Chapter 369 - The Other Side of the Sun

Zhongxuan Sheng hosted a grand banquet for his guests, many came to support, but there were actually few of significant importance.Because he had just sent Zhongxuan Zun to Under Jixuegong, not everyone who wasn’t paying attention might be aware of the news in due time.

Among those who did know, understanding that his next opponent was Wang Yiwu, not everyone could be confident in Zhongxuan Sheng’s success.

Li Longchuan and Xu Xiangqian had both arrived, and besides them, there was Gao Zhe from the Jinghai Gao Clan and Yan Fu from the Bei County Yan Family.

Gao Zhe, a cousin of the now deceased Gao Jing from the Heavenly Abode Secret Land, had an uncle who was the local commander of Chiwei Prefecture, Gao Shaoling.

He bore the typical appearance of the Jinghai Gao Clan—tall, with a broad nose and wide eyes.

It’s hard to imagine how the imperial concubine, known for her exquisite beauty, was born from the same family.

To those with discerning eyes, Yan Fu actually had a more prestigious background.

He was the legitimate grandson of the former Chancellor, Yan Ping.

Though Yan Ping had resigned from his position many years ago, he still wielded significant influence over current affairs.

As long as the old man lived, no one dared to underestimate the Yan family.

Yan Fu’s features were relatively gentle and tranquil, lacking an aggressive demeanor.

As for his true nature, without a deep interaction, it was still hard to judge.

As for the other guests, there wasn’t much to say.

The sons of other top aristocratic families in Linyi City, for the most part, were either not in the same circle or, like the Bao family, had an inherent discord with the Zhong Xuan Family.

Of course, the fact that these people attended the feast didn’t mean they were completely siding with Zhongxuan Sheng.

It simply showed that after Zhongxuan Sheng had demonstrated his strategies, the outcome between him and Zhongxuan Zun once again seemed uncertain.

Most people didn’t want to offend Zhongxuan Zun, nor did they wish to offend Zhongxuan Sheng.

For Zhongxuan Sheng, being able to bring the situation back to its current state within two days of his return to Linzi was considered an achievement of his goal.

While it wasn’t perfect, the banquet ended on a high note, with both host and guests content.

“Cups exchanged, the spirit of wine subsides, I bid farewell to my guests, resting my head upon the warm jade.”

This was a line from the essays of Gongsun Ye, which captured the romantic atmosphere of Linzi throughout the years.

Decades may have passed, but the charm of those words hasn’t faded with time.

From the first light of dawn to the depth of night.

Guests departed or stayed overnight as they wished.

When the last guest had turned in to rest, Zhongxuan Sheng, who had been “mingling” in the Red Sleeve House all day and night, suddenly sat up, startling the beautiful woman who had been serving as his pillow with her jade legs.

“He’s gone,” he declared.

Copying the gesture, beside him, Jiang Wang, who had also been using a pair of beautiful legs as a pillow while his mind sank into contemplation of the Five Mansions Sea, immediately opened his eyes and rose, without a hint of drunkenness or reluctance.

The two departed from the Red Sleeve House directly.

Xu Fang was a well-known madman.

His most notorious act had been a diatribe during a banquet, where he severely berated the Jubao Business Association, trampling the association’s reputation under his feet.

For a long time, the term “stink of money” was tightly associated with the Jubao Business Association.

Many mimicked Xu Fang, holding their noses in disdain when encountering merchants from the association, driving the point that the odor was unbearable and causing the merchants much embarrassment.

At the time, the head of the Jubao Business Association, Su She, merely laughed it off, responding with a proverbial “Hustle and bustle, come for money, go for money!” without any retaliation.

Regarding this incident, there was actually a sequel, though not as well-known.

Or rather, it was deliberately obscured.

While many knew Xu Fang as a madman, defiant and unyielding, aware of his humiliation of the Jubao Business Association, they didn’t know the price he later paid.

They only knew he suddenly disappeared from the circles of Linzi’s nobility, rarely mentioned except when “stink of money” was brought up again.

Nowadays, few still remember the term was once exclusively associated with the Jubao Business Association.

Linzi is a majestic city, a source of pride and glory for the people of Qi.

Almost all top aristocratic families from Qi Territory had operations there.

The city was home to more than half of Qi Country’s high nobility.

Add to that the hostages from other nations, merchants, scholars, and all manner of strategists…

Linyi City embraced all of this with an inclusive style, thus shaping its unique temperament.

But this city was not always splendid.

Yuli Fang was undoubtedly one of the poorest places in all of Linyi.

“It is said that a long time ago, this was a place where fishermen gathered.

However, as the years passed, it slowly became distorted into the current place named after the surname Yu.

In fact, there are not many families with the surname Yu here,” Zhongxuan Sheng said as he doubled as a guide for Jiang Wang.

Both of them had disguised themselves to conceal their tracks and did not bring any attendants.

However, with Zhongxuan Sheng’s stature, he was somewhat too conspicuous in this haven for the poor.

Wrapped in a black robe, Jiang Wang expressed his surprise, “Isn’t it quite far from Linhai County here?

How do the fishermen make a living?”

In all of Qi Country, only three prefectures were near the sea, and Jinghai County was one of them.

But in reality, it had only a very small stretch of coastline, with most of it lying within Linhai County.

“Who knows?” Zhongxuan Sheng shook his head, “Maybe Linyi wasn’t that far from the sea in the past.”

Perhaps…

a long time ago, Linyi was near the sea.

The sea changes into mulberry fields over time, and those dust-covered histories await excavation.

However, neither of these two men had much curiosity about matters that did not concern them.

Perhaps the people originally from this place were of the Yu surname, and the so-called “Yu Li District” that Zhong Xuan Sheng had painstakingly investigated was the actual distorted version.

They didn’t even mention the possibility that the fishermen who might have existed lived off the Zi River because since the founding of Qi Country, fishing in the Zi River was a forbidden activity for the common people, a prohibition recorded in Qi’s Law.

The night was deep.

Nights of music and feasting were the privilege of the rich, while the poor mostly rested at sunset.

Hunger, cold, illness, and various messy reasons made the long nights incredibly hard to bear.

In Yuli Fang, however, there were still some faint eyes on the roadside.

To be precise, those spots on the roadside were those people’s “homes.”

Subconsciously avoiding the sewage on the ground, Zhongxuan Sheng ignored those dim gazes.

Without the backing of strength, even the most wicked intentions were just a joke.

Although most of these stares carried the most pure form of malice, none dared to take action.

In their abject days, they too had developed the instincts for survival.

The two black-robed figures daring to come to Yuli Fang in the dead of night were clearly not to be messed with.

Just like rats in the gutter, their first response to people was to hide.

They had their unique perception of danger.

Stepping on filth with his boots wasn’t exactly comfortable, but Jiang Wang did not refuse to set foot on solid ground either.

It’s just that…

“I thought that places like this couldn’t exist in the capital of Qi,” Jiang Wang said.

“Linyi has plenty of opportunities, but not everyone is willing to open their eyes to see them, walk over, and seize them.

Pure charity wouldn’t be enough even if we were to empty the national treasury,” Zhongxuan Sheng replied calmly.

“Those smaller countries have fewer places like this,” Zhongxuan Sheng continued indifferently, “because such people are often eaten up by the Fierce Beasts long before.”

Jiang Wang was silent for a moment before switching the topic, “Would Xu Fang live in a place like this?”

The fact that resources were limited didn’t need to be reiterated by Zhongxuan Sheng.

Even so, regardless of circumstances, Xu Fang was a Transcendent Cultivator, and he shouldn’t have fallen to such a place.

With no trace of emotion, Zhongxuan Sheng stated, “His Dao heart is shattered.

The Small Zhoutian collapsed, and the Tongtian Palace crumbled.”

A distinguished man like Xu Fang certainly wouldn’t reside in such a place, and it was unlikely he would even pass through it.

But for a broken man, living here made perfect sense.

A brutal statement.