Chapter 108: Are They Planning to Eat Me?

Chapter 108: Chapter 108: Are They Planning to Eat Me?

Lu Yuan hated women who wouldn’t stop pestering him. Especially those who liked to act high and mighty. But he still had to go. They couldn’t afford to offend Marquis Weiyuan’s Mansion.

"Who is it? Does our family have such wealthy friends?" Wei Huiling asked, staring straight at him.

"Siyao’s cousin," Lu Yuan answered.

"Siyao’s cousin?" Wei Huiling frowned. "What does she want with you?"

"I don’t know either," Lu Yuan shook his head. "I’ll only find out when I go tonight."

"Then you must be careful," Wei Huiling reminded him. Instinct told her that nothing good would come of it.

"Yeah, don’t worry, Mom!" Lu Yuan grabbed his saber and headed out. He still had to go to the Demon Suppression Bureau to return his horse and eat lunch.

At the training grounds of the Demon Suppression Bureau.

Jiang Hongfei, Yu Qiuyang, Liu Zhi, and even Mu Lingche stole frequent glances at Lu Yuan. It was as if he were some incredibly important monster that simply couldn’t be ignored.

Lu Yuan’s eyes darted around, and a sudden thought struck him. "I’m treating everyone to dinner at Lingjiang Pavilion tonight!"

Silence fell over the edge of the training grounds.

"Sounds great! Since Brother Lu is treating, I’m definitely in!" Liu Zhi agreed with a smile.

Jiang Hongfei’s eyes flickered, but he shook his head. "I have things to do tonight, so I won’t go." He needed to train hard and close the gap between him and Lu Yuan.

"Not free," Yu Qiuyang replied with just two words. Why would he go? To watch Lu Yuan show off? To see him bask in his own glory? Impossible.

"Perfect, I didn’t want you two to go anyway," Lu Yuan chuckled.

"You..." Jiang Hongfei and Yu Qiuyang both looked awful, especially Yu Qiuyang, whose expression couldn’t have been uglier. They looked as if they had been played for fools.

"Young Master Su, you have to go!" Lu Yuan turned to Mu Lingche.

"Hmm?" Mu Lingche’s eyes glinted. "Why?"

"I heard that Lingjiang Pavilion is a property of the Mu Family from Marquis Weiyuan’s Mansion, and the Su Family is related to the Mu Family by marriage. I was hoping to rely on your connections for a discount, Young Master Su," Lu Yuan said meaningfully.

"Oh," Mu Lingche replied indifferently, neither confirming nor declining.

"Then it’ll just be the three of us tonight. Fifty taels of silver should be enough," Lu Yuan muttered softly.

"Fifty taels..." they thought. The group’s gazes toward Lu Yuan shifted again, including Liu Zhi’s. Going to Lingjiang Pavilion with a budget of fifty taels... what could they even eat? Maybe just two dishes?

Yu Qiuyang secretly rejoiced, glad he hadn’t fallen for it. He knew that kid wouldn’t be so kind, let alone generous.

Jiang Hongfei’s mouth twitched. Logically speaking, Lu Yuan shouldn’t be short on money right now. Why was he being so stingy?

Mu Lingche also felt a pang of regret. He should have refused outright earlier. Going with Lu Yuan would be incredibly embarrassing.

Soon, evening arrived, and their shift ended.

Lu Yuan and Liu Zhi dragged Mu Lingche along to Lingjiang Pavilion. Eldest Young Master Mu was slightly displeased, but this dynamic also sparked his curiosity. In the end, he crossed his arms over his chest and swaggered forward. It was bad enough that they didn’t have a carriage, but they didn’t even have horses to ride. They could only walk...

The trio walked for over half an hour before arriving at Lingjiang Pavilion.

"You three, would you prefer upstairs or downstairs?" a neatly dressed servant came over to greet them.

"Downstairs. Find us a quiet spot." Lu Yuan swept a casual glance around. The ground floor was expansive with plenty of seating.

"Downstairs, quiet..." the servant thought, instantly catching on. "Right this way, gentlemen."

"Go tend to your other duties. I will receive them," a middle-aged manager said as he hurried over.

The servant was taken aback for a moment before quickly retreating.

"This way upstairs, young masters," the manager smiled, gesturing for them to follow without giving them a chance to argue.

"Yes, find us a spacious, large room." Lu Yuan suddenly changed his tune, waving his hand with overflowing grandiosity.

Mu Lingche and Liu Zhi were both stunned. What was going on? Why had his attitude taken a complete one-eighty?

"Is he planning to freeload off me?" Mu Lingche wondered suspiciously.

The manager led the three of them straight to the third floor, stopping in front of an opulent and elegant private room.

"Please come in, young masters."

"Mhm." Lu Yuan walked in first.

It was huge! The space was bright and open, exquisitely elegant, and adorned with flowers and plants. The ambiance was excellent, which meant the prices would undoubtedly be steep.

Lu Yuan picked up the menu and took a look. Surprisingly, even the cheapest dish cost ten taels of silver—enough to cover his family’s living expenses for two months. The signature dishes started at a hundred taels, and the more expensive ones were simply outrageous.

"I’ll have this, this, and this..." Lu Yuan ordered ten dishes, bringing the estimated total to around three hundred taels. "Take a look. What do you guys want to eat?"

"Nothing for me," Liu Zhi shook his head decisively.

"Bring us a portion of Snow Flying Dragon," Mu Lingche ordered directly without even glancing at the menu.

Lu Yuan’s mouth twitched. He knew that was a signature dish priced at a whopping three hundred taels! As expected of someone from a Second-Grade Marquis’s Mansion. Considering his older sister Mu Lingyan had gifted him two Bone Marrow Cleansing Pills, Lu Yuan decided not to hold it against him.

"Eleven dishes seems a bit unseemly." Lu Yuan turned to the manager. "Ninth Young Master Su is dining here. Aren’t you going to offer a dish on the house?"

"Of course! We’ll offer five dishes on the house!" the manager quickly smiled.

"Excellent!" Lu Yuan was finally pleased. "Go prepare them. We won’t be needing any alcohol."

"Right away. Please wait a moment." The manager quickly hurried off.

"As expected of Young Master Su, he is truly in a league of his own. The manager offered five free dishes without batting an eye," Liu Zhi praised.

"Of course. Young Master Su is a young master of the Su Family, and their relationship with the Marquis Mansion is excellent," Lu Yuan chimed in.

Mu Lingche didn’t know how to react. He could only force himself to stay calm. Stay calm. "Just eat and stop spouting nonsense."

"Brother Lu, why are you treating us to dinner tonight? Is there a special occasion?" Liu Zhi asked.

"Naturally." Lu Yuan shot a glance at Mu Lingche. "Everything went smoothly when I went out this morning, and I earned quite a bit. Since we’re brothers, it’s only right that I share the wealth."

"With Brother Lu’s extraordinary Archery Skill, you must have showcased tremendous power..." Liu Zhi understood. He couldn’t pry into the specifics of the mission, but he could guess a thing or two from Lu Yuan’s words and demeanor. Lu Yuan had definitely performed well again and struck it rich. Top-tier Archery Skill was truly incredible; it even made Liu Zhi want to pick up a bow and start practicing again.

Mu Lingche felt uneasy just thinking about the morning’s mission. He had only earned 9 points in total, while Lu Yuan had scored 27. He only had a third of Lu Yuan’s total. The gap between them had widened even more than last time.

"I’m sure Young Master Su also reaped a great harvest," Liu Zhi turned his head. Everyone knew Mu Lingche’s strength, so...

Mu Lingche didn’t want to answer. However, the image of the second boss being scorched and electrocuted to death suddenly flashed through his mind. He couldn’t help but look at Lu Yuan with a burning gaze. "Exactly what method did you use to kill that second boss?"

"Heh, it was simple," Lu Yuan chuckled, reaching over to pick up the Wind Thunder Saber and tossing it to Mu Lingche.

SMACK!

Mu Lingche caught it. He gave it a puzzled look before drawing it from its sheath.

SHING!

The blade was grayish-black, resembling dark charcoal. Its surface was somewhat rough, with faint indentations barely visible. The edge, however, was dazzlingly bright, as radiant as silver snow and gleaming with sheer sharpness.

"A Profound Weapon! The Wind Thunder Saber!"