Chapter 396: Birthday Feast

Chapter 396: The Birthday Feast

The Yang family’s birthday feast was set for the day after tomorrow, but by the next day, the courtyard had quieted down, no longer bustling with visitors as it had that night.

Zhao Changhe was diligently cramming, which was also a way to escape the battlefield of emotions, temporarily pondering the Return Spring Technique rather than being overwhelmed by the women.

But he underestimated these women—each was a dominant figure who prioritized important matters. Seeing him absorbed in medical studies, they did not disturb him.

Tang Wanzhuang was reading in her own courtyard, though whether she was truly reading, no one knew; Huangfu Qing claimed to be sleeping, driving away all the maids and servants arranged by the Yang family, but what she was actually doing, no one knew either.

Meanwhile, Cui Yuanyang went to the Wang family’s residence, cheerfully mingling as if she were a relative by marriage, fitting in perfectly.

Even though Wang Daozhong knew full well that this girl was no real in-law—every inch of her belonged to Zhao—he couldn’t openly throw her out and had to swallow his pride and force a smile.

In truth, what Wang Daozhong wanted most was to rush to Zhao Changhe’s courtyard and chop him down, but unfortunately, Zhao was a honored guest of the Yang family, and he couldn’t act recklessly, especially with Tang Wanzhuang standing guard—he couldn’t beat her either.

The more he thought about it, the angrier he got.

Even looking at this little rabbit, who should have been universally adored, Wang Daozhong lost his patience, choosing to avoid her entirely and hide in his room reading.

The world was quiet for a day, until the evening of the next day, when Yang Jingxiu’s birthday feast arrived.

In this world, those who could heal the soul were exceedingly rare—in fact, one could say there were none reliable at all. That was why Tang Wanzhuang’s illness had become a “terminal case” she herself had given up on.

From Tang Wanzhuang and Huangfu Qing’s perspective, Zhao Changhe had the Return Spring Technique, and though they didn’t know if it would work, at least there was a chance.

But others didn’t know this. According to reports, this kid had only started learning medicine from Tang Wanzhuang in Xiangyang a little over ten days ago…

The reason Zhao Changhe was invited to the feast was purely because his current identity carried significant weight, standing at the center of the storm. The Yang family had to treat him carefully, at least observing and interacting more.

He was genuinely invited to attend the birthday banquet, with no expectation that he could cure anyone.

In fact, arranging Zhao Changhe’s seat at the banquet was a headache—his status should have placed him in the hall for nobles and officials, in a high seat next to Huangfu Qing, but without revealing his identity, that couldn’t be arranged.

Given his publicly known identity, he could only be seated in the outer hall for martial artists, separate from the nobles. And while his ranking on the Human Roll was decent, it wasn’t enough for a high seat; being placed below other renowned martial elders might cause him to take offense…

Yang Bugui cautiously led Zhao Changhe to the outer hall, sneaking a glance to see him smiling without complaint, and breathed a sigh of relief: “Brother Zhao, please don’t mind the poor hospitality.”

Zhao Changhe laughed: “It’s more comfortable drinking and eating freely outside. Who wants to put on airs inside? Don’t worry about my seat—I’d rather squeeze in with the youngsters.”

Yang Bugui smiled: “That’s Brother Zhao’s nature… Reminds me of Langya back then, when Brother Zhao and Situ Xiao drank freely. Honestly, we felt a surge of excitement too—that’s the spirit of a true man.”

“Why keep praising me… Didn’t Situ come?”

“Can’t find him; no idea where he’s training. The Divine Phoenix Sect sent a representative instead. Over there…” Yang Bugui gestured with his eyes toward a dignified middle-aged man at the head of the hall: “Elder Shi of the Divine Phoenix Sect, ranked thirty on the Earth Roll.”

“The Divine Phoenix Sect truly lives up to its name as the strongest sect in the world.” Zhao Changhe glanced over, mentally calculating whether he could recruit the Divine Phoenix Sect to fight Maitreya… As for curing the Yang family’s illness, the Divine Phoenix Sect likely had no solution, since they focused on body forging and were weak in soul matters.

He said casually: “Mm… about what I mentioned the other day, you said you’d discuss it with your father. What’s the result?”

“Uh, Brother Zhao, our family does have some issues, and we’re grateful for your willingness to help, but this matter is beyond you. We appreciate the thought.” Yang Bugui lowered his voice: “Just for your goodwill, my father will definitely join the battle against Maitreya. Just set a time.”

Zhao Changhe smiled faintly: “Alright. Go attend to others; don’t stick with me.”

Yang Bugui apologized and took his leave. Zhao Changhe didn’t join Elder Shi’s table either, instead finding a table of young people to mix with. No one paid him much attention; all eyes were fixed through the courtyard on the inner hall, where Huangfu Qing sat in splendid attire at the honored guests’ table, with Tang Wanzhuang, her face frosty, seated below her.

Words like “spring orchids and autumn chrysanthemums each excelling in their own way” couldn’t begin to describe the scene.

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

It was as if the heavens themselves had crafted two perfect wonders and placed them together.

“I’ve heard people talk about the twin beauties of the capital ten years ago, competing with each other, a spectacle of the city… I thought they were exaggerating—how could it be that grand? Just two women, and they weren’t the type to vie for beauty, at most exchanging a few cold jabs. Who’d have thought it was as described?”

“Indeed. They don’t need to say a word; just sitting there, people arguing over who’s more beautiful could tear each other apart.”

“So who’s more beautiful?”

“I think the First Seat is. That pure, water-like elegance—the Imperial Consort falls slightly short.”

“I think the Imperial Consort is! That woman’s charm is breathtaking at a glance. What do you kids know?”

“First Seat!”

“Imperial Consort!”

Someone timidly said: “Wait, didn’t you see Cui Yuanyang below them? So cute, like a carved jade doll…”

The two arguing men sneered in unison: “Virgins, go sit with the dogs!”

Zhao Changhe: “…”

“Vote!” Someone brought a piece of paper to Zhao Changhe: “Brother, who do you vote for?”

Zhao Changhe looked: Tang Wanzhuang had four votes, Huangfu Qing four, Cui Yuanyang one.

“Single choice or multiple?” Zhao Changhe asked.

The crowd was stunned: “You want multiple?”

“No restrictions, right?” Zhao Changhe picked up the pen and checked all three: “I want them all.”

Why did you all have such clear aesthetic distinctions, making it a multiple-choice question?

Anyway, who cares who’s more beautiful? What’s it to you?

The crowd looked at him oddly: “Brother, what’s your name?”

“Oh, how do you know my name is Gao Daming?”

“???”

Chatting idly with the young martial artists and casually eating the lavish dishes, Zhao Changhe’s mind was already focused on the main hall. The advantage of the outer hall was that he didn’t have to be as formal as those inside, going through the whole birthday ritual that made one’s skin crawl and seat feel prickly. Tang Wanzhuang and Huangfu Qing were used to sitting still, but he wondered how the lively Yangyang could endure it.

After the tedious birthday ceremonies ended, family disciples entered one by one for martial arts demonstrations and paired competitions.

It was also a way for the Yang family to showcase their disciples’ strength to outsiders and give fame to the outstanding ones.

Watching the Yang youngsters clash with clanging sounds finally gave a hint of the martial world’s flavor—unlike the tedious nonsense earlier.

“Though top-tier talents are few… the Yang family’s younger generation isn’t bad,” someone whispered. “Yang Bugui, riding the wave of the last batch entering the Human Roll, is now third on the Hidden Dragon Roll, earning respect wherever he goes. And that’s not all—several branches of the Yang family have Hidden Dragon rankings of 180, 220, 230. Though low, the total number surpasses both the Cui and Wang families.”

Zhao Changhe watched the sparring and thought to himself that the Yang disciples generally seemed capable. Even Yang Qianyuan was highly skilled—a man who had single-handedly ventured into Kunlun and nearly become the Money Gang leader off that momentum.

From this sparring, it was clear the Yang disciples had solid fundamentals, likely due to the nature of Yang family martial arts—heavy, steadfast, and resolute. It might also stem from the family’s declining trend, giving the disciples a sense of crisis and driving them to work harder. This was better than the Cui family; take Cui Yuanyang, for instance—before they met, she was a slacker with no interest in training.

Another person said: “Old friend, your critique sounds so seasoned, one might think you’re a famous master…”

The man coughed twice and sighed: “My ranking has dropped recently… ashamed.”

The crowd showed respect: “So you’re a Hidden Dragon Roll master? Apologies for the rudeness. May I ask…”

“I used to be 212, but recently Blood Asura entered the Human Roll, so I should have moved up one spot, but instead I fell to 213.” The man sighed, but his eyes couldn’t hide his pride: “But it’s fitting—Miss Cui was once at that rank too, so we share a connection.”

Zhao Changhe spat out a mouthful of wine.

The man glanced sideways: “Brother Gao Daming here…”

Zhao Changhe waved a hand: “Ashamed, my ranking dropped too. I was first, now I’m down to forty-four.”

That didn’t sound like the Hidden Dragon Roll; more like an internal sect ranking. The man said irritably: “I’m talking about the Chaos Roll.”

“What a coincidence, so am I.”

“???”

Just then, the Yang family’s martial arts birthday demonstration ended. Yang Jingxiu was very pleased and said with a smile: “Buxiu, only fifteen, already at the fourth level of the Mystic Barrier, with strict swordsmanship and deep insight—truly a fine steed of our family. I grant you three days of meditation by the Lianshan Sword.”

The young man was overjoyed: “Thank you, Uncle.”

The Lianshan Sword had lost its spirit, yet he still granted others the chance to meditate beside it. This Old Yang went to great lengths to maintain the illusion that the divine sword was unharmed.

But from the guest seat, Wang Daozhong stroked his beard and said, "The Yang family’s young talents are many indeed… Brother Yang, in previous years there were sparring matches with guests. Do you have any such thoughts this year?"

Such events were indeed common, but not always held—it depended on the host’s wishes. Yang Jingxiu then said, "Brother Wang, do you mean to have the younger generation spar with us a little?"

Wang Daozhong laughed, "I was thinking of sparring among the guests… Opportunities for renowned masters to gather are rare; we should seize the occasion."

Yang Jingxiu smiled, "Brother Wang, who do you wish to spar with? With your strength, could it be that you want to exchange a few moves with Elder Shi?"

Wang Daozhong waved his hand, "Of course not me… My retainer, ranked forty-fifth on the Human List, and coincidentally the forty-fourth is here. He both admires and resents, wishing to challenge a little—wouldn't that make a fine tale?"

At Zhao Changhe’s table, everyone watched wide-eyed as a man with a sword walked up and bowed to "Gao Daming," saying, "Forty-fifth on the Human List, Thunder Sword Ding Ting, requests instruction from the Blood Asura."

The tableful of young people watched with twitching expressions as Zhao Changhe, gleefully gnawing on a chicken leg, sat there.

So you really did fall from first to forty-fourth… The Blood Asura Zhao Changhe, how could he be squeezed into a corner table in the outer hall like some wandering rogue, cheerfully munching a chicken leg, mouth greasy, and even voting with everyone on the beauty contest…

Cui Yuanyang is his fiancée, after all. Good thing everyone only praised her as pretty and cute earlier, with no disrespectful words.

Wait a moment… What did you mean by "check all that apply" just now?