While on Mount Hua, my mind is at peace!

Chapter 35 The Grand Banquet at Zhangyan Tower

Of the martial arts figures present, at least seven or eight out of ten were busybodies. They were grateful for Yue Feng's mercy, and having heard there was free wine and water, who wouldn't eagerly go?

After ascertaining that the largest restaurant in Hengyang was Huiyanlou, Yue Feng went there first and booked the entire restaurant. There were already some customers in the restaurant, but Yue Feng didn't ask them to leave; he treated them to drinks as well. This caused quite a stir in half of Hengyang.

Rumors circulated that a young, wealthy hero had taken down everyone on the street and then invited them to drink at Huiyan Tower. Many people who weren't originally from the vicinity of Huiyan Tower came to see him. The area outside Huiyan Tower was packed with people, even more bustling than during the Lunar New Year.

At this moment, Yue Buqun, the leader of the Huashan Sect, was having a conversation with Tianmen Daoren, the leader of the Taishan Sect, Dingyi Shitai of the Hengshan Sect, and Liu Zhengfeng of the Hengshan Sect, who was hosting the event, in a private room on the second floor of the Huiyan Tower. Accompanying them were nineteen senior martial arts practitioners who had good relations with the Five Mountains Sword Sects.

Hearing the commotion outside, Liu Zhengfeng, who looked like a wealthy man, frowned slightly and said to one of his disciples, "Go out and see what's going on?"

The disciple returned shortly after and reported to Liu Zhengfeng: "I heard it was a heroic young man from out of town who got into a fight and then invited the other person over for drinks. There are probably over a hundred people here, some locals and some from out of town. The main hall can't hold them all, so tables and chairs have been set up on the street."

Upon hearing this, everyone was both surprised and curious. Tianmen Daoist said to Yue Buqun, "Speaking of heroic youths, why didn't you bring your son?"

"Your son is quite formidable! He snatched a gift from the Qingcheng Sect to the Southern Shaolin Temple in Fujian, instantly incurring the wrath of two major forces in the martial arts world. If Yu Canghai of the Qingcheng Sect hadn't died, and the Southern Shaolin Temple hadn't remained aloof from worldly affairs, your son would have met a terrible end!"

Yue Buqun, usually eloquent, was rendered speechless by Tianmen's words, his face turning pale and then red, unable to utter a sound for a long time. Dingyi snorted and said as well:

"That kid has never been a good person since he was a child. Back then, when I took a few disciples to visit the Huashan Sect, that kid actually lured my disciple out shopping, and... and they were even holding hands! If my senior sister hadn't stopped him, I would have given him a good beating!"

Yue Buqun smiled wryly and said, "Why should you take these children's affairs so seriously, Master? Although my son is unworthy, he has never failed in matters of principle. I have already sent a message to him, asking him to come to Hengyang to meet me, but he has not yet arrived. Perhaps something has delayed him on the way."

Liu Zhengfeng quickly tried to smooth things over: "Sect Leader Yue is right. It's perfectly normal for young people to act silly. Otherwise, what use are we elders? When Nephew Yue arrives, we'll give him a good talking-to and give him a proper talking-to."

"Let's go out and see which young hero has caused such a commotion."

As Liu Zhengfeng spoke, he looked earnestly at Tianmen and Dingyi, thinking that the two were just teasing Yue Buqun and probably didn't mean any harm. Yue Buqun was an impeccable man throughout his life, except for his adopted son, who was his weakness. Tianmen and Dingyi had finally gotten this opportunity, and it would be a shame not to tease him.

As expected, Tianmen and Dingyi laughed heartily, stood up, and walked outside. Yue Buqun secretly breathed a sigh of relief and gave Liu Zhengfeng a grateful look.

When everyone came out of the private room, they saw a truly lively and bustling scene. A tall and handsome young man stood in the center of the hall, emptying his glass of wine, which won loud cheers from countless guests.

Tianmen exclaimed "Huh?" and said to Dingyi, "Am I seeing things? That young man looks more like Yue Feng to me?"

Dingyi leaned over the railing, looking down for a long time before finally saying resentfully, "That's right, it's that brat!"

Surprised, Liu Zhengfeng glanced at Yue Buqun's face and saw his facial muscles twitching, clearly trying hard to suppress a smug expression. He found it amusing, thinking, "To witness such a spectacle before I retire from the martial world, it makes my journey through it all worthwhile."

At this moment, many of the martial arts figures who had accompanied him stepped forward to congratulate Yue Buqun on his excellent parenting, having raised such a remarkable young man. Yue Buqun offered a few words of thanks and was about to call Yue Feng to come up and pay his respects to his elder when suddenly a large group of constables rushed in from outside.

The head constable pushed through the crowd and shouted to Yue Feng, who was standing at the front, "Someone has accused you of committing violence in the street and injuring residents. The prefect has ordered me to come immediately to arrest you. Surrender now!"

Everyone was taken aback. Liu Zhengfeng's heart skipped a beat. He wondered who Yue Feng had beaten up, and why the prefect of Hengzhou had been alerted. Although his Liu family was quite wealthy in Hengyang, trying to get someone out of the prefect's hands was still a bit presumptuous.

The matter was too significant, and it happened far too suddenly. Before Yue Buqun and the others could react, they saw dozens of men stand up abruptly beside Yue Feng. These were all chivalrous men of the martial world; having drunk Yue Feng's wine, they wouldn't stand by and watch him be taken away by the officials.

Yue Buqun clicked his tongue when he saw Linghu Chong among the group. Suddenly, Tianmen said, "What the hell? How come the Qingcheng Sect people are with Yue Feng too?"

"And the nuns of the Hengshan Sect!"

Dingyi flew into a rage and was about to go downstairs when everyone quickly stopped her. Yue Buqun's mind went blank; he felt that things had completely spiraled out of his comprehension.

Yue Feng raised his hand, stopping the restless crowd, and asked the head constable, "Should they wear shackles?"

The head constable was taken aback, not expecting him to be so agreeable, and shook his head: "No need, just come with us."

Yue Feng nodded and addressed the crowd in a loud voice:

"Gentlemen! All good things must come to an end. I, Yue, am very fortunate to have met you all since arriving in Hengyang! But too much luck can lead to bad luck. I'm going with this constable to take a look. If you want to see some excitement, feel free to come along, but take my advice: don't make a move!"

The crowd roared in agreement. Liu Zhengfeng and the others nodded secretly, all feeling that Yue Feng's decision not to let these martial artists take action was truly wise. Ding Yi said, "This kid is honest and reasonable, but he likes to abduct my disciples; he must correct this habit as soon as possible."

Yue Buqun glanced quickly at Ding Yi, but didn't dare to say anything.

The constable led Yue Feng out of Huiyan Tower, followed closely by Deng Jun and others, and then dozens or even hundreds of martial arts practitioners. Yue Buqun and the others were eager to know what would happen next. Seeing that the roads on the ground were too difficult to traverse, they used their lightness skills to take a shortcut from the rooftops to the government office.

At this time, Yue Feng and the others had not yet arrived. Seeing the heavy security at the government office, Liu Zhengfeng couldn't help but sigh:

"It seems the imperial court intends to clean up the martial arts world! I heard that Yu Canghai somehow offended the Six Doors and government troops in Fujian, and was subsequently wiped out by them. For me to retire from the martial arts world at this time is truly a disgrace to my senior brother, the sect leader, and to the ancestors of my Hengshan Sect!"