Chapter 103: Pillage the Platters
Chapter 103 – Pillage the Platters
Deep within the Kunlun Holy Land, the true scale of the Heavenly Talent Assembly finally unveiled itself before Chen Changsheng.
Neat rows of majestic palaces stretched into the distance, flanked by towering pavilions that pierced the sky. A thin, ethereal mist swirled through the air, punctuated by the cry of immortal cranes and the elegant dance of soaring luan-birds.
To call it a paradise on earth would be an understatement; it was a realm snatched from the Heavens.
The main hall hosting the assembly was a marvel of sovereign opulence.
Adorned in five-colored gold, the structure radiated a blinding, sacred brilliance. Before the entrance, nine golden boys and nine jade maidens stood in silent, ceremonial ranks.
The boys clutched sacred banners and embroidered canopies, while the maidens held scepters of pure jade.
Nearby, golden censers exhaled a faint, exotic incense. A single breath was enough to steady the spirit and clarify the mind.
Faced with such an overwhelming display of prestige, Chen Changsheng’s expression grew uncharacteristically solemn.
“Huaiyu,” he whispered, his voice low and grave. “This assembly is a place of immense grandeur. Once we step inside, you must pay close attention.”
Gongsun Huaiyu, wide-eyed and stunned by the spectacle, nodded with fierce sincerity.
“Do not worry, Young Master. I will not do anything improper. I won’t lose face for you.”
“Improper? Have you understood a single word I’ve said?”
Chen Changsheng’s composure broke, replaced by a sudden, sharp anxiety.
Gongsun Huaiyu blinked, her head tilting in confusion.
“If not that… then what did you mean, Young Master?”
“Let me ask you: who are you?”
“I am Gongsun Huaiyu!”
“And who is Gongsun Huaiyu?”
“A disciple of the Seventy-Two Wolf Smokes.”
“Exactly. And since you know that, you should remember that the Seventy-Two Wolf Smokes are bandits. We are scoundrels and thieves.”
“When have you ever seen a bandit concern themselves with the etiquette of the ‘righteous’ path?”
“Once we enter, strip the fruit platters bare. Eat what you can, and pocket what you can’t. Do not dare sacrifice a fortune for the sake of something as worthless as ‘face.’”
Gongsun Huaiyu stood frozen, her mind struggling to process the command.
“Young Master… you were that serious… just to tell me to steal the snacks?”
“What else would I be serious about? Look at this display! Do you think their offerings will be common fare?”
“I just watched them carry in a haul of three-hundred-year-old Vermilion Fruits.”
“Three-hundred-year-old Vermilion Fruits!”
Gongsun Huaiyu’s voice jumped an octave.
“A single one of those goes for twenty pounds of God Source! There are hundreds of geniuses here—that’s madness!”
“Precisely,” Chen Changsheng smirked.
“And those fruits are likely just the garnish. The truly precious treasures were probably brought in hours ago.”
“If you’re too shy to eat your share, make sure you hand it to me.”
Gongsun Huaiyu bristled instantly, her defensive instincts flaring like a cat whose tail had been trodden upon.
“Who said I was shy? I’ll fight anyone who tries to touch my platter!”
Without another word, she hiked up her robes and hurried toward the hall.
The Seventy-Two Wolf Smokes were famous, certainly, but they were also desperately poor.
If they weren’t starved for cultivation resources, they wouldn’t spend their lives risking their necks to rob the great sects.
Now, presented with the chance to pillage the enemy’s larder under the guise of a banquet, Gongsun Huaiyu was more than excited—she was possessed.
After all, only a fool turns their nose up at free providence.
As the sun climbed higher, the ranks of the Heavenly Talents were finally filled.
Amidst the grand assembly, every youth sought to maintain an air of transcendent grace—except for two glaring anomalies.
Crunch!
Gongsun Huaiyu bit a Vermilion Fruit in half with a savage snap, her other hand busily stuffing spirit-sweets into the folds of her bosom.
The surrounding geniuses cast glances of profound disdain her way, their lips curling into sneers.
Hmph.
A bandit is a bandit. No breeding, no shame.
However, unlike Gongsun Huaiyu’s blunt gluttony, Chen Changsheng had transformed into a social butterfly. He drifted between the tables of the top-tier geniuses with a practiced, easy charm.
“Hahaha!”
“Maiden Zi Ning! A few days have passed, and your aura has become even more transcendent. Truly, it is a sight for sore eyes.”
Chen Changsheng greeted the Purple Mansion Holy Maiden as if they were old friends, casually reaching down to snag a high-grade spirit fruit from her table.
Zi Ning watched him for a moment before silently pushing her entire platter toward him.
“If Brother Chen were to visit the Purple Mansion Holy Land as an honored guest, you could have as many of these as your heart desires.”
“Is that so?”
“I should like that very much. I’ll certainly find the time to pay a visit.”
Chen Changsheng’s mouth moved with polite platitudes, but his hands moved with the speed of a blurring phantom, clearing her table in seconds.
Seeing that he wasn’t truly listening, the Holy Maiden pressed on, her voice soft but persistent.
“Brother Chen, the path of cultivation requires four pillars: Wealth, Companionship, Law, and Land.”
“Maiden Gongsun is indeed a peerless beauty, but my Purple Mansion Holy Land is not lacking in such treasures.”
“Should Brother Chen wish it, I would be honored to introduce you to several of our Quasi-Holy Maidens.”
The clatter of the banquet seemed to dim as Chen Changsheng’s hands finally stilled.
The surrounding geniuses shifted their gazes, their ears perking up.
Chen Changsheng had emerged from the wilds with Gongsun Huaiyu, one of the three great beauties of the Middle Heavens, in tow.
Moreover, he was deeply entangled with the Seventy-Two Wolf Smokes. No one believed that simple friendship was the glue holding them together—it had to be her beauty.
For the Purple Mansion to offer up their own beauties as recruitment bait meant they were becoming desperate to claim him.
Chen Changsheng tucked the last fruit into his robes and offered a small, knowing smile.
“I appreciate the Holy Maiden’s kindness, but I think we should put that matter to rest.”
“I have a peculiar quirk: I do not take things from others lightly. But if I am to take something, I only want the absolute best.”
“Looking across the entirety of your Purple Mansion, the only one I fancy is you, Maiden Zi Ning.”
“If you are willing to take me as your consort, I shall join your sect without a single second thought.”
“You—!”
Zi Ning was rendered speechless, her face flushing with a mix of shock and indignation.
She had been sincerely trying to scout a talent, and he had the audacity to aim for the Holy Maiden herself.
Huff.
Exhaling a breath of cold, turbid air, she regained her composure, though her voice was noticeably colder.
“I thank Brother Chen for his high regard. Alas, Zi Ning is wedded only to the Dao. I have no room in my heart for the affairs of men.”
“Please, reconsider my earlier offer.”
“Perhaps another time. If the day ever comes where you change your mind, remember to seek me out.”
Chen Changsheng gave her a flirtatious wink that bordered on scandalous before sauntering off to his next target.
Naturally, his next destination was the Yaoguang Saint Son.
Fu Yao glanced at Zi Ning’s barren tabletop and let out a soft, amused chuckle. Before Chen Changsheng could even open his mouth, the Saint Son spoke.
“I have recently begun a cycle of Inedia, Brother Chen. If these fruits please you, take them all.”
“Hehe!”
“Now that’s just embarrassing. I’ll at least leave you one.”
Leaving the smallest, shriveled berry behind for Fu Yao, Chen Changsheng moved on to the next victim.
Most of the geniuses simply watched in silence.
With Chen Changsheng’s reputation, no one believed he was actually starving. They assumed it was a bizarre, eccentric quirk.
If a few spirit fruits were the price to pay to avoid offending a monster of his caliber, it was a bargain.
However, Chen Changsheng’s “harvest” didn’t remain unchallenged for long.
That boor Batulu was a particular nuisance. Not only had the man devoured everything on his own table, but he had the gall to try and snatch fruits from Chen Changsheng’s pile.
He was truly shameless. Chen Changsheng ignored him entirely, treating him like a buzzing fly.
But just as Chen Changsheng’s operation reached the point of Perfection, a sharp, piercing voice rang out through the hall.
“A country bumpkin is a country bumpkin, no matter how much gold you wrap him in. It seems he has never seen the world.”
The temperature in the hall seemed to plummet.
Ye Hensheng and the others felt their gazes turn predatory. To insult Chen Changsheng was to spit on their own dignity.