The next day.
Mu Jinyu woke up feeling groggy and shook his head a few times, still experiencing some headache from the hangover.
He raised his hand to his temples and pressed on a few acupoints, which made him feel much better afterward.
Opening his eyes and looking around his bedroom, Mu Jinyu remembered that he should have passed out on the sofa last night, so it must have been Gu Xiyan and Wen Rou who moved him to the bed.
Getting up and drawing back the curtains, Mu Jinyu gazed out the window, his eyes hazy and contemplative, as if lost in thought.
He didn't know how long had passed.
"Knock, knock, knock!"
Along with the knocking, Wen Rou's voice could also be heard.
"Little Mu, are you up yet? Come out for breakfast if you are."
Mu Jinyu withdrew his gaze and responded softly, "Mhm."
After opening the door and freshening up in the bathroom, Mu Jinyu went to the dining room and sat down for breakfast with Gu Xiyan and the others.
Gu Xiyan and Wen Rou looked slightly worried, but seeing his calm demeanor, they chose not to mention what happened last night.
After breakfast, Gu Xiyan asked Mu Jinyu if he wanted her to stay with him.
Mu Jinyu shook his head and said, "I'm fine, you go on with your work. I was just about to go find Ah-Xiang."
Seeing this, Gu Xiyan didn't insist on staying and left for work with Wen Rou.
After the two had left, Mu Jinyu called Xiang Mantang, asking where he was and that he would come to him.
Xiang Mantang provided his address, and Mu Jinyu didn't say much over the phone, simply disconnecting the call and heading out to take a taxi to the address given by Xiang Mantang.
Since returning to River City, Xiang Mantang had arranged for a villa to be bought at Donghui Mansion through Liu Mei.
When Mu Jinyu arrived at the entrance of Donghui Mansion, Liu Mei was already there to receive him.
Following Liu Mei into Donghui Mansion, they slowly made their way to Villa Number Three.
On seeing the villa, Mu Jinyu raised an eyebrow and muttered, "This villa doesn't seem to be any worse than mine. Ah-Xiang must have made quite a lot of money after being away for so many years..."
Hearing Mu Jinyu's words, Liu Mei couldn't help but smile, though she dared not comment on the matter.
Following Liu Mei into Villa Number Three, they passed through a front courtyard with rockeries and pavilions. Mu Jinyu did not look at the other European-style luxury houses nearby and instead went straight to the backyard garden.
Xiang Mantang was there, practicing his morning martial arts!
"Hoo!"
"Ha!"
"Boom!"
"Bang!"
Approaching the garden, the sounds of intense activity could be heard from afar.
Mu Jinyu looked over and saw Xiang Mantang wielding a seven-foot-seven-inch long spear, swirling it around so it whistled through the air. Every now and then, the sound of sonic booms occurred, and at his feet lay countless remains of Bronze Men!
"Ha!"
With a light shout, Xiang Mantang stepped forward, his waist turning and shoulder moving as he brandished the spear. He fiercely struck at a Bronze Man standing before him, and with a booming sound, the metal figure made entirely of pure copper was utterly smashed to pieces!
After that, he continued his assault without stopping, shattering the remaining thirteen Bronze Men in the field in just a few breaths!
"Phew!!"
Xiang Mantang stood straight after sheathing his spear, his chest and abdomen heaving a few times. The flushed complexion from the intense exercise quickly returned to normal, and then he took a long breath of white air, three feet long and lingering!
It wasn't until a minute later that the white breath, which looked like a ribbon, finally dissipated.
"Senior brother, you're here."
Planting his spear into the ground, Xiang Mantang then turned around, smiling lightly at Mu Jinyu.
Mu Jinyu blinked and replied with a smile, "You still push yourself so hard. It really makes me feel embarrassed as your senior brother."
Xiang Mantang gave a wry smile and said, "If I had your talent, senior brother, I wouldn't need to do this either!"
"Let's not talk about that," Mu Jinyu changed the subject, "I came to ask you about something regarding Dragon King Hall."
Xiang Mantang's heart stirred, knowing what he wanted to ask, and nodded. He pointed to a small pavilion nearby and said, "I haven't had breakfast yet. Let's eat and talk."
"Okay," Mu Jinyu nodded.
The two then made their way to the pavilion.
In the meantime, Liu Mei, following Xiang Mantang's instruction, had already brought over breakfast, a Cantonese dim sum spread.
Xiang Mantang picked up a pair of chopsticks, grasped a crystal-clear shrimp dumpling, chewed gently, and then swallowed. Afterward, he smiled at Mu Jinyu and said, "The craftsmanship of this place is quite good, you should try it."
Although Mu Jinyu had already eaten, he wasn't averse to having more, seeing Xiang Mantang enjoying his food so much. He also picked up a pair of chopsticks and started eating.
After a few bites, Xiang Mantang picked up a cup of Pu'er tea, took a light sip, exhaled, and then leisurely said, "I suppose you're not interested in the Northern Dipper Seven Dragon Guards of Dragon King Hall, so I'll just tell you about the Old Dragon King."
Upon hearing this, Mu Jinyu swallowed the shrimp dumpling in his mouth, biting on his chopsticks without making a sound.
"The Old Dragon King's name is Su Yuanzheng. He's over a hundred and thirty years old, one hundred thirty-seven to be precise," continued Xiang Mantang.
Mu Jinyu: "???"
One hundred thirty-seven years old? Could his nominal grandfather really be that old?!
Or had Xiang Mantang misspoken? Was that his nominal great-grandfather?!
Noticing Mu Jinyu's slightly confused expression, Xiang Mantang glanced at him and said with a mild smile, "You don't have to doubt your ears; that's his real age. Otherwise, I wouldn't call him the Old Dragon King."
"Phew..." Mu Jinyu let out a breath and then said in frustration, "That's really brazen. But, seriously, an old coot like him, can he still move around?"
"Why not?" Xiang Mantang replied, "We cultivators, even at a hundred years old, are still strong and hearty, no different from younger men. Isn't it normal to be able to move around at over ninety?"
"Then..." Mu Jinyu hesitated to speak, unsure of how to proceed.
Xiang Mantang guessed what he wanted to ask and slowly said, "Well, it's a story about 'a pear tree overshadowing the begonias.' The Old Dragon King was obsessed with martial arts throughout his life, with no children even past ninety. Until later... well, to put it simply, otherwise, it might take seven days and nights to tell."
Mu Jinyu raised an eyebrow. Seven days and nights—this old fellow's story sure was long!
Suppressing a laugh, Xiang Mantang said, "It's a pretty cliché story, full of encounters, infatuation, late-life daughter, pampering, arranged marriage, perfect matches, rebellion, running away from home, and then, ah, it's also encounters, infatuation, having a child out of wedlock, leading to someone..."
"Stop, stop, stop..." Mu Jinyu frowned and said discontentedly, "You sure are brief in your storytelling!"
With a calm expression, Xiang Mantang teased, "You get the gist, don't you? Besides, I think, senior brother, you're not that interested in Dragon King Hall. If I say too much, you'll think I'm nagging."
Mu Jinyu paused, then nodded heavily, "Right, I'm not really interested in Dragon King Hall, it was just a casual question."
After speaking, he couldn't help but ask again, "Hey, but I'm a bit interested in the Old Dragon King's daughter's story. Could you... tell me more about it..."