Chapter 321: Chapter 191: Banquet at the Restaurant

Noon, at Cheng’s Restaurant on West City Street.

Inside the three-story restaurant, only two members of the Cheng Family were waiting by the entrance. The rest of the staff were all in the kitchen, waiting for the order to serve the dishes.

Cheng Zongyang was not at the entrance. He had invited Xu Tieshan and the others here to discuss business, not to ask for a favor. There was no need for him to stand at the door and personally welcome them.

On the third floor.

Li Lu stood on the balcony, scanning the street in both directions. He glanced at the sky from time to time, his brow tightly furrowed.

He then turned and went inside to where Cheng Zongyang sat, perfectly composed as he read a book. Li Lu walked over to him.

"It’s time," he said. "Not a single one of them has come."

Cheng Zongyang turned a page, his eyes still fixed on the book as he spoke.

"What’s the rush? If they show up, we’ll talk. If they don’t, it means there’s nothing to discuss, and we won’t have to in the future, either."

Li Lu frowned. "If those six families join forces—forget open warfare, just in terms of business operations—they could put a restriction on us here in West City. How can our family possibly fight against them all?"

This was exactly what Li Lu was worried about.

Ever since Cheng Zongyang had seized West City from those six families, Li Lu no longer doubted his strength. What worried him, however, was the possibility of them joining forces to scheme against them in the shadows!

Cheng Zongyang scoffed. "Unless they can somehow prevent everyone from coming to West City, I’m really not afraid of fighting them. If it gets to the point where we drop all pretenses, then there’s nothing left to say. Worst case, I’ll just take action and eliminate a few of them!"

He had his own "core technology" and was completely unafraid of their supposed blockade.

He wasn’t lacking for grain; he had his own special seeds. During the next planting, he just had to plant a portion of them separately for their effects to be known.

This might attract the attention of the Royal Family’s higher-ups, but he had long been prepared for that possibility.

Furthermore, he had supplementary medicines for Martial Arts Cultivation. He could even sell "diluted" versions of the Body Refining Medicine Bath Materials, giving him a complete monopoly!

The greatest strength of the Body Refining Medicine Bath formula was that anyone could use it and successfully reach Entry Grade. A person’s so-called aptitude and natural constitution only affected the speed at which they did so.

He possessed the formulas for all the Lower Three Grades. He had no worries about a lack of buyers, and even fewer worries about a lack of followers!

Then there were the Five Grains Inner Replenishing Pills, Red Blood Pills, and more to come.

"In that case..."

Cheng Zongyang set his book down, cutting Li Lu off before he could continue.

"Alright, just relax. Tell the kitchen to serve the food. If they don’t show up, we’ll eat by ourselves."

Resigned, Li Lu could only head downstairs to pass on the order.

A moment later, however, Li Lu returned upstairs, a smile on his face this time.

"They’re here, and they all came together! They’re about to arrive." As he spoke, he glanced around and noticed the book that had been in Cheng Zongyang’s hands was gone. But he didn’t think much of it.

Cheng Zongyang frowned. "All six families came together? Or five?"

"Six families," Li Lu said. "Six carriages. That should be all of them, right?"

Cheng Zongyang stood up and walked out onto the balcony.

’The Lu Family never gave me a response, yet they’ve come this time?’

’What does this mean? They don’t want to acknowledge me, but they don’t want to be left out either?’

Out on the balcony, Cheng Zongyang gazed eastward and saw six carriages arriving one after another.

Cheng’s Restaurant was situated right at an intersection, and its wraparound balcony offered views of the roads coming from the north, east, and South City.

’They must have met up first before coming here together.’

Cheng Zongyang suddenly wondered if he wasn’t a bit of a big deal, enough to make all six families join forces to confront him.

After a short while, the six carriages arrived at the entrance.

At the restaurant entrance.

The six carriages pulled to a stop, and members of the six families disembarked. In addition to the six Patriarchs, there were also three or four young men and women, who came from the Ding, Xu, Lu, and Qiu Families.

The Ding, Lu, and Xu Families each brought a young man. Following behind Patriarch Qiu, however, was a woman dressed in a plain, goose-yellow robe, her face obscured by a silk veil of the same color. A sash cinched at her waist outlined her marvelously slender figure, lending her otherwise ordinary clothes an air of refined elegance.

Liu Chengdong showed a flicker of surprise upon seeing the woman behind Qiu Fengxing, then smiled. "Patriarch Qiu, you brought your daughter instead of your son. It seems Miss Qiu has truly earned her title as the ’Qiu Family Strategist.’ Does this mean the position of future Patriarch of the Qiu Family is going to your eldest daughter?"

Qiu Fengxing shot Liu Chengdong a sideways glance but completely ignored his words.

The woman behind him, however, laughed lightly and said, "Patriarch Liu, you jest. When it comes to talent, I could hardly compare to you."

Her voice was like a wind chime, remarkably pleasant and soothing to hear.

After getting out of his carriage, Xu Tieshan completely ignored Liu Chengdong’s banter. Carrying his Heavy Sword, he walked straight inside. The young man in black martial attire behind him didn’t spare the others a glance, simply following his father through the door.

The rest of the party entered as well.

Seeing the two Cheng Family men at the door merely gesture for them to proceed, Lu Yan snorted with a look of displeasure.

"That brat is truly arrogant! He won’t even show his face, just sits up there waiting for us?"

"Come now, we all know what this meeting is about. What’s the point of etiquette? Isn’t it just hypocrisy?" He Shujun said with a faint smile before heading upstairs.

On the third floor, Cheng Zongyang and Li Lu listened to the commotion from downstairs. Li Lu was starting to fidget, unable to sit still, but Cheng Zongyang remained as unflappably calm as ever, simply waiting.

As the entire party made their way upstairs, all eyes immediately locked onto Cheng Zongyang and Li Lu.

In the spacious dining room, aside from a few square tables and chairs around the perimeter, there was only a single large, round table in the center.

The table was already set with a lavish spread of dishes and wine.

Only then did Cheng Zongyang slowly rise to his feet. With a smile, he said, "I welcome you all. Thank you for accepting my invitation. Please, be seated."

At this moment, Li Lu’s earlier anxiety and restlessness were gone.

After all, this was the first time he had ever experienced such an occasion—a gathering that was potentially dangerous. It was natural for him to feel anxious. But now that the moment had arrived, he couldn’t afford to falter and lose face for their side.