Please, Young Master, Slay the Demon!
Chapter 538 - 11 - Dare you respond if I call you Brother? [Seeking monthly passes!] _1

Chapter 538: Chapter 11 - Dare you respond if I call you Brother? [Seeking monthly passes!] _1

"Speaking of these notorious male and female thieves, they come and go without a trace, ruthless in their actions, indiscriminately slaughtering people. Yet, no matter how fearsome the bandit, who would dare commit such heinous deeds outside of Yu Capital City? Do you know what they stole from the Sword Casting Sect? It was none other than the Yin Yang Qiankun Knot!"

"As for this Knot, it’s indeed a secret treasure for Dual Cultivation. When a man and a woman each ties an end around their waist, they can exchange True Qi, circulate the cycle of Zhou Tian, follow the path of heaven, earth, and human relations, exploring the secrets of the Eight Extraordinary Meridians..."

A familiar voice echoed from the roadside. A storytelling old man had, unknown to us, entered the city and was now holding forth in the middle of a crowd. There was nothing of interest to discuss about the Immortal Sect’s broad daylight meeting that the citizens of Yu Capital City had witnessed. He had instead picked up the sensational event from last night to discuss.

In his narrative, the infamous male and female thieves who had roamed the southwest for many years came to Yu Capital City to find the secret treasure for Dual Cultivation, leading to the incident of the break-in at the Sword Casting Sect last night.

The old man embellished the incident of last night, which even the Sword Casting Sect’s insiders were ignorant about, with sensational and lewd elements to attract the attention of his audience, completely disregarding propriety.

Chu Liang and Jiang Yuebai, as they passed by, were annoyed just by the snippets they overheard.

But what could they do? After all, the old man was talking about the infamous male and female thieves. What did this have to do with us, the Chief Disciple of Shu Mountain and the champion of the Flying Sword competition?

However, in that instant, Chu Liang suddenly realized that sometimes, not all the blame in a physical confrontation should be attributed to the aggressor.

The two walked down the long street and arrived at the World Famous Chef Restaurant.

Just now, Chu Liang had returned the treasure blade to Xue Yipin and asked him for the award banquet. To our surprise, Xue Yipin immediately arranged for it to take place that evening.

So, Chu Liang returned to the palace for a while and then arrived at the restaurant arm in arm with Jiang Yuebai.

This meal was not intended to include everyone.

After all, this meal was offered by Chef Xue. It wouldn’t be appropriate to invite everyone, giving the impression that Shu Mountain folks are freeloaders. I came in advance with Senior Sister Jiang to sample the meal on behalf of everyone.

Indeed.

The World Famous Chef Restaurant had been closed for a while, and it was empty except for their table. Upon their arrival, they were immediately ushered upstairs to a private room and warmly welcomed.

Jiang Yuebai sat there, her eyes sparkling. Although she didn’t express it, her anticipation was clearly noticeable.

Soon, the first dish was served from the kitchen - a colorful, fragrant fish.

"This Coat Fish is nearly boneless with its structure provided by extremely hard scales. Only my master can peel off all its scales without damaging the meat to make this Braised Coat Fish," enthused Xue Yipin’s apprentice who was serving the dish.

"Although the main course of Eight Treasure Dragon Tendon isn’t made from real Flood Dragons, it is made from Dragon Demon Descendants. Currently, there are few who can cook with Dragon Demon Descendants’ ingredients. One reason is the rarity and ferocity of these beasts, the other is the difficulty in processing their scales and bones. However, my master has already been doing this for some years. With the right method, there is truth to the saying that even the dragon meat from Heaven could be eaten. Please, have a taste."

"..."

Indeed, the tasteful dishes in the World Famous Chef Restaurant didn’t disappoint. Each dish was exquisite, possessing tantalizing flavors that made you feel radiant as if you could fly on the spot after tasting them.

As they were enjoying their meal, they heard the main gate being pushed open, and a group of people walked in.

The newcomers were dressed as palace attendants, with one aging eunuch prominently among them. Seeing him arrive, an apprentice of Xue Yipin immediately rushed forward to greet him.

"Uncle Tao, how can we help you today? We are currently not open for business," the apprentice said with a smile.

The eunuch, called Uncle Tao, sniffed the air and said, "The dishes smell clearly of Master Xue’s own handiwork. Yesterday I came on behalf of the Second Prince to arrange a banquet, but you told me the master chef wasn’t well and couldn’t cook. The Second Prince has been concerned and sent me here today specifically with a few Imperial Physicians to take a look at Master Xue. But from the looks of things, he seems perfectly fine. Did you brush us off earlier with a lie?"

As it turned out, Uncle Tao was the chief eunuch of the Second Prince’s palace, specifically assigned to handle the prince’s affairs.

When the Second Prince had wanted to host a banquet, Uncle Tao had been dispatched to make reservations with Master Xue the day before, only to be refused because of the chef’s alleged poor health. Now that he had come with Imperial Physicians and run into a feast taking place at the restaurant, he was understandably miffed.

Xue Yipin’s apprentice quickly tried to appease Uncle Tao, "How dare we? Uncle Tao, my master wasn’t seriously ill. He just needed to rest for a day. He’s fully recovered today, which is why he’s hosting this feast."

"Having recovered, why didn’t he let us know? Who’s so important that they got a spot before our Second Prince?" Uncle Tao responded icily.

Given that a gourmet feast prepared by Master Xue usually required long waiting times, individuals of the Second Prince’s status would typically have their reservations bumped up to the top of the list as long as they gave advance notice.

Unbelievably, someone had cut in line ahead of the Second Prince today, intensifying Uncle Tao’s displeasure.

Hearing the commotion, Chu Liang and Jiang Yuebai, who were dining upstairs, were already alerted. Chu Liang asked Jiang Yuebai to stay calm and went downstairs to have a look.

"Are you from the Second Prince’s Palace?" He approached Uncle Tao with a smile and asked.

Upon seeing his tender age, Uncle Tao arched his eyebrows in a surprise, asking, "Which distinguished young disciple of what sect is he, to be placed above our Second Prince at Master Xue’s table?"

"You don’t need to make it difficult for Master Xue. The Second Prince and I have met before," Chu Liang replied with a smile. "I am a disciple of Shu Mountain, Chu Liang."

"Shu..." Uncle Tao appears to have an early retort ready, aiming to reprimand him, but after uttering just one word, he suddenly paused as if stuck, struggling to complete his proclamation.

After a brief pause, a look of panic immediately washed over his face. He stuttered, "Are you... His Highness, the Royal Younger Brother?"

Among all the young disciples in the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands, none possess such a high-ranking title. Even the Chief Disciple of Penglai cannot match the status of the Second Prince in Yu Capital City.

However, there is one exception, and that is the Royal Younger Brother personally appointed by the Emperor not too long ago.

Regardless of the weight of this title, it is a direkt validation from the Imperial Court. Logically speaking, he is indeed the godfather of the Second Prince.

In the Imperial Family, which highly values etiquette and respect for elders, this matter is especially significant. If the Second Prince shows even the slightest disrespect to his nominal elders, he will instantly be showered with a myriad of accusations.

"All titles were bestowed by His Majesty, and in actuality, the Second Prince is quite a bit older than I am," Chu Liang chuckled. "The next time we meet, I should be addressing him as my elder brother."

"You dare not call him that!" Uncle Tao immediately knelt on the ground, continuously saying, "I didn’t realize that it was Your Highness the Royal Younger Brother here. It was improper of me to interrupt your banquet. Please forgive my rudeness."

"Hey, what are you doing?" Chu Liang quickly extended his hand to help, "We, the martial arts folks, don’t really have such customs. Brother Tao, please stand up."

Oh dear.

Once he called him "brother," Uncle Tao was too scared to get up, let alone wishing he could lie on the ground forever.

You folks in the martial arts world may not mind such things but if those who muddle through the imperial court answer to that "brother," it’s likely they’ll be assigned to clean out rat holes in the cold palace the next day.

"I committed an unforgivable crime and shouldn’t have disturbed Your Highness. I will leave immediately and beg for your forgiveness," Uncle Tao confessed and groveled as he retreated—surprisingly agilely—swiftly crawling away from the entrance of the World Famous Chef Restaurant.

Chu Liang was rather stunned, thinking, good grief, I’ve encountered a professional here.

He, of course, did this deliberately.

Those who oppress others with money cower before those with more wealth. Those who bully others with status are afraid of those with higher ranks. A man reveres that which he relies on.

Therefore, when meeting those who come from the palace, there’s no need to argue with them, just simply ask, "Would you dare to respond if I address you as my brother?"

After Uncle Tao left, Xue Yipin’s disciple looked at Chu Liang in surprise, "I was not aware of your extraordinary identity, Warrior Chu."

Though Chu Liang’s identity as the Royal Younger Brother was announced by the Imperial Court, it wasn’t deliberately publicized. Therefore, it was normal for many people not to know about it.

"It’s merely a title," Chu Liang replied.

"Let’s quickly return and continue before the dishes get cold and affect the taste," the disciple named Li suggested hurriedly, "I will serve you the next courses."

"Great," Chu Liang responded with a smile, "Thanks in advance, Big Brother Li."

"Er..." the disciple hurriedly raised his hand, "You can just call me Little Li."

...

Aside from the minor interruption, the exquisite banquet was immensely satisfying. Due to the small number of patrons, Master Xue didn’t prepare many dishes. After tasting a few, the two decided to end their meal.

On the way back, Jiang Yuebai was visibly elated. Chu Liang, noticing her happiness, laughed and suggested, "You seem to have enjoyed our little adventure. Let’s visit more places and try foods we haven’t tasted before."

Jiang Yuebai paused for a moment, and then agreed, "Sounds good."

Upon their return, they found a messenger from the palace waiting for them. He had brought a letter.

Chu Liang glanced at the golden seal on the letter. It was very formal. After opening it, he saw that it was a letter from the Second Prince

The letter mentioned an invitation to a banquet arranged by the Second Prince at the Wangxian Tower in Tianjie. Various outstanding disciples from the celestial sects were invited, and the Prince sincerely hoped for Chu Liang’s presence.