Chapter 75
Both sides exchanged puzzled glances, neither understanding the situation. Huang Yu took off running into the Zheng family courtyard.
Zheng Fa was also a bit dazed. It was only when he stepped outside that he began to grasp what was happening—this was likely the work of the madam.
Standing at the entrance was Steward Wu, who was instructing the servants on something.
“Steward Wu? What’s going on here?”
Steward Wu turned around, and upon seeing Zheng Fa, hurried over, his shoulders hunched and his head lowered even more than when they last met.
“Zheng Zhenren.”
“Don’t call me Zhenren,” Zheng Fa waved his hand dismissively.
“It’s only a matter of time; it wouldn’t hurt to call you that a bit earlier,” Steward Wu said with a smile. “Do you have something you need?”
“This is…”
“Oh, the madam instructed me to prepare this. It’s to celebrate your ascension to the Immortal Gate.”
Zheng Fa frowned slightly upon hearing this.
It neither aligned with his wishes nor matched the madam’s usual style.
Steward Wu lowered his voice a bit and said, “Actually, it was the Seventh Young Master’s idea.”
That made sense; it was something he would do.
“Did the madam not stop him?”
“The Seventh Young Master said that since you come from humble beginnings, you might find things tight after joining the Immortal Gate. He originally wanted to send you some gold and silver.”
Zheng Fa nodded lightly.
“The madam stopped him, saying that our family doesn’t need to send such money; others will take care of it.”
Zheng Fa was even more puzzled.
“The madam instructed me to organize this banquet. Rest assured, it won’t tarnish your reputation in the slightest. No matter who comes—rich or poor, beggar or fallen noble—just a word of congratulations will earn them a feast!”
“…”
“Look, that’s the one bringing money for you.”
Steward Wu seemed to sense his confusion and pointed to the street, where a small table had been set up, behind which sat a man dressed like a bookkeeper.
If someone brought a gift of money, he would jot it down in the ledger before him.
A few familiar faces were currently handing over silver notes at the small table.
Aren’t those the young masters from the Chen family?
Behind them were others dressed in extravagant attire, clearly from wealthy families.
Now Zheng Fa understood: “This is to let me gather wealth through the banquet?”
“What do you mean gather wealth? This is clearly an opportunity for the people of Jingzhou to show their admiration for you!”
Steward Wu said with righteous indignation.
Zheng Fa frowned; he was naturally reluctant to draw attention to himself in such a way.
Steward Wu seemed to notice his displeasure and even lamented, “You don’t know, after the Immortal Product Conference, so many powerful families have their eyes on you… They couldn’t get through to you, so they went to the madam instead!”
“…” Zheng Fa hadn’t expected this.
“If the madam keeps blocking them, they’ll think our Zhao family is hoarding you and doesn’t want you to interact with them,” Steward Wu said, his expression bitter but sincere. “So the madam thought it best to hold this banquet, allowing them to pay their respects once, so you can have some peace later.”
Zheng Fa nodded, understanding that this was a necessary compromise.
“The madam has another concern. After you leave, Madam Zheng and the young lady will remain in Jingzhou, and she fears some ill-mannered people might cause trouble. This is also to let the various powers recognize them…”
Zheng Fa fell silent for a moment, then walked toward the street to thank those who had come to offer their gifts.
Those people seemed surprised that Zheng Fa would personally come to thank them, and they appeared somewhat flustered.
Seeing these uninvited guests reminded him of the sudden departure of Gao Yuan.
He found himself preferring the latter a bit more.
…
As Zheng Fa went to greet the guests, Steward Wu suddenly tugged at Huang Yu’s sleeve.
“Hmm?”
Huang Yu looked down to see Steward Wu slipping a delicate jade pendant into his hand.
“What’s this?” Huang Yu asked, puzzled. “Is this the gift money from Steward Wu?”
“Do I deserve that?” Steward Wu choked a bit. “It’s for you!”
“For me?” Huang Yu looked down at the jade pendant, which was of good quality—at least his father didn’t have one like it.
“What are you doing?”
“Nothing much, just making a good connection.” Steward Wu chuckled as he saw Huang Yu treat the pendant as if it were hot. “Their young master is trying to curry favor with your family’s young master, so as the steward, I naturally have to curry favor with you… Just take it; you can tell your young master later.”
Huang Yu carefully tucked the pendant into his pocket, and he heard Steward Wu say, “This is just the beginning; your father really found you a good position.”
Touching the pendant in his pocket, he felt the joy of being a mere servant for the first time.
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**Chapter 85: On the Path of Dao**
The ship arrived on the third day.
After a banquet, Zheng Fa didn’t gain much.
Many forces in Jingzhou had heard the news and came.
However, if the gifts were too generous, he politely declined.
On the other hand, Zheng Fa settled the banquet expenses with Steward Wu.
The Seventh Young Master had chided him a bit for being too formal, but the madam accepted the payment readily.
Both Zheng Fa and she understood that sometimes a little distance could lead to a longer-lasting relationship.
After setting aside some money for his mother and sister for emergencies, Zheng Fa had about fifty taels of gold on him.
If this money were in Jingzhou, he would be considered middle class.
But a ticket to Jiushan Sect cost ten taels of gold, and the prices… made Zheng Fa suddenly alert.
That token was very realistic: ever since he got it, it had been cold and unyielding, hardly acknowledging Zheng Fa at all.
But when Zheng Fa placed ten taels of gold before it, the token performed a remarkable transformation—it actually cracked open.
The token split into two symmetrical halves, revealing a pocket-sized space.
Zheng Fa placed the ten taels of gold inside, and it snapped shut tightly, leaving no gap, ensuring no refunds.
The originally cold, black token began to emit a faint glow and felt slightly warm, appearing unexpectedly welcoming compared to its previous demeanor.
This must be what Senior Sister Zhang referred to as the Dao Mark.
After the token lit up, three hours later, a shadow blotted out the blazing sun above. Zheng Fa looked up to see a massive ship hovering over his courtyard.
“Those holding the Jiushan Sect token, come aboard quickly!”
A man’s voice called out, sounding somewhat impatient.
Zheng Fa, with his pack and the token in hand, stepped out of the courtyard. He hadn’t even had the chance to say a proper goodbye to his mother and sister when a gigantic hand made of yellow light suddenly reached out from the ship, roughly grabbing him and the token into the air.
When Zheng Fa came to his senses, he found himself on the deck of the ship.
Three men in yellow robes stood on the deck, each with a small Jiushan emblem embroidered on the corners of their garments. It was clear they were disciples of Jiushan here to fetch him.
None of them looked at him; the token he had been holding was already in the hands of the slightly plump disciple in the middle.
They didn’t even ask for his thoughts.
He turned back to see his little sister, Zheng Shan, sobbing in their mother’s arms. When she turned around and realized her brother was gone, she forgot to cry, her mouth agape as she searched for him, seemingly unable to spot Zheng Fa on the deck.
Hearing his sister’s cries grow louder, seemingly intensified by her inability to see him, made Zheng Fa’s heart ache.
But the three Jiushan disciples seemed oblivious to the sorrow in her cries. The slightly plump disciple took out a waist token, tapped it, and the ship beneath Zheng Fa trembled slightly, breaking through the clouds ahead and beginning to move forward.
Zheng Fa could only futilely stretch half his body out over the deck, waving goodbye to his mother and sister.
As the Zheng family courtyard gradually disappeared beyond the horizon, he turned back to find that the three disciples who had come to fetch him were already gone, as if they had come solely for that token.
On the deck, he was left with an unexpected familiar face—Zhou Qianyuan.
Seeing Zheng Fa look back at him, Zhou Qianyuan smiled and said, “Those senior brothers aren’t very warm to anyone; I was worried you wouldn’t know where to go…”
Zheng Fa cupped his hands in gratitude.
“Are they like that with everyone?”
Zhou Qianyuan shook his head and whispered, “Senior Brother Sun told me that we new disciples aren’t favored by the original senior brothers.”
Zheng Fa suddenly recalled what Senior Sister Zhang had mentioned before.
The strictness of this Immortal Product Conference was also due to the significant dissent among the lower-tier disciples of the Hundred Immortals Alliance.
Zhou Qianyuan led the way, explaining as they walked, “This ship has three levels. The first level is the main hall, where we’ll have meals or discuss the Dao. The second level is our rooms, and the third level is where those senior brothers stay.”
Zheng Fa followed him up the wooden stairs to the second level.
The second level had about thirty rooms, half of which were already occupied. Zheng Fa chose a room near the corner.
He set down his pack and turned to Zhou Qianyuan, sincerely thanking him, “Thank you for your guidance, Brother Zhou.”
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