A long time after Huang Xiaolong and Fei Hou had left, a gust of cold wind blew, sobering Chen Li up to her current situation. She left the place in a haste and when she was running, she passed Liu Mu's corpse and tripped over it.
Falling face down, tears mixed with soil and sand, dirtying her face and hands. Enduring not cry out as she struggled to get up, she quickly ran off in the same direction Huang Xiaolong and Fei Hou left earlier, towards the Yuwai Royal City.
...
Two days later.
Huang Xiaolong and Fei Hou stood before the huge city gates, and Fei Hou nearly couldn't contain the excitement in his heart; he's back, finally!
The Yuwai Royal City gates were same as before, no big changes at all.
"Let's go in!" A short moment later, Huang Xiaolong spoke.
Repressing the excitement in his heart, Fei Hou nodded 'yes' enthusiastically.
Two figures entered through the city gates.
Passing through the city gates, the two of them strolled along the bustling streets in a relaxed manner, going along with the flow of people. Drinking in the lively atmosphere, Fei Hou was a little emotional. Seven years passed, and the Yuwai Royal City was just as he remembered it, but many of the shops had changed businesses, and some buildings were renovated and these newer additions were somewhat strange to him.
Huang Xiaolong nodded secretly as he observed the prosperous and bustling streets of the Yuwai Royal City. Compared to the Luo Tong Kingdom's Royal City, the condition here was way better. Moreover, judging from the buildings and infrastructure of the city, they were a level higher than the Luo Tong Royal City.
There were two more days until Fei Hou's eldest grandson's wedding day. Since they already arrived in the Royal City, neither of them was in a rush to reach the Fei Manor, taking their own sweet time strolling in the streets.
A couple of hours later, it was already noon. As they passed by a large restaurant, Fei Hou stopped and happily said to Huang Xiaolong: "Young Lord, this Absolutely Luscious Dishes Floor is one of the three best restaurants here. Their specialty, Fiery Wine, is tastier than the Delicious Restaurant's Snow Moon Wine. Should we go in and have a drink?"
Huang Xiaolong nodded, "Fiery Wine? Very well, let's go in and taste some."
Thus, without further ado, Huang Xiaolong and Fei Hou walked into the Absolutely Luscious Dishes Floor.
Once he entered, Huang Xiaolong saw the lower floor consisted of over a hundred tables and all of them were seated with customers, leaving none open or empty. At this time, a person with the owner's attire and appearance was hurrying towards Fei Hou, asking eagerly "You are Marquis Fei Hou?"
Fei Hou nodded. "Boss Chen, these past few years that I didn't come, your business is flourishing nicely ah!"
This middle-aged man happens to be the restaurant's boss. In the past, Fei Hou patronized the restaurant often for their dishes and Fiery Wine; the two of them can be considered old friends.
"Hehe, Marquis Fei Hou jests. The few years that we haven't seen each other, yet Your Excellency looks younger than before." The restaurant boss laughed, "Unlike me, getting older every day." As he said this, his hand gestured courteously, "Marquis Fei Hou, this way please, to the second floor; I'll tell the small ones to arrange your table and dishes!"
Fei Hou nodded his head and went up to the first floor with Huang Xiaolong.
The second floor was just as boisterous as the lower floor, and it seemed to have no empty tables available, but the boss had swiftly arranged it for them.
Not long after both of them had sat down, the dishes were sent up.
There were also two jugs of wine – two big jugs of wine served with custom made fiery red cups resembling moving lava.
The fragrant wine teased Huang Xiaolong's nose as he poured some out into a cup and tilted the entire content into his mouth; a sweet dry taste flooded his senses as the wine rushed down his throat, turning into a strong, burning sensation that spreads out in an instant as if every blood cell in the body was about to combust, and a feeling of contentment and elation rose in the drinker's heart.
"Good wine!" Huang Xiaolong praised aloud.
Cups raises endlessly between Huang Xiaolong and Fei Hou.
As Huang Xiaolong and Fei Hou enjoyed themselves, discussions from tables nearby passed into their ears.
"Did you hear, the King personally conferred Yang An the title of Marquis!"
"Tsk tsk, that Yang An is only twenty-one years old, and he's already a Marquis. This is a first for our Yuwai Kingdom; in my opinion, in another few years that Yangan will probably be conferred the title of a Duke!"
"This is because that Yang An is our kingdom's number one genius, a monstrous genius! One year ago, he was already a peak late-Ninth Order, and with his cultivation speed, I say he can breakthrough to the Tenth Order within this year!"
"A twenty-one-year-old Tenth Order, what a monster! In another few years, Yang An will be representing the Yuwai Kingdom to participate in the Imperial City Battle, and with his talent, a top ten spot is almost guaranteed!"
Noises of discussion filled the second floor, and in the dozen or so tables, practically every table was talking about something related to that Yang An.
"Oh, Yang An?" Hearing bits and pieces of these discussions, Huang Xiaolong became curious.
"I never would have imagined Yang An, that kid is also a Marquis now!" At this moment, Fei Hou sighed: "That year when I left, that Yangan had just broken through to the Eighth Order."
Huang Xiaolong looked at Fei Hou.
Fei Hou explained to Huang Xiaolong, "Young Lord, this Yang An's martial spirit is a top grade twelve martial spirit, the Roaring Sky God Lion, and he is our Yuwai Kingdom's most talented genius ever, currently attending classes in Yuwai Academy. Perhaps later on, he will participate in the Imperial City Battle in Duanren Empire together with you, Young Lord."
"Top grade twelve martial spirit, Roaring Sky God Lion," Huang Xiaolong nodded.
Except for Jiang Teng, his Senior Brother Chen Tianqi, and the Duanren Empire's Emperor, this Yang An was the fourth person he had come to know to possess a superb talent martial spirit.
But Jiang Teng's martial spirit was a top grade eleven spirit, the Scared Bright Tiger, whereas this Yang An's grade twelve spirit threw Jiang Teng off by a long road.
Huang Xiaolong and Fei Hou kept drinking while eavesdropping on the conversations around them. A short while later, they paid the bill and left. When Fei Hou was paying, the boss came out and proceeded to discount the amount by half before sending off Huang Xiaolong and Fei Hou in person.
Leaving the restaurant, both of them headed straight to the Fei Manor.
Roughly an hour later, they came to the main street leading to Fei Manor; although there was still two days before Fei Ming's wedding day, the main door of the manor was already crowded with people in a merry mood and an endless stream of horses and carriages bearing gifts.
Obviously, these are people from noble families paying congratulatory visits due to the occasion.
Standing in the street before the sign plate of Fei Manor, bubbling emotions filled Fei Hou's heart and when he stepped into the Fei Manor with Huang Xiaolong, his excitement nearly spilled over.
However, just as they were about to step across the doorway, the two guards at the sides of the door suddenly raised their hands, blocking their path: "Where are you going here? What matters do you have with the Fei Manor?"
Fei Hou blanked for a moment before asking, "You two don't recognize me?"
The two guards scrutinized Fei Hou from head to toe, and one of them laughed, "I say old man, who do you think you are? Why must we recognize you?!"
Fei Hou was dazed by the answer, and a deep frown appeared on his forehead-- looks like these two guards were hired in the years after he had left so neither of them recognized him.
He turned around, a little embarrassed as he looked at Huang Xiaolong.
He didn't expect for something so awkward such as this to happen even before he returned to Fei Manor.
Huang Xiaolong gave him a faint smile and did not say anything. Only Fei Hou can handle this matter.
At this point, Fei Hou told the two guards: "Call your Patriarch out."
The same guard smiled wider, saying "Call our Patriarch out? Old man, I think you don't realize the situation. You think our Patriarch is someone you can see just cause you say so?"
"I'm his old man!" Fei Hou's temper came out!
But in the ears of the two guards, it sounded as if Fei Hou was cursing their family's Patriarch and that made their expression turn cold.
"Old man, be frank and tell us, did you come here to make trouble? Your blind dog eyes, how dare you make havoc here, look around and see where this is!"