Chapter 48: Attending the Banquet

This was the first time Su Tang led and participated in an operation of the Miaodao Pavilion. He also witnessed the strength of the Miaodao Pavilion with his own eyes, which was something that could not be understood simply by reading records.

Su Tang needed a legal identity that would not arouse suspicion. Ding Dian, the head of the first hall of the Miaodao Pavilion, found five candidates for Su Tang. Su Tang chose Nangong Zhenye, the owner of the Tongshun Carriage House. Nangong Zhenye was designed to be very handsome and elegant; standing in a crowd, he would definitely give the impression of standing out from the rest.

The reason the word “designed” was used was that Nangong Zhenye was a fictional person. The Tongshun Carriage House was actually a property of the Miaodao Pavilion. Once that person’s exquisite mask was removed, anyone with a similar build could put on the mask and become Nangong Zhenye.

Su Tang was very interested in this exquisite mask. He didn’t know until he asked, and he was shocked when he found out… it turned out to be the masterpiece of Xiao Buhui.

With an identity settled, Su Tang’s plan began to be implemented!

A carriage drove out from the Tongshun Carriage House. Su Tang and Wen Xiang sat upright inside the carriage, their bodies swaying slightly. The two of them remained silent for a long time. Halfway through the journey, Wen Xiang finally could not hold back and said with a bitter smile, “I really didn’t expect that I would accompany you in acting crazy.” Wen Xiang had also dressed up carefully. She shaved off her eyebrows and drew two sword-like brows, then applied powder to make her cheeks look as thin as possible. She added some tiny freckles to the bridge of her nose and a beauty mark near her mouth. She had become completely different from before, especially her temperament; she used to be sweet, but now she appeared very seductive.

“This isn’t acting crazy. Leading you all to attack the Xia Family would be truly acting crazy.” Su Tang smiled. “I won’t do things that lead to my own death. Didn’t Enshrined Expert Xiao also say that we have a chance?”

“Do you really think this thing will be useful?” Wen Xiang asked. She shook the book in her hand, and her expression became more distressed.

“Gu Qijue is a man who loves money and women. You are so beautiful, and you have the secret treasure map of Moyun Ridge in your hand. There is no worry that he won’t take the bait,” Su Tang said.

“A secret treasure map, indeed…” Wen Xiang’s nose and eyebrows almost wrinkled together. “Who could this possibly fool?! There is no secret treasure in Moyun Ridge, only piles of white bones.”

“We don’t expect him to believe it immediately; we just need him to become curious,” Su Tang said. “You… seem to be very familiar with Moyun Ridge?”

“I’ve been there a few times,” Wen Xiang said listlessly. “At first, I also went for that damn secret treasure, but later I gave up. Mr. Su, have you never heard of Moyun Ridge before?”

“Should I have heard of it?” Su Tang asked back.

“You… are really strange. You don’t know anything that you should know,” Wen Xiang sighed. “Moyun Ridge is the battlefield ruin closest to the current era. Every year, many, many martial artists go to Moyun Ridge for adventure.”

“Battlefield ruin?”

“Yes. You’ve heard of the God-Slaying Hall, right? The General Hall of the God-Slaying Hall was located at Moyun Ridge. The Three Great Heaven Gates joined forces to attack the God-Slaying Hall and attacked for more than half a month before they finally destroyed the General Hall. It is said that at least sixty to seventy thousand practitioners perished in that battle. The entire mountain was covered in corpses, blood, and ownerless spirit tools,” Wen Xiang said. “Moreover, in the end, the God-Slaying Hall saw the situation was critical and could no longer be saved, so they simply activated the Grand Formation. The entire main peak of Moyun Ridge collapsed. No one knows how many people were buried alive underneath. Those martial artists who go for adventure, as long as they are willing to spend time and energy and have enough luck, will usually find some gains.”

“In that case, our plan is more believable,” Su Tang smiled.

“I don’t know where you got this broken map!” Wen Xiang curled her lip.

“The map was chosen by Mo Xiaobai and kept in a secret room. It should not be fake; otherwise, it would have no value to be kept,” Su Tang said. “If someone spots a flaw because the map is fake, then truly…” At the end, Su Tang suddenly froze. He remembered the map he found on Tie Canglan in the Black Forest; the two maps were drawn very similarly.

“But… we are going to a banquet. For me to carry a book… what does that look like?” Wen Xiang asked.

“The book is titled ‘Travels to Moyun Ridge,’ and it contains the secret treasure map of Moyun Ridge. Doesn’t that fit the occasion perfectly? Moreover… it is only the first volume of the travels. Gu Qijue should want to get the remaining volumes, and conveniently eat you up while he’s at it,” Su Tang said. “What’s wrong with bringing a book? It proves you are a hardworking and studious good girl!”

“Go to hell!” Wen Xiang said through gritted teeth. After she spoke, she realized it sounded a bit like flirtatious banter; she and Su Tang were not yet close enough for that.

Wen Xiang’s face turned slightly red, and she quickly changed the subject. “Mr. Su, you really trust me quite a lot to let me deal with Gu Qijue…”

“Enshrined Expert Xiao said that even if he and Tong Fei joined forces, they might not be able to defeat Gu Qijue. Moreover, they cannot attract Gu Qijue’s attention, so I can only rely on you,” Su Tang said softly. “After all, we are in the dark and he is in the light. I don’t require you to kill him; just distracting him for a while is enough.”

While they were talking, the carriage arrived at Victory Terrace. Su Tang straightened his clothes, jumped off the carriage, and held out his hand to Wen Xiang. Wen Xiang hesitated for a moment and then placed her small hand in Su Tang’s palm.

Today, the Cheng Family had booked the entire Victory Terrace, but there were still too many guests, so they arranged a flowing banquet. It was not the dishes that flowed like water, but the people. The two invitations received by the Miaodao Pavilion were for the first seating, while Nangong Zhenye’s invitation was for the second seating. Not only was the entry time later—they had to wait until the guests of the first seating left—but the banquet site was also very messy, as the servants of Victory Terrace had no time to clean up.

After waiting in the side hall for a long time, the guests of the first seating finally dispersed. Walking into the main hall, Su Tang’s gaze quickly swept across the head of the room. At the main seat at the top, there was only a woman wearing a bright red dress. Beside her were two tables with four people sitting there, appearing to be accompanying guests. Among them, he knew no one except Tie Canghai.

Tie Canghai was only an elder. In this situation, the family head should have attended in person. Su Tang thought for a moment and soon understood. Although the Tie Family and the Cheng Family had always been close, it was only a good relationship with a certain amount of mutual trust; it did not mean one had to listen to the other. Now, the power structure of Changshan County was about to undergo a major change. The Cheng Family was acting overbearing, putting on the air of the master of Changshan. The head of the Tie Family was naturally dissatisfied, but he did not dare to oppose them openly, so he made an excuse not to come and let Tie Canghai attend in his place.

There should be something that can be exploited here… Su Tang pondered. As he took his seat under the guidance of the servant, his gaze swept toward the head of the room once more.

It was definitely not influenced by the records; that Madam Red looked like a slut. While others sat properly, she alone lay on a soft couch with a lazy expression.