Apotheosis Begins with Tai Chi

Chapter 350: Chapter 171: Mountain and Sea

The Futong Inn was located midway down the main street of the South Outer City in Yunlei Prefecture City. With its imposing facade and sprawling grounds, it was, without a doubt, the finest lodging in the entire Outer City.

The seven-story pavilion featured vermilion walls, jade-green tiles, and elegant, upturned eaves. An ebony plaque hung above the lintel, its name, “Futong,” rendered in gold powder with powerful, bold calligraphy. A large, crimson seal was stamped where the artist would have signed.

It had been inscribed years ago by a Grand Secretary who had retired from the imperial court.

The two stone lions in front of the entrance were a full size larger than those of an ordinary mansion. The carving was exquisite, each strand of their manes distinct. They crouched on white marble pedestals, their eyes gleaming with intensity as they gazed imperiously upon the passersby.

The reason an inn could display such splendor was because of its backer: the Yunlei Commerce Association, whose wealth was said to rival that of an entire nation.

This behemoth had been rooted in the Yunlei Prefecture for generations, its tendrils sunk deep into every inch of the land.

Forces from the criminal underworld and legitimate society, righteous sects and evil factions, the military, government, and business worlds—even hostile nations—would all show the Yunlei Commerce Association a measure of respect upon entering the Yunlei Prefecture.

For this very reason, anyone who stayed at the Futong Inn need not worry about their safety.

“Younger Brother Chen, come in, have a seat! We were just waiting for you!”

When a young, attractive serving maid led Chen Cheng into the private room, Ning Chong was sitting by the window, gazing out at the view. He immediately called out a greeting as Chen Cheng entered.

“…You there! Bring the food!”

The serving maid nodded, bowed, and withdrew.

Huang Jiao sat off to one side, appearing to wait patiently for Chen Cheng.

But in truth, she was already extremely annoyed.

‘In her eyes, no matter how much of a genius Chen Cheng was, he was still just a Lower Rank Martial Artist who had only just condensed his Eighth Pillar of Blood Qi. What right did he have to make her, an Upper-Rank Martial Artist with Nine Pillars of Blood Qi, wait for him?’

Soon, the dishes and wine were served.

Serving maids filed into the room, carrying lacquered trays laden with white porcelain dishes and bowls, which they arranged on the table one by one.

It was a dazzling array of fifteen or sixteen courses, which in moments filled the vast round table to capacity.

As each course was served, the leading serving maid would softly announce its name, her voice sweet and her enunciation clear.

Chen Cheng noticed that several dishes were made with Treasure Beast Meat. There was even a stew to which Treasure Medicine had been added. The broth was clear, its medicinal fragrance intertwining with the aroma of the meat. The scent alone was enough to make one’s mouth water.

He didn’t need to guess to know that this meal must have cost a fortune.

“Why order so many dishes?” Chen Cheng asked casually.

“Hah! We’ve been on the road for seventeen or eighteen days without a single proper meal. Now that we’ve finally made it to the Futong Inn, of course we have to order a table of local delicacies and treat ourselves right!”

As Ning Chong spoke, he grabbed the wine jug, poured a cup for Chen Cheng, and then filled his own to the brim.

“Just so we’re clear, this one’s on me! My treat! Don’t either of you try to argue!”

“Alright. Next time, it’s on me.”

Chen Cheng agreed.

Huang Jiao remained silent, not even bothering to look up.

Even though she was now allied with Ning Chong, in her eyes, a Lower Rank Martial Artist from some backwater town was utterly unworthy of being treated as her equal.

She hadn’t given Ning Chong a single pleasant look throughout their entire journey.

Ning Chong, however, didn’t seem to mind. He just chuckled as if he were used to it and let it slide.

But the more he acted this way, the more spineless Huang Jiao thought he was, and the more she looked down on him.

After only a few bites, Huang Jiao decided they had nothing in common. She and Chen Cheng simply had nothing to talk about.

She put down her chopsticks, muttered a vague excuse, and stood up to leave.

She didn’t even bother to close the door on her way out.

Ning Chong was holding a golden-brown roasted leg of lamb in both hands, his mouth glistening with grease as he gnawed on it.

Chen Cheng got up to close the door himself. Just as he reached it, he saw Su Bing hurrying inside with her head lowered.

“Miss Su, you’re just getting back?”

“It’s… it’s nothing…”

The moment Su Bing saw Chen Cheng, she lowered her head even further and quickened her pace toward her room.

Although she was deliberately trying to hide it, Chen Cheng still noticed her red-rimmed eyes and the faint, bluish palm print on her cheek.

Chen Cheng had no intention of meddling. He closed the door to their room, returned to the table, and went back to drinking and chatting with Ning Chong.

“Come on, brother, have another drink!”

Ning Chong set down the leg of lamb and picked up his wine bowl again. The small cup wasn’t doing it for him, so he’d switched to a much larger one. He held it up, wine sloshing over the rim, the very picture of boisterous enthusiasm.

“I’ve had about enough.”

Chen Cheng waved him off, pushing his own cup aside. “We’re heading for the Mountain and Sea Sect first thing in the morning,” he reminded him casually. “You don’t want to overdo it and cause problems.”

“Pfft, this is nothing!”

Ning Chong scoffed, tilted his head back nonchalantly, and downed half the bowl in one go. Wine dribbled from the corner of his mouth, but he didn’t bother to wipe it away.

“You probably haven’t heard, but Zhao Dongping and Fang Lang are heading to the Inner City tonight for some… fun. They said there’s a place called the Dream Pavilion where you can sleep with Great Yin Jiaoniangs and Western Demonesses…”

“If they’re not afraid of messing things up tomorrow, why should we be?”

Ning Chong paused, then added,

“Of course, if you don’t want to drink, don’t force yourself. It’s good for us brothers to just sit and talk, too.”

“…Where was I? Oh, right! We were talking about my Root Bone test…”

Ning Chong took another great swig of wine and kept the conversation going. It was mostly him talking and Chen Cheng listening, with the latter occasionally adding a brief comment.

Ning Chong mostly talked about his life in Feng City. Chen Cheng was happy to listen, treating it as an opportunity to broaden his horizons.

…

「Late at night.」

The entire inn fell completely silent.

The corridors were deathly quiet, and the snoring from the next room gradually settled into a deep, steady rhythm.

The street outside was even more silent, without a single sound from a stray dog or a rat. It was so quiet that Chen Cheng could clearly hear the whisper of the slightest breeze.