At that moment, four attendants from Nuanxiang Chamber entered carrying an enormous silver platter and set it on a wooden stand beside the table.
The platter was custom-made, five feet long and two and a half feet wide, covered by a massive silver cloche.
All three men possessed sharp hearing and could hear oil sizzling and popping beneath the cover.
It had indeed just come out of the oven.
He Lingchuan rubbed his hands together. "One of our head chefs at Nuanxiang Chamber hails from the Ya Kingdom, and his specialty is roasting whole pigs and sheep. Today’s ingredients are exceptionally rare; even I am getting to taste this for the very first time."
Nobody chimed in, but he rattled on without feeling the least bit awkward.
The attendants swiftly withdrew, pulling the door shut behind them.
In this spacious private room, seven or eight guards—including Lü Qiuwei—stood posted in the corners. Only Qiu Hu stood directly behind He Lingchuan; he first cast a soundproofing barrier over the room before fixing his watchful gaze on the other two guests.
"I'm starving!" He Lingchuan grabbed a pair of silver chopsticks and picked up a piece of sizzling squid tube. "Please don't be shy, gentlemen, dig in!"
The squid was prepared to perfection—a harmonious blend of crisp slipperiness, tender chew, and charred aroma. Each piece was stuffed with savory rice and rich roe, accompanied by a distinctive sauce, successfully climbing the ranks to become He Lingchuan's second-favorite dish in the Yangshan Archipelago.
Moqi Feng was weighed down with worry; how could he possibly have the appetite to lift his chopsticks?
He Lingchuan urged him, "Eat! Why are you just staring blankly?
"Come on, try some, both of you!" He Lingchuan was as hospitable as an innkeeper. "This water mugwort was harvested just this morning from the shores of Ding Lake. It's in season—crisp, tender, and fresh."
Moqi Feng forced himself to take a mouthful of stir-fried tender mugwort shoots, tasting nothing.
Yu Zecheng slammed his hand on the table. "Island Master He, drop the act. Where are my subordinates?"
"What subordinates?" He Lingchuan asked in apparent surprise. "Aren't all the people you brought with you right here in Nuanxiang Chamber, Mr. Yu?"
Yu Zecheng's face sank like still water. "Stop playing dumb! The Yangshan Archipelago is nothing more than a speck of land, and you are just a petty, savage island master. You dare detain warriors of Beijia?"
"Warriors of Beijia?" He Lingchuan turned to Qiu Hu. "Do we have other Beijia people on our island?"
Qiu Hu replied in all seriousness, "According to Ni-zi, a few Beijia merchants are staying on Suoding Island tonight, but none are at the Hot Springs Retreat."
He Lingchuan let out an "Oh." "Mr. Yu brought merchants along? But I certainly won't accept the accusation of detaining anyone..."
Before he could finish, Yu Zecheng slammed the table again. "He Xiao, do not think you can hide behind the support of Mou Kingdom's National Preceptor! When Beijia hunts a demon or marks someone for death, fleeing to the ends of the earth will avail them nothing! Release my men right now, and we can consider this feud settled. Otherwise, prepare to be reduced to ashes by the wrath of National Preceptor Shuangye and Beijia!"
Ever since his plan began, staying on Suoding Island had never once made him worry for his own safety.
So what if he allied with the Bailong people? So what if he intercepted Zhu Erniang? Did this He fellow truly dare lay a single finger on him?
With the doors and windows sealed shut, the resounding slam against the table echoed through the room, its reverberations lingering.
He Lingchuan looked at him, his smile slowly fading.
"Mr. Yu wishes to lay all our cards on the table? Fine!" The moment his expression darkened, a ferocious, ruthless aura surfaced—a night-and-day contrast from the handsome, refined Island Master He from a moment ago. "Then let us lay them out!"
"A-Hu!" He Lingchuan tilted his chin toward the custom silver platter. "Serve tonight's main course!"
Qiu Hu strode over immediately and yanked off the silver cloche.
A wondrous aroma of roasted meat rushed out, so intoxicating that even Moqi Feng, consumed by worries, couldn't help swallowing a mouthful of saliva.
Judging by this rich fragrance alone, the head chef of Nuanxiang Chamber truly had remarkable skill.
He Lingchuan had claimed the chef excelled at whole roasted pig and sheep, but this creature roasted to a golden-reddish brown was far leaner than a pig, and with sharp fangs in its jaws, it looked nothing like a sheep.
The fat on the roasted skin still sizzled and popped.
Yu Zecheng had no idea what this thing was, much less what it had to do with laying cards on the table. He appraised it with a suspicious gaze. "What is the meaning of this? Do not try to obfuscate—"
He Lingchuan said unhurriedly, "Fubao, announce the dish."
"Distinguished guests, this is Secret-Recipe Fragrant Meat!" Wang Fubao announced cheerfully. "Chef Wang of our Nuanxiang Chamber specializes in fragrant meat using an ancestral family recipe. But since we had no dog tonight, and the kitchen happened to catch a wolf demon, he substituted wolf meat instead. This is Chef Wang's masterpiece—a whole wolf roasted in a hanging oven, guaranteed rich, aromatic, and juicy! Though wolf meat is a bit firm, it has wonderful chew..."
Yu Zecheng was dumbfounded at first, but then shot to his feet, grinding out every word through clenched teeth:
"He Xiao, do you truly wish to die?"
With metallic clangs, the nearby Yangshan guards drew their blades in unison.
Moqi Feng hadn't pieced it together yet, but Yu Zecheng knew full well: among the subordinates he had dispatched east to capture Zhu Erniang was a wolf demon!
To turn his subordinate into a dish—and then serve it to him!
Young as he was, this fellow He was wickedly cruel, completely mad!
Beyond shock and fury, Yu Zecheng's eyes brimmed with disbelief. "You have a death wish, and you want to drag everyone on this island to the grave with you?!"
"Is there a problem?" He Lingchuan raised his eyes. Qiu Hu picked up a silver carving knife from the side, carved off an aromatic rib, and presented it to him.
He Lingchuan picked it up with his chopsticks and put it into his mouth, chewing slowly. "Delicious indeed! Old Min wasn't lying—demons with cultivation truly have an exceptional flavor!
"A-Hu, carve a nice piece of meat for Mr. Yu as well."
Yu Zecheng's voice deepened with fury. "He Xiao, you dare turn a warrior of Beijia into—"
"Yu Zecheng!" He Lingchuan addressed him by his full name for the first time, infusing true power into his voice. "Mind your words!"
That low shout struck like a muffled clap of thunder on a clear day, instantly cutting Yu Zecheng off.
Moqi Feng was baffled at first, but looking between the roasted dish, the enraged Yu Zecheng, and the smugly grinning Wang Fubao, an inkling of understanding dawned on him.
Wolf meat? A wolf... a wolf demon?
No, surely not! Facing a military officer of Beijia, how could Island Master He retaliate so ruthlessly?
Had this island master lost his mind, offending Beijia to the point of no return?!
Yet He Lingchuan glanced his way.
That gaze was bottomless, sending a chill through Moqi Feng's heart.
Turning a Beijia demon into dinner and serving it to Beijia's own envoy—this was something no ordinary man would dare do. If Island Master He used such methods against Beijia, how would he treat the Bailong people?
Why on earth had he ever thought Island Master He was mild-tempered and easy to deal with?
In this moment, he desperately wanted to slap himself across the face.
Naive! Utterly foolish!
How had he pitted the Bailong people against such an adversary?
He Lingchuan pointed to the whole roasted wolf. "This was a wandering wild wolf demon. We caught several wandering vagrants on Suoding Island as well. Yu Zecheng, are you saying Beijia sent them all?"
Yu Zecheng opened his mouth to reply, but He Lingchuan cut him off again: "You had best think carefully. The Yangshan Archipelago will not bear such a crime, nor will I. Therefore, anyone who dares slander me will not be walking out of this private room alive!"
Qiu Hu had already carved off several ribs. With a casual flick of his wrist, he drove the silver knife into the table with a dull *thunk*.
The hilt vibrated incessantly.
Furious beyond measure, Yu Zecheng laughed cold laughter. "Good! Excellent! You dare threaten me?"
"Haven't you heard that disaster comes from the tongue?" He Lingchuan gave a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Say the wrong words, and heaven will send retribution. Tonight there are hurricanes and the Emperor's Flowing Dew; even Suoding Island's docks suffered an unexplained explosion. Who's to say this very dining room won't be struck by lightning and catch fire, leaving its diners tragically deceased?
"When heaven wants someone dead, does it care whether you hail from Beijia?" He Lingchuan picked up another piece of wolf meat and chewed it slowly. "When Beijia investigates later, I can only report that tonight's celestial phenomena were erratic, and Mr. Yu was unfortunately cut down before his time. A tragic pity, alas."
Wasn't Yu Zecheng emboldened to stir up trouble on his island with fearless impunity precisely because of his status as a Beijia military officer?
He Lingchuan wanted him to understand right now that tonight, that proud status of his was made of paper!
Once punctured, his confidence would have no foundation, and his arrogance would be riddled with gaping holes.
"Of course, by then Mr. Yu will no longer be among the living, so naturally you won't know the aftermath."
Translating what lay beneath the words:
*Even if Beijia comes to settle scores with me, you will die before I do!*
When one's very life was about to be forfeit, what leverage or bargaining chips remained?
Yu Zecheng stared fixedly at him.
This kid looked completely at ease. Was he bluffing, or did he genuinely dare kill him?
Did he want to test it? Did he dare take that gamble?
"Laying all your cards on the table only puts you at a disadvantage, so why bother?" He Lingchuan picked up a piece of crystal pork knuckle. "Sit down. My neck gets tired looking up to talk."
Yu Zecheng was not Moqi Feng; he would not simply sit because He Lingchuan told him to. But behind him, Lü Qiuwei and two other men closed in immediately, reaching out to seize his shoulders.
"Our Lord told you to sit down!"
How could Yu Zecheng allow himself to be handled without a fight? He moved to flip the table while simultaneously pivoting and kicking out, striking at the Mount Rong men behind him.
In the blink of an eye, he traded two blows with each of the three, his offensive fierce and sharp.
Yet the table remained firmly in place, for He Lingchuan pressed a single palm against its surface; the assorted dishes merely gave a low hum from the impact, not spilling even a drop of broth.
Halfway through the scuffle, Yu Zecheng felt a gust of wind beside his temple—Qiu Hu's fist, the size of a clay mortar, had arrived.
He took two of Qiu Hu's punches head-on, feeling a searing pain shoot through his wrists.
This brute possessed abnormal strength.
With every avenue of retreat cut off from front to back and left to right, one man truly could not overpower four.
He Lingchuan called out just in time:
"Stop!"
Sure enough, Qiu Hu's fist stopped right before Yu Zecheng's chest, a mere half-inch away.
The latter shoved Lü Qiuwei back and snarled at He Lingchuan, "Do you act with no regard for consequences?!"
"How kind of you to worry about me, but that is none of your concern," He Lingchuan retorted in a tone neither hot nor cold. "Let us be frank. Do you want to live, or do you want to die?"
*Phew, keeping up this haughty act is rather exhausting.*
Yu Zecheng did not answer.
There was no way to answer such a question.
"Does this wolf demon belong to Beijia or not?" He Lingchuan pointed to tonight's main course. "Think carefully before answering. Is it, or is it not?"
Qiu Hu strolled back to the table and drew the silver knife free.
The moment Yu Zecheng gave an affirmative answer, this knife would find its use.
Yu Zecheng ground his teeth so hard they creaked.
This bastard was pushing him too far!
"Why are you being so stubborn?" He Lingchuan sighed helplessly. "Saying 'no' won't cost you a shred of flesh. If you say 'yes', what value will your sacrifice tonight hold? Will Beijia name you a martyr? Will they take pride in you?
"So long as you die here, this whole affair from start to finish will be nothing but a farce." He Lingchuan asked him, "Do you wish to use your own death to prove your own incompetence?"
Chapter 999