Chaotic World Book
Chapter 406 - 396 Birthday Banquet

Chapter 406: Chapter 396 Birthday Banquet

The Yang Family’s birthday banquet was the day after tomorrow, yet the following day, the courtyard fell silent, no longer bustling as it was this evening.

Zhao Changhe seriously crammed his studies, essentially avoiding the Chaotic Scene. Pondering the Rejuvenation Technique was better than having a headache among the women.

But he underestimated these women, as each was a dominant force in her own right, putting serious matters first. Seeing him absorbed in medical skills, the women did not disturb him.

Tang Wanju was in her yard reading a book, but whether she was truly reading, nobody knew; Huangfu Qing claimed to be sleeping, sending away all the servants the Yang Family had arranged, but what she was really up to, nobody knew either.

Meanwhile, Cui Yuanyang visited the Wang Family, mingling intimately inside with a cheerful demeanor under the guise of familial ties.

Even though Wang Daozhong fully knew this girl was no kin of his, surnamed Zhao through and through... he couldn’t outright toss her out, and had to pinch his nose and force a smile.

The thing Wang Daozhong most wanted to do right now was to go straight to Zhao Changhe’s courtyard and chop him up, but, unfortunately, he was a guest invited by the Yang Family, and nothing rash could be done—especially with Tang Wanju guarding nearby, and he wouldn’t win a fight against her anyway.

The angrier he became,

the less tolerant he was even of this beloved little bunny; Wang Daozhong lost his patience, decided to avoid her, and holed up in his room reading a book instead.

The world was quiet for a day, until the eve of the next, marking the arrival of Yang Jingxiu’s birthday banquet.

Those who could heal Divine Souls were indeed few and far between, virtually none reliable, hence Tang Wanju’s ailment had become a "terminal disease" she had almost given up on herself.

From the perspective of Tang Wanju and Huangfu Qing, Zhao Changhe possessed the Rejuvenation Technique, and although its effectiveness was uncertain, there was at least a chance.

Others did not know this detail; according to the news, just over ten days ago, this lad was still learning medicine from Tang Wanju in Xiangyang...

The invitation to Zhao Changhe to attend the banquet was purely because his current status had significant implications, and with the Yang Family at the center of significant developments, they needed to be cautious and observe more interactions.

He was truly invited to partake in the birthday feast; never had they considered he could also cure ailments.

In reality, even deciding where to seat Zhao Changhe during the banquet was headache-inducing—his status warranted a place in the hall of dignitaries and notables, or even among the elite, seated with Huangfu Qing. However, without a public identity, such arrangements were not permissible.

Based on his common display of status, he could only be placed in the outer hall with the Worldly Society’s martial artists, separate from the officials and nobles. Although his rank on the Human List was respectable, it wasn’t sufficient for a higher place; to seat him inferior to other renowned figures of the martial world, well, one wouldn’t know if he would mind...

Yang Bugui escorted Zhao Changhe to the outer hall with caution, stealing a glance at his cheerful, indifferent expression and then also breathed a sigh of relief, "Don’t mind the slight, Brother Zhao."

Zhao Changhe laughed, "Drinking and feasting casually outside is very comfortable; who would bother with putting on airs inside? Don’t worry about my place, I’d rather mix it up at a table with the young folks anyway."

Yang Bugui laughed, "It’s just Brother Zhao’s nature... It reminds me of the good old days in Langya. Brother Zhao and Situ Xiao drank the world dry; to be honest, back then, we all felt a surge of emotion, the pride of men should be like this."

"Always praising me... Did Situ not come?"

"Can’t find him, don’t know where he’s gone off to train. Divine Brilliance Sect sent a representative though. Look, that’s him..." Yang Bugui gestured with his eyes towards the imposing middle-aged man at the upper seat of the hall: "Elder Shi of Divine Brilliance Sect, ranked thirtieth on the Earth List."

"Divine Brilliance Sect truly is the strongest sect in the land." Zhao Changhe glanced over, contemplating whether he could pull Divine Brilliance Sect into joining the fight against Maitreya... As for the Yang Family’s medical issue, Divine Brilliance Sect probably had no way to help, since they specialized in Body Refining, and Divine Soul had always been their weak spot.

He casually mentioned, "Hmm... that thing I mentioned to you the other day, you said you would discuss it with your father. What was the result of that discussion?"

"Uh, Brother Zhao, our family really is dealing with some complications. We truly appreciate that you’re willing to help, but it’s something you can’t assist with; we get the sentiment." Yang Bugui lowered his voice, "Just from this goodwill alone, father will definitely participate in the battle against Maitreya. Just set the time, Brother Zhao."

Zhao Changhe smiled slightly, "Alright. Go attend to others, don’t keep hanging around me."

After apologizing and excusing himself, Yang Bugui departed and Zhao Changhe did not join Elder Shi’s table but found himself a spot among a group of youngsters. The others didn’t pay him any attention, all peering through the skylight at the inner hall, where the splendidly dressed Huangfu Qing and Tang Wanju, with a frosty face beneath her, sat at the guest seats.

To say they were like spring orchids and autumn chrysanthemums each excelling in their own time doesn’t begin to do the scene justice.

What right do orchids and chrysanthemums have to compare with these two?

It was like Creation had chiseled two of the most perfect wonders, only to place them together.

"I once heard people talk about the twin jewels of the Capital from ten years ago, always competing with each other, considered a wonder of the Capital... I thought the tales were exaggerated, how could it be so? Just two women, after all, and it’s not that they would vie or compete in beauty; at most, they would scoff at each other with cold remarks, where’s the so-called dazzling rivalry... Now that I’ve seen it with my own eyes, I realize there was no exaggeration in what they said."

"Indeed, they need not say anything, just sitting there alone, I fear those arguing over who’s more beautiful could knock their own heads senseless."

"So, who’s the more beautiful?"

"I find the one in the chief seat beautiful. Her purity and understated elegance are like clear water; the Imperial Concubine is slightly less so."

"I say the Imperial Concubine is beautiful! That woman’s charm is breathtaking at first glance, you child, what do you know!"

"The chief seat is beautiful!"

"The Imperial Concubine is beautiful!"

A weak voice said, "Am I the only one who noticed Cui Yuanyang sitting below them? So cute, like a delicate carving..."

The two arguers looked disdainful, "Go sit with the dogs at some other table!"

Zhao Changhe: "..."

"Time to vote!" someone carrying a sheet of paper came over to Zhao Changhe’s side, "Brother, who are you voting for?"

Zhao Changhe glanced at it, Tang Wanju had four votes, Huangfu Qing had four votes, and Cui Yuanyang had one.

"Is it single-choice or multiple-choice?" Zhao Changhe asked.

Everyone was shocked, "You want to vote for multiple ones?"

"There’s no restriction, right?" Zhao Changhe picked up the pen and checked off all three, "I want them all."

Why do you all have such clear aesthetic distinctions, pondering over multiple-choice questions...

And what’s it to you how beautiful someone is, or any of your business for that matter?

The crowd looked at him with strange expressions, "Brother, what’s your full name?"

"Eh, how did you know my name is Gao Daming?"

"..."

Casually chatting with the young martial artists and absent-mindedly munching on the sumptuous dishes, Zhao Changhe’s mind had in fact been focused on the main hall for a while. The advantage of being in the outer hall was that you didn’t have to be as formal as inside the main hall, with the whole tiresome birthday celebration procedures that could make your skin crawl and your butt sprout needles. Tang Wanju and Huangfu Qing were accustomed to sitting through it, but he really wondered how the lively Yangyang could tolerate it.

The long and tedious birthday ceremony was finally over, followed by the entrance of family members one by one, martial arts assessments, and sparring matches.

This was also a chance for the Yang Family to show off the strength of its young members to outsiders and to make a name for the most promising among them.

Watching the young Yangs fight with clanging and clashing, the scene finally began to exude a sense of a martial arts world, unlike the earlier tedious ceremonies...

"Although the top-notch are few... The young generation of the Yang Family isn’t bad at all," someone whispered, "Yang Bugui took the opportunity of the last group’s frequent rankings on the Human List, and has now reached the third rank of the Hidden Dragon. That alone earns him a lot of respect wherever he goes. And that’s not all, several from different branches of the Yang Family rank one hundred and eight, two hundred two, and two hundred three on the Hidden Dragon List, while being quite low, the total is surprisingly more than the Cui and Wang Families."

Zhao Changhe watched the martial arts matches in the hall and thought to himself that the young members of the Yang Family seemed quite capable. Even the skills of Yang Qianyuan were high; after all, he was the ruthless character who almost became the leader of the Money Gang by storming into Kunlun alone.

From this sparring, one could see that the young members of the Yang Family had a solid foundation, perhaps related to the nature of the Yang Family’s martial arts—sturdy and perseverance... or perhaps due to the Yang Family’s declining trend, making the younger generation more driven. This was better than the old Cui Family. Take Cui Yuanyang, for example, before getting to know him, did he look like someone who wanted to train hard with his careless and casual demeanor...

Someone else said, "Old man, your critique sounds rather seasoned. If one didn’t know better, they might think you were some famous expert..."

The man coughed twice, sighed and said, "Recently, I’ve slid down the rankings... Quite embarrassing."

People expressed their respect, "So you’re a ranked expert on the Hidden Dragon List? Our apologies. May we know..."

"I was number two hundred and twelve before, but after Blood Shura entered the Human List, I should have been promoted a rank. Instead, I fell to two hundred and thirteen." The man sighed, but his eyes couldn’t hide his pride, "As it happens, it’s good since Miss Cui once ranked at this position too, we seem to have a connection."

Zhao Changhe splurted out a mouthful of wine.

The man glanced over, "Brother Gao Daming..."

Zhao Changhe waved his hand, "I’m embarrassed to say, my ranking has also dropped. I was originally first, but now I’ve fallen to forty-four."

The way he said it didn’t seem to refer to the Hidden Dragon List but rather an internal ranking within his own sect. The man responded irritably, "I’m speaking of the Chaotic World List."

"How coincidental, so am I."

"???"

Right at that moment, the Yang Family’s martial arts birthday celebration came to an end. Yang Jingxiu was very satisfied and said with a chuckle, "Bu Xiu is only fifteen and already at the Mystical Gate Fourth Layer, with precise swordsmanship and deep understanding. Truly a steed that covers a thousand miles a day in our family. I grant you three days of reflection by the Lianshan Sword."

The young man was overjoyed, "Thank you, Uncle."

The Lianshan Sword had lost its spirit already, yet old Yang still granted someone reflection time by it to keep up the pretense that the Divine Sword was still intact.

However, Wang Daozhong, sitting among the guests, stroked his beard and said, "The Yang Family members are all extremely talented... Brother Yang, there have been occasions in past years for guests to spar and compete. Do you have any such intention this year?"

It was indeed common, but not compulsory; it all depended on what the hosting family thought. Hence, Yang Jingxiu said, "Brother Wang’s meaning is for his young ones to spar with ours?"

Wang Daozhong chuckled, "I was thinking more of the guests sparring among themselves... Opportunities for renowned experts to gather are not that frequent, and it’s the right occasion."

Yang Jingxiu replied with a smile, "Brother Wang wants to challenge someone? With your strength, could it be that you wish to exchange a few moves with Elder Shi?"

Wang Daozhong waved his hand, "Of course, not myself... My household’s guest, number forty-five on the Human List, just happens to be here, and he admires yet challenges number forty-four, craving for a challenge. Wouldn’t that make for a splendid tale?"

The people at Zhao Changhe’s table watched, eyes wide, as a man with a sword approached them, bowing to "Gao Daming," "Number forty-five on the Human List, Thunder Sword’s Ding Ting, requests guidance from Blood Shura."

The young people at the table looked spasmodically at Zhao Changhe, who was enthusiastically gnawing at a chicken leg.

So you’ve really fallen from first to forty-four... Blood Shura Zhao Changhe, how could you be sitting here at an outer hall corner table like some carefree idler, heartily eating a chicken leg, lips smudged with grease, and joining everyone in a vote for the most beautiful...

Cui Yuanyang is his fiancée, eh? At least everyone just now was praising her beauty and charm, nothing disrespectful.

Wait a minute... What did you mean by saying you wanted them all just now?