Nightmare Light

Chapter 141 Rough Food

Dancers dance to the sound of ancient music.

The aroma of food, the scent of dancers, and the smell of spices in the air mixed together.

In the eyes of worldly people, these sounds and smells constitute two words - elegance.

However, in Lin Wang's feeling, this smell has an uncomfortable and unreal taste.

What made him feel even more unreal was the food on the table.

Not too luxurious, but too rough.

The food on the table included coarse bread with bran on it; simple and crude roasted meat, just like the way hunters roasted it in the wilderness, without any processing skills; and goat milk that still had a fishy smell.

Although the owner of Lushan had thoughtfully placed many kinds of spices next to the plates, it still couldn't hide the fact that the food the people of Lushan ate was many times coarser than the food in any other restaurant on the street, even the lowest-end food stalls.

Seeing Lin Wang's surprised expression, Ji Xuanyun showed a subtle smile, like a "small victory". She wiped her mouth gracefully and said to Lin Wang, "Are you not used to eating these foods?"

"No, I'm just a little curious." Lin Wang said, "I didn't expect that Lu Shan...

"This is Lushan's ancestral precept." Ji Xuanyun mistook Lin Wang's words for a polite lie and said to him, "Lushan's ancestors... In fact, the three royal families all have similar ancestral precepts, requiring the royal family members to maintain the most primitive and simple state in certain matters."

"This is the price the royal family can afford for the shrine."

"We at Lushan have chosen to eat," Ji Xuanyun said, then changed the subject, "However, this rule only applies to Lushan residents. Guests are not required to follow this rule."

"Generally speaking, guests at Lushan will eat the same rough food as the people of Lushan for their first meal, and then they can enjoy fine cuisine."

Lin Wang did not comment or respond to Ji Xuanyun's words, but for no reason he thought of the pile of hard rock furniture in his home.

He asked Ji Xuanyun: "What are the simple lives of the other two tribes?"

"The Mist Tribe chooses to travel simply—no matter where they go, they rely on their feet," Ji Xuanyun said. "But now, since they live in the mist, this doesn't have a big impact."

"What about the people from the north?" Lin Wang tried hard to keep his tone calm.

"The people of the north chose to wear clothes." Ji Xuanyun shook his head, sighing, "Your people now live in the extremely cold north, and their emperor chose to wear simple clothes..."

Not living there? Not sleeping on those hard, cold stone furniture?
Ji Xuanyun's answer surprised Lin Wang a little.

But he soon felt relieved - if he was from the royal family, he would not have been wandering around for so many years without anyone paying attention to him.

Anyway, we have arrived at Lushan, and there is plenty of time to look through the classics and learn the secrets of that year.

At this time, Lin Wang discovered an interesting detail at the dining table:

Whenever new grilled meat or fruit is served on the table, a special waiter will come to the group, carefully help the diners cut the food, and place it on small plates for people to eat.

Whenever food was placed on the plate in front of Ji Xuance, his food was not cut by the waiter.

His daughter, the girl named Ji Shuying, would personally pick up the knife and fork to help her father carefully cut the food and place it on small plates.

She would even carefully help her father remove the seeds from the fruit.

Looking at the expressions of the other people in the restaurant, it was obvious that they were all used to this detail - it was obvious that the girl had been taking care of her father like this.

During this process, a blue crystal bracelet on the girl's wrist swayed slightly.

Ji Xuance put down his chopsticks, smiled gently, rubbed his daughter's hair, and looked at Lin Wang again.

"I'm sorry to have embarrassed you, my guests. This child's mother died early...but she's a good child and very filial to me."

Lin Wang smiled back without comment.

His gaze lingered on the girl's bracelet for a moment, then he naturally looked away.

Lin Wang wiped the corner of his mouth and asked: "When are we going to see the crime scene? And the deceased?"

It wasn't the right time to say this at the dinner table, but Lin Wang had come to Lushan specifically to resolve this matter—and he didn't care. Ji Xuanyun and his sister exchanged a glance, then simultaneously put down their chopsticks and knives and forks and smiled at Lin Wang.

"Please rest in the guest lounge for a while. Lushan people cannot always face guests in the same clothes - this is very disrespectful."

Lin Wang shrugged. He had no feelings towards this kind of meaningless "pretentiousness" and even felt a little disgusted.

But when in Rome, do as the Romans do. He had no interest in expressing his opinion on such matters, let alone changing other people's traditions.

The waiter took Lin Wang into a reception room on the second floor.

……

At the same time, Ji Xuanyun and Ji Xuance entered a spacious study.

The moment the door closed, Ji Xuance's hearty smile disappeared from his face and was replaced by an anxious look.

He followed Ji Xuanyun and said, "Sister! How did you talk to that northerner? Did he agree?"

"I didn't ask about that—after I personally tested this northerner, I changed my mind." Ji Xuanyun turned his back to Ji Xuance and walked towards the window. "This northerner is not someone who can be controlled."

"But! Our plan is not..."

"Patience, brother, be patient." Ji Xuanyun said calmly, "Like you, I want to restore the glory of the royal family."

"But this northerner...is not the best person to carry out this plan. He's powerful, intelligent, and devoid of worldly desires. If I rashly ask him what secrets of the gods he's obtained, it will arouse his vigilance, perhaps even hostility."

She turned around and said, "Brother, I'm very good at judging people. Lin Wang is the kind of person who can only be cooperated with - even in cooperation, Lushan people can't be the 'Party A'."

Ji Xuance's face was gloomy, and his breathing was heavy: "Sister, you have become weak. No matter how powerful he is, he is just one person. The powerful lay masters in Lushan are..."

click!
Ji Xuanyun suddenly appeared less than a foot away from him.

A slender white hand grabbed Ji Xuance's neck.

"Dear brother, your peaceful and comfortable life seems to have made you lose your most basic judgment."

The voice of the Lushan hostess became as cold as the wind and snow.

"You seem to have forgotten how I got to this position."

Big drops of sweat dripped from Ji Xuance's forehead.

His face was pale and his pupils bulged out of his eye sockets due to suffocation.

“Gu… cough!”

After a few seconds, the pair of white and delicate hands loosened.

Ji Xuance fell to his knees with a thud, covering his throat and gasping for breath. He even didn't dare to look up because of fear.

A few seconds later, a glass of water appeared in front of him.

Ji Xuance was silent for a moment, then took the cup from his sister and said, "Thank you."

"What I need is not your gratitude, but your obedience." Ji Xuanyun's voice came from above the middle-aged man's head. "From what I know about you, you are not prepared to cooperate with me at all, right?"

"You still understand me, sister." Ji Xuance took a sip of water, raised his head, and showed a somewhat unruly smile again, "But, I trust your judgment, sister. So I don't plan to control Lin Wang by force..."

"What if I can convince him? Or if I can make a deal with him?"

"As long as you don't become his enemy, I won't interfere with you...who!"

Ji Xuanyun's expression suddenly changed and he turned his head abruptly.

(End of this chapter)