Cohabitation with Sword Spirit-Chapter 357 - 94: Hoisting the Grand Banner High
March 2, 2018
Being at the banquet, Shen Qingming quickly regretted her decision.
Why did I stay in the main hall!? In such a mixed crowd, their group was like rare protected animals, quickly attracting attention.
Shen Ruoshi’s birthday banquet venue was divided into two parts: inner and outer. The inner part was in the inner hall, containing core members of the Shen Family, such as the two Deputy City Lords, Shen Ruoshi’s several biological sons, and other bigwigs of Shen City, as well as the Holy Sect Envoy and representatives of several important family sects.
The invitation spots for the previous Outer Courtyard speed competition were for the inner hall. Only by entering the inner hall could one truly have a face-to-face opportunity with City Lord Shen Ruoshi.
But outside in the main hall, there were over a hundred banquet tables arranged, significantly lowering its value. The grade of the food and drink was secondary; the key was that Shen Ruoshi generally wouldn’t personally entertain the guests in the main hall, only sending representatives or avatars to say a few polite words, thanking everyone for attending, though those familiar with Shen Ruoshi knew that he actually didn’t care at all whether the guests in the main hall wanted to show up or not.
The guests in the main hall were mostly peripheral figures related to the Shen Family or less significant family sect representatives. Although Shen Ruoshi didn’t care about them, they cared a great deal about Shen Ruoshi. Just leaving even a little impression on him could mean endless benefits.
Although the possibility of seeing Shen Ruoshi in the main hall wasn’t high, any slight chance was worth striving for. And Shen Qingming and her group’s arrival provided the people in the main hall with an opportunity. Now, even the old men buying vegetables in town knew that the Shen and Li families were resuming diplomatic relations, and the key figure was the City Lord’s granddaughter! As long as they could leave an impression on Shen Qingming, it was like directly currying favor with the City Lord!
So, Shen Qingming’s group had been standing in the main hall for less than five minutes when the surrounding guests gathered like ravenous beasts.
Although most people wore friendly, even obsequious smiles, and their words were as lavish as possible, praising Shen Qingming as peerless in heaven and on earth, as the person involved, Shen Qingming only felt a chill throughout her body as she listened.
As a normal person, Shen Qingming certainly didn’t want others to unjustly belittle her, saying things like mildly mentally impaired or secondary sexual characteristic deficiency, which was simply heartbreaking. But on the other hand, too high praise also upset the young girl, after all, people have a sense of shame. Moreover, these praises were utterly insincere, sounding like an insult to Shen Qingming’s limited intelligence.
"Ah, are you the granddaughter of City Lord Shen? I’ve heard so much about you. I am **, the head of xx sect. Our sect specializes in agricultural development and livestock breeding. Our grains and livestock are unrivaled in quality and quantity around Shen City. High-end ingredients are renowned worldwide. In 2015, we signed an exclusive supply agreement with the top restaurant in Heaven-Reaching City. Besides, we also manufacture and develop agricultural equipment. After years of hard work, we now have considerable technical reserves, preparing to develop a new agricultural reclamation technology—Water Turning to Oil. Once successful, numerous barren lands in Xiangzhou will become fertile farmland! It might even solve the worldwide energy problem. But this groundbreaking technology is costly, and our sect’s funding is increasingly tight, urgently needing external support. So I was wondering..."
This continuous advertising and begging speech, like flowing clouds and water, left Shen Qingming dumbfounded, watching the obese sect leader specializing in agriculture, pleading with blinking eyes, his facial fat wriggling in a way even more nauseating than Li Xinyu. However, before this fat sect leader could continue his fawning gestures, he was pushed aside by the people nearby.
A middle-aged, shabby-looking scholar with graying beard squeezed in, clumsily tidying his disheveled clothes, replacing it with a friendly smile, and said.
"Qingming, Qingming, do you remember me? I am Shen Da, your Uncle Da! Don’t you remember? I saw you when you were little! Look at those eyebrows, just like when you were a child! But back then, I never thought you’d grow up to be so graceful and elegant. Indeed, a girl changes eighteen times as she grows... Long time no see. Uncle Da doesn’t have much to give. This painting I was inspired to create last week, I’ll give it to you, hoping you don’t disdain your Uncle Da’s poor skill. Actually, I had a chance to achieve greater success in painting and calligraphy, but I was limited by lack of insight and vision, my work always following old patterns. Recently, the family organized some officials to visit Golden Jade City. I wanted to follow, but they said my rank wasn’t high enough and didn’t allow me to participate, which is truly degrading! How can art care about rank? ...Qingming, I’ve reported this to the higher-ups many times without result. They are all vulgar people who don’t understand the beauty of art, but you are different. So, Uncle Da hopes you can say nice things to Lord City Lord and do me this small favor. Once it’s done, I’ll paint you 10 exclusive portraits for free! With such good looks and figure, if not leaving some private paintings, it’d be a great loss in life!"
When Shen Da said this, he was finally unable to withstand the crowd’s push and was moved aside. Opposite, Li Chaolu, blank-faced, held a crumpled painting and disdainfully threw it aside into the trash can.
"Where do these idiots come from, asking for favors despite not recognizing the person!" Pausing, she curiously turned to ask Li Wanqing.
"Sister Wanqing, what are private portrait paintings? Do you know?"
Li Wanqing said meaningfully, "I know a little, I’ll paint one for you when we get back."
"Hey, okay, thank you." Li Chaolu innocently smiled.
——
After such farcical scenes continued for a while, Shen Qingming finally couldn’t take it anymore, gesturing for a servant: "Quick, take us upstairs."
The servant was startled: "Ah?! But your seats are already arranged, and the upstairs rooms are just for Mr. Wang Jiu and Li Xinyu..."
"We’ll join the banquet when it starts, but for now, we just want to go upstairs to take refuge. Stop talking and lead the way!" Shen Qingming was really exasperated from being harassed, earlier there was even an old lady who came out of nowhere trying to introduce her son!
If she stayed in the hall any longer, the young girl feared she might unleash a Sword Blade Storm.
Glared at sharply by Shen Qingming, the attendant initially wanted to persuade her otherwise but suddenly felt a chill wash over his body, instinctively nodding in agreement.
He led the way ahead while muttering in his heart. As expected, the City Lord’s granddaughter was extraordinary. Although she was still half a step away from the True Essence Realm Cloud Surge Realm, just one glare from her was unbearable for someone like him, in the mid-stage of the Cloud Surge Realm...
However, they hadn’t mentioned taking Miss Qingming upstairs, and he worried if he’d be punished for making such a decision on his own...
Uneasy, the attendant finally led the group to the private room Shen Jinghai had prepared for Wang Jiu and Li Xinyu.
As soon as the door was pushed open, a refreshing aroma wafted over everyone.
"Wow, the aroma is wonderful." Shen Qingming felt invigorated, and the feeling of irritation accumulated from being pestered by everyone vanished without a trace.
"Wow, the aroma is wonderful." Li Xinyu also felt revitalized, experiencing an indescribable comfort in every pore of his body, and couldn’t help but show a look of infatuation and intoxication, then...
"Alright, take this and go out." Li Chaolu directly shoved the incense burner from the cabinet into Li Xinyu’s arms and pushed him out the door.
Li Xinyu wanted to cry but had no tears, but holding the incense burner, he soon felt a sense of euphoria all over, with no sad or unhappy thoughts at all.
And finally, the people in the room, free from Li Xinyu’s interference, were able to speak seriously.
"Today’s atmosphere is killing me." Li Chaolu was the first to complain. "It’s just like inspecting a refugee camp. What’s going on with the Shen Family? A month ago, they were cold and indifferent, yet today they’re showing such hospitality."
"Well, it’s because of the City Lord’s change in attitude. Now, even when you just go out to buy a piece of pastry, you can meet seven people discussing the Shen Li reconciliation." Li Wanqing shrugged and smiled at Shen Qingming, "Congratulations, after all this effort, you’ve finally seen the light at the end of the tunnel."
Shen Qingming, however, showed little joy on her face: "Something feels strange. Whether it’s the City Lord’s sudden change in attitude or this banquet, it all seems off."
Li Wanqing also noticed by now that Shen Qingming had seemed uneasy since entering.
"If you’re feeling unwell... maybe you should head back. Honestly, I have a strange feeling too," Li Wanqing admitted.
Shen Qingming shook her head: "No, we’ve come this far, I won’t turn back. This is... my mother’s wish."
Li Wanqing frowned slightly: "Your mother? Didn’t she disconnect from the family herself?"
Shen Qingming said, "I only realized just now. From the moment we entered, everything here seemed familiar, especially beyond the hall; I’ve felt like I’ve been here many times before..."
With those words, the atmosphere instantly turned eerie, as everyone knew Shen Qingming was born and raised in Cyan Cloud and had never set foot in Shen City...
Li Chaolu was the most affected, beginning to tremble: "N-no, Sister Qingming, you haven’t been possessed by something, have you?"
"...No." Shen Qingming shook her head, "I’ve never actually been here; my mother told me stories when I was very young. There was always a place like this in them, where every plant and tree matches exactly what I’ve just seen. When I heard the stories as a kid, I only thought the garden my mother described was beautiful. But just now I realized it was the place where she grew up."
"Truly, she must have longed to return to Shen City, but she never had the chance up until the day she died."
"So I thought, if I can reconcile the two families, no matter the cost, it’s worth it."
