Cohabitation with Sword Spirit-Chapter 81 - 71.3: Lu Xinjin’s Explosive Build-Up

At the same time, inside the Wind and Cloud Tower, the birthday banquet venue, guests from both inside and outside the mansion have already started arriving, gradually heating up the atmosphere.

The hall of the Wind and Cloud Tower is far more spacious than it appears from the outside, capable of accommodating a feast for a thousand people. However, this private family banquet has only three round tables placed at the center, with just over a dozen seats at each table. The central round table is set for the elders of the Li Clan, those of the same generation as Li Tianya—most of whom have already retired and are no longer involved in family affairs. The side table is prepared for the core members of the Li Clan, including a reluctant Li Fengyun, forcibly glued to the seat by Lu Xin, his brother Li Kongcheng, Li Jing, and other mainstays of the middle generation, along with their wives, and the heads of branch families from places like Lingshan City and Heaven-Reaching City. The final table is for the younger generation, those of the same generation as Shen Qingming, including Li Xinyu, Li Chaolu, Li Wushuang, and the younger members of the branch families.

With less than half an hour until the banquet starts, more than half of the seats at the three tables are already occupied. In the midst of the scene, the elegantly dressed mistress of the mansion, Lu Xin, wanders from table to table with a warm and dignified smile, chatting and laughing skillfully with the elder relatives and friends of the Li Clan, covering for her husband who is completely oblivious to worldly matters, managing the scene and setting the pace with mature and skilled etiquette.

After several rounds, the guests, whether from inside or outside the mansion, men and women, young and old, all seem to feel refreshed like bathing in a spring breeze. That petite and exquisite lady has a knack for placing a piece of honey into someone’s heart between a few casual words.

As she moves through the scene, Lu Xin remains at ease—as Zhao Yan said, this is indeed her forte.

However, those familiar with her can detect some oddities in the details. Compared to her usual demeanor, Lu Xin seems somewhat distracted now.

Quietly, Zhao Yan from the mansion’s third household approached and softly asked, "Are you alright? Would you like to rest for a bit?"

Lu Xin shook her head: "I’m fine, I had Awakening Tea this morning, not feeling too tired. It’s just... why hasn’t Qingming arrived yet?"

Zhao Yan replied: "She didn’t clearly state she would come. That child’s personality is as stubborn as yours. If she can’t figure things out, she might just not come... As the mistress, don’t worry too much, first make sure the guests present are taken care of."

Lu Xin replied, somewhat exasperated: "I’ve done enough as the mistress, food is prepared, greetings have been exchanged, these people can sit down and eat, drink, and chat themselves, what more is there to handle?"

As she spoke, a young servant walked quickly from outside the building, breathing heavily, with a tense expression, swiftly making his way towards her along the outskirts.

Lu Xin immediately felt her heart beat faster by a few beats.

The person coming was her right-hand man within the mansion, the assistant steward Li Ping, who was involved in organizing the birthday banquet throughout. Though he wasn’t particularly capable, he had at least seen enough to not be easily flustered by ordinary situations, and this clearly indicated urgent and important news.

What else could qualify as urgent today? Clearly, it could only be that one possibility!

"Madam..."

Lu Xin urgently interrupted: "Qingming is here?"

"No, she’s not..." Li Ping hastily waved his hands, "It’s Elder Shouyi from Lingshan City who came."

"Li Shouyi?!" Lu Xin was shocked, "Wasn’t it mentioned earlier that he wouldn’t come, how come again... Forget it, quickly add a seat at the main table, I’ll call Fengyun to greet him outside, oh why does this old senior travel all this way instead of resting at home?"

A little later, Lu Xin, smiling broadly, escorted an elderly cultivator with grey hair and beard into the hall and arranged for him to be seated, exchanging greetings with those around him.

After that, she immediately turned around, asking Li Ping, "Qingming hasn’t arrived yet?"

Li Ping smiled wryly: "The young lady... did come, knocked on the gate, but then left again. Chun Huan and the others said it was like they saw a ghost."

Lu Xin was stunned: "She... left?"

Speaking, Lu Xin couldn’t help but sit down, feeling the exhaustion of the past week rushing in, with even the morning’s Awakening Tea losing its effect.

Although she had long anticipated that Qingming might not come, she had spent all her energy in the past week preparing for Shen Qingming’s arrival, only for her to leave as she was about to step through the mansion gates.

Why, which part went wrong, was this week’s preparation still not meticulous enough? Indeed, when she arrived earlier, had I been there personally instead of making small talk with some old man from Lingshan City, perhaps I might have managed to keep her...

In her confusion, Zhao Yan came over and patted her shoulder.

"Don’t worry, there will always be chances in the future..."

Lu Xin smiled wryly: "Future? At the 55th birthday banquet or the 60th?"

Before she could finish speaking, a tall and sturdy servant suddenly stumbled in from outside the hall, then hollered in a loud voice audible to all present: "Miss Qingming is here!"

Instantly, countless eyes focused on him, causing the stout servant to embarrassingly retreat two steps like a shy girl, seeking help by looking to his mistress.

"Um, Miss Qingming is here."

"I heard!" Lu Xin irritably waved for him to leave, her heart truly mixed with emotions, growing increasingly tense.

Frankly, if Qingming hadn’t come, it would have induced disappointment yet also relief. But now that she was here, it meant that every moment from now on required full alertness and readiness!

This start was already quite unpleasant.

During her prior preparations, she had feared accidentally drawing too much attention, thereby provoking Qingming into discomfort—she hadn’t inherited even a bit of Shen Yue’e’s shamelessness, and couldn’t bear others’ pointing and talking.

Now, thanks to that fool’s panicked shout, everyone present knew Shen Qingming was gracing them with her presence!

Lu Xin gritted her teeth and started to think hard about how to tactfully shift everyone’s attention later, to spare Shen Qingming from embarrassment.

——

On the other side, Shen Qingming, accompanied by Wang Jiu, walked slowly along a winding path, enveloped in a kaleidoscope of colors.

On the night of the birthday banquet, the exterior of the mansion remained calm and unruffled, but inside it was a different story, with colorful decorations and lively drums, servants bustling about, creating an atmosphere of joy.

No matter what Li Fengyun, the patriarch, thought, as the head of a noble house, his fiftieth birthday was destined not to pass in silence. Even disregarding people outside the Li Family, there were hundreds, even thousands, within the family coming to offer their congratulations. As one of the Seven Great Noble Families in Xiangzhou, the Li Family had branches all over, including in Lingshan City, Golden Jade City, and even Heaven-Reaching City, with many having large progeny. Li Fengyun’s fiftieth birthday was certainly an occasion not to be missed by these branch family members.

Only three tables were set in the Wind and Cloud Tower, marking it as a private banquet. But outside the Wind and Cloud Tower, the mansion also had the Guest Welcoming Tower, Sea View Tower, and Cangsong Tower, which were already swarming with people. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

Not wishing to face these people, Shen Qingming took a slight detour with Wang Jiu. Having been away for two years, the mansion appeared unchanged. As she walked, she introduced Wang Jiu to the details of the place.

"See that pond over there? It was created by Great-Grandfather Qianhai with Cloud Marrow from the Nine Heavens Cloud Sea, forming the Earth Cloud Pool. He kept two Wushuang Cloud Dragons inside, and it’s said that once they mature, these dragons possess mana and divine techniques no less than a Mountain-Overturning Realm cultivator, and are loyal to their master, perfect for guarding the house... Unfortunately, Great-Grandfather Qianhai forgot to feed them in time, and both dragons starved to death."

"..."

"And over there is the Jade Rockery. It looks like just a garden ornament, but it actually holds a hidden world. If you approach from a specific direction, you can enter a world inside the mountain. I remember Uncle Kongcheng once stole Aunt Zhao Yan’s snacks and, fearing he’d be caught, fled into the Jade Rockery... But later Aunt Zhao Yan sealed the rockery with the Ghost Wall Technique, and Uncle Kongcheng wandered inside for three months without finding the way out, with no water or food, and lost a considerable amount of weight."

"..."

Shen Qingming laughed as she spoke, finding that childhood memories, rather than being bitter and dull, were filled with much laughter.

"Although, at present, your joyful memories seem all built on the suffering of others."

Shen Qingming was momentarily speechless, then retorted after a long pause, "The people of the Li Family Mansion are quite helpful to others."

Wang Jiu looked at the girl’s deliberately averted gaze, then at the increasingly secluded surroundings, and asked, "Are you sure this is the right path?"

"Of course, I’m just taking a slightly longer route to avoid meeting those outsiders. This is my home, after all. It’s not like I wouldn’t recognize the way."

Wang Jiu gently reminded her, "A month ago, in Shen Garden, when you got up at night, you almost went to the kitchen to indulge."

Shen Qingming’s face instantly flushed, "That was because I was hungry at night and groggy from sleep, plus it’s your fault for always draining my qi blood, making me dizzy!"

"I think a more reliable way would be to find two servants as guides."

"No need, where would you see someone needing servants to lead the way in their own home? I’m not like Lu Xin, who is a spoiled lady always needing servants to accompany her!"

"In fact, if it weren’t for me accompanying you, you would’ve even forgotten to bring the birthday gift."

"Can you not undermine me!"

——

"Achoo."

Inside the Wind and Cloud Tower, amidst the gathering, Lu Xin couldn’t help but sneeze softly.

Beside her, Zhao Yan asked with concern, "Are you feeling unwell?"

Lu Xin shook her head, "It’s nothing, just felt like someone was talking about me... Why isn’t Qingming here yet? Didn’t she arrive a while ago?"

"It takes time to walk from the gate, you know."

Lu Xin said, "She’s not disabled. Why is she walking so slowly? Could she have gotten lost since she’s been away for two years... Tsk, I should’ve sent a servant to guide her."

Saying this, Lu Xin was about to stand up to ask Li Ping to guide Shen Qingming.

But the next moment, she heard a familiar set of footsteps slowly approaching from afar, and suddenly, her body stiffened a little.

She’s here!

Lu Xin tried to calm her emotions, fully gearing up for a battle. Thanks to that earlier fool’s shout, Shen Qingming arrived later than expected. Upon entering, she was certain to become the center of attention... and Lu Xin had to divert everyone’s attention before that awkward scenario unfolded.

However, just as Lu Xin took a deep breath, about to speak, a young man in white, with a handsome and noble bearing, walked through the front door of the hall.

Wang Jiu!

Lu Xin’s breath caught in her chest, feeling an urge to burst out.