Chapter 194 - 114: Exchanges Between the Two Sects Naturally Call for Magnanimity

Chapter 194: Chapter 114: Exchanges Between the Two Sects Naturally Call for Magnanimity

In a fit of rage, the Meow King raged with all his might.

Hearing Shangguan Yunmeng actually utter the Meow King’s taboo word, Jing Gong, who was standing to the side, held back his laughter for a moment before smoothing things over. "Alright, Meow. The little girl can’t tell the difference between a big cat and a tiger. Besides, isn’t a tiger just a type of cat anyway?"

Even though he said that, Shangguan Yunmeng seemed to have no grasp of social nuances at all. She muttered in a small voice, "But you look exactly... exactly like the big cats I saw in the palace."

The Meow King scowled, his face twisting in annoyance. He thought, "Can we even have a normal conversation anymore! Do I not know whether I’m a big cat or a tiger? Do I need you to tell me?"

Seeing that if Shangguan Yunmeng continued, the Meow King would probably blow his top on the spot, Jing Gong hastily changed the subject. "Lu, haven’t you been in seclusion in your cave dwelling this whole time? How do you have the free time to come to the kitchen to eat, and with Yunmeng no less? Don’t tell me you two knew each other before?"

Lu Chen shook his head and answered truthfully, "To answer you, Master, Fellow Daoist Yunmeng and I bumped into each other by chance in the back mountain. Because she didn’t know where our peak’s kitchen was, she asked me to lead the way."

"Is that so?" Jing Gong first looked at the calm-faced Lu Chen, and then at Shangguan Yunmeng, who was happily eating beside him. Suddenly, a meaningful look appeared in his eyes.

Lu Chen was all too familiar with this look. Wasn’t that the exact same look his Teachers, Chen Fugui and Li Youquan, gave him whenever they saw him and Mu Xiaoye together? Thinking of this, Lu Chen hurriedly explained, "Master, please don’t misunderstand. Fellow Daoist Yunmeng and I truly just ran into each other by chance."

Unexpectedly, upon hearing this, Jing Gong’s already small eyes narrowed into slits. Using the tone of an experienced man, he said, "I understand, I understand. You don’t need to explain. Your master... has been there before."

He thought, "Been there before?"

Thinking of Jing Gong’s Pure Yang Spiritual Root Physique, Lu Chen couldn’t help but feel that his master’s definition of "having been there before" might be quite different from his own.

"Alright, alright. Since I ran into you, you’ll represent our Danyang Peak at the banquet the Main Peak is hosting for the Fellow Daoists of Jade Void Mountain tomorrow."

"Huh?"

Hearing Jing Gong’s casual tone, as if he were just grabbing a random conscript off the street, Lu Chen couldn’t help but ask, "Master, your disciple is merely a Qi Refining cultivator. For me to go on behalf of all the senior brothers and senior sisters... wouldn’t that be inappropriate?"

Before Jing Gong could answer, the Meow King, who was eating a chicken leg next to them, chimed in, "What’s inappropriate about it? The banquet is incredibly boring. Most people don’t even want to go."

"Why?" Lu Chen asked curiously.

The Meow King bit into the chicken leg. Recalling similar events from the past, he said speechlessly, "Why else? Of course, it’s because there are seniors from both sects present. No one dares to speak out of turn. Everyone sits there with a stiff face, like they’re in prison."

Hearing this, Lu Chen immediately understood. He figured that this so-called banquet was just like the business dinners between two companies in his past life. The only ones who could speak freely were the upper management of both sides. The subordinates at the bottom were just there to make up the numbers and keep up appearances. Aside from eating, they couldn’t do anything at all.

Thinking of this, Lu Chen also felt a bit reluctant to go. "Master, how about you..."

"No ’how abouts’. The five Protectors of our Danyang Peak each have to choose two disciples to bring to tomorrow’s banquet. You’re the second disciple of mine I’ve run into, so you’re it."

"Then who was the first?"

"Ji Chang. That boy happened to come looking for me today, so I conveniently counted him in."

Hearing that Ji Chang had also been forcibly drafted by Jing Gong, Lu Chen instantly felt a sense of psychological balance.

"Actually, I feel like this banquet will be quite lively. You guys shouldn’t be too bored. After all, I received some inside information in advance."

"Oh?!"

Lu Chen and Jing Gong both turned their heads to look at the Meow King. Even Shangguan Yunmeng, who had been solely focused on eating, showed a look of curiosity.

Meow looked at them and said mysteriously, "Just wait and see tomorrow. Someone is going to put on a little show for everyone."

"What kind of show, Meow? Just tell me straight, don’t keep us in suspense."

At this, Meow glanced at Shangguan Yunmeng, who was sitting next to Lu Chen. After hesitating for a moment, he decided not to reveal Yi Hanqing’s plan to "drunkenly trash-talk the elite" tomorrow. After all, he was worried that if Shangguan Yunmeng found out, she would directly tell the True Disciples of Jade Void Mountain. If that happened, Yi Hanqing’s mouth might not be able to achieve its miraculous effect.

"Never mind, Old Jing. You’ll find out tomorrow anyway. I won’t say too much. The only thing I can say is that when two sects interact, one should naturally show magnanimity. Tomorrow, you’ll see exactly how magnanimous we True Disciples can be."

Since things had reached this point, Jing Gong naturally didn’t press the matter further. He would find out tomorrow anyway.

The group sat around the table and ate for about half an Hour. Even Lu Chen joined in and had a little bit. After eating and drinking their fill, Lu Chen ultimately took on the job of escorting Shangguan Yunmeng back. Because Meow and Jing Gong, those two terrible chess players, were planning to play a few games together and had no time to see Shangguan Yunmeng off. And since both he and Shangguan Yunmeng were only in the Qi Cultivation Stage, the two ultimately had no choice but to walk on foot toward the Cyan Cloud Main Peak.

However, just as they reached the halfway point up the mountain, several Cultivators wearing the attire of Jade Void Mountain suddenly descended from the sky.

"Junior Sister Yunmeng, why are you here? We’ve been looking for you for ages!"

Upon landing, Li Xueke ran straight to Shangguan Yunmeng’s side. After confirming she was unharmed, she turned to Lu Chen and said, "Many thanks to this Fellow Daoist for escorting Junior Sister Yunmeng back."

Lu Chen nodded and responded politely, "You are too kind, Fellow Daoist. This was merely a simple effort on Lu’s part."

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Lu Chen directly bid farewell to the group.

Once Lu Chen had left, Li Xueke couldn’t help but say to Shangguan Yunmeng, "Junior Sister Yunmeng, didn’t we agree that once we left the Sect, you would stick close to me and not run around? Look at you, you definitely got lost again, didn’t you?"

Faced with Li Xueke’s lecture, Shangguan Yunmeng responded with a serious expression, "Senior Sister, you misunderstand. I didn’t get lost. I intentionally went to Danyang Peak to find something to eat."

Li Xueke’s mouth twitched slightly. She thought, "You ran all the way from Cyan Cloud Peak to Danyang Peak, and you still say you didn’t get lost? You Sword Cultivators are so stubborn. You just have to force an explanation for everything."

Perhaps to save Shangguan Yunmeng’s face, Li Xueke ultimately didn’t press the matter further. Instead, she brought up Lu Chen, who had just left.

"Who was that Fellow Daoist just now? Junior Sister, you didn’t tell him about the situation of our senior brothers and senior sisters from Jade Void Mountain, did you?"

Hearing this, Shangguan Yunmeng looked at Li Xueke with clear eyes and said solemnly, "Don’t worry, Senior Sister. Despite how I look, I am actually very resourceful most of the time. I didn’t just wander to Danyang Peak randomly this time. I went to gather intelligence."

"Oh?" Li Xueke looked at Shangguan Yunmeng in amusement, wanting to hear exactly how resourceful she had been. "Then tell me, what intelligence did you gather?"

Shangguan Yunmeng’s delicate little face was filled with seriousness. She spoke as if it were an undeniable truth, "I found out that they plan to get you all drunk at tomorrow’s banquet so that you won’t be able to properly participate in the discussion."

When two sects interacted, one should naturally show magnanimity. Somehow, when the word "magnanimity" reached Shangguan Yunmeng’s ears, she had misinterpreted it as "alcohol capacity".

Rounding things out, Shangguan Yunmeng naturally assumed that the little trick the Meow King and the rest of the Cyan Cloud True Inheritance were planning for tomorrow was to get the disciples of Jade Void Mountain drunk at the banquet. After all, the banquet and the Five Peaks Discussion were only two days apart. If they really got drunk, it would indeed significantly affect the discussion.

Hearing this, Li Xueke and the other True Disciples of Jade Void Mountain actually thought it was highly likely. As a result, they quickly began whispering amongst themselves, discussing their countermeasures for tomorrow.

Seeing Senior Sister Li and the others’ reactions, Shangguan Yunmeng immediately lifted her chin in triumph and secretly gave herself a thumbs-up in her heart. She thought, "I, Shangguan Yunmeng, have made a massive contribution!"