Chapter 511: Banquet

After taking care of the people from Miao Village, Qin Tuo immediately returned to his hotel.

He had been planning to get some proper rest, but then this whole mess happened.

Now that the matter was resolved, a wave of exhaustion washed over his entire body.

Back in his room, Qin Tuo practically collapsed onto the bed and fell asleep instantly.

Once he fell asleep, Qin Tuo was completely oblivious to the outside world, every cell in his body frantically replenishing its energy.

An unknown amount of time passed before Qin Tuo slowly opened his eyes.

He checked the time and was shocked to find that a full day and night had passed!

“I can’t believe I slept for so long…”

Qin Tuo shook his head, his hand brushing against his phone.

He picked it up and was stunned. The screen clearly showed over a hundred missed calls from Chen Man Ni.

And yet, despite all those calls and the phone ringing relentlessly, nothing had managed to wake Qin Tuo.

It was a testament to just how dead to the world he’d been for the past day and night.

Qin Tuo gave a wry smile. He knew Chen Man Ni must be worried sick, so he quickly called her back.

The call connected almost instantly. Chen Man Ni sounded like she was on the verge of tears.

“Qin Tuo, what’s going on with you?”

Hearing the panic in her voice, Qin Tuo’s heart sank.

He instinctively assumed she was in some kind of danger.

“Manni, what’s wrong? Did something happen?”

Qin Tuo asked at once.

But on the other end of the line, Chen Man Ni, her voice hoarse and tinged with tears, replied:

“What could happen to me? This is about you!”

Qin Tuo felt compelled to explain.

“Manni, I’m fine! You don’t have to worry about me.”

Chen Man Ni retorted,

“Didn’t you promise you’d be back in Ming City yesterday? I haven’t seen or heard from you, and I couldn’t even reach you by phone! I thought something had happened to you!”

Hearing the hurt and tearful tone in Chen Man Ni’s voice, Qin Tuo felt a pang of guilt.

He knew she must have been worried sick about him for the past day and night.

“Manni, I’m sorry. It’s my fault. I should have told you beforehand.”

Qin Tuo said, his voice laced with guilt.

At this, much of Chen Man Ni’s anger dissipated. As long as she knew Qin Tuo was safe and sound, she could rest easy.

A wave of warmth washed over Qin Tuo as he thought about how much Chen Man Ni cared for him.

He continued reassuringly,

“Manni, rest assured, I’m not in any trouble. I was just exhausted from my recent cultivation, which is why I missed your calls.”

Hearing Qin Tuo’s explanation, Chen Man Ni finally calmed down.

She had been worried something had happened to Qin Tuo in the Capital City. After all, the Capital City was a major hub, full of hidden masters and dangers, unlike the much smaller Ming City.

So even though she had complete faith in Qin Tuo, her concern had gotten the better of her.

After a moment, Chen Man Ni couldn’t help but ask,

“By the way, Qin Tuo, when are you planning to come back to Ming City?”

Her words were heavy with longing; she clearly wanted to see him right away.

Hearing this, however, Qin Tuo was momentarily at a loss for words.

While he also wanted to return to Ming City, logic told him that staying in the Capital City might allow him to uncover critical secrets. It wasn’t the right time to go back.

But he couldn’t just tell her the real reasons—that would only make her worry more.

“Qin Tuo, why are you so quiet?”

Chen Man Ni’s suspicions were raised when he remained silent, clearly troubled by something.

Qin Tuo replied with a laugh.

“Manni, I might not be coming back for a while.”

Chen Man Ni immediately grumbled in displeasure.

“What else do you have to do? Can’t you come back sooner?”

Qin Tuo gave a wry smile.

“It’s like this—the task Pavilion Master Kong assigned me isn’t finished yet, so I might be here for a while longer. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be sure to take care of myself.”

Hearing that Qin Tuo had important business to attend to, Chen Man Ni, being very understanding, didn’t press the issue.

“Okay, then. Just make sure you take care of yourself in the Capital City!”

Chen Man Ni gave him a few more earnest reminders, and after a little more small talk, they hung up.

Having just had a long, deep sleep and replenished his energy, Qin Tuo now felt an inexhaustible vitality coursing through him.

His body, having been tempered, had reached an incredible level of strength. Qin Tuo realized his own spirit, energy, and focus were also far beyond their previous peak.

It was already approaching noon, so Qin Tuo decided to go get something to eat.

But just then, there was a knock at the door.

“Come in!”

Qin Tuo had already sensed that it was Zhu Zifeng at the door.

Zhu Zifeng pushed the door open and walked in, his face beaming with excitement.

Qin Tuo’s eyes immediately fell on the large black bag Zhu Zifeng was carrying.

The contents of the large bag were practically bursting to be revealed.

Sure enough, Zhu Zifeng said with a broad smile,

“Mr. Qin, take a look! The treasures you requested have been delivered!”

With just a single glance, Qin Tuo could tell the bag was filled with incredibly precious medicinal herbs.

This was a new batch of century-old herbs the Zhu Family had commissioned from the Medicine King Valley, every single one of exceptional quality.

Elder Zhu knew how important these herbs were to Qin Tuo, so he had sent Zhu Zifeng to deliver them immediately, fearing he might hold up Qin Tuo’s important affairs.

Qin Tuo nodded and said with a smile,

“Thank you for the trouble.”

He didn’t stand on ceremony, accepting the entire large bag of herbs.

A look of satisfaction appeared in Qin Tuo’s eyes as he gazed at the numerous century-old herbs.

He knew that only the Zhu Family and the Medicine King Valley had the resources to gather so many high-quality herbs in such a short amount of time.

“By the way, Mr. Qin, were you about to head out for a meal?”

Zhu Zifeng asked curiously after they had exchanged a few words.

It was nearly noon, and neither of them had eaten yet, so they were both getting hungry.

Qin Tuo nodded and said casually,

“That’s right. I was just about to go out and get something to eat.”

Zhu Zifeng immediately clapped his hands and said with a smile,

“In that case, Mr. Qin, please allow me to treat you to lunch! You’ve been in the Capital City for so long, and I haven’t had the chance to properly host you for a single meal!”

As he spoke, a look of eager anticipation filled his eyes.

Qin Tuo thought for a moment and decided not to refuse. Since Zhu Zifeng was showing him such respect, it would be rude to turn him down.