Chapter 67: The Village Floors Are So Slippery…
Translator: AstralGhost Editor: Kurisu
As he looked at Mystics Two and Three trying their best to learn, Bei Feng also nodded with approval. Although their progress was not as fast, they at least won in terms of effort.
The backs of the duo were already soaked in sweat, but they still persisted in practicing, over and over again.
Bei Feng, as a person who had also begun the same way, knew well how difficult it was to cultivate Minor Illumination Breathing Technique.
"Alright, we’ll stop here for today."
He.stopped the three. The Bei Feng Guards were different from him. They did not have the support of the Blood Origin Fruit, and would not be able to endure such long practice sessions.
Being hardworking was one thing, but to go beyond was as wrong as to fall short. If the practice was too long and went beyond what one’s body could handle, hidden injuries would appear.
"Yes, boss!"
Mystic Two and Three immediately stopped. Their entire bodies were aching, and their heads were so light that they felt like they were walking on air as they followed Bei Feng down the mountain.
Bei Feng did not slow down to wait for the three Bei Feng Guards. Although he seemed to be walking very leisurely, every step actually carried him two meters forward. Very quickly, the three Bei Feng Guards found that they were unable to keep up with him, and could only watch as he disappeared rapidly into the distance
Mystic One and the rest took the opportunity to take a rest to catch their breaths before slowly continuing on their way.
By the time the three Bei Feng Guards returned to the old mansion, Bei Feng had already finished preparing lunch.
To Bei Feng, the saying that a gentlemen should stay clear of the kitchen spoke of an extremely ridiculous notion. In contrast, he actually found cooking to be a form of enjoyment.
During his latest period of idleness, Bei Feng had spent much time picking up new cooking recipes to improve his skills. But while he had committed these cooking methods to memory, he hadn’t had the chance to try them out yet.
As for his chat group, a number of people had already sent their deposits to his account. In addition, there was a lot of questions for him.
"I’ve already sent the deposit. When can we eat?"
"Hello?"
"Boss, if you’re here, can you please say something?"
"F*ck, could this entire thing be a scam?"
Bei Feng had completely forgotten about the message he had posted on the chat earlier. It was almost noon, and all the guests were beginning to grow anxious.
"Please arrive at Qingling Village which is at the foot of Mt. Qingling by 6 pm. Dinner will be from 6 to 8 pm," Bei Feng sent.
There was a total of five tables reserved for this evening. But Bei Feng had not started the restaurant with the thought of serving this many guests. Because of that, he suddenly found that he was lacking both space and seats! Mystics Two and Three were immediately dispatched to purchase two more sets of tables and stools, and were also instructed them to place them in the yard.
***
Wang Hu was a dealer in the business of construction materials. With the way the economy was, business was getting harder to find these days. For the sake of just a single big deal, he had already expended an entire half month of effort!
The deal he had his eyes on was one with a reputed property company. There were talks about their plans to construct a new housing estate; such a large project required a mountain of construction materials. A large undertaking like this was understandably, a piece of fat, juicy meat in Wang Hu’s eyes. If he succeeded in signing the contract with them to be their official supplier, he would get enough commission so that he would not need to worry about money at all for the next 10 years!
But throughout all their discussions, the other party had never accepted his proposal, nor had they rejected it. Just like that, Wang Hu was kept suspended in the middle, unsure of whether he should persist or give up.
To be honest, his business model was not at all impressive. He was also clearly not the only person who had eyes on this juicy slab of meat. Other, more powerful dealerships were also trying to obtain the contract!
Although he had the character ‘Hu’ in his name, Wang Hu was not the least bit sloppy when it came to work. He knew that there was no way he could come out on top against those powerful competitors in terms of strength, but he could still compete in other areas! [1]
Wang Hu had learned from people close to President Ma that the latter enjoyed a slew of activities, including horseback riding, archery and golf. So, he would go out of his way to ‘bump’ into him at all those areas.
The amount of money he spent on this task was not low. But other than having a slightly closer relationship with the man, he didn’t achieve anything else.
"President Ma’s technique is getting better and better!"
Standing in the middle of a vast green plain, Wang Hu grabbed a bottle of Evian mineral water and walked over to a plumpy man, a radiant smile on his face.
"Glug, glug… hai, I was much better when I was young."
Ma Ming smiled lightly as he replied in a humble tone. But who was Wang Hu? He was great at reading people. How could he miss the smug look hidden under the other’s humble words?
He hurriedly followed up in a flattering tone, "That’s not true, a good sword never gets dull; President Ma’s skills are in fact more exquisite after being polished by the sands of time. It’s definitely not something an inexperienced youngster can compare with!"
"Right, the reason you came to look for me today should not be to just play golf with me right?
As someone who was able to obtain his current position, Ma Ming was also quite good at reading people. He knew what the business was, but still deliberately asked.
"Haha, I’m indeed unable to hide anything from President Ma. Alright, I’ve reserved a table for a meal, and was hoping that President Ma could join me."
Wang Hu appeared relaxed, but his heart was actually thumping wildly in his chest.
With Ma Ming’s intellect, he should be able to guess his intentions. Chinese people liked to discuss business over a meal, so now that he had extended an official invitation to Ma Ming for a meal, it was obviously to talk about the deal.
"Ok."
A brief silence hung around the two before Ma Ming finally nodded his head. The reason he agreed was because he felt that the person before him was really not bad, in terms of character and sincerity.
"Great! How’s 4 pm? I’ll come over and pick you up."
Wang Hu was over the moon with joy. The thing he was most worried about was that Ma Ming would not even give him a chance. From the looks of things now, there still was hope!
One of Ma Ming’s greatest hobbies was actually eating. Flying creatures, water creatures, running or crawling creatures… as long as it was edible, he had tasted everything at least once!
As a result, his palate had become very sensitive. Ordinary food could not enter his eyes at all.
Wang Hu could only hope that the food at Bei Feng’s Private Restaurant would be good. ‘Even Wang Jian goes there to eat, so it shouldn’t be too bad…’
At this point, he could only cross his fingers and reassure himself repeatedly. This Bei Feng's private restaurant was the best choice he had, as well as his last chance. Wang Hu could not find a better alternative.
***
The fact that a complete stranger had placed all his hopes and career in his hands was completely unknown to Bei Feng who had spent the entire afternoon practicing Minor Illumination Breathing Technique, attempting to create his martial technique.
Before long, his phone started ringing and, after a brief conversation, Mystic Two was sent to the village to recieve the guests.
But even as he ended the first call, his phone started ringing again. It was all from his customers. Shaking his head in annoyance, Bei Feng simply informed Mystic Two to gather all the guests and bring them back with him together.
As they walked along the dried mud path, Ma Ming and Wang Hu were all smiles, and were conversing jovially about how nice the air in the countryside was, and how refreshing it was to see such a breathtaking scenery.
All was well until Ma Ming missed a step and fell heavily on his buttocks. In that moment, he understood the saying, "The conspiracies in the city run deep, and I decided to return to the village. But upon my return, I find that the village floors are slippery as well…"
From that moment on, Ma Ming completely stopped talking and wore a black face all the way.
Wang Hu was panicking in his heart. He was half expecting Ma Ming to turn around and leave at any moment, rendering all his efforts useless.
"Mr. Wang, is this the place you’ve chosen for our meal? How come we’re still not there despite walking for so long?"
Ma Ming could not help but ask after walking for over 20 minutes.
"President Ma, we’ll be reaching in just a few more minutes. You have to trust me, the food here is the absolute best; you will definitely not be disappointed!"
This was actually the first time Wang Hu was visiting the infamous and elusive restaurant of which the legends spoke. Naturally, he had no freaking idea that such a long walk was required to reach the restaurant! But in that moment, Wang Hu displayed an extremely confident demeanor, as though he knew the road and food like the back of his hand.
But he was actually shedding quiet tears in his heart, ‘F*ck, I’m in a real jam this time...!’
"Oh, that better be the case, otherwise…"
They were both people of intellect. Wang Hu obviously knew what it was that Ma Ming didn’t say.
"We’re here," Mystic Two stopped in front of the old mansion, turned around and said in a bland voice. Throughout the journey, Mystic Two had not deigned to open his mouth at all. He simply could not understand the mind of his boss. He couldn’t fathom why a powerful person like boss would bother to do useless things like this. Perhaps he was simply too bored?
As for the group of guests at the back, they were currently whispering to each other, expressing their dissatisfaction about the location of this private restaurant. All of them were of the same opinion: the place was too f*cking remote!
The group could not help but let out a collective sigh of relief as they looked at the old mansion before them. After so much hardship, they had finally reached the restaurant!
"Boss, the guests are here!"
Mystic Two announced as he stepped through the gate.
"En, you can go and rest first."
Bei Feng nodded his head as he led the group of people to the tables in the yard.
[1] TL/N: The Chinese word for sloppy is 马虎, i.e. Ma Hu. Hu is spelled the same in Wang Hu’s name.