Chương 247: The Phoenix Society

Yaochi Lake. This was a massive lake outside Yangnan City. Its surface spanned an unknown number of mu. Observing through Lightning, Song Que noted that it was even several times larger than the entirety of Qinghe City. The lakeshore was paved with stone embankments, forming a clean, wide avenue. Countless restaurants and shops stood shoulder to shoulder along the side. Since early morning, the area had been bustling with a constant stream of people and carriages, brimming with extreme vitality.

Song Que, Yun Xi, Shen Ziming, and Qingzhu were sitting on the third floor of a restaurant, slowly savoring their breakfast. Early this morning, keeping true to her word, Yun Xi had arrived at the men's inn right as the sun peeked over the horizon, knocking on their door to drag a still-sleepy Grandee Song here to taste the local delicacies.

"Did Young Noble Song not sleep well last night?" Seeing the little thief's somewhat lackluster spirit, the beautiful Yun Xi asked curiously. Could Grandee Song possibly say he spent the whole night terrified of getting his 'backdoor' breached? He could only shake his head and give a perfunctory reply:"It's nothing. It's just that this humble one has never seen such a prosperous place before. I was too excited all night and found it hard to fall asleep. Please don't laugh at me, Miss Yun."

"Haha, so that's how it is. A few years ago, I also accompanied my father on a trip to Jiangnan Prefecture. I remember being so excited I stayed up all night too. It's only human nature." Yun Xi giggled, sharing an embarrassing childhood story to help cover up his awkwardness.

"Young Noble Song, try the congee, fried dough sticks, and soy milk here. This is a century-old establishment; the taste is absolutely unparalleled. Every time I come back home, I must immediately have a taste to cure my cravings." Speaking of food, Song Que's spirit instantly revived. He immediately tossed everything else aside, focusing entirely on carefully savoring the meal. It was exactly as Yun Xi had said. The soy milk was rich, creamy, and fragrant, with a sweet and refreshing taste.

It was an absolute masterpiece! A metropolis was indeed a metropolis; everything here was several levels above a small county town like his. It seemed he definitely had to buy a few chefs to take back to Qinghe to satisfy his cravings. Eating delicious food and looking at a beautiful woman, Grandee Song's mood instantly soared. His mouth began to spout nonsense, teasing Yun Xi until she couldn't stop covering her mouth and giggling charmingly.

"Oh!" Suddenly, the beautiful Yun Xi let out an exclamation of surprise. Turning his head to follow her gaze, Song Que saw a handsome monk at the end of the street, dressed in white monk robes with gold trim. He looked incredibly elegant and detached from the mundane world, walking forward at a leisurely pace. Looking at this person, his face showed neither sorrow nor joy. He walked with his eyes closed and hands clasped.

The early morning sunlight draped over him like layers of radiant halos, looking exactly like a golden wheel of merit glowing behind him. He was incredibly eye-catching. For a monk to be this flashy, it could only be Hui Wu!

"Hui Wu!" Seeing his little brother, Grandee Song shouted out joyfully. Everyone was startled by his suddenly loud voice, and they collectively turned their heads up to see what the commotion was about. Good heavens! Beauty and the Beast! It seems women really do prefer the big, black, and hard types these days, many sour-hearted men cursed silently. Even though Hui Wu was quite a distance away, he naturally heard the loud shout.

He slightly opened his eyes; his face remained entirely calm as he chanted a Buddhist epithet. Then, as if he had sprouted wings of wind on his back, he bounded forward lightly. Tapping his toes a few times, he gracefully flew up to where Song Que's group was.

"Excellent movement technique!" Many people on the streets below couldn't help but shout in excitement. As a person who sought tranquility at the gates of Buddhism every day, Hui Wu had naturally long since discarded vanity. Praised by the crowd, his expression remained unfazed by honor or disgrace. He simply smiled faintly and cupped his hands:"Greetings, Brother Song. We meet again!" Among all the people present, only Song Que knew about this guy's deeply repressed, 'tsundere' personality.

He couldn't help but admire the monk's acting skills; it had truly reached the pinnacle of perfection. There wasn't a moment he wasn't posturing! Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Suppressing the urge to smack this monk's bald head, Grandee Song stood up and grabbed his shoulder with a hand as large as a cattail leaf fan, forcefully pushing the guy down into a seat:"Little brother, no need to be a stranger, sit down quickly!"

With his shoulder nearly crushed by the grip, Hui Wu had no choice but to submit to the big boss's tyrannical power. Aggrieved, he obediently sat properly, leaving Yun Xi and Qingzhu sitting across from him utterly dumbfounded.

"Greetings, Grandmaster Hui Wu!" Although surprised by their good relationship, Yun Xi didn't lose her manners and immediately offered a polite greeting.

"Amitabha, greetings, Miss Yun!"

"Oh, do you two know each other?"

"Benefactor Yun is a famous talented lady in Yangnan; this little monk naturally knows of her." Seeing that the two sides were acquainted, Song Que was happy to save himself the trouble:"Hui Wu, this is the Vice Pavilion Master of my Moon-Lacking Pavilion, Shen Ziming. The beauty over there is called Qingzhu; she's Miss Yun's person."

"Greetings, Benefactor Shen, Benefactor Qingzhu!"

"Greetings, Grandmaster Hui Wu!" The two didn't dare to be careless, hurriedly replying with solemn respect.

"Alright, everyone doesn't need to be so formal; we're all our own people. Little brother, you haven't had breakfast yet, right? Let me order a portion for you." Looking at this guy's face, Hui Wu just wanted to smash him with a Demon-Subduing Palm. He had also read the latest Martial World Chronicles. This bastard was clearly a year younger than him! Yet last time, he swindled away his innocence, taking advantage of this little monk's drunkenness to force him to acknowledge him as 'Big Brother.'

Now that the truth was out, he still dared to be so shamelessly composed. How could a person be so thick-skinned? He had a mind to fiercely rise up and rebel, but facing the steel-vise-like grip on his shoulder and that ferocious, vicious face, Hui Wu finally closed his eyes, accepted his fate, and sighed.

"Many thanks, Big Brother!"

"Hehe, between the two of us, what's there to thank?" Only then did the thief Song release his grip in satisfaction. After ordering the same breakfast for the monk, Song Que finally asked curiously:"Little brother, you sent a message specifically telling me to come here. Is there something important?" Speaking of this, Hui Wu smiled.

After secretly observing the surroundings to ensure no one was paying attention to them, he spoke:"This time, the Yaochi Tea Party is a massive fortuitous opportunity for you, Brother Song. If you miss this chance, it would truly be a pity."

"Oh? What exactly is it?" With benefits on the table, Grandee Song was naturally full of interest.

"Amitabha. To speak of this opportunity, we must first speak of Benefactor Zhao Mingyue. After today, this matter won't really be considered a secret, but it's best if you don't spread it to outsiders."

"Rest assured, Grandmaster, we will definitely keep our mouths shut!" Hearing his words, Yun Xi promised with a solemn expression, and the others hurriedly nodded as well.

"Female Benefactor Zhao began sensing Qi some time ago. Perhaps in less than a month or two, she will be able to break through to the First-Tier." These words were like a boulder tossed into a tranquil pond, stirring up a thousand-layer wave. Everyone at the table simultaneously gasped in shock. Grandee Song was similarly swept up in towering waves of astonishment. Zhao Mingyue was the same age as him; she was only sixteen this year!

Grandee Song was still rolling around in the 5th Grade, yet she was already preparing to charge straight into the First-Tier! And that was with him practically using cheat codes and experiencing several massive fortuitous encounters! Although Zhao Mingyue had a Grandmaster father putting all his effort into nurturing her, he similarly had his own golden finger. The starting point for both of them wasn't too far apart, yet in the end, her speed had left him eating her dust.

For all martial artists, no matter how terrifying the resources behind them were, there were certain bottlenecks that were equally difficult for everyone to overcome. Bone Refining was one of those bottlenecks. Attempting to refine the bones too early would only cause the practitioner to suffer from dwarfism. Furthermore, at that time, the bone structure hadn't yet fully set; it would leave behind massive sequelae later on, resulting in the loss outweighing the gain.

Because of this, there was an unwritten rule that no one under fifteen would undergo Bone Refining. It could be said that the Blood Moon Enchantress, just like Grandee Song, only began stepping into the 4th Grade last year. Thus, the issue arose: she used one single year to smash through the 5th Grade, 6th Grade, and 7th Grade—three major realms—and was now especially breaking through the shackles of the First-Tier's main gate. Her aptitude could be described as heaven-defying!

He truly had to accept his inferiority. But what did this have to do with anything? Meeting Song Que's confused gaze, Hui Wu continued to explain:"Alliance Leader Zhao only has this one child. This time, he is determined to nurture his daughter so she can eventually inherit the Heavenly River Sword Sect and the Nine Rivers Alliance. Because of this, nurturing a group of young, core members starting now is also necessary.

According to Alliance Leader Zhao's intentions, Miss Zhao Mingyue will establish a group called the Phoenix Society, with Female Benefactor Zhao as the President, recruiting outstanding young talents from all over Yangnan. With Brother Song's and the Moon-Lacking Pavilion's strength, grabbing a core position shouldn't be too difficult."

Giving everyone a moment to digest the information, Hui Wu continued:"Given how highly Alliance Leader Zhao values his daughter, the members of the Phoenix Society will receive the same care and protection as the members of the Nine Rivers Alliance. Having this backing will provide massive assistance to your future development of the Moon-Lacking Pavilion. Because of this, I didn't want Brother Song to miss this fortuitous opportunity." So that's how it is!

Song Que's mind was instantly clear, his eyes shooting out rays of excitement. This was truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! This time, as long as he was valued by Zhao Mingyue and became one of the members of the Phoenix Society, then in the future, with this beauty's... father protecting him, no matter how much courage the Lingjiang Gang had, they wouldn't dare to act recklessly. After all, from then on, everyone could be considered allied factions.

When that happened, Zhao Xingshen would handle matters impartially without favoring anyone. Looking further ahead, even if foreign martial artists like Tian Buer wanted to make a move against his Moon-Lacking Pavilion, they would have to weigh the consequences themselves. My future is secured! Grandee Song joyfully patted the monk Hui Wu on the shoulder and laughed loudly:"Little brother, truly righteous! I didn't dote on you in vain!

Haha, after the Tea Party is over, us brothers must sit down and have a proper meal together!" Looking at the strange gazes the others were shooting his way, Hui Wu felt utterly bitter. After shivering a few times, he resigned to his fate and sighed:"Everything is up to you, Big Brother."