Chapter 829: Meng Jingzhou's Prestige

"Who said anything about rent!" the youth roared in fury. "Why would I care about your rent? What use could I possibly have for this wretched building?" The tavern waiter, evidently terrified by the youth’s grand posture, began to stammer through his words.

"Es—Esteemed guest, you didn't ask clearly, and I... I didn't know you couldn't afford it."

"You!"

The youth's loud commotion quickly drew the attention of the surrounding diners.

"Isn't that Li Zhuo, the Left Prime Minister's youngest grandson?"

"He's the one known as one of the Imperial City's Four Young Masters. I heard the Left Prime Minister dotes on this youngest grandson of his above all others."

"Good heavens, wouldn't the fellow competing in wealth with Li Zhuo be in for terrible luck then?"

"Who says otherwise? In the Imperial City, who dares to steal Li Zhuo's spotlight?"

"And that tavern waiter, he's probably bound for a wretched fate as well."

Lu Yang, not entirely familiar with the prices in the Imperial City, asked from the side with curiosity, "Is the rent at Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion very expensive? Why does he look like he can't pay it?"

Meng Jingzhou let out a bored yawn from beside him. "A penniless ghost, perfectly understandable. It's nothing more than bloating one's face to appear fat, trying to save face in front of his female companion. He tightens his belt, and the money for a flask of wine and a few small dishes comes out, but this rent—even if he snapped his waist trying, he couldn't produce it. Waiter, I shall pay a year's rent on behalf of your Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion!"

The tavern waiter rejoiced upon hearing this, rushing over to serve Meng Jingzhou's table, kneading his shoulders and pounding his legs. "Many thanks, esteemed guest!"

Li Zhuo's face flushed red and white by turns. He was a man who prized face above all else, ostentatious in his ways, and had never stumbled like this before.

He could even sense that the glances of those who recognized his identity, who originally held him in awe, had begun to change.

He swiftly calculated how many spirit stones he could muster up. "Is a year's rent such a great matter? I shall pay two years' rent on behalf of Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion!"

The tavern waiter was overjoyed, scurrying over to Li Zhuo's side to knead his shoulders and pound his legs with well-practiced movements. "Three years," Meng Jingzhou said lazily, without so much as lifting an eyelid; to him, this was but pocket change. The tavern waiter immediately defected back to Meng Jingzhou's side. "Three and a half... Four years!" Li Zhuo truly lacked the courage to pull out so many spirit stones, but the thought of adding a mere half-year felt like a blow to his momentum, so he threw in another half-year.

"Five years, and additionally, everyone's consumption today goes on my tab," Meng Jingzhou remarked casually. He was eating happily today, and intended to spend his wealth however he pleased.

The tavern waiter dashed back and forth, wishing he could cleave his own body to massage both golden patrons simultaneously.

Li Zhuo was so furious he wanted to spit curses. Where did this nouveau riche come from? Once this matter was over and he investigated the other party's identity, that person shouldn't dream of concluding a single piece of business in the Imperial City!

"Six years!"

He narrowed his eyes, staring at Meng Jingzhou's detestable face. "Wait a moment. I can produce this many spirit stones, but can you?"

"Since you shouted five years just now, you need to prove you actually possess that many spirit stones!"

Meng Jingzhou let out a soft laugh. "To say nothing of five years' rent, even six years' rent is well within my means. I am merely too lazy to contend with you."

"You said it yourself!" Li Zhuo refused to believe it. For the other party to produce so many spirit stones at once would be an immense pressure, even for himself.

"Go summon the Meng family to collect the rent!" Li Zhuo commanded his guard. Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion was a Meng family property. He also had the guard return home to fetch some spirit stones, as he did not have enough on hand. Within moments, the grand steward Xu You arrived. In the past, it was always he who came to Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion to collect the rent. Li Zhuo painfully drew out a storage ring and handed it to Xu You. This was six years' rent that he had patched together from every corner; if his father and grandfather learned of his actions today, they would likely fly into a thunderous rage.

But no matter, it was enough so long as he could vent this foul grievance now.

Xu You used his divine sense to inspect the storage ring; it was indeed six years' rent.

"Now it's your turn!" Li Zhuo glared deathly at Meng Jingzhou. "I want to see just how you intend to produce six years' rent!"

Meng Jingzhou turned his head and extended a hand toward Xu You. "Uncle Xu, give me some spirit stones."

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Xu You handed the storage ring he had just received directly to Meng Jingzhou. Although Meng Jingzhou was in disguise, this was how he looked when he entered the Imperial City, and Xu You had seen it.

"See? Six years' rent."

"You are a member of the Meng family?!" Li Zhuo realized, unable to suppress his fury any longer. He felt like a clown, utterly toyed with by the other party. "Toying with you is exactly what I intended! To drive away guests and think yourself in the right!" Meng Jingzhou ceased his pretense and simply stripped off his mask.

Seeing this scene, it was as if a bucket of freezing water had been poured over Li Zhuo. The anger that was about to erupt vanished entirely, leaving him standing frozen in place, before he finally pointed a trembling finger at Meng Jingzhou and cried out, "You are Meng Jingzhou?!"

How had this fellow returned!

Why had no one notified him?

Or was he the very first to know of Meng Jingzhou's return?!

"Yo, Li Zhuo, you've grown quite capable, haven't you? Daring to call this young master by his full name?" Meng Jingzhou smiled savagely, twisting his neck and flexing his wrists until they popped with sharp cracks. Step by step he drew closer to Li Zhuo, terrifying the youth so much that he abandoned his glamorous female companion and retreated repeatedly.

The diners watching the spectacle had never imagined that the one daring to clash in wealth with Li Zhuo would actually be Meng Jingzhou.

"The eldest young master of the Meng family has returned!" Someone who knew what this implied felt their heart tremble; in the coming days, the Imperial City would likely know no peace.

"Who is the eldest young master of the Meng family?" The one asking was unfamiliar with the Imperial City.

"The eldest young master of the Meng family is Meng Jingzhou, haven't you heard of him? The one who joined the Dao Seeking Sect."

"Then between him and the Imperial City's Four Young Masters, who is more formidable?"

"The Imperial City's Four Young Masters count for nothing. Back when Meng Jingzhou hadn't left the Imperial City, which of the four of them dared to show their faces? This lord is a ruthless character who even dared to thrash the young prince!"

"I heard Li Zhuo was once taught a lesson by someone, was it done by this Meng Jingzhou?"

"Yes, it was him!"

"Then who is the person sitting beside the eldest young master of the Meng family?"

"Don't recognize him."

Li Zhuo's face was deathly pale, thoroughly frightened by Meng Jingzhou. He forced a strained smile. "What words are these, Master Meng? It has merely been so long since we last met that in my excitement, I forgot my manners for a moment."

"Old Lu, how about it? Now you know this young master's status in the Imperial City, don't you?" Meng Jingzhou flaunted with great pride. This was a rule he had established back then: whenever Li Zhuo and the others saw him, they had to address him as Master.

Lu Yang rolled his eyes, unwilling to pay him any heed. What was there to boast about? I am even acting as the Sect Master back at the Dao Seeking Sect. "Old Lu... He is Lu Yang!" A person who knew Meng Jingzhou's identity and was well-versed in the *Legends of the Dao Seeking Sect* easily guessed Lu Yang's identity, crying out in a lost voice.

In terms of pure renown, Lu Yang's fame was higher than even that of the Left Prime Minister.

Perhaps people did not know what the Left Prime Minister's name was or what he had done, but they certainly knew of Lu Yang's deeds.

"That disciple of the Immortal Buyu, the next Sect Master of the Dao Seeking Sect, Lu Yang?!"

"It's him, who else would dare call themselves Lu Yang nowadays!"

"How is it that both of them have come to the Imperial City?!"