I bear witness to immortality in the human world.

Chapter 85 Banquet
The inner city of Jingye City.

Beilan Street.

Wu Ming, dressed in simple clothes, strolled along the street.

The streets and alleys in the inner city are much quieter than those in the outer city. There are all kinds of shops on both sides of the streets and alleys, but there are no mobile stalls or vendors. All the shops also have a certain elegance.

He didn't suddenly decide to stroll around; rather, he received an invitation from Chen Gui to attend a banquet at the Chen family's residence, which was located behind Beilan Street in the inner city of Jingye.

Crossing the streets and alleys,

Behind it were rows of spacious mansions.

There are the Zhang family mansion, the Zhao family mansion, the Liu family mansion, and so on. Some of these are powerful families that have been passed down for generations, while others look very new, having been built only a few years ago, and belong to some newly emerging nobles in Jingye City.

After passing several spacious mansions, Wu Ming finally arrived in front of a mansion with towering walls. This mansion occupied a large area, and even from a distance, one could see pavilions with carved eaves.

front,

Above the heavy mahogany gate hangs a gilded plaque with the words "Chen Residence" written on it.

The Chen family is a prominent clan in Jingye City. The ancestor of the Chen family, Chen Ji, who established his mansion here more than a hundred years ago, was once a person who had entered the fourth stage of blood coagulation. He was famous and powerful. Now, after several generations, the Chen family is no longer as prosperous as it once was. Although it can still be called a wealthy family, it can no longer be considered a first-class family in Jingye City.

Looking at the Chen residence, Wu Mingyao couldn't help but think that the Chen family in its heyday was a powerful clan comparable to the Wang family today. However, now it was being constrained by various forces because of a medicinal tea business, all of whom wanted a share of the pie.

At its peak, the Wang family was virtually unchallenged in Jingye City, but now it has also declined and is suppressed by various forces within the Shenxing Division, and is no longer as glorious as it once was.

"Even the most prestigious families eventually decline; it's always a case of one generation replacing the old."

Wu Ming muttered to himself.

On the way here, he had seen some dilapidated mansions with towering blue stone walls, some of which were broken and neglected for years, with layers of moss growing unattended. However, the Chen family had not yet fallen to that state. At least in Chen Gui's generation, they could still enjoy some prosperity. As for what would happen in the future, it was hard to say.

After all, none of Chen Gui's brothers and sisters have been able to break through the shackles of the third blood coagulation stage. Whether a family can have a master with the third blood coagulation stage to maintain its basic dignity is basically the guarantee for a powerful family. Once a generation is cut off, they will immediately become fish on the chopping block, targeted by various forces, and then constantly devoured until they completely decline.

"Master Wu."

The Chen family's steward had been waiting outside for a long time. As soon as he saw Wu Ming arrive, he immediately took the initiative to greet him, bowed respectfully to Wu Ming, and said, "Master and young master are waiting inside the mansion."

Wu Ming nodded slightly and followed behind the Chen family steward, entering the Chen family mansion through the main gate. They walked along the corridor, passing through several nested courtyards, and arrived at the main hall of the Chen family mansion.

Outside the main hall,
Chen Gui took the initiative to come out and greeted him with a smile and a cupped hand, saying, "Brother Wu, this is the first time I've invited you to my home. I hope you will forgive me for any shortcomings in my hospitality."

Previously, he had always invited Wu Ming to dinner at restaurants in the city, never inviting Wu Ming to his home, mainly because the circumstances were not suitable. This time, however, it was different. He had encountered danger and was rescued by Wu Ming, who had also broken through the realm of mastery of skills and was promoted to deputy inspector of the Censorate. Regardless of his status and position, Wu Ming was now treated with the utmost respect by the entire Chen family.

This banquet for Wu Ming was also at the behest of his father, Chen Ding.

"There's no need for such formalities between us."

Wu Ming smiled at Chen Gui and waved his hand.

Upon seeing this, Chen Gui laughed heartily and led Wu Ming into the main hall.

In the main hall.

In the spacious hall, Chen Gui's father, Chen Ding, the head of the Chen family, was standing in the main seat. When he saw Wu Ming enter, he took the initiative to cup his hands and greet Wu Ming, saying, "Lord Wu, your presence at my humble abode today is an honor. My son was previously plotted against and the situation was complicated. I have not yet had the chance to express my sincere gratitude to you."

"You're too kind, Mr. Chen."

Wu Ming returned the greeting with a calm expression.

Chen Ding smiled, nodded slightly to the steward beside him, and then said, "If it weren't for Lord Wu's intervention, the consequences would have been unimaginable. This piece of Ice Soul Jade has the effect of calming the restlessness of blood and qi, so I will give it to Lord Wu."

Saying,

The steward brought over an exquisite wooden box containing an ice-blue jade pendant. Judging from its quality alone, it was quite extraordinary. Wu Ming had seen similar ice-soul jade in the merit exchange records of the Censorate. It was indeed of exceptional value, requiring at least three thousand merits to exchange for, and probably three or four thousand taels of silver would be hard to find outside.

“Brother Chen and I are old friends. It is my duty to rescue Brother Chen. However, this Ice Soul Jade is too precious.”

Wu Ming glanced at it and said.

“These are just some external items, nothing of great value. Lord Wu is young and promising, and wearing this is just right for his status.”

Chen Ding smiled slightly.

Seeing this, Wu Ming thought for a moment and then accepted it.

Given his current status, he needs to be careful when accepting gifts. However, since he rescued Chen Gui and averted a crisis for the Chen family, this piece of Ice Soul Jade is a suitable gift. Furthermore, the Chen family itself is relatively clean, and although there is no connection or conflict between them and his current superior Zhou Huai'an and the lineage of Huang Lin, the person in charge, they are not related.

It was precisely for this reason that Huang Lin mentioned his dealings with the Chen family when he met with Huang Lin, the head of the Shenxing Division, in the building that day. However, Huang Lin did not give him any special advice, but only told him to weigh the pros and cons and pay attention to the limits.

The various forces in Jingye City are entangled in a complex web of interests. Even the various departments of the Shenxing Division are not a monolithic entity, and some departments even have serious conflicts with each other. Given Wu Ming's current status and position, he will inevitably be drawn into these conflicts of interest sooner or later, which is unavoidable.

"I have prepared a banquet for Lord Wu. Please come and join me."

After exchanging a few polite words with Wu Ming, Chen Ding took the initiative to extend an invitation.

Wu Ming did not refuse and went with Chen Gui to the dining room, where a banquet had already been set up. In addition to Chen Ding and Chen Gui, Chen Gui's three elder brothers, Chen Rong, Chen Hua and Chen Fu, were also present at the table. They were collectively known as Ronghua Fugui.

“Brother Wu, I am deeply grateful for your previous care. I am currently working in the Divine Weapon Hall of the Seven Martial Alliance. If you need anything, please just let me know.” Chen Hua bowed to Wu Ming, very politely.

Of the four sons of the Chen family, only he possesses exceptional talent and has now joined the Divine Weapon Hall, one of the inner halls of the Seven Martial Alliance.

Wu Ming greeted Chen Hua and the others one by one, and after nodding to each other, they were considered acquaintances. He knew that the Chen family had invited him to the banquet today in order to get closer to the Chen family, but he did not want to get too involved with the Chen family.

He came to the banquet partly to receive the Chen family's reward, and partly out of respect for Chen Gui. After all, the Chen family only tried to win him over after he rose to prominence, while Chen Gui had provided him with a lot of help when he was still in obscurity. The two were naturally very different.

After three rounds of drinking.

Wu Ming's gaze suddenly shifted, and he turned to look out the window.

It was already dark outside the window, and a figure appeared in the corner of the window, peeking inside.

"Who's there! Come in!"

Chen Ding noticed Wu Ming's gaze, looked out the window, raised an eyebrow, and shouted in a deep voice.

"ah."

A soft cry came from outside the window; it was a little girl's voice. Immediately afterwards, the figure walked around the window to the front door. It was a girl who looked about fifteen or sixteen years old, wearing a light yellow shirt, with big, blinking eyes as she looked into the house.

"father."

The girl called out to Chen Ding.

then.

She blinked and looked at Wu Ming, saying, "Are you the one who saved Fourth Brother before? Thank you so much!"

"You are welcome."

Wu Ming returned her a smile.

Seeing this, Chen Ding shook his head helplessly, smiled apologetically at Wu Ming, and said, "This is my daughter Yan'er. She is naturally mischievous and has offended and offended you. I hope you will forgive her, Lord Wu."

"It's a good thing for a young girl to be lively."

Wu Ming smiled indifferently.

This little incident did not affect the banquet. After Chen Yan'er left, Chen Ding inquired about some things from Wu Ming. Wu Ming weighed the pros and cons and casually told him some unimportant information, including some information about the Wang family.

at last.

After eating and drinking to their hearts' content, Wu Ming got up to say goodbye. Chen Gui got up to persuade him to stay, wanting Wu Ming to stay overnight at the Chen family's house, but Wu Ming only said that he still had business to attend to at the Night Patrol Division and left immediately.

Chen Ding also got up to see him off, escorting him to the entrance of the main hall, while Chen Gui escorted Wu Ming all the way to the outside of the mansion.

When Chen Gui returned, he saw Chen Ding standing in the courtyard, gazing at the night sky, deep in thought.

"Dad, what do you think of him?"

Chen Gui asked in a low voice.

Chen Ding composed himself, pondered for a moment, and said, "He is young but has a very calm and composed temperament. He is a remarkable person."

"Well, he's a bit younger than me, but he's very mature in his dealings. I've known for a long time that he's extraordinary... Hmm, Father, what do you think about me trying to match him up with Sister Yan'er?"

Chen Gui pondered for a moment before speaking.

Chen Yan'er is his younger sister from both parents. Now that she has grown up, he feels that Wu Ming is a very good person to entrust with his life. He is calm, experienced, loyal, and capable. He has mastered the art of martial arts and has become the deputy inspector of the Censorate. He is qualified in every way to marry his sister.

"Ok?"

Chen Ding glanced at Chen Gui.

Chen Gui said in a low voice, "Father, you also think that Wu Ming is an extraordinary person. He may also have the potential to achieve three blood coagulations in the future. If he succeeds, he will be a top expert among those who achieve three blood coagulations. Even if Sister Yan'er marries into another aristocratic family, it will be difficult to find someone as outstanding as Wu Ming. Besides, I know Wu Ming's character very well. If Sister Yan'er marries him, she will definitely not be bullied."

Chen Ding listened to Chen Gui's words and also showed a thoughtful expression. He had indeed been considering Chen Yan'er's marriage recently, but Chen Yan'er's marriage was being considered in conjunction with the current situation of the Chen family.

He wanted to use Chen Yan'er's marriage to form an alliance with another faction in order to stabilize the situation and extract the greatest profit from the herbal tea business.

After thinking for a moment.

Chen Ding finally shook his head and said, "I will make arrangements for Yan'er's marriage, so you don't need to worry about it."

As Chen Gui said, under normal circumstances, Wu Ming's current status and position would make marrying Chen Yan'er a good match, but the current situation is special, and he has to consider the entire Chen family.

Although Chen Gui spoke lightly, saying that once Wu Ming achieves the third blood coagulation, he will be a top expert among those who achieve it, enough to intimidate all forces and protect the Chen family's current interests in medicinal tea, the problem is that he has also learned about Wu Ming's information and knows that Wu Ming's blood coagulation aptitude is not high enough, and the hope of him achieving the third blood coagulation in the future is actually very small.

With Wu Ming's combined skill and ability, as well as his status as deputy inspector, he can play a certain role in the Chen family, but his role is very limited.

He cannot gamble on such a low-probability event.

(End of this chapter)