Chapter 651 204: Marquis of Ren De's Family Banquet

The Chief Constable hesitated for a moment before speaking up. "I hear the Marquis of Ren De has also invited Lord Shen. Lord Zhang, will you not be traveling with him?"

"If word of this gets out, people might think you and Lord Shen are at odds."

The moment the words left his mouth, the Chief Constable knew he had spoken out of turn again.

After all, as a Daoist Order, a man of his standing had surely considered these matters far more carefully than he had.

Zhang Dao Ling stopped in his tracks and glanced back at the Chief Constable. "There are some things you shouldn't ask. I have my reasons for not traveling with him."

The Chief Constable broke out in a sweat and quickly nodded in assent.

Zhang Dao Ling said no more and started walking down the street.

Just then, a troop of men appeared before him.

Zhang Dao Ling stopped short, his brows knitting together.

Shen Bai, leading the members of the Observatory, walked up to Zhang Dao Ling. Seeing how far they had already come from the Government Office, he frowned as well.

This was a simple matter of political courtesy, something anyone who had spent time in the official circles of the Great Zhou Country would understand.

'For him to still insist on going alone in a situation like this,' Shen Bai thought, 'this Zhang Dao Ling must be displeased with me.'

Zhang Dao Ling cupped his hands in a fist. "Ah, Lord Shen. It seems I have been rather discourteous."

Shen Bai replied pointedly, "You seem to be in a hurry, Lord Zhang. You must have urgent business to attend to."

He didn't know how he might have offended Zhang Dao Ling, but he felt it was best to clear the air now.

Zhang Dao Ling shook his head. "It's nothing urgent. I simply feel that for a minor family banquet, there's no need for us to go together."

"That's true enough."

Shen Bai said slowly, "And yet, I sense a certain aversion from you, Lord Zhang... directed at me."

Through his Void-breaking Red Eye's investigation, Shen Bai had gleaned a sliver of information.

The feeling of aversion emanating from Zhang Dao Ling, in particular, was something his Void-breaking Red Eye had clearly detected.

Zhang Dao Ling shook his head. "You run your Observatory, and I'll run my Government Office. Our paths don't need to cross. There is no aversion."

"I despise socializing and wish only to do practical work for the people of Lingyun Dao. Is that a satisfactory answer for you, Lord Shen?"

There wasn't a single flaw in what Zhang Dao Ling had just said; his explanation was watertight.

He had even managed to make his excuse sound perfectly noble.

At this, Shen Bai could only think, 'As expected of a Scholar.'

When it came to words, the man was truly seamless.

Now that things had been put this way, for Shen Bai to make a scene would just make him look petty.

'Fine, if we're not going together, we're not going together. I can just as well go on my own.'

'Besides, this gives me a chance to see how Zhang Dao Ling acts around the Marquis of Ren De at the banquet.'

With this in mind, Shen Bai prepared to lead Ding Quan and his men toward the Marquis of Ren De's estate.

But just then, as his Void-breaking Red Eye scanned the area, Shen Bai spotted a young man at the entrance of the Government Office peering in his direction.

The young man was dressed like a scholar and was quite handsome, but his eyes held a trace of pettiness.

This was especially true of the way he looked at Shen Bai—his gaze was filled with a deep-seated hatred.

Shen Bai's brow furrowed.

He had never seen this young man before, yet he could feel his anger and resentment.

After a moment's thought, Shen Bai focused his Void-breaking Red Eye, directing its power of Investigation toward the young man.

The first thing he discovered was that the young man and Zhang Dao Ling were, surprisingly, related by blood.

He didn't need to look any further to know this must be Zhang Dao Ling's son.

More information gradually surfaced under the Void-breaking Red Eye's investigation.

After Shen Bai had absorbed all the information, his gaze toward Zhang Dao Ling was tinged with a faint, undisguised disdain.

Zhang Dao Ling caught that flicker of disdain immediately.

Zhang Dao Ling's brow tightened. "Lord Shen, what is the meaning of this?"

He had no desire to associate with Shen Bai, and he admitted to himself that his words today had been rather blunt.

But he couldn't understand why Shen Bai's eyes held not anger, but disdain.

Shen Bai waved his hand dismissively and, with Ding Quan and the other men from the Jia Division, turned to walk toward the Marquis of Ren De's estate.

It was as if he couldn't be bothered to say another word to Zhang Dao Ling.

Seeing this, Zhang Dao Ling took two steps forward to block Shen Bai's path. "Lord Shen," he said, "some things must be made clear."

Ding Quan frowned and glanced at Shen Bai.

He couldn't understand why Shen Bai's demeanor had shifted so abruptly either.

Shen Bai shot Zhang Dao Ling a cool glance. "You call yourself a Scholar, yet you have none of a Scholar's integrity. I have no desire to speak further with you. Step aside now, or I will ensure that you, Zhang Dao Ling, lose every last shred of dignity you have in Lingyun Dao."

Hearing the ice in Shen Bai's voice, the young man at the Government Office entrance quietly pulled his head back, as if not daring to peek out again.

Terrifyingly, glowing characters began to materialize around Zhang Dao Ling's body.