Mountain and River Festival

Chapter 116 Pei Yu
The group went out the door, and there was a restaurant around the corner, which was quite tall for a building in the capital.

Sheng Yuanyao didn't stop, and led them past directly.

"Hey, hey, hey." Lu Xingzhou called out to her curiously, "Is this restaurant not good? And the building looks pretty tall."

"This is called Yanyu Tower. It has seven floors and is a famous tower in the capital. The food and wine are of course delicious, and there are also some rare delicacies." Sheng Yuanyao said leisurely, "If you can go up to the top floor to overlook the misty rain, and enjoy wine and literature, it can be considered a scenic spot."

"Then why don't we eat here?" Pei Chuyun's interest was piqued. "It sounds really good!"

"Because your son is in a wheelchair, do you really want to carry him up to the seventh floor? Let's just find a private room on the first floor to eat."

Pei Chuyun: "...Actually, it's possible."

It's all because of this bastard's pointless groin-touching that everyone's eating is inconvenient.

Sheng Yuanyao said, "It's not easy to get up there. You have to fight on each floor and defeat the guards on each floor before you can go up. So although there are no private rooms on the top floor and everyone is on the first floor enjoying the view, there are no ordinary people coming and going."

This time, Lu Xingzhou was somewhat intrigued: "What's the highest guard rank? Could it be that the first floor is rank one, and the final rank is rank three?"

"No, a third-rank person is always a guest of honor wherever they go. Why would they make things difficult for others? The last three levels are just the lower, middle, and upper ranks of the fifth rank. There aren't even any fourth-rank people. The original intention was to screen young talents for recruitment and training. If young people reach the fourth rank, they are usually at the top of the new talent list. Why would they need this restaurant to screen them?"

"This restaurant must have some powerful connections. Ordinary people can't pull off such tricks."

"The Pei family," Sheng Yuanyao said, "Actually, it's just talk. For example, if I really wanted to go up there, I wouldn't have to fight... After all, it's a place that values ​​human dignity."

Upon hearing the news from the Pei family, Lu Xingzhou and Pei Chuyun exchanged a glance: "This is it."

"...I don't want to be hit, you do."

Is this all the face you have?

Sheng Yuanyao said irritably, "If you were my attendants, I wouldn't want you. But you are guests."

Lu Xingzhou chuckled: "So you mean I can do it, and the two of them don't need to?"

Sheng Yuanyao looked him up and down: "Hey, you just got here, and you're already trying to show off?"

“I’m here in the capital to make a name for myself, don’t you want to watch the drama unfold?” Lu Xingzhou leisurely turned his wheelchair around: “Let’s go.”

"Oh, Miss Sheng." As soon as she entered the restaurant, the manager greeted her: "Miss Sheng, it's been a while since you've been here."

Sheng Yuanyao said, "I want to go to the seventh floor. These are my attendants, and the one in the wheelchair is my hanger-on, Xiao Gou."

Lu Xingzhou: “…”

The shopkeeper gave Lu Xingzhou a half-smile and said, "Then come with me."

Even Sheng Yuanyao was taken aback. It was just a joke, but she didn't expect it to actually be a fight? Have the rules of Yanyu Tower become so lax now?

The shopkeeper then added, "Mr. Lu, you only need to clear the last level. The previous levels are just to filter out unknowns. Mr. Lu is already a well-known figure on the Rising Stars list, so there's no need to take your time."

Sheng Yuanyao's face burned, and she retorted with a stiff neck, "What deer? I say he's a dog, so he's a dog."

"Alright, alright, whatever Miss Sheng says goes." The shopkeeper smiled and led the way upstairs: "It's just that Young Master Pei is hosting a dinner party upstairs today, so I shouldn't presume to do it. Otherwise, just for Miss Sheng's sake, I would have spared the beating."

Sheng Yuanyao's expression shifted: "Who did Pei Yu invite?"

"Seventh among the new talents, 22 years old, fourth-rank upper level, Chu Qingchen of the Huanhua Sword Sect."

"That's good." Sheng Yuanyao looked quite pleased. "I'll go and get to know them too."

When they reached the stairs, Anuo tried to carry the wheelchair, but Pei Chuyun stopped her helplessly: "I'll do it."

You, a mere child, are carrying this? My performance as a maid has been for nothing.

Sheng Yuanyao glanced at Pei Chuyun struggling to carry the wheelchair up seven flights of stairs, and found it quite amusing. This green tea bitch was actually rather cute…

Lu Xingzhou was asking, "Hey, why are they both 22-year-olds at the fourth rank, yet Chu Qingchen is seventh and Shen Tang is only thirtieth?"

In reality, Shen Tang is already at the third rank, and he would easily crush Chu Qingchen.

Sheng Yuanyao sighed: "Is it because your Shen Tang broke his leg? Can he really compare with others of the same level?"

Lu Xingzhou snorted twice: "That's not necessarily true, you can't calculate it like that."

As they were talking, they soon arrived at the seventh-floor staircase, where a middle-aged man was standing guard.

The shopkeeper stepped aside: "Mr. Lu, would you like to take on the challenge? Mr. Zhang is a fifth-rank upper-level expert, while you are only a sixth-rank middle-level expert, and your body is not yet in good condition. If you don't want to take on the challenge, the sixth floor is fine too."

Lu Xingzhou said, "This is a good opportunity for Miss Sheng to take a look and see if being in a wheelchair will affect her ability to fight."

Sheng Yuanyao stepped back with interest, while Pei Chuyun rolled her eyes, not bothering to look at her at all.

Even a fifth-rank cultivator might not be able to defeat Huo Lu. Huo Lu's skills are far superior, yet Lu Xingzhou treated him like a complete novice, and even had the energy to plot his capture. How could an ordinary cultivator possibly possibly compete with Lu Xingzhou...?

Moreover, Lu Xingzhou was no longer the middle-ranked sixth-grade person people knew... In the carriage during this scenic journey, he quietly achieved the upper-ranked sixth grade. These small breakthroughs, which would be a hurdle for ordinary people, were practically no hurdle for Lu Xingzhou.

During his breakthrough, he was still secretly touching Pei Chuyun's hand under the pretense of getting some snacks. She slapped him across the face, and Lu Xingzhou, startled, quickly parried, and that's how he broke through...

Mr. Zhang looked at Lu Xingzhou with a barely perceptible hint of contempt in his eyes: "Mr. Lu, is it? You make the first move."

"You really want me to go first?" Lu Xingzhou smiled and said, "How could I possibly accept that?"

Mr. Zhang waved his hand: "We were guests first."

"I see. Then be careful, sir." Lu Xingzhou clenched his fist like a novice, with almost no energy gathering. Mr. Zhang glanced at it, too lazy to even take any precautions.

A punch was thrown, silently.

Mr. Zhang casually braced himself, and with a "bang," he fell headfirst into the wall.

The walls seemed to be reinforced by a magic array, making them extremely sturdy; otherwise, an ordinary restaurant would have collapsed long ago.

"If you had told me it had been reinforced, I wouldn't have accepted it." Lu Xingzhou withdrew his fist and turned to the dumbfounded shopkeeper: "Can we go up now?"

The shopkeeper, as if waking from a dream, smiled obsequiously and said, "Of course, of course."

Laughter came from the stairs: "Judging from Brother Lu's strength, he shouldn't be stuck on the deputy list of alchemists. He should have been on the main list of rising stars long ago. The intelligence from the Demon Suppression Division is inadequate."

Sheng Yuanyao was embarrassed: "Hey, I was the one who submitted the information about Lu Xingzhou's strength."

"Ha... So Brother Lu was hiding his talents in Xia Prefecture."

Lu Xingzhou looked up and saw a refined young man in white bowing to him: "Pei Yu from Hedong greets Brother Lu."

Lu Xingzhou subconsciously wanted to turn his head to look at Pei Chuyun, trying to find if the two had any similarities in their features, but he forcibly restrained himself and cupped his hands, saying, "It's a pleasure to meet you. Brother Pei is only one year older than me, but he has already broken through to the fourth rank and is ranked twelfth among the rising stars. He is truly a dragon among men, and I am no match for him."

“The true dragon among men is the one that Brother Lu is assisting.” Pei Yu made a polite “please” gesture.

Pei Chuyun carried the wheelchair upstairs, brushing past Pei Yu as if she didn't care at all.

As Sheng Yuanyao said, there were no private rooms on the top floor; the spacious rooftop only had four tables at the four corners, each undisturbed. There were also no walls upstairs; leaning on the railing and gazing into the distance, amidst the misty rain, one could take in the entire view of the capital, which was quite charming.

At this time, only Pei Yu was seated at the four tables, while Sheng Yuanyao and Lu Xingzhou sat at the next table.

Lu Xingzhou secretly transmitted his voice to Pei Chuyun: "How is it? Does it look similar?"

Pei Chuyun shook her head, unable to discern the truth.

Ultimately, men and women are different, and forcing a comparison based on appearances is a bit of a prejudice. However, Pei Yu is indeed very handsome. In any case, there are almost no ugly young masters and ladies from noble families. With generations of genetic optimization, it's not easy to be ugly. Besides, the world of cultivation always makes people's skin and temperament better.

Sheng Yuanyao was ordering food from the menu when Pei Yu across the table laughed and said, "I'm wondering if we should share a table, since there aren't many people around."

Lu Xingzhou laughed and said, "It's probably not a good idea for Young Master Pei to be so close to me."

Pei Yu scoffed, "What's the Huo family's business? Even without Brother Lu, we and the Huo family would still be at odds. What Brother Lu did was truly gratifying to us, and I was just thinking of inviting Brother Lu for a drink."

Lu Xingzhou looked at Sheng Yuanyao, seeking her opinion. Sheng Yuanyao glanced at the menu and said leisurely, "If your Pei family wants to host a dinner, you can reschedule. Lu Xingzhou will be staying in the capital for a long time, not leaving today. I'm hosting a welcome dinner for my old friend, and I don't want to give up the host's seat."

So, in reality, Sheng Yuanyao didn't want to associate too closely with the Pei family and didn't want to get too deeply involved in the political struggles.

Pei Yu understood and chuckled, "The young lady of the Sheng family is still so disrespectful. Oh well, let's make another appointment."

After Sheng Yuanyao finished ordering, she handed over the menu, leaned back in her chair, and smiled at Lu Xingzhou: "You still know how to ask for my opinion. I thought you couldn't wait to go and plot with the Pei family."

Lu Xingzhou laughed and said, "You are my friend, not them."

Sheng Yuanyao was quite satisfied: "I'll just watch your affairs unfold and not get involved. But for small things like getting an identity for your green tea b*tch, you can come to me. Although I'm no longer a powerful leader, my rank is even higher."

What is your current position?

"Maintaining public order and cracking down on thieves." Sheng Yuanyao sighed. "In the capital, we rarely handle major cases involving powerful figures. We mostly deal with petty theft, ordinary fights, and murders... Even these are mostly the work of the yamen runners in the capital. We get very little to do, so we can just coast along and do nothing."

Lu Xingzhou laughed and said, "Judging from your attitude, if I send you out to take charge of a region, you want to go back to the capital. If I let you go back to the capital and lie down, you feel like you have no use for your talents. Why do you do this?"

Sheng Yuanyao said, "Everything else is fine, but whenever I have free time, my family wants to set me up on blind dates, which is incredibly annoying. Now I regret coming back..."

Lu Xingzhou quietly pointed over to Pei Yu's side: "I think that one is quite suitable. Are they married yet?"

“They’re already married,” Sheng Yuanyao scoffed. “Their social standing is too high; it’s not my place.”

"Oh ho, so you actually thought about it?"

"Which eligible man haven't I thought about?" Sheng Yuanyao glared at her and said, "No one's forcing you to get married, what do you know?"

Just as Lu Xingzhou was about to say something, he heard footsteps coming up the stairs again.

Everyone subconsciously stopped talking and turned to look, only to see a young man enter with his head held high. He glanced around, stared at Lu Xingzhou's face for a long time, and said indifferently, "My father invites Mr. Lu to the mansion for a chat."

Lu Xingzhou poured himself a drink without looking up: "Who is your father?"

The newcomer proudly declared, "My father is the Marquis of Zhenyuan."

The entire floor was completely silent, save for the soft patter of Lu Xingzhou pouring wine.

Marquis of Zhenyuan, Huo Xingyuan.

This young man is Huo Jin, the fifth son of Huo.

Pei Yu watched Lu Xingzhou with great interest. Lu Xingzhou leisurely sipped his wine and said calmly, "I wondered who was so ill-mannered as to disturb someone's meal. It turns out it's the Huo family. No wonder..."

Huo Jin's face darkened: "I have already given you enough face by personally inviting you. Don't refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit."

"You personally invited me? Who do you think you are?" Lu Xingzhou said lazily, "Go back and tell your father that I find the Huo family's food disgusting and I'm not going."

Huo Jin was momentarily at a loss for words to respond.

He never imagined that Lu Xingzhou would not even bother with formalities and openly challenge the Huo family as soon as he arrived in the capital... Was he really not afraid of dying in a dark alley?
(End of this chapter)