Chapter 126

“Take Haitang with you. The gold burial site isn’t far from here. Go get the gold first, and we’ll talk about other things after that. Brother Ye, Brother Lu, Brother Ximen, I’ll trouble you to stay here a little longer. Don’t worry, I’ll treat you to good wine and food, and I won’t really neglect you.”

Zhang Weihao’s subtext was clear: now that the man had been caught and the whereabouts of the gold were known, the people from the Dragon Guard Manor should retrieve the gold first, while those present who knew the gold’s location should stay with him for the time being to avoid any unforeseen complications.

Otherwise, if you can’t get the gold back, even if it has nothing to do with you, it will be hard not to be suspected. If you don’t want to cause trouble, you might as well stay here and drink and chat with him.

Although Lu Xiaofeng liked to meddle in other people’s business, he was also afraid of trouble, and now he was genuinely a little scared.

He almost lost the woman he loved most, and was betrayed by several friends, including Xiao Sikong Zhaixing. It would be a lie to say he wasn’t heartbroken. Now, all he wanted was to get drunk and drown his sorrows.

Like Zhang Weihao, Ximen Chuixue dislikes drinking, or even doesn’t drink at all.

Ye Gucheng is similar; drinking alcohol is harmful to his health and makes him more likely to engage in promiscuous behavior.

Alcohol can impair intelligence and physical ability, which is a major taboo for swordsmen, so he never drinks alcohol.

These two are both eccentric, the rarest of swordsmen, extremely pure. Yan Nantian and Xie Xiaofeng cannot compare to them in this respect. Among all swordsmen, these two are the only ones who can truly abstain from alcohol for their entire lives, which is why they drank tea with Zhang Weihao.

Zhang Weihao does drink alcohol, but he’s not used to regular alcohol and doesn’t particularly like baijiu (Chinese white liquor). Many of today’s so-called fine wines aren’t as good as Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor) from later generations, let alone Moutai or Wuliangye. So Zhang Weihao mostly drinks tea.

Soon after, he personally brewed tea and invited Ximen Chuixue and Ye Gucheng to drink milk tea. After tasting the wife cakes made by Ximen Chuixue, and hearing that Ximen Chuixue planned to open a bakery in the capital (as set in the movie, his family makes wife cakes), he was the first to respond and support him, intending to invest in Ximen’s bakery and become his angel investor.

Well, nobody knows if Ximen Chuixue is a descendant of Ximen Qing, but his family has a long tradition of making pastries (he might be a descendant of Pan Jinlian and Ximen Qing, so he learned the pastry-making technique from Dalang; at least there’s this kind of joke in the movie version). And it’s a very large business; the Ximen Pastry Shops that are everywhere in the Ming Dynasty world are the property of Wanmei Manor. They not only make wife cakes, but also plum blossom cakes, persimmon cakes, and mille-feuille, which are perfect for afternoon tea.

Because Wanmei Manor itself has a huge industry and a source of income, it can support Ximen Chuixue to be his sword god. From childhood to adulthood, Ximen Chuixue has never been short of money, and he has never killed for money. Therefore, he and his sword are very pure.

This was the first time in his life that he had been separated from his sword. He regarded his sword as his wife, so no matter how powerful or strong the sword in Zhang Weihao’s hand was, he would not be willing to give it up if he had a choice.

However, Ximen Chuixue was also aware that his sword could no longer keep up with the times. Upon hearing that it could be upgraded, he took it out without hesitation and planned to forget about the sword and everything else for the next year, returning to a normal life. Therefore, he planned to open a new shop in the capital, rebuild his family business, and sell pancakes to experience life.

Little did they know that this was the true way of the sword. It must be said that the two were truly mortal enemies, destined to have an evenly matched duel. The winner would be the pinnacle of swordsmanship in the Mingzong world, the strongest sword god.

“The wife cake is actually from Brother Ximen’s family! That’s amazing! I love eating this. And the shredded pork with garlic sauce is also delicious. I recommend that Brother Ximen and Brother Ye try it later, it’s so good!” Yue Lingshan is a typical case of forgetting the pain once the wound heals. She completely forgot the danger she had just experienced and carefree accompanied Zhang Weihao and the others for afternoon tea. She really enjoyed the milk tea and these desserts.

There’s no fish in shredded pork with garlic sauce, and no wife in wife cake!

Yes, that makes sense.

Therefore, Yue Lingshan, who loves wife cakes, also loves shredded pork with garlic sauce, and specially asked Xue Qianxun to add this dish as well.

Although the Zhang family had no shortage of chefs, Xue Qianxun usually took on the role of cooks with Mei Lan Zhu Ju, as she didn’t trust anyone else to do the cooking.

“Fish-flavored shredded pork? That’s pretty good. I think it’s more suitable for drinking with alcohol. Tea is out of the question. That’s something women drink…” After noticing two very sharp and piercing gazes, Lu Xiaofeng, the drunkard, instantly sobered up and continued drinking with his newly acquainted drinking buddy, Li Xunhuan. There was another one… well, let’s not talk about it.

Dinner started quickly and was served in no time. It was quite a feast, at least by today’s standards.

“Delicious! What kind of dish is this?”

Twice-cooked pork.

“Are you sure this is meat?”

“It’s not real meat, it’s made from tofu (the pork at this time is not very tasty, it has a strong odor), including this meatball soup and lion’s head meatballs, all made from tofu. They are authentic vegetarian dishes. The oil used is vegetable oil, not lard. The only dishes that can be considered meat are braised pork, ginseng black chicken soup, Dongpo pork knuckle, and shredded pork with garlic sauce, as well as crucian carp soup.”

“Impressive, truly impressive. Lingyu, you really know how to enjoy life, it’s enviable. By the way, how did you manage that ‘Asking for Help’ spell just now? It was incredibly powerful.” Taking advantage of the pleasant atmosphere, Lu Xiaofeng seized the opportunity to ask, since everyone, including himself, was very curious.

“Haitang, you’re back? So soon?”

Having just arrived, looking exhausted, Shangguan Haitang found an empty seat, picked up a small, exquisite ceramic bowl, poured herself a bowl of ginseng and black chicken soup, took a few sips to moisten her throat, and replied, “This time, my godfather and two godbrothers personally came, so I’ve come to bother you.”

Those present were not fools; naturally, the divine monkey was afraid that they would leave without saying goodbye or spread rumors, causing unnecessary trouble.

Ximen Chuixue is manageable, but Li Xunhuan, Lu Xiaofeng, and Ye Gucheng represent different stances. Xue Bing is a member of the mysterious organization Red Shoes, and even Dongfang Bai, the leader of the Sun Moon Cult, is unreliable. Therefore, it is most appropriate to have his adopted son keep an eye on things.

Given his connection with Zhang Lingyu, they probably won’t make things difficult for him.