Chapter 348 - Chapter 348: Chapter 347: The Last Book

Chapter 348: Chapter 347: The Last Book

The full-moon banquet was not held in the Imperial Palace, but in the great Zhou Dynasty.

Business is business, and personal matters are personal matters, these must be distinguished.

Commander Liu also rare left the Imperial Palace and took a day off.

As the second in command of the Imperial Palace, Commander Liu naturally needed the permission from the one in charge, Jiang Li, to take a leave of absence.

But when Commander Liu applied for leave, it felt a bit weird.

Maybe I shouldn’t be the one running the Imperial Palace in the first place?

Jiang Li laughed it off and quickly approved Commander Liu’s leave, then hung up the Remote Communication Talisman.

Jiang Li flew to the capital of the Zhou Dynasty and, finding some time before the banquet, decided to stroll around.

He stepped into a bookstore and noticed some people frowning, yet they were all rushing for a specific book.

“May I ask, what book is everyone scrambling for?” Jiang Li asked, watching their actions; they seemed like they were scrambling for supplies at the end of the world.

Jiang Li would never use his Divine Sense in a bookstore. Otherwise, once he unleashed his Divine Sense, all the contents of the books would enter his brain, making reading books no fun at all.

Reading books should be a page-by-page process, to maintain the sense of anticipation.

The man suspiciously eyed Jiang Li and, realizing he genuinely didn’t know, showed him the book he had grabbed.

It was an unhealthy book written by the couple Ma Zhuo.

Even though the laws in the Zhou Dynasty were strict, they were still humane, not completely banning the sale of unhealthy books.

As long as it wasn’t brazenly sold, the Zhou Dynasty would turn a blind eye to it.

After all, many people would shout they were at odds with gambling and drugs.

Therefore, the works of the couple Ma Zhuo also had a market in the Zhou Dynasty.

“It’s a limited edition. The authors said they won’t write anymore, this is their last book. This is a huge loss.” The man spoke with deep regret. He opened to the last page of the book, where there was an author’s note.

The main idea was that the authors were earnestly repenting and had decided to stop writing. They would not allow publishers to print their works in the future, letting everyone forget each other in the rivers and lakes.

This last book had therefore become a novel of commemorative meaning. Rather than saying people were scrambling for a book, it was more like a commemoration of their wonderful youth.

Though that youth might be hard to articulate.

Jiang Li didn’t need to buy books, he was just here to see the bustling scene.

He heard someone sigh, “Another great author is gone, only Mr. Lust is left.”

The couple of Ma Zhuo were much older than Jiang Li, they were already writing books before Jiang Li’s transmigration and were very famous within their circle.

Mr. Lust was also writing books before Jiang Li’s transmigration, so everyone was guessing who would stop writing first.

It seems, Mr. Lust was the last one to laugh.

A man who had shown Jiang Li the limited edition book slipped away after paying his bill.

If the Zhou Dynasty officers came to check the accounts and collect taxes, and found out they were selling books by the couple Ma Zhuo, there would be big trouble.

As for these kinds of matters, the Zhou Dynasty would look the other way, without turning a blind eye entirely.

Guided by the location given by Commander Liu, Jiang Li arrived at the best restaurant in the Zhou Dynasty. He had heard of this place before; the consumption was extravagant, diners had to pay with top-grade Spirit Stones.

This was very suitable for people like Jiang Li, who only kept top-grade Spirit Stones in his Storage Ring.

He found he had arrived rather early, only Commander Ma Zhuo, and Commander Liu were there at the moment.

“Hall Master, long time no see.” The enthusiastic greeting from the two Commanders was full of bright smiles on their faces.

“We have reserved the entire restaurant. Don’t worry, Hall Master, we didn’t use our status to oppress others, we relied on our financial power.”

Without mentioning their sideline incomes, just their identities as Body Integration Realm cultivators was enough to prove their wealth.

It was not hard for Body Integration cultivators to reserve an entire restaurant.

Commander Zhuo still looked graceful and elegant, being only one month pregnant, there were no noticeable changes in her appearance yet.

“After trying for so many years, you finally conceived. Is it a boy or a girl?” Although Jiang Li could easily find out with his Divine Sense, it wasn’t polite to scan a pregnant woman with Divine Sense.

“It’s a boy.”

According to ancient records, the moment of conception was when the cleansed soul that had crossed the River Lethe reincarnated, merging with the embryo and becoming one; at this point, the child would have life and the gender would be determined.

“You all arrived very early.” Zhang Konghu also arrived, dressed very formally, showing signs of meticulous grooming.

In comparison, Jiang Li and others were dressed quite casually.

“Not too bad, I’m not the last to arrive.” Commander Mu arrived, fashionably late from the Southern Border.

After some investigation, he found that there were quite a few Demon Cultivators in the Southern Border. Even after a round of cleanup, there were still many left. He was currently cooperating with the big and small Witch Countries to clean up the remaining Demon Cultivators.

“I’m here.” Seeing everyone else had arrived, Commander Huang, who had been hiding in the distance, hesitated before deciding to fly over.

“Old Huang, you must keep your Cultivation Technique under control.” Commander Ma Zhuo warned Commander Huang. Huang’s Cultivation Technique could induce negative emotions like loss and depression in people within his range, regardless of whether they were friends or foes.

Even though they were Body Integration cultivators and were not affected by Huang’s Cultivation Technique, the child in the womb might be.

Their invitation to Commander Huang involved quite a struggle, but they ultimately decided to invite him out of respect for their colleague.

“I’m here, it’s alright.” Jiang Li offered a guarantee with his Mahayana Realm cultivation.

Reassured, Ma Zhuo relaxed, and Commander Huang also looked at Jiang Li gratefully.

As Jiang Li had anticipated, everything was already set up, and dishes had been arranged by Commander Ma Zhuo.

“Would anyone like something to drink?” Commander Ma Zhuo asked everyone present.

“I’ll have hawthorn juice,” said Jiang Li, who wasn’t really interested in drinking alcohol.

“Peach juice,” said Commander Liu.

“I’ll just have spring water.” Zhang Konghu, who had lived on a diet of beast meat and spring water while honing his body as a child in the Southern Border, now drank only water and nothing else out of habit.

His habit of insisting on sleep was also formed then.

Only through ample sleep could he have the energy to deal with various challenges the next day.

“Sparkling water,” said Commander Mu, naming a drink currently gaining popularity in the Zhou Dynasty.

“Am I the only one drinking alcohol? In that case, I’ll also have water.” Commander Huang, often drowned his sorrows in alcohol and enjoyed drinking wine.

However, with everyone else refraining from alcohol, he felt too different drinking alone. So, he followed Zhang Konghu’s lead and decided to drink water.

What Commander Huang admired most about Zhang Konghu was his ability to make friends with everyone. He often mimicked Zhang Konghu’s behavior.

Commander Ma Zhuo had also not planned to drink alcohol, as it could harm the child.

Dishes of exquisite delicacies were served one after the other. There were two kinds of food served for cultivators; one was food that was consumed for its effect on cultivation, the other was food that was consumed purely for its taste.

Naturally, Commander Ma Zhuo had opted for the second type of food.

They had already advanced beyond the stage where they needed to rely on food to enhance their cultivation.

“Our child’s full-moon banquet brought all of you from far away. We are deeply honored, and it is an unexpected pleasure for the Hall Master to attend. On behalf of my wife, our unborn child, and myself, we express our heartfelt thanks to all of you for coming.”

“Everyone, please dig in and enjoy yourselves.”