153: Chapter 154 Preparing for the Banquet

“How could someone mess up so badly?”

The Clone looked at the mess in the arena, his expression constipated.

No one told him that the side effects of the “Shaoyin Secret Record” were so severe!

Why did he go crazy?

He had just come from his main body and witnessed Ji Wuli's madness when passing by.

Lu Ming initially didn't want to get involved, but he hadn't hidden his tracks, and many people had seen him.

Left with no choice, he had to capture Ji Wuli to avoid being held accountable later.

However, he didn't need to participate in the subsequent matters, as Sikong Ming had also arrived.

After understanding the course of events, Sikong Ming thanked him with a serious expression.

“Many thanks, Elder Han, for your intervention! You protected the personal and property safety of countless Loose Cultivators and prevented the situation from escalating further.”

Those words sounded so official!

So he said with a solemn expression.

“This is as it should be. I merely fulfilled the responsibility of an Immortal City Guest Elder!”

Commander Sikong Ming was deeply moved.

This was the kind of talent the Immortal City needed!

For this, he was even rewarded with some contribution points.

Lu Ming felt it would be impolite to refuse, so he accepted them.

Contribution points were a good thing; accumulating a certain amount allowed one to exchange them for Cultivation Techniques at the Immortal City Scripture Pavilion.

However, for him, they were temporarily useless.

What he needed was a Core Formation Cultivation Technique, but he figured the other party wouldn't provide it.

The subsequent matters were beyond his involvement; this was a diplomatic incident, and the Immortal City would naturally handle the negotiations.

Flying in the air, Lu Ming frowned slightly.

Today's incident made him stand out a bit, after all, he had captured a Foundation Establishment Cultivator alive.

However, he thought it wouldn't be a big problem. First, he was just a Clone, released by his main body to attract attention.

Furthermore, he was operating under Han Feiyu's identity, and as an Immortal City Guest Elder, it was necessary to display some strength appropriately.

Secondly, he only captured Ji Wuli and did not injure him, so he assumed the Imperial Dynasty wouldn't cause trouble for no reason.

Still, he needed to be cautious. What if they were insane and insisted on holding him accountable?

So, he decided not to return to the Immortal Cave area for now; he would just stay outside!

It was not advisable for the main body and the Clone to appear in the same place.

In fact, Lu Ming's ability to easily capture Ji Wuli was also related to Ji Wuli's own condition.

Lu Ming could sense a strange aura from him, which made Ji Wuli's personality irritable.

However, his magical power did not become wild; instead, it became sluggish, causing his strength to decline severely.

Lu Ming guessed this was the backlash from the “Hou Tu Contract”!

But Lu Ming still didn't understand the principle.

Was the trigger caused by the main body's active provocation, or did Ji Wuli himself initiate the chaos, leading to the backlash of the contract's power?

This was unknown.

But then again, why did things escalate to this point?

His original intention was just to mess with Ji Wuli.

But it seemed he had messed up, affecting many innocent Cultivators.

“What a sin!”

It seemed he still needed to be more careful in the future.

Although he admitted he was a bit selfish and not a good person.

But with no prior grievances, doing this made him feel quite bad.

It was all Ji Wuli's fault!

He would have to mess with him again in the future!

To avenge the Fellow Daoists who died!

He returned to the Ink Talisman Pavilion, where Zhou Yang and the others had already begun preparing for the Foundation Establishment Banquet.

Although the shopkeeper said not to make it too grand, they also didn't want it to be too shabby.

However, they faced a dilemma regarding the guest list.

Qi Refining Cultivators and their factions were easy to deal with, but they found it difficult to decide on Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

After this problem was reported, Lu Ming thought for a while and said.

“Just invite the Talisman Masters from the Immortal City! Also, Sikong Ming and Yuan Hong should be invited as well.”

He didn't know many Foundation Establishment Cultivators to begin with.

Talisman Masters could be explained as professional exchanges, but other Foundation Establishment Cultivators had no connection to him whatsoever.

Even if invited, others might not bother with him.

However, this would show some favoritism, but Lu Ming didn't care at all.

If someone were to harbor resentment over such a small matter, Lu Ming would be overjoyed.

Zhou Yang and the others didn't understand the intricacies, simply doing as the shopkeeper instructed.

Time passed day by day.

The matter of Ji Wuli did not spread throughout the Immortal City.

Perhaps because the identities of those involved were too sensitive, Cultivators avoided discussing it.

As for the subsequent events, Lu Ming didn't bother to inquire.

It wasn't important, nor was it necessary.

He only needed to know that Ji Wuli no longer had the energy to cause trouble.

In short, so far, no new names had appeared on the golden book.

Lu Ming wasn't disappointed by this; he let everything take its natural course.

Half a month later.

Inner City, Tianxing Restaurant.

Zhou Yang and the others had changed into welcoming robes and stood at the entrance, greeting the Cultivators attending the banquet.

Although this might seem a bit undignified, it depended on who it was for.

Now that Lu Ming was a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, there were many who wanted to curry favor with him.

Many envied Zhou Yang and his companions for being able to serve a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

However, compared to Zhou Kang's family, who seemed a bit smug, Zhou Yang's demeanor was quite different.

“Fellow Daoist, please come this way.”

Facing a Qi Refining Cultivator, Zhou Yang wore a humble smile.

The newcomer was a little surprised. He was merely a Qi Refining Cultivator, and he came today to pay his respects to a Foundation Establishment Senior.

In his perception, weren't these Foundation Establishment attendants usually arrogant?

But he didn't expect this person to be so polite, showing no signs of looking down on him.

At that moment, he felt a newfound respect for that Senior Han.

If before it was more awe, now it was genuine respect.

To cultivate such humble attendants, this Senior must be exceptional.

Thinking of this, the newcomer quickly returned the bow to Zhou Yang before entering.

Zhou Yang withdrew his gaze and continued to greet Cultivators arriving from all sides.

It wasn't that he disliked the feeling of being envied or even respected.

Rather, he was very good at maintaining his position.

He was originally an unknown Cultivator; if not for Wu Daoren's patronage, he would have been just an insignificant minor Cultivator among the masses.

Having achieved his current status, he felt there was no need to act pretentiously; doing a good job for his Senior was what truly mattered.

At this moment, he suddenly looked towards the sky, where two streaks of light approached from afar, one after the other.

The streaks of light dissipated, revealing the faces of two figures.

“Greetings, Commander Senior, Commander Yuan Hong, the shopkeeper has been awaiting your arrival for a long time. Please come in, esteemed sirs!”

Zhou Yang was not unfamiliar with the two. After recognizing them, he quickly bowed. Although his demeanor was respectful, it was neither servile nor overbearing.

He could appear humble before Wu Daoren, but outside, he represented Wu Daoren's face.

Sikong Ming couldn't help but scrutinize Zhou Yang a bit more for this.

Zhou Yang personally led the two inside before returning to the outside of the building.

Zhou Kang and the others, seeing Zhou Yang's composed demeanor, humble towards lower-level Cultivators and calm towards higher-level Cultivators, couldn't help but feel a secret envy.

“Indeed, there's a reason why Senior favors Zhou Yang.”

They also put away their slight feelings of self-satisfaction and conscientiously continued their welcoming duties.