Chapter 17: Big Brother Jin and Fairy Mu
Sheng Zhen returned after a few minutes, empty-handed.
"Where is the wine?", a boy bellowed.
"Young masters, My lord is regrettable about his behavior towards Young Masters just now. He had agreed to allow the Young Masters to dine in the side garden". Sheng Zhen said with all the sincerity he could muster.
"Ow wow, see, even Inn master is respectful to Brother Jin."
"Yeaa, I never heard of anything like this ever happening before."
"Isn't side garden for most distinguished guests."
"Ok servent, lead us to the garden", a portly cultivator said to Sheng Zhen.
Again Sheng Zhen bowed his head in faux embarrassment, "Young Master, how can servants like me be allowed in there."
"Don't worry, I know where is the garden. You can go", 'Brother Jin' said, dismissing Sheng Zhen with a casual wave.
Sheng Zhen did not need to be told twice. He made himself scarce the moment Jin Cuifen dismissed him, vanishing in broad daylight along with the horsecart the moment the group entered back inside the inn.
The Young Masters of Ifre followed behind Jin Cuifen, not bothering about some servent boy anymore.
"Here it is, usually formations keep it closed...", Jin Cuifen pushed the door and it opened without protest. None of them were educated in the ways of formations because then they would have noticed the broken arrays on the door.
"Oh wow, this is something.", everyone looked at the garden filled with precious spirit grasses and flowers in wonder.
"But where is food?", a young master said.
"SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHHHH"
Everyone covered their ears hearing shrill birds cry. Jin Cuifen looked around and spotted a Blue Plumed Luan laying prone on the ground near the back of the garden, crying loudly.
"Is that not the companion beast of Gentle Snow Sect's ...", his voice was cut off when a figure in an ice blue dress landed in front of him. Her long black hair reached her waist and her face was covered by a veil, giving away nothing but her eyes.
She did not even look at the group, immediately dashing towards the Luan.
Behind her, the city lord, a tall imposing man with long hair and Yellow robes descended. His eyes immediately turned to the group and he identified each one of them as heirs of Prominent families in the city along with Jin Cuifen, the core disciple of Alchemist Hall.
"What happened here?", he asked, his voice imposing.
Everyone sobered the instant City lord asked this question and shrunk back. No one wanted to face his wrath, except 'Brother Jin'.
"We were here to enjoy the feast. We just entered when that infernal bird started to screech", Jin Cuifen answered, looking as unconcerned as ever.
"Didn't I just have you all removed for creating a ruckus. Now you all came back, and in the side court no less?", He flared his aura, his hold on temper slipping.
"Not only that you dare to feed my Luan a poisonous pill, you really have guts", the woman behind her spoke, looking positively murderous. Her aura of Golden Core flared, making everyone hard to breathe.
Everyone in the group gulped in fear, everyone except Jin Cuifen, who looked more indignant than anything.
"Now that is just false accusation, we just got here. I did not even know that infernal bird was here until it screeched my ear off", he said,
Hearing that she withdrew her aura, although her eyes twitched, "Then who injured Qin'er. He said he was fed a pill that knocked him out. To be able to knock out a beast of divine lineage, who can make such pill other than Prodegious alchemist Jin Chifen."
"Huh... someone really did that!", this time even Jin Cuifen looked shocked.
"Fairy Mu, are you sure", even the city lord was astonished. To be able to knock a beast of divine lineage unconscious with a pill was no mean feat. If such a pill was auctioned, sects would not spend countless spirit stones to get their hands on it.
"Yes, Xiao Qin told me himself", she pointed to the downed Luan. Whatever knocked it out was still not out of its system as the Luan was having trouble even standing on two legs. It just lay there, struggling, his large eyes moist like a perturbed child.
City Lord was deep in thought, 'But who would use such a precious pill to knock out the Luan. Were they trying to steal it and the intervention of the Yung Masters scared them off or was Jin Chifen who tried to seat it but failed. From Fairy Mu's reaction, even Luan is not sure who fed it the pill.'
"Wow, fascinating!", Jin Cuifen had a mad gleam in his eyes, one City Lord often saw in alchemists. Chifen tried to run towards the downed Luan only to be stopped by the city lord.
"Oh no you don't", he held Jin Cuifen in place, nervously eyeing the Fairy Mu. She looked positively murderous now, her twitchy hands going towards the rapier on her waist.
He looked down at Jin Cuifen. This child really had no self-preservation instincts. She was especially agitated now and running up to her vulnerable Luan now will only invite her wrath. He really did not want to deal with all this, and risk the chance of offending Gentle Snow Sect or Alchemist Hall.
He tried to start from the beginning to get to the bottom of this matter, "Young Master Jin, can you please tell me what are you doing here."
"We were just enjoying some wine when the servants told us to leave. But outside we met another servant and said him to get us wine. But he came back and said that Inn Master in an apology allowed us to dine here. And just when we came here, the overstuffed bird started to shriek, and then you came..., the end."
City Lord looked at critically. He knew the inn master was with him all the time and no way did he send any message. 'Perhaps servent was an imposter, that could be it.'
"And who was the servant, tell me, what did he look like?"
"He was...he looked like...ugh, I don't remember."
"Really, you forgot. In just a few moments?", city lord asked suspiciously, he no longer believed him.
Jin Cuifen just shook his head, even the heirs cowering behind him shook their heads in denial. To the city lord, it seemed obvious that there was no servent for them to remember. After all, how can everyone forget a single face in the moment of seeing it?
Fairy Mu unsheathed her sword, "That's it, you will pay."
"Fairy Mu, let's not jump to conclusions. Even if Junior here knocked out your Luan, with his cultivation he can't even scratch its skin, much less harm it", City Lord pointed out, "Perhaps we should focus on the fact the..."
"I said it cow, I did not do it!", And Jin Cuifen had to open his mouth. Hearing it City Lord paled and Fairy Mu bristled,
"What Did You Call Me?!!"
.
.
And thus began the millennia-long rivalry between Master Alchemist Jin Cuifen and Ice Fairy Mu Liqin.
And not far from the Peach Blossom Fairy, Sheng Zhen, the preparator of all this, was laying own on the horsecart and whistling happily.
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