Who Let Him Cultivate?! (WX)-Chapter 828: Battle of Riches

Though it was rather impolite, Lu Yang genuinely believed that Grandpa Meng’s education level might not be much higher than Man Gu’s.

They might even be on par.

“Then Meng Poci and Meng Poli... Never mind, I won’t ask.” Lu Yang felt that they were elders after all. It’d be discourteous of me to inquire about such matters. If Old Meng leaks too many secrets, the Meng Family might kick him out of the estate.

“What place is that over there?” Lu Yang pointed to a restricted room, guarded by a Meng Family elder at the entrance. It looked like a forbidden ground.

“Where the debt notes are stored. My dad told me that if all these could be cashed, they could buy half the imperial city.”

Lu Yang drew a sharp breath. No wonder it’s a forbidden ground. No amount of personnel guarding this place would be excessive.

“Not just debt notes are stored there. Our Meng Family has a mighty ability called ‘Borrowing Spell.’ When a cultivator at the Fusion Stage or above borrows money from us, they must not only leave a debt note but also lend us one of their techniques.

“Our family will then imprint that technique onto paper. In battle, we can replicate that person’s move.”

“So impressive.” Lu Yang hadn’t heard of anyone else knowing this mighty ability. It’s probably unique to the Meng Family.

Even the Everlasting Immortal Fairy shook her head, saying she hadn’t heard of it.

~~~

Meng Potian, the old horse, and Chief Steward Xu You gathered together. The three brothers hadn’t met for nearly six years and shared a casual drink in a side room.

The old horse lounged lazily on a wooden chair, using spells to bring the fresh grass from a plate to his mouth. His hoof held a wine cup, taking occasional sips.

“Old Horse, looking after little Zhou throughout the whole journey must have been tough.”

The old horse initially wanted to politely say it wasn’t tough, but recalling the six years of harrowing experiences, he simply couldn’t manage a carefree smile and utter the words “not tough.”

“Not tough—just a tough life.”

Meng Potian, “...”

I remember Old Horse used to be quite modest. Why has he become like this after acting as my son’s guardian?

“What do you think of the kid Lu Yang?” Meng Potian had a favorable impression of Lu Yang. He had seen many talented youths, but whether in terms of cultivation or character, none surpassed Lu Yang.

If Lu Yang and Little Yu take a fancy to each other, he can marry into the family.

The old horse’s eye twitched. Unpleasant memories flooded his mind as he suddenly recalled the scene where Lu Yang inadvertently resurrected the Everlasting Immortal Fairy.

“Let me put it this way. Your Meng Family’s debt notes can buy half the imperial city, right?”

“Yes.”

“His luck can destroy half the imperial city.”

~~~

“Shall we eat something delicious?” Meng Jingzhou asked.

Lu Yang was puzzled. “Haven’t we eaten during the welcome banquet? I thought it was quite tasty.”

“Those aren’t the tastiest. Those spirit dishes try to balance taste and effect, but you can’t have the best of both worlds, so they fall short compared to true delicacies. I’m taking you to the most delicious place in the imperial city.” After all, the imperial city was Meng Jingzhou’s turf. He wanted to fulfil his duty as host.

“Let’s go then.” Lu Yang grinned. He remembered that Yun Zhi liked sampling local cuisine wherever she went. If it was truly as delicious as Meng Jingzhou claimed, he could pack some to take away when leaving the imperial city.

Considering Meng Jingzhou’s reputation in the imperial city, where everyone knew him, the two donned masks as they left the Meng Estate.

The place Meng Jingzhou proposed was called the Heavenly Fragrance Restaurant, the most luxurious restaurant in the imperial city. There were even rumors that it had a Transcendent Tribulation spirit chef, though that spirit chef hadn’t personally cooked in decades.

Heavenly Fragrance Restaurant was teeming with people. Fortunately, Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou weren’t too late; there were still three empty tables remaining when they arrived. By the time they sat and ordered, the two remaining empty tables were also occupied.

“It really is delicious.” After the dishes were served, Lu Yang took a bite. Old Meng really didn’t lie. This is even better than what we ate at the Meng Estate.

“Of course. How could this young master have poor taste?” Meng Jingzhou was smug and eagerly dug in. He hadn’t eaten here in five or six years.

Perhaps those in the same profession were naturally at odds; the Everlasting Immortal Fairy turned her nose up at the dishes in Heavenly Fragrance Restaurant.

While Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou ate and discussed their next steps, they noticed some commotion at the restaurant entrance and couldn’t help but glance over.

A young man dressed in black, with an extraordinary bearing, walked in with his arm around a female companion, showing no regard for public decorum. Two guards followed behind him.

Lu Yang noticed the young man’s black robe was woven from dark gold silk spun by Ice-Mountain Silkworms, impervious to water and fire, and invulnerable to blades and spears; it was extremely rare. Even in the imperial city that was teeming with descendants of officials, few had the right to wear such clothing.

“No more seats?” The young man frowned. The restaurant was too crowded, with not even a single empty seat remaining.

He walked directly to one of the tables and stared down at the patrons sitting there. “This spot is taken by this young master now. Get lost.”

That table’s patrons seemed to realize the young man wasn’t to be trifled with. They hastily lowered their heads in affirmation and vacated the spot.

The young man glanced at the relatively simple dishes on Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou’s table and sneered. “Paupers shouldn’t come here.”

Then he beckoned. “Waiter, bring me a pot of Hundred-Year Divine Immortal Brew!”

Hearing the young man’s tone, the other diners were startled.

A regular pot of Divine Immortal Brew cost as much as a small family’s annual income in the imperial city. A century-old vintage’s value was unimaginably high. Even though the restaurant’s clientele was wealthy or noble, few could order the hundred-year version.

Seeing the young man’s extravagance, his female companion’s beautiful eyes sparkled. She pressed herself closer to him, deliberately rubbing her chest against his arm.

Meng Jingzhou snorted coldly. I’ve never seen anyone flaunting their wealth right in front of me.

As for flaunting a female companion, that’s going even more overboard.

He immediately beckoned the waiter. “Bring this young master a pot of Hundred-Year Divine Immortal Brew as well.”

The young man pretended as if he hadn’t heard Meng Jingzhou and continued ordering. “Cloud-Mist Steamed Spirit Fish, ten-year aged. One year less and I’ll tear your restaurant down!”

Meng Jingzhou ordered in a similar fashion, not even looking at the price. “Waiter, one Cloud-Mist Steamed Spirit Fish, ten-year aged.”

The young man glanced at Meng Jingzhou. An unfamiliar face—probably a foreign cultivator coming to the imperial city to seek connections. He sneered and deliberately ordered expensive dishes. “Blanched Five-Elements Spirit Vegetables, Red-Braised Sun-Crowing Chicken, Supreme Clarity Soul-Refining Porridge...”

“We’ll also have Blanched Five-Elements Spirit Vegetables, Red-Braised Sun-Crowing Chicken, Supreme Clarity Soul-Refining Porridge...”

Meng Jingzhou hadn’t originally wanted to order these. Although they were highly nutritious, their taste didn’t compare to what he initially ordered. But I don’t mind playing along with this young man.

Whatever dish the young man ordered, Meng Jingzhou ordered the same, without backing down an inch. The young man no longer felt the unique sense of superiority above the masses and instead felt that he had lost face in front of his female companion. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

He slammed the table. “Waiter, let me ask you, what is the most expensive thing here?!”

The waiter hesitated, then cautiously said, “Honored guest, the most expensive thing here is our rent.”