, then change the way of inviting. Is there not a child beside those people? What if the child suddenly goes missing, and we can help them find him? Do you think they will come?”
Gu Qingzhao said seriously, “I warn you. Given Wang Wentian’s dandyish character, he does not dare to act directly by force. This shows that those people’s background is not so simple. Do not blindly get involved. Furthermore, deliberately framing someone together with you has already broken the rules of the ‘Jinghong Palace’. If you get involved in kidnapping as well, and it blows up, it will be impossible to clean up. I will not accompany you in this.”
Qingya swallowed the pastry in his mouth, took a mouthful of tea, burped, and lightly let out a sentence, “Nothing will happen. There is someone behind us to cover for us. The Zhenhai Office hinted at it. If they really throw us in, they cannot escape either.”
Gu Qingzhao was astonished and suspicious. “What does the Zhenhai Office want to do?”
Qingya: “I am not clear either. The Zhenhai Office seems to want to see Wang and those people clash, and instructed me not to let Wang cool down.”
Gu Qingzhao said in a deep voice, “You do not even know what they want to do, and you dare to blindly make trouble? Do you think the Zhenhai Office cannot do something like crossing the river and tearing down the bridge?”
Qingya said calmly, “Godmother nodded. She told me to do as the Zhenhai Office wishes.”
“Godmother…” Gu Qingzhao said blankly. “What does Godmother want to do?”
Qingya shook his head.