Midnight Banquet

  The lanterns in front of the national government office were shining brightly, and several family members stood at the door, looking out eagerly. When they saw Liu Ziguang coming from afar, someone immediately ran inside to report it. By the time his horse arrived at the gate, Peng Jingrong had already come out to greet him: "Why are you back so late? The capital has been in chaos recently, and the Five Cities Military Governor's office searched for people along the Qinhuai River all day, carrying pictures of suspects everywhere, grabbing people. I heard from the servants that one of the people in the picture looks like you. Also, the National Grandfather found a group of people waiting to drink with you, they've been here for a while."

  Liu Ziguang smiled to himself, thinking that he was already a notorious thief on his first day in the capital. This wasn't good, he needed to keep a low profile, an even lower one. Otherwise, if his crimes were discovered, he would be wanted nationwide, and it wouldn't be worth it. He said with a smile: "Thank you for your concern, Miss. Today I was delayed at the Ministry of War, and then had a few more drinks with friends, so I arrived late. Please don't mind, let's go in and talk about it."

  The hall was filled with guests, all of whom were good friends from the military invited by Guo Gong. The tables were laden with sumptuous dishes and fine wines, waiting for Liu Ziguang to return and perform his superior martial arts skills, while also telling stories about the great battle under the city walls.

  Peng Jingrong naturally couldn't follow him, and told Liu Ziguang to drink a little less wine before going to the side hall.

  Liu Ziguang apologized to everyone while sitting down with a flourish, picked up his wine bowl and said: "I'm sorry to have kept you all waiting, I'll punish myself with three cups." Then he downed three large bowls of wine in one go.

  The loud laughter of the crowd, today's attendees are all martial artists, without so many niceties. Among them are middle and lower-level military officers from the Imperial Guard, including Dragon Cavalry, Flying Bear, Majesty, Golden Armor, Eagle Wing, Brave Rider, Divine Martial, Prefectural Army, Heavenly Strategy, Vibrant Martial, Declaring Martial, and Feathered Forest Guards. The Duke calls his friends not by their official titles or noble ranks, but by their martial prowess and moral character. So among them are Commanders-in-Chief, as well as Thousand-Household Leaders, Hundred-Household Leaders, and even a few General Flags. These people are all famous figures in the Imperial Army, skilled in archery and horsemanship. They usually gather at the Duke's mansion, discussing nothing but fine swords and horses, with lavish drinking of fine wines being an essential item on the agenda. Today, they were invited here to introduce Liu Ziguang to everyone.

  "This is the hero Liu Ziguang who defeated the Qing army at Licheng. Everyone, let's toast to Liu hero a few cups, Little Liu can drink a thousand cups without getting drunk, yesterday I was even knocked down by him, haha." The Duke sat next to Liu Ziguang and said warmly, patting his shoulder.

  Then the military generals shouted to toast Liu Ziguang, and Liu Ziguang was a man who did not refuse anyone, so he drained his cup. The wine was as good as the person, and it immediately won over the favor of these military generals. Furthermore, when he vividly told the story of the Battle of Lignan, it triggered wave after wave of applause. Taking advantage of the excitement, several military generals asked Liu Ziguang to show off his skills and open their eyes. "No problem." Liu Ziguang picked up an apple from the table, tossed it into the air, quickly drew out his White Rainbow Sword, and made a dazzling display of swordsmanship in mid-air. Then he sheathed his sword, and an apple with its skin peeled off fell onto the plate first, followed by a long strip of apple peel that floated gently down onto the table. The apple peel was thin as a cicada's wing, and it was not broken, even if you held it in your hand and used a small knife to peel it, you might not be able to peel it so smoothly, so thinly.

  What an extraordinary swordsmanship! A group of martial artists have never seen such a brilliant performance, they only know how to fiercely chop and slash, at most they might have seen some secret sword techniques or fancy footwork from the pugilistic world.

  "Good grief, if this were a human head, wouldn't the skin be completely stripped off?" A qianhu said, shrinking his neck and inhaling cold air.

  "Look at the size of that head! It's as big as an apple. General Liu's knife skills are top-notch, it's like he and his sword are one!" Another person said.

  The Duke was delighted, "How about it, do you believe me now? Who said they didn't believe earlier when Little Liu wasn't here? Hurry up and punish yourself with three cups of wine." Liu Ziguang was a guest at the Duke's mansion and also his friend, this time he helped him save a lot of face.

  Liu Ziguang was very pleased with this opportunity to show off, and he drank several cups of wine offered by others with great satisfaction. He said he wanted to make another move, pulled out a hair from his head and said: "Who is willing to put this hair on the bridge of their nose, let me cut it off with one knife? Don't worry, I definitely won't hurt anyone."

  Everyone was in an uproar, but actually, after watching Liu Ziguang's performance just now, they had a deep understanding of his knife skills. However, this kind of thing is too risky, it's not that you're not afraid of ten thousand, but rather that one in ten thousand chance, if General Liu gets drunk and slightly loses control, then it won't be just a matter of losing a nose, I'm afraid even the head will be split open. So, it's all about mental quality when playing around.

  For a moment, no one dared to take on the challenge. Liu Ziguang sneered and said: "Are you all not believing that I have this skill or are you afraid? Otherwise, let someone go to the kitchen to fetch a piece of tofu, I can cut off my hair without hurting the tofu." As soon as he finished speaking, a tall and sturdy man stood up and said: "Using tofu is not stimulating enough! Someone dares to be the knife holder!" The speaker was about thirty years old, approximately two meters tall, with a strong back and waist, exceptionally fierce.

  "In the Jin Yiwei, under the command of General Han, there was a thousand-household Wei Wen Yuan. He first toasted General Liu with a cup, and then said, 'Wait a moment, you'd better be more steady, or you'll hurt someone's nose, which wouldn't be good for attending to the emperor.' The big guy really had some guts, worthy of being an imperial guard. The Jin Yiwei was in charge of: 'Directly serving as guards and patrolling to catch thieves', a pause, basically dividing the Jin Yiwei into two completely different departments. Generally speaking, people think that the secret service is responsible for catching thieves, while the Jin Yiwei, which is responsible for guarding, displaying ceremonial instruments, and following the emperor on tours, is basically no different from traditional palace guards. Among them, the most famous are the 'Great Han Generals'. These people, although called 'generals', actually only serve as attendants in the palace, transmitting the emperor's orders, and doing protection work - put simply, they are pillars in the imperial palace halls. Of course, these 'pillars' are not ordinary people, generally being tall and strong, with loud voices and a majestic appearance. The Great Han Generals form their own battalion within the Jin Yiwei, numbering about 1500 people, and Wei Wen Yuan is in charge of managing those big guys who hold golden axes in front of the Golden Dragon Hall."

  Bai Wenyuan sat in a chair, his face slightly raised. A martial general carefully placed a long hair on his nose. Liu Ziguang drew his sword and made a few false slashes in the air to create some tension. In fact, it's easier to practice cutting on tofu than on someone's nose, after all, noses are harder than tofu. But psychologically, cutting someone's nose is not an easy thing to do, if you don't control your strength well, it'll be a bloody mess.

  Liu Ziguang's White Rainbow Sword was exceptionally sharp, almost as sharp as a Gillette razor blade, and could be used to shave with. With one slash, even if it didn't hit anyone, the sword energy alone could injure someone. After playing around with the White Rainbow Sword for a day, he had already become quite familiar with it. Playing this kind of small trick was purely to add some excitement to the wine party.

  "Look at the knife!" With a loud shout, the long knife chopped down, and Bai Wenyuan forcibly kept his eyes open and took this knife. The wind rushed to his face, his nose itched, and the blade really came chopping over, stopping an inch from Bai Qian's nose, using the knife energy to cut off his hair without hurting his nose at all.

  "Good!" The county magistrate led the applause, and then a round of applause, everyone praised Liu Ziguang's knife skills, and also praised Bai Wenyuan's courage. It takes courage to hold a knife and chop others, but it takes even more courage to put one's own life in someone else's hands. This Bai Wenyuan is absolutely a super brave man with extremely thick nerves.

  "Bai Qianhu's bravery surpasses others, Liu Xiang is impressed!" Liu Ziguang took a bowl of wine and sincerely toasted Bai Wenyuan. Bai Wenyuan took the wine bowl and drank it in one gulp. "General Liu's swordsmanship is divine, I am truly impressed. As for me, I have been bold since childhood, often sleeping on tombstones, people call me Big Dumb Courage, Foolish Big Guy, with some guts, but not enough to be worth mentioning."

  "What generals and ministers are outside, once they come to my place, they are all brothers. After leaving the official gate, you can discuss official ranks again." The Duke of the country is a martial artist who values friendship, and he dislikes people discussing seniority and comparing official ranks.

  Everyone cheered, and they all changed their greetings to "Old Bai", "Little Liu", and "Brother" this and that. Bai Wenyuan's capacity for wine was impressive, almost immeasurable, and he drank eighteen bowls in a row with Liu Ziguo. Not showing any signs of intoxication, what a great Bai Wenyuan! His capacity for wine is as big as his courage, what a hero! Heroes admire heroes, the two men regret not meeting earlier, they enjoyed their wine and conversation, almost to the point of becoming sworn brothers on the spot.

  This time, we drank Sichuan wine Xifengjiu Jiannanchun, which is said to be a tribute wine from the Tang Dynasty. The degree is not low, and it's sweet when entering the mouth. With a full table of dishes such as chicken, duck, fish, and meat to go with the wine, everyone unknowingly drank quite a bit. Those who couldn't hold their liquor had already slipped under the table.

  It wasn't until midnight that the banquet finally came to an end. The personal guards of the military officers came in and escorted their superiors out, mounting their horses to return to their residences. Lower-ranking military officers without personal guards returned directly to the barracks, while those who had gotten drunk simply slept in the guest rooms. Duke Guo, having drunk until he was hiccuping, patted Liu Ziguang's shoulder and said: "Today was exhilarating! Little Liu, you really gave me face. These guys were all intimidated by you, haha."

  It wasn't until he had finally gotten rid of those drunkards that it was already the second watch of the night. Liu Ziguang had originally wanted to find Eldest Young Miss to report on today's events at the Ministry of War, but when he arrived at the inner courtyard gate, he suddenly remembered that it was too late and the ladies were probably all asleep. He decided to wait until tomorrow to speak with her instead. As he tiptoed away in preparation to leave, he heard someone speaking behind him.

  "Is that you? How come you're drinking so late?" It turned out that Peng Jingrong had not slept all night, waiting for him. The way they addressed each other was quite strange. At first, Peng Jingrong called him Manager Liu, but after going through so many things together, in front of others she still called him Deputy Director Liu or Premier Liu, and when they were alone, she simply called him "you". This word wasn't simple at all; it was often used by people who were close to each other but didn't know how to get closer. Meanwhile, Liu Ziguo still addressed Peng Jingrong as Big Sister. It was a habit and the only suitable way to address her - after all, he couldn't just call her "Jingrong" or "Rong'er", not when their relationship was still separated by several layers of window paper.

  "Ah, it's me, young lady." Liu Ziguang turned back. "The Duke is a generous host and won't end the banquet until everyone has had their fill, I've kept you waiting for too long, young lady."

  "Oh, come in, I've had someone make a hangover soup, it's still hot." The little girl was really considerate. Liu Ziguang felt warmth in his heart, the night air was gentle, the beauty was like a painting, walking in the courtyard with swaying tree shadows, his heart seemed to be surging with waves, this must be what love feels like.

  Although Liu Ziguang was not drunk at all, he still drank the sobering soup prepared by Peng Jingrong. This is a kind intention of the girl, and he detailed today's events of demanding debt from the Ministry of War. Of course, the part about looting Zheng Daren's estate was omitted. The outcome of returning empty-handed did not exceed Big Sister's expectations, but Zheng Daren's attitude was very headache-inducing. It seems that even the face of Guo Gongye would not be given. For the time being, there is no good solution, and we can only rely on other relationships to see if Shangshu and Shilang can help.

  The debt collection matter has come to an end, and now let's talk about the wanted notice from the Wucheng Military Office today. "No need to hide it, I know that person must be you. San Zhanggui has already told me that yesterday he sent you to deliver the 'Chaos Hero' novel, wearing a red arrow sleeve, with such high martial arts skills, if not you Liu Ziguang, who else could it be?" Peng Jingruan was very astute and after thinking for a moment, she knew that this big case must have been done by their family's Liu Deputy General.

  Liu Ziguo smiled and nodded in agreement. Peng Jingrong sighed and said, "From tomorrow on, you'd better not show your face or ask about the debt collection anymore. Let's take a boat back to Liguojun tomorrow and lay low for a while. The backing of a chaotic beauty is very strong, and our Liguojun Iron Factory in Beijing can only be considered a small role. It's still best to leave."

  After the discussion, Liu Ziguo bid farewell respectfully. He still had to return to Lianfeng Hao to rest, saying that he would sleep with his brothers and feel at ease. In fact, there were many gold, silver, and treasures waiting for him to check and count. Moreover, tomorrow he also had to wait for Zhu Tiandao's visit.

  As they were about to leave, Liu Ziguang suddenly asked: "Do you remember the flying man we rescued that day? I met him again, and he's said to be named Zhu Tianxia. Is there such a person in the capital?"

  Peng Jingrong thought for half a day and shook her head: "In the capital, those with the surname Zhu are all imperial relatives, it's impossible for someone to be called Tianxia, doesn't have this generation, might be an alias. I'll ask Miss Xu tomorrow."

  Good kid, dare to use a pseudonym to deceive me. Tomorrow, I must confront you in person and ask about your background clearly, Liu Ziguang thought to himself.