Feng Jun held a banquet to celebrate the successful completion of his first major deal in this realm.
In addition to the Deng Family Brothers, the guests included Tian Yangni and Tian Lewen, who were both collaborative partners, as well as two construction representatives from the Tian Family.
Even Liu Feifei took a seat at the table.
Feng Jun harbored no bias against servants, but in this setting, servants could not sit at the table and dine with their masters.
Nonetheless, the Tian Family members wouldnât say anything and could only grumble privately: Although the Divine Doctor seems difficult to deal with, heâs quite indulgent with his own people.
The main reason ten people could dine together was that everyone was eating hotpot, which required no serving of dishes, as the meat and vegetables were prepared in advance for self-cooking.
Hotpot is a rather primitive and ancient way of eating; those large cauldrons made in ancient times served mainly to cook food, a concept expressed as âIf you canât eat with five cauldrons, cook with them.â
As for the dipping sauces used to enhance flavor, they too had long been in existence.
However, for the Deng Family Brothers and the Tian Family members, hotpot was still a novel experience. Firstly, they had never tasted such thinly sliced meat that could be eaten just by boiling it briefly, and secondly, the flavor of the dipping sauces was incredibly delicious.
This realm lacked chili peppers, so while alternatives such as sichuan peppercorns existed, none were as authentically spicy as chili peppers.
Of course, the most crucial ingredient was sesame paste, as there were no sesame seeds in this realm. There were plants similar to peanuts, but they were so expensive that no one would think to use them for dipping sauces.
The hotpot was delicious, and the alcohol was strong; as everyone ate and drank, they listened to the Deng Family Brothers recount amusing anecdotes from Lord Beiyuan Mansion.
As the conversation grew lively, someone rang the doorbell, and it was Yu Zhengqing arriving with a group of people.
He knew how to handle social situations, apologizing first for interrupting everyoneâs convivial meal.
Seeing that the visitor was a client for a second deal, Feng Jun invited them to sit down and have something to eat, so Yu Zhengqing, Young Master Yu, and another High-Rank Martial Warrior took their seats with pleasure.
The Yu Family Members also greatly appreciated the hotpot. Considering the freezing weather, dining in the courtyard required this type of steaming cooking method, not to mention their first experience with sesame paste and chili peppers.
However, what most surprised Young Master Yu was Feng Junâs white liquor; unexpectedly, she was quite the drinker.
This realm did possess white liquor exceeding fifty degrees, but additives were rarely used in it, and it must be admitted that white liquor with additives was indeed more enjoyable to drink.
As for the other newcomers, Feng Jun didnât neglect them and had Feifei stew a large pot of mixed vegetables and warm two baskets of riceâthese dishes were always ready in the kitchen, as someone now had the appetite of a big eater and might need a snack at any time.
Anyway, these meals were very simple to prepare, taking no more than a few minutes in total.
At the dinner table, Yu Zhengqing avoided serious topics, engaging in idle chat until everyone had enjoyed their fill. It was then that he began to speak, mentioning an incident that had just occurred at his place and requesting the Divine Doctorâs assistance in identifying a spy.
Feng Jun looked at him with a smile that wasnât quite a smile, âOld Yu, since itâs our first collaboration, Iâll help you this time, but I must stress one thing, the frequent use of this technique has a significant impact on me⦠Itâs not about money, just like the Antidote Pills from your Yu Family.â
âIâm aware of that,â Yu Zhengqing nodded with a smile, clearly understanding that probing into the heavenly secrets comes with a considerable cost, âIf itâs too much trouble, should we just identify these two?â
It turned out he had brought all three craftsmen with him. Although only one was guilty, who could guarantee the innocence of the other two? After all, the three had huddled together and whispered before the incident occurred.
Besides the three craftsmen, the Yu Family also brought the craftsmenâs assistantsâtheir most trusted apprentices.
Seeing that the Divine Doctor seemed a bit displeased, Yu Zhengqing decided to simplify the task by only examining the guilty craftsman and his apprentice.
Feng Jun glanced at him and spoke languidly, âBring me all their information.â
The information had been prepared in advance, including names, places of origin, portraits, and birth dates of the six individuals. After all, how could divination be possible without these details?
After skimming through the information, Feng Jun walked back into his bedroom. In less than a minute, he re-emerged, pointed his finger, and declared, âThis man has a problem.â
He was pointing to none other than the short craftsman who had advised against the experiment.
This craftsman was shocked at the accusation, âSir, there must be some mistake. I warned him, and he pretended to leave to relieve himselfâ¦â
Yu Zhengqingâs brow furrowed slightly. Master Xue was a craftsman who was known for his reliability and sharpness; although he was smart, he mostly focused on refining his skills, and was the type who was hardworking and clever.
The Yu Family was now entrusting Master Xue to handle several items and had even considered recruiting him.
However, having personally witnessed Feng Junâs abilities, Yu Zhengqing withheld his queries despite his doubts.
Feng Jun did not bother to explain further and instead looked at him, âThis person, heâs the real issue.â
The implication of his words was clear: Iâve already found the person for you, so why arenât you leaving already?
Just then, the drunken Yu Familyâs Second Young Master shouted, âWhereâs that surname Chang? He almost ruined the generator!â
Feng Jun glanced at him indifferently, âThen you deal with it. Iâve already sold the generator to your family⦠my generator is not that easy to damage.â
His words were a bit unrealistic, for generators are indeed too easy to damage. However, for users, unless it is intentional damage, some inadvertent misoperations wonât destroy the generator â there are quite a few safeguards in place.
Actually, in Feng Junâs eyes, the actions of this artisan were somewhat suicidal. However, his spirit of inquiry was commendable. Without such a desire for verification, how could humanity develop and progress?
Of course, he was verifying using someone elseâs property, which could potentially damage it. At first glance, he seemed like a mischievous brat who did not care about othersâ belongings, and such behavior is definitely not to be encouraged.
However, how to deal with him was really none of Feng Junâs concern; he was only responsible for the appraisal.
Yu Familyâs Second Young Master didnât expect him to speak so bluntly and was stunned for a moment before raising his voice again, âThen whatâs the problem with Master Xue? Many things in our house were personally crafted by him, and our family was even planning to hire him as a Guest Elder.â
âDonât talk nonsense!â Yu Zhengqing glared at him fiercely, âOur small family, where do we get a Guest Elder? Itâs just about hiring.â
In Donghua Country, a Guest Elder is equivalent to a high-level bodyguard or retainer. Ordinary families do not have the right to hire Guest Elders; doing so is an overstep and actually a criminal offense if investigated.
Although it appeared that the Yu Family did not qualify to hire a Guest Elder, internally, that was how they referred to him, believing their power warranted such a step.
Nevertheless, it was better to keep such claims private.
Feng Jun did not care about these intrigues. He simply stated directly, âThis person is from the Lake East County, surname Lu, not Xue!â
Hearing the words âLake East Countyâ, Yu Zhengqing was taken aback. Upon hearing âsurname Lu, not Xueâ, his face immediately changed.
But before he could speak, two Yu Family members instantly pinned Master Xue to the ground, while another punched his assistant, toppling him over and shouting, âBastard!â
The short-statured artisan struggled briefly before giving up. He was only a High-Rank Martial Warrior and was no longer young; compared with two young Yu Family members, his combat strength was far too inferior.
Yu Zhengqing approached him, his face dark with anger, and demanded, âAre you truly a person from the Lu Family of Lake East County?â
The short artisan remained silent, then finally let out a long sigh, âA lifetime of effort, destroyed in an instant⦠I cannot accept this.â
He was very aware of the Yu Familyâs interrogation methods and knew that any attempt to argue would be futile. The feud between the Yu and Lu families was too deep; even if they tortured him to death, they would not likely let him off easily.
But Yu Zhengqing simply spat disdainfully, âPah, I didnât expect there to be any fish that escaped the net from the Lu Family, still daring to hide their identity, thinking of continuing to harm my Yu Family.â
âWhen did I plan to harm your Yu Family?â The short artisan sneered.
Since his identity had been discovered, he knew it was difficult to escape, so he let go of all burdens, âI run my own workshop, and your Yu Family must take care of my business, even grudgingly giving money⦠Do you really think Iâm desperate for the Yu Family?â
Feng Jun had no interest in such melodramatic plots. Although it sounded like the Lu Family was wiped out by the Yu Family, making them seem like victims, the ins and outs of the grudges were not something that could be explained in a few words.
However, Yu Familyâs Second Young Master jumped up as if his tail had been stepped on, screaming shrilly, âWu Xin? Why did Wu Xin run off to the west of the lake to open his workshop? And taking the surname Xue⦠huh, snow and rain cannot coexist, is that it?â
Feng Jun was also enlightened by this interpretation of the surnames Yu and Xue â quite an imagination this one had.
The short artisan didnât reply, merely continuing to sneer.
Yu Zhengqing, however, felt as if all the alcohol he had drunk had turned into cold sweat. âThis Lu surnameâs ambitions are not small, no wonder he made a screen with a yellow base⦠Relay the message back, have everything he crafted thoroughly checked.â
Then he bowed to Feng Jun, âThe great kindness of the Divine Doctor, my Yu Family is extremely grateful, and we shall be sure to repay you in the future!â
At this moment he couldnât bother with a certain curious artisan. Instead, he felt deep relief, thankful that on a whim, he sought the Divine Doctorâs appraisal, discovering a significant hidden danger.
Feng Jun, however, didnât take this incident to heart. Once the Deng Family Brothers came back, he wouldnât be so short-staffed anymore.
Moreover, on their way through Xiyin City, they even found a friend of Lang Zhen, who agreed to come to Mount Zhige after settling his family affairs.
Therefore, after resting for one day, on the morning of the third day, he brought the martial master from the Gu Family to the doorstep.
Since the Gu Family had no reaction, it was time for him to execute someone.
For some reason, manipulated by the Tian Family, the martial master was already in an idiotic state, kneeling on the ground, drooling and laughing stupidly.
The executioner was the Deng Familyâs Second Son. When he raised his quick blade high, a loud shout suddenly came from the distance, âSpare the man under the knife!â