Chapter 342: Chapter 342 Dingfeng Mountain
"What?"
Lu Zheng was extremely curious, ignoring Hu Zhou’s shy embarrassment, and prompted Hu Yijun with a smile, "Tell me?"
"The Mountain Master of Flying Bear Mountain is a friend of mine. He has a daughter, also a Half-Demon. Upon hearing that I’ve found Jade Reishi and Zhou’Er, they came to visit and congratulate, coincidentally, this girl and Zhou’Er hit it off right away and have mutual affection. Previously, they even walked through the mountains together in companionship."
Hu Yijun laughed and said, "I see potential, so I had my old friend ask his daughter; the girl did not oppose, so I brought Zhou’Er to pay a visit."
"That’s great!" Lu Zheng gave Hu Zhou a thumbs up, "Well done!"
Hu Zhou could only scratch his head awkwardly, but he still showed signs of joy.
"Why didn’t you just mention it to your master earlier?" Lu Zheng raised an eyebrow and laughed.
Hu Zhou became even more embarrassed, blinking his eyes, wanting to speak but hesitating.
Then Hu Yijun burst into laughter.
"What happened?" Lu Zheng couldn’t help but ask, wondering what was wrong with the question.
"Because that girl is also a straightforward character and practices Martial Dao." Hu Yijun laughed, "Walking together with Zhou’Er, they often spar martial arts, and Zhou’Er has only been cultivating for just over a year..."
"Hahaha!" Upon saying this, Hu Yijun laughed out loud again.
Lu Zheng also laughed upon hearing this, surprised to learn Hu Zhou had this interest, how did he not notice earlier?
The group chatted as they arrived at Dingfeng Mountain.
Dingfeng Mountain, with neither perilous nor extraordinary terrain, yet it is majestic and vast, spanning a large area. The mountain is tall and wide, bigger than the surrounding mountains by two circles.
Several fortresses and villages are distributed in the valley not far from the eastern foot of Dingfeng Mountain.
And Hu Yijun’s abode is on the eastern half of the mountainside of Dingfeng Mountain.
"Welcome back, King of the Mountain!"
Dozens of figures came out from their abodes and shouted in unison.
"Yi Jun is back."
Wang Yuzhi smiled as she welcomed her husband and son on the Sunrise Terrace, then watched as Hu Yijun dispersed the wind.
"Young Master Lu!"
"Madam Hu!" Lu Zheng cupped his hands and smiled, "On the way, I ran into Brother Hu and little Zhou, so I came along as a guest, to get acquainted."
"Welcome, welcome!" Wang Yuzhi greeted Lu Zheng with delight and then instinctively looked around, "Miss Liu hasn’t come?"
"She hasn’t." Lu Zheng shook his head, "I have some matters in the Southern Border this time. I came to get acquainted this time and will bring Qingyan to visit next time."
"That would be wonderful!" Wang Yuzhi nodded repeatedly with a smile, "Come early. Before, I thought the Southern Border was nothing but poor mountains and bad waters. But upon arrival, it turns out there’s a unique landscape. The mountain people are generally unlearned but are kind and honest. Stay long enough, and you won’t feel bored."
"Great! Certainly!"
Seeing Lu Zheng agree, only then did Wang Yuzhi pulled Hu Zhou over and looked at Hu Yijun, "What did High Mountain Master say?"
"It was all discussed earlier. This time, they accepted all the betrothal gifts. Maybe in a few days, they will send return gifts to determine the date." Hu Yijun said.
"Great, that’s good!"
Wang Yuzhi smiled warmly at Hu Zhou, her eyes full of affection. Then she turned to Lu Zheng, "Initially, I planned to notify you when little Zhou’s date was set, but surprisingly, it worked out just right."
Lu Zheng laughed and said, "I just heard from Brother Hu about Miss Gao’s character, she seems like a perfect match for little Zhou!"
Wang Yuzhi was even more cheerful upon hearing this.
...
At night, Hu Yijun hosted a banquet, many Demon creatures with profound Dao practice accompanied on Dingfeng Mountain. Lu Zheng finally felt the foundation of Dingfeng Mountain.
Of course not as good as White Cloud Temple, but way stronger than Peach Mother Divine Mountain. At least there were five or six experts with more than five hundred years of Dao practice, including two who seemed unfathomable, not to mention Hu Yijun seated at the main position.
In comparison, apart from Hu Zhou and Wang Yuzhi, Lu Zheng had the weakest cultivation among those present at the banquet.
Naturally, Lu Zheng was not neglected.
Hu Zhou’s master.
Wang Yuzhi’s savior.
Hu Yijun’s recognized younger brother.
A disciple of the Great Jing Dynasty’s White Cloud Temple.
So young, yet a cultivation genius with two to three hundred years of Dao practice.
Moreover, when Lu Zheng poured out ten large jars of Wuliangye from his gourd, these Demons accepted him wholeheartedly as a friend!
"Cheers!"
"Great! Refreshing!"
"Eat the meat!"
A large piece of roasted lamb leg was sent to Lu Zheng’s front.
Lu Zheng blinked, "Hold on!"
"What?"
"Wait a second, I’ll fetch something else." Lu Zheng said, then poured several small bottles out from his gourd.
"What are these?"
"Some dry dipping sauces for barbecue, see if you’re accustomed to them."
The Great Jing Dynasty has seasonings, and the Southern Border also has its own spices, albeit not in large quantities, but definitely enough to supply the upper echelons.
However...
This place is indeed old times, though the spices are plentiful, their circulation is inconvenient, and not widespread.
Even though Hu Yijun is the master of Dingfeng Mountain, the spices in his possession are produced locally around Dingfeng Mountain, at most mixed with some of the most widely spread spices from the Central Plains, and cannot match the best of the type.
How can they compare to the classic spices Lu Zheng holds that have been compared, selected, and selectively cultivated in the modern-day?
It’s akin to the fruit, Spiritual Qi can’t match it, but they taste good!
Lu Zheng divided these dipping sauces among everyone, then under their watchful eyes, he pinched a bit with his hand and sprinkled it evenly on the lamb leg.
Mm—Delicious—
Modern dipping sauce paired with Dingfeng Mountain’s local specialty spices, a double enjoyment.
Seeing Lu Zheng’s eating method, everyone present imitated him, eagerly trying it out.
"Great!"
"Delicious!"
"Really delicious!"
Living long doesn’t necessarily mean more experiences, so Lu Zheng’s fresh things still incited surprise and delight among them.
Even Hu Yijun couldn’t help but cast a curious look at Lu Zheng.
To brew wine, carrying so many spices with him, obviously an enjoyment seeker. By the way, how did you achieve such a cultivation level in such a short time while enjoying life so much?
...
The banquet wrapped up with a joyful host and guests.
Hu Yijun instructed the servants to arrange a room for Lu Zheng, then dismissed everyone, took Lu Zheng personally to the mountain top with Wang Yuzhi and Hu Zhou accompanying, and gathered for a little chat, casually discussing some strange stories and fun topics.
From the next day on, Hu Zhou took Lu Zheng to tour around Dingfeng Mountain and visited various villages and fortresses at the mountain’s foot.
Hu Yijun is a Tiger Demon, and Dingfeng Mountain is a den for Demons, but they don’t use humans as blood food. Instead, they offer much protection.
"After all, humans are the spirituality of all things, born to think, plow, gather, fish, hunt, and manufacture and carve, while other creatures need intelligence to do so, even Demons instinctively transform into human forms."
Hu Zhou said, "Of course, in the Southern Border, there are also Evil Sect or Demonic creatures that take the mountain people as slaves or blood food. We naturally are at odds with them, but neither can defeat the other entirely."
Lu Zheng nodded, so it’s true that the Southern Border is messy.
...
Just as Lu Zheng thought he should be taking his leave after staying for three days, the Mountain Master of Flying Bear Mountain brought his daughter to visit and return the favor.