Chapter 555: The Banquet

Chapter 555: The Banquet

Although Huan Tian City faced numerous events, including the Liu family being slandered, a battle sparked by the prison, various explosions, and the continuous destruction of homes, the outcome turned out well. The corrupt and greedy City Lord Zhou Cheng suffered as well, and Huan Tian City was spared from rebel attacks; even Dong Wei was captured.

Restoring Huan Tian City to its former glory would require effort from all sides, but with the wrongdoers gone, recovery was only a matter of time.

For now, the position of City Lord was handed over to Liu Feng, and when capable people emerged, they would be nominated for succession. After all, as a great general, he couldn’t stay as City Lord forever.

Lin Nuo accepted the invitation to the City Lord’s Mansion, mostly to hear some bad news.

For instance, how many lives were lost and how many houses were destroyed.

At that time, he saw many criminals.

They were all dressed formally, some in armor and others in strategist robes, appearing as big shots.

Lin Nuo sensed something was amiss, contemplating that Liu Feng really did value talent above everything else. No matter their past crimes, as long as they had abilities, they were directly allowed to restart their lives without a probation period, even taking up official positions.

The Liu family was really impressive, broad-minded enough to embrace others, surely these people would serve them loyally in the future. What a clever way to win people’s hearts.

“Junior Martial Brother, you’ve arrived!”

Liu Shuqin had already changed into a purple light dress, her smooth hair cascading down like a waterfall, adorned with elegant accessories, exuding the refined aura of a noble lady.

She held Lin Nuo’s hand and pulled him along.

He wasn’t fond of being pulled, but he couldn’t resist Liu Shuqin, so he went along.

Aside from Lin Nuo, everyone else had arrived. They had originally agreed upon a time, but Lin Nuo attended a play, listened to street storytellers, and indulged in some pastries, delaying him just a tad.

He thought himself inconsequential; they’d probably disperse without him anyway.

But surprise, they actually waited for him.

“Junior Martial Brother is quite busy, being late; I ask everyone for forgiveness,” Liu Shuqin politely apologized, but no one complained about Lin Nuo’s tardiness.

“Not at all! Little Brother is a great benefactor of Huan Tian City. It’s truly our honor that Little Brother could attend.”

Liu Feng, temporarily acting as City Lord, stroked his beard and smiled.

“Little Brother, we specially arranged this banquet; please take a seat.”

With a grin, Liu Feng led Lin Nuo to the banquet, where the attendees were mostly high officials and generals.

Lin Nuo glanced around, wishing to join the children’s table. There, he wouldn’t need to flatter any officials and could eat freely without worrying about maintaining an image.

Upon closer inspection, he noticed several criminals present.

Nice, this was better than those high officials. Although these criminals had half positions now, at least they came from a criminal background, lacking the sycophantic tendencies of the officials.

Lin Nuo sat down, with Li Ruo’er on his left, and to his right, both Liu Shuqin and Luo Xiaoxue wanted to sit. In the end, they decided by rock-paper-scissors, and Liu Shuqin won.

Luo Xiaoxue was puzzled and had to settle for a seat directly across from Lin Nuo, enabling her to keep watching him during the banquet.

“Ha! Dining with Junior Martial Brother at the same table is indeed an honor for me, Liu. Do you remember the toast I raised for you back at the Lin family manor?”

“Of course.”

“Let’s have a hearty drink today; we won’t stop until we’re intoxicated.”

“Forget it, I need a clear mind; I won’t intentionally get drunk.”

Lin Nuo straightforwardly rejected him, thinking, “You want to get me drunk? Not happening!”

Seeing the criminals present, Lin Nuo sarcastically remarked:

“Liu Daren truly appreciates talent. I remember seeing these people in prison.”

“Indeed. At the time, we were dealing with the scene and didn’t have the chance to introduce you. Come, Little Brother, thanks to you, they’ve been rescued. Let me introduce this General Huang Heng, a renowned commander known for quelling internal strife; and this is his strategist…”

Liu Feng introduced them all, stating their positions and omitting their names for now. They were all high-ranking officials, and as for their circumstances, they’d been wronged by scheming people and forced into prison, utterly frustrated, some even facing execution. They were hanging by a thread.

So, in summary, Lin Nuo’s visit to the prison saved them all from a death sentence.

What a coincidence! All these criminals are high-ranking officials?

If I had known, I could have just blown them up instead of rescuing them!

“We greatly appreciate Knight Lin’s assistance. Honestly, if Knight Lin had been even a moment late, we would have descended into the Yellow Springs, never to return. With such courage and strength, Knight Lin is truly a blessing to Puhan.”

General Huang Heng hurriedly bowed in gratitude and raised a toast to Lin Nuo, with the others doing the same.

This was directly slapping the title of great hero on him; who could take that? Better toss some dirt on himself!

Lin Nuo responded, “You’re overestimating me. Strictly speaking, I violated the law; breaking someone out of prison is a serious matter, extremely against the rules. Liu Daren is a law-abiding person; what merit could I possibly claim? Disregarding the law makes one a criminal—no achievements can absolve that.”

“I don’t see it that way.”

At that moment, Luo Xiaoxue became excited and said, “Knight Lin, you once taught me that we shouldn’t blindly follow rules and righteousness; it could become a weak point for cruel villains. Against malicious foes, we must adopt even harsher means. We can’t fix things reasonably; breaking out of prison was the only option. Everyone else was constrained by conventional thinking, but only Knight Lin had the courage; you led us to victory—this exemplifies true heroism!”

Lin Nuo: “…”

If you didn’t speak, no one would think you’re mute. Yapping on as if you know it all.

You can twist lawbreakers into the strongest heroes; are you a professional at whitewashing? Not seeking your help would be a waste.

“Yes, Junior Martial Brother can achieve what others dare not; while we are limited by law, trapping ourselves in action and letting villains roam free, Junior Martial Brother shows no such restraint because he believes he will succeed. And indeed, he did! This is the mark of the strongest hero!”

Liu Shuqin joined in, and the two of them effortlessly praised Lin Nuo, as if they could speak endlessly of his merits for days and nights.

Moreover, both were learned individuals, speaking so eloquently that it felt like they were in the royal palace, crafting immortal memorials.

Li Ruo’er tugged at Lin Nuo’s sleeve, with a sweet voice she said:

“Young Master is so amazing, the strongest hero~”

Lin Nuo: “…”

You too? What a waste of my raising you!

And here they were, happily enjoying the banquet, without mourning the fallen princess.

Right, I guess the banquet is for eating because the princess has passed.