226: Chapter 6 Changes and the Feast at Hongmen

That afternoon, Meng Li finished teaching Wang Yuyan, A Zhu, and A Bi Martial Arts.

Wang Yuyan suddenly spoke up, "Cousin, my mother has set up a feast at Manda Mountain Villa today and asked me to invite you over for wine."

Meng Li was taken ahead.

A Zhu and A Bi were also surprised.

The relationship between Li Qingluo and Meng Li wasn't exactly good; the fact that she let Wang Yuyan come to learn Martial Arts from Meng Li had already been unexpected to them.

Now she was actually taking the initiative to invite Meng Li for wine?

The two of them looked up at the sky; it wasn't as if the sun had risen from the west!

Meng Li's eyes flickered slightly as he asked Wang Yuyan with a smile, "Today isn't any special day. For no reason at all, why did Aunt suddenly think to invite me for wine?"

Wang Yuyan replied, "My mother said that I've been successful in my studies with you and wants to thank you."

As she spoke, she waved her arms, bringing forth several palm shadows that were indistinct and shifting, like a sudden wind rising in a peach forest, causing petals to flutter down.

What she was using was precisely the Peach Blossom Island martial art, the Luoying Divine Sword Palm!

In recent days, Wang Yuyan, A Zhu, and A Bi had nearly finished building their theoretical foundation, so Meng Li began to formally teach them Martial Arts.

After some thought, he taught them the high-efficiency Hun Yuan True Qi for their Internal Skill, and chose Peach Blossom Island Martial Arts for their techniques.

The three girls liked them very much as well.

For no other reason than they looked beautiful when performed.

During this process, Wang Yuyan's Martial Arts talent became even more prominent.

Currently, A Zhu and A Bi were still practicing the Bibo Palm Technique, but she had already mastered it and begun practicing the Luoying Divine Sword Palm, performing it with quite some flair.

Performing it now, she seemed to be "showing off" a little.

Meng Li patted her small head and smiled, "Alright, then I'll make a trip there."

Wang Yuyan gently brushed his hand away and pouted, "Don't always pat my head, I won't grow tall."

Whether she wouldn't grow tall was one thing, but more importantly, Meng Li's 'head pat' made her feel like he treated her like a child. Although she wasn't very old yet, she already vaguely understood some things and wasn't very happy being viewed as a child by him.

"Alright," Meng Li agreed, then pinched her pretty face instead.

"Cousin!" Wang Yuyan glared at him and ran outside, seemingly a bit angry.

In the past, she wouldn't have acted this way, but things were different now.

Meng Li smiled, not minding it, and turned to A Zhu and A Bi, saying, "I'm going to Manda Mountain Villa; you two look after the house."

With that, he reached out and gave each of their faces a gentle pinch.

A Zhu and A Bi, who were about to accept the order, instantly blushed.

A Bi watched Meng Li's departing back, her gaze soft like water.

A Zhu touched the cheek Meng Li had pinched, a hint of shyness flashing in her eyes, followed by a thoughtful expression.

After a moment, she asked A Bi, "A Bi, don't you feel that the Young Master has become different from before since he woke up?"

"A Bi?"

"A Bi!"

"Ah?" A Bi snapped back to her senses, her expression dazed. "Sister A Zhu, what is it?"

A Zhu was speechless, then repeated her previous question.

A Bi thought for a moment and said, "The Young Master is indeed different after waking up, likely because the Master and Madam passed away. However, it's not that strange. The Young Master is only human; with his parents passing away one after another, it's only normal for his temperament to change somewhat."

At this point, a hint of heartache flashed in her eyes, and she added, "Other than that, there's nothing else wrong with the Young Master."

"And..."

"And what?" Seeing her stop halfway, A Zhu instinctively pressed for more.

A Bi hesitated for a moment but eventually said, "And I feel the current Young Master is even more approachable than before."

"More approachable?"

A Zhu caught the keyword, murmured it, then her eyes darted around. She reached out to pinch A Bi's face and said with a beaming smile, "Is it like this?"

"Sister A Zhu!" A Bi glared at her, feeling embarrassed and annoyed.

A Zhu said with a grin, "It seems I've hit the mark."

"I'm ignoring you!" A Bi stomped her foot and turned to run away.

A Zhu chased after her relentlessly, and soon the two were playing and scuffling together.

On the other side, Meng Li caught up with Wang Yuyan. With just a few words, he coaxed the little girl, who wasn't truly angry, back into a good mood. Hand in hand, they arrived at Manda Mountain Villa.

As soon as the two entered the villa, a servant came to greet them.

"Young Miss, Young Master Cousin." The servant bowed respectfully and then said to Wang Yuyan, "Young Miss, Madam wants you to return to your room to finish today's lessons."

Wang Yuyan's pretty face slumped.

Seeing this, Meng Li couldn't help but chuckle.

Being born into a wealthy Family meant no worries about food or clothing, but it didn't mean one was truly without troubles.

Receiving an 'elite' education was one of them.

This was the most basic requirement for many Family scions.

Not to mention Wang Yuyan, the eldest miss of the Wang Family, even A Zhu and A Bi could not avoid it.

Because while they were nominally Meng Li's maidservants, they were actually more like foster daughters of the Murong Family, or rather, child brides. If nothing unexpected happened, the two girls were to become Meng Li's concubines once they grew up. It was precisely because of this that they could handle the affairs of Canhe Village on his behalf when Meng Li was not at home.

With Wang Yuyan's intelligence, a few lessons wouldn't stump her.

The little girl's face slumped now partly to act for him, and partly because Li Qingluo had increased her burden out of resentment.

Regarding this, Meng Li remained unmoved, only smiling as he said, "Go do your lessons first; I'm going to see Aunt."

"Fine."

Wang Yuyan agreed helplessly and walked toward her small courtyard, feeling dejected.

Guided by the servant, Meng Li went to the garden to see Li Qingluo.

The moment he arrived, he sensed something was wrong.

Li Qingluo had indeed prepared a feast, a very lavish one, but besides the two of them, there was someone else nearby.

That person hadn't shown themselves and was hiding in the nearby woods. They were an expert, with strength far exceeding the thugs Li Qingluo usually trained.

Furthermore, Meng Li keenly detected a strange scent in the air.

A Hongmen Banquet? Interesting!

He smiled silently, sat down across from Li Qingluo, and said, "Has the sun risen from the west today? Aunt, you actually invited me for wine on your own initiative."

Li Qingluo snorted coldly and said crossly, "Even though I didn't get along with your mother and consequently don't like you much, you are still Yu Yan's cousin and are willing to teach her Martial Arts. Now that she's successful in her studies, isn't it only right for me to host a banquet to thank you?"

As she spoke, she raised her wine cup and said, "I toast to you."

After speaking, Li Qingluo tilted her head and drained the wine.

Meng Li, however, did not move a muscle.

Seeing this, Li Qingluo immediately sneered, "What, afraid I've poisoned it?"

Meng Li said, "It's not that I'm afraid, but that you really did poison it."

Then, without waiting for Li Qingluo to retort, he flicked his fingers toward her from a distance, immobilizing her.

In the next second, Meng Li lightly tapped the table, causing the wine in the cup to vibrate. He flicked his fingers repeatedly at the water droplets flying into the air.

Driven by True Qi and skillful force, those droplets seemed to come alive, shooting rapidly toward the hiding place of the mysterious expert in the woods.

The mysterious expert sensed danger and, unable to remain hidden, dodged first.

With this dodge, he successfully avoided the water droplets but also exposed himself.

Meng Li fixed his gaze and quickly recognized the other party, feeling somewhat surprised.

...