Chapter 45: The Peak of the Banquet

The Lu Family Manor.

Celestial Master Zhang Jingqing had sword-like eyebrows, a bearded face, and deep, penetrating eyes, exuding an invisible, dignified aura.

Beside him stood Zuo Ruotong, with the white hair of a youth and the complexion of a child, a layer of pure ethereal energy flowing across his body. Every movement of his drew the attention of the onlookers, making him look like an immortal descended to earth.

With both the Celestial Master and the Immortal of Daying arriving simultaneously—two towering figures who were absolute pillars of the superhuman community—none of the assembled practitioners dared to act presumptuously. Every single one of them stood up to respectfully welcome the guests.

The younger generation also immediately stopped their bickering. The tense, antagonistic atmosphere vanished in an instant as they all cast curious glances at the legendary Celestial Master and the Immortal of Daying.

After all, the petty romantic pursuit of a chubby little boy after a chubby little girl could hardly compare to these two legendary figures of the superhuman world!

"The Lu family is truly graced by the glorious arrival of the Celestial Master and Sect Leader Zuo!"

Old Master Lu stepped forward, cupping his hands in greeting.

The group immediately exchanged polite pleasantries.

***

"Brother Lü Ci, why does this Sect Leader Zuo look so young?!"

Wang Ai and Lü Ci had also returned to their own table. Standing beside Lü Ci, Wang Ai asked with a hint of bewilderment.

"Fatty, can you stop being so foolish? Young?" Lü Ci said with annoyance. "This Sect Leader Zuo is far from young; he's older than our own father!"

"Then... then if he's that old, why does he look just like Brother Lü Ren?" Wang Ai asked, still uncomprehending.

"That must be because of the cultivation technique practiced by the Triple One Sect!"

As he spoke, Lü Ci glanced at Lu Jin, who was standing close to Zuo Ruotong. Would this guy end up looking just like Zuo Ruotong in the future? For some inexplicable reason, a wave of competitive reluctance rose within him!

By the way, Lu Jin was serving by the side of his master, Zuo Ruotong, but what about the Celestial Master's disciple? Why wasn't he going over to welcome him?

Lü Ci looked back and saw that the Celestial Master's disciple was sitting right at his seat, picking up a plate of peanuts and literally drinking them straight into his mouth.

That's right, he wasn't picking them up with chopsticks to eat; he was holding the plate and drinking them. In all his years, this was the first time Lü Ci had ever witnessed someone "drinking" peanuts.

"Hey, Daoist, your master is right here, aren't you going to follow that Lu fellow's example and go welcome him? You're still sitting here eating—no, drinking peanuts!" Lü Ci couldn't help but chime in.

Zhang Zhiwei, who was in the middle of drinking his peanuts, glanced at Lü Ci. "We see each other every day, where do all these tedious formalities come from? Would you like some?"

With that, he pushed a few peanuts toward Lü Ci.

***

Lü Ci glanced at them, the corner of his twitching slightly. "I don't want any!"

"Suit yourself if you don't want them!"

Zhang Zhiwei continued to "drink" his peanuts.

In the middle of the previous night, he had been put through a rigorous examination by his master, followed by a frantic dash through the night aided by escaping-horse talismans. He hadn't eaten a proper meal all day, and his stomach had long since been growling with hunger. What was wrong with drinking a few peanuts?

As for his attitude toward his master Zhang Jingqing... Zhang Zhiwei respected him deeply. This respect was not bound by superficial formalities, but came entirely from the bottom of his heart; he truly regarded Zhang Jingqing as a close family member.

Whenever Zhang Jingqing found an excuse to test his strength, he would only ever use the Golden Light Spell for defense and never counterattack.

After all, while cultivation had levels of depth and shallowness, it didn't possess rigidly separated realms of absolute tier. Unless the gap in cultivation was insurability vast, even the weaker party could potentially injure the stronger one if caught off guard.

Zhang Zhiwei wasn't delusional; he had a very clear understanding of his own terrifying rate of progress—his cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds every single day. However, he couldn't quite gauge the exact depth of his master's cultivation, and he constantly worried that if he struck back without paying attention, he might snap his master's old bones. Therefore, just to be safe, he never counterattacked and only maintained a passive defense.

Of course, judging from their last few sparring sessions, his master's cultivation was still a cut above his.

Even so, he could already see the distance closing rapidly, unlike before when his master felt unfathomably deep, with a chasm separating the two of them.

Shortly after, the Celestial Master and Zuo Ruotong took their seats, and the welcoming hosts also returned to theirs. Following a series of congratulatory birthday speeches, the centerpiece of the banquet—the head-of-household succession ceremony—finally commenced.

Before the eyes of all the superhumans under heaven, and under the witness of the Celestial Master Zhang Jingqing and Zuo Ruotong, Lu Xuan received the position of head of the Lu family from Old Master Lu, making a solemn vow to bring unprecedented prosperity to the Lu family.

Following a wave of applause, the guests began to drink, make merry, and chat about various trivial matters of the pugilistic world.

At Zhang Zhiwei's table, because of the presence of Lu Jin and Lü Ci, the atmosphere was exceptionally lively.

The two of them had carried over their earlier rivalry into their drinking. Thrusting and parrying, they were engaged in a fierce contest of alcohol, practically determined to see who would collapse first.

Lü Ren, on the other hand, was the picture of refined politeness, occasionally clinking glasses with Zhang Zhiwei and sharing anecdotes he had heard.

Wang Ai seemed somewhat absent-minded, frequently stealing glances during dinner at Guan Shihua, who was seated at another table. Being far from clever, the chubby boy's stealthy looks were spotted by Guan Shihua's female companions, who promptly informed her.

This earned Wang Ai a fierce glare from Guan Shihua, causing the little chubby boy to blush crimson, shrink his head and blink his eyes nervously for a moment, before turning all his grief and indignation into an appetite for food as he began to gorge himself.

Seeing Wang Fatty wolfing down his food like a swirling wind sweeping away fallen leaves, Zhang Zhiwei could no longer sit still. While he wasn't someone obsessed with culinary desires and was quite used to the plain diet on Mount Longhu, didn't one deserve to treat oneself to a good feast every once in a while?

"Fatty, slow down. That chubby girl is watching you, you know. If you abandon your image like this, do you still want to win her heart? Learn some table manners from her!" Zhang Zhiwei kindly reminded him.

Wang Ai startled, turned his head to look at Guan Shihua, and seeing that despite her chubbiness, her table manners were exceptionally refined, he immediately slowed his eating speed.

And then, it was Zhang Zhiwei's turn to sweep away the food like a autumn gale.

***

Before long, after three rounds of drinking and five courses of food, Old Master Lu, advanced in years, had accompanied the guests for a while before retiring to his chambers to sleep, but the younger generation continued to drink.

At Zhang Zhiwei's table, Lü Ci had already passed out.

This kid drank with the same arrogant bravado he brought to fighting. Once he got drunk, he became wildly conceited, coming over to challenge Zhang Zhiwei to a drinking contest. He boasted endlessly about his bottomless capacity and ability to hold a thousand cups without getting drunk, sneering that a mountain Daoist like Zhang Zhiwei probably had never touched alcohol, and declaring that for every cup Zhang Zhiwei drank, he would down four.

And so... reaping what he sowed, "Lü Four-Cups" was soon dead drunk and sprawled out like a lifeless dog.

Since Lü Ci had fallen, his older brother Lü Ren had no choice but to step into the breach and continue drinking against the others.

Lü Ren felt somewhat helpless about this, but he couldn't just refuse!

Who told his foolish younger brother, in the throes of drunkenness, to keep shouting that the Lü family never yielded to anyone, and that he had finished his cup so the others could do as they pleased?

Now that his foolish brother was down, as the older brother, how could he not pick up the banner?

"Hey, you from the Lü family, don't be a coward! A man's word is his bond—the other guy drank one cup, and you're supposed to drink four!" someone nearby jeered, stoking the flames.

The boast his foolish brother had made—he, the innocent older brother, had to carry out with tears in his eyes. Lü Ren picked up a large bowl and downed four bowls in one continuous gulp.

"Wonderful! How bold and forthright! And Lu Jin, you're the host here. When someone else drinks four cups, how can you have the face to drink only one? Come, come, come, keep up! You can't back down!"

And so Lu Jin was also coaxed and pressured into downing four bowls back-to-back.

Furthermore, the ringleader of this instigation was none other than Zhang Zhiwei.

Afterwards, Zhang Zhiwei turned his gaze toward Wang Fatty. The kid had also consumed a considerable amount of alcohol and was currently looking quite dizzy and intoxicated.

"Fatty, do you know what the most important thing is when pursuing a young woman?"

Wang Ai, who had been feeling quite woozy, instantly perked up. "What... what is it?"

"As the saying goes, a virtuous woman fears a persistent suitor. That Guan Shihua has also had quite a bit to drink, so your chance has come. Go get her!"

"Zhang... Brother Zhang, h... how do I go get her?" Wang Fatty asked, his words slurring slightly.

"First you do this... then you do that... and finally..."