Chapter 76: Friendships in the Martial World
The next day.
Lu Xiaofeng meant it when he said he was going to hold a banquet; he wouldn't lie. Just like Xie Huailing, who had promised to pay, wouldn't hesitate to spend Su Mengzhen's money. The moment she opened her eyes at noon, she received an invitation from Lu Xiaofeng in the hands of a maid. The first sentence on it read, "Master Lu cordially invites Miss Xie," making it sound quite respectable. Since he was so sincere, Xie Huailing had no choice but to attend.
Clutching the invitation, she arrived at the restaurant where she had reserved a private room, just in time. Two strings of festive red lanterns hung high above the vermilion doors, and the soft sounds of laughter echoed on the lantern shades in the warm light. The entire restaurant was filled with the rich aroma of incense, and the gilded and painted beams exuded the opulent fragrance of fine wine and food. The shouts of waiters and the clinking of glasses drifted through layers of brocade curtains, creating a scene of bustling peace and prosperity.
Xie Huailing strolled into a private room on the south side of the second floor, overlooking the water. Next to the room hung an elegant name, "Feixia Pavilion." She glanced at it briefly, and the door opened, releasing a fragrant aroma of food and wine. The venue was less extravagant than she had imagined, but the layout was still quite exquisite, and with the three of them together, it added to the relaxed and leisurely atmosphere.
"Miss Xie, you've finally arrived! Your maid said you usually don't wake up until the afternoon, I thought you were going to fall asleep."
Lu Xiaofeng was putting a piece of meat into his mouth when he saw her come in. He immediately put down his chopsticks, exaggeratedly patted the empty seat next to him that was covered with a brocade cushion, and struck a pose as if he were the head of the banquet: "Come, come, please take a seat. All the dishes have been served and we're just waiting for you."
Hearing this, Hua Manlou, who was sitting by the window, turned around with a smile and was also "looking" at her. His voice was gentle and warm, like a spring breeze: "Hurry up and sit down. Lu Xiaofeng has been acting like a host for almost half an hour. He's arranging things here and there. If you hadn't come, he wouldn't know what to do."
Xie Huailing took off her cloak and tossed it to the maid standing by the door, then sat down in her casual clothes. She glanced at the dishes on the table: squirrel-shaped mandarin fish, crab meat lion's head meatballs, and stewed crab roe buns... all top-notch dishes, a rather impressive display, showing that Lu Xiaofeng had really put in the effort.
But that didn't stop her from saying first, "If you're itchy, go take a shower. Don't keep turning around."
Lu Xiaofeng wasn't angry when she retorted. He first said that Xie Huailing didn't understand him, that he was preparing with all his heart, and then talked about how he arranged everything in one day, speaking in a very logical and eloquent manner.
There was a slight surprise when it came to booking a private room. Lu Xiaofeng poured wine as he said, "It's not about whether we spent enough money or not. A customer booked the best private room in advance, and the manager couldn't budge it no matter how much he talked. But it doesn't matter, our room is just as good. It's by the water, well-ventilated, and perfect in every way."
He winked at Hua Manlou, "Especially suitable for someone as refined as Hua Manlou, right?"
Hua Manlou simply smiled, raised a cup of tea, and smoothed things over for him: "I do indeed find this place quite nice, more comfortable."
So Xie Huailing stopped being sarcastic and started eating.
As is customary, after several rounds of drinks and five dishes, Lu Xiaofeng, with his silver tongue, recounted all sorts of strange and wonderful tales from all corners of the world, embellishing his stories with exaggerated details. Even a fight between passing cats could be embellished into a battle between gods and demons. He also kept praising himself. Xie Huailing would occasionally offer a few comments, sometimes making Lu Xiaofeng roll his eyes in exasperation. Hua Manlou listened with a delighted smile, occasionally interjecting with a witty remark. The atmosphere was so harmonious, befitting the beautiful spring day.
When it came time to change the wine jars, Lu Xiaofeng suddenly put down his wine cup and stroked his mustache. He'd had too much to drink, so he was asking all sorts of questions. A mischievous glint flashed in his eyes: "Speaking of which, I haven't asked you yet. You're so generous, not even saying a word, and you're having the dignified Master Su pay for the wine. Won't that cause any trouble? My little bit of money is nothing, but don't let it get you into trouble when you get back."
He was joking with Xie Huailing, who was picking through the crab roe buns on her plate, poking holes in them. Without looking up, she said, "Haven't he scolded me enough? He's got so many debts, he's not worried about them anymore. One more time won't make a difference."
Lu Xiaofeng became interested and leaned forward, but he wasn't surprised: "Judging from what you're saying, Master Su is still acting like Brother Yan? I thought you two were as close as the rumors suggested."
"The relationship isn't bad, but it's not exactly good either. It's not exactly good either, let me think of an example..."
Xie Huailing poked the crab roe bun until it was a mess before finally deciding to eat it. She chewed and chewed until she swallowed it, then looked straight at Lu Xiaofeng, lost in memories: "It was last time, he asked me to hand him a document, but I kept putting it off. Later, he gave me an ultimatum, saying I had to hand it to him that night, no matter how it turned out."
"Then what?"
"Then I decided to go to the archives upstairs to find something to get by, whether it was copying or substituting something else, it didn't matter." Xie Huailing's tone was calm and even, as if she were talking about something unrelated to her. "I actually found something, a whole document, quite comprehensive, very rigorous, and beautifully written. I knew at a glance that this was exactly what I needed, so I copied half of it and handed it in. But he could tell right away that I had copied it."
Lu Xiaofeng was stunned for a moment: "Why?"
Xie Huailing said expressionlessly, "He asked me to bring out the original copy I made, turn to the last page, and there were three big characters at the bottom: Su Mengzhen."
Hua Manlou choked on the mouthful of tea he had just put in his mouth, coughing uncontrollably. A faint blush rose on his fair face as he patted his chest and shook his head, laughing repeatedly. Lu Xiaofeng, after a moment of stunned silence, burst into a deafening laugh, collapsing back in his chair, pounding his fists on the armrests, tears welling up in his eyes.
As he laughed, he didn't forget to give Xie Huailing a thumbs up: "Miss Xie, Miss Xie, I, Lu Xiaofeng, have seen thousands of women in my life, but only you are this one."
Xie Huailing didn't think much of it; she couldn't even understand their sense of humor. She calmly finished telling the story: "I told him, 'Doesn't this show off your work ability and writing skills? I only copied it because I admired it. Who else would treat you like this? Besides, if you didn't have two different handwriting styles, I wouldn't have been caught.' Then he said, 'Why don't you just copy his name too?' I said, 'No way, it's too long to read. Write something shorter next time and I'll copy it.'"
"Then he let me out, but in the end I didn't rewrite it. That's probably how our relationship was."
Lu Xiaofeng laughed for a while before wiping away the tears from the corners of his eyes, panting as he asked, "You, aren't you just asking for trouble? I feel a little sorry for Master Su."
Xie Huailing lazily rested his chin on his hand and said calmly, "Why should we pity him? Why not pity me? The fact that he entrusted me with writing the documents shows that he didn't intend to get it done."
Lu Xiaofeng was momentarily speechless, then burst into an even louder, almost roof-lifting laugh. Hua Manlou clutched his chest, laughing and shaking his head in exasperation.
The three of them joked and laughed for a while longer. The atmosphere reached its peak, and they were so happy that they felt as if they had received the greatest blessing in life. They forgot all about other mundane matters, and the air in the room became hot with laughter.
After finishing two or three jars of wine, Lu Xiaofeng tapped his chopsticks on the bowl and began to sing his off-key little tune, which was as erratic as a bird startled into flight. However, fate was unkind; before he could even reach his favorite part, his singing abruptly stopped, and his body, which had been swaying back and forth, suddenly froze.
The smile on Lu Xiaofeng's face faded in an instant. He fell silent, and at the same moment, the peaceful smile on Hua Manlou's face also froze. He frowned almost imperceptibly, listening intently. Xie Huailing, who had been lazily half-opening his eyes, saw the sudden change in their expressions, and his eyelashes trembled slightly as he realized something.
Her mind was calm, utterly silent, yet she clearly understood what had happened, or perhaps what was about to happen. Because of this calm, the sounds of sharp weapons whistling through the air and blunt objects striking wooden planks became unbearable. The clash of weapons drowned out all the noise in the tavern; what they would hear next was a sudden, fierce battle. Without even looking, the stench of blood seeped in through the cracks in the doors and windows.
A dangerous aura gripped everyone's necks. Lu Xiaofeng cursed his bad luck under his breath, wondering why trouble was coming again. After muttering to himself, he moved like a wisp of smoke, taking a step in front of Xie Huailing to let her go first.
Xie Huailing remained unmoved. She patted Lu Xiaofeng on the shoulder, listening to the intense noise outside the window, and knew exactly what was going on.
She had calculated yesterday when this would happen, but now it's just too unfortunate.
Xie Huailing's voice was surprisingly calm amidst the chaotic fighting. Seeing Lu Xiaofeng turn around, she turned to comfort him and said slowly, "It's alright, they're after me, the people from the Six and a Half Hall. Let's reschedule for another day, Lu Xiaofeng. I'll take care of the arrangements next time. Don't worry, you won't have to pay for either one."
Lu Xiaofeng glanced out the window, his brows furrowed, and asked, "Six and a half hall?"
Xie Huailing replied again, "They want my life, just as I want theirs. This is my business; you can go first."
But before she could finish speaking, a light, drifting cloud floated to Xie Huailing's side, and warm fingers touched her arm. It was Hua Manlou. He sighed slightly, seemingly disagreeing with her words, his worried gaze sweeping across her face like a gentle breeze.
Then came Lu Xiaofeng's figure turning his head back again. The window, smashed open by the sound of fighting, let in gusts of wind that whipped his hair back, making it appear even more disheveled yet resolute, the carefree spirit of a prodigal son gone with the wind.
“I have secret guards and I’ve made preparations. You don’t need to worry about this.” Xie Huailing’s heart stirred, and he immediately understood. He then added.
Lu Xiaofeng waved his sleeve, a roguish smile playing on his lips, his small mustache also lifting in a nonchalant manner: "Of course we don't have to worry about this, what a pity."
Hua Manlou also had a gentle smile on his lips, as if a breeze was blowing and the moon was shining. He steadily helped Xie Huailing up and picked up where Lu Xiaofeng left off: "It's a pity that he is Lu Xiaofeng, who loves to meddle in other people's business. It's a pity that we are already friends."
There were no grand pronouncements, no lofty words. Xie Huailing's eyes widened. Dust and wood chips flying in from outside swirled in the room, and the pervasive fishy smell couldn't mask the lingering warmth of the banquet. Her gaze slowly passed over Lu Xiaofeng's profile, who was still trying to wink at her, before returning to Hua Manlou's ever-kind and peaceful face beside her.
Xie Huailing responded, "Yes."
Looking at the bloodstains that had splattered in, she suddenly felt that Six and a Half Hall was becoming more and more annoying each day. Then she thought of other things, and realized that things weren't so bad after all.
"—We're already friends."
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I've been too busy lately, I'll make up for the extra chapter tomorrow or the day after.
Regarding copying documents:
Actually, Ms. Xie discovered it while copying, but since she had already started copying, she didn't care.
She knew that Su Mengzhen wouldn't really do anything to her; their relationship wasn't bad in any sense anymore, so she just let it go.
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