Chapter 62

Wu, wu, wu, you all don't love Guoguo anymore... Alright, alright, we won't take a break during the Spring Festival (fidgeting fingers...). From New Year's Eve to the third day of the first lunar month, there will be an update every day at noon. Can we resume two updates a day on the fourth day? Happy New Year! I love you all, kisses~

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Wufeng Tavern was not unfamiliar to Tang Zheng, nor was it unfamiliar to Azhi.

This was the small tavern where Tang Zheng had bid farewell to Tian Meng, and it was also the place where Azhi had watched Tang Zheng trick a few servants of the Yinlan Manor with the "Blood Jade Cup."

"Would the two of you like to dine? Please come in..." The servant at the door quickly came forward upon seeing Tang Zheng and Azhi.

"Sure," Tang Zheng nodded but paused at the door.

The noise inside the tavern was incessant.

People ordering drinks, playing finger-guessing games, and occasionally the clear and melodious voices of singing girls could be heard.

Azhi, seeing him standing still, gently tugged at his sleeve: "Hey?"

"Sure, come in," Tang Zheng rubbed his ears and asked the servant, "Are there any private rooms on the second floor facing the street?"

The servant chuckled: "Yes! Please come upstairs..."

On the second floor, the screens stood on all sides, and it was much quieter than the first floor. The waiter led them to a private room facing the street and brought the menu for them to order.

Tang Zheng handed the menu to Azhi casually: "Anything but alcohol."

Azhi huffed: "I've been drinking since I was three..."

"Not now, I'm your teacher, so no alcohol here." Tang Zheng immediately squashed his idea of drinking.

"Tch," Azhi glanced at him disdainfully and looked at the menu, asking, "Anything but alcohol, really anything else?"

"Sure." Tang Zheng's attention was no longer on Azhi.

In the neighboring private room, a soft and melodious tune was being sung...

Seeing Tang Zheng listening intently, Azhi huffed again: "You're so rich, can't you just buy a couple?"

But Tang Zheng didn't hear him and continued listening to the sounds from the neighboring room.

In no time, Azhi had finished ordering.

The waiter standing beside them looked troubled: "Um... are you sure? All of these?"

White Dragon Perch, Eight Immortals Platter, Precious Lotus Tofu, Seven Captures of the Sea, Dream Pine Needle, Phoenix Cake, Imperial Concubine Delicacy...

Azhi had ordered over twenty dishes, and all of them were the most expensive on the menu!

The cost of the meal would be three taels of purple gold, which was more than what even clan disciples would spend when they came down the mountain.

Seeing that a child was ordering, the waiter had to "interrupt" Tang Zheng's enjoyment of the tune: "Um... a total of three taels of purple gold, twenty-two taels of silver..."

Without turning around, Tang Zheng gave the waiter four purple gold coins.

Seeing the money, the waiter's face lit up with a smile: "Would you like us to send over a couple of girls? Our Wufeng Tavern is on good terms with Honggu, as long as you..."

Tang Zheng waved his hand: "No need." He glanced at Azhi and added, "The brat ordered all these dishes, just bring two or three of them, the rest are not necessary."

"Ah?" The waiter looked at the purple gold coins in his hand.

"Frugality is a virtue... cough, a virtue of the Starlight Continent. Two people can't eat that much, we can't waste food!" Tang Zheng waved his hand, indicating he had no intention of taking back the purple gold coins.

"Sure, sure, sure..." The waiter practically skipped down the stairs.

On the way down, he couldn't help but mutter: "These days, rich people are really capricious. Spending money to order a whole table of dishes but not letting them be served... liking to listen to tunes but not calling for girls, preferring to eavesdrop, tsk, what a strange habit..."

Tang Zheng's ears twitched, and he immediately started coughing from the tea.

...

The waiter was still one of the few conscientious people in Wulong Town. Although Tang Zheng said to bring only two or three dishes, he still brought all of them.

Azhi buried his head in eating.

After all, he knew Tang Zheng was rich, and the dishes were already ordered, so not eating would be a waste.

However, as he ate, he realized the tune in the neighboring private room had changed, the voice was lighter and finer, and he could clearly hear the conversation that had been drowned out by the tune.

"Master Fengle, as I said earlier, our young master is approaching this matter with utmost sincerity. Our young master has been dissatisfied with Yinlan Manor selling shops to Tang Family Fort for a long time. Even if you don't act, our young master will still do it..."

"Don't misunderstand, I, Fengle, am not the kind of person who stands by when a friend is in trouble. However, I also have responsibilities to my clan. The matter you mentioned is of great importance, and it will disrupt the balance in Wulong Town that has lasted for decades. I must think carefully!"

"I understand, this matter is of great importance, so our young master is not asking for an immediate decision from Master Fengle. We will wait until Tang Family Fort has bought most of the shops, then we will test the waters. Only after a successful test can we take action to wipe out Tang Family Fort..."

Azhi's eyes suddenly widened.

Yinlan Manor was planning to wait until Tang Family Fort bought the shops and then wipe them out?

He stopped eating and looked up at Tang Zheng.

Tang Zheng smiled and made a "shh" gesture.

In the neighboring room, Fengle seemed to hesitate: "I know, your young master is very decisive. However, we are only two-star warriors, and you haven't even lit your second life palace. Even with the addition of a three-star warrior, Xu Qingyan, the combat strength is still not enough!"

"Um, our young master has two other two-star warriors, but the only three-star warrior is Xu Qingyan, and he is only a guest, so he may not use his full strength. This is precisely why our young master wants to share this with Master Fengle..."

"Oh?" Fengle smiled, "I see. You want my elder brother to help?"

"Ha ha... Master Fengle and our young master are both young talents, but you are still young. If Master Fengyuan could help..."

The tune in the private room rose again, and Azhi couldn't hear clearly.

But Tang Zheng was still listening intently.

"You..." Azhi started to speak but lowered his voice, tapping the bowl with his chopsticks, "How did you know they were here? Do you really have precognition?"

"..." Tang Zheng looked at him speechlessly, "I thought you were pretending to be stupid, but you're really stupid!"

"Ah?" Azhi blinked, taking a full ten seconds to react, "No! Are you insulting me?!"

By then, Tang Zheng had already stood up and left.

Azhi hurriedly followed and saw that as soon as they stepped out, Tang Zheng turned directly into the neighboring private room...

Eight eyes met.

Silence.

Fengle instinctively raised his chopsticks, then realized it was inappropriate and put them down, pointing at Tang Zheng: "You? You're not... the one from the Treasure Pavilion..."

However, before he could finish, he noticed that Tang Zheng's gaze was not on him at all.

Tang Zheng was looking at the young man from Yinlan Manor who was dining with Fengle.

The young man pursed his lips and stared at Tang Zheng, unmoving.

Although he didn't say a word, the rapid change in his eyes from surprise to anger, and then to determination, was clear to Tang Zheng!

No mistake!

This was the reaction he was looking for.

The main force of Yinlan Manor wouldn't react this way upon seeing him. Only a small group of people—those who knew he had destroyed the flower fields and had been diligently searching for him, and who had even hired assassins to kill him at Tang Family Fort—would have this reaction.

"Hey, do you recognize me?" Tang Zheng raised his hand in greeting.

"..." The young man from Yinlan Manor had his hand on his sword.

"I made such a big fuss just to find someone from Yinlan Manor who recognizes me. It wasn't easy, but I finally found one." Tang Zheng put his hand down, "Hello... goodbye."

With that, he didn't stay and turned to leave.

Almost as soon as he left the private room, he started running, calling out to Azhi: "Follow me!"

Azhi didn't need to be told, and with a turn of his star power, he followed closely behind.

In the private room, Fengle looked puzzled in the direction they left: "Lanyan Yi, do you... know them?"

"No time to explain," the young man called "Lanyan Yi" paused for a moment, put down his chopsticks, and ran out, "Chase! Hurry!"