Chapter 141: Chaos at the Wedding Banquet
Chapter 141: Chaos at the Wedding Banquet
A small commotion did not stop Chen Xiyi, and he entered very smoothly.
There was no scene of being looked down upon or anyone coming up to challenge him. Anyone with a normal mind would not cause a ruckus at the wedding of a local ruler.
Even though Chen Xiyi wore a long gown that seemed somewhat out of place at the gathering, people only glanced curiously and did not think much of it.
You couldn’t just go up and correct someone for dressing differently.
Didn’t they see him chatting and laughing with the General of Min City?
With Liu Ming by his side, Chen Xiyi went straight to the back, avoiding the guests in the front.
“Brother Chen, why are you carrying a fruit basket? Don’t tell me it’s a wedding gift,” Liu Ming joked.
Chen Xiyi nodded, replying very seriously, “Yes, this is the gift. Is that inappropriate?”
Liu Ming was dumbfounded. He had only been joking and never expected to have guessed right. “Appropriate, very appropriate.”
There was nothing inappropriate about it, except that no one else gave fruit baskets.
“Then that’s settled. How does that saying go? A goose feather sent from afar may be small, but the thought is great. If a goose feather is so meaningful, my fruit basket must be even more meaningful,” Chen Xiyi said offhandedly.
Liu Ming found this both funny and frustrating. He hadn’t heard the saying before, but he understood the meaning.
Although it sounded strange coming from Chen Xiyi, he couldn’t argue. What if Chen Xiyi suddenly hit him with the fruit basket? So he could only say, “You’re right.”
“Right about what? Where are we now?” Chen Xiyi was confused as he wandered around the Marshal’s Mansion.
Indeed, Chen Xiyi was the one leading the way, not Liu Ming. The two chatted as they walked.
Liu Ming might have known the way, but Chen Xiyi had never been here before, so he had no idea where they were.
“Brother Chen, are you trying to find Commander Li? This way,” Liu Ming said, taking the lead. He finally understood—Chen Xiyi had been walking randomly because he didn’t know the way.
Chen Xiyi also realized, “So you thought I knew the way?”
This was a big misunderstanding.
But it wasn’t too late to fix it.
With Liu Ming leading, they quickly found Li Zhao.
He seemed busy with some ceremonial matters, though Chen Xiyi didn’t understand what was going on.
“Xiyi, you’re finally here. And Xiao Liu, please sit down. Let me finish lighting this incense, and then we can talk in detail,” Li Zhao said as soon as he saw Chen Xiyi and Liu Ming.
Hearing this, Chen Xiyi placed the fruit basket on the table, found a seat, and sat down, watching Li Zhao’s actions with great interest. It seemed like an ancestral worship ceremony.
But wasn’t Li Zhao’s ancestral land outside of Gui City?
The process took about ten minutes, and it seemed to have been going on for a while. They arrived just as it was ending.
After Li Zhao finished, he wiped the fine sweat from his forehead, and his subordinates came to clean up.
“Li Zhao, you’ve changed quite a bit. I almost didn’t recognize you,” Chen Xiyi remarked, eyeing Li Zhao’s large belly with amusement.
After nearly half a year apart, Li Zhao had visibly gained weight.
Chen Xiyi’s comment made Li Zhao a little embarrassed. “Haha, I really have put on weight. On the other hand, you haven’t changed at all, Xiyi. It seems your days have been quite comfortable.”
“Not bad. I’ve just been so busy I don’t know day from night. If you hadn’t sent me a letter saying you were getting married, I wouldn’t have crawled out,” Chen Xiyi said.
He spent his days studying and conducting experiments, living a very fulfilling life.
“That busy? Are you busy bothering some young girl?” Li Zhao teased.
Chen Xiyi rolled his eyes. “Do you think I’m like you?”
“Alright, I don’t have time to chat with you today, Xiyi. Go take a seat in the front. I saved a good spot for you. Xiao Liu, take Xiyi there. I’ll join you shortly,” Li Zhao said, treating Chen Xiyi like an old friend, which was natural given their high Favorability.
Chen Xiyi, in turn, did not treat Li Zhao as just any NPC friend. “I left the gift here. You and Mi Hong should eat it. Don’t give it to anyone else.”
Before leaving, Chen Xiyi gave specific instructions.
“Don’t worry, I understand,” Li Zhao said, holding the fruit basket. It was clear he took the matter seriously.
As a friend, Li Zhao knew that Chen Xiyi’s gifts were always special. Why would he share them with others?
Liu Ming led Chen Xiyi to the front hall to take their seats. Most people at this table were high-ranking officials, and they all knew Chen Xiyi. They greeted him one by one.
It had to be said, his circle of friends was growing. The awkward part was that he didn’t recognize any of them. If they hadn’t been green names, Chen Xiyi would have ignored them entirely.
During the conversation, the Game Log continuously updated.
Most entries were about the pleasant atmosphere and Favorability +1.
Unfortunately, although Favorability was increasing, the star rating didn’t improve at all.
“The newlyweds have arrived~”
A loud voice suddenly rang out, and everyone in the hall fell silent.
Who were the newlyweds? It had to be Commander Li and his wife, of course.
As the ruler of four cities, no one dared to act out of line at such a moment.
The ceremony that followed was simple. After bowing to heaven and earth, they were ready to be escorted back.
But Chen Xiyi frowned. His right ear twitched.
[Zhangliu sensed something unpleasant and specially alerted you.]
Zhangliu’s warning, combined with the red dots he saw on the Game Map, made Chen Xiyi sigh. This was the lowest level of threat: dangerous, troublesome, and unpleasant.
What’s more, there were quite a few—about seventeen in total. Clearly, they intended to kill everyone, including him. Otherwise, they wouldn’t appear as red dots. No one was to be spared.
Outside, firecrackers kept popping, and large amounts of food and wine were being served.
“Brother Chen, what’s wrong?” Liu Ming, seated beside him, noticed Chen Xiyi’s unusual behavior.
“There’s a problem, a big one. Someone has sneaked in to cause trouble,” Chen Xiyi said plainly.
Li Zhao had just arrived and overheard Chen Xiyi’s words. His expression turned serious. “Who would dare to act today?”
“I don’t know, but they’re definitely not your people,” Chen Xiyi said, noting that the red dots’ name prefixes were all Warlord Soldier.
The Home Game had no faction module, so he only knew what these people were, not which force they belonged to.
They were surely death squad members.
Now, all the high-ranking officials of Li Zhao’s faction were gathered here. If this place were to explode, it would wipe out the entire leadership in one fell swoop.
No one present was foolish. When Chen Xiyi spoke, they all understood the implications.
“I’ll start an investigation immediately—” one person stood up and said.
“It’s too late. They’re already inside. It looks like someone intentionally let them in. There’s no time now,” Chen Xiyi shook his head.
The plan wasn’t complicated—bribery, infiltration, and assassination. How complex could it be?
“Then… does Brother Chen have a solution?” the person asked hesitantly.
If it was too late, they still had to do something, right?
“It’s not that I’m stopping you, but they’re already at the door,” Chen Xiyi had just finished speaking when gunshots rang out from outside.
Chaos immediately broke out in the hall.
“They moved so fast. Someone must have guided them. To enter your Marshal’s Mansion as if it were uninhabited—that person must hold a high position,” Chen Xiyi said with a hint of sarcasm.
In contrast, Li Zhao and Liu Ming were completely calm.
If Chen Xiyi weren’t here, they would have to find a way to deal with it. But the person sitting before them was the one who had effortlessly taken down thousands of soldiers single-handedly.
Li Zhao couldn’t help but smile wryly. “Really? It seems I haven’t done a good job as Warlord.”
Liu Ming stood up to restore order. Seventeen people, carrying explosives and holding pistols, charged in aggressively.
Without a word, they prepared to open fire.
But before they could act, their bodies suddenly went weak, and they collapsed to the ground.
They couldn’t move a muscle, not even open their eyelids. The soldiers who arrived moments later stared blankly at the seventeen assassins lying on the ground like boneless heaps.
What was going on?
Liu Ming went forward to handle the situation, while Chen Xiyi leisurely took a bite of food.
[You have gained a negative status: Poisoned]
[Poisoned: Deals 1% Health Points damage per second]
[Enchantment: Tenacity takes effect. You have resisted the negative status: Poisoned]
“…”
Wow, you’re playing a diversion here, aren’t you?
“While you’re at it, interrogate the cooks too. This food is poisoned,” Chen Xiyi thought to himself. If he didn’t have the Sturdy Enchantment from his Alloy Helmet, he would have been finished.
He had no way to detoxify.
Li Zhao’s expression changed, and he immediately shouted, “The food is poisoned! Don’t eat it! Lock down the entire city—no one leaves!”
What should have been a joyful wedding had turned into this mess. No one was in a good mood.
After scanning the guests with a gloomy expression, he ordered, “Gentlemen, you’ve had a long journey, and it’s my fault this happened. Please rest in the guest rooms for now. Once I find out who’s behind this, I will surely apologize to each of you.”
The meaning was clear: he suspected there were not only traitors in the Marshal’s Mansion but also among the guests.
Soldiers armed with guns entered, and none of the guests dared to resist.
They were all obediently escorted to the guest rooms.
The rest was none of Chen Xiyi’s business. If Li Zhao couldn’t handle this, he might as well give up being Warlord and go home to farm sweet potatoes.
[You have gained a negative status: Poisoned]
“…”
Are you out of your mind?
Chen Xiyi looked at the wine in his cup. He had taken a sip earlier—it didn’t taste great, and now it had poisoned him. Although the Sturdy Enchantment quickly resisted it.
“Ahem, the wine is poisoned too. Bring me a bowl of water to test,” Chen Xiyi thought this person must be crazy. Poisoning both the food and wine—maybe the water was poisoned too.
“???”
Those who heard this were bewildered. Were you joking, or were you determined to challenge them?
“Xiyi, you’ve ingested poison twice. Are you alright? I’ll get a doctor to check on you right away,” Li Zhao said, sounding worried.
“No need, it’s not a big deal. I think I’m fine,” Chen Xiyi casually stuffed a large mouthful of food into his mouth and chewed.
He discovered something interesting: Poisoning was a negative status. No matter how much poison or other substances he consumed, it would only show as dealing 1% Health Points damage per second. There was no distinction in Time or type.
In theory, even if he consumed ten thousand different poisons, he would only gain one Poisoned status, without stacking or additional damage.
This was like a form of poison immunity.
Of course, the downside was that some poisons weren’t fatal but caused paralysis, dizziness, etc. For Chen Xiyi, however, they were all converted into Health Points damage.
Perhaps the Poisoned status wasn’t fully developed and could only passively drain health.