Volume Two: Winds Rise in Anxi Prefecture Chapter 149: Thrown Out on One's Ear

[Yingtian Restaurant], Heaven-grade Private Room.

A middle-aged woman walked out.

She was dressed in ancient attire, with a voluptuous figure and a striking appearance. Calling her a palace-dressed beauty would be no exaggeration at all.

"I heard you gave the token away to someone else."

The palace-dressed beauty asked with a cold expression.

"I met someone interesting!"

The veiled woman in a bamboo hat said.

Recalling how Lu Jiuzhang had reacted last night when she entered his room—acting as if facing a formidable enemy, utterly cautious and ready to strike at any moment—the veiled woman could not help but smile.

"No matter how interesting he is, the token cannot be given away casually. You know what that token represents," the palace-dressed beauty reprimaned. "You came here solely to experience the mortal world. If you keep acting so recklessly, your trial will be canceled."

"Aunt, he really is interesting!"

The veiled woman argued, "There is something on him that could threaten my safety!"

"Threaten your safety? How is that possible!"

The palace-dressed beauty was shocked. "You are carrying a supreme treasure bestowed by the Emperor! For something to threaten your safety, it would at least have to be a martial arts grandmaster of the first rank!"

"Could a first-rank martial arts expert be hiding inside [Yingtian Restaurant]?"

The palace-dressed beauty did not dare to think further.

If that were truly the case, staying here would be extremely dangerous for them.

"No, Aunt!"

The veiled woman said, "He is not very old, definitely not one of those ancient first-rank martial arts veterans! He simply hides an extraordinary treasure on his person, one with immense destructive power!"

"Here is his dossier, Aunt, take a look!"

The veiled woman handed several pieces of fine paper to the cold palace-dressed beauty.

A few new entries had been added to the paper.

They detailed how Lu Jiuzhang had entered the Anxi Academy and been accepted as a student by Master Xu.

After reading the information, the cold palace-dressed beauty was somewhat shaken. "That Master Xu seems like a kindly old man, but he is full of trickery. If he hadn't become the Imperial Tutor, he might have ended up as your teacher!"

"Scholars are mostly arrogant and proud!" Although the cold palace-dressed beauty disparaged Master Xu in words, her tone still carried a trace of respect. "Since Master Xu holds him in such high regard, perhaps this young man is truly extraordinary."

"Yet the dossier shows nothing unusual about him."

The palace-dressed beauty wondered, "Stepping into the eighth rank in both Confucianism and martial arts certainly shows superior talent, but it is hardly top-tier genius. The records here are either incomplete, or some major faction has concealed part of the truth, leaving only this surface for outsiders to see."

The cold palace-dressed beauty felt a deep sense of shock.

If it were the former—merely incomplete records and the young man had simply stumbled upon some fortuitous encounters—that would be fine.

But if it were the latter, it would be terrifying!

The figures standing behind them were already extraordinary and formidable personages.

As for the major factions of the Great Zhou Dynasty, they were already well-informed about almost all of them. What kind of super-powerful faction could still be lurking secretly in the shadows?

"Tomorrow, I will have him driven out of [Yingtian Restaurant]!" said the cold palace-dressed beauty. "According to the records, doesn't he have a conflict with Magistrate Wang? Let Magistrate Wang be our blade first, to test what kind of hidden cards this fellow truly holds!"

"Aunt, isn't doing this a bit improper?"

The veiled woman felt a sense of aversion.

"Rest assured, leave this matter to me. You just focus on your trial in peace!"

The palace-dressed beauty waved her hand, leaving no room for the veiled woman to argue.

……

[Beimu Taoist Hall].

Lu Jiuzhang awoke from his meditation.

The sky outside had already darkened. When Lu Jiuzhang walked out, Guard Mo had been waiting for a long time.

"Brother Lu, you're out!"

Guard Mo greeted him warmly.

"Have you been waiting long?"

Lu Jiuzhang felt a bit embarrassed, not expecting Guard Mo to have waited outside the whole time.

"Not too long. Let's go get something to eat. At this hour, there probably isn't much left outside, so let's just go to my place," Guard Mo invited.

"Alright!"

Lu Jiuzhang stretched lazily; he was indeed feeling a bit hungry.

Guard Mo led the way, saying, "Let's go this way!"

The two walked out of [Beimu Taoist Hall].

They chatted along the way.

Guard Mo absorbed spiritual energy far too slowly, and after absorbing it for just a short while, he could no longer take in any more.

In contrast, Lu Jiuzhang was like a bottomless pit.

No matter how much spiritual energy he absorbed, there was not the slightest change.

He wondered just how much spiritual energy it would take to break through to the seventh rank of martial arts.

Guard Mo's residence was quite remote, where the rent was cheap.

When the two finally arrived, it was estimated to be around the Chou hour.

In the small courtyard, Guard Mo prepared a couple of simple dishes, and the two drank together facing each other.

They stayed up like that until dawn before Lu Jiuzhang hurried back to [Yingtian Restaurant].

Just as he reached the front gate, Lu Jiuzhang saw the large black dog, Bai Xiaosu, and the one-armed fierce man standing outside the gatehouse.

"Master Jiu, you're not playing fair!"

The large black dog complained, "You only cared about your own enjoyment and completely forgot about us!"

"What's going on?"

Lu Jiuzhang frowned slightly.

"The attendant said [Yingtian Restaurant] has business to attend to and will be closed for a period, so they swept us out the door," the large black dog said angrily. "Damn it, and guess what? Only the few of us were kicked out, while all the other guests are still inside living comfortably!"

"Tell me, did we offend the boss, and now they refuse to host us?"

Just as the large black dog was grumbling, a veiled woman in a bamboo hat gracefully walked over.

That woman was none other than the one who had broken into Lu Jiuzhang's room two nights ago.

"Indeed, we have matters to attend to and it is no longer convenient to host you all," the veiled woman apologized. "These are gifts offered as compensation for you all, and I hope you won't mind!"

The veiled woman presented four black wooden boxes.

Lu Jiuzhang did not accept the boxes, instead asking with displeasure, "Is this how [Yingtian Restaurant] treats its guests?"

Just as the veiled woman was about to explain, a cold palace-dressed beauty suddenly appeared behind her. "When [Yingtian Restaurant] does things, it owes no explanations to anyone!"

"Aunt!"

The veiled woman glanced back at the beauty.

The beauty, however, grabbed the veiled woman's arm and walked inward.

As for the four black wooden boxes, they were lifted into the air by an unseen force and placed on the ground.

"Damn it! This is too bullying!"

The black dog cursed, "That woman clearly isn't a good person. The day I become a divine beast, I'll make her my servant and torture her every single day!"

Bai Xiaosu remained silent. She didn't understand these matters, so she simply stepped forward and opened one of the black wooden boxes.

The next second, she caught the rich fragrance of spiritual herbs wafting from within.

The quality of this spiritual herb was far superior to any she had ever seen before.

"It's good stuff!"

Bai Xiaosu said.

"Really?"

The black dog swaggered over and took a deep breath. "Holy crap, it really is good stuff. This thing is called Polar Star Grass, produced in the extreme north, and it's used by cultivators at the fifth and fourth ranks of martial arts for their training!"

"Really? Master Black, how much is it worth?"

The one-armed fierce man asked excitedly upon hearing this.

"It should sell for about..." The black dog calculated for a long time without figuring it out. "Anyway, it's worth a fortune! If you went around robbing people on the ancient roads for a lifetime, you might just earn enough to buy half a stalk!"