Under One Person: Rebuilding the Glory of the Beast Master

Chapter 51 Sparring

The Lu family's birthday banquet has officially begun, and the area in front of the Lu family ancestral hall is now filled with tables and chairs.

Moreover, the tables and chairs stretched from the entrance of the ancestral hall all the way to the main street, numbering at least one or two hundred. The tables were covered with red cloth and set with bowls, plates, and chopsticks. Next to each table was a jar of Shaoxing rice wine, the mouth of which was sealed with red paper and had a large "longevity" character written on it.

At the entrance to the square stood a colorful canopy, beneath which were several armchairs, seats prepared for distinguished guests. On either side of the canopy hung two huge red paper couplets with gold characters, gleaming in the morning light.

The first line reads: "May your happiness be as boundless as the Eastern Sea and your longevity as enduring as the Southern Mountain and your evergreen pine." The horizontal inscription reads: "May your life be as evergreen as pine and cypress." Although these words are simple, they were written by a contemporary literary master at the request of the Lu family. The brilliant writing leaps off the page, and those who know their stuff cannot take their eyes off them.

Lu Xuan and her family greeted the guests at the main gate, including Lu Jin. All the guests visiting today were distinguished, and they could not be treated poorly in terms of etiquette.

Zeng Su greeted his master in the morning and then found a seat to sit down.

It wasn't that he didn't want to stay by Zuo Ruotong's side, but everyone would come up to greet Zuo Ruotong as soon as they saw her, and as her disciple, he had to stand up and return the greeting, and Zuo Ruotong also had to introduce him to the others.

Zuo Ruotong had to say a lot, and he couldn't sit down at all, so he asked his master for permission to find a place to sit, and Zuo Ruotong nodded in agreement.

He cracked sunflower seeds while staring at the main entrance, recognizing the people there. The people coming today were all prominent figures in the world of supernatural beings; getting to know more people would be extremely beneficial.

A group of people were walking towards the field. At the front was a middle-aged man with a robust build, wearing a dark purple silk robe and a melon-shaped hat. His face was kind and he smiled like a Maitreya Buddha.

Without even hearing the Lu family members announce their names, Zeng Su had already made up his mind that the person who came must be from the Wang family, because this person looked exactly like Wang Ai, especially that smiling face.

"The Wang family has arrived!"

The announcement of the names confirmed that the visitor was indeed from the Wang family.

Moreover, Zeng Su saw an acquaintance, Wang Ai.

Wang Ai was greeting people around him with a smile, but when he turned around and saw Zeng Su, his face instantly darkened.

"Hehe!" Zeng Su laughed awkwardly twice.

"Hmph!" Wang Ai snorted coldly and then looked at him again.

Several more groups of people arrived, all of them from prominent families in the world of supernatural beings.

Zeng Su looked at each of these people carefully and made a mental note of them.

Just then, a commotion suddenly broke out at the entrance to the square.

"The people from Longhu Mountain have arrived!"

"The Celestial Master himself has come?"

Zeng Su's heart skipped a beat. If he had to pick the character from Under One Person that left the deepest impression on him, it would definitely be Zhang Zhiwei, the Heavenly Daoist, the absolute pinnacle of combat power in Under One Person.

Two people were walking over at a leisurely pace.

Walking in front was an elderly man, tall and broad-shouldered, wearing a dark blue Taoist robe and cloth shoes, with white hair and beard. Standing there, he seemed like an insurmountable mountain.

This is Zhang Jingqing, the contemporary Celestial Master of Longhu Mountain, who leads the entire Zhengyi sect.

Behind Zhang Jingqing was a young Taoist priest.

The Taoist priest was tall, half a head taller than Zhang Jingqing. He wore a faded blue Taoist robe with frayed edges on the cuffs and collar, and his cloth shoes had several holes, revealing his toes.

His face was square and honest, and his features were not handsome but pleasing to the eye. What was most striking about him was his eyes—there was no extra emotion in his eyes. He walked quietly behind his master, looking straight ahead, as if the hundreds of other people around him did not exist.

It's not that I'm pretending to be profound; I genuinely don't care.

Longhu Mountain, Zhang Zhiwei.

"The Celestial Master, the Celestial Master is here!"

Old Master Lu personally came out to greet them, followed by Lu Xuan and a group of Lu family members. The birthday celebrant was wearing a bright red birthday robe and a small black hat. He was in good spirits, his face was radiant, and his loud laughter echoed throughout the square.

"Old Master," Old Master Lu hurried forward, grasping Zhang Jingqing's hand, "You've finally arrived! I've been waiting for you for so many days!"

"How could I not come on Lord Lu's birthday?" Zhang Jingqing said with a smile, his voice deep and resonant, like a great bell. "Seeing Lord Lu in such good health all this way, I am relieved."

"What's so 'robust' about? I'm just an old man, every step I take is one less step I'll take!" Old Master Lu laughed heartily. "Come, come, please come in and take a seat."

Zhang Jingqing nodded slightly and followed Old Master Lu toward the decorated tent.

Zhang Zhiwei followed behind his master, passing by the table where Zeng Su was.

He turned his head, his gaze falling on Zeng Su. He noticed that the child had been watching him ever since he arrived.

There was still no extra emotion in Zhang Zhiwei's eyes, but Zeng Su felt as if he had been swept by an invisible light, and had been seen through from the inside out.

Their eyes met, and Zhang Zhiwei's lips curved slightly before he looked away and continued walking forward with his master.

He only bent over slightly; it wasn't exactly a smile, but Zeng Su felt that this might be the greatest act of kindness Zhang Zhiwei could offer.

"call""

Zeng Su let out a long breath and realized that he had unconsciously held his breath.

Even his hands were trembling slightly, not from fear, but from excitement.

When he read "Under One Person" in his previous life, Zhang Zhiwei was his favorite character in the entire work, without exception.

That "summit" that everyone looks up to is actually standing in front of you. How could you not be excited!

"Brother, brother! You're here!"

A hearty voice came from behind, interrupting Zeng Su's thoughts.

Guan Shihua appeared out of nowhere. Today she was wearing new clothes, a bright red cotton-padded jacket embroidered with golden peonies, and two pigtails tied with red ribbons at the ends. She looked as festive as a lucky doll that had stepped out of a New Year's painting.

"Sister Shihua." Zeng Su came to his senses and smiled at her.

Guan Shihua walked to his side and followed his gaze toward the colorful tent, just in time to see Zhang Zhiwei's tall figure disappear into the tent.

"What are you looking at?" she asked.

"It's nothing," Zeng Su shook his head. "Just watching the fun."

"What's so interesting about the excitement?" Guan Shihua waved her hand dismissively. "Come on, I'll take you to eat something delicious. The Lu family really went all out today; they hired over a dozen chefs, and I heard they even brought in a Western chef from the provincial capital who can cook that... you know..."

Cake? Yes, cake!

"Sister Shihua, the birthday banquet hasn't even started yet," Zeng Su said, both amused and exasperated.

"You can't eat it before it's even started?" Guan Shihua blinked. "I just went to the kitchen, and the chefs were so enthusiastic, insisting I try the food. I tried a piece of braised pork, and it was absolutely delicious!"

She smacked her lips as she spoke, looking quite pleased with herself.

Zeng Su couldn't help but laugh. This future "fortune teller" was quite a character when she was young.

"Okay, Sister Shihua, I'll go with you," he said.

"Let's go!" Guan Shihua grabbed his hand and ran towards the kitchen.

The two walked through the crowd, around several rows of tables, and turned into the backyard of the Lu family through a small alley.

The backyard was even more bustling. The original kitchen was obviously not enough to support the birthday banquet, so the Lu family converted the entire backyard into a kitchen. At a glance, there were dozens of cooks busy at work, and with the helpers, there were even more people. Flames roared up on a huge expanse of stoves, and the sound of spatulas hitting iron pots clattered together. The air was filled with the rich aroma of various foods mixed together.

"Master Liu, I'm here again!" Guan Shihua called out to a chubby cook.

The cook turned around and saw Guan Shihua. His expression visibly stiffened for a moment, but he still managed a smile: "Miss Guan, you've come again—"

"Could I have another piece of that braised pork?" Guan Shihua said with a smile. "I brought my younger brother here, so he can try some too."

Master Liu glanced at Zeng Su, sighed, turned around and took out a small bowl from the stove. The bowl contained several pieces of braised pork, which were red and shiny with alternating layers of fat and lean meat, and were steaming hot.

"Miss Guan, please don't come again." Chef Liu handed over the bowl and muttered softly, "If you come a few more times, there won't be enough food for this birthday banquet."

17

"Don't worry, don't worry, this is the last piece, the last piece." Guan Shihua took the bowl, stuffed a piece of meat into her mouth, and then handed the bowl to Zeng Su. "Brother, eat quickly! It won't taste good if it gets cold."

Zeng Su looked at the few pieces of oily braised pork in the bowl, and then at Guan Shihua's face that seemed to say "Eat up!" He could only pick up his chopsticks, take a piece, and put it in his mouth.

The meat melts in your mouth, rich but not greasy, salty with a hint of sweetness—truly excellent cooking.

"It's delicious," he said.

"Of course!" Guan Shihua proudly raised her chin. "How could anything my sister recommends be bad?"

The two squatted on the steps in the backyard and shared the bowl of braised pork, taking turns eating it piece by piece.

Guan Shihua, her mouth greasy from eating, wiped it with the back of her hand and then pulled Zeng Su towards another stove: "Come on, come on, there's roast duck over there too, I heard it's a specialty—"

Zeng Su was initially somewhat resistant, after all, he was not a child at heart, and it was rather embarrassing for him to wander around begging for food.

But then I thought, I'm just a kid now, so what's wrong with being a little thick-skinned?

So he gradually got into Guan Shihua's rhythm.

On the other side, the birthday banquet began as all the guests arrived.

"Burp, Sister Shihua, we can't keep eating like this. Let's go to the front! It'll be troublesome if our elders come looking for us later," Zeng Su said after letting out a burp.

He really enjoyed his meal today, trying all sorts of things he'd never eaten before. Luckily, he's physically strong; otherwise, he'd be too full to move by now.

"good!"

Guan Shihua wiped her mouth.

Lu Jin, who was sitting among a group of young people in front, immediately spotted his junior brother who had disappeared somewhere.

"Junior brother, where did you go? I've been looking for you for ages."

Zeng Su walked over, and then Lu Jin sat down. He then explained, "Sister Shi Hua took me to play in the kitchen just now."

""

"Oh!" Lu Jin nodded, not caring about the matter.

But his indifference doesn't mean others don't care. The seats they're currently sitting in are specifically reserved for the younger generation, so Wang Ai is among them.

Upon hearing that Zeng Su had just gone out to play with Guan Shihua, Wang Ai's jealousy flared up. If looks could kill, Zeng Su would have died countless times over.

However, upon seeing Guan Shihua, Wang Ai immediately suppressed her anger and went up to her with a smile, trying to ingratiate herself. Of course, she was still the one being teased.

The people at the table were toasting and drinking, and Lu Jin had also drunk quite a bit. But Zeng Su wasn't allowed to drink; it was common sense that children shouldn't drink alcohol.

After several rounds of drinks and five courses of food,

People find listening to opera performances rather uninteresting, and since everyone present is an extraordinary person, they naturally want to see what extraordinary people can do.

So someone suggested that the younger generation present should have a few matches, both to liven up the atmosphere and to allow these young people to learn from each other.

"That's a good thing." Lu Xuan nodded, but then hesitated, since it was a birthday banquet and fighting was not a good idea.

"Won't this hurt our relationship?" Not wanting to refuse directly, Lu Xuan said this.

"Hey, everyone knows that the Lu family members are all outstanding individuals, especially your son Lu Jin, who is even more remarkable," said the Wang family head. "Since everyone is here today, it's a good opportunity to make Jin'er famous, isn't it? Old Lu?"

The conversation then turned to the head of the Lü family, who had only arrived today. Originally, Lü Song was supposed to lead the group. However, after thinking about it, he felt he had to come in person as the head of the family, otherwise it would be disrespectful to the Lu family.

In response to the words of the Wang family head, the Lü family head also spoke up: "Old Lu! Let my two sons learn from Young Master Lu, let them see the methods of their peers, so they won't be so arrogant and ignorant all day long, making me feel tired."

"That's right! Let the younger generation learn from each other and understand that there are always people more capable than you, and that there's always something beyond your understanding."

"I think it's great, very good."

"With so many elders around, nothing will happen."

The others nearby echoed this sentiment.

These words can be taken with a grain of salt, but in reality, everyone has the same thought: they want their younger generation to make a name for themselves. After all, everyone present is from a prominent family, and if they can shine here, their fame will spread far and wide.

In the martial arts world, reputation is very important, especially for people from prominent families like theirs.

Lu Xuan was put in an awkward position, but given the gravity of the situation, he dared not agree casually.

In the end, they could only look to Old Master Lu and Zuo Ruotong.

"Master Zuo, look at this—" Old Master Lu said.

"I don't see anything wrong with it! It's good for kids to play games." Zuo Ruotong was very supportive of this. His purpose in coming out this time was to train his two apprentices, and being able to spar with peers was a great thing.

All eyes turned to the old master.

"Hmm—" Zhang Jingqing thought for a moment and then said, "This sounds quite interesting."

With everyone present supporting it, the matter was settled.

However, today won't work. After all, there are so many people, and we need to prepare the venue and so on; it can't be set up in a short time. So, the time is set for the next morning.

"Mr. Lu, Master Zuo, may I have a word with you in private?" Zhang Jingqing said at this moment.

Lu Xuan and Zuo Ruotong didn't know what Zhang Jingqing meant, but they nodded in agreement and followed Zhang Jingqing to a side room at the back.

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