Chapter 122: Family Banquet at Pei Mansion

That day, Pei Chu Yun played wildly outside all afternoon. Lu Xing Zhou always accompanied her with a smile, like a doting father of two children.

It wasn't until the sun was setting that Pei Chu Yun remembered tonight was the Pei family's party, which was precisely the main reason she had come to the capital. Only then did she reluctantly return to Lu Xing Zhou's side and say, "Well, I was the one who dragged you out for a stroll, but you just followed behind and watched all afternoon. Won't you feel very bored?"

"Isn't that how others accompany people for a stroll?" Lu Xing Zhou smiled. "I am luckier than many gentlemen because I can sit."

Pei Chu Yun felt something was a bit off, but she couldn't pinpoint exactly what was different.

Oh, right, when other men and their lovers go for a stroll, they are affectionate with each other and whisper sweet nothings. Where is there just smiling and following?

Pei Chu Yun felt a little embarrassed and leaned closer to whisper, "I'll make it up to you tonight."

"Brother Lu." Pei Yu's voice rang out from not far away. Pei Chu Yun, like a startled little rabbit, quickly straightened up.

Pei Yu walked over with a seemingly playful smile. "I heard people say Brother Lu has been strolling with his maid all day and specially came to... It seems like this junior came at the wrong time and interrupted your romance."

Pei Chu Yun's pretty face was bright red. She lowered her head and shyly stood beside Lu Xing Zhou, fully embodying the image of a little maid caught in the act.

Lu Xing Zhou said seriously, "No, you've come at the right time."

He wasn't trying to be affectionate and hug Pei Yu's shoulder, but he was thinking that if Pei Chu Yun was really Pei Yu's sister, then this fraternal crime would still be quite stimulating.

Pei Yu didn't understand the joke and just smiled. "Let's go, then? It's almost time."

Lu Xing Zhou cupped his hands. "Brother Pei is very considerate... Please lead the way."

The three people followed Pei Yu towards the Pei family residence. Pei Yu asked casually, "How is the scenery in the capital?"

Lu Xing Zhou laughed. "The capital's atmosphere is something that the remote mountains and wilds of Xia State cannot compare to. Not to mention anything else, the figures are much stronger here... There are many people on the streets who are stronger than me."

"Haha..." Pei Yu lost his smile. "Indeed, this is a cultivator's perspective. But those people, while they look strong in terms of aura, aren't necessarily stronger than Brother Lu. Huo Jin looks stronger than Brother Lu, but he was still defeated in one move. Most people are not as strong as Huo Jin; the majority are just relying on elixirs."

Actually, this wasn't a cultivator's perspective at all, but rather a cautious perspective born out of fear of assassination. Lu Xing Zhou's own perspective was more focused on humanities, but the capital was too big. Strolling around for an afternoon wasn't even a drop in the bucket, and it wasn't representative of anything, so it was better not to say anything.

The majority relying on elixirs was originally a universal phenomenon in the cultivation world. After all, the vast majority of people didn't have the aptitude for cultivation, but improving their grade could still cure illnesses and prolong life. Whether they could fight was secondary. Although this phenomenon was universal, the powerful people in the capital were still more numerous than elsewhere.

Seeing Lu Xing Zhou smile and not answer, Pei Yu then said, "The Huo family hasn't bothered Brother Lu, right?"

Lu Xing Zhou laughed. "I heard Huo Chen is about to be cornered. They should be working on connecting with various parties now and have no time to spare, at least they dare not resort to violent means publicly. I even thought about it: if the Huo family still came to find me, it might be Huo Xing Yuan himself, appearing amiable and promising some conditions... But this also hasn't happened."

"Who's to say it won't happen tomorrow?" Pei Yu said with an implication.

"Brother Pei is afraid I can't withstand the pressure?" Lu Xing Zhou said leisurely. "Aren't you all giving me confidence now..."

Pei Yu laughed heartily and didn't answer.

Indeed, if the Pei family wanted to invite Lu Xing Zhou, they could have casually invited him to a restaurant. The reason they invited him to their home was precisely to go head-to-head with the Huo family's 'going home to eat' yesterday, at least to express the sincerity of their attitude.

Speaking of which, they had already arrived at the Pei family residence. The main gate of the Pei family was wide open to welcome guests, fully demonstrating their posture.

Pei Chu Yun raised her head and looked at the "Prime Minister's Residence" plaque, pursing her lips, feeling somewhat stunned.

She had always felt some apprehension and anticipation about entering the Pei family, but when it actually happened, it was just like this.

Anyway, everyone she saw along the way didn't have any special reaction to her appearance. It was no different from visiting any other place.

Upon reaching the living room, there were no important figures from the Pei family gathered, only Pei Yu's father, the current prime minister Pei Qing Yan, was seated. His eyes also fell on Lu Xing Zhou's body, not the maid behind him.

"I have long heard of my virtuous nephew's handsome appearance, and seeing it today, it is indeed so," Pei Qing Yan stroked his beard and laughed. "He is even better looking than several members of the Huo family."

The implication was, are you or are you not Huo Shang? Please give a definite answer.

Lu Xing Zhou, however, didn't pick up on this topic. He just laughed. "Speaking of appearance, the Pei family is truly outstanding, while the Huo family is average. Compared to Prime Minister Pei, Huo Xing Yuan is just like a crude martial man."

Pei Qing Yan almost couldn't maintain his composure. "Zhen Yuan Marquis was originally a martial cultivator, and also a military leader."

The reason the Huo family's power was tilted towards the court was not just by relying on luck and promotions. In the cultivation world, empty flattery is not enough. Even your subordinates won't be convinced. You have to put in the effort yourself. Lu Xing Zhou's long-term high position in Yan Luo Hall with his initial seventh or eighth-grade broken cultivation only caused a bunch of unconvinced and foolish male rivals. If he were first grade, it would guarantee peace and quiet.

And the Huo family's strength lay in the fact that Huo Tai Shi and Zhen Yuan Marquis, father and son, were both first grade.

Allegedly, the eldest son Huo Qi had also reached third grade. The big threshold of the upper three grades had already been crossed. In time, it might not be impossible for three generations of grandfathers and sons to all be first grade, which would also be a beautiful story.

Lu Xing Zhou, however, felt that the Huo family didn't have so many high-grade cultivators in the early years. In recent years, it was mostly related to the pill furnace. Perhaps they refined more than just life-saving pills. It was a pity that the younger generation really didn't strive, otherwise, a family of elites would be truly difficult to deal with.

The Pei family people were much thinner compared to the Huo family, at least on the capital side. The generation before Pei Qing Yan didn't seem to be here. There were many cousins, and in Pei Qing Yan's own branch, Pei Yu was the only son, and he was born in middle age, so he was extremely treasured.

Yes, an only son, and Pei Yu was at least three years older than Pei Chu Yun, so there was no possibility of a switch. If there was a switch, it could only be a collateral branch. Pei Chu Yun didn't expect Pei Qing Yan to be her father.

And Pei Qing Yan had no children lost or died young in his early years. This was a situation that could be easily ascertained by asking some old servants, no need to specifically enter the Pei family to understand.

Pei Qing Yan laughed. "Let's eat first. It's just some home-cooked dishes. You and I will just eat some casually."

Everyone took their seats, and Pei Chu Yun honestly stood behind Lu Xing Zhou. This finally made Pei Qing Yan look at her, and he was slightly surprised. "This is... Young Master Lu's maid?"

"Yes, this is my maid, A Rou," Lu Xing Zhou observed Pei Qing Yan's expression. "Is something wrong?"

"Oh, nothing. Since a guest has arrived, A Rou girl should also sit down."

This kind of aristocratic family usually had many rules, but there was never a reason for a maid to sit at the same table as the master... Lu Xing Zhou and Pei Chu Yun exchanged glances and laughed. "Why don't you thank Prime Minister Pei?"

Pei Chu Yun bowed. "Thank you very much, Prime Minister Pei."

Pei Qing Yan said, "Where is A Rou girl from?"

Pei Chu Yun shook her head. "I don't know. I've been wandering since I was young and trafficked in many places. I was only bought by the young master not long ago."

At this time, even Pei Yu couldn't help but say, "With this girl's beauty, she could still be transferred many times?"

The implication was that most people would have kept her early.

Pei Qing Yan, however, waved his hand. "Asking about a person's privacy is very rude."

Pei Yu quickly apologized. "Pei's words were rude, girl, please don't blame me."

Lu Xing Zhou said at this point, "Are all of Prime Minister Pei's brothers at He Dong? I see the Huo family moving to the capital, bringing their families and fearing even dogs won't come with them."

Pei Qing Yan lost his smile. "We may not be the same as the Huo family... The Pei clan has been rooted in He Dong for several hundred years. Our branches are prosperous. Even if we wanted to move, we couldn't. In our main branch, I am the eldest son. Below me are two younger brothers, one serving as an official elsewhere, and one focusing on cultivation."

Lu Xing Zhou's heart skipped a beat. He didn't understand the internal matters of the Pei family too well, but the one serving as an official elsewhere was probably the one Pei Chu Yun had investigated herself. The one focusing on cultivation might still have some things to find.

As it turned out, there was no need to find anything. Pei Qing Yan's next sentence was, "A Rou girl is very similar to an old friend of mine... It's a pity that my old friend passed away early. Seeing this girl inevitably makes me sigh."

Pei Chu Yun's expression changed slightly, unable to hide it.

She had thought this matter would require various indirect investigations, but she didn't expect that after just a few sentences at the beginning of the meal, she already had a direct result.

She took a deep breath and said carefully, "To be honest with Prime Minister Pei, I also very much want to know about my life. I don't know who Prime Minister Pei's old friend is..."

Pei Qing Yan said, "She was a confidante I met in the jianghu that year, but she passed away a long time ago... The girl's appearance is somewhat similar to hers, perhaps related, but it is a pity that I also don't know where she was from, and so much time has passed. I'm afraid it's hard to help the girl. To be honest, I asked about the girl's origin earlier because I wanted to use this to visit my old friend's origin..."

At this time, even Lu Xing Zhou's heart skipped a beat.

Something was wrong with this matter. It was very possible that there was no need to find other people in the Pei family, it was just you!

Pei Chu Yun was very likely the child of that "old friend," and Pei Qing Yan might not have known that he had made someone pregnant.

So Pei Chu Yun would be surnamed Pei, and the Pei family still didn't know about this matter.

Ya Nu He Huan Zong probably knew, and precisely because they knew, they didn't want Pei Chu Yun to be too eye-catching and attract Pei Qing Yan's attention, especially things like being a talented woman or writing poems, which would be too easy for the Pei family to notice.

And it was estimated that some high-level members were worried that Pei Chu Yun would still be found by the Pei family and were temporarily observing, not wanting to give her too much authority in the sect; but another group had the opposite opinion, feeling that this kind of talent should be cultivated and might even feel that they should use this background to infiltrate the Pei family.

The controversy led to Pei Chu Yun's strange situation in the sect.

With this analysis, it was almost suddenly clear. Everything had an explanation.

Now the problem was how to confirm it. Could he directly ask Pei Qing Yan if he had slept with someone?

Lu Xing Zhou pondered for a long time and suddenly asked, "Prime Minister Pei's old friend, did you bury her yourself? If she is related to A Rou, perhaps A Rou can go pay respects."

Pei Qing Yan shook his head. "No. Eighteen years ago, she died at the hands of the Ya Nu He Huan Zong... By the time I arrived, it had already been half a month, and the local officials had already buried her."

Pei Chu Yun's expression finally changed.