Mountain and River Festival

Chapter 122 Pei Family Banquet
Pei Chuyun spent the entire afternoon running around outside, and Lu Xingzhou stayed with her with a smile the whole time, just like a doting father spoiling his two children.

As the sun set, Pei Chuyun remembered that the Pei family was hosting a dinner party that evening, and that this was the main event of her trip to the capital. Reluctantly, she returned to Lu Xingzhou's side: "Um, I was the one who dragged you out shopping, but you just followed along all afternoon. Didn't you get bored?"

"Isn't this how other people are when they go shopping together?" Lu Xingzhou said with a smile. "I'm luckier than many men because I can sit down."

Pei Chuyun felt that something was different, but she couldn't quite put her finger on what it was.

Oh right, other men and their lovers are all lovey-dovey when they go shopping, whispering intimate things, they don't follow each other around with smiles on their faces.

Pei Chuyun was a little embarrassed and whispered in his ear, "I'll make it up to you tonight."

"Brother Lu." Pei Yu's voice rang out from not far away. Pei Chuyun, like a startled little rabbit, straightened up as if flying.

Pei Yu strolled over with a half-smile: "I heard that Brother Lu spent the whole day out with his maid and children, so I came here specifically to look for him... It seems I've come at the wrong time, disturbing your romantic time."

Pei Chuyun's pretty face was flushed, and she stood shyly next to Lu Xingzhou with her head down, perfectly embodying the image of a little maid caught cheating.

Lu Xingzhou said seriously, "No, you've come at just the right time."

It wasn't that he wanted to put his arm around Pei Yu's shoulder, but rather that if Pei Chuyun really was Pei Yu's sister, then this brother-sister relationship would be quite exciting.

Pei Yu didn't understand the joke, but just smiled and said, "Shall we go? It's about time."

Lu Xingzhou cupped his hands in greeting: "Brother Pei, you're too kind... Please lead the way."

The three followed Pei Yu toward the Pei residence, where Pei Yu casually asked, "What's the capital like?"

Lu Xingzhou laughed and said, "The atmosphere of the capital is incomparable to that of the mere mountains and fields of Xia Prefecture. Putting aside everything else, the people here are much stronger... There are many passersby who are stronger than me."

“Haha…” Pei Yu chuckled: “Truly, this is the perspective of a cultivator. However, while those people may seem strong, it’s not necessarily true that they are stronger than Brother Lu. Huo Jin may seem stronger than Brother Lu, but he was still defeated in one move. Most of them are not even as good as Huo Jin; most of them are just people who have used pills to level up.”

Actually, this wasn't the perspective of a cultivator, but rather a cautious one fearing assassination. Lu Xingzhou's own perspective was more focused on human affairs, but the capital was too vast; a mere afternoon's visit was barely scratching the surface and had no representativeness, so it was better to remain silent.

Most people advance through elixirs, which is the common practice in the world of cultivation. After all, the vast majority of people don't have the aptitude for cultivation, but improving their rank can cure diseases and prolong life, so whether they can actually defeat an enemy is secondary. However, while this is the case everywhere, the powerful cultivators in the capital are still more numerous than elsewhere.

Seeing that Lu Xingzhou smiled but did not answer, Pei Yu asked on his own, "Has the Huo family disturbed Brother Lu?"

Lu Xingzhou laughed and said, "I heard that Huo Lu is about to be taken away. They should be working on coordinating with all parties to avoid any unexpected complications. At least they wouldn't dare to use violence in public. I did think that if the Huo family came to me again, Huo Xingyuan might come in person and make some seemingly kind promises... but that didn't happen."

"It might happen tomorrow," Pei Yu said meaningfully.

"Brother Pei, are you worried I can't handle the pressure?" Lu Xingzhou said leisurely, "Aren't you giving me confidence right now..."

Pei Yu laughed and didn't answer.

Indeed, if the Pei family wanted to invite Lu Xingzhou, they could have easily done so at any restaurant. Inviting him home was a direct challenge to the Huo family's "dinner at home" gesture yesterday, at least demonstrating their sincerity.

As they spoke, they arrived at the Pei residence. The Pei residence opened its main gate wide to welcome guests, making a grand gesture.

Pei Chuyun looked up at the plaque of "Prime Minister's Residence," pursed her lips, and seemed somewhat lost in thought.

I entered the Pei family with some trepidation, but when it actually happened, that was just how it was.

Anyway, no one along the way reacted to his appearance, and it was no different from visiting any other place.

Upon arriving at the living room, there weren't any important figures from the Pei family gathered together. Only Pei Yu's father, the current prime minister Pei Qingyan, was present, and his eyes were fixed on Lu Xingzhou, not the maid behind him.

"I've long heard of your handsome appearance, nephew, and seeing you today confirms it," Pei Qingyan said with a smile, stroking his beard. "You're even better looking than the Huo family members."

The implication is that you are indeed Huo Shang, and you need to give a definite answer.

Lu Xingzhou ignored this comment and simply laughed, "In terms of appearance, the Pei family is truly outstanding, while the Huo family is just average. Compared to Prime Minister Pei, Huo Xingyuan is like a crude and vulgar brute."

Pei Qingyan almost lost his composure: "The Marquis of Zhenyuan is a martial arts practitioner and a military commander."

The Huo family's immense power wasn't solely due to luck. In the world of cultivation, mere flattery and sycophancy aren't enough; even subordinates won't respect you. You have to prove yourself. Lu Xingzhou, with his meager seventh or eighth-rank cultivation, held a high position in the Underworld for a long time, which caused a bunch of resentful and competitive fools. If he were a first-rank cultivator, everything would be peaceful and nothing would happen.

The strength of the Huo family lies in the fact that both Grand Tutor Huo and Marquis Zhenyuan are first-rank officials.

It is said that the eldest son, Huo Qi, has already reached the third rank. He has passed the major hurdle of reaching the third rank. Given time, it is possible that all three generations of the family could reach the first rank, which would be a wonderful story.

Lu Xingzhou, however, felt that the Huo family hadn't produced so many high-grade pills in their early years. He suspected that their recent success was largely due to their alchemy furnaces, and that they were likely refining more than just life-saving pills. It was a pity that the younger generation was so disappointing; otherwise, managing such a family of elites would have been truly difficult.

The Pei family was much smaller than the Huo family, at least in the capital. It seemed that none of Pei Qingyan's ancestors were there, and only a handful of his cousins ​​remained. In Pei Qingyan's own branch, Pei Yu was an only son, born late in life and cherished dearly. Yes, an only son, and Pei Yu was at least three years older than Pei Chuyun, making a switch impossible. If there was any switch, it could only have been between members of the same paternal line; Pei Chuyun had never expected Pei Qingyan to be her father.

Pei Qingyan had no children who were lost or died young in his early years. This was information that could be easily obtained by asking any of the old servants, and there was no need to specifically go to the Pei residence to find out.

Pei Qingyan smiled and said, "Let's eat first. It's just some home-cooked food. We can all eat whatever we want."

After everyone took their seats, Pei Chuyun stood obediently behind Lu Xingzhou. This finally allowed Pei Qingyan to catch a glimpse of her, but he was slightly taken aback: "This is... Young Master Lu's maid?"

"Yes, it's my maid, A-Yi." Lu Xingzhou observed Pei Qingyan's expression: "What's wrong?"

"Oh, it's nothing. Guests are welcome, Miss Ayi, please take a seat as well."

These aristocratic families have the most rules, but there's never any custom of a maid sitting with her master... Lu Xingzhou and Pei Chuyun exchanged a glance and laughed, "Aren't you going to thank Prime Minister Pei?"

Pei Chuyun bowed and said, "Thank you, Prime Minister Pei."

Pei Qingyan asked, "Where is Miss Ayi from?"

Pei Chuyun shook her head: "I don't know. I was a homeless child and was trafficked by many people. I was only recently bought by you, young master."

Even Pei Yu couldn't help but ask, "With such beauty, how could a young lady travel to so many places?"

The implication is that most people would have bought it long ago.

Pei Qingyan waved his hand, saying, "It is extremely rude to pry into someone's privacy."

Pei Yu quickly apologized, "I misspoke, please don't be offended, young lady."

Lu Xingzhou then said, "Are all of Prime Minister Pei's brothers in Hedong? I saw that the Huo family went to the capital, bringing their whole family along, even their dogs."

Pei Qingyan chuckled and said, “We are not the same as the Huo family… The Pei family has been rooted in Hedong for hundreds of years, and its branches and leaves are so numerous that it is impossible to move it. In our main branch, I am the eldest son, and I have two younger brothers, one of whom is an official outside and the other is focused on cultivation.”

Lu Xingzhou's heart stirred slightly. He certainly didn't know much about the Pei family's internal affairs, but Pei Chuyun had probably investigated the one who was an official outside the family, and perhaps there was something to be found about the one who was focused on cultivation.

The result was obvious; Pei Qingyan's next words were: "Miss Ayi does resemble an old friend of mine... It's a pity that my old friend passed away early, so seeing you inevitably brings a sense of melancholy."

Pei Chuyun couldn't hide the slight change in her expression.

I thought this matter would require various indirect approaches, but I didn't expect that we would have a direct result after only a few words at the start of the meal.

She took a deep breath and said cautiously, "To be honest, Prime Minister Pei, I am also very curious about my own background. I wonder who your old friend is..."

Pei Qingyan said, "She was a close friend I met in the martial world years ago, but she has been gone for a long time... You look somewhat like her, perhaps we are related, but unfortunately I don't know where she is from, and so much time has passed, I'm afraid it will be difficult to help you. To be honest, when I asked about your place of origin, I was actually trying to find out about your background..."

This time, even Lu Xingzhou's heart stirred.

Something's not right. It's very likely that we don't need to look for anyone else in the Pei family; it's you!

Pei Chuyun is very likely the child of that "old friend," while Pei Qingyan may not know that he has gotten her pregnant.

That's why Pei Chuyun has the surname Pei, but the Pei family is unaware of this.

The Hehuan Sect of the Maidens mostly knew this, and because they knew it, they didn't want Pei Chuyun to be too dazzling and attract Pei Qingyan's attention, especially since being a talented woman or a poet would easily attract the Pei family's attention.

Furthermore, some in the higher-ups are worried that Pei Chuyun will still be brought back by the Pei family, and are therefore hesitant to grant the sect any authority. However, others hold the opposite view, believing that such talent should be nurtured, and may even think that this background should be used to infiltrate the Pei family.

The unresolved controversy is what has led to Pei Chuyun's sect's strange situation.

This analysis made everything clear, and everything was explained.

The real problem now is how to confirm it. Should we just ask Pei Qingyan, "Have you slept with him or not?"

Lu Xingzhou pondered for a long time before suddenly asking, "Did Prime Minister Pei bury this old friend himself? If he is related to Ayi, perhaps Ayi could pay her respects."

Pei Qingyan shook his head: "No. Eighteen years ago, she died at the hands of the Cha Nu He Huan Sect... By the time I arrived, more than half a month had passed, and the local government had already buried her."

Pei Chuyun's expression finally changed.

(End of this chapter)