Bamboo Chest Chapter Seven Shall We Have a Bowl of Wine?

“Uncle, uncle!”

Yuan Bai’s voice rang in Lu Yun’s ear. He groggily opened his eyes and found himself lying on a wooden bed.

“Am I… not dead?”

Lu Yun reached out his hand, suddenly recalling the enormous axe that had split the heavens and earth.

“Uncle, what about that young lady?” Yuan Bai’s eyes gleamed with curiosity as he leaned closer to Lu Yun.

“Her?”

Lu Yun propped himself up and shook his head.

Yuan Bai squinted but didn’t press further; instead, he patted Lu Yun on the shoulder.

“Alright, Uncle, consider this matter behind us. Come on, I’ll take you downstairs to get something to eat!”

Only then did Lu Yun come to his senses and asked somewhat dazedly, “Where is this? Did you carry me back here?”

Yuan Bai placed his hands on his hips, beaming with pride.

“This is Tongxian Tower. You’re so heavy, there’s no way I could have carried you. I met a kind person who brought us here!”

“Tongxian Tower?”

Lu Yun was taken aback again.

Yuan Bai helped Lu Yun to his feet and said, “Come on, I’ll tell you everything on the way down!”

...

On the first floor of Tongxian Tower, several people gathered around a wooden table, cooking hotpot.

“How is it? The delicacies from Haoran Tianxia, brought here from the Sword Qi Great Wall. I say, whatever else Haoran Tianxia lacks, when it comes to food, no other realm can compare!”

A man with his hair tied back looked radiant as he raised his wine cup in a toast to those at the table.

“Tut tut tut, Chang Qi, if others heard you say that, wouldn’t they be furious?”

The man called Chang Qi laughed heartily, “There’s no one else here!”

“Hey, out of the thirty-seven cities of Baiyuan Kingdom, eight are at this table. Chang Qi, aren’t you afraid that when we reach Qianjing City, we’ll turn against each other? There are only a few king titles available, and the pressure from our elders is immense. Can we really cooperate so openly?”

Someone asked with a smile, seemingly casual but causing the atmosphere around the table to grow tense.

Chang Qi set down his awkward wooden chopsticks and chuckled.

“I didn’t gather you all here to discuss the martial competition for kingship.”

He glanced at the other seven men, then raised his cup again.

“Since you’ve all come together here, at least there’s no mutual hostility. So, I’ll consider us comrades-in-arms, ha ha ha. Although the term isn’t elegant, in the Wild Realm, having a few comrades-in-arms is quite something...”

“Spare us the nonsense!” someone grumbled impatiently.

Chang Qi bowed slightly and drained his cup in one gulp.

“I’d like to invite all of you, after the martial competition for kingship, to have another contest with the other city lords.”

Silence fell.

The other seven city lords of Baiyuan Kingdom said nothing but stared at Chang Qi, something flickering in their eyes.

Chang Qi did not expect an immediate answer; smiling, he set down his cup, turned his body, and looked toward the staircase.

“I wonder what Lord Lu thinks?”

The seven others immediately turned their heads, all looking toward Lu Yun, who was being supported by Yuan Bai on the stairs.

Lu Yun said calmly, “I am not a city lord.”

“But I heard that Zhicui City now belongs to you and your sister. Is that false? Does Zhicui City not bear the Lu name?”

Chang Qi asked with genuine curiosity.

“Whether Zhicui City bears the Lu name or not, what difference does it make?”

Lu Yun looked coldly at these young city lords with unfriendly eyes, suppressing his shock.

“No difference at all,” Chang Qi said with a smile. “Then, Brother Lu, are you willing to agree with me? After this is settled, the remaining twenty-seven cities of Baiyuan Kingdom will be divided among the nine of us.”

“What about those old devils?” Lu Yun asked.

He was genuinely curious. Although city lords were nominal, behind every city stood a powerful elder. For example, before the two pillars of Zhicui City fell, it was renowned throughout the Wild Realm. Lu Yun was not surprised that Chang Qi knew about him.

Aren’t you afraid those old devils will seek revenge after ambushing the remaining city lords?

“That, Brother Lu, I do not know.” Chang Qi lifted his cup and slowly rose to his feet, approaching Lu Yun.

“This martial competition for kingship will draw the big players to Qianjing City to kill one person. From what I know, that person is very strong. As long as we inform our elders in advance to handle their respective ambushes...”

Chang Qi didn’t finish his sentence. Smiling gently, he held out the cup before Lu Yun.

“So, want a drink?”

“No, I can’t handle spicy liquor.”

Lu Yun gently pushed the cup away.

Chang Qi’s expression changed subtly, but in the end, he still smiled.

After another gulp, the handsome man with spiked hair turned and walked back to the table.

“Such a pity indeed.”