mtl008 Chapter 368 The Last Banquet
Chapter 368 The Last Banquet
Whether it was because he was thinking of his parents who died tragically, or because he was addicted to acting, Gao Ruiyun started wiping away the tears squeezed out of the corners of his eyes with his fingers as he spoke. However, there was no sadness on his face. He only gave people a strange, inhuman feeling, as if some wooden puppet had suddenly started singing opera in front of you.
Yan Xun looked at the "sad" Old Master Gao and asked, "You have a very good relationship with your parents?"
"That sounds a bit modern," Yan Xun thought, but since this instance doesn't care about that, he was too lazy to pretend to be a classical young man.
“That’s natural,” Gao Ruiyun said.
Yan Xun quickly calculated the time in his mind. "The banquet before last, that wasn't 60 years ago." He then looked at Gao Ruiyun, "How old was your father then? Was he married?"
“At that time, he was in his early twenties and unmarried,” said Mr. Gao. “He was in poor health, so who would want to marry him?”
Yan Xun: "..."
He looked at Gao Ruiyun in silence.
Gao Ruiyun probably realized that this argument was untenable—his own health was worse than his father's, but he had quite a few people in the inner quarters—so he could only change the subject, saying, "As far as I know, there isn't one."
"What did your father do to persuade that esteemed person to come to the Gao family and attend the banquet?" Yan Xun asked again.
"I was unaware of that," Gao Ruiyun said honestly. "The preparation steps we take before each banquet are always the same."
"I heard that the great one descends every time, but for some reason, something went wrong the time thirty years ago."
Yan Xun did remember the madman's hint in the backyard that Gao Ruiyun married these concubines to use those with suitable birth dates as tributes to that official. However, according to Gao Ruiyun, his father was still single when the banquet where the secret medicine was bestowed was held sixty years ago...
If Gao Ruiyun wasn't lying about this, and his father wasn't hiding the truth from him, then it can only mean that Gao Ruiyun's father used other means to find some people with suitable birth dates and times to be sacrifices for that person.
However, even if the Gao family had bought a group of people of suitable age sixty years ago, they couldn't find any problems with them.
Some might even say that Mr. Gao's good deeds gave them food to eat.
Yan Xun thought for a moment and felt that if this matter was related to the main storyline of the dungeon, corresponding hints should be given when players search for clues.
He made a mental note of this and planned to discuss it with Li Wu the next day when he paid his respects.
Since the other party is the nominal first wife of the Gao family, it is definitely easier for her to investigate these matters than for him.
Seeing that Yan Xun remained silent, Gao Ruiyun assumed that he was not satisfied with her answer and urged him to ask if he had any other questions.
Yan Xun stared at Gao Ruiyun. "I suspect you're lying to me."
"Lie to you?" Gao Ruiyun waved his hands repeatedly. "How could I possibly lie to you?"
He spoke faster, "I would never lie to you."
“But that day…” Yan Xun really didn’t want to talk about their wedding night, so he could only vaguely say, “You said that lord only comes to the Gao family once every 30 years.”
"If the feast is satisfactory, a blessing will be bestowed."
“If we are not satisfied, it will be a disaster for the Gao family.” Yan Xun recalled the key words Gao Ruiyun had mentioned at the time, “But you said that your father’s health has always been poor, and even your grandfather’s is.”
"This strange disease is incurable, and the health of your Gao family members will only get worse and worse, eventually leading to the extinction of your lineage."
“It can’t be that the lord is always dissatisfied with the Gao family’s banquets.” Yan Xun looked at Gao Ruiyun. “Did your grandfather cast a curse on you several times before, causing your health to deteriorate?”
—Why do you keep coming back even though you're never satisfied?
Yan Xun thought to himself, the gods he knew weren't so good-tempered.
Either the deity they worship is a heretical god, or that deity has no choice but to come.
The banquet, held every thirty years, bound the Gao family, and at the same time, it also bound that official.
Yan Xun's words left Gao Ruiyun speechless for a moment, and after a long while, she said quietly, "I don't know either."
"I suspect... it's a curse."
Yan Xun thought to himself, "Is this so obvious that you need to tell me?"
Gao Ruiyun, oblivious to Yan Xun's inner turmoil, continued speaking. He clutched his chest, unsure whether it was from the sharp pain or simply the hope that this look would elicit pity from Yan Xun, "...I'll tell you something in secret."
Yan Xun: "..."
"How can you tell me secretly?"
Gao Ruiyun clutched her chest. "Come closer, I'll whisper it to you."
"They've got quite a few tricks up their sleeves," Yan Xun thought, but he still bent down and leaned closer.
Perhaps Gao Ruiyun was worried that the official would hear, or perhaps he felt that he was speaking too softly, so Yan Xun was willing to get even closer. In any case, to Yan Xun's ears, his voice was so weak that it sounded like he was about to suffocate and die at any moment.
“I suspect that this is a means by which that great man made our Gao family submit to Him.”
"Hmm?" Yan Xun asked in a breathy voice.
“Only in this way will our Gao family, who need to rely on Him to survive, hold a banquet every 30 years without fail.”
Gao Ruiyun's tone was not indifferent; if one were to delve deeper, there was probably a hint of resentment... Yan Xun found it strange, but also felt that Gao Ruiyun's guess was not without reason, so he could only reply, "Maybe."
"So ever since your family started worshipping that person, their health has been very poor?" Yan Xun asked.
"If that's the case, why bother making offerings?"
"Or is it that your Gao family has an incurable disease all along?" Yan Xun said, "and you're only barely surviving because of that person, but now you're blaming that person for this?"
His directness surprised Gao Ruiyun.
Gao Ruiyun thought about it carefully, but didn't get angry. "I really don't know..."
He said to Yan Xun, "All I know is that this is probably the last banquet to entertain that lord."
"Why?" Yan Xun asked.
Gao Ruiyun coughed a few more times as he spoke, covering his mouth as if trying to prevent himself from reflexively gagging, "To entertain that esteemed person, a direct descendant of the Gao family is required to greet him..."
"I don't have long to live."
He said to Yan Xun.
“Without me, the banquet won’t be able to be held for the next thirty years… and that lord will naturally not come to the Gao family again,” Gao Ruiyun said.
"Are the rest of the Gao family willing to accept this?" Yan Xun suddenly asked.
Gao Ruiyun didn't quite understand what he meant, and just looked at him.
"The Gao family's current status is rumored to be due to the person you worship..." Yan Xun looked at Gao Ruiyun, "If you die, this banquet will end here, and that person will never come again."
"Can those in the Gao family who are used to enjoying wealth and luxury accept this willingly?"