Chapter 20#

Full of Fortune#

Yan Wushu swiftly dodged to the side, his face expressionless, or rather, filled with disdain for Yuan Qu.

Yuan Qu didn’t care about his disdain. Even though this elder from Gushan’s main peak was choking and coughing, he couldn’t help but laugh. He propped himself up with one hand on the table, the other clutching his stomach, struggling to straighten up. He stared intently at Yan Wushu and said, “Willow-leaf eyebrows, a melon-seed face, and almond eyes… cough, cough! Lord Lingguang, none of these match!”

“…” Yan Wushu picked up the teapot from the table and poured himself a cup of tea.

This was the finest green tea in the restaurant, brewed with excellent mountain spring water. The tea liquor was clear and bright yellow, with a subtle, fragrant aroma, like a certain flower, very pleasant to smell.

He glanced at Yuan Qu and brought the teacup to his lips.

Yuan Qu was waiting for this moment and quickly spoke: “Also, your little phoenix just said he doesn’t have anyone he fancies.”

Unfortunately, his scheme didn’t succeed. Yan Wushu didn’t spit out a single drop of water, nor was he choked. He calmly put down the teacup. On closer inspection, his lips weren’t even wet.

—He hadn’t drunk it at all.

Yuan Qu didn’t give up. He and Yan Wushu had known each other for many years. It was rare to have an opportunity to tease him; how could he easily miss it?

He moved a little to the side, then leaned his upper body forward, reached out and patted Yan Wushu’s shoulder twice, and feigned a sigh: “So the little phoenix doesn’t like you? No wonder he’s been running to Xingyun Peak so much these past few days. Pitiful, truly pitiful.”

“Shut up,” Yan Wushu said coldly.

Xiao Man had concealed his identity from the very beginning when he went to Baihua Peak. It was a wise move to deny having someone he liked at this moment. If he were in the same situation, he would have given the same answer.

But—

There was one thing.

“Running to Xingyun Peak so much?” Yan Wushu’s eyebrow twitched slightly.

“He stayed on Xingyun Peak all night last night.” Yuan Qu withdrew his hand, moved back to his original position, and poured tea into his own cup with his legs crossed. Amidst the sound of water, Yuan Qu lifted his eyelids and looked at Yan Wushu, asking somewhat confusedly, “You didn’t know?”

Yan Wushu retorted, “How do you know?”

“Wasn’t I ordered to investigate the matter of Fuzhu? Last night, I originally wanted to try my luck at the library, but it was too crowded and noisy, so I went to the small library on Xingyun Peak. When I went, he was there reading, and when I left, he was still there reading. It adds up to a whole night.” Yuan Qu replied, glancing at Yan Wushu’s expression, then added, “It seems you really didn’t know.”

Yan Wushu only knew that Xiao Man hadn’t returned last night. But yesterday was the day Baihua Peak disciples drew their training missions, and most disciples stayed in the library to look for clues. He originally thought Xiao Man was like them, but he went to Xingyun Peak instead?

What was so good about that small library? What book couldn’t he just ask him for?

Furthermore, even if low-level disciples’ waist tokens only allowed access to the first floor of the library, his identity as Yan Wushu was there, and their relationship was also there. With that, would the library not grant access?

In the lobby of the Full of Fortune restaurant, Qu Hanxing grabbed the portrait of this Miss Zhang, looking as if he was about to turn around and send a reply home. Xiao Man quickly pulled him back, saying helplessly:

“I just said this girl looks good.”

“If you think she looks good, doesn’t that mean she caught your eye?” Qu Hanxing shook the portrait, speaking with righteous indignation.

Xiao Man: “These two cannot be equated.”

“But you still had a tiny bit of interest!” Qu Hanxing put his index finger and thumb together, making a “tiny bit” gesture.

Wei Chuyun walked into the restaurant and saw Qu Hanxing holding a painting, with several others spread out on the table. He asked curiously, “What are you looking at?”

Qu Hanxing immediately turned around, handed over the portrait in his hand, and said with a sly smile: “We’re looking at the kind of girl Brother Man likes!”

“I don’t like her,” Xiao Man retorted, then, as if remembering something, he said faintly, “Speaking of which, I think you look good too.”

“…” Qu Hanxing’s expression changed, clearly shocked, his movements awkward and unnatural: “Brother Man, let’s not, we’re… we’re brothers! It seems a bit inappropriate between brothers…”

Xiao Man stared at him intently. Qu Hanxing’s voice gradually grew softer, and he finally gave in, cupping his hands and bowing in apology: “Alright, alright, I don’t like her.”

Wei Chuyun sat down at the table, chuckled softly, and said, “I heard that these portraits are always drawn by artists to make the person look better. The girl herself might not look like this.”

Qu Hanxing shook his head: “Not necessarily. Some girls, to avoid being chosen, will ask the artist to draw them uglier.”

“So none of them are their true appearance? That’s quite a method.” Xiao Man’s eyes flickered, deep in thought, then he looked at Qu Hanxing: “You are already a member of the Taoist sect, and you may have endless years of life in the future. Has your family considered this when looking for a wife for you at this time?”

“They’ve considered it very thoroughly! Along with these portraits, there’s also a letter specifically telling me that these girls are ‘fellow practitioners’.”

Qu Hanxing was very dissatisfied with his family’s actions. He raised his hands to his head and banged his head on the table, “Ah, ah, ah, let’s not talk about this anymore! Brother Man, can you lend me some fire? I want to burn these paintings so they’re out of sight, out of mind.”

Xiao Man was amused: “Are you really going to burn them?”

“Of course! I don’t like these girls at all!” Qu Hanxing said loudly.

Xiao Man snapped his fingers, and a flame rose from his palm, floating onto the paper, instantly turning the portraits into ashes.

Qu Hanxing finally felt relieved and began to praise Brother Man, saying his firepower had increased greatly after his realm improved.

After a while, the waiter began to deliver ‘Full of Fortune’ pots to the tables in the lobby.

He first set up a small stove on the table, then placed a copper pot the size of a washbasin on it. The water in the pot boiled, emitting hot white steam, and many ingredients floated in the bright red broth.

“Isn’t this just Sichuan hotpot?” Qu Hanxing showed a disappointed expression.

The waiter smiled: “Young Immortal Master, not entirely. Sichuan hotpot uses beef tallow as its base, focusing on numbing and spicy flavors, while our ‘Full of Fortune’ pot uses bone broth as its base, emphasizing the richness and deliciousness of the soup. The taste is very different.”

“Whether it’s different, and how it’s different, you’ll know once you try it with your chopsticks.” A gentle voice sounded. The speaker wore a light gray Taoist robe, his voice filled with a smile. As he spoke, he cupped his hands towards Xiao Man and the others: “Junior brothers, I apologize, I was delayed by something and arrived late.”

“You must be Senior Bai,” Wei Chuyun recognized his voice.

Everyone stood up and returned the greeting.

Mo Juntian gave up his seat and moved to the same side as Qu Hanxing, saying, “We just arrived too, Senior Bai, please sit down quickly.”

“I’m not much older than you, you can just call me Senior Brother,” the Taoist named Bai said.

Everyone changed their address to Senior Brother Bai.

After Senior Brother Bai sat down, he poured himself a bowl of tea and asked, “Have you found any clues for your mission?”

Wei Chuyun: “We found some.”

“You found them quite quickly, much better than I was back then,” Senior Brother Bai said with a smile in his eyes.

As the team leader, he couldn’t say much about the mission. After giving a few brief pointers, everyone picked up their chopsticks.

The ordered specialty stir-fries were served one after another, arranged in a circle around the copper pot, but the main dish was still this ‘Full of Fortune’ pot. As the waiter had just said, this pot didn’t focus on numbing and spicy flavors; it wasn’t spicy at all, primarily emphasizing freshness.

There were many ingredients cooked inside, both meat and vegetables. There were “lucky bags” shaped like brocade pouches, “lucky balls” that burst with juice when bitten, “lucky fish” with fillings hidden in their bellies, and so on.

Xiao Man liked it very much and ate a lot, but after putting a dumpling into his mouth, his expression suddenly changed.

“What’s wrong?” Wei Chuyun asked with concern.

Everyone at the table looked over.