Suddenly, Ye Changsheng’s eyes narrowed, and a look of surprise appeared on his face.
It was the dead of night, yet the City Lord’s mansion was brightly lit, with voices rising in a clamour.
In the courtyard, more than a hundred tables had been set out. Thousands of guards were drinking and playing finger-guessing games.
All sorts of sounds filled the air without end.
The scene was extremely lively.
“What is going on here?” the Longbrow True Person also felt puzzled.
“It looks like some sort of celebration, but there are no lanterns or decorations.” Ye Changsheng remained cautious and asked, “Dali, have you noticed anything unusual?”
Elder Ox shook his head.
“How many peak Tongshen experts are there in the City Lord’s mansion?” Ye Changsheng asked again.
“Three,” Elder Ox replied.
Ye Changsheng breathed a sigh of relief and said, “Since we are already here, let us get on with the business.”
Standing on the Wind-Riding Boat, Ye Changsheng shouted down loudly, “Where is Lu Fugui? Come out!”
The next moment, everyone in the courtyard who had been drinking and playing games stopped at once. They looked up at the Wind-Riding Boat, all of them stunned and utterly confused.
“Where is Lu Fugui?” Ye Changsheng shouted once more.
“Coming, coming…” a voice called out.
Ye Changsheng followed the sound and saw a middle-aged fatty who looked like a ball of meat running out from one of the rooms, his clothes in disarray.
This fatty was only slightly slimmer than Lin Dabird. He was less than five chi tall, fair and plump, clearly someone who had lived a life of luxury and ease.
The middle-aged fatty wore a garish red robe embroidered with peonies, which looked somewhat mismatched and ridiculous.
Ye Changsheng also noticed that the fatty was not only dishevelled but barefoot, as though he had just climbed out of bed.
“This fellow is Lu Fugui?”
Ye Changsheng was somewhat astonished.
From this middle-aged fatty, he could not detect even the slightest trace of a City Lord’s dignity.
“So it is the divine son Song Que. This humble one is Lu Fugui. I did not know the divine son would grace us with his presence. I failed to welcome you from afar. I beg the divine son’s forgiveness.”
The middle-aged fatty stood in the courtyard, cupped his hands towards the Wind-Riding Boat, then smiled broadly and said, “Divine son, have you come to Bright City to celebrate my birthday?”
“It is truly an honour for this little one.”
Only then did Ye Changsheng understand why the place was still brightly lit in the middle of the night. It turned out Lu Fugui was celebrating his birthday.
“I am not here to wish you a happy birthday. I am here to kill you.”
Ye Changsheng thought to himself, then put on an act and said, “Lu Fugui, you are right. This divine son has indeed come here to offer birthday wishes, however…”
“Thank you, divine son.” Before Ye Changsheng could finish, Lu Fugui interrupted with a beaming smile. “It is my greatest honour that the divine son has come to celebrate my birthday. Thank you, thank you, divine son.”
Then.
Lu Fugui shouted to the guards in the courtyard, “The divine son has graced us with his presence. Why are you not paying your respects at once?”
Thud, thud…
Thousands of guards immediately knelt down, shouting in unison, “We pay respects to the divine son.”
“Divine son, since you are already here, please come down and have a drink. It is windy up there.” Lu Fugui acted as though he were the perfect hospitable host.
Ye Changsheng replied, “I will not come down. I have come to Bright City this time for three matters.”
“The first matter is to celebrate your birthday.”
“The second matter is to track down the whereabouts of the wanted criminal Ye Wushuang.”
“As for the third matter…” “Divine son!” Once again, Lu Fugui cut in before Ye Changsheng could finish. “I, Lu Fugui, am merely a minor City Lord. What virtue or ability do I have that would make you travel thousands of li to celebrate my birthday?”
“Your actions truly move me deeply.”
“Wuwuwu…”
Lu Fugui pretended to weep.
Good grief, this fellow is quite the drama king!
Afterwards, Lu Fugui said, “Divine son, I am so touched. Please come down quickly. I wish to toast you.”
“Our Bright City possesses a thousand-year-old fine wine. I once offered some to the sect leader, and after tasting it, he could not stop praising it.”
“If you like it, divine son, let us drink until we drop tonight.”
The Longbrow True Person was a notorious drinker. The moment he heard the words “thousand-year-old fine wine”, his eyes lit up.
When he heard that even the Infinite Heavenly Venerable had praised it, his mouth began to water.
The Longbrow True Person sent a voice transmission to Ye Changsheng. “Little brat, this Lu Fugui is being so warm and welcoming. Why do we not go down and have a drink?”
Ye Changsheng knew the Longbrow True Person was simply tempted by the wine, but he did not want to invite trouble. He replied, “If I remember correctly, you still have several thousand jin of Qingfeng Dew in your spatial ring, do you not?”
“This Lu Fugui is being far too enthusiastic. It might be a trap.”
The Longbrow True Person was unconcerned. “Did Brother Dali not say so? The entire City Lord’s mansion has only three peak Tongshen experts.”
“If there really is a trap, even if those three peak Tongshen join forces, they would not be a match for Brother Dali.”
“Let us go down and have a few cups. We can act once we have enjoyed ourselves.”
Ye Changsheng said, “Why not finish our business first and drink afterwards?”
“That is not the same,” the Longbrow True Person replied. “Killing after drinking your fill gives you extra strength.”
“You will not even need to lift a finger,” Ye Changsheng said. “Listen to me. Do not create complications. Let us finish this quickly…”
However, before Ye Changsheng could finish speaking, the Longbrow True Person suddenly leapt down from the Wind-Riding Boat and landed right beside Lu Fugui.
“Damn it!” Ye Changsheng was furious.
This old fool really does not know what is important!
“City Lord Lu, the divine son will be coming down shortly. Should you not prepare a grand welcome?” the Longbrow True Person said with a smile.
“Of course. The divine son coming to celebrate my birthday is giving me enormous face. How could I possibly neglect him?” Lu Fugui shouted loudly, “Where are the dancers? Come quickly!”
At once, a group of scantily clad young dancers appeared in the courtyard.
“Continue the music, continue the dance.”
After giving the order, Lu Fugui bowed towards Ye Changsheng. “We respectfully welcome the divine son.”
At this point, Ye Changsheng had no choice but to descend.
He remained cautious and sent a secret voice transmission to Elder Ox. “Dali, keep a close watch later. If you notice anything amiss, inform me immediately.”
“Understood.” Elder Ox nodded slightly.
“Let us go down.” After saying this, Ye Changsheng floated down together with Elder Ox.
The smile on Lu Fugui’s face grew even wider. He invited Ye Changsheng to sit at one of the tables and said, “Divine son, please wait a moment. I will go fetch the fine wine.”
“Wait.” Ye Changsheng called out to Lu Fugui and added, “While you are at it, bring everything from the City Lord’s mansion treasury as well.”
Lu Fugui looked puzzled. “Divine son, this is…”
Ye Changsheng said, “This is the third matter I came to Bright City for. On behalf of the sect leader, I am inspecting the city and collecting resources. For every city this divine son inspects, all the accumulated items in the City Lord’s mansion treasury must be handed over.”
“So that is how it is. Please wait a moment, divine son. I will go fetch them now.” With that, Lu Fugui turned and headed towards the rear courtyard.
Just as Lu Fugui was about to step through the rear courtyard gate, he suddenly turned around and looked at Ye Changsheng.
“By the way, apart from the things in the treasury, do you also want my life?”
