Chapter 47: The Second Night's Banquet
“Nicely said!”
From a distance came a voice of admiration.
Qian Gongyu and Shang Xinlei turned their heads and saw it was Jie Zilong and his niece Jie Yuanshao.
Jie Zilong clapped as he walked over to them and said loudly, “As the Art of War says, ‘To lead others and not be led’—why should we step into a battlefield someone else has carefully arranged? The Qun and Chen families are not to be offended, but does that mean the Jie and Shang families are?”
“Uncle Zilong, Qun Yushu isn’t just relying on the Qun and Wu families,” Shang Xinlei responded with a measured tone. “He also has the backing of the twenty-three noble houses gathered here.”
“Even if we aren’t afraid of the consequences, Xiaoyu and Jiang Ten…”
Jie Zilong shook his head. “As long as our two families keep them out, no matter how resentful those people are, they’ll only think it’s the Shang and Jie families monopolizing the intelligence of the Mansu Woodland by forming an alliance. It won’t implicate the two from the Qian family.”
Qian Gongyu nodded repeatedly as she listened.
Good, good.
She truly didn’t want to get involved with powerful figures like Qun Yushu and Chen Linchuan.
If there were no entangled interests, she’d be happy to make a good impression in front of such big shots.
But even with just her toes she could figure out—they were here because of Jiang Ten.
If they made demands she couldn’t accept, rejecting them would offend them, while accepting and failing to fulfill them would be just as bad.
Wouldn’t she be trapped either way?
“Though I’d love to say that to gain favor with you two, I think Jiang Ten won’t appreciate the sentiment,” Jie Zilong looked toward Jiang Ten and smiled. “You’re not the type to fear offending people.”
“She just doesn’t know how high the mountains are or how deep the waters run,” Jie Yuanshao suddenly spoke. “Only the ignorant are fearless, and fearlessness is born of ignorance.”
“I’m not saying the Qun and Chen families are overwhelmingly powerful or terrifying, but Jiang Ten—you have no idea what the world looks like beyond the messengers, what it means to undergo a second transformation, the awe of a third, or the ghostly divinity of a fourth.”
“If you’d seen how vast the world truly is, you would naturally develop reverence.”
“Reverence isn’t weakness—it’s about not wasting life in meaningless places. When your cultivation touches the divine in the future, all the hardships of the past will seem like mere passing frost.”
Though Jie Yuanshao’s words were harsh, everyone could tell she meant well.
Qian Gongyu, in particular, mentally gave her a thumbs up.
Exactly.
As the saying goes, a true hero doesn’t suffer losses before their eyes.
A wise man adapts to circumstances.
What matter can’t wait until one gains strength and then slaughters the whole family in revenge?
“Yuanshao, paths differ; we cannot plot together,” Jie Zilong unexpectedly refuted his niece. “Your worldview fits most people—but not everyone.”
“There are people in this world who either end in the dirt or cut through all obstacles. They live their entire lives on the blade’s edge, and until their cold steel chips, nothing can withstand them.”
“You may not agree with such a life… but not all fish are meant to live in the same sea.”
“Our family will host a banquet on this side. The two of you from the Qian family may come or not as you wish.”
“I won’t stop other families from contacting you, but you’re welcome to seek help from the Jie family if you run into trouble.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll be watching from the sidelines,” Shang Xinlei immediately said. “I’m really curious what rewards come with high personal points. Anyone who harms you is my enemy.”
Qian Gongyu glanced left and right and finally felt at ease.
Both Jie Yuanshao and Shang Xinlei were her teammates in the Mansu Woodland.
Even if only to protect their own interests, their two families had to safeguard Jiang Ten.
If they failed to protect their teammate Jiang Ten, they’d lose not only benefits but also their family’s honor—and perhaps the latter mattered more to them.
Suddenly, a thought flashed in her mind:
Could it be that Jiang Ten had already realized this, which was why she said those things on purpose?
That way, they wouldn’t owe the Jie or Shang families a favor but would still receive their protection...
But seeing Jiang Ten expressionlessly practicing her blade, Qian Gongyu felt she might be overthinking it.
Even with so many families watching her and so many people coveting her, how could Jiang Ten remain so calm while practicing?
She didn’t show a trace of fear, worry, or hesitation.
Not even the slightest emotional ripple appeared on her face.
It was as if the affairs of the world had nothing to do with her.
Her life consisted only of training, resting, and fighting.
Living on the edge of the blade, huh…
Qian Gongyu’s eyes held a trace of confusion—and a hint of envy.
“Miss, if you’re rested, come for the sixth round of sparring.”
“Huh?”
...
…
As the servants lit the bonfires and brought out the food, guests gradually arrived.
Every noble heir in attendance was elegantly dressed and carried a noble air.
But in this banquet, they were as unremarkable as the surrounding servants.
All eyes in the venue were drawn to the few individuals at the center of the banquet.
So-called flowers, under the stars and moon, were nothing but insignificant ornaments.
Because of what Shang Xinlei had told her, Qian Gongyu had assumed Qun Yushu would be an ambitious and treacherous man—outwardly calm but inwardly cruel, with the eyes of an eagle and the heart of a wolf.
So when she saw a young man in the middle of the banquet spinning in circles and kicking in rhythm with his robes open, she couldn’t react at first.
She thought he was a performer hired by the Jie family to liven up the atmosphere.
Not until that dancer came over and invited her did she realize.
“Lady of the Qian family, would you honor me with a dance?”
He bent slightly and extended his right hand.
Inside his open robe was a statue-like chest and set of abs.
His long hair was casually tied up in a carefree manner.
Each of his ears bore nine earrings.
His fashion was nothing like the people of Great Liang—he looked more like a northern barbarian.
And not just any barbarian, but one from the borderlands.
However, the purple-ribbon Household Band on his wrist instantly betrayed his identity.
“Qun Yushu.”
Shang Xinlei stepped in front of Qian Gongyu and sneered. “Why aren’t you still tagging along behind your brother, come to stir up things in the Mansu Woodland?”
“Looks like I better lock my windows tight tonight, or a lady thief might be eyeing them again.” Qun Yushu replied lazily.
“Qun Yushu, I won’t stop you from contacting the people of the Qian family, but be sure to speak in public places.” Jie Yuanshao also stepped forward. “As a noble heir, you should set an example. You mustn’t use your influence to suppress others, let alone make unreasonable demands.”
“What if Miss Qian Gongyu wants to spend a romantic night with me and makes inappropriate requests instead?”
“I won’t!”
“You’re not allowed.”
“In your dreams.”
Qun Yushu seemed a bit deflated and said dejectedly, “That was too synchronized and too firm of a rebuttal… Is there really no possibility? We could start as friends—I think Miss Qian Gongyu really has my mother’s temperament…”
“You can be friends with my niece.” Jie Zilong came over with a smile.
“No, no, Lady Jie reminds me way too much of my father.” Qun Yushu shook his head repeatedly. “I could accept another mom, but an extra dad? I’d rather die and reincarnate early.”
“You’re really not afraid of these comments reaching your family, huh…”
“Well, I already ran away—what, is my dad going to abandon his work to chase me down and beat me?”
Qun Yushu reached out and placed his hand on the shoulder of a middle-aged man with a scarred face beside him and said invitingly, “By the way, Senior Zilong, Uncle Linchuan and I agreed to enter the Mansu Woodland together tomorrow. Want to join us?”
“To be honest, my last experience in the Mansu Woodland wasn’t that great…” Jie Zilong hesitated.
“All the more reason to go together!” Qun Yushu laughed. “I’d feel much safer with you two seniors around. I still remember that last time I teamed up with three young ladies—they were so scared they clung to me, but I was scared too! Still, I had to reassure and encourage them, otherwise I’d disgrace the Qun family and get roasted by my uncles and elders when I got back… It’s really tough being a man in the Qun family.”
“Well, since you’re all being so warm and welcoming, I’ll join in. It really doesn’t make sense to come here and not enter the Secret Realm.”
“Done chatting?”
Chen Linchuan’s voice was like his appearance—weathered, hard, scarred, and direct. “You requested us to come. Where is Jiang Ten?”
The chatter of clinking glasses and lively talk fell silent in an instant.
The bustling banquet felt like someone had hit the pause button—it became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
In theory, as long as the four-person team didn’t leak information, the outside world had no way of knowing what happened in the Mansu Woodland.
Even if they knew something, they couldn’t determine who the leader was.
Unfortunately, the personal points scoreboard had exposed everything—they couldn’t hide a thing.
Jie Yuanshao, 230 points.
Qian Gongyu, 325 points.
Shang Xinlei, 389 points.
Jiang Ten… 660 points!
Clearly, Jiang Ten was the weakest and lowest-ranked among the four, yet her score was leagues ahead of the others.
There was only one explanation—the source of the score anomaly was Jiang Ten.
She had discovered the secret of the Mansu Woodland.
The others were just freeloaders riding her coattails!
Although Jiang Ten was merely Qian Gongyu’s bodyguard, the afternoon was more than enough for them to investigate and confirm that she wasn’t a native of the Qian family—Qian Gongyu had casually picked her up from the streets.
“Jiang Ten is practicing with her blade,” Jie Zilong said calmly. “She has no interest in the banquet.”
“How rude, how arrogant!” someone immediately shouted. “Young Master Qun and Elder Chen are both here—how can a mere black-band not come out to greet them? She’s deliberately disrespecting the great noble families!”
“Hey, speak properly—don’t bring family names into it,” Qun Yushu immediately interrupted. “There are plenty of people who don’t give me face. My own father doesn’t. Lady Jie and Shang Fourth don’t either. Does that mean they all hate the Qun family? No, they just dislike me. And that’s perfectly normal. I’m not a spirit jade—why would everyone like me? Besides, my father never attends banquets either. Does that mean all the families in Jiangnan who invited him were disrespected?”
The young man who tried to stir things up opened his mouth but couldn’t speak—Qun Yushu had just invoked his father.
If he kept talking, it’d be the same as attacking the mighty head of the Qun family.
“Then invite her to come out for a talk,” Chen Linchuan said.
“She’s been invited,” Jie Zilong replied with his usual pleasant expression. “She declined.”
Many guests’ expressions changed.
They clearly wanted to speak, but Qun Yushu glanced back at them—and they all swallowed their words.
“After all, we’re the ones who want to see her. Since she’s unwilling to come over, let’s go to her instead.” Qun Yushu said lightly. “Can someone lead the way?”
Such a reasonable request left no grounds for refusal.
As Qun Yushu and Chen Linchuan set off, the banquet guests naturally followed closely behind.
Qian Gongyu walked at the front, and as she looked back at the large group following her, a strange thought crossed her mind—
Who would’ve imagined that so many noble heirs would take the initiative to visit someone with no status, no background, and even poor strength—a mere black-band bodyguard?
She had already realized she was caught in a massive whirlpool.
One wrong step, and both she and the Qian family could be torn to pieces.
All because she picked up Jiang Ten halfway through.
Yet Qian Gongyu felt no regret.
Instead, she began to look forward to Jiang Ten’s next move.
Some people were like that—even if you knew they were beautiful and dangerous, you still fell for their charm, tossing all consequences aside.
Jiang Ten continued practicing her blade beside the carriage.
Even with a huge crowd approaching, she remained unaffected.
Diagonal slash, upward cut, downward chop—no technique, just repeatedly drilling the basic moves.
Yet her looks were so dazzling that every motion resembled a dance full of beauty.
Even in a plain black training outfit, her graceful figure was undeniable.
Sweat from her forehead slid down her cheek to the tip of her nose, sparkling like a delicacy—so tempting one could almost taste it.
Qun Yushu froze for a moment, then suddenly stepped forward and knelt on one knee.
“Miss Jiang Ten, will you marry me?!”