The next day at Noon, in the Inner City.
Dedicated personnel had cleared the snow from the streets. Even in the dead of winter, the area in front of the Osmanthus Pavilion remained bustling with a constant stream of people.
Chen Yuan and Xue Anping walked in side by side.
The Osmanthus Pavilion was the venue Yu Yan had chosen for his banquet. Though not of the highest class, it still possessed an air of elegance.
Upon entering the private room, the fragrant scent of tea curled through the air. Three people were already waiting inside. From left to right, they were Gao Mingchang, Yu Yan, and Cao Yan.
Yu Yan was the first to stand up, greeting him with a smile. "Brother Chen, it’s been a long time. I trust you’ve been well?"
Gao Mingchang and Cao Yan didn’t dare to be slow, rising to their feet and cupping their hands in greeting. "Brother Chen."
In the past, Gao Mingchang had viewed Chen Yuan as nothing more than a piece of trash with an upper-D grade Root Bone, entirely unworthy of mention.
Even when he lost to Chen Yuan during their sparring match, he hadn’t taken it to heart.
After all, Chen Yuan had offended Yu Yan during that same incident, making it only a matter of time before he faced retaliation.
Sure enough, not long after that, Yu Yan became the son-in-law of the Gu Family. He used this connection to ostracize Chen Yuan and cut off his financial support.
When Gao Mingchang, who was at the Changhong Martial Arts Hall at the time, heard the news, he was absolutely thrilled and took pleasure in Chen Yuan’s misfortune. He was certain that Chen Yuan was finished, as walking the path of the Martial Dao without money was an arduous struggle.
Yet, who could have expected that the very next day, news would break of Chen Yuan officially becoming a Martial Artist? The revelation shocked everyone, and Gao Mingchang’s state of mind nearly shattered.
Following that, he heard that Chen Yuan had entered the service of the Li Family—one of the four major clans in the Inner City. From there, Chen Yuan advanced by leaps and bounds, recently stepping into the Copper Skin realm and even breaking through the bone barrier.
Now, Chen Yuan had become an existence he could no longer afford to provoke.
After all, Gao Mingchang was still struggling just to achieve Great Success in skin refining.
And now, even Yu Yan had to host a banquet to apologize for his past actions.
Cao Yan felt the same way, gazing at Chen Yuan with a complicated expression.
Chen Yuan, who was once more or less on the same level as her, was now someone completely out of her reach.
In just half a year, everything had changed so drastically.
Chen Yuan cupped his hands slightly and offered a faint smile. "I trust you’ve been well, Brother Yu. I am truly flattered by such a grand invitation."
Yu Yan let out a hearty laugh. "You’re too polite, Brother Chen! Come, please take a seat. We were just waiting for you."
With that, he called out, "Waiter, you can serve the food now! Bring us a few pots of good wine as well."
How could they not drink at a small gathering?
While the food was being served, the group chatted about their recent lives. Their only common topic was the time when they were all sponsored by the Gu Family.
Gao Mingchang was the first to stand up. He bowed at a sharp ninety-degree angle, his voice entirely sincere.
"Brother Chen, in the past, I was petty and narrow-minded, judging the heart of a gentleman with the mind of a scoundrel. I hope you can be magnanimous and forgive my past offenses. Please don’t stoop to my level! I’ll punish myself with three cups!"
Saying so, he downed three cups of strong liquor in quick succession.
He wanted to seize this opportunity to resolve his conflict with Chen Yuan.
Chen Yuan smiled faintly, raising his cup in acknowledgment before taking a sip. "Let the past be carried away by the wind."
He knew Gao Mingchang hadn’t realized his mistakes; rather, he was just afraid.
However, thinking back carefully, Gao Mingchang’s targeting of him was limited to two sparring sessions.
Furthermore, Gao Mingchang hadn’t gained any advantage in either. The first bout had ended in a draw, and during the second, Gao Mingchang ended up severely injured.
Since the man had shown an apologetic attitude, Chen Yuan couldn’t be bothered to hold a grudge.
Killing carried risks, and taking action required caution. Besides, there was no profit to be made from him anyway.
"Thank you for your magnanimity, Brother Chen," Gao Mingchang hurriedly replied before punishing himself with another three cups.
Yu Yan, who took all of this in, felt a slight flash of displeasure in his eyes.
Gao Mingchang was, after all, his subordinate. Acting this subservient was simply too much.
He slowly spoke up. "Brother Chen’s rapid progress in the Martial Dao recently has truly made me look at you in a new light."
Chen Yuan smiled faintly. "You must be joking, Brother Yu. I can’t compare to you; it was merely a stroke of luck."
It was still the same humble rhetoric. He had no idea what tricks Yu Yan had up his sleeve.
Yu Yan’s expression turned serious. "Strength is strength. What need is there for false modesty? Back then, I was young and arrogant. If I offended you in any way, I hope you can forgive me."
He took out a wooden box and pushed it toward Chen Yuan. "Here are three Bone Strengthening Pills as a small token of my apology. Please accept them."
Three pills? That was a bit shabby.
Still, free items were always welcome. Chen Yuan didn’t stand on ceremony, taking the wooden box with a smile.
"Who hasn’t made mistakes? To be honest, I’ve almost forgotten about it entirely. Brother Yu truly is a man of genuine temperament."
Yu Yan laughed it off. He then sat up straight and asked,
"Although the Li Family is a major clan with generous monthly salaries, it can’t be easy for you to be all alone in there, right?
"I know those scions of noble families love to be overbearing and arrogant. A person like you, Brother Chen, with no background, is exactly the type they’d target for suppression."
Chen Yuan seemed to realize something but maintained his composure. "What are you trying to say, Brother Yu?"
Yu Yan smiled, directly stating his intentions.
"Your current performance proves that the Gu Family’s decision to abandon you back then was a mistake.
"If you are uncomfortable staying with the Li Family, why not return to the Gu Family? I would welcome you with open arms.
"As for your monthly salary, I won’t mistreat you either. I can offer you twenty-five taels of silver a month, plus two Bone Strengthening Pills. Your status would be second only to myself and Tributor Huang. What do you think?"
The main purpose of his banquet was to recruit Chen Yuan and make him work for his own benefit.
Chen Yuan smiled. If he weren’t trying hard to control himself, his current expression might have been a bit impolite.
He politely declined. "Thank you for your kind intentions, Brother Yu, but I am doing quite well in the Li Family."
Was this a joke? His monthly salary had already been raised to forty-five taels, nearly double what Yu Yan was offering.
And two Bone Strengthening Pills? Was he trying to dismiss a beggar? The Li Family provided five pills a month. The treatment was completely incomparable.
Furthermore, regarding a sense of belonging, to put it bluntly, the Gu Family had kicked him out back then. Now that they regretted it, they wanted him back?
Did they think he was some servant at their beck and call?
In the Li Family, Fan Dajiang and Jiang Pingchuan were both fine people. One had given him the opportunity to work at the Nursing Home, while the other wanted to recruit him as a hidden operative. As for General Manager Li, it went without saying that he valued Chen Yuan highly.
Even though Li Changgui was a bit disgusting, it was harmless in the grand scheme of things.
Anyone with a brain would know what to choose.
Yu Yan furrowed his brows.
"What is the meaning of this, Brother Chen? You rejected me back then, and now you’re rejecting me again? Could it be that the Li Family has some harsh conditions that prevent you from leaving?"
He believed he had already given Chen Yuan enough face.
Chen Yuan realized that Yu Yan’s personality was exactly the same as it had been half a year ago. After being rejected when asking Chen Yuan to throw a match, he had made this exact same expression. Did he think no one was allowed to disagree with him?
Maintaining his composure, Chen Yuan replied, "Of course not. It’s just that the Li Family’s compensation is better and more suitable for me. It’s not convenient for me to disclose the exact amount."
Yu Yan’s face darkened. "Chen Yuan, your ability to practice martial arts was entirely due to the Gu Family’s sponsorship. Now that we need you and are asking you to return, do you not remember past favors at all?"
Chen Yuan chuckled. "Why would you say that, Brother Yu? It was you all who kicked me out of the Gu Family in the first place. Now you want me to go back? Isn’t that making a laughingstock of yourselves?"
Senior Brother Huang was right; Yu Yan truly was a temperamental person. He was all smiles one moment, but the second things didn’t go his way, he would turn hostile in the blink of an eye.
Yu Yan stood up, his expression turning even gloomier.
"Chen Yuan, don’t say I’m not giving you face. How about this: I’ll add another five taels to your monthly salary. That should be enough, right? I hope you can give me some face as well!"
Chen Yuan felt a strong sense of déjà vu. Back then, Yu Yan had also offered to compensate him with five maces of silver to put on an act.
With the passage of time, the five maces of silver had been upgraded to five taels.
But Chen Yuan was still the same Chen Yuan. He stood up as well, staring directly into Yu Yan’s gloomy eyes without a trace of fear, and calmly said,
"Yu Yan, this face of yours... I really can’t give it."