Chapter 74, The First Banquet for Young Heroes

Translator: StarReader

 

Heaven Falcon Inn received notice that Young Miss Han Shu would host a lavish banquet on the third floor of the inn, aiming to make it as grand as possible and turn it into the first-of-its-kind event for young heroes in the Wu Region.

 

The staff at Heaven Falcon Inn immediately became tense.

 

This task had come out of the blue, canceling the annual disciple banquet that was originally scheduled for the end of the year by the Heaven Falcon Group. It had been replaced with this grand evening event for young heroes.

 

Owner Wang gathered all the chefs, servers, and helpers. With a serious expression, his hands behind his back, and his belly protruding, he gave them a stern lecture.

 

“This evening, Young Miss is personally hosting the banquet. The standard of this dinner will be several times higher than the usual annual gathering held by the Heaven Falcon Group.

 

“The guests invited tonight are not members of our group’s elite. They are the top young heroes from all the groups across the entire Wu Region. This banquet represents the face of the Heaven Falcon Group and the face of Young Miss.

 

“There can be absolutely no mistakes tonight. If any of you slack off or make a mess, making me take the blame from Young Miss, I will hold you accountable—no exceptions!”

 

The atmosphere in the room was heavy with tension as Owner Wang spoke.

 

As the head of Heaven Falcon Inn, this was the first time he had been tasked with organizing an event of such high importance in all his years. If anything went wrong, he knew he would be the first to suffer the consequences.

 

The chefs, servers, and helpers all nodded in agreement, their faces showing determination.

 

The evening banquet was a precarious endeavor—if it doesn’t go smoothly, not only will Owner Wang be in trouble, but the chefs and waiters at the Heaven Falcon Inn won’t fare much better; they’ll likely pack up and leave. Owner Wang strolled over to Butcher Zhang, his tone softened with friendliness as he politely instructed:

 

“Brother Zhang, today you’re going to have to work extra hard. Get five top-quality fat pigs, and choose the freshest tenderloin and the leanest backbone meat, along with the front and hind elbows and pork belly for tonight’s feast!

 

“Moreover, with your exceptional knife skills, personally slice those dozens of rare Silverback swordfish, snowflake stonefish, and red-tailed shrimp. Slice them cleanly, ensuring no trace of offal or fishy smell remains. Use superior ginger and garlic seasoning.

 

“The three delicacies from the Vastest Lake are signature dishes at the Heaven Falcon Inn. Don’t mess this up.”

 

“Rest assured, sir, with dozens of years under my belt, I’ve got it covered!”

 

Butcher Zhang grinned, slapping his chest confidently as he roared with laughter.

 

Owner Wang then proceeded to rigorously instruct the other chefs, waiters, and helpers one by one, dispatching someone to rush to the west gate pier to procure a batch of urgently needed high-end ingredients. They swept up all rare seafood and exotic game from the markets in Gusu city.

 

With that, he gestured for them to get started with their tasks. The entire Heaven Falcon Inn—chefs, waiters, and helpers—all sprang into action, slaughtering pigs and sheep, lighting fires, cooking, stir-frying, and setting up the banquet hall on the third floor.

 

…

 

Time crept by slowly; evening began to fall.

 

The inn, and the streets outside, grew increasingly bustling.

 

The evening banquet, although upscale and grand, only invited around twenty to thirty young martial artists, so the third-floor hall of the Heaven Falcon Inn was sufficient for the event. The second and first floors remained open to the public.

 

In the evening, before the dinner hour, the Heaven Falcon Inn was already packed with guests, leaving no tables free. Han Shu was preparing to host the Wu Region Youth Banquet at the Heaven Falcon Inn, inviting around twenty to thirty young martial artists. Once this news spread, it immediately caused widespread amazement and attention throughout the martial community.

 

As it was Han Shu who organized it, one of the two stunning beauties in the Wu Region martial circle, who had already made it clear that she would become the future Young Leader and head of the Heaven Falcon Group, the invited guests were all the descendants of heads or high-ranking members of various groups, such as the leaders and vice leaders—like the Caravan Guards’ Shadowless Whip Wu Qing and the Iron Sword Group’s Han Yun.

 

Their status within their respective groups was already very high; even if they couldn’t say for certain that they would become the next group head or leader, there was a great possibility they could inherit the group’s authority. These individuals, all from the Wu Region martial circle, represented the direction the martial community would take in the coming two to three decades.

 

This event was undoubtedly the most luxurious and extravagant first youth banquet of the Wu Region!

 

The news spread rapidly through Gusu City, but the specific guest list remained undisclosed. Being invited by Han Shu to attend this banquet was an immense honor, underscoring one’s martial status.

 

…

 

At that moment, the first and second floors of the Heaven Falcon Inn were almost packed with martial artists from all sides, bustling with excitement—not there for dining, but for something else.

 

They weren’t eligible to attend the grand banquet on the third floor, so they were eagerly hoping to see which young talents had been invited for tonight’s prestigious event.

 

As evening approached, a few of the invited young martial experts arrived at Heaven Falcon Inn.

 

Owner Wang, along with several senior servants, was personally stationed at the inn’s entrance, greeting each esteemed guest with a smile and attending to them with utmost respect.

 

He had already been given a list of the guests for the evening banquet, knowing exactly who each distinguished visitor was.

 

In the corner of the first floor of Heaven Falcon Inn, Zhang Tieniu was holding a large bowl, eating a big serving of pork leg. He was carrying out his group’s task and decided to have dinner at Heaven Falcon Inn on his way.

 

Butcher Zhang, who had just finished slaughtering several pigs, sheep, rare beasts, and a substantial number of valuable fish, came over for a break and squeezed in to share a table with his son, having a meal together.

 

“Dad, this feast of pork leg is on me. Let me treat you!”

 

Zhang Tieniu wolfed down the meat with a grin on his face.

 

He was now a disciple at Medicine King Group’s Security Hall, having reached the late third-rate stage in his cultivation, and quite skilled in martial arts.

 

His monthly salary at the Security Hall was two taels of silver, not much. Half went into buying herbs for refining, leaving barely enough for food, pocket money, and entertaining fellow disciples. Only occasionally could he afford a good meal.

 

“Your son made something of himself; bring your father along to enjoy the good life sometimes!”

 

Butcher Zhang beamed as he watched Zhang Tieniu crunching on the meat, feeling happy and fulfilled.

 

In the Heaven Falcon Inn no one dared to show him disrespect. Not even Owner Wang himself, who was usually so arrogant, treated him with unusual courtesy these days.

 

It was all due to his son, Zhang Tieniu. In the Medicine King Group, he became a formidable figure in the Security Hall, and in the martial world, he carried quite some status and dignity.

 

Thinking about how they now enjoyed such a good life, Butcher Zhang couldn’t help but feel grateful for his decision back then. Staking it all on sending Zhang Tieniu to the Medicine King Group to train for five years—it had definitely paid off.

 

Zhang Tieniu was a respected figure in the Security Hall of the Medicine King Group. His father naturally benefits from his son’s success, gaining more influence at the Heaven Falcon Inn. The inn’s chefs and old staff members all envy him for having such a talented son.

 

And what about Owner Wang? His precious son was just an ordinary guard in the outer branch of the Heaven Falcon Group, not much better than Zhang Tieniu.

 

In the past, whenever Owner Wang saw him, he would bark at him, “Butcher Zhang this” and “Butcher Zhang that,” never giving him a moment’s respect. But now, he started calling him Brother Zhang.

 

Then there was the elderly couple from the Su family in Zhou Village. Every time Butcher Zhang returned to Zhou Village, he brought them a bit of money from Su Chen. They were overjoyed, proudly boasting about having a son in the Medicine King Group, sending some money home every month.

 

Fortunately, Butcher Zhang was generous and didn’t rub it in their faces. After all, that young Su Chen barely made it into the Medicine King Group. He was just a lowly errand boy at the Errand Hall, earning about the same money as the other stable workers at the Heaven Falcon Inn. It was just an additional adult laborer—what difference did it make if he was in the Medicine King Group or not!

 

What was there to be happy about? What was there to be proud of? Only if he became a disciple of the Sword Guarding Hall and a third-rate practitioner like his son Zhang Tieniu could he be a real martial arts expert with a promising future. Now he was standing straight in front of the innheadand the old friends in the Heaven Falcon Inn.

 

Every time he returned to Zhou Village, he was even more impressive in front of the villagers, and the fishermen were envious of him.

 

Watching his son eat, Butcher Zhang was happy. “Today Young Miss Han is holding a one-of-a-kind banquet for the young heroes at the Heaven Falcon Inn, and I must get back to work. I’ll only take a couple of bites, and it’ll be enough. You’ve trained hard, so have some more to sustain your body in becoming strong and even more impressive in the martial world.”

 

“Alright, Dad. I have to go back to the group to be on duty soon. I have an urgent mission tonight. I have to escort dozens of heavy carriages of goods to Xikou Town, which is a dozen miles away by the Taihu Lake. These things are as heavy as rocks. I don’t know what they are used for. I will eat three more bowls of rice and then leave.”

 

Zhang Tieniu nodded and took a big bite of the braised pork trotter in his hand, his mouth full of grease.

 

He and Butcher Zhang were eating when they saw movement outside the Heaven Falcon Inn.