Cohabitation with Sword Spirit-Chapter 354 - 91: Supporting Characters Have No Human Rights
February 28, 2018, Clear
The climate of Shen City has always been different from other places. In recent years, winter has tended to be particularly long. From September or October of the previous year, occasional snowflakes would fall from the sky; it wasn’t until the end of February that the air would start to carry a hint of warmth.
On this day, the sky over Shen City was exceptionally clear, with a serene blue sky and radiant sunlight. It was hard to imagine that just a couple of days ago, a snowstorm had suddenly hit, dressing the city anew in silver. The sunlight poured down directly, shining on the snow-covered city, instantly stirring up millions of golden scales. Even though the cold wind still whistled, people began to feel a subtle warmth in their hearts.
As the weather warmed, Shen Ruoshi’s centennial birthday celebration drew nearer. Shen City seemed to have returned to two months ago, to the time when the entire city celebrated the New Year. People on the streets began to voluntarily hang lanterns and streamers, while municipal staff placed colorful potted flowers neatly along street corners, adding a touch of vibrancy to this silver-clad city.
There were noticeably more pedestrians on the streets. Even those from Shen City, who typically feared the harsh cold and disliked going out, would wander around commercial streets and restaurants these days.
Whenever it was the Lord City Lord’s birthday, Shen City’s merchants would always take advantage of the occasion to organize various promotional activities. After decades, it has become a unique festival for Shen City people. Using these promotions as an opportunity for large-scale shopping or even extravagant spending has become an essential way for many in Shen City to enjoy life.
Almost every year around the end of February and the start of March, you would see extravagant men being beaten to the ground, rolling around, and extravagant women suffering a similar fate on Shen City’s streets.
And to deal with the sudden increase in brawls and assaults, the constables and doctors in Shen City can only work overtime, dedicating their efforts during this period.
This year’s situation is even more intense than in previous years.
Besides the lively locals, the number of visitors from outside has also increased sharply recently, with various identities. Some are ordinary people rushing from remote areas for large purchases, some are wealthy households traveling with visiting delegations, and of course, there are quite a few merchants who rushed over, having heard some news from the upper echelons, to seize the opportunity.
——
By noon, Kaishan Tower was already packed with people.
As the newest restaurant among the eight major towers in Shen City, Kaishan Tower attracted many diners with its inclusive culinary style and affordable prices. In addition to the local repeat customers, people visiting Shen City from elsewhere often come to Kaishan Tower to enjoy its specialty dishes.
Perhaps none of them could be considered the best in Shen City, but if you want to taste all of Shen City’s delicacies in one restaurant, only Kaishan Tower can achieve it.
During usual meal times, the first-floor lobby is always fully occupied, and outside, long, winding lines of people are a common sight. Recently, with the influx of outsiders, the queuing has become even more serious. So much so that Kaishan Tower’s renowned attentive service has struggled to keep up with the demand, and the elegant yet understated decor of the lobby has been overshadowed by the crowded heads and noisy chatter.
However, the private box area on the third floor seemed like an isolated paradise, with four private rooms occupying all the space, each with an independent service team following throughout. There are also soundproof arrays inside and outside the boxes, ensuring that the noise from the lobby doesn’t disturb the dining experience, nor can the conversations inside be overheard by outsiders.
In the East Room, at a large dining table, sat four guests dressed in luxurious attire. Unlike those who came specifically to enjoy the food, these four ate indifferently, casually picking at the elaborate dishes, leaving them untouched until the temperature and flavors gradually faded... much to the distress of the waiting staff watching nearby.
An entire Kaishan Tower premium banquet, valued at nearly a hundred Spirit Stones, looked like it was going to be more than half wasted! These out-of-town wealthy folks really were recklessly extravagant!
If it weren’t for Kaishan Tower’s customer-first service principle, in other more rowdy restaurants, this kind of provoking dining style would certainly cause the chef team to charge over.
But for the four people at the dining table, regardless of how priceless this feast was, it was merely a backdrop. The main focus of today’s meal was occurring beneath the table.
Though on the surface, it appeared these individuals were embodying the genteel decorum of those who don’t speak while eating, under the slow dining pace, hidden conversations took place.
"The two of you coming from afar must be here for the reconciling of the Shen and Li families, aren’t you? However, you might have arrived a little late." 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢
The voice under the table circulated only among the four, and the servers nearby couldn’t hear a single word. This indistinct voice was indecipherable in gender and couldn’t be matched to the leisurely actions of the four diners above.
"Arriving early is not as lucky as arriving at the right time. Though we received the news a few days late, we still arrived just in time to meet you, isn’t that so? If we can have your assistance, what does it matter if others came early? The best position is still ours."
This time, the voice was a crisp young female, sounding about fourteen or fifteen years old, difficult to match with anyone of the four diners. As the voice beneath the table spoke, two diners sitting by the window noticeably stiffened.
"Who exactly are you two!?"
"Businesspeople." The young woman’s voice responded casually, "I only heard that you two have great influence in Shen City, and that for the right price, as long as it’s no harm to heaven and humanity, any business can be done. But I’ve never heard that you two are picky about clients?"
The two diners by the window relaxed a bit, at the same time the elusive voice under the table sounded again.
"Very well, as long as the price is right, indeed any deal can be negotiated... As you know, this City Lord’s centennial birthday banquet might very well become the turning point in dethawing the decades-long freeze between the Shen and Li families. Reliable sources say that the team sent by the Li Family to extend their birthday wishes was initially ignored for a month, but recently they have made a breakthrough and successfully obtained an invitation to the City Lord’s banquet. And we all know what that means for every resident of Shen City."
He paused for a moment and, seeing no reaction from the other side, continued, "Two months ago, if someone was caught spitting on the street, as long as they claimed they were spitting on the Li Family, they might avoid a fine. But starting half a month ago, if anyone dared to mimic this, they would be beaten on the spot by the law enforcement team and have their glands removed."
"I, I understand." The young voice sounded a bit embarrassed.
"In short, barring any surprises, after the banquet, the trade routes between Qingyun City and Shen City will reopen, and with them will come mountains of gold and silver. However, not just Shen City merchants see this opportunity; there are no less than a hundred families eyeing them. Your Qingyun City, as well as the countless business guilds from Golden Jade City and Heaven-Reaching City, are more numerous. So who gets the gold mountains and who gets the silver mountains depends on their means. Some think it’s first come, first served; that getting ahead, making early connections with local officials, gives one an edge. But that truly misunderstands how Shen City operates."
The young woman said, "Please tell me more."
"All major and minor matters in Shen City are ruled by the two Vice City Lords. The officials below merely follow regulations; even if they have some discretionary powers, they dare not cross the Thunder Pool under the high pressure of the two Vice City Lords. If it’s trivial matters, fine, but anything concerning the Shen and Li families even at the slightest sign of trouble could be deadly—who dares to act recklessly? So, what good is it to be early? What good does it do to establish personal ties with officials? To truly get a head start, one must at least establish personal connections with the Vice City Lords, but how easy is that? Vice City Lord Jinghai is fully dedicated to organizing the banquet, with no room for distraction. Vice City Lord Yueying is known for her absolute impartiality and builds no personal connections with anyone, making it incredibly difficult to work through them."
"So, what good ideas do you two have?"
"Very simple, why not just go directly to the City Lord? On this major matter of re-establishing ties between the Shen and Li families, if the City Lord even slightly remembers your faces, it means a great advantage. The two Vice City Lords are utterly loyal to the City Lord; a mere glance from the City Lord can make so-called intimate friends be easily set aside. Then who truly gets the gold and silver mountains will be clear at a glance."
"But after all, befriending the two Vice City Lords is already like reaching the sky. How can one hope to befriend the City Lord?"
"Heh heh, if it were ordinary times, indeed it’s a hundred times harder than reaching the sky. The City Lord leads a secluded life and hasn’t appeared in public for nearly ten years... But in three days, on March 2nd, the day of his banquet, he must make an appearance, right? And by then, if you can show up at the banquet venue and find a way to leave an impression on him, would you really fear that you couldn’t get things done?"
"...So you two have a way to get us into the banquet venue?! That, can’t be possible, can it? They say the banquet is personally hosted by Vice City Lord Jinghai. Can there be any loophole?"
"Vice City Lord Jinghai certainly has no loopholes, but he can’t possibly handle everything single-handedly; the work has to be delegated, and you can’t be sure about the people below. The specifics of how we manage this is an industry secret. I can only say, if you’re interested, we can help you get two invitations to the banquet venue."
"Name your price." The young woman responded without hesitation.
"Ten thousand spirit stones..."
"Check it, please." As she spoke, a thin slip of paper floated from under the table to the side by the window.
The two diners by the window looked delighted, the other party’s generosity indeed exceeded expectations, truly living up to Qingyun City’s most affluent family.
However, their expressions soon turned rigid as the check, which should have reached their hand, was intercepted by an invisible force midway.
The next moment, the door to the private room was suddenly pushed open, and two fully armored Shen City soldiers stormed in, flipping the table to reveal the dirty deal beneath it.
"The four of you are suspected of illegal transaction and are now under arrest according to Shen City law!"
The two diners by the window went limp at the sight of the Shen City soldiers, as if mourning a dead relative. But the other two decisively threw two flashbangs, the intense light shocking everyone, and taking advantage of the chaos, they dashed like lightning, escaping through the window!
Two muffled thuds sounded.
The two of them flew back, clutching their noses.
At some point, the window had been sealed by invisible force. As the intense light faded, another person slowly walked in through the door.
A woman, graceful and beautiful, but with a face shrouded in cold frost, chilling to look upon. After entering, she raised both hands, and the two who were rolling on the floor clutching their noses were lifted in her hands.
"Two kids from the Qian Family, considering the past friendship between our families, I’ll let you off. Go back to where you came from."
As she spoke, she flung them forward, and they couldn’t help but shoot like rockets out the window, aiming for Qingyun City.
In mid-air, the anguished and unwilling voice of a young woman resonated.
"No, no, no! I’ve finally made an appearance after so long, I don’t want to exit just like this! I’ve invested in Shen City bonds, I’ve gifted for the City Lord’s birthday, I want to see Wang Jiu, I want to see Wang Jiu!"
