Chapter 97: Drunk Visitor

Lu Feng reached the heavy gates and slid back the thick iron locking bar that prevented unapproved entry from anyone. As he pulled the heavy wooden doors inward, the morning light spilled over a chaotic scene right on his doorstep.

Standing in the center of a small crowd of people was Lin Laifu. The normally sharp, immaculate, and dignified potbellied merchant was leaning heavily against a wooden carriage wheel, his expensive silk robes wrinkled, his hair wildly disheveled, and both sides of his face flushed a deep, unhealthy shade of crimson.

The moment the gate opened, Lin Laifu’s bloodshot eyes squinted at Lu Feng. He stumbled forward, waving his arms around wildly in the air as he broke into a loud, slurred laugh.

"Ah! Young Master Lu! My... my absolute best friend in all of Crimson Vale!" Lin Laifu bellowed, his voice thick and unsteady as he hiccuped loudly, swaying side to side like a tree in a storm. "I brought them! See? I promised, didn’t I? Lin Laifu always delivers! Pillars! No, wait... pills! Flawless ones! Hahaha! We’re going to be rich, Lu Feng! We’re going to buy the whole city!"

He stumbled over his own velvet shoes and nearly collapsed face-first into the dirt, only for two sturdy men in uniform traveling coats to catch him by the arms just in time.

Lu Feng stood at the entrance to the estate with one hand still placed against a section of the gate close to him, staring at the grand merchant with a completely blank expression.

Before the chaos could escalate any further, a tall, middle-aged man with sharp features and a neat mustache stepped out from the group. He looked utterly mortified, bowing so low to Lu Feng that his forehead nearly touched his knees.

"Please forgive us, Young Master Lu!" the man said hastily, his voice dripping with profound embarrassment. "I am Zhou Ran, one of Master Lin’s personal stewards. I sincerely apologize for my master’s atrocious behavior and for disturbing your peace at such an ungodly hour!"

Lu Feng crossed his arms, looking from the bowing steward to the wildly gesticulating merchant. "Care to explain why this master of yours despite all of glorious and dignified reputation is stumbling drunk at my gates before sunrise?"

Zhou Ran let out a heavy, tired sigh, straightening up with an apologetic smile. "Master Lin attended an exclusive high-tier banquet hosted by their merchant guild last night. The celebration stretched far into the early hours of the morning, and... well, Master Lin consumed far more refined wine than any mortal body ought to handle. He only returned to our main manor less than an hour ago."

Zhou Ran gestured helplessly toward the group of workers and the sleek carriage standing in the lane behind them. "The moment he stepped through our doors, completely intoxicated, he suddenly yelled that he had a sacred promise to keep to Young Master Lu. He refused to rest, rounded up all of us from his working crew, ordered the carriage from the stables to be brought forward, and dragged us all across the city right this instant. We could not stop him and since he’d ordered us to come with him, we did just that."

Lu Feng looked back at Lin Laifu, who was currently trying to pat one of his guards on the head while muttering absolute gibberish about "golden geese and floating teapots."

"I see," Lu Feng said calmly.

Lin Laifu lurched toward Lu Feng again, grabbing at the air. "Lu Feng! My brother! Let’s drink more! We need to celebrate the... the... hey, why are there two of you?"

Without missing a beat or changing his expression, Lu Feng raised his hand and delivered a swift, precise chop to the side of Lin Laifu’s neck.

Lin Laifu’s eyes rolled back instantly, his slurred speech cut off mid-word. His knees buckled, and he collapsed forward into a state of peaceful, silent unconsciousness.

Zhou Ran and the surrounding guards gasped in shock, but Lu Feng caught the round merchant easily by the collar of his silk robe.

"He was annoying," Lu Feng stated matter-of-factly, handing the unconscious merchant over to two of the sturdy estate workers who had arrived in the group. "You two, carry him inside. Place him carefully on the main couch in the living room and let him sleep off the alcohol. We will conduct our business properly when he actually knows what day of the week it is."

The two workers quickly nodded, taking Lin Laifu’s arms and carrying him respectfully through the gates toward the main building.

Lu Feng turned back to the remaining crowd. Standing behind Zhou Ran were six neatly dressed, disciplined household servants—four men and two women—along with two tall, broad-shouldered guards carrying polished spears, and a sharp-eyed coachman standing beside a magnificent black-and-gold carriage tethered to two majestic spirit horses.

"All of you, bring the carriage into the courtyard and come inside," Lu Feng instructed, stepping aside to open the gates fully. "Make yourselves welcome. There is no point in standing out in the cold morning air. I will wait until your master wakes up so he can personally introduce you and clarify why he brought you all here and your exact duties here."

Zhou Ran let out a breath of relief, bowing deeply once more. "Thank you for your immense graciousness, Young Master Lu. We shall follow your arrangements."

The coachman guided the sleek horse carriage through the gates, parking it neatly along the side of the stone courtyard, while Zhou Ran led the newly arrived staff into the estate’s main assembly area.

Inside the main building, Han Lin and Ye Chenxue were waiting near the living room corridor, having heard the commotion at the front gate. When they saw two heavy-set men carrying a fast-asleep Lin Laifu into the guest parlor, followed by a whole procession of strangers, both women stopped dead in their tracks.

"Is that... Lin Laifu?" Han Lin asked, her jaw dropping slightly as she watched the grand merchant being laid out on the silk sofa, snoring softly. "What happened to him?"

"He arrived drunk to a stupor and wouldn’t stop shouting and almost disgraced himself beyond recovery," Lu Feng explained as he walked into the hallway behind them. "Fortunately for him, I was there to cover his shame before it grew into something he wouldn’t be able to hide."

Han Lin raised one of her brows and asked Lu Feng. "What did you do to him?"

With a nonchalant shrug, the Young Master shrugged. "I knocked him out so we could have some peace. He’s sleeping it off."

Ye Chenxue looked at the group of newly arrived male and female workers gathering respectfully near the lower foyer. She looked at the crowd of strangers, then down at her own disheveled morning robes and uncombed hair

The quiet, reserved cultivator who was yet to recover all of her past glory, visibly stiffened at the thought of remaining in a crowded room full of unfamiliar people in her current state.

"I am going to wash up first," Ye Chenxue announced flatly, her voice cold and decisive. "After that, I will be in my private training space to cultivate quietly, away from everyone."

She turned on her heel and glided swiftly back down the side hallway toward her quarters to refresh herself. Lu Feng watched her sleek, solitary figure disappear down the corridor, a fleeting thought suddenly crossing his mind.

He stared at the empty hallway for a long moment, musing to himself. Would he soon have to begin deep seclusion training like she was doing, sitting motionless in a dark room for days on end just to push past bottleneck breakthroughs?

He tilted his head slightly, trying to imagine himself sitting cross-legged in absolute silence for weeks without talking to anyone or eating real food. It had to be terribly boring, right?

Shaking the thought away with a faint smile, he turned his attention back to the present.

Han Lin chuckled softly, having noticed Ye Chenxue’s quick retreat. "Well, at least she isn’t trying to clean the floors in her sleep anymore." She then looked over at the crowd of waiting workers, her stomach letting out a small, audible rumble. "Young Master... since we have a full house this morning and Lin Laifu won’t be waking up anytime soon, shouldn’t we prepare something to eat?"

"Indeed," Lu Feng agreed, nodding. "We have a large group to feed today, and our new kitchen setup should make quick work of it. Let’s get to it."

Leaving Zhou Ran and the new staff to settle comfortably in the outer reception hall, Lu Feng and Han Lin headed straight into the spacious kitchen.

Using their newly installed obsidian-iron stove, Lu Feng ignited the internal fire array, bringing the reinforced copper pots to a steady, perfectly controlled heat within seconds. Han Lin busied herself washing fresh spirit-grain rice and slicing cured meats, while Lu Feng prepped a massive batch of savory herb broth, steam-cooked vegetables, and pan-fried flatbreads.

"They’ll be working here from today. They should at least feel welcomed today." Lu Feng grinned at his own remark.