Mortal Bones

Chapter 30: Crowded or Not? Xu Taiping Watches the Show by the Table

“Is that so?”

Ninth Uncle lowered his soup bowl, shooting Liu Songshan a smile that did not quite reach his eyes.

“I will transmit a message to him this instant!”

Liu Songshan scrambled to his feet, instantly producing a Talisman from his robes.

“Little friend Taiping, you wouldn’t object to adding another pair of chopsticks, would you?”

Ninth Uncle raised his bowl, beaming at Xu Taiping.

“Will there be extra payment?”

Xu Taiping hesitated for a fraction of a second before asking.

“Absolutely!”

Ninth Uncle answered with ironclad certainty.

“Then there is no problem.”

Xu Taiping nodded.

He could not be bothered to unravel the intricate schemes these grand figures were weaving. Tonight, he was merely the chef, the toll collector, and the audience.

“By the way, I believe my household is completely out of spare chopsticks.”

Xu Taiping suddenly recalled.

“No matter, command him to bring his own!”

Ninth Uncle waved his hand dismissively.

“But… but Ninth Uncle, I… this message Talisman of mine, it has already… already burned to ash…”

Liu Songshan stammered a frantic explanation.

“If it has burned to ash, simply ignite another. Such endless dithering over trivialities; it is no wonder you have accomplished nothing of greatness.”

Ninth Uncle shot the Pavilion Master a look of profound disdain.

“Yes… yes, of course!”

Sensing the terrifying shift in Ninth Uncle’s demeanor, Liu Songshan immediately produced another message Talisman from his robes, while his heart bled in silent agony:

This Little Martial Uncle is truly a tyrannical ancestor! The cost of a single message Talisman is more than enough to purchase a thousand pairs of chopsticks!

Xu Taiping offered no judgment regarding their eccentric behavior, merely sighing inwardly:

It really is good to be rich.

…

A moment later.

Another figure joined the dining table in the main hall of the Green Bamboo Residence.

He was a towering, burly man with a strong, square jaw. However, because his frame was simply too massive, perching on Xu Taiping’s tiny wooden stool made it appear as though he were squatting directly on the floor.

“Perhaps we should relocate the feast to the courtyard? There is no need to suffer such crowding.”

Watching Xu Youzhi squatting there while sweating profusely, Xu Taiping could not bear the awkwardness any longer and offered a suggestion.

“Absolutely not!”

To Xu Taiping’s profound surprise, the first to violently object was not the eccentric Ninth Uncle, but the sweat-drenched Hall Master of the Fierce Wind Hall, Xu Youzhi.

“Little brother, please do not go to such trouble! I am perfectly comfortable right here. In fact, I prefer sitting like this!”

Xu Youzhi vigorously waved the personal chopsticks he had brought from home, forcing a bright smile.

“If you say so…”

Xu Taiping frowned, thinking to himself:

These people are absolutely deranged. I need to ensure Uncle Bai keeps his distance from them in the future.

“Ah, little friend, is that not meddling in another’s Dao? A mountain of gold cannot purchase genuine preference. Since he enjoys it, it is only natural that we do not rob him of his joy.”

Ninth Uncle grinned broadly at Xu Taiping, tossing him a wink as he reached out to snatch the final piece of mutton rib.

“By the way, Youzhi, which two disciples from your Fierce Wind Hall hold jurisdiction over the territory surrounding the Green Bamboo Residence?”

Ninth Uncle asked casually, tearing into the meat.

“Reporting to…”

“Hmm?”

Xu Youzhi instinctively moved to stand at attention, but a single, negligent glance from Ninth Uncle pinned him back onto his tiny stool. Wiping cold sweat from his brow, he stammered:

“Ninth Uncle, the two disciples managing the Green Bamboo Residence sector are named Zuo Ju and Zhou Gu. Both have reached the great perfection of the Door Opening Realm. Since assuming control of this territory, incidents of demonic beasts and vagrant spirits harming mortals have plummeted.”

These two were his direct subordinates; their honors and disgraces were inexorably linked. Naturally, he would not be stingy with his praise.

“Although my presence here is mere coincidence, the fact that we four can share this table is entirely due to little friend Taiping’s hospitality. As for matters of cultivation, Sect ironclad laws prevent me from directly interfering. However, when your Fierce Wind Hall conducts its future patrols, I expect you to pay special attention to the Green Bamboo Residence.”

Ninth Uncle delivered the casual instruction.

Hearing this, Xu Youzhi and Liu Songshan exchanged a subtle glance, simultaneously exhaling massive breaths of relief.

So the Little Martial Uncle merely summoned us to ensure the safety of the Green Bamboo Residence!

“Ninth Uncle, set your mind at absolute ease! From this day forth, I will personally mandate Zuo Ju and Zhou Gu to stringently patrol the perimeter of the Green Bamboo Residence!”

Xu Youzhi thumped his chest, offering an ironclad guarantee.

“Ninth Uncle, for such a trivial matter, you only needed to have Bai Hong send word. There was absolutely no need for you to personally host a banquet.”

Liu Songshan chimed in, his expression one of immense relief.

However, Xu Taiping, who had been quietly spectating this bizarre theater, was plunged into utter confusion upon hearing their exchange.

This Ninth Uncle shares no ties with me. Why is he suddenly ordering Pavilion Master Liu and Hall Master Xu to become my personal guard dogs? Just because of a single meal?

A single meal could not possibly warrant such an absurd favor. As Xu Taiping pondered this, he shifted his gaze toward the mysterious elder.

At that exact moment, Ninth Uncle was ruthlessly tearing into a roasted lamb leg. Catching Xu Taiping’s gaze, he instantly flashed a greasy grin and winked.

Xu Taiping’s frown deepened.

This old man possesses the sly eyes of a swindler. There is no way his intentions are born of pure kindness.

Next, he shifted his scrutiny toward Bai Hong.

Sensing the youth’s stare, the grand spirit eagle immediately offered a warm, knowing smile.

I see. Uncle Bai deliberately lured this terrifying Ninth Uncle to the Green Bamboo Residence so he could use the man’s overwhelming authority to secure my safety.

An epiphany bloomed in Xu Taiping’s mind.

Following this realization, he immediately directed a subtle nod of profound gratitude toward the eagle.

Catching this silent exchange, Ninth Uncle’s brow fiercely furrowed.

You blind brat! I am the one dispensing favors here! Why are you offering your gratitude to that oversized chicken?! Unacceptable. I must make my supreme influence painstakingly clear. I cannot let this boy credit all his good fortune to Bai Hong!

Instantly, he slammed the lamb leg onto his plate and glared at the trembling Liu Songshan and Xu Youzhi. “Since both of you are already present, summon Zuo Ju and Zhou Gu to share a meal as well. And remember to remind them to bring their own chopsticks.”

Liu Songshan and Xu Youzhi exchanged a look of pure dismay.

“Ni… Ninth Uncle… I… I am completely bereft of message Talismans.”

Liu Songshan stammered, his face twisting in bitter distress.

“Ninth Uncle, I departed in such a frantic hurry that I… I failed to bring any as well.”

Xu Youzhi nervously chimed in.

Sound-transmitting Talismans capable of crossing thousands of miles were excruciatingly expensive to forge. The fact that Liu Songshan had carried two upon his person already marked him as a man of considerable wealth.

“Little friend, do you happen to have any lying around?”

Ninth Uncle turned his expectant gaze upon Xu Taiping.

As fate would have it, Xu Taiping actually did possess one—the exact Talisman Zuo Ju had left with him during their previous encounter.

However, to avoid entanglement in unnecessary political crossfire, Xu Taiping firmly decided against revealing the item. He had zero desire to be swept into the turbulent currents of these powerful cultivators.

“I do no—”

“I will purchase it from you at double the market price.”

Before Xu Taiping could finalize his refusal, Ninth Uncle ruthlessly severed his sentence.

“I have one right here!”

Xu Taiping plunged a hand into his robes and produced the message Talisman without a microsecond of hesitation.

“Now that is more like it!”

Ninth Uncle plucked the Talisman from Xu Taiping’s grasp, flashing a triumphant grin.

“This… isn’t this a sound transmission Talisman forged by our Fierce Wind Hall?”

Xu Youzhi instantly recognized the unique sigils adorning the parchment in Ninth Uncle’s hand.