Beware Of Chicken Chapter 302 v7c49: Wind Down

"Thank you everyone once more for this wonderful night. I had a truly great time," Master Rou announced.

From an opening in the arena, Bai Huizhong observed the man, his eyelids sagging heavily. Only vast quantities of tea prevented him from dozing off, given how late the hour had become. Dawn was roughly four hours away. Master Rou had lingered considerably—yet he had conversed with every single person who approached, including numerous rogue cultivators. Indeed, it warmed the hearts of cultivators, no matter their power, to receive such attention, but the mortals endured no such joy. Bags hung beneath the eyes of them all.

"We're pleased you had a good time, Master Rou," the Grand Marshal replied, positioned at the forefront of the cultivators escorting him out for the night.

"Gratitude to every performer and to the mortal staff—you labored tirelessly, executed brilliantly, and crafted an unforgettable evening."

The cultivators puffed up with pride, while a stunned hush fell from those below the stage.

During his prior visit, the man had shown care for mortal welfare, but this… this rang utterly sincere.

A smile crept onto Huizhong's face at the recognition. Cai Xiulan and her fellow Azure Heroes offered similar warmth, but coming from this ancient powerhouse? For a cultivator to grasp their grueling efforts and value them?

It felt deeply rewarding.

"Until tomorrow, Master Rou?" Cai Xiulan inquired, receiving a nod from the man.

"Certainly! I eagerly await the tour of your mountain. It's transformed greatly since my last visit," he replied with genuine excitement.

"Good night then, Master Rou," Xiulan bid, echoed by the other cultivators who bowed in unison.

"A fine good night to you all too!" Master Rou called out, before departing the Earthly Arena alongside his wife and attendants.

The group held still for a moment, faces rigid and composed.

"He's proceeding down the corridor without any indication of returning," reported one of Huizhong's subordinates, the message echoing through the arena.

Relief washed over Bai Huizhong as he relaxed. Others shared his exhaustion. The sects started dispersing, exiting the arena in orderly fashion.

"That's all for tonight, folks! Restore the arena!" he ordered.

Servants rushed into the Earthly Arena, collecting the remaining food and beverages. Simultaneously, a deep rumble emanated from the arena as it shifted back to its original setup.

Bao Wen emerged unsteadily from below the stage with his team, drenched in sweat and utterly drained.

Yet their evening dragged on a bit longer. The Sect Masters had convened in the primary conference chamber—and Huizhong needed to deliver their report of flawless execution. Fortunately, every one wore a satisfied expression.

The Sect Masters clustered around the Grand Marshal, nodding and chatting animatedly with her.

"It surpassed all my hopes!" declared Tian Shen, Sect Master of the Azure Horizon. "Who'd have thought our Earthly Arena could pull off such wonders again!"

"A spectacle of pure splendor," affirmed the Sect Master of the Crossed Branches Sect, eyes burning with fervor. "I can hardly wait for the next tournament! It'll be legendary!"

"Above all, Master Rou took real enjoyment from our efforts. The Grand Marshal orchestrated a magnificent display," Lady Xinling added, inclining her head toward her.

"The Grand Marshal shares her achievements generously," Ulagan Baatar proclaimed. "Her vision ensured this triumph."

The rest of the Sect Masters voiced hearty concurrence.

"Still, she wasn't alone in this; the relentless efforts of the Restoration Commission and Bao Wen sealed the victory. Young man, those transitions were impeccable—fluid and invisible!" Ulagan Ganzorig, former Sect Master of the Grand Ravine before yielding to his father, grinned broadly at him.

The other Elders spotted Bao Wen and beamed at the youth as if he were family.

"He practices endlessly; though denied cultivation, his dedication never wavers," Cai Xi Kong remarked, caressing his beard.

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Bao Wen's cheeks turned red.

"Credit Bai Huizhong too. As Master Rou noted, your performance was perfect," Xiulan stated, her gaze fixing on Huizhong. Her smile carried a perilously alluring edge, as if the air shimmered around her!

"Everyone contributed fully," Huizhong replied graciously. "Though, if the Venerable Elders would indulge one request?"

"Name it, Bai Huizhong," demanded the Lord of the Grand Ravine, gaze piercing.

"A bit of rest," Bai Huizhong answered flatly. "Mortals like us are dropping from fatigue, and sunrise hits in under four hours for most."

Amusement swiftly overtook Baatar's stern expression. Laughter rang out from the gathered Elders, who were already in fine spirits.

"Ah, yes, mortals indeed require plenty of sleep," one Elder reflected.

"Please tell everyone who worked tonight to take the morning off, Huizhong," the Grand Marshal instructed. "I'll handle all the rest for tomorrow."

Huizhong offered a slight bow, thoroughly delighted by the order—his team would be just as thrilled.

Tomorrow's bonuses would delight them even further. Meanwhile, the cultivators redirected their chatter toward Master Rou.

"They were both so elegant, but Lady Meiling? Her poise was immaculate. So aloof and imperious. That kind of decorum is befitting of such a powerful Lady…"

================================

"Hnnnnnghg," Meimei managed, squeezing out as much decorum as possible with her face plunged into someone's chest.

My chest, to be precise. Right after we stepped into our room, Meimei had face-dived straight into me, worn out from upholding her facade all evening. At present, I reclined on one of the room's couches, lavishing my wife with some tender care. She'd certainly deserved it.

The hour was likely nearing two in the morning, or past it. Zhyue had long since drifted off, guarded by Suyan and nearly all the bees except Bane of the Black Lances. Our young one was adjusting swiftly, gradually ceasing to rub his nose through the night; hopefully, he'd join our tour tomorrow without being overwhelmed by the scents.

"Yes, that's spot on. Dealing with crowds is exhausting," I affirmed. Chuckles echoed around. All were present except Xiulan and Xianghua, who'd pretended to leave before circling back for a bit more time together before bed.

"Hnerg. Snerf," came her muffled response. Yin burst into laughter at Meimei's sounds—meanwhile, Tigu, positioned on my other side, gently patted Meiling's arm.

"There, there, you performed splendidly, my student," Lady Wu comforted, stroking her head—then unleashing a huge yawn.

"Mrrr?" Meiling mumbled from my chest.

"Ha! No grumblin', Lady Meiling! You guys did great!" Rags declared, flashing an easy grin. He still looked a tad rough and worn, yet utterly relaxed and at ease.

"Yeah. You did real good. I'm not used to the Elders being so subdued!" Loud Boy remarked, shaking his head. "Normally they're all stern, acting like they have all the answers—or they want to try and tell us all what to do when they've got no jurisdiction. I'm just glad I don't have to interact with them much—I'm normally on patrol with the rest of the Tiger-Leopard Outriders. Xiulan had us going hard these past couple of months."

"How's that been going?" I inquired, persisting with the shoulder rub—Meiling was gradually reviving. With a sigh, she finally shifted off my chest to settle next to me.

"It feels good to be out there, yanno? Making a difference," he answered. "We finally got everything completely worked out with Rags' report system. We're starting to hit bandits and rogue Spirit Beasts faster. It's a hard pace, but it's worth it."

Pride filled his voice.

"I've been hearing about how safe the roads are. The merchants are all noticing your hard work, at the very least. You are making a difference. Both of you."

Rags and Loud Boy flushed, then Loud Boy cleared his throat. "We've also started picking up fresh ignites. People from villages and the like, who don't have a sect, or don't know what they need."

"Xiulan's idea," Rags noted. "We've been going around the less populated places, and been expanding out of the Grass Sea. Let me tell you, I wish I had a quarter of the shit these new guys get when I was starting out."

Loud Boy and Rags both chuckled. "Lucky assholes. It's good though, they don't have to muddle their way through the bullshit by the skin of their teeth like we had to."

No trace of resentment colored their tones. Only lighthearted fun. They'd endured hardships—and now ensured others wouldn't.

"Rags and Loud Boy are doing an amazing job!" Tigu exclaimed, her face beaming with warm affection.

"They're doin' alright," Delun teased, his voice carrying a playful edge.

The sworn brothers promptly shot rude gestures his way.

"It's been an… experience, that's for sure," Rags admitted with a contented sigh—the mark of a man content with his labors. "Even intercepted that bounty they put on the Acting Lord Magistrate."

The Lord Magistrate raised an eyebrow as he questioned, "Bounty?"

"Yeah, an idiot out of Pale Moon Lake City slapped a bounty on his head, drawing a couple of takers. But no problem, sir. His ladies handled him just fine, we yanked the bounty, nabbed the culprits, and spread word it was canceled. All clear now."

Relief washed over the Lord Magistrate and Lady Wu, who had seemed worried moments before, as they exhaled deeply. "Well, I for one rejoice that such brave men and women protect the folk of the Azure Hills," the Lord Magistrate stated. "My thanks to you, Dong Chou. You have my gratitude."

"Nah, no debt here. We vowed to shield him since he's shielding the city. We each pull our weight, right?" Rags replied.

"Cheers to Dong Chou and Zang Wei!" Meimei proclaimed, grabbing the rice wine bottle from the table.

"Now that's something I can toast to!" Rags exclaimed.

"And you, Yin?" I inquired. "What's the Blazing Swords been handling lately?"

"Our workload's lighter than theirs," Yin answered. "Though we dealt with a couple incidents. A duo of rather odd Spirit Beasts." She emphasized those final words with intent. "I preserved the bodies and noted the kill spots on the map. One location... yeah, that's somewhere you'll need to check out yourself, Big Bro."

"We'll discuss it come morning," I declared, my brow furrowing. A wave of Tianlan's own discomfort filtered into my mind.

'Likely one of the ruptured dragon veins,' she murmured.

That rang true.

The sensation got shrugged away by me. Months had passed already; another week wouldn't hurt.

Soon enough, Xiulan and Xianghua at last arrived to join the group. Xianghua bounced straight onto Gou Ren's lap, as Xiulan gave an eye roll and took a seat next to Meiling, who beckoned to the spot on the couch beside her.

"Regarding tomorrow—" Xiulan began, but Meimei silenced her with a finger to the lips.

"Tomorrow waits," she ordered, jabbing that finger toward Xianghua and Gou Ren. "You pair! Spill it! How'd it turn out, little brother? Need I slip poison to anyone?"

Though Xiulan rolled her eyes once more, she held off on tomorrow's plans. Gou Ren and Xianghua chuckled at the insistence, before diving into the tale of his entry into the Misty Lake Sect.

I'll just say I was mighty thankful that cultivators required little sleep.