Chapter 109 Using Myself as Bait_1
As night fell, the Deng Family Manor gradually became noisy.

Batches of fine wine were brought into the main hall, and countless delicacies were served on the round tables.

Lin Rou took her seat with the company of Deng Mingxu, while Jiang Chengyun swaggered to sit beside them.

The two exchanged a stealthy glance.

Shen Yi, not well-versed in the customs of noble families, simply maintained his aloof facade, using the excuse of illness to avoid coming, conveniently reinforcing the so-called prestige of the Lin Family from Yushan Prefecture.

“What a pity,” Deng Mingxu said helplessly as he tugged at the finely selected, luxurious green robe he was wearing, though he also felt relieved inside.

Compared to the natural grace of the Young Master of the Lin Family, even though he tried his best to be polite, that subtly hostile demeanor clearly showed a bit of disdain for the Deng Family.

Just standing there in casual clothes was enough to chill the onlookers, whereas no matter how he dressed, he always seemed to look shabby.

Thankfully, his great-grandfather was there to support the atmosphere.

As long as he was around for even a day, the Deng Family would remain a second-tier power in Qingzhou.

With this thought, Deng Mingxu subconsciously looked towards the seat of honor, not finding his great-grandfather but instead seeing his father walking over with a flamboyantly dressed woman in red.

With a face as beguiling as a fox and without the airs of a traveler, she would have been a beauty who could overshadow many others.

The more he saw her, the more familiar she seemed.

As if remembering something, Deng Mingxu clenched his teeth in secret – could his father not embarrass himself like this!

He was hosting a banquet for Miss Lin Rou, and here his father was bringing a courtesan!

Both Lin Rou and Jiang Chengyun’s expressions altered slightly; the former buried her head in embarrassment, while the latter narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze taking on a colder shade.

If one couldn’t lure the younger one, then they would make a move on the elder.

That must mean they were determined to compete with him.

“…”

Xiao Qiangwei slowly took her seat, casting a provocative look towards the other two without meaning to.

Lin Rou shrank her neck a bit.

“Is Miss Lin Rou cold? Fetch the fox fur for me–wait, not the fox fur, it’s too flashy, get the mink fur,” Deng Mingxu blatantly criticized someone else while decisively clarifying his stance.

“Thank you,” Lin Rou responded quietly, but it seemed the chill on her back grew colder…

The small farce quickly passed, and as everyone took their seats, they suddenly realized a problem.

In addition to Shen Yi’s absence, there was another missing figure who was supposed to sit at the head of the table.

Jiang Chengyun and Xiao Qiangwei both looked up simultaneously with a flicker of surprise in their eyes.

…

Compared to the noisy main hall, the small courtyard was relatively quiet.

Shen Yi sat alone, with a cup of plain water and a plate of soy-sauce meat.

Various martial arts techniques flickered before his eyes on the screen.

He quietly calculated the maximum strength he could unleash at present.

The several martial arts techniques from the General were still somewhat powerful, even when facing a half-respected Condensation Elixir Realm master like the abbot of Vajra Gate.

The Bodhi Vajra Body at the Completion Realm also provided a decent defensive effect.

The main thing was the Fiendish External Elixir of Skyprowler Yama.

According to Shen Yi’s observations along the way, the sense of danger he felt from Jiang Chengyun was roughly comparable to that of Jiao Jun, who went by the alias Zhang Hengzhou.

Both seemed to have reached the “Condensation Elixir Realm.” If they could take one more step forward, they would attain Condensation Elixir Completion and could begin to nurture the spirit within the elixir.

If he considered the Fiendish External Elixir as part of his own cultivation,

then Shen Yi and these two should be considered martial artists of the same realm, though that wasn’t really the case, since Jiang Chengyun was certainly masters of several Condensation Elixir Martial Arts, and Jiao Jun possessed the natural talents and physique of a demon.

In a real fight, he might be overwhelmed.

Using these two as the benchmark, as long as anyone was weaker than them by one level, he should still stand a fighting chance.

Unfortunately, without a point of reference, making comparisons through sheer imagination was indeed unreliable.

“…”

Shen Yi pinched a piece of sauce-coated meat and gently placed it into his mouth, then turned his head to look outside the courtyard.

He saw an old man dressed in loose white clothes wobbling into the yard, set a wine jar on the table, and belched, “You have meat but no wine, I have wine but no meat, why don’t we combine what we have?”

“Who might you be?”

Shen Yi asked knowingly, for in all of Yong’an City, there was likely only one person who could make him feel even the slightest hint of a threat.

Jiang Chengyun and the others had made so many preparations; it wouldn’t do to mess things up now.

“Just an idle old man in this courtyard on the brink of death.”

Deng Jianyuan chuckled with a slight flush on his lean cheeks.

Perhaps to prevent Shen Yi from overthinking, he added, “I’m getting old, the heavens will be calling me soon.”

Listening to this attempt at throwing off suspicion, which only aroused more.

Shen Yi managed a slight smile, made room for the old man, and said indifferently, “I’ll pass on the wine, please.”

Being able to live for so many years, especially as a local snake, it was normal to be alert.

“Did you come from Yushan Prefecture? I’ve never been there.”

Deng Jianyuan did not insist on drinking together, drinking by himself, his face growing redder but his eyes brighter, “I never had the chance when I was young, and I dared not go when I got old. So many people keep tabs on me, they’d get anxious if I left.”

“You say.”

The old man suddenly embraced the wine jar, turned around, and stared blankly at Shen Yi, “Do you think I still have a chance to go?”

“…”

Shen Yi fell silent for a moment, feeling that if the other party really harbored such a thought, Jiang Chengyun would probably be the first to keep him seated.

Fortunately, Deng Jianyuan seemed to have not expected an answer, waving his hand, “Forget it, I don’t want to go anymore. Yong’an City is pretty good. It wouldn’t be bad if it could always stay this way.”

After this statement, the old man became much more normal.

Like an ordinary frail old man, he began reminiscing about the past, “When I was as young as you, I was too lazy to seriously learn martial arts. I only aimed for mediocrity in everything, shunning the challenge of full mastery and settling for enough skill to get by, just lucky…”

Shen Yi didn’t feel the man was deliberately being modest.

After all, nearly all second-rate forces were like this: they either got lucky with a fortuitous encounter or took unconventional paths. When their founding ancestor was alive, that was their peak. Once he fell, it was almost impossible for the family to produce a second practitioner in the Condensation Elixir Realm, and gradually, they’d decline to a third-rate force.

“Alright, thanks for listening to this old man ramble. It’s hard to find someone to talk to these days. Young folks nowadays rarely have your kind of patience.”

Deng Jianyuan shook his wine jar, burped, and stood up with a smile, snatching the last piece of sauce-coated meat, “I’m leaving.”

Only I remained in the courtyard, with a cup of plain water and a dish…

Shen Yi gazed at the empty dish and fell into thought. Find more chapters on wuxiaworld.site

Well, at least he now had a point of reference. It turned out that not all practitioners in the Condensation Elixir Realm were as strong as the ones he had seen previously. This old man’s presence posed only a slightly greater threat than that of the Vajra Gate abbot, by about forty to fifty percent.

Even being categorized in the “Condensation of Nascent Pill” level was somewhat of a stretch.

Lacking methods, no killing moves–this was the norm for common warriors in the martial world. An organization like the Demon-suppression Bureau, with its own Condensation Elixir Method and corresponding martial arts, even preparing Martial Temple Refinement, systematically nurturing high-level masters in the Condensation Elixir Realm, was unimaginable for ordinary martial artists.

Before long, Jiang Chengyun returned with Lin Rou, both wearing slightly disturbed expressions.

“…”

With her hands behind her back, Lin Rou whispered soothingly, “Why the rush, Big Brother Jiang? If you’re really worried they’ll discover something, then if it comes to it… just make your move and teach them a lesson first.”

Jiang Chengyun didn’t argue, responding indifferently, “I’m worried about Xiao Qiangwei.”

All the preparations had been for the three tiger cubs who were most likely to break through to the Condensation Elixir Realm. If possible, he didn’t want to give any of them away.

After a brief chat, everyone returned to their rooms to rest.

The following day, early morning.

At the break of dawn.

A group of the Deng Family encircled the old patriarch, standing at the entrance to the courtyard.

Dressed regally, his slender visage bore the dignity of Yong’an City’s strongest, his grizzled hair meticulously groomed, exuding extraordinary poise–far removed from last night’s desolation.

…