Chapter 241: Help or Not Help

Zuan was startled, wondering who dared to cause trouble at the Immortal's Abode. Although it sounded like just a brothel, its grand scale suggested it must have significant backing; even a child wouldn't believe otherwise.

Indeed, at that moment, everyone in the Immortal's Abode looked towards the sound, curious to see who would dare to cause a disturbance on such an important day.

They saw a burly man with one foot on a stool, his saber stuck into the table, glaring provocatively at the young masters seated there. What was particularly striking was his head of fiery red hair, which added to his formidable presence.

Zuan, however, secretly disdained it. His hair was curled like instant noodles, and few people throughout history could pull off such a hairstyle. Did this guy think he was Li Xunhuan (Little Li Flying Dagger)? Besides, this was the first time he'd seen red hair since arriving in this world. He wondered if green hair existed too.

"Slam!"

While Zuan's mind wandered, one of the young masters at the table couldn't help but stand up. "How dare you! Do you know who is seated here?"

"Oh, enlighten me then," the red-haired brawny man said, pulling up a stool and sitting down with an amused expression.

The young master glanced at the fierce-looking subordinates behind the burly man and felt a momentary tremor of fear. But remembering that this was Brightmoon City and the Immortal's Abode, he regained some composure. He quickly pointed to the luxuriously dressed young master at the head of the table. "This is Young Master Wang Yuanlong of the Wang clan. Haven't you heard of the Four Great Clans of Brightmoon City: Chu, Yuan, Zheng, and Wang?"

Zuan paused, recalling Chu Chuyan mentioning that the Chu and Wang clans had always been friendly and could be considered allies.

"Hmph, I thought he was someone important," the red-haired man scoffed, picking his ear with his pinky finger, then flicking a piece of earwax onto the other man's face. "If you told me it was Duke Chu's daughter or Lord Xie, the City Lord's son, I might show some respect. But a mere merchant's son who sells grain? Does he have the right to throw his weight around here?"

As these words were uttered, Wang Yuanlong, who had previously maintained a calm expression at the head of the table, instantly blanched. This was a blatant insult.

"May I ask how you entered?" Just then, a steward, leading a team of Immortal's Abode guards, hurried over. Wang Yuanlong was a frequent patron, wealthy, and habitually spent lavishly. The Immortal's Abode naturally had to treat him well; how could they allow him to be wronged here?

"With invitations, of course," the red-haired man said, pulling a stack of invitations from his robe and tossing them onto the table.

"Forgive my poor eyesight, but it seems our Immortal's Abode didn't issue an invitation to you, sir. How did you come by these?" The steward glanced at them, knowing without needing to open them that the invitations were genuine. He knew that these invitations were specially made by the Immortal's Abode; both their design and material were highly unique, impossible for outsiders to counterfeit.

"You didn't give them to me, but getting invitations is easy enough. Just rob a few people who have them, right?" The red-haired man shrugged, seemingly unconcerned by his actions, answering frankly.

His words caused an uproar throughout the hall. No one expected someone to openly admit to such blatant robbery. However, a few shrewd individuals secretly pondered that the Immortal's Abode's invitations were given only to prominent figures. To have snatched so many at once suggested that the red-haired man's strength was truly something to consider.

The Immortal's Abode staff's expressions changed. This was a public slap in their face. The steward said, "You are not welcome here. Please leave."

"What, are you worried I don't have money?" The red-haired man directly pulled out a pouch and tossed it onto the table. From the familiar clinking sound, it was easy to guess it was full of large silver ingots rubbing against each other.

This action, however, drew a scoff from Wang Yuanlong. "As expected of a bumpkin. Important people who come here don't foolishly carry so much physical silver; they use banknotes."

"You're asking for death, boy!" The red-haired man roared in fury, as if a raw nerve had been touched. He grabbed a nearby dish and hurled it at Wang Yuanlong.

Wang Yuanlong quickly dodged. As a young master of the Wang clan, though not a cultivation genius, he had never lacked for various cultivation resources since childhood. He could pile up a decent level of strength with money. However, the incident was sudden. Although he avoided being hit directly in the face, he was still splattered all over with sauce from the dish, appearing utterly disheveled.

"Outrageous! Absolutely outrageous!" Wang Yuanlong trembled with rage.

The Immortal's Abode steward could no longer stand by. He quickly signaled his subordinates to intervene. Unfortunately, that group of normally agile guards was scattered and beaten by the red-haired man's subordinates before they even got close.

The red-haired man didn't even look back. He just grabbed a handful of melon seeds from a nearby fruit bowl, cracked them open, and spat the shells everywhere. "This is a grudge between you and me. Why bother others? If you're capable, come settle the score with me yourself."

Wang Yuanlong's face was extremely grim. Though furious, he wasn't foolish. The force with which the man threw the dish, and the strength displayed by his subordinates, all indicated that the opponent's power far surpassed his own. Since each invitation allowed only one attendant, his usual retainers were outside. If a real fight broke out, he would surely be at a disadvantage.

But if he retreated now, how could he maintain his standing in Brightmoon City in the future? Where would Young Master Wang's dignity be then? What's more, today was the courtesan's competition. If Qiu Honglei looked down on him, he'd truly have nowhere to turn for comfort.

Just as he was in this dilemma, a playful voice suddenly came from nearby: "Oh, this fellow looks unfamiliar. You don't usually appear in the city, do you?"

Zuan was startled, thinking, "Wasn't Chu Yucheng intimately conversing with the bear girl? Why would he suddenly step out and intervene? That's not like him."

As if sensing his confusion, Chu Hongcai explained, "The Chu clan operates in the salt business and needs the Wang clan to transport grain to the border in exchange for salt permits. Third Brother often deals with the Wang clan and has a good relationship with Wang Yuanlong." As he spoke, he also stood up from his seat and followed, clearly worried that Chu Yucheng would be at a disadvantage against so many opponents.

Zuan thought to himself that the Chu couple really needed to re-evaluate things. The relationship between the main branch and the second and third branches seemed merely average, but the second and third branches were clearly much closer to each other.

"Brother Yucheng!" Seeing Chu Yucheng appear, Wang Yuanlong was so moved he nearly shed tears.

Before Chu Yucheng could respond, the red-haired man cast a disdainful glance at him: "Where did this fat pig come from? Does our business concern you?"

Chu Yucheng's breath hitched. He was usually very proud of his physique, believing it to be the perfect build. To be directly called a "fat pig" by the other party was unbearable!

"You goddamn son of a!" Chu Yucheng cursed furiously, directly slapping the red-haired man's face.

The red-haired man's subordinates quickly surrounded them. Many in the hall gasped, knowing that just moments ago, several formidable Immortal's Abode guards had been beaten to a pulp by this group in the blink of an eye. This chubby fellow would likely suffer greatly.

Zuan went to Chu Hongcai's side and couldn't help but ask, "Aren't you going to help?"

"No need," Chu Hongcai replied coolly, his hands on his sheathed sword.

In the brief exchange, Chu Yucheng, like a tough-skinned wild boar, charged wildly, quickly scattering the subordinates.

The red-haired man let out a sound of surprise. "Interesting." He saw him give a casual kick, and the stool he had been standing on slid precisely to where Chu Yucheng was about to step, causing him to trip and fall to the ground.

The red-haired man scoffed with a disdainful smile. "What good is brute strength? A fat pig is still a fat pig."

Chu Yucheng's eyes turned red, and he charged at him with a furious cry.

This time, the red-haired man didn't dare to stay put. He slapped his palm, using the momentum to spring into the air, then swung the scabbard in his hand directly at Chu Yucheng's face.

"Watch out!" Chu Hongcai couldn't sit still any longer. In the blink of an eye, he had discerned that the opponent's cultivation was significantly higher than both Chu Yucheng's and his own. Third Brother would likely suffer a great loss against him. So he quickly drew his long sword and thrust it forward.

Only Zuan was left standing, conflicted: Should he help? If he helped, the Chu couple seemed to be somewhat wary of the second and third branches, perhaps even hoping to use others to eliminate them. But if he didn't help, after they had just hosted him so warmly, it would seem disloyal.

---

I discovered something amazing. Just now, unwilling to give up, I tried my computer again. Since Mount Emei is a famous Buddhist mountain and the bodhimanda of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva, and I was staying in a temple, I prayed to the Buddha and Bodhisattvas for protection before opening my computer. To my astonishment, I heard that distinctive startup sound. At that moment, I could hardly believe my eyes; it was truly miraculous.

While grateful to the Bodhisattva, I also needed to figure out what was going on. I recalled how the plastic bread bag had puffed up completely at Golden Summit and returned to normal after I descended. So, I checked the electrical specifications and operating environment for my MacBook. The manual stated that the maximum tested altitude for normal use was 3000 meters, and the operating temperature was above 10°C. Golden Summit is just over 3000 meters, so it was likely that the altitude caused significant changes in the electrical potential between components inside the computer. To protect the circuits from burning out, it automatically prevented startup.

However, a quick online search revealed that some people had no issues using their computers in higher altitudes like Tibet. I can only conclude that it truly depends on luck.

I saw someone yesterday accuse me of making excuses. Actually, those who have followed my books for years should know that if I were really going to stop updating, I wouldn't bother making excuses...