Chapter 29: Examiner’s Invitation to a Banquet
Translator: Kazeyuki_ Editor: Jimmy_
Inside the VIP suite of the Windy Pool Restaurant, someone led the three Qin family members to the door. As Qin Wushuang pushed the door open and walked in, he instantly saw that grizzled beard examiner sitting inside.
“You guys are fast!” That old man stood up and welcomed them. He patted Qin Lianshan’s shoulder and with a smile, he said somewhat exaggeratedly.
“Patriarch Qin, congratulations! You have a good son!”
Qin Lianshan knew these examiners were influential figures from the Zhen Wu Holy Place. He felt somewhat terrified and constrained as he quickly spoke the most modest of remarks: “He achieved this result because of he had trained very hard.”
“Yes, among tens of thousands of martial arts students in River County, your Qin Wushuang is the most hard-working and the most persistent. Every day, he persisted in climbing the Great Cang Mountains. For twenty-four hours a day, besides the six hours he used to sleep and eat, he spends the rest of the time in training. With talent and hard work, if this kind of kid did not become successful, even the gods would not allow it!”
The old man’s introduction had made the Qin father and son dumbfounded. They were inwardly astonished at how incredible the Zhen Wu Holy Place to have discovered so much information about Qin Wushuang within such a short period!
When he saw the stunned look their faces, the old man laughed and said: “Don’t be surprised. In Bai Yue Country, there are not many things that the Zhen Wu Holy Place cannot uncover.”
“The Zhen Wu Holy Place…” Qin Wushuang whispered this holy name that represented the peak of martial arts. From Bai Yue Country to all the other countries in this world, they all had their own Zhen Wu Holy Place. Without exception, these places represented each country’s’ supreme authority.
“No wonder those old masters of the Wealthy and the Prominent Class did not dare to breathe too loudly when they saw that elegant messenger!”
“Haha. In any country, the Zhen Wu Holy Place is the highest existence in the Human World and enjoy supreme authority. Not to mention the Wealthy Class and the Prominent Class, even the families of the Feudal Lords would not dare to go against the Zhen Wu Holy Place,” the old man said lightly.
“Ok, let’s not talk about this anymore. Qin Wushuang, I will tell you that in this session’s Martial Arts Student Exam, among tens of thousands of martial arts students, you are the only martial arts student invited by this examiner!”
At first, Qin Lianshan felt stunned, then immediately; he became jubilant. The meaning of these words was very clear. The examiner of the Zhen Wu Holy Place had just told Qin Wushuang that he was the uncrowned king of this session’s Martial Arts Student Exam!
What did it mean to receive an invitation from the Zhen Wu Holy Place? It was evident. At this moment, Qin Lianshan could not help but feel proud and his mind undulated.
If the Zhen Wu Holy Place had set their eyes on Qin Wushuang, then the Qin family would surely get a huge boost in their social status.
“Mr. Examiner, this is an honor.” Qin Wushuang knew his manners and aptly displayed his humbleness.
“No, you deserved this treatment. It is tough to nurture a child like you from the Humble Class. We’ve also investigated that the Qin family was part of the Wealthy Class in the past, correct?”
Qin Lianshan nodded incessantly. Before this elder, Qin Lianshan felt it was difficult to control his emotions.
“Qin Wushuang, I’m sure you must have wondered how you could only have gotten a level seven grade when you’ve achieved such excellent results,” the old man said with a smile, “The truth is, with your results, you did indeed get a level nine grade. However, the head examiner had his own reasons. He asked me to tell you that he did not have any bad intentions.”
Qin Wushuang pondered for a bit; then he nodded: “Wind will destroy trees that stand out from the forest. As a child of the Humble Class, if I were graded at level nine, it will attract a lot of trouble, and it will not help me to grow. The Head Examiner did it to protect me, and at the same time, he was urging me to continue to train hard and not become satisfied with the present situation. Hence, I need to continue to work hard and move forward. I cannot be thankful enough for this profound lesson.”
Although Qin Wushuang understood, inwardly, he could not help but smile bitterly. It was a good move for the Zhen Wu Holy Place to protect the child of the Humble Class. However, he would be no longer able to implement his plan to amaze the world with his brilliance. But a martial artist’s journey is long, this was also good. It would not be a bad thing to make people of the Xu and the Zhang family become overly suspicious and remain uncertain of the situation.
The old man slapped the table, and said with a deep sigh: “Good boy, good boy! At such a young age, you’ve thoroughly grasped the situation. Lianshan, your son has an unlimited potential for a bright future!”
Since he was only a sixteen-year-old martial artist, the other party would, of course, have such reaction because he’d thoroughly understood the entire situation in the blink of an eye.
Qin Lianshan also felt great relief when he’d heard his son’s speech. When he heard the old man’s compliments, he did not forget to be humble while being happy: “This child has a kind heart and strong roots. However, he still needs to improve himself via practice.”
“Haha, come, drink!”
The old man did not speak anymore and reached for the alcohol pot to fill the cups. Qin Xiu was quick-witted, and she immediately got up and snatched the alcohol pot: “Old Uncle, let Xiu’er pour the drink for you all.”
At first, the old man was stunned, then he laughed.
“Lianshan, Lianshan, I am impressed. You have a son with a bright future and even your daughter is also graceful. In River County, I have never seen any daughter of the Wealthy families this lovely.”
Qin Xiu smiled: “Old Uncle, don’t joke with me. I will fill your cup.”
The Qin father and son and the old man all shared a cup of wine. They put down their cups and changed the subject: “Lianshan, your daughter is still unmarried, right?”
“I am ashamed, my daughter is smart and has been helping me with some of the family businesses. To this day, there have been no marriage proposals. As a father, I feel tangled.” When Qin Lianshan talked about his daughter Qin Xiu, his tone was filled with guilt.
The old man started to have fun: “No hurry, no rush. Twenty-two years old is a young age. Lianshan, you’d better not rush. Such a good girl, you cannot randomly marry her off. You must find a good family.”
“Still, it all depends on my daughter’s preference and choice. As a father, I will, of course, not treat her unfairly,” Qin Lianshan said.
“In our Bai Yue Country, we pay particular attention to finding a prospective family with the same social status. I say, Lianshan, your family was once a Wealthy Class in your ancestor’s generation. In this session’s “Family Class Evaluation,” did you have some more ambitious goals?”
This topic made Qin Lianshan even more embarrassed.
“I won’t keep this in the dark, Mr. Examiner. I, Qin Lianshan have no skill. This time, my goal is to protect our Humble Class seat. It will be fortunate if I am capable of not letting our four hundred years of family inheritance fall into enemy hands.”
The old man was stunned. He glanced at Qin Wushuang and advised: “Lianshan, you have an excellent son. There will come a day when you will lift the Qin family’s social status. Most importantly, you cannot be discouraged.”
“Mr. Examiner, you are right. Although I, Qin Lianshan, do not have many skills, I am not scared of the invasion of those evil influences. For major family matters, I will deal with it to the very last.”
“Yes, Heaven never bars one’s way. Come, drink this cup, I have to go back and report.”
When they returned to the inn from the Windy Pool Restaurant, Qin Lianshan started his final preparations for the “Family Class Evaluation.” He began to analyze the information of some potential competitors and decided to prepare with everything he had.
Qin Wushuang felt an urge to tell his father that he had registered them for the Wealthy Class in advance. However, he stopped himself. It would be a pleasant surprise to his father.
Half a month of time remained until the “Family Class Evaluation.” Qin Lianshan stayed at home. Each day, besides training, he pored over the information.
Qin Wushuang did not obstruct his father. From time to time, he went shopping on the streets with his older sister, Qin Xiu. After a few days, they had become very familiar with the entire River County and had bought a lot of goods.
This day, Qin Xiu suddenly could not stop thinking about the spicy crab dish at the Windy Pool Restaurant. Qin Xiu wanted it so badly and dragged Qin Wushuang to eat it.
The Qin family had a broad foundation of assets and were well-off. They did not have to worry about the spending money on food and clothes.
The brother and the sister pair arrived at the Windy Pool Restaurant in high spirits. They instantly opened their mouths and ordered eight spicy crabs. That waiter was familiar with the brother and sister pair, and since Qin Xiu was pretty, he joked: “The two of you are lucky, there are only eight crabs left today.”
River County did not produce crabs. Each day, the products were delivered from the outside. Because the supply channels were limited, this spicy crab was the signature dish of the Windy Pool Restaurant. One crab costs sixty dollars, and there would be no discounts.
Qin Wushuang laughed: “This is what I call perfect timing. Sister, it seems you were destined to enjoy this delicious dish.”
The brother and the sister asked for a suite and walked upstairs.
In a moment, three of the four dishes they ordered had arrived at their table. Only the main dish, the spicy crabs had not yet come.
In his previous life, Qin Wushuang was a martial arts nerd and rarely enjoyed other pleasures. In this life, his family had influenced him at a young age. Thus, he developed more exquisite taste. He put down the chopsticks after he had taken a few bites of the dishes.
“Sister, you sure have great tastes! Although this Windy Pool Restaurant has good food, if we are talking about the best ones, it must be those spicy crabs. I’m also starting to crave them after you’ve captivated me with your words.”
The brother and the sister waited for the main dish, the spicy crabs, to arrive while they laughed and talked. However, as they waited and waited, it still did not come.
“Today’s chef is surely moving quite slow; I am going to ask the waiter to speed it up.” Just as he was about to get up, there came the footsteps of the servant.
That waiter walked to the door of the suite empty-handed. He showed an embarrassed expression.
“Waiter, your chef sure is moving slowly. We have waited for an hour.”
That waiter mumbled, and after a few moments, he said: “You two, there is a guest at the Heaven Suite that asked you to come over. He said he wanted to tell you something.”
“What kind of guest?” Qin Wushuang asked curiously.
“He is the same as you and dressed in aristocratic clothing. However, they seemed to be the young masters of the Wealthy and the Prominent Classes. They are all important figure in River County.” That waiter smiled apologetically.
“Not interested, I am not going to see them!” Qin Wushuang waved his hands impatiently. He frowned, “Hurry up, and serve the dish!”
Feeling embarrassed, that waiter had to tell him everything: “Young Master, not to hide it from you, but someone ordered your spicy crabs!”
“What do you mean?” Qin Wushuang said with a displeased tone, “A moment ago, that waiter at the counter said there were eight left. How come they have been taken? Did you think we could not afford to pay it, or what?”
The waiter quickly waved his hand: “No, no. We still had it a moment ago, but right now, someone ordered it. It was those young masters. They did not listen to my words, no matter what I said. They only ordered those spicy crabs. And they said that if young master wanted to contend this, then you can go to find them!”
These days, he had heard of people robbing others of their lands, money, or wives. It was the first he had heard of someone robbing another’s meal at a restaurant. Qin Wushuang angrily stared with his King Kong like eyes: “Shouldn’t it be first come, first served? Don’t speak any more; I ordered the dish first, so you must serve it to me. Whoever wants to be long-winded, then let them come to see me!”
When he saw Qin Wushuang become angry, the waiter did not dare to speak. He quickly nodded his head and left.
On both sides, they were aristocrats and an arrogant idler. As a little waiter, he could not afford to go against them. Wouldn’t it be ok to ask the boss?