Chapter 200: One Thousand Seven Hundred Pounds of God Source, Chen Shisan Pay Up
Chapter 200 – One Thousand Seven Hundred Pounds of God Source, Chen Shisan Pay Up
Watching Qian Baoer order such a lavish feast in a single breath, the previously confident Chen Shisan felt his bravado crumble.
He nudged Tian Xuan beside him and whispered,
“Tian Xuan, how much would a table of dishes like this cost?”
Hearing this, Tian Xuan took a slow sip of his tea and said lightly, “Not much.”
“Babao Pavilion’s signature spread is the Eight Treasures Banquet, consisting of eight dishes in total.”
“Each dish is worth two hundred pounds of God Source. Add a jar of century-old Bamboo Leaf Green wine, and it comes out to roughly one thousand seven hundred pounds of God Source.”
Hearing this astronomical figure, Chen Shisan’s face instantly twisted.
Beneath his visceral heartache over the money lay a much deeper, agonizing dilemma.
He only possessed one thousand two hundred pounds of God Source. It was clearly far from enough to cover the tab.
Feasting without paying violated the simplest laws of heaven and earth.
Yet, to settle the bill, he would have to borrow from Qian Baoer and Tian Xuan.
What kind of host invited guests to a feast, only to beg them for alms?
Tian Xuan clearly read the agonizing struggle on Chen Shisan’s face.
Without a word, he pushed a leather pouch across the table.
“Consider this a loan. As payment, you will owe me one strike of your sword in the future.”
Staring at the heavy pouch, Chen Shisan’s eyes filled with utter confusion.
“I slash you with my sword, and you pay me for it?”
“Yes. Because not everyone in this world is qualified to witness your blade.”
Hearing this, Chen Shisan scratched his head sheepishly.
“I’m not as heaven-defying as you make me sound.”
“Not at this moment, but the future is boundless.”
“Sir has expended immeasurable effort to guide your sword path.”
“I have never once doubted Sir’s judgment. One day, your swordsmanship will force every cultivator beneath the heavens to bow their heads.”
“In truth, I am the one exploiting this transaction.”
With that said, Tian Xuan pushed the pouch closer to Chen Shisan.
Chen Shisan pondered this for a moment, then replied, “I cannot guarantee my Dao of the Sword will become the strongest.”
“But I promise you, I will definitely slash at you with everything I have.”
“Excellent. It’s a deal!”
Having struck this pact and successfully resolved his crushing debt, a radiant smile finally bloomed on Chen Shisan’s face.
……
The time it takes for a cup of tea to cool passed, and the Eight Treasures Banquet was soon arrayed across their table.
Staring at the exquisite delicacies—perfect in color, aroma, and spiritual density—Chen Shisan excitedly grabbed his chopsticks.
Crash!
Just as his chopsticks were about to pluck a morsel, a heavy black shadow plummeted from above, violently smashing into their table.
The lavish spread of spiritual delicacies was instantly obliterated into a mess of splinters and sludge.
Staring at the ruined feast before him, Chen Shisan froze solid like a clay statue.
“Pah!”
“Trash like you thinks he’s worthy of attending Maiden Nangong’s banquet? It’s like a toad lusting after swan meat.”
A young master swaggered out of a luxurious private room on the upper floor, spitting venomous curses.
Insult delivered, the young master flicked his sleeves and turned back inside, not sparing a single glance for the half-dead cultivator he had just thrown over the railing.
Qian Baoer and Tian Xuan barely batted an eye at this violent spectacle.
The Babao Pavilion was a gathering place for cultivators; brutal skirmishes over pride and face were as common as the wind.
These were troubled times. Qian Baoer and Tian Xuan had no desire to provoke unnecessary karma, dismissing the bloody interruption as a minor nuisance.
Clack.
Snapping out of his long daze, Chen Shisan placed his chopsticks down, turned on his heel, and began marching toward the stairs.
Seeing this, Qian Baoer violently slapped her own forehead in dismay.
“Damn it!”
“How could I forget his temper?! Tian Xuan, hurry up and stop him!”
Tian Xuan merely glanced at Chen Shisan’s advancing back and calmly replied, “Just prepare for a fight.”
“When that stubborn mule sets his mind on something, even Sir’s words bounce off him. Do you honestly believe he’ll listen to me?”
As he spoke, Tian Xuan began circulating the divine power within his internal pathways, preparing for the imminent slaughter.
“Tsk, tsk!”
“Where there are people, there is the martial world. To spark a blood feud over a ruined meal… how delightfully entertaining.”
A lazy, familiar voice drifted into their ears.
Tian Xuan turned to find Chen Changsheng sitting squarely in Chen Shisan’s recently vacated seat.
Seeing Chen Changsheng materialize, Qian Baoer’s face instantly darkened.
“Sir… you didn’t orchestrate this, did you?”
“Sigh!”
“You can eat recklessly, but you must not speak recklessly. I truly had no hand in this trivial dispute.”
“Do I look like the sort of mastermind who scripts such a cliché mortal drama?”
Since Chen Changsheng denied it, Qian Baoer didn’t press the matter. Instead, she cast a wary glance toward the upper floor.
“Sir, do you know the identities of those upstairs?”
“The Qi radiating from that room is exceptionally fierce.”
“I know a little. The majority of that gathering consists of local Northern Desert prodigies.”
“Among them is Nangong Ruoxue, the prime successor of Qingxu Heaven. Her cultivation has likely crossed the threshold into the True Self realm.”
Upon hearing this, Tian Xuan’s brow knit tightly together.
“Why would the successor of Qingxu Heaven descend upon this mortal city?”
“What else? Hunting for providence, naturally!”
“Ever since that cataclysmic meteor struck two hundred years ago, the heavenly laws of this world have been shifting.”
“Not only do ancient Grotto-Heavens and blessed lands violently emerge from the void, but mythical, forgotten beasts have begun to resurface.”
“According to the winds, traces of a Treasure-Spitting Mouse were recently unearthed nearby.”
“An ancient auspicious beast of such caliber will naturally draw greedy hyenas from every corner of the realm.”
With those parting words, Chen Changsheng rapidly shrank his form into a miniature wisp of light, leaping directly onto Qian Baoer’s shoulder.
Staring at the pocket-sized Chen Changsheng, Qian Baoer asked helplessly, “Sir, what exactly are you doing?”
Chen Changsheng casually reclined against her collarbone.
“What does it look like? I am hiding so I can comfortably spectate the upcoming slaughter!”
“You two are veterans of the martial world. Given the current variables, you know exactly how this is about to play out.”
“To avoid being caught in the crossfire when you are invariably beaten to a bloody pulp, I naturally need to seek high ground.”
Qian Baoer: “……”
Is this truly the moral character of a supreme Senior expert?
……
In the brief window while Chen Changsheng and Qian Baoer conversed, Chen Shisan had already ascended the staircase.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
He rapped his knuckles gently against the ornate wooden door and waited in polite silence.
After the span of two breaths, the door swung open.
A cultivator stood in the frame. Sweeping a disdainful glance over Chen Shisan’s faded, washed-out robes, he sneered impatiently.
“We don’t need any more dishes. If we require service, we will summon you.”
Slam!
Without waiting for a reply, the heavy door was forcefully shut in his face.
It was painfully obvious they had mistaken Chen Shisan for a lowly servant of the Babao Pavilion.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
The door was struck three more times.
“Are you courting death?!”
“Do you want this young master to shatter your legs?!”
The door was yanked open with violent force.
This time, the cultivator glaring from the threshold was seething with murderous intent.
“I am not a waiter. Your actions ruined my meal downstairs, so you must compensate me.”
Chen Shisan stated his purpose with a cold, unyielding calm. His bold declaration caused the raucous laughter within the private room to abruptly vanish.
“Oh ho!”
“It seems you’re a beggar looking to stir up trouble. And what if I simply refuse to pay a single copper?”
Facing the sneering cultivator at the door, Chen Shisan held his gaze and spoke without a ripple of emotion.
“You were not the one who destroyed my feast. I am not seeking compensation from you.”
“He is the one who threw that man over the balcony. I demand payment from him!”
As he spoke, Chen Shisan raised his right hand, pointing a steady finger directly at a blue-robed man lounging deep within the opulent room.
……