Dawnless Sovereign-Chapter 144 (3): Fang Ches Bliss

Inside the courtyard, An Ruoxing, Zhao Shanhe, and Old Man Shen were playing Go.

It was mostly An Ruoxing and Zhao Shanhe who were playing.

Old Man Shen was a terrible Go player, and he had resigned himself to watching after being absolutely decimated on the board by Zhao Shanhe.

However, he was not content to serve as a quiet and respectful observer.

"You are trash, Old Man Zhao! This is horrendous!"

"Brilliant, Old Man An! You've really backed him into a corner now!"

Zhao Shanhe was growing more annoyed by the second, finding it almost impossible to focus with Old Man Shen constantly yapping away.

"Can you shut up?!"

"Why? I'm just stating my observations. You can't handle the truth?"

Zhao Shanhe was furious, but he couldn't bear to pass up the opportunity to play Go here.

There was a grove of Dream Go Flowers right beside the Go board, so playing Go here was conducive to helping one reach enlightenment in the Great Dao.

Finally, Fang Che returned, and Ye Meng emerged from inside.

However, all four of them were then stunned by the sight of the huge crowd of people Fang Che had returned with.

"These are all my opponents for tomorrow. Everyone, this is Southeastern Chief Supervisor Zhao Shanhe, his deputy, An Ruoxing, and this is my teacher, Shen Zhixuan of White Cloud Warrior Academy. And uh, that's my wife, Ye Meng."

Feng Xiangdong and the others immediately respectfully greeted Zhao Shanhe and the others one by one.

Even though they came from top-tier clans like the Feng, Yu, and Xue Clans, they were still juniors, so they had to pay their respects to important officials like Zhao Shanhe, particularly when they were staying in Bing Qianshan's residence.

Zhao Shanhe and An Ruoxing nodded at everyone in acknowledgment, then returned their attention to the game at hand.

With so many people present, Old Man Shen also became much quieter and more subdued.

As Fang Che's teacher, he didn't want to come across as a rude and uncultured old fart in front of his friends, so he was just going to have to let Zhao Shanhe off the hook for now.

***

Ye Meng had a rather shy and hapless look on her face as she extended a curtsey and greeted everyone.

The group then made their way to another part of the courtyard to give the three seniors some privacy, and in doing so, they discovered that the trio at the Go board suddenly felt a long distance away.

Only then did they come to realize that there was a spatial array in the courtyard, so no matter how much noise they made, the three seniors wouldn't be able to hear anything.

"Why're you all being so quiet and awkward all of a sudden? Didn't you want to come and see my wife?"

"Your wife is too beautiful, Boss Fang. We feel too anxious to speak to her," Tan Dashi said with a fawning smile, and everyone nodded in agreement.

"This is the first time we've ever seen someone so beautiful!"

"You're a lucky man, Boss Fang."

"I fear it's going to be next to impossible for me to find a wife now that I've seen Boss Fang's wife," Meng Wuhen sighed.

"Honestly, I kinda understand those ten troublemakers now. I'm not saying I agree with what they did, but I see where they were coming from," Yu Zhongkuang chuckled.

Everyone immediately began nodding in agreement once again, and Ye Meng was left blushing profusely by their flattery.

The wine and dishes were quickly laid out.

"Would Chief Supervisor Zhao and the others like to join us?" Feng Xiangdong asked.

"I'll go ask," Fang Che volunteered.

"I'll pass," Old Man Shen said. "This is a gathering for you young people. Not only would the three of us be out of place, all of you would also feel very awkward. Just bring us some wine and food and the three of us will have a drink over here. Make sure to bring a lot of wine! I'm going to drink Zhao Shanhe to death tonight!"

"Have you not heard of my title? I am the southeastern god of wine! Come at me!" Zhao Shanhe snapped.

Fang Che brought over a heaping pile of jars of wine, and Old Man Shen immediately sealed his own spirit power away before turning to Zhao Shanhe with a provocative look.

"I ain't scared of you!" Zhao Shanhe yelled as he sealed away his own spirit power as well.

However, as soon as he did this, Old Man Shen immediately pounced on him and punched him right in the eye.

"Ha! What a gullible fool you are!"

With their spirit power sealed away, the playing field had been equaled, giving Old Man Shen a chance to pounce.

He straddled Zhao Shanhe as he gleefully rained down a barrage of punches, determined to take full advantage of this opportunity.

Zhao Shanhe was furious as he retaliated with all his might, but he was trying to maintain a dignified image, while Old Man Shen had no such qualms, fighting as dirty and shameless as he pleased.

He first punched Zhao Shanhe in the eyes, making his eyelids swell up to obstruct his vision, following which he kicked Zhao Shanhe several times in the groin.

The two began rolling around on the ground like a pair of amateur grapplers, while An Ruoxing heaved an exasperated sigh as he began eating and drinking on his own.

***

"What's going on over there?" Tan Dashi asked.

"Don't worry about them, they're just having a bit of fun."

Fang Che returned to join the other Kings, and the wine quickly began to flow, as did the conversation.

"All of the King tier representatives are men?" Ye Meng exclaimed. "There's not even a single woman among you?"

"Yep, it's an all-male lineup this time," Xue Wanren confirmed. "I heard there was supposed to be a very strong female candidate, but she only recently made a breakthrough to the ninth-rank King tier, and the breakthrough apparently wasn't very smooth, so she chose not to take part in the selection trials as a safety precaution. If she had chosen to participate, then one of us most likely wouldn't be here now."

"It's very rare to see outstanding female warriors at this tier," Feng Xiangdong explained. "Perhaps there are some who will reach higher heights than us in the future, but right now, us male warriors generally have the advantage over our female counterparts."

"Why is that?" Ye Meng asked.

"According to our seniors, it's because girls are generally a little less stable in the ten-year period between sixteen to twenty-five years of age. They dream more, have more desires, and are more easily distracted. It's just human nature, so it's unavoidable. Hence, when it comes to exceptional female prodigies in prominent clans, there's often an emphasis placed on mental cultivation.

"This is why female prodigies from major clans are generally all very proud and haughty. It's no coincidence. Instead, that's simply how they were raised. As long as they believe themselves to be above all men, they'll be less susceptible to being distracted by romantic attraction. As a result, they'll often have extremely high standards when it comes to choosing future spouses for themselves, and it's very often the case that they end up single for life, but it can't be helped.

"The continent needs powerful warriors, and the prodigies of the major clans benefit the most from the continent's resources, so they need to make the necessary sacrifices. It's often the case that the more aptitude a woman possesses, the more the trajectories of their lives are altered from a young age. For a female warrior, the more exceptional they are in terms of background, looks, cultivation base, and aptitude, the likelier they are to be single for life. It's honestly a little sad, but it is what is."

"It's not necessarily a sad thing. Everyone has their pursuit in life, and the welfare of the continent is much more important than personal romance," Fang Che disagreed.

"You're one to talk!" everyone sneered. "Is that why you married such a beautiful wife at just eighteen?"

"Then what about the female warriors with more mediocre aptitude?" Ye Meng asked.

"They generally get married somewhere between sixteen and twenty-eight years of age," Feng Xiangdong replied.

"In that case, my aptitude must be very mediocre indeed," Ye Meng said with an amused smile.

"No, no, no, that's what I meant!" Feng Xiangdong hurriedly said, but everyone immediately pounced on him at once.

"How dare you, Feng Xiangdong! You just called Boss Fang's wife mediocre! You need to be punished!"

Feng Xiangdong was forced to guzzle down one cup of wine after another, leaving him dazed and inebriated.

Never had he imagined that he would fall into such an inexplicable trap.

"You got me, Boss Wife!" Feng Xiangdong conceded in a woozy manner after finally completing his punishment.

"Here, have one more," Ye Meng said with a smile as she raised her cup to him, instantly making him the subject of envy for everyone.

This was an immense honor, and Feng Xiangdong hurriedly downed one more cup of wine.

"Thank you, Boss Wife!"

Everyone else immediately began requesting to drink with Ye Meng as well, and they were all very envious of Fang Che.

***

The gathering continued late into the night, and Ye Meng only had some food and a few cups of wine before retiring to her room, leaving Fang Che to continue drinking with the others.

A smart woman always knew her place, and she knew when to be present and when to fade into the background.

For a home gathering, the hostess can make an appearance to make everyone feel welcome and support her husband, but if she continued to drink late into the night with a bunch of other men, then that would be seen as inappropriate and unchaste.

Hence, Ye Meng only stayed for a short while before leaving the table.

Most of the other Kings had come from prominent clans and been trained in etiquette, so they were aware of Ye Meng's considerations, and all of them became even more envious of Fang Che.

Ye Meng was beautiful, smart, capable... Where had Fang Che found such a fine wife?

Everyone began forcing cups of wine down his throat in order to vent their envy and frustration.