Chapter 2158.2: Prodigal

Although Lu Xiaochi’s cultivation had been crippled and his consciousness mostly gone, he still exerted a certain degree of authority when it came to the prodigal sons of the capital. He was once the legend of the empire, after all, whether in terms of cultivation or other areas.

While Lu Tianling was the commander-in-chief of three armies at the battle of Tiger Suppression Pass twenty years ago, it’d been Lu Xiaochi who was the vanguard and led the armies from the front!

He was the executioner of the million strong army from the Tianlong Empire!

Thus, Lu Xiaochi’s influence in Darklake was unquestionable, particularly among the younger generation. Even devoid of his cultivation, he remained still the idol of many.

A renowned thug of Dark City, Yu Shuai was as docile as a kitten in front of Lu Xiaochi. Likely the only person who dared disrespect the man was his treasure of a nephew.

“C’mon, let’s walk around! Us brothers haven’t seen each other in a few months, we’re in no hurry to go to Immortal Gathering!” Lu Yun flung his arm around Yu Shuai’s shoulders like he hadn’t seen anything. The two pounded each other in the back as they strolled through the city’s streets.

But with Lu Xiaochi present, Yu Shuai refrained from putting a toe out of line. He was deeply terrified of earning the once legendary character’s disgust. Lu Yun, however, didn’t care at all. He behaved the same as usual and did whatever he wished. He was even more over the top than he typically would be.

The two finally turned to the direction of Immortal Gathering when the south soared high in the southern sky.

Bam!

A figure bounced out of the restaurant’s front doors when they reached it.

Bam bam bam!

Another three were kicked out.

“The fuck, how dare a couple small fry run afoul of me! I’ll have your entire family’s heads for this!” A slightly juvenile, but highly arrogant voice traveled out of the door. A muscular man nearly three meters tall darted out of Immortal Gathering.

His thick arms and legs rippled with muscles, his back and shoulders were equally broad. He was like a moving mountain and his height nearly twice that of Yu Shuai’s. But when one looked at his face, one was greeted with a strange dissonance.

Large, limpid eyes were set in a fair face that tapered off at the chin. Faint eyebrows arched over thin lips that were set in a natural pout. The tender face seemed to default to a shy smile..

If this face was found in a young boy, that would make for a charming young man. If it was found in a young girl, she would grow up to be a stunning beauty of the nation. But in a strapping man the size of a building.. It was a very odd sight that couldn't be put in words.

He was one of the three scourges of the capital—the Babyfaced Hulk, Zhao Chenguang.

“Mercy, Master Zhao! Mercy!” The people who’d been kicked out of the restaurant scrambled back to the young man and hugged his boots, bursting into loud tears.

He kicked them away again when he saw Lu Yun and the others, cursing irritably, “Get out of here and don’t cross my path again!” Zhao Chenguang let them off the hook so easily because his friends were here. Otherwise, this would’ve been only the beginning.

“Heh, young master Lu and Yu Shuai, you guys are finally here. I’ve been waiting for a long time!” He snuck a careful look at Lu Xiaochi and didn’t dare greet the Lu second master.

“C’mon c’mon, let’s go eat! I’m starving!” Lu Yun grabbed Zhao Shenguang’s arm without further ado and dragged his two friends upstairs, wholly ignoring his uncle.

....

Immortal Gathering was the foremost restaurant of Dark City. It belonged to the Mo Clan and other branches could be found in other empires.

Although cultivators had no need for food, the dishes served by a renowned restaurant such as Immortal Gathering were no ordinary fare. They offered spirit beasts seasoned with spirit medicines—their cuisine could increase a cultivator’s internal force and consolidate their cultivation.

Cultivators did not eat in the higher ranked empires, instead partaking of spirit grains. Those were coalesced from the energy of heaven and earth and further made into spirit cuisine. That was immensely helpful for cultivation, making the act of eating another act of cultivation.

However, Darklake Empire lacked both spirit grain and cuisine.

There were three floors to Immortal Gathering. The first and second were mass seating, the third was private rooms. Lu Yun and his companions were the most noble of personages in the empire, so they naturally wouldn’t mix with the general public in the first two floors. They headed straight for the third floor.

Private rooms filled the third floor. The surroundings were elegant and spirit qi abounded. Graceful young women flitted through the hallways to bring dishes to the customers.

Bam!

A human-shaped object rolled down the stairs when Lu Yun and the others reached the stairway to the third floor.

“Who did it?! Who dares hit one of mine?!” Zhao Chenguang flew into a rage when he identified that it was one of his followers.

“Young master, young master, someone’s taken our room!” someone wailed from upstairs before they were also thrown downstairs. It was Zhao Chenguang’s other follower.

“Bastard!” he roared and charged up the stairs.

Lu Yun and Yu Shuai looked at each other, a hint of cruelty appearing in the latter’s eyes. He followed close behind Zhao Chenguang and charged up to the third floor. Meanwhile, Lu Yun remained uncommonly quiet, but he frowned.

“Hahaha, your room? Zhao Chenguang, I saw it with my own eyes that you weren’t the person originally sitting here!” rang another more tyrannical voice.

“Yuwen Chenghu!” Lu Yun’s brows snapped together and he quickly followed his friends.

Yuwen Chenghu was the second young master of the Yuwen Clan, one of the seven great families of the Darklake Empire. He was quite strong, having reached initial foundation establishment at eighteen years old. At the very least, he was far superior to the half-hearted cultivator that was Lu Yun.

Yuwen Chenghu was also a major prodigal scion of the capital, but even the good-for-nothings had their own cliques. Yuwen Chenghu, the Ling Clan, and Ouyang Clan stood allied with each other. They caused no end of trouble for Lu Yun’s clique in regular times. Even some of his previous guards had been crippled over the course of clashing against them.

Of Lu Yun’s friends, Yu Shuai was eighth level qi refinement, Zhao Chenguang ninth level, and Lu Yun was the weakest at seventh level. None of them had reached foundation establishment, so none of them would be a match for Yuwen Chenghu if it came to a fight.

Lu Xiaochi rubbed his temples, finally understanding how his nephew spent most of his days. It was a mixed assortment of lawlessness on the streets, bullying others, and fighting the other profligates in town. It was an endless repeat of ludicrous actions that never stopped.

How was this thug descended from the wondrous Lu Tianling? What would his elder brother and sister-in-law think if they could see how their son was?

Lu Yun set foot onto the third floor with Lu Xuan in tow. Yu Shuai and Zhao Chenguang stood side by side, their difference in height starkly contrasting each other. They faced off against a room full of people.

A gentleman in white held a folded fan outside of it. Elegantly poised, he was Yuwen Chenghu, the second young master of the Yuwen Clan.

“Zhao Chenguang, Yu Shuai. How dare two pieces of trash dare raise your hands against me?” Yuwen Chenghu snorted when he saw Lu Yun arrive. “So young master Lu is here too. The Dark City’s three pieces of trash are here!”

“You’re fucking asking for it!” Zhao Chenguang possessed an explosive temper and was about to rush forward, but Lu Yun forcefully stopped him in his tracks.

“Who you calling trash?” Lu Yun cocked his head.

“Trash means you three, of course.” Yuwen Chenghu’s white robes shifted gracefully in the air, their finesse an easy complement to his pride.

“Oh,” Lu Yun nodded. “I think you’re trash too, but why are you referring to yourself in the second person?”

“I.. what?? You!!” Yuwen Chenghu understood the insult this time and turned bright red with fury.

“You called yourself trash, not us. You admitted it yourself.” Lu Yun shrugged.

Yu Shuai and Zhao Chenguang roared with laughter when they grasped the joke.

“It’s interesting that a cripple like you can still be so cocky,” came another voice from the room. “What, did my second brother not beat some sense into you three months ago? Look at you running around again and yapping your head off.”

“So you’re the blockhead who’s inside.” Lu Yun raised an eyebrow. The other person inside was the third young master of the Ouyang Clan—Ouyang Shengmu.

Ouyang Shenmu was a remarkably talented cultivator who was a similar age to Lu Yun. He was already at foundation establishment and could very likely reach golden core before twenty years old. Ouyang Shenmu was a bonafide genius and a leading example to the rest of the Darklake youngsters.

“Heh heh, that’s true. Lu Yun, you were a dead dog after second brother Ouyang beat you up three months ago. How dare you show your face around here? Take a piss and check out your reflection in it!” Ouyang Chenghu jerked and quickly piped up when he thought of something.

Ouyang Shengmu was a promising talent, but Ouyang Chenghu was just a pretty facade. His cultivation level was slightly higher, but he was no different from the Lu Yun of old.

“Heh heh heh heh,” Lu Yun burst into chuckles before his friends could explode. “Dying for the sake of a beauty is a worthy death and a story to be recounted!”

Whoosh!

He snapped his fan open and raised his head jauntily, a look of unfulfilled satisfaction on his face.

His words caused both Ouyang Shengmu and Ouyang Chenghu to pause with incomprehension, not knowing where he was going with them.

“Ai, Ouyang Shengxiang is a connate constitution indeed! That fair skin, the soft and tall peaks, a tender butt, and a willowy waist.. Most importantly is that red dot of a birthmark on her left butt cheek—that’s the most beguiling part of them all..” Lu Yun drooled as he recounted the scene in an ardent murmur.

Zhao Chenguang and Yu Shuai stared wide-eyed at Lu Yun, not knowing what in the heavens he was talking about.

A clash between some of the most famous noble sons of the capital had drawn a crowd. Those who could stand on the third floor instead of being kicked out by Zhao Chenguang were those with certain lofty identities to them. They were happy to watch the show, and they did so with dawning looks of understanding.

No wonder the Ouyang second young master had erupted with fury. It looked like the greatest pestilence of Dark City had certain relations with the Ouyang pearl!