Chapter 107: Chapter 99: Reunion Banquet, Feng Bei’s First Time

"Ah..."

Qing Shisan crouched on the rooftop, using a whistle to dismiss the hidden sentries nearby.

’Can’t have the Master’s secrets exposed, can I?’

Exhaling a puff of smoke, Qing Shisan personally witnessed the scene: Master Zheng leading a blindfolded, shy girl into the room on four separate occasions.

Qing Shisan was filled with emotion. A faint, bittersweet joy gleamed in his squinted eyes. It was the same satisfaction one feels watching their own son succeed with a girl for the first time.

As a retired old Ghostwriter, Qing Shisan had weathered countless storms and rarely showed his true feelings. To be able to grin so lewdly on a rooftop clearly meant that right now, Qing Pi was genuinely, from the bottom of his heart, happy for Master Zheng.

As the saying goes, a man only truly grows up after he starts a family and takes a woman. After all, it’s only then that he’s stained with the scent of blood and flesh, and with it, a killer’s aura.

’No wonder Master Zheng seemed so murderous today. Four times the flesh and four times the blood would naturally make his killing intent ferocious.’

’Our Master Zheng has finally, truly grown up. Now he’s earned the title of "Master" in every sense of the word.’

Qing Shisan clenched his fists and closed his eyes. The corners of his eyes grew moist, glistening with tears of profound relief.

Although it seemed Qing Shisan had misunderstood something, he was indeed guarding the courtyard for Zheng Xiu, taking on all responsibility by himself.

FWEEP FWEEP FWEEP—

Whistles echoed from the distance. Several courtyards away, Ji Hong’ou was glaring murderously at Qing Shisan, who was blatantly slacking off.

Qing Shisan pointed helplessly down below, then blew a few notes back.

Ji Hong’ou’s expression shifted from surprise, to disbelief, then to bashfulness. Finally, she spat lightly and muttered, "Hmph. Men."

She didn’t press the matter further. The "truth" behind the quiet disappearance of Zizi, Bobo, Pingping, and Lily was finally clear. Blushing, she could only whistle a few notes, her meaning clear: ’You need to hurry the Master along. Don’t let him be late for the reunion dinner.’

Qing Shisan whistled back: ’How would I dare rush him? Even for the Master, what should take half a shichen will surely be dragged out to a full one. And if it’s supposed to be one shichen, he’ll drag it to two. A man has his pride. You’re a woman, don’t be so thoughtless. Besides, the Master is facing four opponents. He’s clearly at a disadvantage. He can’t afford to be hasty, lest he fail to defeat his foes and suffer humiliation instead.’

Ji Hong’ou couldn’t out-whistle Qing Shisan. Flushed and red-faced, she could only leap off the roof and hurry away.

While Qing Shisan and Ji Hong’ou were trading whistles in broad daylight...

Zheng Xiu was marveling at how good the dungeon’s soundproofing was.

"It’s done!"

The moment the four women opened their eyes, they saw a grim, kinky dungeon.

In an instant, the Concept of a "prison" seemed to become deeply ingrained in their minds.

This was the so-called "first impression," further fermented by the atmosphere of unease that had brewed during their long wait of two hours while blindfolded.

Even if they later realized Master Zheng was just messing with them, they would still perceive it as a "dungeon" of some sort, not just a simple "room."

Master Zheng released them from their shackles one by one.

The cold shackles had left faint red marks on their delicate wrists and ankles.

"My apologies for the trouble." To prevent any misunderstanding, Zheng Xiu spoke in a serious tone. "Don’t worry, I’ll pay you extra."

"You..." Pingping was about to ask if being locked up in prison had done something to the Master’s head, but Zizi, her eyes shining, fidgeted and asked, "Master, could you... shackle me for a little longer?"

Zheng Xiu was stunned.

He suspected he might have accidentally unlocked a new fetish for Zizi.

Zheng Xiu felt this was not a good development. He fended them off with a string of strange excuses like, "Don’t misunderstand," "It’s nothing," "I’m not that kind of person," "I was just testing the soundproofing," "Just checking if the shackles were secure," and "Seeing if the stool was uncomfortable to sit on." Besides, the feast was about to start.

In the main courtyard of the Zheng Family estate, nine whole tables were set. The guests had long been seated, and the tantalizing aroma of a dazzling array of delicacies wafted from the tables.

Jars of aged wine were unsealed, their rich fragrance filling the air.

Pork, lamb, chicken, duck, fish, seafood, game, mountain herbs, and fowl—not a single flavor was missing.

On the head table in the main hall, there were even more exquisite dishes: Crystal Dragon and Phoenix Cake, Jade Dew Dumplings, Crimson Fragrance, Longevity Porridge, Eight Immortals Platter, Little Heaven Crisps, Threshold Fragrance, and more.

There simply wasn’t enough space on the reunion tables.

Zheng Xiu had somehow managed to turn this reunion dinner into a super-luxurious buffet.

It was no exaggeration to say that with Chef He from the Fragrant Pavilion personally at the helm, the Zheng Family’s menu tonight would not be outshone even by the imperial cuisine of the deep palace.

"Where did you all go?"

Zheng Erniang asked suspiciously, looking at the four girls with their varying expressions and flushed faces.

"We..."

Pingping secretly glanced at the Master, who was calmly greeting guests, unsure how to answer.

Beside her, Jing Xuemei said calmly, "The Master said he hadn’t been home in a long time and wanted us to accompany him for a walk in the garden."

"Is that so? You certainly took your time strolling!" Zheng Erniang stared at Zheng Xiu with a smirk. Zheng Xiu turned back and smiled. "Yes, it’s been a long time since I’ve been home. I was just walking around and accidentally took a few extra steps."

’Yeah, right.’

’Others might not know, but how could she, Zheng Erniang, not understand?’

Her gaze drifted over the four girls’ faces, her expression thoughtful.

In any case, after all the commotion, everyone was left with their own harmless misunderstandings.

Tonight was New Year’s Eve, and many people had been invited to the Zheng Family’s reunion banquet.

This was an old tradition for the Zheng Family. In previous years, those who could attend the reunion banquet were either wealthy merchants from the city or high-ranking officials. Business deals were to be settled at the dinner table, and Zheng Xiu had always been well-versed in this game.

This year’s guest list was slightly different from previous years. For Zheng Xiu, his focus was no longer purely on business.

Ji Hong’ou had secretly taken her leave from Qing Shisan not long ago, saying she had to go home and cook.

A bashful Pei Gaoya arrived at the Zheng Family estate with the Madam he so ardently cherished day and night. He carried several exquisite small gifts, saying he couldn’t come empty-handed.

Yan Jiji, who had worked so hard to build the super-luxurious pleasure dungeon for Zheng Xiu, sat at a table with the nine Skillful Hands. He secretly came up to ask Zheng Xiu if he was satisfied.

Scarface Liu had also taken a seat with several of his brothers. They were on duty and had planned to just slip away. But in the end, Zheng Xiu insisted they stay for the banquet. The men from Heaven-Gazing Prison, including Scarface Liu, were overwhelmed by the honor. One even wailed, "Mother, I’ve finally made it!" They all declared that if Master Zheng ever went to prison again, they would take meticulous care of him and never let him suffer the slightest grievance.

Yue Yan was only Yue Yan when she wore the Star Concealing Cloud Sleeve Robe of Ye Weiyang. Without it, she was just Xi’er, the "Head Tailor of Zheng’s Cloth Shop." She had also secretly come tonight. A free meal from Master Zheng was not one to be passed up.

What made things awkward for her, however, was that she happened to be seated right next to Ye Weiyang’s Sister Bi Shui and the young Dou Xie. She had never imagined she’d be at the same table as colleagues from her part-time profession. She could only hint that they seemed to have mistaken her for someone else. Watching Xi’er tell such a bald-faced lie, Dou Xie was so annoyed he immediately flipped to a blank page in his book and furiously scribbled the word "Shameless" over and over.

As for Ye Weiyang’s formidable Bi Shui, she was the one who had saved Zheng Erniang. Zheng Xiu had Qing Shisan write an invitation and deliver it to Bi Shui Mansion, and Bi Shui had gladly accepted. Incidentally, the young Dou Xie was all alone, his facial injury not yet healed, the swelling still present under a poultice. Bi Shui took pity on him and brought him along to fill a seat and see the world. After taking her seat, Bi Shui’s sharp, upturned phoenix eyes scanned the area, as if searching for someone.

Jiang Gaoyi and Madam Jiang arrived fashionably late. They were dressed in stately, dark blue embroidered brocade robes with jade-inlaid belts at their waists. Hand in hand, they looked as dignified and serene as an old immortal couple. It was as if Mr. and Mrs. Jiang weren’t there for a meal, but to attend Zheng Xiu’s wedding banquet, showing just how much importance they placed on his invitation.

"Congratulations, Master Zheng!"

Jiang Gaoyi took one look at the scene, which was filled with people from all walks of life. He even recognized Prison Director Scarface Liu, the Imperial City’s Top Divine Hunter Guo Zifei, and a Constellation from Ye Weiyang. Jiang Gaoyi marveled internally, ’The Marquis Zhonglie is truly worthy of his title. To host such a lively and grand reunion dinner!’ He immediately offered his congratulations.

Zheng Xiu had no idea what on earth Jiang Gaoyi was congratulating him for. He could only sigh to himself, ’Lord Jiang, having stepped onto the Path of the [Official], is starting to say things normal people can’t understand.’ With a welcoming smile, he guided him to the seat of honor, treating him as a distinguished guest.

Usually, Zheng Xiu just paid others to handle things, but for today’s Zheng Family banquet, he had to see to matters personally. After buzzing around each table like a busy little bee, Zheng Xiu finally came to the last one and was surprised to find Feng Bei sitting there all alone. Not far away, the orange cat Xiaofeng lay on its back before a dozen empty golden basins, its two paws holding its bulging belly. It was hiccuping with its eyes closed, clearly stuffed to the gills.

"Why is Feng Bei sitting alone?"

Zheng Xiu glanced back at the other guests, then back at the silent Feng Bei, who was waiting for the meal to begin. The boisterous atmosphere of the other eight tables and the desolation around Feng Bei were like two different worlds, one black and one white, one warm and one cold.

After a moment’s thought, Zheng Xiu understood. No matter how friendly the others might act toward Feng Bei on the surface, in reality, they didn’t dare get close to her. Perhaps even Feng Bei herself couldn’t control her Omen, so she deliberately kept her distance from everyone, resulting in this scene.

Zheng Xiu hesitated, wondering if he should sit at Feng Bei’s table to save her from the awkwardness.

But he was currently "Zheng Xiu," not "Zheng Shan" and certainly not "Zheng Er." He couldn’t risk revealing himself.

Just then, after taking her seat, Zizi asked in confusion, "Oh, right! Where’s the Young Master? He’s not coming home again tonight? That doesn’t make any sense!"

SWISH! SWISH! SWISH! Numerous gazes turned toward Feng Bei.

Normally, when the Young Master stayed out all night, it was because he was fooling around with Feng Bei. With Feng Bei here tonight, where could the Young Master have gone to fool around?

Hearing the chatter from Zizi and the others, Zheng Xiu slapped his thigh. He secretly whispered a few words to Zheng Erniang, asking her to cover for him, then slipped into the dungeon in the main building.

Zheng Erniang didn’t even have time to process what she was supposed to be covering for as she watched Zheng Xiu dash away in a blur.

He flicked the mechanism shut with a backhand motion, sealing the entrance, and entered the Heart Prison.

Behind Zheng Xiu, a young boy’s figure materialized from illusion into reality.

Main account logged off, alt account online.

Zheng Er emerged. When people saw the Young Master, they all urged him to hurry and see his father. Zheng Xiu just gave a vague response, "No rush, no rush. Dad’s still alive, it’s not like I can’t see him whenever." Pushing through the crowd of people who swarmed him, Zheng Xiu plopped down right next to Feng Bei.

Feng Bei looked at the boy beside her, surprised.

At the reunion table, only she and Zheng Er were seated.

"Time to eat, time to eat! This Young Master is hungry!"

Zheng Xiu shouted, winking at a dumbfounded Zheng Erniang.

’He can just switch like that?’

Zheng Erniang grumbled inwardly. ’Even now, you’re still deliberately changing into a child’s form just to get close to Feng Bei?’

’What’s so great about that Feng Bei, anyway?’

Though she was muttering to herself, Zheng Erniang was, after all, Zheng Erniang. She understood the bigger picture. She announced that the Master was having some stomach trouble and would be along shortly, so everyone should start eating first.

Feng Bei held her chopsticks, staring blankly at the back of the boy’s head.

At the reunion table, there were only the two of them.

After a moment of silence, Feng Bei smiled faintly. She picked up a tender piece of braised pork and placed it in the boy’s bowl.

"Since you’re hungry, eat up."

Feng Bei said softly.

"Alrighty!"

Zheng Xiu picked up his bowl, opened his mouth wide, and prepared to dig in.

What he didn’t know was that this was the first time in her entire life that Feng Bei had ever put food in someone else’s bowl.