Chapter 112: Dinner at Qiao Xing’s Home (Please Subscribe and Vote for Monthly Tickets)

Four adults and a child walked in the rain, with only Bai Yuetong holding an umbrella.Qiao Xing and Qi Xinzhu used Holy Radiance. Meanwhile, Lu Luo, adhering to the principle that "even a sparrow is still meat," absorbed another wave of rainwater. One could be poor, but one had to know how to make do. Qiao Xing’s home was on the very edge of the Church district. Although considered part of it, it was very far from the Church’s core area. An ordinary person would need about half an hour to walk there. Lu Luo and the others followed Qiao Xing to his home. His wife, Li Lan, was somewhat surprised to see so many people, but it was a pleasant surprise. Having many people, especially young ones, would bring vitality to the household. Her husband was a very special person in terms of identity, status, strength, and personality. Consequently, their family had never had many friends. Moreover, Qiao Xing almost never allowed people to gain favors through connections, never curried favor, and rarely made friends. He was like a lonely traveler; anything not involving serving Li Ming was spent at home taking care of his wife and daughter. So, Qiao Xing had never invited guests to his home. Having three visitors at once was a first in their more than ten years of marriage. "So many guests! Come in, come in! I’ll go prepare the meal." Li Lan’s face was filled with smiles. Due to her husband’s unique nature, she hadn’t made many friends either, fearing her casual words might inadvertently affect him. This was a kind of tacit understanding between them. "Ah, you must be Xinzhu, right? It’s been so long! Come on in." "Sorry to disturb you, Aunt Li Lan," Qi Xinzhu said. "Sorry to disturb you," Lu Luo added. Li Lan’s friendliness put Lu Luo at ease. He knew this wasn’t the time for snide remarks; sarcasm had its place and audience. His best bet now was to be quiet and respectful. He was well aware that Qiao Xing could be sarcastic toward him, but he couldn’t retort. The gap in their strength and status was just that stark. Lu Luo surveyed Qiao Xing’s home, noting the handcrafted wooden furniture and simple decor, all of which he had expected. It’s basically all handcrafted. The workmanship isn’t exactly rough, but the creators clearly lack woodworking experience. Lu Luo was looking for anything unusual, any luxury items, but a scan with Observer revealed none. It seems Lord Qiao Xing’s desire for material things is almost negligible. Even the everyday items are the most ordinary. "Do you think Lord Qiao Xing’s home is very simple yet warm?" Qi Xinzhu asked. "Yes, that’s right," Lu Luo replied. "Their home has been like this for ten years; in ten years, it seems nothing has changed. Lord Qiao Xing truly is a very devout Believer. In this regard, I fall far short. I occasionally buy very expensive cosmetics, clothes, equipment, and so on," Qi Xinzhu said with a laugh, her deep respect for Qiao Xing evident. Lu Luo wasn’t focused on the warmth or simplicity, but on the furniture itself. Honestly, the craftsmanship of these furniture pieces was very simple, even rudimentary. These furniture pieces all shared one characteristic: their cuts were exceptionally neat, as if sliced instantly by a sharp blade. The cuts on these furniture pieces are man-made, sliced uniformly with a very fast blade and assembled with precisely fitted joints. Is there even a secret of swordsmanship hidden in the furniture? No desires, not greedy, and virtually uninterested in anything beyond his work and family. Facing such a man, Lu Luo felt at a loss. How could he possibly persuade someone like Qiao Xing to share his private knowledge? Well, I guess I’ll take it one step at a time. "Dinner’s ready!" Li Lan called out. She had prepared a lot of food and two dishes for everyone. The dishes were still simple: one synthetic meat and one carrot, but the portions were many times larger due to the number of people. "Everyone, sit down and eat," Qiao Xing said, and the others obediently took their seats. This dinner was nothing like the relaxed and pleasant one that morning. Bai Yuetong kept glaring at Lu Luo, who glared back unabashedly. Even the usually placid Qi Xinzhu soon joined the silent battle of glances. Their exchange of looks conveyed an exceptionally rich content. Bai Yuetong’s glare seemed to say to Lu Luo: I made your Mechanical Arm, it was a gift from me! How can you be so heartless? Lu Luo’s glare retorted: I earned this by answering questions fair and square. It’s payment for my labor. What are you glaring at? Qi Xinzhu’s gaze questioned Lu Luo: When did you meet her? You seem to have a wide circle of friends. Lu Luo’s look conveyed: Met her last night at the Little Swan Clubhouse. I thought she pedaled a tricycle, turns out she doesn’t. Bai Yuetong’s eyes spat at Qi Xinzhu: They call you the Saintess, yet here you are, carrying on with a man! A sacrilegious pair, defiling the Holy Light! Qi Xinzhu’s gaze shot back: You...! Never mind, the Holy Light forbids me from cursing. But, as Lu Luo would say, I can just retort, ’You’re just a pair of A’s yourself!’ The looks in the two women’s eyes became venomous! The three of them just glared at each other without speaking. Their expressions made Qiao Xiao Mi a little scared, and she didn’t dare ask what was wrong. "Can you eat properly?" Qiao Xing finally spoke. "You eat with your mouth, not your eyes. If you don’t want to eat, go outside." The three no longer dared to exchange glances and began to eat the not-so-delicious meal. "Brother Lu Luo, eat this!" Qiao Xiao Mi offered. "Okay." "Little Lu, Little Bai, Little Qi, eat up. The taste may not be great, but there’s definitely enough food," Li Lan urged. Li Lan and Qiao Xiao Mi were both very enthusiastic, and even Qiao Xing occasionally interacted with his wife and daughter. After earnestly finishing their meal, the three sat at the table, waiting for Qiao Xing’s next instruction. "Li Lan, take Xiao Mi to bed." "Ah? Okay." Li Lan felt her husband was a bit different today. Usually, he would tell Xiao Mi a story before bed, no matter the time or place. The guests who came today must be very important to her husband. "Daddy, kiss kiss! I’m going to sleep now!" Tonight, Qiao Xiao Mi was exceptionally well-behaved. She gave Qiao Xing a kiss without fussing about playing or storytelling, then followed Li Lan upstairs. Then, Qiao Xing turned to Bai Yuetong and Qi Xinzhu. "Miss Bai and Saintess, you’re both young women. You should have plenty to talk about. Our home is rather small, with only two rooms, so you two will have to make do and stay together tonight." Bai Yuetong: ?? Qi Xinzhu: ?? It had to be said, Qiao Xing’s room assignments were utterly random and typically clueless for a man like him. Lu Luo wondered if Qiao Xing couldn’t see the very stiff relationship between the two women. Of course, Qiao Xing could see the tension, but did he need to care about other people’s feelings? No. "Okay," Bai Yuetong managed. "Okay," Qi Xinzhu echoed. After settling Qi Xinzhu and Bai Yuetong, Qiao Xing turned his gaze to the somewhat restless Lu Luo. "Come with me." "Uh, yes!" Lu Luo was sensible. Whether Qiao Xing was about to sternly warn him away from his family or even drive him off, he was mentally prepared. As Lu Luo was leaving, Qi Xinzhu pulled his hand. The usually gentle woman actually stood up and issued a stern warning to Qiao Xing. "Lord Qiao Xing, Lu Luo is someone valued by Lord Han Shiyu, and he is my companion and friend. I hope you won’t harm him or target him." Lu Luo was somewhat surprised by Qi Xinzhu’s behavior. The last time he’d been this surprised was outside the wall when Qi Xinzhu had offered to cover their retreat for him and Gu Fangyi. This woman’s personality wasn’t always as docile as she usually appeared. Qiao Xing glanced at Qi Xinzhu, slowly closed his eyes, then suddenly snapped them open. The powerful Holy Radiance forced Qi Xinzhu to step back involuntarily. "If I wanted to kill him, no one in the Fourth Ring could stop me. Not even Han Shiyu." Could Ludie? Lu Luo wondered silently. I don’t know. Could we let the two of them try? Lu Luo actually wanted to ask too, but he figured asking now would most likely get him beaten up, so he decided against it. He placed his palm on the back of Qi Xinzhu’s hand. "Don’t worry, it’ll be all right." Her holding Lu Luo’s hand was one thing; Lu Luo grasping hers was another. Though not the first time, she felt quite embarrassed, especially with others present. Pah! Even if no one else was around, she shouldn’t let someone like Lu Luo hold her hand. Qi Xinzhu pushed Lu Luo’s hand away and turned her head. "I know." Qiao Xing led Lu Luo away. Bai Yuetong had been watching them the whole time and naturally saw their little interaction. After Lu Luo and Qiao Xing left, she leaned forward, hands on the table, shrugged, and swung her legs, her feet not touching the ground. "And you say there’s nothing between you two! I saw everything! If the Believers of the Inner Ring knew their Saintess was this close with a man from the Fourth Ring, they would probably go insane." "Whether or not there’s something between him and me seems to have nothing to do with you, right? Why are you worrying about it?" Qi Xinzhu retorted. "And you’re not one to talk. You were arm in arm with him not that long ago." For some reason, whenever Qi Xinzhu was in front of Bai Yuetong, her speech became clipped and her tone harsh. Bai Yuetong glared, not about to back down. "What does it matter if I was arm in arm with him? I’m not the Saintess. What’s the point of living if I can’t even control my own marriage?" Qi Xinzhu pursed her lips. "I hope Councilor Luo is as easy to talk to as you say, allowing his daughter to be with an orphan from the Fourth Ring." Mention of Councilor Luo clearly made Bai Yuetong a little flustered. "Hmph! Just so you know, I kick off my blankets when I sleep. You’d better not share a bed with me unless you want to end up on the floor." Qi Xinzhu wasn’t concerned by such threats. As a Second Tier Believer of Light, she possessed immense strength, far beyond what Bai Yuetong, a mere novice, could challenge. "I advise you not to kick off your blankets at night. Otherwise, you’ll find yourself kicked under the bed." "You!" Bai Yuetong had no real way to deal with Qi Xinzhu. Status and position held no sway over her. She couldn’t defeat her in a fight. Was she supposed to summon her Powered Armor? That would escalate things far beyond a simple argument. "Hmph, Qi Xinzhu, don’t get too cocky. Seriously, have you considered the consequences of being so close to Lu Luo?" Bai Yuetong’s warning made Qi Xinzhu pause. She had grown close to Lu Luo because Han Shiyu wanted her to seek Li Ming through him. As for the consequences? Of course, she had thought about them; Han Shiyu had told her. "To pursue Li Ming, I am willing to give everything, even my life if necessary." Bai Yuetong looked at Qi Xinzhu, who appeared so saintly, and was momentarily dumbstruck. The Holy Radiance naturally emanating from Qi Xinzhu made Bai Yuetong feel comfortable. She found she disliked Qi Xinzhu a little less. "Forget it. Let’s sleep." Qi Xinzhu watched Bai Yuetong’s retreating back, the question in her heart persistently nagging her. Why did this woman seek out Lu Luo? Should she ask? "Hey!" "What do you want? It’s the middle of the night, aren’t you going to sleep?" 「Late that night.」 Lu Luo followed Qiao Xing for a stroll through the Church district. Qiao Xing didn’t initiate conversation, and Lu Luo didn’t ask any questions. Watching their direction, Lu Luo had a hunch where Qiao Xing was taking him. Qiao Xing walked briskly. If Lu Luo hadn’t possessed 20 Agility points, plus a 22% dexterity enhancement, he truly wouldn’t have been able to keep up. After about five minutes of walking, they had surprisingly covered the distance that previously took half an hour, arriving back at the swordsmanship training grounds. "Have you never formally studied swordsmanship before?" "Uh, no, Lord Qiao Xing." Qiao Xing’s first question wasn’t to dismiss or warn Lu Luo, but to ask if he had studied swordsmanship before. This already spoke volumes. Being allowed to stay was a good sign, which somewhat exhilarated Lu Luo. "Do you know why I kept you here?" "I don’t know." "That’s good." Lu Luo was momentarily speechless, puzzled. Why did a great Archbishop always speak in such a cryptic manner? Did being cryptic make one feel better? Thinking about the times he himself had been cryptic, Lu Luo had to admit, it did feel quite satisfying. "Let’s begin!" Qiao Xing took a Church-specific claymore from the nearby cross-shaped sword rack. Lu Luo usually didn’t use such two-handed greatswords; he was accustomed to knives. But now, to learn the Holy Radiance Cross Swordsmanship, he had no choice but to follow along. "Yes!" "Do you know why the Church uses swords?" Lu Luo was startled. "Lord Qiao Xing, didn’t you say earlier today that greatswords are better for dealing with large Exotic Species..." "Wrong. All of that is a lie." "Uh..." Lu Luo closed his mouth, choosing to listen. "The Church uses swords, having abandoned knives, spears, and warhammers, for a simple reason. The Church discovered that once a certain level of power is reached, wielding a greatsword allows for fast attacks, quick slashes, and swift kills. The sword can thrust and slash. It may lack some specific advantages of other weapons, but it triumphs in its versatility. It’s as simple as that." Lu Luo really wanted to argue. He felt knives should also be strong; at least, they felt comfortable for him now. However, he restrained himself. After all, the Fourth Ring’s greatest swordsmanship master stood before him, so he decided to hear Qiao Xing out. Qiao Xing glanced at the Wraith Blade at Lu Luo’s waist and smiled. "Don’t be unconvinced. I used to use knives too, and for a long time." "You used to use knives?" Lu Luo looked surprised. Qiao Xing’s reputation had always been that of a man who nearly became a Sword Saint. And now he was saying he used to use knives? "Yes, I always used knives. I didn’t switch to swords until I was in my twenties." "Then why didn’t you continue using knives?" "Because a knife has a single edge, and it lacks a proper thrust." "Is it really that simple?" "It’s really that simple."