"No, I quit drinking a long time ago . "

Zhang Ji might have been the only one in the world that could bring the Dragon King to his door easily . However, Zhang Ji still gave his salute at the door, waiting for the Dragon King . When the Dragon King was approaching, Zhang Ji immediately spotted the wine jars in the arms of the guard .

There was a time when Gu Shenwei regularly had people send wine to Zhang Ji as a gesture of respect . And now, he continued that practice . "What a shame! Those are Nu'er Hong from the Central Plains; they're not often seen in the market now . "

Since the war began, the roads to the Central Plains had been blocked, and goods from the Central Plains were no longer available . These expensive jars of wine had been stored in a tavern in Jade City . Gu Shenwei hardly drank; he bought a few of them because he heard that the Norland people were all good drinkers . He was going to present them as gifts on certain occasions .

Zhang Ji was tall and had a serious face . He was used to the absolute power at the school, even the Supreme King's sons and daughters were afraid of him . Now he licked his lips and was acting reluctantly . "You're the distinguished guest; it would be impolite to decline . Put it down, we can all share . "

It was a small party . The guard put down the jars, made his salute, and left . Five people sat at a round table .

Zhang Ji took the seat of the host . On the left were Shangguan Yun and Shangguan Fei, and on the right were the Dragon King and Maid Lotus .

At first, the atmosphere was a bit awkward . Shangguan Fei felt out of place like a double agent sitting between his two masters, restlessly .

Shangguan Yun still wore that lazy look with a tired smile . He deliberately avoided Maid Lotus's eyes because he still recalled how miserable he was when Maid Lotus hunted him in those days .

Maid Lotus found it puzzling that she had been invited . No matter where she was, she always looked indifferent as if everyone around her did not exist . For example, she did not even lift up her chopsticks now .

Only Zhang Ji and Gu Shenwei chatted casually, without the slightest bit of intensity that existed between enemies .

Zhang Ji picked up his gla.s.s and gulped the wine down, smacking his lips . "Good wine . He who makes this kind of wine should be beheaded, in case he uses it to seduce people . "

Then, he looked disapprovingly at the gla.s.s . Putting it away, he fetched a large bowl . Shangguan Yun immediately filled the bowl .

"Today's an exception . If you should give me more of this wine, I might betray Golden Roc Fort and fight for you . "

"That would be most welcome . " Gu Shenwei did not take it seriously, while Shangguan Yun turned his head, looking slightly displeased .

Zhang Ji gulped down a few bowls of wine in a row . When his appet.i.te was finally satisfied, he started to get into the business . Looking at Maid Lotus, he said, "You're enemies, but you're all somebodies coming from Stone Castle . "

Maid Lotus did not look up or speak, while Shangguan Fei giggled .

Zhang Ji looked at Shangguan Fei sternly . "Yes, I take you as a somebody because you're the laziest and most shameless guy in Stone Castle . "

Shangguan Fei's face immediately flushed . Though he was still afraid of Zhang Ji, he would not respect Zhang Ji as the Dragon King did . "How . . . how could you insult me? I've broken away from the Shangguan family . "

Shangguan Yun came to the rescue with a smile . "Mister Zhang is right, but I'll be the 'laziest'; moreover, I'm also the 'most despicable' . "

The atmosphere was eased immediately, and Gu Shenwei broke in as well . "Then I guess I'm the 'most sinister' . "

These derogatory words could also be used to praise people . Shangguan Fei became delighted . He pointed at Maid Lotus and said, "I know what she is . . . the most 'vicious' . "

As Maid Lotus glared at him, Shangguan Fei added at once, "And the most beautiful . " Then, he turned to Zhang Ji . "Mister Zhang has to claim one word as well . "

Zhang Ji put his palms on the table and sighed . "Well, I have no talent . I deem myself the most 'thick-skinned' . "

Shangguan Fei did not think that the word was appropriate at all and added, "How could Mister Zhang be the most 'thick-skinned'? That should be Shangguan Hong . As long as you feed him, he'll be your dog . "

Zhang Ji snorted . He once pretended to a.s.sist Shangguan Hong but abandoned him in the end . In his eyes, Master Hong was never a somebody . "I'm the most thick-skinned because even though we're enemies, I still have the audacity to ask a favor from the Dragon King . "

Gu Shenwei respected Zhang Ji . Under the guidance of Zhang Ji, he quit being a killer and stepped into the Great Snowmountain . He decided to seek his revenge by becoming the sovereign of the Western Regions . Looking back, he realized that Zhang Ji had been more than an ordinary teacher to him .

"Please go ahead, Mister Zhang . Your student must obey . "

"You're not my student, you're the Dragon King . " Zhang Ji stood up and returned a salute . "Thank you for treating me as a 'teacher', and especially for your wine . It has been my best meal this year . "

Gu Shenwei helped Zhang Ji sit down . When Zhang Ji mentioned "favor", he guessed what Zhang Ji wanted, more or less .

As expected, Zhang Ji cast his eyes on Maid Lotus again . "I hope Maid Lotus can stop pursuing Cloud King Shangguan Yun . "

Maid Lotus remained silent, as if she had not been spoken to .

"I thought that we have achieved a truce in Norland . As for later, we'll still be enemies," Gu Shenwei answered on her behalf .

"Forget about the future, I just hope Maid Lotus can stop her pursuit during this time . " Zhang Ji naturally would not expect so much as making the Dragon King and Maid Lotus stop forever . "I noticed that the agreement is among Norland, Golden Roc Fort, and the Dragon King . New Moon Hall isn't included . "

Maid Lotus was both the Dragon King's personal guard and the New Moon Hall's Managing Master . Most people valued that first ident.i.ty, while Zhang Ji cared about the latter t.i.tle .

Gu Shenwei recalled that Zhang Ji detested and despised New Moon Hall's methods . He was surprised that Zhang Ji took Maid Lotus so seriously today .

When Zhang Ji mentioned New Moon Hall, Gu Shenwei was not able to defend Maid Lotus anymore . The Dragon Army collaborated with New Moon Hall . But that did not include meddling in the other's internal affairs .

Zhang Ji was really thick-skinned . When all was said and done, he was actually asking a favor from Maid Lotus .

It was no wonder that Shangguan Yun had been looking so awkward . Being the "Cloud King", he had to be very embarra.s.sed to ask a woman to spare him . Even being the "most despicable", he could not help blus.h.i.+ng .

Finally, Maid Lotus seemed to feel everyone's gazes on her . She raised her head and spoke for the first time . "If he apologizes, I can spare him temporarily . "

Zhang Ji claimed to be "thick-skinned", but it turned out that he was trying to please Maid Lotus . Who would have known that she would be so rude as to suggest that?

Shangguan Fei had no business here . He observed them secretly with excitement in his heart . He blamed himself for not having recognized the crafty Zhang Ji earlier . It was no wonder that the Supreme King, Dragon King, and Cloud King all respected him so much .

Zhang Ji turned to Shangguan Yun and scolded the latter sternly like a teacher holding a ruler to his student . "Apologize to Maid Lotus . "

Shangguan Yun was really blus.h.i.+ng this time, but he managed to cover it up with a smile . He stood up, raised his gla.s.s, and slightly bowed to Maid Lotus . "It's all my fault that I let subordinates treat you disrespectfully in Wushan . Would you please be so kind as to forgive me?"

Maid Lotus stood up as well . She stayed silent and sipped from her gla.s.s as a gesture of acceptance .

Shangguan Yun gulped it down and looked calmer . He said with a smile, "I remember that Maid Lotus said I'd regret not killing her . To be honest, I really regretted it . "

"But you won't regret your apology today," Maid Lotus replied .

Zhang Ji ignored their little spat and clapped his hands . "OK, it turns out that being thick-skinned is really helpful . Cloud King, you should thank the Dragon King . Without him, Maid Lotus wouldn't have let you off . "

"Thank you, Dragon King . It's a shame that you don't drink; otherwise, I'd propose a toast to you . "

"As Mister Zhang said, today's an exception . " Gu Shenwei raised his gla.s.s, checked the wine, and drank it .

Shangguan Yun raised his eyebrows and fetched a bowl as Zhang Ji did . Then, he gulped it down . "The Dragon King is really broad-minded . "

While the chemistry was good, Shangguan Fei knew what he was . He was the negotiator between them . None of them trusted him but they had to use him . On such occasions, his mission was to use his quick wit to break the ice .

Shangguan Fei had successfully completed the task .

Maid Lotus was still silent, but her face lit up a little . After a couple of drinks, her glowing face seemed lovely .

Shangguan Yun was really surprised to find that when his Ninth Brother called Maid Lotus the "most beautiful", he had not been merely flattering her .

It was evening when the party was drawing to an end . Zhang Ji seemed to care about Maid Lotus very much today . When he stood up to leave, he spoke to her again . "Since we're having a truce, you'll have a good rest and stop watching Cloud King for tonight, right?"

"I suppose I'll be too tipsy to do that . " Seldom had Maid Lotus spoken as straightforward as she did now . Shangguan Fei was stunned again .

Gu Shenwei found it surprising as well . Shangguan Yun and his companions arrived last night, and Maid Lotus never mentioned that she would watch them .

The five people merrily separated . People who spotted them were shocked and spread various absurd rumors that night .

Maid Lotus went to rest, while Shangguan Fei could not sleep . He wanted to talk to someone . He especially wanted to talk to the Dragon King . Without an invitation, he directly followed the Dragon King into the room and quickly came up with an excuse to stay . "Everyone used their unique skills at the party . "

"Well, what did you see?" Gu Shenwei happened to need to organize his thoughts with someone else .

"Zhang Ji and Shangguan Yun must have been plotting a big plan, otherwise they wouldn't have begged Maid Lotus . "

"Indeed . "

"Maid Lotus deliberately embarra.s.sed Shangguan Yun to see how much they were willing to pay . The more they would pay, the bigger the plot is . "

"Zhang Ji doesn't appreciate you for nothing . "

Shangguan Fei sighed . He wished he had received the teacher's guidance earlier so that he would not have to drift through jianghu now . "But what's their big plan? I think my lord must have already known it at the party table . "

"If you were any smarter, I'd have to kill you . "

Gu Shenwei did not answer Shangguan Fei's question . He certainly had guessed Zhang Ji and Shangguan Yun's plan because, just like him, they wanted a share when Norland fell apart . It was their methods that differed .

They were still enemies; they just switched to other battlefields and changed methods .