Chapter 70: When Did the Bright Moon First Appear
The Myriad Spring Brothel was situated in the Southeastern region of the Celestial River County. It was constructed in a scenic location, and the girls there were all extremely attractive and enchanting. It was the place to be for all men in the county who were looking for a good time.
On a small mountain to the South of the Myriad Spring Brothel, there was a mountain villa known as the Mist Willow Mountain Villa, and it was virtually empty most of the time.
However, on that day, its population density suddenly increased by countless times!
That was for no reason other than the fact that those coming from the capital were going to be staying at the Mist Willow Mountain Villa that night.
The mountain villa was extremely well-lit, to the point that the courtyard was as bright as day, even though it was already late into the night. Strings of horse-drawn carriages formed queues with no end in sight, on the path leading into the mountain villa. All of the important figures in the Celestial River County were present, and were preparing to enter the villa with precious offerings.
The family leaders, elders, young masters and young mistresses from the four major families were all gathered there. They were joined by all of the renowned merchants and officials from the county as well. The Celestial River County Army had even deployed a group of officials as messengers to report the arrival of all those people wishing to offer gifts.
The Celestial River County was quite rural, and neighbored the territory of the savages. As such, very rarely did any important people come to visit.
The arrival of the capital’s ambassadors had completely bucked that trend, and everyone wanted to come and take a look at them.
Apparently, the ones who had arrived were two young masters and a young mistress from the Qi, Yan, and Qin families respectively, and they were accompanied by their entourages.
However, none of them appeared even as the banquet was about to commence.
Everyone could only take their seats and await the arrival of the important figures, while the elderly Mayor Gu Tailai acted as the host.
All of a sudden, a burst of commotion erupted, and a crowd of people dispersed to open up a path.
A group of people on horseback emerged.
“So beautiful… Is that Madam Lu?”
“It’s Master Thirteen from the Colosseum!”
Everyone recognized the two people at the forefront of the group. Lu Feifei was situated at the very center, and all of the wealthy women and young mistresses in attendance paled in comparison to her exquisite beauty. Yan Thirteen was beside her, and an air of refined grace emanated from his body. He scanned through the crowd with his proud eyes, and a hint of mockery appeared on his face.
The guards that followed them were also exuding powerful auras, and there was a young man among them that was particularly eye-catching.
Qi Ying!
“That’s Qi Ying! He’s the one who disabled Duan Gucheng and killed Duan Jinhong!”
“Shh… Be quiet! The people from the Duan family are right over there…”
“They dare to appear at this event?”
Everyone in the Celestial River County who wasn’t an idiot was aware of the conflict between Qi Ying, Master Thirteen, and the Duan family.
All members of the Duan family were prohibited from visiting the Colosseum and the Myriad Spring Brothel, and those under Master Thirteen’s command avoided all of the Duan family’s shops. It was quite clear that they were sworn enemies.
There were about a hundred people from the Duan family present at the banquet, all of whom were elite warriors.
Everyone had thought that Yan Thirteen and the others wouldn’t show up, but who would have thought…
“Haha, Mayor Gu, long time no see!” Yan Thirteen strode toward Mayor Gu Tailai and joined his hands in a salute.
Gu Tailai immediately stood up to return his salute. “You look well, Master Thirteen. Please have a seat.”
The sight of Gu Tailai presented a stark contrast to the tall and handsome Master Thirteen. The former was short and extremely thin, with a short white beard, and a pair of bright scheming eyes.
Anyone who had been at the Celestial River County for a substantial period of time knew that Master Thirteen and Gu Tailai were not on good terms. Back when the Colosseum was first being constructed, a massive conflict had erupted between the two of them due to taxation issues, and that had almost evolved into a full-blown battle.
However, one could be forgiven for thinking that they had settled their differences from their friendly interactions.
Despite that, most people’s attention actually wasn’t focused on those two, as they were too busy looking at Madam Lu instead. Many of the men in attendance were staring like starving wolves at her explosive figure and captivating features.
Not only was Lu Feifei attracting the attention of horny men, she was also being scrutinized by many jealous women.
An Ruyi was among the latter group.
‘Has he been staying at the Lu mansion this entire time?’
For some reason, a sour feeling welled up in her heart when she saw Qi Ying and Lu Feifei together. She recalled the rumors going around at the academy, and her mood darkened even further.
Why was she jealous of that woman when she had nothing to do with Qi Ying?
‘Hmph! He’s just a sugar baby; I’m not even interested!’
An Ruyi turned away intentionally, but she couldn’t help but glance at Qi Ying again after a short while.
…
Qi Ying stood beside Lu Feifei, and no matter how others looked at him, his expression remained calm and collected.
Yan Thirteen and Lu Feifei were actually very reluctant to attend the event.
The Duan family posed too big of a threat, and no one could predict what would happen on the way back.
The Myriad Spring Brothel and Colosseum forces were still incomparable to that of the well-established Duan family. The only viable threat they had was Master Thirteen’s mysterious and terrifying assassination methods.
However, upon Qi Ying’s insistence, Lu Feifei had finally agreed, and Yan Thirteen didn’t pose any objections.
At that moment, Qi Ying was staring at the empty spots up ahead with a pair of expectant eyes!
The person that he had been expecting for three months was about to arrive!
…
The banquet was a picture of serenity and joy. Everyone from the Celestial River County put on amiable facades, conversing happily with one another in order to pass the time.
There was a full moon that was particularly bright that night.
Many of the guests in attendance fancied themselves as educated scholars, and began to recite poems with the moon as the subject.
Lu Feifei suddenly tapped Qi Ying on the shoulder. “Hey.”
Qi Ying turned and asked, “What is it, Madam Lu?”
Lu Feifei stole a glance at Yan Thirteen to find that he was still conversing with Gu Tailai, and she lowered her voice before asking, “Did your Mother Yu ever teach you a poem about the moon?”
“She has; quite a few in fact.”
“Is there one that begins with ‘When did the bright moon first appear? One raises their cup and asks the clear sky’?”
“Let me think…”
Just as Qi Ying was trying to recall whether Xuan Yu had taught him such a poem, a burst of commotion erupted in the crowd. Qi Ying’s gaze was drawn in that direction. There, he caught sight of six figures followed by a group of green and purple-robed guards.
Among those six, there were three men and two women, of which three were on the elderly side, while the other three were quite young.
There were two graceful and elegant young masters, two elderly men with terrifying auras, and a woman who was past her prime, but still retained some of her beauty as well as her voluptuous figure. All of them were particularly eye-catching.
However, Qi Ying’s eyes were instantly drawn to the young woman among them, who was so beautiful that she appeared to be a flawless celestial maiden!
“Susu!”
Qi Ying murmured to himself.
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