Volume 1, Chapter 50: Evening Banquet and Wang Xin's Invitation to Dance

After much deliberation, he decided it was better not to issue any warning.

A warning required a pretext, and since Li Mi had only just joined the stronghold, there was no plausible excuse to use as a justification.

Therefore, even if a warning were to be given, it would have to wait until a later date. Only when conflicts arose between Li Mi and Zhai Rang would it be appropriate to seek an opportunity and offer counsel composedly.

Thus, by the time Li Shandao visited Xu Shiji at his quarters on the following afternoon, he ultimately refrained from offering Xu Shiji any warnings whatsoever.

Shortly after Li Shandao arrived, Zhai Rang sent someone to invite Xu Shiji to the Hall of Righteousness. Li Mi, Wang Bodang, and the others had just arrived there and were currently conversing with Zhai Rang. Li Shandao’s status was still insufficient; he lacked the qualifications to participate in such high-level casual chats, but attending as an entourage member following Xu Shiji was acceptable. Consequently, Xu Shiji brought him along, heading to the Hall of Righteousness together with Shan Xiongxin, who had also received an invitation from Zhai Rang.

Upon reaching the hall, Xu Shiji and Shan Xiongxin entered, while Li Shandao, Liu Huer, and the others remained outside, waiting on the veranda to be called.

The rain was still falling, though much like the previous day, it remained light.

While chatting idly with Liu Huer and the others, Li Shandao gazed into the distance at the hazy, mist-shrouded mountain scenery under the rain.

Dark, heavy clouds piled up atop the peaks, looking close enough to touch and casting a gloomy, somber shade across the near and distant mountains, which in turn made the surrounding vines, pines, and cypresses appear even more verdant.

Although Li Shandao had made up his mind before Li Mi officially joined the stronghold—deciding that regardless of when Zhai Rang agreed to accept Li Mi, he would simply secure his position by staying close to Xu Shiji—now that the moment had truly arrived, on this very day of Li Mi’s admittance, despite having no such sudden worries the night before, his heart still could not help fluttering with anxiety and suspense.

Those increasingly lush vines, pines, and cypresses seemed to symbolize the impending, rapid rise and development of the Wagang forces following Li Mi’s arrival.

Yet the pervasive, gloomy dark clouds overhead felt akin to the deep crises already lurking within that future prospect.

Gazing at the dark clouds and the verdant pines and cypresses amidst the mountains beneath them, Li Shandao mused inwardly: "Forget it! I am merely a commander of two hundred men; I have no say in the stronghold’s major affairs. As the saying goes, 'Eating plain radishes and worrying about state affairs'—to dwell on this further is nothing more than blind anxiety. I’ll simply stick to the strategy I’ve already settled on. Regardless of Li Mi or Zhai Rang, I shall focus solely on clinging tightly to Big Brother Xu’s coattails, and making sure he doesn't die at a critical juncture is all that truly matters!"

Hearing Liu Huer speaking to him, he pulled his thoughts back and caught Liu Huer saying, "Second Brother has a fine capacity for liquor; at the banquet tonight, you must drink a few extra bowls."

Knowing that Xu Shiji had always favored accepting Li Mi into the stronghold, and seeing that Li Mi had now been accepted by Zhai Rang, Xu Shiji was in high spirits. Since the master was happy, the servant was naturally happy as well, so Liu Huer was in a cheerful mood. Taking Li Shandao’s words from earlier quite seriously, he laughed and said, "Duke Pushan has quite a few attendants. Tonight, they might very well pour heavily to toast our master. Should I find myself unable to hold my ground by then, I must ask for Second Brother's assistance."

"Needless to say, as long as you give the word, elder brother, I will not hesitate!" Li Shandao declared heroically.

Around three or four o'clock in the afternoon by modern reckoning, a hundred or so camp handymen, led by several minor leaders, arrived outside the Hall of Righteousness and began erecting rain shelters, setting up torches, and arranging tables and mats. With many hands making light work, in less than half an hour, the banquet area outside the hall was fully prepared.

After these hundred or so handymen withdrew, a few other minor leaders arrived, leading another group of attendants.

This new batch of attendants, consisting of both males and youths of tender age, were not ordinary laborers tasked with heavy, grueling work; rather, they were specialized upper-tier attendants in the stronghold dedicated to serving banquets. Musicians, singers, and dancing girls also arrived in fluttering grace, each group led by their respective commanders.—Gao Chounu followed closely by Li Shandao’s side, his eccentric eyes darting frequently toward the scantily clad dancing girls.

As evening approached, the torches were lit.

The firelight chased away the dimness of dusk, illuminating the entire courtyard before the Hall of Righteousness as bright as day.

The grand and medium-sized leaders of the main stronghold and the various branch strongholds (excluding the Weicheng branch) who had been ordered to attend the banquet arrived one after another, some bringing retinues, others coming in small groups of two or three. Luo Xiaode and Nie Heitan of the Phoenix branch had arrived as well.

Senior leaders like Luo Xiaode entered the hall, and Nie Heitan and Zheng Gouzi also stepped inside. Meanwhile, mid-level leaders of the captain rank like Li Shandao, after paying their respects to Zhai Rang and the others, stood in attendance along the veranda outside the hall, just like Li Shandao.

Unconsciously, Li Shandao glanced to his left and right; the veranda was already packed with people.

The conversation between Zhai Rang, Li Mi, and the others inside the hall came to a halt.

An order from Zhai Rang was passed down, instructing those waiting on the veranda to descend into the courtyard and prepare to pay their respects to Li Mi.

No fewer than forty or fifty men moved at the command, bustling noisily down from the veranda into the courtyard. Li Shandao, alongside the captains from the Phoenix branch, stood with Liu Huer, mingling among the crowd. They lined up facing the hall entrance.

After a brief wait, a group of people emerged from the hall.

Scanning the crowd, Li Shandao saw Zhai Rang positioned in the center, flanked on his left by Zhai Kuan, Xu Shiji, and others, and on his right by Li Mi, Wang Bodang, and others.

Prayer mats had already been spread out. Dozens of men dropped to their knees simultaneously, shouting in unison, "We your humble servants pay our respects to Duke Pushan."

Li Mi hurriedly bent forward, extending both hands in a gesture of lifting them up, and said, "How can I dare accept such a courtesy from you brave men? Please rise quickly, quickly rise."

None of the dozens of men stirred. Keeping his head down, Li Shandao looked left and right; seeing that no one else moved, he remained still as well.

Zhai Rang gave a cough and said, "Brotherhood, the formalities are complete. You may all rise."

The dozens of men responded with a booming shout and then stood up one after another. Li Shandao hurriedly followed suit.

Turning to Li Mi, Zhai Rang said, "Brother Xuanxui, these brave men in the courtyard are all leaders of the rank of grand commander and above in our stronghold. As of today, you may consider yourself acquainted with them all." He then asked, "Would you like to say a few words to them?"

Entering the Wagang stronghold was indeed no easy feat; after much twists and turns, he had finally managed to join. Yet even after joining, during the conversation in the hall just moments ago, Wang Ruxin, Zhai Kuan, Zhai Mohou, and others had clearly displayed strong exclusionary sentiments toward Li Mi and his faction.

Deeply moved by the gesture, Zhai Rang smiled and tried to persuade him once more, but seeing that Li Mi remained steadfastly opposed, he let the matter drop and announced to the gathering in the courtyard, "From this day onward, whenever you see Duke Pushan, it shall be as if you are seeing me, Xiongxin, or Maogong. You must show no disrespect whatsoever and treat him with utmost reverence!"

Dozens of men across the courtyard responded in unison once more.

Zhai Rang commanded, "Take your respective seats! Tonight, our stronghold celebrates, and we shall not disperse until everyone is thoroughly drunk!"

The crowd in the courtyard acknowledged the order. Once Zhai Rang, Li Mi, and the others returned inside the hall, the men gathered according to their respective branch strongholds and sat down at their assigned tables.

Liu Huer exchanged a brief word with Li Shandao and left the courtyard to enter the hall and attend to Xu Shiji.

Li Shandao was already acquainted with the several captains from the Phoenix branch. Partly out of respect for Xu Shiji, and partly because Li Shandao had executed the hijacking of Cheng Huan's shipment quite brilliantly, they were all exceptionally warm toward him. Once everyone was seated, taking advantage of the lull before the food and wine were served, they chatted lively and companionably. Naturally, the topic of conversation revolved around the entry of Li Mi and his group. Li Shandao mostly listened, contributing very little.

First, the food and wine intended for those inside the hall were served, carried in a continuous stream; then, accompanied by music, the dancing girls began to gracefully sing and dance at the foot of the hall; shortly after, the food and drink prepared for the brave men in the courtyard were likewise brought out like a flowing river.

These men were bold and unpolished figures of the jianghu, unburdened by excessive etiquette. Amidst the sound of night rain pattering against the canvas shelters and beneath the flickering torchlight, they immediately began eating and drinking heartily. Those with a particular fondness for liquor did not even touch a single bite of food, instead holding up wine bowls and seeking out close companions to drink endlessly.

Intent on maintaining good relations with the captains of his branch—and relying on his strong tolerance for alcohol—Li Shandao barely touched the food either, clinking cups and playing drinking games with them. Before long, he was fully immersed in the hearty and boisterous atmosphere.

However, no sooner had the wine gone around three times than a hearty burst of laughter echoed from within the hall.

The laughter belonged to Shan Xiongxin.

Gao Chounu let out an "Aiya" and muttered softly, "Lord Shan is coming out to dance with the heavy spear again."

True enough, spurred by the wine, Shan Xiongxin stepped out into the courtyard, picked up a long spear, and began performing a vigorous routine in the open space.

His performance was truly magnificent, and the brave men filling the courtyard burst into unanimous applause.

Only Gao Chounu looked gloomy, grumbling under his breath, "Who knows when Lord Shan will finally have some free time to teach me how to wield the spear!"

Gripping his wine bowl, Li Shandao waited for Shan Xiongxin to finish his routine, intending to step forward and toast him with a bowl of wine, when he heard another burst of laughter coming from the doorway of the hall. Shifting his gaze, he saw Li Mi, Wang Bodang, and the others standing at the entrance, watching Shan Xiongxin's spear dance. The laughter had come from Wang Bodang, who, closely following the mirth, praised loudly, "Brother Shan truly lives up to his title of 'Flying General'. This spear play of his is so airtight and fierce as to stir up wind and tigers; it is truly the finest I have ever witnessed in my life! I wager that ancient heroes like Guan Yu and Zhang Fei could scarcely surpass this!"

Holding the spear in one hand, Shan Xiongxin twirled it into a flashy arc, tucked the shaft under his armpit, and pointed the long spear diagonally upward into an imposing posture. Stroking his beard with his free hand, he smiled with a trace of drunkenness and said, "Brother Bodang flatters me too much, I am unworthy of such praise. Such meager skills, how could I ever compare to Guan and Zhang!"

While hesitating over whether to go forward and toast Shan Xiongxin now, Li Shandao felt as though two gazes had landed upon him. Without changing his expression, he followed the sensation and looked over, only to find Fang Yanzao standing beside Li Mi, stroking his beard and looking at him with a half-smile.

"Why is he staring at me?" Li Shandao met his gaze and thought to himself, "Could it be because I didn't yield the way to him on the day I returned to the stronghold, and this fellow is holding a grudge against me?"

As he pondered, another voice rang out from within the hall.

The person said, "Although Brother Shan's spear dance is splendid, dancing entirely alone lacks a certain flavor. Duke Zhai, tonight's banquet is a joyous celebration of Duke Pushan joining our ranks; I would like to perform a sword dance to add to the festivities. Since dancing alone won't do justice to the occasion, Duke Pushan, why don't you and I dance together?"

The speaker was Wang Ruxin.

Fang Yanzao withdrew his gaze from Li Shandao, turned back toward the interior of the hall, and his expression shifted subtly.