The Villain's Counterattack

Chapter 573 Birthday Banquet, Dongming's Situation is Good

Although Yue Buqun was not late, he arrived in a hurry and did not prepare any special gifts. He just splashed ink and painted a picture of Mount Tai, the most majestic of the Five Mountains, in the clouds in Wang Tong's study.

This scroll is five feet long and three feet high, and it depicts the majestic grandeur of Mount Tai to the core. Even Wang Tong, who has visited Mount Tai countless times, felt his eyes brighten and his eyes were full of love, and he couldn't let it go. Wang Shichong and Ouyang Xiyi beside him were full of longing, and the others cast envious glances at him.

It's a pity that this is Tong Lao's birthday gift, and no one dares to snatch it. Even his old friend Ouyang Xiyi just wants to borrow it to satisfy his eyes. There is no need to snatch his friend's favorite thing. He has always been like this. He doesn't have too much obsession with music, chess, calligraphy and painting. Even if he sees good things, he will only be interested in them for three minutes.

As for asking Mr. Yue Buqun to paint another one, I had thought about it, but after hearing Wang Tong's evaluation of his painting, I immediately gave up the idea. It is so expensive to find a master's work.

It would be fine for others, but Dugu Feng was thinking in his heart whether he should ask Mr. Yue to paint a picture for his grandmother's birthday. After all, You Chuhong was a famous elder in the underworld, officialdom, and wealthy family, and her reputation in some aspects might not be inferior to Wang Tong.

Originally, Wang Tong was going to have a candlelit chat with Yue Buqun, but Yue Buqun declined on the grounds that he was mentally exhausted from the long journey. This excuse was outrageous no matter how you looked at it. You are a great master who can write with ease and even suppress the provocation of old man Ouyang Xiyi. A meal is worth as much as all the other guys. And you say you are mentally exhausted?

Wang Shichong and others immediately understood that Mr. Yue's reason was probably very simple. He wanted the old man, Wang Tong, to rest early and prepare for his birthday tomorrow. Although Wang Tong was a great scholar and a master of martial arts, he was old after all. There would be many guests tomorrow, and it would not be good if he was not in good spirits.

This person is meticulous!

Early the next morning, preparations began in the palace. Wang Tong was proficient in both civil and military affairs, and had many disciples, so he didn't need to worry about his birthday. He pulled Yue Buqun aside to continue discussing literature and philosophy, but there were more people around him today.

Ouyang Xiyi had a high level of martial arts and had gained a lot by learning from other things, so he naturally would not miss such an opportunity. Wang Shichong knew that this man was Zhang Xutuo's chief military advisor and had made great contributions in fighting against the Wagang rebels, so he also wanted to make friends with him.

It was rare for other people to listen to Wang Tong's lectures, let alone an equal discussion among masters. This was not as simple as one plus one equals two. It was three times, five times, or even ten times more exciting and difficult to describe.

More and more guests came, and the front of the palace was bustling with traffic. As night fell, the lights inside and outside the gate were brilliant, and people were coming and going, and the sounds of laughter could be heard everywhere.

At the core, Wang Tong is the absolute protagonist, followed by the outstanding and elegant Yue Buqun. Even the master Ouyang Xiyi and the court official Wang Shichong can only stand behind. Others such as Shen Naitang can only smile and seldom have the chance to speak.

Being able to appear before the great scholar Wang Tong was a rare and valuable opportunity for Shen Naitang. He could later boast that he had been a guest at the great scholar's birthday celebration at the Wang family compound, a valuable qualification. Just then, a loud argument reached his ears. Turning to see that it was the younger generation he had brought with him, he blushed, hurriedly apologized, and ran over to angrily scold them.

Wang Tong, Yue Buqun, Wang Shichong, and Ouyang Xiyi were no ordinary people. They all had sharp eyes. At first glance, they saw that the people in conflict were all young people. The one with the loudest voice was Shen Naitang's daughter, while the one with the highest status was Princess Shan Wanjing of Dongming. However, what caught their attention the most were two young people in ordinary clothes.

"So it's the little princess of Dongming. The Dongming sect rose to prominence in Ryukyu. In recent years, they've been active in the East China Sea, connecting both the inner and outer worlds. They've become quite successful and quite influential." Wang Tong said with a smile, "For this old man's birthday, the wine served at the VIP table is the sugarcane sweet wine this girl sent. It's of top quality and has a unique flavor."

Ouyang Xiyi laughed heartily and said, "Thanks to your praise, this wine will surely sell well in the future, and they won't lose out."

Wang Shichong shook his head and said, "Old Ouyang, you don't know. Behind the Dongming Sect lies a powerful figure, a true all-rounder. Besides weapons and armor, their food, wine, ships, and horses are also extraordinary. Their Ryukyu wines are brewed from over a dozen different kinds of fruit, and they're all top-quality, in short supply, and incredibly hard to come by."

"Most importantly, the Dongming Sect only gives away all of their fine wines, never selling them. Dongming weapons are renowned and in short supply, so they're not short of money. They brew most of their wine for their own use, and occasionally give it as a gift, which can cause quite a stir. Even Your Majesty only tasted half of them. They almost considered attacking Ryukyu again because of this."

At this point, Wang Shichong himself laughed. "Tong Lao was gifted with so many fine Dongming wines, even though they were only mid-grade sugarcane sweet wines, it's still rare. This shows that the Dongming sect has great respect for Tong Lao, otherwise three or five bottles would be the limit. However, it's difficult for us to get drunk in his honor."

Ouyang Xiyi's eyes lit up when he heard this, and then he said dissatisfiedly: "Shan Wanjing is also my junior. Why did she only send Master Tong away, but forgot about me, an old beggar? If this girl can't produce good wine that satisfies me, don't even think about me forgiving her." As he spoke, he began to laugh.

On the other side, Shan Wanjing bowed slightly to Wang Tong. As countless exquisite products of the Dongming Sect poured into the Sui Dynasty, her status and position also rose. The invitation she used to attend the banquet this time was not the one given by Li Shimin in the original work, but the one that truly belonged to her, or to the Dongming Sect.

She swept her eyes across the room, finally lingering on Yue Buqun's face for a moment, a slight smile appeared on the corner of her mouth, and she left Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling and walked straight up. She first apologized to Wang Tong, but did not hold on to him, saying that it was nothing serious.

Shang Ming next to her wanted to say something but stopped himself, but was suppressed by her glance. Shang Ming was a little indignant. The weapons account book of Dongming faction was a big deal no matter how you looked at it. Since they had already encountered two little thieves, no matter how big the matter was, it would not stop those little thieves. The important thing was to get the account book back. Why could the princess continue to attend the birthday banquet so calmly?

There was no one present who was truly insignificant. Everyone was well-informed. Seeing Shang Ming's expression, they immediately guessed something and cast approving glances at Shan Wanjing. Before Wang Tong could speak, Wang Shichong shouted to Kou and Xu, "Two little brothers, can you come over and have a gathering?"

Now it was Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling's turn to be in trouble. The truth was that they were not ready to make a name for themselves in public. Although they had met many masters before, especially their own master Xiaoyaozi, the sloppy old Taoist Sanfeng Zhenren, Medicine King Miaoying Zhenren, and Dongming Madam Shan Meixian, who were all masters who were no less capable than anyone present, and sometimes even better, they had never faced such a grand occasion, which made them somewhat timid.

At this moment, screams were heard at the entrance, and then two people fell in from the air, falling upside down with two "bangs".

The guests parted like a tide, leaving a large space near the door. A man and a woman leisurely appeared at the entrance. The man was tall and handsome, with a prominent nose and deep eyes. A red cloth was tied around his forehead, and a sword and a knife were hung on each side of his waist. He was about twenty-four or twenty-five, with an extremely majestic appearance, but with obvious foreign features.

The woman's appearance was also not that of a Middle-earth person. Her features, figure, eyebrows, eyes, and skin were all beautiful enough to make one's heart flutter. However, her expression was as cold as ice. She lagged behind the man by half a foot, as if she wanted to keep a certain distance from him.