The scent of perfume suddenly wafted over at the festive banquet.
Although it was not very pungent, the smell was very strong, like that of street girls.
And then, Hu Guangyi’s group walked in with heavy makeup.
They had drawn their eyebrows and applied blush and lipstick.
Their makeup was terrible, but one couldn’t tell whether their skills were bad or if they had done their makeup like this on purpose.
Their eyebrows had become unibrows, and they were especially thick.
Their blush was spread so wide that it almost covered their entire face, just like the comic character in a Beijing opera.
The lipstick on their lips was even more exaggerated, looking like freshly cooked sausages.
At first glance, they really looked like they were here to act in an opera.
The moment they appeared, everyone in the lounge was stunned.
Gu Hongtao had a mouthful of his wine, and when he saw them, he almost spat it out.
“I am Junior Hu Guangyi of Crimson Summit. I greet you, senior!”
“I am Junior Hu Guangbo of Crimson Summit. Greetings, Senior!”
“I am Junior Hu Guangyun of Crimson Summit. Greetings Senior!”
After the trio entered, they immediately bowed deeply to Wang Zhixing.
Wang Zhixing was first taken aback, and then he felt helpless again.
The people here were really too polite.
“Hu Guangyi, I don’t remember inviting you to this banquet.”
Gu Hongtao wanted to look serious, but when he saw the three of them, he had to suppress his laughter.
“I came uninvited. I don’t think Dean Gu has any objections, do you?” Hu Guangyi said with a smile.
Gu Hongtao snorted, “Bring stools for the three of them.”
He had only done this because he did not want Wang Zhixing to feel that he had no magnanimity.
After someone brought over the chairs, they did not sit down.
Instead, with Hu Guangyi leading the way, they slowly walked to Wang Zhixing’s side.
They bowed again.
“Senior, can you tell us your name?” Hu Guangyi asked respectfully.
Just as Wang Zhixing was about to speak, Gu Hongtao shouted at Hu Guangyi furiously, “Hu Guangyi, you’re being too presumptuous. How can you ask for Senior’s name?”
Hu Guangyi replied with a calm expression, “Our Senior hasn’t even spoken, yet you’re roaring so loudly. Is he just decoration to you?”
“You…” Gu Hongtao pointed at Hu Guangyi, anger surging in his eyes.
For a moment, the atmosphere was tense.
Wang Zhixing realized that something was wrong. He tried to calm the tense atmosphere. “Everyone, don’t be so rash. It’ll affect the meal. If there’s any problem, sit down properly and discuss it.
“It’s okay to ask me for my name. I’ll tell you.”
“My surname is Wang and my name is Zhixing. Usually, everyone calls me Professor Wang. It sounds weird when you call me Senior.”
Hu Guangyi cupped his hands again and said, “Senior, you are truly extraordinary. I will never be able to come close even if I spend my entire life trying to.”
Upon hearing this, Gu Hongtao was full of scorn.
He could not help but mutter, “Thankfully, Senior is rather easy-going. Otherwise, you would have gone to meet your ancestors long ago.”
The moment he said that, the hot-tempered Hu Guangbo could no longer bear to listen.
He rolled up his sleeves and was about to retort but was stopped by Hu Guangyi.
From the earlier situation, he knew that Wang Zhixing was not close to Gu Hongtao.
Gu Hongtao was lucky to have bumped into Wang Zhixing.
If Gu Hongtao could win Wang Zhixing’s favor, no martial arts academy would dare to compete with him for newcomers.
At this, Hu Guangyi said, “Senior, our academy will have a competition with the Flag Mountain Martial Arts Academy tomorrow. Are you interested in watching the battle?”
Wang Zhixing replied very directly, “That’s not necessary!”
His motive in coming here this time was to give his son a surprise for his birthday.
He had achieved his goal, so there was no need for him to stay.
In addition, some time ago, the Sect Master had begun the second stage of teaching for the Combat specialization. Therefore, he had to hurry back to cultivate to not fall behind.
Gu Hongtao was elated to see Hu Guangyi being rejected.
He quickly poured himself some wine and said, “Senior, let me give you another toast.”
He downed the glass in one go.
Although Wang Zhixing was not an old-fashioned man, he still had to return the toast that others had always given him out of courtesy.
“Um, Dean Gu, right? Do you have plain water?” Wang Zhixing asked.
“Yes, yes, yes!” Gu Hongtao did not know why Wang Zhixing wanted plain water, but he had to satisfy Wang Zhixing’s needs.
Soon, a young man brought over a hot kettle.
Gu Hongtao took the kettle and said to Hu Guangyi and the other two coldly, “Please make way.”
Hu Guangyi and the other two were resentful, but they could only take a few steps back.
Gu Hongtao smiled awkwardly and said respectfully to Wang Zhixing, “Senior, the water is here.”
“Thank you!” Wang Zhixing took the kettle and poured himself some water.
After that, he stood up and raised his cup, saying, “Dean Gu, I’ll use water as wine to make a toast with you. Thank you for your hospitality.”
Wang Zhixing raised his cup and blew on it a few times. The boiling water instantly turned cold, and then he drank.
Gu Hongtao froze.
He had never thought that Wang Zhixing would take the initiative to give him a toast.
At this moment, he was extremely excited and almost shed tears.
Behind him, Hu Guangyi and the other two looked dismal. Their gazes were filled with jealousy.
Gu Hongtao glanced at Hu Guangyi and the other two brothers. “Dean Hu, don’t just stand there. You’re already here so let’s eat together!”
Hu Guangyi kept a straight face and ignored him, still standing behind Wang Zhixing.
To Wang Zhixing, they seemed rather uncomfortable, but it was hard to say.
Then, the banquet continued.
However, Wang Zhixing and his son did not eat anything. They only drank water. Gu Hongtao thought that the dishes were not to their liking.
Wang Zhixing could not say that eating these dishes was against the law, so he could only say that he was on a diet and did not eat at night.
Gu Hongtao wanted to persuade him, but he suddenly remembered something mentioned in the ancestral records. When one reached the end of the path of martial arts, ordinary food would probably affect one’s body. So instead, they would need natural treasures.
Gu Hongtao was suddenly enlightened.
It was no wonder that Senior rejected him when he said that he wanted to hold a banquet.
He also resisted drinking tea.
To him, ordinary food was trash.
At the end of the day, he had not thought things through enough.
At the thought of this, Gu Hongtao broke out in a cold sweat. He felt extremely flustered.
Will Senior blame me?
Gu Hongtao panicked and glanced at Wang Zhixing.
Wang Zhixing and Wang Jiajun were conversing softly.
They chatted and laughed, obviously not caring about the food.
Gu Hongtao heaved a sigh of relief.
He even made a toast to Wang Zhixing, who returned the toast with water.
Gu Hongtao was finally relieved.
“Senior, your bearing is truly extraordinary.”
When he saw Wang Zhixing’s friendly profile, Gu Hongtao could not help but sigh.
…
More than an hour later, when the banquet ended, the dishes on the table remained completely untouched.
Gu Hongtao prepared a high-class guest room for Wang Zhixing and his son. It was a presidential suite.
In the middle of the night, Gu Hongtao searched through his house and gathered some natural treasures. He was only a hair away from going through his ancestors’ coffins.
The next day.
Wang Zhixing and his son woke up very early.
They had discussed it last night and secretly left the mountain at dawn.
Since the academy was built on top of the mountain, the morning fog was thick, and visibility was extremely low.
These clouds and fog had created good conditions for them to sneak away.
They successfully climbed over the wall without attracting anyone’s attention and descended the mountain.
