Chapter Thirty-One: The Banquet at Hongmen

Yue Qi was quite satisfied with his stay at Wang Jian’s camp today.

Lunch had been decent, but since Wang Jian and his group were planning to search for zombies in the afternoon, no one dared to drink any alcohol. They just ate hurriedly. Wang Jian took the same group as yesterday with him, as if they'd become a fixed team. Yue Qi had originally wanted to join them, but he was uneasy leaving Bai Lian alone, and Liu Caifu sought him out for a chat, so Yue Qi simply abandoned the idea.

After much effort, Yue Qi finally found an excuse to get rid of Liu Caifu. He felt he'd never met anyone so 'hospitable'—from the moment they sat at the table, Liu Caifu was showering him with praise for his erudition and manners. After lunch, Liu Caifu clung to him, rambling about something or other, though Yue Qi barely paid attention.

Yet from the look in Liu Caifu’s eyes, his focus wasn’t really on Yue Qi—he kept glancing at Bai Lian. Of course, Bai Lian stayed close to Yue Qi, never straying from his side. Liu Caifu seemed keen to strike up a conversation, but never found an opportunity.

“When did you develop the habit of napping in the afternoon?” Bai Lian stood beside Yue Qi, her arm linked with his in her usual gentle manner. They were so used to pretending to be a married couple that even the initial awkwardness had faded.

“I never had such a habit. It’s all because of Liu Caifu. I don’t know what’s gotten into him; he keeps saying he wants to ‘bond’ with me. Lian, what kind of emotional exchange could I possibly have with another man?” Yue Qi said helplessly. He didn’t even notice if his way of addressing Bai Lian had become habitual over the day.

“So you’re saying you can have an emotional exchange with women?” Bai Lian’s mind worked differently; she shot Yue Qi a cold look.

“No, that’s not it… Ah! That’s not the point… Hey, even if I did have emotional exchanges with women, so what?” Yue Qi grew increasingly suspicious and glanced at Bai Lian.

“Of course! That’s perfectly fine…” Bai Lian’s expression changed; she smiled at Yue Qi, then twisted his arm fiercely.

“Remember this, you’re my man now! Dare to emotionally connect with another woman, and you’ll regret it!” Bai Lian threatened, clearly ready to pinch him again at any provocation.

“Oh, come on! Aren’t we just acting?” Yue Qi rubbed his arm; that pinch wasn’t gentle, and he was sure his bronze-toned skin would bruise. He mused to himself…

“Well, if we’re acting, we have to do it well. What if someone notices?” Bai Lian’s face suddenly reddened, and she stammered out this weak justification.

“All right, you win. But I told Liu Caifu I was going to nap, so neither of us can go out this afternoon. You’d better behave too…” Yue Qi said, returning to seriousness.

“Fine. But I think Liu Caifu is not as simple as he seems. Be careful around him!” Bai Lian’s expression turned grave.

“Yes, I agree there’s something off. They mentioned a young master earlier; I suspect they meant Wang Jian’s elder brother, who isn’t here. But where could he be?” Yue Qi pondered, suddenly a realization dawned. He exchanged a glance with Bai Lian, and together they exclaimed, “Qingzhou!”

“These people are probably not as simple as they appear. Let’s get through tonight and return home tomorrow—I don’t want to tempt fate,” Yue Qi said. He’d initially thought well of Wang Jian, but seeing Liu Caifu’s demeanor and their close relationship, it was best to keep a distance.

“Mm!” Bai Lian’s expression soured at the mention of Liu Caifu. Though Liu Caifu hid it well, Bai Lian noticed his gaze—every look seemed to undress her, his lecherous stare enough to make someone want to beat him senseless.

“Young master, you’re back!” Wang Jian hadn’t gone far today; he returned to camp soon, and judging from the spoils, it had been a fruitful hunt. Each of his four men carried game, clearly freshly caught.

“Yes, we had a good haul today…” Wang Jian wiped the sweat from his brow and glanced at Liu Caifu, frowning. “Where’s Brother Yue? Why haven’t I seen him?”

“You mean that kid? He said he’s taken to afternoon naps and went back…” Liu Caifu sneered. “I bet he’s gone to bed with that saucy woman. She looks pure, but there’s a wildness about her… heh.”

Wang Jian laughed at Liu Caifu’s words. “What, has Steward Liu taken a fancy to her? Well, she is beautiful—such a face, such a figure… I wonder why she’d choose Yue Qi.”

“Those kinds of women always go for pretty boys…” Liu Caifu chuckled. Yue Qi’s fair looks set him apart from these rough men, and his years training in the Sword Sect of Qinghe had refined his demeanor as well. Compared to the others, he was indeed a ‘pretty boy.’

Wang Jian smiled and shook his head. “No point thinking about it—she belongs to someone else. But Steward Liu, I heard you’ve taken another concubine, a famous courtesan from Spring Joy House?”

“Those common women can’t compare to that saucy one. Still…” Liu Caifu frowned, then grinned lasciviously. “Young master, don’t you want to take her for yourself? Such a beauty—we never saw anyone like her in Qingzhou. Now she’s here, shouldn’t you…”

He clenched his fist as he spoke.

“Well…” Wang Jian glanced around at the familiar faces, then continued, “Who wouldn’t want her? To be honest, the first time I saw her, I could hardly keep from drooling…”

He laughed at himself. “But she’s already spoken for. How would we take her? Yue Qi isn’t weak, and his sword is extraordinary. That woman, though she seems untrained, her sword might be even better than Yue Qi’s! If we anger him… you saw it, Steward Liu, his sword never leaves his side. I could handle him, but if he lashes out unexpectedly, our brothers might suffer…”

Wang Jian’s words startled Liu Caifu, who had let lust cloud his judgment and forgotten Yue Qi’s considerable strength.

“But we can’t just let that woman go—at least let our brothers enjoy her!” Liu Caifu said in a sinister tone, glancing at his companions, who all seemed to agree.

“But she’s a doctor. Steward Liu, you know how precious doctors are these days. Qingzhou has few, and my elder brother refuses to let me have one, saying if I get injured, I should be sent back there… But Qingzhou is so far, and if we meet zombies on the road, patients won’t survive!”

Wang Jian considered carefully.

“Well…” Liu Caifu hadn’t expected the woman’s status to offer her such protection, but he was unwilling to give up. “If we kill that kid, she’ll be ours anyway. Are we afraid she’d commit suicide? I doubt she’s so devoted to him—she wouldn’t die for him, surely…”

“That may be so, but killing that kid is tricky. We can’t just grab the woman and use her as bait. These days, everyone’s out for their own survival—who cares about others?” Wang Jian grew frustrated, slapped the table, and sat down heavily.

Liu Caifu was at a loss, feeling irritable. “Forget it, these days are unbearable. By the way, young master, is dinner ready?”

“It’s being prepared—freshly slaughtered livestock, but it’s a hassle…” Wang Jian shook his head.

“Hmm? Dinner?” Liu Caifu’s eyes lit up with a sudden idea, and he leaned in close to whisper in Wang Jian’s ear. “Why don’t we do this…”

Yue Qi and Bai Lian spent the afternoon indoors, not venturing out. Yue Qi asked Bai Lian to guide him in cultivation, having just advanced to the Foundation stage and needing advice.

Bai Lian’s knowledge was deep. Though she could no longer cultivate, her early training had never lapsed, and her original strength had reached the middle stage of Integration, equal to Yue Qi’s master Yan Liang. Teaching a new Foundation stage cultivator like Yue Qi was no challenge.

“Wrap your spiritual power gently with your mental force, then compress it. Why are you so clumsy? Don’t let the spiritual power leak!” Bai Lian instructed Yue Qi bluntly, berating him at every misstep.

“Like this, is it right?” Yue Qi cast a Fire Control spell; the flame, once ten centimeters in diameter, was compressed to three or four centimeters.

“Bah, that’s just the basics. Practice more—when you can use your mental force to compress a group spell like Fire Dance, you’ll be halfway there,” Bai Lian shot Yue Qi a disdainful look, unimpressed by his Fire Control spell.

“Knock, knock, knock…” Yue Qi was about to argue when a sudden knock sounded at the door.

“Just a moment!” Yue Qi extinguished the flame, gave Bai Lian a look, straightened his clothes, and opened the door.

“Brother Yue, the boss wants you—it’s time for the banquet!” The visitor was a slightly older man, whom Yue Qi had seen before when first meeting Wang Jian, one of his men.

“All right, you go ahead, I’ll be right there!” Yue Qi smiled and replied…