The Husky and His White Cat Shizun - Chap 158
When a big sect got married, the banquet would be held for three days. The first day was the welcoming banquet, which was held the night before the wedding. As the name suggested, it was a welcoming banquet for the guests. But that night, the most lively event was not at the banquet table, but at the hunting ground. According to the rules, in the evening, before the sun set, there would be an elder of virtue and prestige who would release three spirit antlers tied with red silk into the garden. Then, the father of the groom would select twenty-two unmarried men and women and let them compete for the deer in the garden.
There were three spirit antlers, and if a guest could hunt one, they would be rewarded with ten million gold coins. In the end, this was just a gimmick played by rich sects like the Confucian Wind Sect and the Lone Moon Night.
The Hall of Poetry was high up in the air, its tiles flying. Looking down from the hall, not far away, the hunting forest was shrouded in the afterglow of the setting sun.
The guests arrived one after another and congratulated Nangong Liu. Nangong Liu, no matter how high or low the guests were, politely returned their greetings and respectfully invited them to the banquet table. After bustling for an hour, all the guests were finally seated. With the chime of the Si Le Pavilion, the banquet officially began.
“I wonder which guests Sect Leader Nangong will let go down to the garden to compete for the deer.”
“Didn’t they say they would draw lots? If it were up to me, those who were chosen would be especially lucky. Think about it, the person who hunted the spirit antler would be rewarded with ten million gold coins. The others who didn’t hunt the spirit antler would also be rewarded with other spirit beasts or immortal fruits. How could there be anything better in this world? ”
While the lively discussion was going on, the door of the hall suddenly opened. Nangong Si and Song Qiutong walked up the stairs together. The two of them, a handsome man and a beautiful woman, walked hand in hand to the Sect Leader.
Nangong Liu stood up and nodded with a smile. In a clear voice, he said, “Honored guests come from all over the world, from all the big immortal sects and mansions. To be able to take time out of your busy schedule to come to the Confucian Wind Sect and participate in my son’s wedding, it is truly a great honor.”
The guests below all flattered, “Sect Leader is really too polite.”
“Young Master and Young Madam are a perfect match. They are really a rare couple.”
“Yes, yes.”
These flattering words were almost exactly the same as what his fans had said to him on his wedding day in his previous life. Mo Ran felt a wave of irritation as he listened. His gaze subconsciously swept through the crowd, and soon found Ye Wangxi sitting next to Elder Shuang Lin.
Ye Wangxi’s eyes were downcast. She was still dressed simply and focused on eating the food in her bowl. She did not raise her head to look at Nangong Si.
Whether it was his expression or his actions, everything was the same as usual, or even calmer than usual. Perhaps it was because he had always lived a very difficult life, so this kind of person already knew very well that he was powerless to fight for his life. Mo Ran looked at him and suddenly remembered a pagoda lantern that he liked very much when he was young.
The lantern was exquisitely made, and every tile was outlined. However, the price of the old artist was not low, so even though the lantern was good, it could not be sold. Of course, Mo Ran could not afford it, but almost every night after the night market opened, he would go to the stall to look for a while. The shadow of the pagoda lantern flowed, and the solemn light illuminated the dark eyes of the child.
Until one day, a young man and a young woman came. They were dressed in silk and satin. The young woman took a fancy to this pagoda lantern at first glance. She only said that she liked it in a spoiled manner, and the man beside her took out money to sell the lantern.
The pagoda was taken away. Mo Ran looked up and watched the old artist take it down from the wooden shelf that had been hanging for a long time. He handed it to the young girl with both hands. The flickering light finally illuminated Mo Ran’s longing face, and then disappeared with the pair at the end of the night market.
Mo Ran felt very uncomfortable at that time, but he was obedient and calm.
He was the same as Ye Wangxi now. In fact, when they first saw the pagoda lantern, they knew that such a luxurious thing was destined to not belong to them. In fact, every night when they were illuminated by the pagoda lantern, they had already rehearsed the scene of losing this light thousands of times in their hearts.
It was not that they could let it go or feel relieved.
Rather, from the beginning, they knew very clearly what the ending would be, so they never dared to pick it up.
“Come, come, come, draw lots, draw lots …” The manager of the Confucian Wind Sect came to the front of the seat of honor with a big smile on his face. He held it over his head and presented it in front of Nangong Liu. “Sect Leader, the auspicious time has come, please draw lots!”
“Good! Come! Sect Leader Nangong, come and catch one! ”
Nangong Liu smiled and said, “Then I will respectfully accept. Draw twenty-two lots. The young heroes who are chosen, please do me the honor and participate in the night hunt. If there is anyone who does not want to go, please tell me in advance. Many thanks, many thanks! ”
After waiting for a while, a few girls from small sects with low cultivation and timid courage asked their parents to go up and ask Sect Leader Nangong to remove their names from the lantern in advance.
Xu Shuanglin glanced at Ye Wangxi and asked with a lazy smile, “Little Ye, do you want to go and play? If you want to go, I will do something for you and open a secret door. ”
“I’m not going,” Ye Wangxi said, “Adoptive Father, I’ll have to trouble you to tell Sect Leader to remove my name from the lantern as well.”
“How can that be? What if you win and get ten million gold?”
Ye Wangxi: “…”
Xu Shuanglin’s temper was far more unruly than his adopted son’s. He thought for a while, then the corners of his mouth curled up into a withered smile. He said, “If you don’t want to go, then I will go.”
“Adoptive Father … you are already in your forties this year …”
“What do you think? I look young. Wait until I catch those three deer, then I will get thirty million gold. If I don’t take the windfall, the earth will destroy me and the heavens will punish me. ”
Xu Shuanglin stubbornly insisted on going his own way. He didn’t see his adopted son’s depression at all. He tugged on his shoes and went to find Nangong Liu with a smile. He whispered a few words into Nangong Liu’s ear. Other people would only think that he wanted to take Ye Wangxi’s lot. Who would have thought that he loved money as much as his life? He also wanted to go in and play.
Nangong Liu quickly picked out the guests who were going to compete for the deer.
“Shen Feng, Lin Sheng, Qu Yanran …”
Elder Shuanglin stood to the side and took the lot from Sect Leader’s hand. He reported the names one by one in a leisurely manner. “Oh? This is quite impressive. The favored one, Xue Meng. ”
Soon, all twenty-one people were chosen. There was only one left. Elder Shuanglin was extremely thick-skinned. He raised his hand with a smile and said, “The last person is me. I am already an old bag of bones. Please advise me.” Nangong Liu knew his Sect Elder’s temperament and didn’t stop him. He only smiled helplessly and gave each person a signal.
“Deer Chaser, the signal will be used as proof. After the signal rings three times, it means that all three Spiritual Horn Deer have been caught. The hunt will be over.” Nangong Liu said, “At that time, we will personally welcome you back at the Howling Moon Drill Ground. The winner will be rewarded with ten million gold.”
Everyone heard the commotion and applauded. They were all cheering for their acquaintances.
Nangong Liu smiled and said, “In addition, my son asked me to add another rule. The winner will be rewarded with ten demonic wolves. They will form a blood contract and bring them home! ”
Demonic wolves!
Such precious spiritual beasts were hard to find even on the black market. Ten of them!
The hall boiled over. Someone couldn’t help but stand up and shout to the selected fellow disciple, “Senior Martial Brother, we’re counting on you! If you get first place, I’ll give you a year’s worth of boots! ”
The hall burst into laughter.
A female cultivator wasn’t convinced. She shouted, “Senior Martial Brother, beat them all. If you win, I’ll agree to dual cultivate with you!”
“Wow — — this is good. This is amazing. Hahaha, which fairy is so spicy?”
For a moment, the Hall of Poems was filled with laughter. Those who were originally uninterested had some expectations in their eyes. They held their wine cups and watched this grand bustle.
Mo Ran left the banquet amidst the laughter. He said to Chu Wanning, “Shizun, I’ll accompany Xue Meng to the Hunting Ground first. You sit down and eat well. Wait for me to come back.”
Chu Wanning said, “Go. Remind Xue Meng to be careful. He’s too reckless.”
“Okay.”
Mo Ran and the other twenty people walked down the brightly lit hall together. Chu Wanning watched the handsome and tall figures of the young men and women disappear into the boundless night. He finished the wine in his cup in one gulp.
He felt that he would have enough money to build a spiritual stone road in the lower cultivation world after he returned from the Peak of Life and Death. He had the most confidence in his disciple.
Thirty million taels of gold was within his reach.
In the blink of an eye, Mo Ran had sent off Xue Meng. Before he could return, the first bright red firework exploded in the sky. Nangong Liu clicked his tongue in wonder. He sighed and said, “Truly amazing. I haven’t even finished my cup of tea, but someone has already hunted the first deer. I wonder whose disciple it is? Such divine bravery is admirable! ”
Bitan Village’s Li Wuxin was sitting next to Nangong Liu. Hearing this, he twirled his beard and said with a smile, “If everyone is in the mood, why don’t we make a bet? Among these twenty-two young talents, who will emerge victorious? Li Wuxin will bet fifty thousand taels of gold to liven things up for Sect Leader Nangong. ”
Everybody seconded his suggestion. Thereupon twenty-two wooden sticks with names written on them were placed on the long table. Under the sticks were red handkerchiefs. Those who wanted to place their bets came forward one after another to write down their chips and sign their names.
Xue Zhengyong turned his head to Chu Wanning and muttered, “Why did Bitan Village only bet fifty thousand taels? That’s so little. Could it be that the old man surnamed Li is very poor?”
Chu Wanning said, “Small bets are fun, big bets are harmful to the body.”
Xue Zhengyong chuckled and asked Chu Wanning, “Then why don’t we also have some fun?”
Chu Wanning looked at him with a sharp gaze, but didn’t say anything. Xue Zhengyong felt the hair on his neck stand on end under his stare. He shrank back and said, “Fine, fine, fine. I know you don’t like it. Then —”
“What’s fun?” Elder Yu Heng took off his money pouch and slapped it on the table. He said expressionlessly, “If you want to bet, then it’s harmful to the body.”
“…”
Xue Zhengyong stared at him for a long time as if he had seen a ghost. Then he asked, “How much?”
“Three hundred thousand taels.”
“… So much? What if you lose? ”
“You can’t lose.” Chu Wanning said, “Didn’t you want to build the Spirit Stone Road? If you can gather more money, you can build more roads in those villages with especially bad miasma. ”
Xue Zhengyong said, “Are we really going? What if Xue Meng loses? ”
“He won’t lose. You should know your son better than I do.”
“… …”
Seeing that Xue Zhengyong was still on tenterhooks, Chu Wanning said straightforwardly, “If you lose, it’s mine. If you win, it’s yours. Go.”
The handkerchief was filled with names one after another. The small sects that originally didn’t want to bet felt their hearts itch. They couldn’t help but spend some money to try their luck.
Nangong Si also felt that it was fun. He got up and wanted to bet. Song Qiutong called out to him, “Husband, why are you going?”
“I’ll win some money to buy you some jewelry.”
Song Qiutong didn’t say anything. She lowered her lustrous face and a few strands of black hair fell in front of her forehead. She looked particularly shy and pitiful. Chu Wanning inadvertently glanced in that direction. Seeing the sweet appearance of the newlyweds, he felt awkward and quickly turned his head back. Thus, he didn’t see the faint uneasiness on Song Qiutong’s face.
Nangong Si smiled as he picked up the brush and walked around the long table. He was just about to pick a candidate and write down a wager when he suddenly heard a sharp sound behind him. In a split second, Nangong Si’s reaction was as quick as a wolf’s. He suddenly leaned to the side and dodged backwards. A streak of snow white light brushed past his cheek. With a “Peng!”, it fiercely pierced into the main pillar of the Great Hall made of Phoebe zhennan wood.
Powder flew everywhere and pierced into the wood!
“Who’s there!”
“Assassin!!”
“Be on guard! Blow the martial law whistle! ”
The sharp sound of the whistle instantly resounded throughout the seventy-two imperial residences. The Hall of Poems, which was still filled with the sound of the karaoke, was suddenly in chaos. Swords were drawn everywhere.
Nangong Si’s eyes were dark and gloomy, faintly flowing with a fierce light. He fiercely wiped away the traces of blood on his cheek and strode to the front of the pillar. He raised his head to look.
It was just an ordinary arrow, but it actually pierced into the depths of the hard cedar. There was a small bamboo tube attached to the arrow. Nangong Si pulled the bamboo tube out with a sullen face. He bit down on the wax seal with his ferocious fangs and a letter fell out.
Nangong Si opened the letter and read the first paragraph with a straight face. Suddenly, his expression changed greatly. He clenched his fingers and read it again in disbelief. This time, his whole body trembled slightly and his fingertips even tore through the letter.
“Si ‘er, what’s wrong?”
Nangong Si raised his head. His nose wrinkled and his face ferocious, almost transforming into a leopard.
“This is simply a rumor!”
As he spoke, he was about to destroy the letter.
Nangong Liu was one step faster than him. He raised his hand and trapped his son with his spiritual power. He said in a low voice, “What’s going on? Give me the letter. ”
“Father, there’s no need to read it. It’s just a piece of nonsense!”
Nangong Liu didn’t listen. He waved his hand and asked his men to take the letter from Nangong Si who couldn’t move. He took the letter and lowered his head to read it. He quickly glanced at Qiutong and the color of his face instantly became extremely ugly. Before anyone could react, he raised the letter to the fire and burned it into ashes. He then laughed dryly and said, “My son is right. It’s really full of nonsense. I don’t know who did it, but they actually made such a crude joke. This is really …”
“What is it?”
A low and hoarse voice suddenly came from the corner of the eaves.
Everyone’s expression changed. Ye Wangxi pulled out his sword and stood in front of Nangong Si. Chu Wanning also stood up and stared at the place where the voice came from.
It must be known that when the Confucian Wind Sect organized such a grand event, the disciples in charge of the martial law were all high level disciples. This person unexpectedly came to the top of the Hall of Poems without anyone noticing. Moreover, when he spoke, no one noticed. Obviously, he was not an ordinary person and couldn’t be underestimated.
“Sect Leader Nangong, I kindly reminded you not to let your son marry a fickle woman for no reason. Not only did you not listen, but you also said that I’m full of nonsense. This is really an eye-opener.”
Before he finished speaking, a black shadow flashed. When the others saw him clearly, he was already standing in the center of the hall with his hands behind his back. He was standing in the middle of the crowd.
“Ah –!”
“Run, run quickly!”
The people who were close to him turned pale with fright. Like a tide, they suddenly fell down and formed a circle around him. The Senior Brothers protected their Junior Brothers and Junior Sisters, the Sect Leader protected his disciples, and the strong men protected the young.
The man in black was wearing a ferocious bronze mask and an ink-black cloak. He said indifferently, “Why are you running? If I wanted to hurt you, this hall would have been filled with blood by now. Just stand still. “
