Chongfei Manual

A private room on Yu He’s second floor.

Li Song was wearing a light silk plain navy blue robe and sitting at a small black-lacquered table. There was an open window behind him. He leaned against the window frame with his eyes half closed and indifferently looked at the people around him.

These people were his past friends and they were all lounge lizards that idled their time away. They were currently grouped around a small table and in high spirit as they threw dice. In the past, Li Song would have also been there playing with them, but now he couldn’t make himself feel the slightest interest.

Perhaps, he had been wandering for too long and was already unfamiliar with this type of lifestyle. It was difficult for him to blend in.

Li Song slowly traced the edge of his celadon cup. He seemed lost in thought. He hadn’t said a word since he entered this room.

One of the nearby young men wearing a black robe that was embodied with a branching lotus pattern approached him. He curiously looked over Li Song and deliberately said, “Something is fishy. What’s wrong with our Young Master Li? Why are you so silent today? You’re the best at this game. Are you not playing with us because you’re worried that we’ll lose too badly to you? Aiya, say something. Are you in a bad mood? Who angered you?”

This person was the assistant minister of revenue’s young son, Chen Hong Sheng. He always had the best relationship with Li Song. Although he was an overly talkative person, his character was pretty good.

Li Song turned the cup in his hand and quietly said, “It’s nothing.”

Chen Hong Sheng didn’t believe him. After looking at him for a while, he pretended as if he suddenly realized something and said, “I heard that you invited Duke Ying’s family’s Sixth Young Master here. Did you want to beat him up? Isn’t he going to marry your younger sister soon? Are you dissatisfied with him?”

Li Song was silent for a moment before casting a rebuking glance at Chen Hong Sheng, “You say too much nonsense.”

Chen Hong Sheng choked back the words he was about to say and embarrassedly stroke his nose. He sat back down in his original spot. It felt as if he had been too nosy.

The atmosphere in the private room became livelier and livelier as the wine cups were refilled again and again. The crowd’s mood was very excited when the doors were opened from the outside.

Wei Chang Hong appeared at the private room’s doorway. He was wearing a moon white robe embroidered with honeysuckle. His tied up hair and tidy clothes was completely incompatible with the atmosphere in the private room.

The people in the room were either sitting or leaning against something. They were all unsteadily swaying and none of them were behaving properly. In contrast, Wei Chang Hong’s back was ramrod straight and his eyes were clear. He swept his gaze lightly and calmly around the room and stopped at Li Song. He went straight to the point and asked, “What did you want to talk about?”

Everyone in the private room was looking at him. Perhaps, his noble aura was too dazzling. The people that had been drinking stopped drinking. The people that had been playing stopped playing. They all silently sat up straight.

Li Song looked at Wei Chang Hong without reveal his intentions. He felt as if this person was slightly the same and slightly different from the Wei Chang Hong that he knew. He raised his chin and pointed at the spot on the other side of the small, black-lacquered table. “Sit.”

Wei Chang Hong wasn’t afraid of him. He stood still for a long time before sitting down across from Li Song. His eyes were as indifferent as before and he was even less talkative than the Wei Chang Hong that he knew.

Li Song poured wine into a celadon cup and placed it in front of Wei Chang Hong.

Wei Chang Hong didn’t move. He only continued to look at Li Song. He was probably waiting for Li Song to say why he had invited him here.

The corners of Li Song’s mouth curved up. With an unclear meaning, he said, “It’s not poisoned.”

Wei Chang Hong wasn’t afraid that the wine had poison. There was a constant stream of guests in Yu He. If something happened to him, they wouldn’t be able to escape. He just simply didn’t want to drink it. However, the surrounding lounge lizards were all staring at him as if they had already expected that he wouldn’t dare to drink. Their eyes were all filled with delight as they anticipated his misfortune. Without changing his expression, Wei Chang Hong picked up the wine cup in front of him and drank it in one gulp. He placed the wine cup back onto the table, stood up, and said, “If there’s nothing else, I’m leaving.”

Li Song stopped him, “How could there be nothing else? If there was nothing else, why would I invite you here today?” He smiled as he said, “Sir Wei, you have a good temperament. I’ll drink this cup of wine as a toast to you.”

He picked up the wine cup, tilted his head back, and also cleanly drank the wine.

Following his movement, something dropped from his sleeve and rolled over to Chen Hong Sheng.

Chen Hong Sheng picked up the item and asked, “Eh, what’s this?”

Li Song’s expression didn’t change. With his lips slightly curved, he said, “Five minerals powder.”

Chen Hong Sheng, “…”

Wei Chang Hong stared at Li Song. His gaze had immediately become colder.

Li Song took the five minerals powder back from Chen Hong Sheng. He held it in his palm and gradually increased his strength until he shattered the porcelain bottle. The five minerals powder spilled out from his hand and landed on the small, black-lacquered table. A short while later, blood dripped down from Li Song’s hand and mixed with the five minerals powder. They clotted together on the surface of the table.

Li Song raised his eyes to look at Wei Chang Hong with a rather mocking gaze. “Don’t worry, this wasn’t in the wine that you drank. You have a wonderful older sister. If she knew that I deceived you into using five minerals powder, she would probably stab me again.”

The people in the room were struck dumb by this scene. Chen Hong Sheng’s widen his eyes and asked, “Ah Song, doesn’t that hurt?”

Li Song didn’t answer him. He coldly looked at Wei Chang Hong with a fake smile.

Wei Chang Hong’s eyebrows were furrowed, but his tone was still indifferent as he asked, “What did you say?”