Chapter Thirty-Nine: Epilogue of the Jade Bowl Banquet

Tonight, Wu Yue is unbeatable.

The sentence above is an abbreviation. In its full form, it should read: “Tonight, no one wishes to be Wu Yue’s enemy.”

In everyone’s eyes, Wu Yue at this moment is like a hornet’s nest—whoever stirs him up will be the unlucky one. If you win, you gain a bad reputation and the victory isn’t honorable; if you lose, your reputation suffers even more and it’s an utter disgrace. In that case, wouldn’t it be better for everyone to lay down their arms and become friends instead? Even the Zhao family, who suffered the greatest loss, said no more and resigned themselves to the prevailing mood with a sigh.

A member of the Zhao family sighed, “Well, there’s nothing to be done—circumstances are stronger than men.” The listeners responded with a cold smirk and a “heh.”

That single finger strike was simply too dazzling. Even Zong Shen, who was at the same level of cultivation, was nearly defeated in a second. If Chen Yankan hadn’t stepped in to stop the fight in time, the consequences would have been… well.

Previously, people thought the main reason the duel between Wu Yue and Zhao Er was so gripping was because Wu Yue had taken advantage of the Zhao family’s unorthodox tactics. Now, no one was saying Zhao Er’s defeat was unjust. Each had their strengths; the odds were fifty-fifty.

“Fifty-fifty? Heh.”

The Jade Bowl Banquet drew to a close. With no one left to challenge him, Wu Yue made a graceful exit.

With such a brilliant display preceding them, the later matches seemed to pale in comparison. Still, one thing was worth mentioning: Ren Ruyi from Long Snow Mountain, infamous for his thick skin and sharp tongue, took on ten challengers at once and nearly swept all the top talents at the Jade Bowl Banquet. As for the true elites, they hesitated so long that they dared not step into the ring at all, for fear of becoming the next Second Young Master Zhao.

Among the top twenty spots, Wu Yue naturally claimed one. Nine went to the other sects and families that fought desperately for them, while the Five Surnames and Three Clans, wary of another dark horse appearing, only managed to secure eight—one for each family, by sheer coincidence. The royal family claimed two.

Business at the “People Come and Go” Inn was booming.

“Do you know why Wu Yue is so formidable?”

“Of course—it’s because he’s incredibly talented and hardworking!”

“Wrong! It’s because he stayed at our inn. As an old establishment with a long and storied history, our inn has…”

Though the advertisements were full of exaggerations, people didn’t mind; it was all for good luck. Wherever you stayed, it was the same. And so, the “People Come and Go” Inn became the hottest spot in Luoyang. Wang De, following the ancestral rule, firmly refused to expand the premises. By sheer luck, this created even more demand—a textbook case of hunger marketing.

Meanwhile, in the backyard of the inn, three people sat around a table. Wang De, cautious and deferential, took the lowest seat and glanced at the two before him. One was Wu Yue, the star of Luoyang’s youth. The other was Zhou Qilin, the scion of the Zhou family, one of the Five Surnames and Three Clans—a contact with real benefits. Thinking back to how the ever-opportunistic Commander of the Senluo Army had barged into the backyard earlier, only to be stopped cold, Wang De felt his ego swelling uncontrollably.

“Who’d have thought you’d be so famous, Zhou?” Wu Yue said with a laugh.

“Famous? Not as famous as you! Who in Luoyang doesn’t know Wu Yue now? One Wu suppresses four Zhaos—amazing. If there wasn’t someone fanning the flames behind the scenes, I’d write my surname backwards!” Zhou Qilin replied, taking a swig of wine.

“Haha, anyway, I’m living and eating free in Luoyang now,” Wu Yue said. Of course, it wasn’t the perks he cared about, but the sense of freedom.

“As for Zong Shen, he’s in a bad spot—practically a rat in the street.”

“Isn’t that the truth. I heard from Liuzi that the old man went to buy pancakes from Granny Wang, only to be spat at and driven away. She declared, ‘My pancakes aren’t for scoundrels.’ And Granny Wang even changed her shop’s name overnight to ‘Hero’s Cakes.’ I hear her business has tripled since.”

The three chatted enthusiastically, enjoying the easy camaraderie of true friends. The wine flowed quickly.

“Liuzi, bring more wine!” Wang De called.

“Why not try some of my own brew?” a voice interrupted.

“Well, aren’t you going to pour for your elders?” Wang De, already tipsy, blurted out.

Then—

“Ahem. Mr. Chen, why don’t you sit and drink with us?” Wu Yue looked toward Chen Yankan, filled with uncertainty. Faced with this old man who had always helped him, Wu Yue couldn’t help but wonder what ulterior motive he might have.

“Uncle Chen,” Zhou Qilin greeted with a bow. “If you have something to say, please take your time. I’ll take my leave.”

“No need—it’s no big deal. You might as well listen.”

“Where’s the wine? Old man, aren’t you pouring?” Wang De shouted.

Chen Yankan set a small wine jug on the table without another movement. A thin stream of wine arced straight into Wang De’s mouth.

“Excellent wine!” Wang De shouted—and then promptly collapsed, dead drunk.

Chen Yankan glanced at Wu Yue and said calmly, “He’s only asleep. He’ll wake with a benefit.”

“He’d better,” Wu Yue replied, a bit embarrassed. But that didn’t stop him from preparing his fire-stacking technique.

“Hahaha, why so tense? Uncle Chen, please sit. I can’t wait to taste this fine wine,” Zhou Qilin said, adding, “Your reputation for helping young talents is unparalleled.”

Wu Yue could only force a laugh.

“I’ll be brief. You’re the hot commodity now; many are jealous of you. If the royal family weren’t shielding you, you’d have a mountain of invitations by now.”

“Rest assured, elder, I’ll follow the royal family’s lead,” Wu Yue said with relief. So that was all.

Chen Yankan rolled his eyes dramatically, exasperated. “You can pledge allegiance to whomever you want—what’s it to me? What I want to say is…” He hesitated, almost embarrassed. “I have a daughter, as beautiful as a flower…”

So that’s what this was about. Wu Yue shook his head and said gravely, “My heart already belongs to someone. I’m afraid I can’t help you in this matter.”

“Oh? Who was so quick to capture your heart?” Chen Yankan narrowed his eyes, his tone unfriendly.

Wu Yue shook his head firmly. “I will only ever take one wife, and that will never change.” Liu Anxin, are you well? Wu Yue drifted into memories, lost in thought.

Chen Yankan was left dumbfounded.

Wu Yue finally witnessed a real-life display of anger—hair standing on end, face flushed with rage!

“Utter nonsense! Did you think I wanted you as my son-in-law? Look at yourself—what status, what character…” Chen Yankan’s tirade went on for half an hour.

After he had exhausted himself, Chen Yankan took a deep swig of wine, shot Wu Yue a sidelong glance, and suddenly thought, well, maybe having a son-in-law like this wouldn’t be so bad…

“Grandpa Chen, what is it you actually want?” Wu Yue asked cautiously. Zhou Qilin was equally bewildered, having been scolded thoroughly for no clear reason.

“What did you call me? Do I look that old to you?” Chen Yankan huffed and puffed.

“Alright, Brother Chen, just tell us what you need. Anything but selling myself is fine…”

An hour later, Chen Yankan swept his sleeves and left.

Wu Yue let out a long sigh. So all he wanted was for me to look after his daughter in the Changsheng Garden. Why make it sound so ambiguous?