Chapter 828: Battle of Wealth

Although it lacked proper manners, Lu Yang genuinely felt that Grandfather Meng's cultural refinement might not be much higher than that of Mangu, and perhaps they were even on par with each other.

"Then never mind Meng Poci and Meng Peli, I shall not ask further." Lu Yang felt that he was an elder after all, so there was no need to inquire about such an overly impolite matter, lest Old Meng leak too many secrets and the Meng family kick Old Meng out of the residence.

"What kind of place is that?" Lu Yang pointed toward a room covered in restrictive seals, with an elder of the Meng family standing guard at the entrance, resembling a forbidden ground.

"The place where IOUs are stored."

"My father told me that if all those IOUs could be cashed in, they could buy half of the Imperial City."

Lu Yang gasped. No wonder it was a forbidden ground; no amount of manpower would be excessive to guard this place. "It is not just IOUs. Our Meng family possesses a divine technique called 'Borrowing the Law.' When cultivators at the Integration stage or above borrow money from us, they must not only leave an IOU but also lend us one of their signature moves."

"Our family will replicate that technique onto paper, and if we encounter a battle, we can manifest that person's move."

"How impressive." It was likely a unique divine technique of the Meng family, as Lu Yang had never heard of anyone else possessing it.

Even the Immortal Fairy shook her head, saying she had never heard of it. Meng Potian, Old Ma, and the Chief Steward Xu You gathered together; the three brothers had not sat down together in nearly six years, and they were now sharing a light drink in a side room.

Old Ma reclined lazily on a wooden chair, utilizing a spell to deliver the green grass from the plate to his mouth, his hoof gripping the wine cup as he took intermittent sips.

"Old Ma, it has been hard on you taking care of Xiaozhou all along the way."

Old Ma originally wanted to be polite and claim it was no trouble, but when he recalled the terrifying experiences of the past six years, he simply could not smile nonchalantly and utter those words.

"It was not hard, just a hard life."

Meng Potian:

He remembered Old Ma used to be quite humble. How did he become like this after serving as his son's Dao protector for a while?

"What do you think of the child Lu Yang?" Meng Potian had a good impression of Lu Yang. He had seen many young talents, but none could match Lu Yang in either cultivation or character.

If Lu Yang and Xiaoyu could catch each other's eye, marrying into the bride's family would not merely be a jest.

Old Ma's eyelid twitched as unpleasant memories flooded his mind, suddenly recalling the scene where Lu Yang had inadvertently resurrected the Immortal Fairy.

"Let me put it this way. Your Meng family's IOUs can buy half of the Imperial City, correct?"

"Correct."

"His luck can destroy half of the Imperial City."

"Do you want to eat something delicious?" Meng Jingzhou inquired.

Lu Yang was puzzled: "Did we not already eat during the welcoming feast? I felt it was quite delicious?"

"Those were not the most delicious. Those spiritual foods pursue both flavor and efficacy, but one cannot have both, so they are a bit lacking compared to true delicacies. The place I am taking you to is the finest dining spot in the Imperial City." Since the Imperial City was his own domain anyway, Meng Jingzhou wanted to fulfill his duties as a host.

"Then let us go," Lu Yang smiled. He recalled that his Eldest Senior Sister liked to taste local delicacies whenever she visited a place. If it truly was as delicious as Meng Jingzhou boasted, he could pack a portion to take away when leaving the Imperial City.

Considering Meng Jingzhou's formidable reputation in the Imperial City, where everyone recognized him, the two of them consciously put on masks when leaving the Meng residence.

The place Meng Jingzhou spoke of was called Tianxiang Inn, the most luxurious restaurant in the Imperial City.

There were even rumors that Tianxiang Inn possessed a spiritual chef at the Tribulation Transmutation stage, though that spiritual chef had not prepared a dish for decades.

Tianxiang Inn was packed with people. Fortunately, Lu Yang and his companion did not arrive too late; there were still three empty tables left when they arrived.

By the time they sat down and finished ordering, the other two empty tables were already occupied.

"It is indeed delicious." After the dishes were served, Lu Yang tasted a portion with his chopsticks. Old Meng really had not lied; this was much better than what they ate at the Meng residence.

"Of course, could this young master's taste be low?" Meng Jingzhou was triumphant and also could not wait to begin eating, as he had not tasted it for five or six years.

Perhaps due to professional rivalry, the Immortal Fairy held the food of Tianxiang Inn in utter disdain.

While Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou were eating and casually discussing their next steps, the two noticed a slight commotion at the entrance of the restaurant and could not help but turn their heads to look.

They saw a remarkable young man dressed in black walking in with his female companion, completely disregarding public decorum, with two guards following behind him.

Lu Yang noticed that the black clothing the youth wore was woven from dark gold silk spun by ice mountain celestial silkworms, impervious to water, fire, blades, and spears, making it extremely rare.

Even in the Imperial City, which was teeming with children of officials, very few people were qualified to wear such attire.

"No places left?" The youth frowned. The restaurant was too crowded, without a single empty table remaining.

He walked straight to one of the tables and stared down imperiously at the guests seated there.

"This young master is taking this place, beat it."

That table of guests seemed to recognize that the youth was not one to be provoked, so they hurriedly lowered their heads in agreement and relinquished their seats.

Catching sight of the relatively simple dishes on Meng Jingzhou's table, the youth sneered: "Paupers should not come here."

He then gestured to the waiter: "Waiter, bring a flask of century-old Immortal Drunk!"

Hearing the youth's casual tone, the diners were visibly startled.

A flask of ordinary Immortal Drunk was equivalent to a year's income for an ordinary family in the Imperial City, and if it were century-old Immortal Drunk, its value would be unimaginably high.

Even though those who frequented the restaurant were either wealthy or noble, those who could order century-old Immortal Drunk were still a minority.

Seeing the youth's extravagance, his female companion's beautiful eyes shone with admiration, and she leaned closer, deliberately pressing her chest against the youth's arm.

Meng Jingzhou snorted coldly; he had never seen anyone flaunt wealth right in front of him.

As for flaunting a female companion, that was even more excessive.

He immediately called out to the waiter as well: "Bring this young master a flask of century-old Immortal Drunk as well."

The youth acted as if he had not heard Meng Jingzhou's words and continued to order dishes: "Cloud Mist Steamed Spiritual Fish, it must be of the ten-year variety, if it lacks even a single year I will tear down your restaurant!"

Meng Jingzhou ordered dishes in an identical fashion without even glancing at the prices: "Waiter, bring a portion of Cloud Mist Steamed Spiritual Fish, the ten-year variety."

The youth glanced at Meng Jingzhou. Seeing a unfamiliar face, he merely assumed it was a cultivator from out of town looking for opportunities in the Imperial City. He sneered and specifically chose the expensive items to order: "Blanched Five Elements Spiritual Vegetables, Braised Sun-Crying Chicken, Taiqing Soul-Refining Porridge..."

"We will also have the Blanched Five Elements Spiritual Vegetables, Braised Sun-Crying Chicken, and Taiqing Soul-Refining