Young hero, stay put and don't be reckless.

Chapter 130 The City Lord's Orders

"Young Master Jiang has arrived." Helian Quan greeted Jiang Xun with a smile and a loud voice, "Please sit down, please sit down, we've been waiting for you."

"I'm late, I'm late." Jiang Xun smiled and cupped his hands in greeting, then sat down next to Ye Qingying. "I overslept, sorry, sorry."

The servant silently came up to pour the wine.

Helian Quan raised his wine cup, looked around, and said in a strong voice, "Gentlemen, you've had a long journey. Consider this a farewell feast from your city lord. Cheers!"

Everyone was taken aback—a farewell banquet?

"Hehe." Helian Quan laughed, "The matter of the Sword God's inheritance is over, and everyone's mission is complete. I imagine you are eager to return home, so I, the city lord, will not force you to stay."

Jiang Xun sneered inwardly: Is this city lord in such a hurry to get rid of them? He even held a banquet to urge them to leave?

He looked at Ye Qingying and saw her shake her head slightly, clearly unaware of what had happened.

Xiao Rui and Tuoba Feng looked at each other, speechless for a moment.

Chen Lei, however, raised his wine glass first and said calmly, "Then thank you very much, City Lord."

Seeing this, everyone was puzzled, but they had no choice but to raise their cups and drink them down in one gulp.

After a few rounds of drinks, the atmosphere gradually relaxed.

Helian Quan began to tell interesting stories about the northern border.

How do wolves on the grasslands hunt herds of horses on snowy nights? How do snow leopards on the snowy mountains silently kill argali sheep? And what tricks do bandits in the desert use to rob caravans?

He spoke vividly, gesturing with his hands and lowering his voice to keep the audience in suspense. The audience listened, occasionally chiming in with a few words, and laughter filled the air.

After three more rounds, Jiang Xun picked up his wine glass and stood up.

"Gentlemen, let me propose a toast to everyone." He said with a smile, first walking up to Chen Lei, "Brother Chen, thank you so much for taking care of me on Kunwu Mountain."

Chen Lei smiled, clinked glasses with him, and the wine swayed slightly.

Approaching Ye Qingying, Jiang Xun said in a light tone, "Miss Ye, thank you for your company along the way."

Ye Qingying gave him a strange look, as if she thought this usually lazy boy was unusually attentive today.

But she didn't say anything, she just raised her glass and gently touched it to the glass, making a crisp sound.

Walking up to Tuoba Feng, Jiang Xun patted him on the shoulder: "Brother Tuoba, let's not talk about it anymore, it's all in the wine."

Tuoba Feng's lips twitched slightly as he clinked glasses with Jiang Xun and drank it all in one gulp.

Finally, Jiang Xun walked up to Xiao Rui, his smile unchanged: "Brother Xiao, if you have the chance to come to the Central Plains in the future, I'll treat you to a drink."

The two raised their glasses and clinked them together, their fingers inadvertently intertwining—the note silently slipped from Jiang Xun's sleeve into Xiao Rui's palm.

Xiao Rui remained expressionless, brought the wine glass to his lips, tilted his head back, and drank it all in one gulp.

Jiang Xun returned to his seat, picked up a piece of food with his chopsticks, chewed slowly, and still had that carefree smile on his face.

The banquet continued.

Helian Quan told a joke, which wasn't particularly funny, but everyone laughed along.

Xiao Rui put down his chopsticks and asked casually, "By the way, where are the young city lord and Brother Jin Yan?"

"The city is under martial law recently, and they've gone on duty," Helian Quan explained with a smile, then suddenly put down his wine glass and cleared his throat.

"Gentlemen," his voice was not loud, but it instantly silenced the hall, "I, Helian, have something to announce."

Everyone looked at him, waiting for him to continue.

"My elder brother, Helian Bo, has decided to accept Chen Lei as his disciple." Helian Quan's gaze slowly swept over everyone, finally landing on Chen Lei, his eyes showing kindness. "From this day forward, Chen Lei will be my elder brother's last disciple, and will stay in Shuofeng City to cultivate."

Quiet.

It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Ye Qingying was stunned.

Jiang Xun was also stunned.

Did Helian Bo accept Chen Lei as his apprentice?

Were they drunk and misheard, or is Helian Quan senile?

Everyone turned to look at Chen Lei.

He kept his head down, didn't say a word, and had no expression on his face.

His fingers trembled slightly on his knees, his knuckles turning white, as if he was desperately enduring something, or as if he couldn't feel anything at all.

"Brother Chen?" Ye Qingying asked cautiously, her voice filled with disbelief, "Is this true?"

Chen Lei looked up and glanced at her.

His eyes were empty, like a stagnant pool, without the slightest ripple.

"Yes." His body trembled slightly, as if he was enduring some excruciating pain.

"Why?" Ye Qingying sensed something was wrong, her voice urgent, "If you have a reason—"

"I've made up my mind." Chen Lei interrupted her, his voice not loud, but like a door slamming shut. "Don't ask anymore."

Everyone could see that Chen Lei was not doing this willingly.

But who can force the son of the Hidden Sect leader to bow down?

"Snapped!"

The sound of the wine glass falling to the ground was crisp and jarring, drawing everyone's attention.

It's Jiang Xun.

He "accidentally" knocked the wine glass to the ground.

"Oh dear, I'm sorry." Jiang Xun stood up, grinning, without a trace of apology on his face. "I've had too much to drink and need to use the restroom."

Helian Quan smiled, feigning magnanimity: "I'll have someone take you there."

"No need, I know the way." Jiang Xun answered readily, then turned and walked out on his own, his steps light and quick, not at all like someone who had drunk too much.

A flash of anger crossed Helian Quan's eyes. Just as he was about to order someone to follow, Xiao Rui suddenly stood up and walked unhurriedly to the center of the hall.

"Lord Helian," Xiao Rui said with a smile on his face, but there was no smile in his eyes, "I have something I would like to ask you."

"Please speak, Young Master Xiao." Helian Quan's smile remained warm, but his hand holding the wine cup paused slightly.

"Da Yong and Da Han made an agreement back then that Shuofeng City could not have its own army, and could only retain three hundred soldiers from the city lord's mansion. Does the city lord still remember this rule?"

"Of course." Helian Quan's voice remained unchanged. "Shuofeng City has always abided by the rules and never oversteps its boundaries."

"Follow the rules?" Xiao Rui laughed, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. "What about the hundreds of men under Ma Zhong of the Black Flag Gang?"

Helian Quan's smile faded slightly.

"Young Master Xiao is joking. The Black Flag Gang is a merchant guild, doing legitimate business. Their men are naturally used to protect merchant caravans."

"Does escorting a caravan need to wear armor?" Xiao Rui's voice turned cold, each word deliberate and clear. "Does escorting a caravan need repeating crossbows made by the Ministry of Works of the Great Yong Dynasty?"

Helian Quan's smile froze slightly, and a hint of coldness flashed in his eyes.

"Young Master Xiao, please do not believe the rumors."

"I saw it with my own eyes; it's not a rumor."

"Even so, the Black Flag Gang is the Black Flag Gang, and the City Lord's Mansion is the City Lord's Mansion; they are two different things."

Xiao Rui remained calm and unhurried, pulling a scroll of silk from his sleeve and unfolding it casually.

"This is the Black Flag Gang's roster," he said. "Many of the people on it are relatives of the Helian family."

The smile on Helian Quan's face vanished instantly, like a lamp blown out by the wind, revealing a gloomy expression.

"Young Master Xiao," his voice was as cold as ice, "you are slandering this city lord."

"Is that so?" Xiao Rui smiled faintly. "Ma Zhong is currently at the Lu residence, having tea and chatting with the people my uncle sent. He says that everything he did was on the orders of the city lord."