NOVEL NEXT Chapter 135: Serving the Meal
Chapter 135: Serving the Meal
Xu Lian slowly stood up, cupped his hands toward the old man and said, “Thank you for the Jiang family’s warm hospitality. I am deeply honored, so I won’t stand on ceremony.”
He started to walk towards the exotic beasts, but suddenly stopped.
Xu Lian turned around and asked Jiang Xianyu, “Xianyu, what would you like to eat?”
Jiang Xianyu hesitated for a moment. Instead of pointing at the strongest beasts, she pointed at one of moderate strength.
Clearly, she was worried that Xu Lian might get hurt or fail to hunt the strongest beasts, which would be embarrassing.
Jiang Yiming chuckled and said, “The destined partner the sister brought back is an honored guest of the Jiang family. Of course, the dining etiquette should be of a higher standard. He should choose one of the strongest animals, not an ordinary one.”
With that, Jiang Yiming looked at the teenagers and children around the old man. “Younger siblings from the collateral lines, don’t you agree?”
As members of the collateral lines, the teenagers and children naturally followed Jiang Yiming’s lead and began to chime in.
“That’s right. Sister Xianyu’s destined partner should be treated with the highest dining etiquette.”
“The ordinary beasts can be left to us. Sister Xianyu’s destined partner should be served with the strongest beasts…”
Are they trying to provoke me with their sarcastic remarks? Xu Lian fully understood their intentions, but he didn’t refuse. Originally, he had planned to use this opportunity to showcase his strength and gain the Jiang family’s recognition. This way, Jiang Xianyu’s goodwill towards him would surely increase.
Xu Lian smiled and asked Jiang Xianyu, “What about the Black Eagle?”
Seeing his calm and confident demeanor, Jiang Xianyu had no choice but to say, “Alright, but be careful, husband.”
Xu Lian strode toward the black eagle, empty-handed and without using his 3-star longsword to avoid any further criticism.
He accelerated!
With a leap, he pounced directly at the black eagle.
Although the dining hall was vast, its height was limited, leaving the black eagle with little room to evade. It had no choice but to angrily thrust its talons downward.
Xu Lian’s Dark Strength erupted within him, and his hands extended long sword-like auras resembling two sharp blades.
“Crack!”…
The claws of the black eagle were pierced!
“Pfft!”…
A spray of blood blossomed as the two blades pierced the black eagle’s body.
Instant death.
One move!
With a “thud,” the massive black eagle fell to the ground.
The entire hall fell silent.
The other beasts cowered in the corners, terrified.
The Jiang family members were also stunned. The Black Feather Iron Talon Eagle, with the strength of the third stage of Dark Strength, was killed in a single move?
The old man’s eyes narrowed as he noticed the subtlety in the Dark Strength the young man had just unleashed. He smiled and said, “Xianyu has a good eye. At such a young age, he has already reached the seventh stage of Dark Strength.”
Seventh stage of Dark Strength?
Jiang Xianyu’s parents and Jiang Xianyu herself were all confused. Wasn’t it the second stage? How did it become the seventh stage?
The difference between the second stage and the seventh stage of Dark Strength was huge.
For the younger generation in Taizhou Prefecture City, reaching the second stage of Dark Strength at the age of seventeen was considered talented, but it was not the highest level. However, reaching the seventh stage at the age of seventeen was a different story – it was the peak of the peak.
“Impressive.”
Jiang Yiming clicked his tongue. “He’s about the same age as me. I’m only at the fifth stage of Dark Strength, and he’s already at the seventh stage. No wonder he’s the sister’s destined partner”.
Jiang Yunyan’s eyes sparkled with admiration as well, feeling happy for Jiang Xianyu for finding such a good match.
Xu Lian thought to himself that such a large black eagle would be more than enough for everyone to eat together. With a wave of his hand, he severed one of the black eagle’s legs, removed the feathers, and brought it back. This would be enough for him, Jiang Xianyu and her parents at their “table”.
Jiang Xianyu’s mother smiled and reached out to take the black eagle leg he brought back. “Let me grill it. Xianyu has loved my grilled meat since she was a child. You should try my cooking as well.”
How pragmatic… Xu Lian had no choice but to hand her the Black Eagle Leg.
Jiang Xianyu’s father’s expression softened. He picked up a cup of wine from the grill and handed it to Xu Lian. “This is the wine brewed by our Jiang family. Give it a try. It’s a pity that you hunted the eagle so quickly – the wine didn’t have time to warm up properly. It would taste even better if it were heated a bit more.”
As if I didn’t see that you didn’t start heating the wine on the grill until after I killed the black eagle and displayed my seventh-stage Dark Strength power… Of course, Xu Lian didn’t say this out loud.
He took the wine. “I’ll toast to you, father-in-law.”
Jiang Xianyu’s father picked up a cup and clinked it with Xu Lian’s, acknowledging his “dining etiquette” and the title of father-in-law.
“My turn,” Jiang Yiming said as he stood up and walked over to the beasts.
Jiang Yunyan quickly stood up and pushed him back. “Step aside. Don’t you know how to respect your elders?”
Jiang Yiming had no choice but to let her go first.
Jiang Yunyan let out a sharp scream and charged at the flaming white deer.
She had also reached the seventh stage of Dark Strength and killed the white deer in one move.
Of course, she was already twenty-two years old, so her seventh stage of Dark Strength wasn’t as impressive as Xu Lian’s at seventeen.
Jiang Yiming, who couldn’t wait any longer, attacked the goat covered in spikes.
After a few moves, he killed the goat and dragged it back.
The three piles of charcoal were now roasting different prey, filling the air with the tantalizing aroma of roasted flesh.
Xu Lian glanced curiously at the old man’s side, wondering why there was no movement there.
Noticing his gaze, the old man said, “The collateral lines can only start serving themselves after the main line has finished eating. That is the rule of the Jiang family. The main line is the main line, and the subordinate lines are the subordinate lines. This rule must be taught to the children from an early age.”
The teenagers and children all sat up straight and waited silently.
Xu Lian suddenly understood – the rules of a great clan were indeed strict.
The old man seemed to have a good impression of Xu Lian and was willing to talk to him a bit more. “Do you know why our Jiang family has such dining etiquette?”
Xu Lian cupped his hands and said, “Xianyu didn’t tell me. Please enlighten me, elder.”
The old man explained, “In the distant era of our ancestors among the Thirteen Clans, humanity was weak. There were no cities or villages, only vast wilderness and endless wild beasts. Our ancestors had to rely on hunting to survive, so hunting became the most basic survival skill of the Thirteen Clans. This dining etiquette has been passed down through generations.”
Xu Lian nodded silently, feeling a sense of admiration for the ancestors of humanity.
The three piles of charcoal were now grilling three different kinds of meat. Jiang Yunyan, Jiang Xianyu and Jiang Yiming each cut a piece of roasted meat and brought it to the old man.
This was probably part of the rules of respecting elders…
The teenagers and children from the collateral lines could only swallow their saliva in anticipation.
The old man started to eat the black eagle meat, which was probably also part of the etiquette… After all, Xu Lian was Jiang Xianyu’s newly-wedded husband, so it was only right for him to start with the prey he had hunted.
Seeing the old man start to eat, everyone else started to eat as well.
They drank wine in large gulps and ate meat in large chunks, embodying the spirit of their primitive ancestors.
After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, the old man stood up, ready to leave.
With a wave of his hand, countless streams of energy shot out like flying swords, killing all the stronger beasts and leaving the weaker ones behind. He said to the teenagers and children from the side lines, “The rest is for you. You may serve yourselves now.”
With that, he left them alone.
The teenagers and children who had been waiting impatiently immediately attacked the remaining beasts.
After watching for a while, they all left with smiles on their faces.
Jiang Xianyu’s parents, Jiang Xianyu and Xu Lian walked out together.
Jiang Xianyu’s father said to Xu Lian, “Since Xianyu is already with you, it’s better to hold the wedding sooner rather than later. Tomorrow is a minor auspicious day, so let’s set it for then.
Our Jiang family will host the wedding, and the other clans will come to witness the ceremony. If you do well in the wedding etiquette, you’ll reap great benefits.”
Wedding etiquette? Xu Lian was confused. It was probably another test, similar to the Dining Etiquette.
Jiang Xianyu’s mother smiled and said, “It’s getting late. You two should rest early and prepare for tomorrow’s wedding.
With that, Jiang Xianyu’s parents left.
Jiang Xianyu took Xu Lian back to her private chamber.
Xu Lian felt that it was necessary to explain. “Xianyu, I hid my true strength from you. Are you angry?”
Jiang Xianyu replied, “If you hid it from me, it means that you don’t fully trust me yet, and it also means that I haven’t done well enough. I’ll do better so that you can trust me.”
Xu Lian said, “It’s not that I don’t trust you. It’s just that we haven’t been together long. It’ll get better with time.”
Jiang Xianyu nodded with a soft “Mm”.
Xu Lian knew that she must have some lingering doubts, so he decided not to say anything more. Actions spoke louder than words.
Late into the night, he checked the favorability level and was relieved to see that it hadn’t decreased.
Jiang Xianyu rested her head on his shoulder and talked about the wedding the next day. “The Thirteen Clans have very strict etiquette for the marriages of their mainline descendants.
At tomorrow’s wedding, all of the Thirteen Clans will be present to witness the ceremony.
During the ceremony, each of the Thirteen Clans will send its most elite genius.
Each of these thirteen elite geniuses will be holding a flower.
You can challenge them.
If you defeat one of them, you’ll get a flower.
If you don’t get any flowers, the wedding will be canceled.
Of course, that’s impossible. The Jiang family has already recognized you, so the Jiang family flower will definitely be given to you.
In addition to the Jiang family flower, if you get one more flower, each clan will give you one hundred thousand Spirit Stones.
And so on. If you get ten flowers, each clan will give you one million spirit stones.
Eleven flowers will also give you one million spirit stones, and you can choose a weapon from the Thirteen Clans’ Armory. The quality of the weapon depends on your luck.
Twelve flowers will also give you one million spirit stones, a weapon from the armory, and a cultivation manual from the archives.”
Xu Lian listened quietly, not letting himself get overconfident. After all, Jiang Yunyan, the most elite genius of the Jiang family, was at the seventh stage of Dark Strength. The geniuses of the other clans were probably no weaker. He wasn’t sure if he could defeat them all. “What are the cultivation levels of the other clans’ most elite geniuses?”
Jiang Xianyu replied, “From the seventh to the ninth stage of Dark Strength.”
Xu Lian calculated in his mind. He currently had one unused progression point. If he used it, he could reach the eighth stage of Dark Strength. Defeating geniuses at the seventh or eighth stage wouldn’t be a problem, and he could obtain some flowers. However, against those at the ninth stage, he had little chance.
“Xianyu, do you dare to fall in love with me now? If you do, I’ll have the motivation to defeat all the elite geniuses of the clans tomorrow.”
Xu Lian looked at Jiang Xianyu with deep affection.
Jiang Xianyu looked at him suspiciously. “I’m already in love with you, husband.”
Xu Lian said, “Not enough! You must love me even more, from your heart to your soul!”
Jiang Xianyu couldn’t help but laugh. “All right, I’ll try.”
This was the first time that Xu Lian had seen her laugh. She really looked beautiful.
The night was filled with words… but it’s best not to go into details.
When Xu Lian opened his eyes the next morning, he was thrilled.
[Note 1: Jiang Xianyu’s favorability toward you has increased from 90/100 to 92/100. You have gained two progression points, which can be allocated to Rank, Skills, or Items.]
[Note 2: You currently have three progression points, ready to be used.]
What is a Destined Marriage?
This is a Destined Marriage!
The favorability is increasing so fast, it feels like flying!