Chapter 90: Chapter 90: Blind Dog Eyes
One was dressed in the brocade robes of the City Lord’s Mansion—it was none other than the Grand Steward, Mu Shan. The other wore armor, with thick eyebrows and large eyes; he was the Vice Commander of the City Guard, Lin Xiong.
Behind Lin Xiong, Ji Ling and a few others followed closely.
Meng Shan’s expression changed the moment he saw Mu Shan.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Lin Xiong and his men strode quickly over to Ye Xuan and the others. "Young Master Xuan," he said with a look of reverence.
This scene left everyone present stunned and bewildered.
Lin Xiong had been thriving in Blue Moon City recently. Disposing of Jia Fang, arresting members of the Wang family, assisting the Ye family in wiping out Blood Saber Stronghold—any one of these deeds was a momentous event.
Any other Vice Commander of the City Guard who dared to do such things would have been stripped of his rank in minutes.
But not only was Lin Xiong not punished, he was personally commended by the City Lord.
Word later got out that Lin Xiong had, at some unknown point, broken through to the Second Layer of the Earth Martial Artist realm. Furthermore, his martial soul had also advanced from One-Star to Two-Stars.
As soon as this news spread, everyone had a sudden realization. It also made Lin Xiong one of the most talked-about figures in Blue Moon City.
There were fewer than ten Third Layer Earth Martial Artists in Blue Moon City. With his strength as a Second Layer Earth Martial Artist and his Two-Stars martial soul, Lin Xiong was definitely strong enough to rank among the top ten.
But that wasn’t the most important part. Most importantly, Lin Xiong was only in his early thirties. He was young, and his future potential was limitless.
Yet now, this very expert with boundless potential, a man of real power in Blue Moon City, was respectfully addressing a disciple of the Ye family as "Young Master Xuan." It was enough to make everyone’s jaws drop.
Any other expert would have certainly felt awkward addressing a young man like that in public.
But Lin Xiong showed no sign of discomfort. Instead, he adopted an extremely humble posture.
He knew clearly that if it weren’t for Ye Xuan, he, Lin Xiong, might no longer exist in this world.
As a servant, Lin Xiong harbored no disrespect for Ye Xuan just because he had become successful. In fact, his gratitude toward Ye Xuan had only deepened.
He was just that kind of person: he didn’t put on airs, and he would never be ungrateful.
"Lord Mu Shan, it seems I will be unable to attend the City Lord’s banquet this time."
Seeing Ye Xuan and his family stand up, Lin Xiong, who had overheard the earlier exchange, spoke directly to Mu Shan.
"Commander Lin, what do you mean by that?"
"Heh, since your City Lord’s Mansion steward doesn’t welcome Young Master Xuan, then there’s no need for me, Lin Xiong, to attend either." Lin Xiong sighed and shook his head. "Lord Mu Shan, you were pestering me just a few days ago, asking me to introduce you to the heroes from the Ye family who wiped out Blood Saber Stronghold. Now, the Ye family heroes have arrived at your City Lord’s Mansion, only to be shooed away like flies by your own steward. I, Lin Xiong, just don’t understand it."
’Could these be the heroes from the Ye family who wiped out Blood Saber Stronghold?!’ Mu Shan’s eyes suddenly lit up with excitement.
The Ye family had destroyed Blood Saber Stronghold, and he had been wanting to find them to express his gratitude for avenging his nephew. He just never had the chance.
He never imagined that when the Ye family heroes finally arrived at the City Lord’s Mansion, a place under his management, they would receive such treatment.
A fire of anger ignited in Mu Shan’s heart.
"My heroic friends, I am so sorry. I was busy with arrangements earlier and neglected my honored guests. Please, don’t take offense." Mu Shan hurried forward, his face wreathed in smiles, and shook each of their hands. "Ahem, I am Mu Shan of the City Lord’s Mansion, serving as the Grand Steward. I have long admired your heroic deeds in wiping out Blood Saber Stronghold. Seeing you today, you are truly as valiant and mighty as the rumors say, living up to your great reputation."
At Mu Shan’s words, Ye Zhanxiong and the others were dumbfounded.
It wasn’t just them; all the guests in the hall were stunned.
’What is going on?’ Although Mu Shan was just a steward of the City Lord’s Mansion and didn’t seem to have any official authority, the power he wielded was immense.
In the City Lord’s Mansion, from major matters like procurement and accounting to minor tasks like weeding and watering, what didn’t pass through his hands?
You could say he was the mansion’s chief of internal affairs. He didn’t handle government matters, but he managed everything else within the City Lord’s Mansion.
Moreover, he was usually stern and reserved. When he saw the patriarchs of the three great families, he would merely nod in greeting. Wasn’t he being a little too enthusiastic toward the Ye family now?
While others were surprised, Meng Shan was terrified.
"Grand Steward, I..." He stepped forward, wanting to say a few words in his defense.
But before he could finish, Mu Shan strode over to him and delivered a resounding slap across his face.
"You bastard! Are you blind, you worthless servant? Are your eyes on your ass?!"
"The Ye family is an honorary family personally recognized by the City Lord! They have rendered great service to our Blue Moon City by slaying Blood Saber Stronghold and earning distinguished merit! They are the City Lord’s most honored guests!"
"And look at how you treated them! Do you have any idea what service is? Do you not understand how to show respect to your betters?"
The slap made Meng Shan see stars. He clutched his face, on the verge of tears.
"Grand Steward, I..."
"You what!"
Mu Shan slapped him again. "I don’t want to hear your explanation, and you don’t need to give one. I’m telling you right now, your time as a steward is over. I’ll give you three seconds to get out of my sight. Scram!"
With that roar, Mu Shan fully displayed the authority of a chief of internal affairs.
Meng Shan didn’t dare say another word and scurried away with his tail between his legs.
"Ahem, please, calm your anger. The servant was ignorant. Come, come, your seats should be over here."
After his display of authority, Mu Shan immediately led Ye Zhanxiong and the others to the very front of the secondary hall, to the best seats available, and had them sit down.
His amiable attitude made him seem like a completely different person.
This turn of events was completely unexpected for Ye Zhanxiong and his family.
The Grand Steward of the City Lord’s Mansion had personally apologized and gone to such lengths. If Ye Zhanxiong and the others continued to put on airs, they would feel bad themselves.
So, the group immediately sat down.
Seeing that his father and the others no longer wanted to leave, Ye Xuan didn’t mind. He couldn’t care less about this kind of banquet. He had only come to pave the way for his family’s future.
Soon, after exchanging a few more warm words, Mu Shan departed. As the Grand Steward, he wouldn’t have a moment’s rest all night.
After greeting Ye Zhanxiong and the others, Lin Xiong sat down respectfully next to Ye Xuan. His attitude was like a primary school student seeing his teacher—as reverent as could be.
Ye Xuan was quite satisfied with Lin Xiong’s behavior. While eating, he casually offered some pointers, which Lin Xiong listened to intently, as if they were gospel.
Seeing this, the crowd was numb with shock.
Meanwhile, the members of the Wang and Zhou families had ashen faces.
They had clearly intended to slap the Ye family in the face, but in the end, they had failed, and their own faces had been slapped swollen instead.
However, after the scene with Grand Steward Mu Shan, they temporarily shelved their plans to humiliate the Ye family at the banquet.
They exchanged glances, their hearts filled with frustration.
’The Ye family has always developed in Cyan Mountain Town and never set foot in Blue Moon City. Since when were they on such good terms with Grand Steward Mu Shan?’
’It’s like seeing a ghost.’
As for the other families present, seeing the Ye family take the seats of honor in the secondary hall, they were secretly displeased.
But what was the use of being displeased? Grand Steward Mu Shan had arranged it himself. ’If you have the ability, go ask the City Lord to arrange your seat personally.’
But just because the Wang family had backed down didn’t mean Ye Xuan wanted to.
"Oh, right. Who was it just now that said our seats were over there?" In the middle of their conversation, Ye Xuan suddenly shouted toward the Wang family’s table. "It seems some people’s words are just like farts. It really takes some courage to bring someone like that to a banquet."
"You!"
Wang Jun’s face turned beet red, and he fumed with such rage it felt like his eyes would split.
"Jun, don’t lower yourself by arguing with certain insignificant people," Wang Hai said coldly.
"Heh, so the Patriarch of the Wang family has such a high status? But when your family’s dog was being beaten just now, why didn’t I see its master step out? You don’t seem to be a very competent dog owner," Ye Xuan said with a frosty voice. "I recall your Wang family caused quite a stir when I crippled that other little puppy of yours."
"Brother, let me cripple him!" Wang Xuan couldn’t hold back any longer. His eyes looked ready to shoot fire, and his Profound Qi surged around him.
Wang Hai quickly grabbed his shoulder and forced him back down. He sent a furious voice transmission, "Second Brother, control your anger! Didn’t you see Lin Xiong is with him? Do you think you can kill him just by rushing over there?"
"Tsk, tsk. So the so-called Wang family is just a bunch of cowards who talk big but don’t act. How pitiful."
"You young whelp, enough with your sharp tongue!" Wang Xuan’s face was contorted in a snarl as he roared, "Ye Xuan, I, Wang Xuan, swear I won’t call myself a man until I kill you!"
"And your Ye family! Prepare to face the wrath of our Wang family!"
Ye Xuan just took a light sip of his fine wine. "Hm? No wonder the Wang family has so many mad dogs. Turns out there are old mad dogs on top of the young ones."
BANG!
Rage once again flooded Wang Xuan’s mind. He slammed back into his chair and said no more, afraid he might actually die of anger.
After this commotion, the atmosphere in the banquet hall instantly turned strange. Everyone wore a different expression as they secretly pondered the situation.
It seemed the feud between the Ye family and the Wang family had reached an irreconcilable point; otherwise, they wouldn’t have abandoned all pretense of civility.
’The Ye family is still too green. Does a newly risen family really think they can fend off the Wang family’s pressure just by relying on a few connections?!’
Time passed, and more and more guests arrived.
A woman in a long purple dress gracefully entered the banquet hall. Upon seeing Ye Xuan, she immediately quickened her pace and walked over.
