Eternal Life: Talent Grows with Age-Chapter 40: The Night Banquet

Judging from the tone, it doesn’t sound like someone familiar!

Lu Chang’sheng stood up and opened the door, only to see a steward-like man standing outside.

He glanced at the lively scene inside, his brows drawing together slightly, and said, "Lu Tongsheng certainly has a wide circle of friends, but if you ask me, friendship ought to be chosen more carefully! Scholars, after all, are known to keep their company free of commoners!"

"And you are—?" Lu Chang’sheng thought skeptically, but remained impassive on the surface.

Judging by the man’s attire, he was eighty-percent likely to be from one of the big families in the city. Whether scholars truly keep away from commoners, Lu Chang’sheng didn’t know; but these wealthy houses definitely didn’t operate that way.

In Black Mountain Prefecture City, for a society to endure, it’s not due to the martial strength of fighters alone; there’s no way these big families haven’t played a hand in it!

"I’m the steward of Huiying Building!" the man said with a smile. "Our Huiying Building gathers heroes from across the land; every autumn examination, plenty of dignitaries come by. This year among the Child Scholars, you, Lu Tongsheng, are especially prominent. So, wouldn’t you know it, quite a few of those noble guests are interested in meeting you, and sent me to invite you over!"

"Well, I’ll trouble you to lead the way then!"

Lu Chang’sheng did not refuse.

If he could find a noble to form a partnership with, it would certainly be a good opportunity.

He had no desire to remain aloof, hiding away from the world, or clinging to some grand ambition to always have his way!

With a Golden Finger that became stronger the longer he lived, the first thing he needed was to figure out how to live longer.

Turning, he bid farewell to Zhao Hu and the others before following the steward to Huiying Building.

They called it a building, but really, it was a large compound.

When Lu Chang’sheng entered, he saw plenty of scholars present, some of whom looked familiar. It seemed many, like him, were this year’s Child Scholars.

Seeing Lu Chang’sheng, a look of curiosity and respect flashed in their eyes.

"Isn’t that Lu Tongsheng? Truly remarkable for someone so young!"

Though Child Scholars weren’t ranked, you could always glean a few things from subtle clues.

Like Lu Chang’sheng’s lowly birth and young age.

No backing, relying solely on himself to reach this point—that really was earning his place through his own talent!

As for the rest of them, most had mentors or connections behind them; compared to Lu Chang’sheng, who’d charted his own course, they fell short by comparison.

Lu Chang’sheng politely responded to each greeting.

Unbeknownst to him, this display of proper etiquette earned him approving looks from another group of onlookers.

"From the countryside, yet knows his manners! This young man is quick-witted!"

"Indeed, clean background, no master—truly an uncut gem!"

"He’s got the makings of an Advanced Scholar!"

······

A dozen or so portly, well-dressed gentlemen sat in a distant pavilion, watching Lu Chang’sheng interact with other Child Scholars, marveling at the scene.

Soon, evening fell, and Huiying Building lit up the Merfolk Lamps. Their bright glow bathed the compound in light as clear as day.

Slender singing girls glided along the corridors, dancing around the crowd of Child Scholars.

A few had already been drinking, arms wrapped around the dancers’ slim waists, lost in their revelry.

"What extravagance!"

Lu Chang’sheng thought to himself, somewhat awed.

Thinking of the poverty in Zhao Family Village, the desperate rebels fighting for survival, droughts and disasters—he couldn’t help feeling a twinge of discomfort.

Just then, a group of people came forth from the rear, each one zeroing in on their chosen target.

"Lu Tongsheng, I am Lin Xiaowen, patriarch of the Lin Mansion. Might I have a word in private?"

Lu Chang’sheng quickly rose to greet him, and instinctively glanced around. He noticed that many other Child Scholars found themselves in the same situation, and suddenly understood what was happening.

As expected, after chatting in private for a while, Lin Xiaowen revealed his true purpose.

It’s all about official protection and mutual alliance.

At the bottom, there are societies and factions; at his level, something similar exists, though far less obvious.

Many of these rich folk were once Child Scholars themselves, accumulating resources over time, but when it came to reaching even higher levels, their strength started to look thin.

So, they’re keen to invest and to form new connections, slowly building up their own power, hoping to climb to the next rung of the ladder.

And that, was the true purpose of this Huiying Building banquet!

"If that’s the case, it’s certainly something worth considering carefully!"

Lu Chang’sheng thought to himself.

Even if he was going to seek out a patron, he had to pick the most suitable one.

Thus, he didn’t immediately accept the Lin Family’s offer to invest in him.

This wasn’t the first banquet of its kind, so naturally, declining wouldn’t easily offend anyone.

Of course, if Lu Chang’sheng were to reject everyone, then there’d surely be hard feelings.

Besides, these big houses were essentially united; really, what they disputed was only the pecking order. If Lu Chang’sheng ever needed help from another house, the main supporting patron would be obliged to pay a higher price.

Sure enough, the Lin Family took it in stride, merely asking him to give it some thought, and then moved off toward another Child Scholar.

Meanwhile, another prominent house approached Lu Chang’sheng as well.

······

"Chang’sheng!"

After mingling with five or six major families, a soft, teasing laugh reached his ears.

"Lady Chen!"

The woman was none other than Zhao Qing, who’d married as concubine into Mr. Chen’s household, trailed by the elderly Mr. Chen himself.

"Ha ha, Chang’sheng, you and Qing are family, so you two must stay close from now on!" Mr. Chen smiled broadly, looking gentle as could be.

Lu Chang’sheng neither agreed nor disagreed.

He really didn’t hold any grudges against Zhao Qing. If anything, his resentment lay more with Zhao Xinghua; after all, her actions had been far worse.

He kept any dissatisfaction to himself, merely replying, "As you say, sir!"

Seeing Lu Chang’sheng so amenable, Mr. Chen beamed, and continued with his pitch.

It was much the same as what the other big houses had offered.

Lu Chang’sheng replied, "Thank you for your high regard, sir, but I’ll need to think this over thoroughly."

Mr. Chen’s smile froze slightly.

He felt a touch uncomfortable.

Truth be told, if Lu Chang’sheng hadn’t given him hope, he wouldn’t have dwelled on it. But seeing his attitude, Mr. Chen guessed his chances weren’t bad, only to end up getting the same answer as the other families.

"It does deserve more consideration. You’re Qing’er’s junior, so you’re my junior too. If you ever need help, don’t hesitate to come to my mansion!" Mr. Chen quickly patched up his smile.

No wonder he was able to get by as a Child Scholar!

Lu Chang’sheng mused: if he weren’t perceptive, he’d never have caught that fleeting flash of displeasure on Mr. Chen’s face.

Becoming a Child Scholar didn’t mean life would suddenly be as smooth as theirs.

In reality, a fair number of Child Scholars, after leaving Jixia Academy, survived only on the measly stipend provided by the prefecture office.

"I’ll be sure to visit when I’m free!"

Mr. Chen’s face twitched again, then he rose with a smile, "Then I’ll have a guest room ready for you!"

Zhao Qing offered a few friendly words before following Mr. Chen out.

She hurried to catch up, but couldn’t keep pace with Mr. Chen’s aged steps, and a rush of anxiety came over her.

She glanced back at Lu Chang’sheng’s silhouette bathed in radiant light, her gaze complicated.

With a quiet sigh, she felt a touch of regret.

If only, back then, she’d spoken up to Mr. Chen about running a little classroom for the villagers—or later, when Zhao Hu brought Lu Chang’sheng to her, if she’d welcomed him—maybe the outcome would’ve been completely different?

Too late for regrets now, all she could do was find ways to make it up to him later.

After all, her actions at the time were understandable; she’d figured that, with just a bit of care, a snot-nosed kid would be easy enough to handle.

"He’s about the right age to settle on a marriage, really. When I get home, I’ll see if there’s a clever maid in the house who could be matched with him!" she thought to herself.

What she didn’t realize was that these two problems were trivial compared to the issue with Zhao Xinghua—now that was a thorny one.

It was a pity she’d been in such a rush back then; she hadn’t found out who Zhao Xinghua had married, only that it wasn’t a member of the Zhao Family—otherwise, her mind might be quite different now.