Chapter 36 - Welcome Feast
The entire cultivation world was impassioned after the release of the acceptance notice, because this was the first time the management bureau had recruited so many new members. Sects with slightly less courage thought that the bureau had increased the vigor with which they recruited because something major had happened. Only after they specially asked around and confirmed that it was the examinees this year who had been particularly outstanding did they heave a sigh of relief.
The instant the sects with an accepted disciple received the notice, they itched to buy tens of thousands of firecrackers and set them off at their entrance. It was a pity, however, that the setting off of firecrackers was prohibited in many areas in the capital. All they could do was arrange for a huge banquet, invite various figures in the cultivation world for a meal, and show off a little.
Qing Xiao Sect was the proudest, since they had a disciple who was a team leader in the bureau, while another disciple had just been accepted. Moreover, this disciple was accepted as an official staff member. The Qing Xiao Sect was so delighted by this sect-glorifying event that they bought a week’s worth of advertisements on the cultivation sects’ forum app. As long as a cultivator opened the app, they would see the huge words ‘congratulations to the cultivators’ management bureau for perfectly concluding their recruitment’ looping repeatedly on the home page. Following these words was a list of the members who had been accepted, of which the Qing Xiao Sect’s Wei Cang was placed first.
The Fields Sect who had attained their fame through growing plants was also not willing to fall behind. Although their sect’s disciple was only a contract worker, this was the first time the management bureau had signed contract workers, so if their performance was good, there was still a chance to be converted to permanent staff. They didn’t purchase any advertisements, but anyone who congratulated them was generously gifted spiritual rice and medicine.
As an orthodox Daoist cultivation sect, the way in which Lin An Monastery celebrated such things was a little more restrained. Within the short span of a few days, they held two seminars on the Way of the Dao. The monastery’s Daoist priests set up a long row of tables at the entrance to the monastery and told the fortunes of people who visited the monastery. Unless one was blind, there was no way of missing out the long and gigantic red banner behind them.
These words were written on the red banner: Congratulations to our Monastery’s Qing Xu for attaining excellent results. free(w)ebnovel(.)com
This banner was completely inconsistent with the Lin An Monastery’s aura of mystery and disconnect from worldly affairs. Yet, whenever these Daoist priests with profound cultivation passed by the banner, they would come to a halt and reveal a gratified smile. This left the devout believers of the Daoist monastery in a state of bewilderment. How good was the result for such joy to fill the faces of these Daoist priests?
Even the sectless yellow pond turtle yao Huang Long had the water clans’ yao cultivators to help him celebrate. They set up a few large tables in a lively manner and celebrated for two days in a row.
In comparison to these four, the Suanyu and Fu Li didn’t have many people to hype things up on their behalf, nor did they treat this as something they had to announce. The Suanyu continued to livestream as a super glutton, while the money he earned was split equally between him and the platform.
Fu Li was in the middle of considering whether he ought to go to the management bureau. To him, working at the hotel was quite interesting and he even got to interact with many interesting humans. He was sick of looking at yaoguai; the humans were much more interesting than them.
In the afternoon, Fu Li sat with Zhang Shan as they ate their packed meals. Zhang Shan asked Fu Li in a low voice, “Say, do you know how Old Luo died?”
“Didn’t he drown?” Fu Li’s impression of this human was mediocre, so he had no interest in his affairs.
“He lied to his family members that he was going out for work, but in reality, he went to the red light district. On his way back, he lost his footing, fell into the river, and drowned,” Zhang Shan shook his head. “I heard from the cleaner auntie who has some familial ties to his family that his family had a huge falling out. Old Luo’s parents are fighting with the daughter-in-law for the compensation given by the boss, along with the house. It’s at the point where they’re about to go to court over it.”
“But he still has two children. Raising children is costly, why do his parents want to snatch so many assets?” Fu Li was confused. “What’s a red light district?”
“So, you’re still a fledgling who doesn’t even know about the red light district.” Zhang Shan answered him in a low voice, “It’s a place where you can find women.”
Fu Li furrowed his brows. “He has a wife and two children, how can he do such a thing? Don’t the current laws dictate monogamy?”
“The laws state as such, but it can’t restrain people who have no control over themselves. It’s just a sad state of affairs for the wife and children,” Zhang Shan sighed with emotion. “So, as humans, it’s still better not to do anything that’s against our conscience. If Old Luo hadn’t done something that let his wife down, how could he have fallen into the river?”
Fu Li pursed his lips in silence. He didn’t understand this sort of emotion, but something like betraying one’s mate should be wrong. He thought about the words Old Luo had said that night after becoming a vengeful ghost. Couldn’t bear to part with his family? If he really couldn’t bear to part with his family, then why did he commit such wrongs?
Was hypocrisy a characteristic of certain humans?
“Why aren’t you speaking? Are you angry?” Zhang Shan turned and saw that Fu Li’s expression seemed a bit off. Thinking that he had gone overboard with his words, he hurriedly said, “I was joking with you. I was just telling you about it, don’t tell others. A-Actually, I haven’t had a girlfriend before either.”
Fu Li turned and glanced at the awkward-looking Zhang Shan. He blinked. “It’s fine even if you don’t have a girlfriend now, your natal chart states that you’ll have a harmonious marriage and filial children.”
“Since Fu ge has said so, I’m very hopeful for my future,” Zhang Shan wound a hand around Fu Li’s neck. “Let’s go. There’s a single dog gathering or something for some rich second generation tonight. They booked the entire entertainment area in the hotel, so all of us will have to work overtime tonight.”
He glanced at Fu Li’s face and coughed dryly. “The venue will become chaotic when there are many people, be more careful.” In the world today, a good-looking man not only needed to guard against women, but also men.
Fu Li: ?
With how weak humans were, a single hand of his would be enough to beat countless numbers of them. What did he need to be careful of?
When night arrived, Fu Li watched the humans on the grass drinking, singing, and dancing as he easily picked up a drunk boy who had fallen into the swimming pool. Fu Li silently looked at the beer bottles and trash bags that they had thrown into the swimming pool. The cleaners at the side picked them up as they were thrown and then swiftly withdrew to the corners to keep a watch, so as to not disturb their fun.
“Brother, your figure is not bad. Come over here and have a drink with big brother,” An intoxicated man slumped against Fu Li’s shoulder. His two legs trembled continuously, his gait unsteady. Fu Li set him down onto a chair and took away the beer bottle in his hand. The man grumbled a little, curled up on the chair, and fell asleep like a young pup.
Not too far away, several girls were quarreling. Someone accidentally spilled wine on the cleaner auntie and took out some bills from their bag, stuffing it into her hands. The cleaner auntie smiled cooperatively and thanked them before hiding in a corner with few people and carefully placing the money in the inner lining of her work uniform. Only after confirming that the money wouldn’t fall out did she wipe the liquid on her face and continue stooping over to sweep up the trash on the ground.
Shifting his gaze, Fu Li lowered his head and picked up the surrounding trash, throwing it into the rubbish bin nearby.
Just as he was turning in preparation to leave, he caught sight of a man in a white top who was picking up the beer bottles on the ground and placing them on the tables. He had even swept all the nut shells on the table into a bag.
Noticing Fu Li’s gaze, the man nodded at him.
Fu Li flashed him a smile. Turning, he walked to the swimming pool to prevent any drunk, addled person from leaping into the pool. A light breeze blew the clouds in the night sky into motion. Fu Li nodded and glanced up at the sky. His eyelids drooped.
A few uninvited guests had arrived at Zhuang Qing’s villa.
Both parties were seated opposite each other. Zhuang Qing glanced at the several large chests in front of him that were filled with gold, silver and pearls. The brilliant rays they gave off were enchanting.
“Dragon Lord...”
“There’s no need to call me that. I don’t control any lake or ocean, and cannot shoulder such a form of address,” Zhuang Qing interrupted Qing Yan. He picked up the cup of tea from the table and took a sip. “A verdict has already been given for the Northern Lake Dragon Lord’s case, and the cultivation world has already been informed of it. No matter how many gifts these Sirs send me, the final verdict cannot be altered.”
“Dragon Lord, you’ve misunderstood,” Qing Yan saw Zhuang Qing’s expression turn even colder and could only change his tone of voice. “We’re not here today regarding the Northern Lake’s Dragon Lord. He committed a wrong and receiving the punishment will allow him to correct his temper. No one in our clan objects to this.”
The flesh on Zhuang Qing’s cheeks moved a little, forming a somewhat mocking smile. If the azure dragon clan didn’t have any objections, then what was the fuss they made previously for?
Seeing Zhuang Qing remain silent, Qing Yan exchanged gazes with the other people from the azure dragon clan before continuing to speak, “We brought these to apologize to cultivator Zhuang. We are all members of the dragon race, yet we allowed you to wander about destitute for so many years. There is immense guilt in our hearts. We hope you can accept these meager gifts.”
Zhuang Qing took out several black pearls from the chest and toyed with them. He raised a brow. “En.”
Unable to make out Zhuang Qing’s inner thoughts, Qing Yan’s tone became even more courteous. “It isn’t easy for cultivator Zhuang to manage such a large bureau either. The bureau was essentially single-handedly propped up by you. If not for you, the yao cultivators wouldn’t be leading happy lives today. It’s just that yao and humans are different. After all, strength is everything in the yao world. Ultimately, the cultivation world is willing to abide by the management bureau’s orders because of your profound cultivation. Only because of that do we have the current peaceful days.”
“Who would be willing to run and hide all the time if they could live well?” Zhuang Qing threw the pearls back into the chests and sneered. “Dragon Lord, be direct if you have something to say.”
“Has Dragon Lord ever considered that there might come a day when a yao with cultivation even more profound than yours appears, challenges you for your position, and even snatches the fruits of all your labor? What should those cultivators under your protection do then?” Qing Yan held up his cup and made a toasting motion towards Zhuang Qing. The moment the water in the cup went down his throat, Qing Yan could tell that the water was the most ordinary tap water, without even a single tea leaf. He swallowed the water and smiled patronizingly, “Good water.”
Zhuang Qing nodded. “Water that has gone through countless rounds of precipitation, filtering, and disinfection will naturally be good.”
Qing Yan’s smile stiffened a little. It was merely tap water, was there a need to speak of it as if it was so amazing?
Tyranny was written into the dragon race’s very bones from birth. Thus, status was of extreme importance to them. He refused to believe that Zhuang Qing was capable of tolerating being challenged by someone else. He had specially looked into Zhuang Qing’s background – he had been raised by humans after his birth. Only after his human mother passed away from illness was he taken in by the dragon race for a period of time. However, Zhuang Qing wasn’t on good terms with the dragon race. It was said that the white and red dragon clans had beaten him those years till blood covered his entire body and scales littered the ground. But even then, Zhuang Qing hadn’t let up even once. Afterwards, he left the dragon palace before even reaching the age of thirty.
The world at that time wasn’t as kind as it was today. Every part of a dragon was considered treasure, so not only did evil yao set their sights on the dragon race, even evil human cultivators wanted to profit from the dragons. To the dragon race, a thirty-year-old dragon was considered a baby dragon. One could imagine how dangerous it was for him to be walking about in the human world.
With this sort of lousy temper where he refused to be wronged even if he had to lose his life, how could Zhuang Qing tolerate the existence of a yao cultivator who might be more powerful than him?
“That yao cultivator Fu Li...” Qing Yan examined Zhuang Qing’s expression and only continued speaking after seeing no abnormalities. “Fu Li’s origins are unknown, and the depths of his cultivation are unfathomable. Although there were some misunderstandings between us in the past, we are both of the dragon race and our hearts are naturally aligned with our race. It would be better for you to guard against that Fu Li.”
Zhuang Qing raised his eyes and looked at him. He raised a hand, indicating for him to continue speaking.
Seeing that he was willing to continue listening, the smile on Qing Yan’s face turned even warmer. “I heard this Fu Li helped you to subdue an ancient great yao. However, where on earth would there be such a coincidence? On the night of your recruitment, a great yao appeared, coincidentally allowing him to take the limelight in front of all the bureau cultivators. Perhaps...” Qing Yan dragged out his voice. “He’s plotting something big.”
Thumping sounds came from the palace crystals at the corner that extended to the ground. It was eleven o’clock at night.
It was nearing midnight.
“Dragon Lord Qing Yan might not be too clear about something,” Zhuang Qing stood up, towering above Qing Yan as he looked at him. “I don’t only rely on myself to manage the bureau well, nor do I solely depend on my high cultivation. It’s because I have brains and because the cultivation world doesn’t want to return to those days of slaughter where life and death was uncertain.”
He reached out and closed the treasure chests one by one. Under the azure dragon clan’s furious gazes, he placed the chests together in a pile. “I accept your gifts. It’s late, please return to the dragon palace early and rest.”
“You!” Someone from the azure dragon clan nearly flared up, but was stopped by Qing Yan.
“We merely came to convey the worries in our hearts. We have no other intentions. Perhaps we thought too much about all this,” Qing Yan stood up and gave Zhuang Qing a salute for those of the same generation. “Cultivator Zhuang, have a good rest. We’ll take our leave.”
“Take care,” Zhuang Qing made a ‘please’ gesture.
Qing Yan shot a glance at his two fellow clanmates before leaving Zhuang Qing’s villa with a smile.
Only after leaving the villa did one of his clanmates let out a fierce exhale. “What f*cking thing is this? He’s unmoved by both force and persuasion, and even has the nerve to accept the gifts. I’ve never seen such a shameless dragon!”
“All right,” The smile on Qing Yan’s face dimmed. “Zhuang Qing isn’t stupid either. If he can change his mind just from those few words we said, then what use does the management bureau have?”
“Then didn’t we make this trip for nothing?”
“How can this be considered nothing?” Qing Yan’s smile was like the spring wind. “The higher someone’s status, the more suspicious and jealous their heart. Moreover... Zhuang Qing is a smart person. Smart people always think more.”
That yao cultivator called Fu Li could not be allowed to remain.
The azure dragons didn’t know that Zhuang Qing had poured out all the pearls the moment they left. The multi-colored pearls lay all over the ground. He glanced around his surroundings. After carefully setting up a barrier, he suddenly transformed into a not-too-large golden dragon and dived headfirst into the mountain of pearls, rolling about a few times. free webno vel
Surrounded by pearls, even the slightly mottled and dull scales on certain parts of his body became brilliant.
By the time Fu Li got off work, it was already late into the night. He was walking along a small quiet and empty path when he suddenly looked up at the sky. There was the smell of dragon above. He was about to fly up when he turned and caught sight of an aged human rummaging through the rubbish bin in search of something. Mosquitoes were flying about chaotically beside the stinky bin.
His movements stopped and he walked to the bin. The old man was stuffing some soured buns into his mouth. Wrinkles lined his dark face.
Fu Li saw the debt of sin on this person – the air of sin had accumulated from disobedience to parents and abandonment of spouse and children. Having understood this clearly, Fu Li turned and walked in the opposite direction. People had to pay a price for what they had done. Old age was not an excuse to bury all wrongdoings.
The next day at night, Fu Li had just put on his uniform when the manager of the security guards told him that the boss was looking for him. Under the envious gazes of all his colleagues, Fu Li walked out of the restroom.
Upon reaching Wang Han’s office, Fu Li realized that apart from Wang Han, there were also several ruddy-faced elderly men and women, one of which he recognized – Wang Cuihua, the elderly woman who liked to play mahjong at the Yao Union.
“Little Fu, you’ve really worked hard,” Wang Cuihua grabbed Fu Li’s arm and patted him on the shoulder a few times in rapid succession. “I saw your potential very early on. See, it’s only been this long, yet you’ve already joined the management bureau. Congratulations, congratulations,” She took out a huge red packet while speaking and stuffed it into Fu Li’s hands without any explanation.
The other elderly men and woman saw this situation and also shoved red packets at him.
“A friend of Wang Cuihua is a friend of our Wanyue Sect, take these red packets.”
Fu Li: The human cultivators nowadays were really generous.
“Yes yes yes, this is fate. Otherwise, why would you be working at a hotel started by our sect?”
Fu Li: Wasn’t it because Wang Cuihua had arranged for him to go through the backdoor?
“Although you won’t be working at our hotel in the future, you will still belong to our hotel. If you need anything, you can come to me,” Wang Han also revealed a splendid smile and shoved a large red packet at Fu Li.
Fu Li held onto red packet after red packet. “But I don’t intend to go to the management bureau yet.”
“What?” Everyone from the Wanyue Sect thought that something had gone wrong with their ears. There was actually someone who didn’t want to go to the management bureau after managing to pass the test?
Wang Cuihua pulled Fu Li to a corner and asked, “Little Fu, can you tell me why you don’t want to go?”
Fu Li said, “I think this job is also quite interesting, what use is there in going to the bureau?”
“Of course it’s useful,” Wang Cuihua said. “You’ve always been in the countryside and aren’t aware of the complexities of the outside world. In the past when there was no management bureau, human cultivators killed yao cultivators while yao cultivators ate humans. Innocent yao cultivators were often slaughtered by human cultivators, and innocent humans were eaten by yao cultivators. Human and yao cultivators were always on opposing sides. After the appearance of the management bureau, yao cultivators didn’t dare to wreak havoc wherever they wanted. Neither could the human cultivators casually use yao cultivators to refine pills or weapons, so everyone’s lives improved over time. If powerful people like you aren’t willing to join the management bureau, who would maintain order in the cultivation world and fight for justice when the cultivation world is wronged?”
“But...” Fu Li said. “I still want to enter university and become a civil servant.”
Wang Cuihua turned and looked at Wang Han. Wang Han hurriedly shook his head. He wasn’t aware that this yao cultivator had such a grand dream.
“Working at the management bureau is equivalent to being a civil servant in the human world,” Wang Cuihua lowered her voice. “I heard the management bureau is supervised by the nation. If you perform well in the bureau, you might even receive excellent conditions in the future when you become a civil servant.”
Fu Li asked doubtfully, “Is that true?”
“At least, it’ll be better than if you were to go for the exam now,” Wang Cuihua patted Fu Li’s shoulder with a solemn expression. “Trust me. I’ve eaten more salt than the rice you’ve eaten.”
“But I’m 3900 years older than you,” Shock appeared on Fu Li’s face. “Do you usually eat very salty things?”
Wang Cuihua smiled awkwardly. This youth appeared a little too obedient, so obedient that the fact that he was yao and not human had slipped her mind. “R-Right. My tastes are indeed on the heavier side.”
“The health program said that excessive consumption of salty food is bad for health, you have to take care of your health.”
Wang Cuihua, “...”
This 3900 year generation gap was too large, she didn’t think she could carry on this conversation for much longer.
“Ai, it’s already September. It’s so hot outside,” Zhang Ke came in from outside, picked up a cup and gulped down a few mouths of water. “I’ve finished the booking for the welcome feast. You guys can relax this time, there’s definitely no dishes with the same original form as our bureau’s yao.”
This sort of communal welcome feast was meant to be lively. Although some yao cultivators didn’t abstain from eating food of the same species, some yao cultivators still paid considerable attention to this. Therefore, the management bureau had to specially avoid these taboos when booking meals.
“There’s definitely no fish, beef, lamb, or chicken this time,” After catching his breath, Zhang Ke patted his chest. “I specially booked an all-rabbit feast. Nobody in our management bureau is a rabbit yao, right?”
“Zhang Ke did quite a good job this time,” Huang Can praised. “Rabbit meat is very tasty.”
Several yao whose original forms were plants also nodded one after another, seemingly in high spirits.
Putting so much effort into cultivating a human form was so that they could stand at the top of the food chain and enjoy all sorts of delicacies without lifting a finger. Otherwise, what difference was there between salted fish and plants who couldn’t eat meat?
The day before they officially joined, the new staff received an invitation to the bureau’s welcome feast. Fu Li thought about it and felt that he should leave a good impression on his new colleagues. Thus, he specially donned new clothes and spent money to take a taxi to his destination.
Upon reaching the entrance of the restaurant, he saw a vivid and lifelike sculpture of a rabbit. The five words ‘Laozihao All-Rabbit Feast’ was written on the board attached to the wall.
“Senior,” Zhang Ke saw Fu Li and cordially dragged him into a private room. “It’s hot outside, take a seat inside.”
Cold dishes and rabbit-shaped refreshments were already arranged on the table.
Fu Li was a newcomer, but his status in the eyes of the management bureau was still a bit more special, so they specially arranged for him to be seated at the main table. Seeing Fu Li enter, everyone waved and called for Fu Li to sit.
“Benefactor, this restaurant is the best in the entire capital at cooking rabbit meat,” Zhang Ke poured Fu Li a drink and indicated for the waiter to begin serving the hot dishes.
The dishes very quickly filled the table and everyone’s chopsticks leapt into action. Zhuang Qing picked up a rabbit pastry and bit off the rabbit’s head in one mouth. Raising his head, he saw Fu Li staring at the pastry in his hands. He asked doubtfully, “Do you want it?”
He stood up and placed the rabbit pastry in front of Fu Li.
Fu Li stared at the plump rabbit pastry on his plate. He touched his own neck as several drops of cold sweat appeared on his forehead.
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