"Fellow Daoists, this spot is not available."
The waiter saw Lan Xingyi heading towards the best seat by the window and was greatly alarmed, quickly stopping him.
"Why not?" Chu Lingwei looked around. The seats on the second floor were almost all empty; they were not lacking in places.
"Because someone is meant to sit here." The waiter looked troubled, smiling wryly. "Fellow Daoists, why don't you switch to another table? The owner of this table is from the Long family."
Chu Lingwei initially thought the table had been reserved and was about to ask her second uncle to switch, but upon hearing the waiter mention the Long family, both of them paused slightly.
"The Long family?" Lan Xingyi couldn't help but laugh. "Which member of the Long family?"
Lan Xingyi sat directly at the table. Having not been home for fifty years, he was not very familiar with the temperaments of some Long family members.
Seeing her second uncle sit down, Chu Lingwei followed suit.
Of the entire Long family, besides her eldest uncle, her second uncle was the most prominent. With her second uncle present, she had nothing to worry about.
"It's the young master of the Long family."
The waiter saw that they, instead of leaving upon hearing the name of the Long family, had sat down. He inwardly cursed his bad luck, thinking these two might have had a feud with the Long family.
"Young master?"
Lan Xingyi frowned upon hearing this title. His eldest brother was still in his prime, and his twin sons were already cultivators at the Huatian realm, each with children of their own.
For a moment, he couldn't figure out who the waiter was referring to as the young master.
After all, the next patriarch of their Long family had not yet been decided.
Chu Lingwei was also curious. This title, "young master," likely referred to the person most likely to become the Long family patriarch. She looked at the waiter, waiting for him to explain.
"It's young master Long Ziqian." Seeing that they didn't know, the waiter stepped forward and said in a low voice.
Long Ziqian.
Chu Lingwei silently repeated the name. She had never heard of him.
Lan Xingyi also frowned. Did their Lan family have any descendants with this name?
"Who is discussing me?" Suddenly, a voice laced with spiritual energy questioned them, reaching Chu Lingwei's ears. The waiter's chest tightened, and he almost collapsed.
Chu Lingwei acted quickly, protecting the waiter and preventing him from being seriously injured.
"This humble one greets the young master Long." The waiter cast a grateful glance at Chu Lingwei and immediately knelt on the ground, bowing to the young man walking up to the second floor.
Chu Lingwei looked up. The young man was about twenty years old, with an extraordinary demeanor. However, the arrogance in his eyes diminished the coolness of his handsome face, adding a touch of pride.
He resembled her eldest uncle by about fifty percent and should be a descendant of the Long family.
Beside Long Ziqian stood a beautiful young woman and a male cultivator. The woman was at the Rongtian realm, and the man at the Huatian realm. They bowed and followed behind Long Ziqian, presumably his attendants.
"Why are they sitting in my spot?" Long Ziqian glanced at Chu Lingwei and Lan Xingyi, his face showing displeasure. Everyone in Lingzhou knew that this was his spot and no one else could sit here.
"How do you prove this is your spot?" Lan Xingyi scoffed. When had descendants of their Lan family become so arrogant? He had to set him straight.
"Presumptuous."
The female cultivator immediately stepped forward upon hearing Lan Xingyi's words, glaring at him with angry eyes. "Get out, now."
Chu Lingwei's lips twitched. Did they dare to ask her second uncle to leave? They truly were ignorant of the fear they should have.
Chu Lingwei subtly looked at her second uncle and saw that his expression hadn't changed. Instead, a faint smile played on his lips.
"Long Ziqian?"
"Who are you? Scram." The female cultivator was even more displeased that this person had dared to utter their master's name. The artifact in her hand was already showing signs of flying out.
"You know me?" Long Ziqian looked at Lan Xingyi with confusion. He couldn't discern his cultivation level, and he had never seen his face before, yet he saw a sense of familiarity in his eyes.
"No," Lan Xingyi shook his head. After successfully seeing the female cultivator beside Long Ziqian's expression change, he suddenly said, "However, I know your grandfather."
Seeing her second uncle say this with a straight face, Chu Lingwei couldn't help but chuckle.
Why did she feel like her second uncle's words were an insult?
Long Ziqian froze for a moment, a flicker of suspicion in his eyes. Upon seeing the smile on Chu Lingwei's lips, his suspicion turned into anger. "Are you playing tricks on me?"
As soon as he said this, the male and female cultivators beside Long Ziqian attacked together, aiming for her second uncle.
"Scoundrels."
Lan Xingyi's eyes flashed, and a stream of spiritual energy blocked the attack from both of them. "Is this how your Long family conducts itself?"
"Young master Long, we are temporarily staying at your Long family, invited by the Long family patriarch," Chu Lingwei said, worried that this young nephew might anger her second uncle.
As Chu Lingwei finished speaking, the male and female cultivators immediately withdrew their spiritual energy and retreated to Long Ziqian's side.
"Is this true?" Long Ziqian's heart skipped a beat. He knew guests had arrived yesterday but didn't realize they had left the mansion today.
"This is Lingzhou; we probably can't fool you," Chu Lingwei smiled slightly at Long Ziqian. She could already sense her second uncle's anger and felt that this young nephew's good days were numbered.
Long Ziqian's complexion immediately turned a myriad of colors, shifting from green to white, a rather amusing sight.
"My apologies for the disturbance," Long Ziqian took a deep breath and apologized to Lan Xingyi and Chu Lingwei. "All your expenses here at Wangchun Tower will be charged to my name as my apology."
Sweat began to bead on Long Ziqian's forehead. His father had told him that his grandfather had not returned home for over a decade and was a very strict person. Now that he had offended his guests, he was surely in for it.
"You may withdraw."
Lan Xingyi waved his hand, indicating that Long Ziqian could leave.
"Understood, honored seniors, we bid you farewell." Long Ziqian didn't hesitate, quickly leaving with his two attendants.
Seeing Long Ziqian leave, the waiter breathed a sigh of relief. "Fellow Daoists, what would you like to eat?"
"Bring up the best spiritual cuisine in your establishment. Charge it all to young master Long's account." Lan Xingyi looked through the window and saw Long Ziqian riding his spiritual steed towards the Long residence, a smile in his eyes.
When did his eldest brother have such a grandson?
"Alright, I'll go right away." The waiter immediately retreated.
"Second Uncle, this young nephew is quite interesting," Chu Lingwei thought about Long Ziqian's composure when facing them, even his final feigned panic showed a certain degree of tact.
"Hmm, we'll tease him a bit later," Lan Xingyi nodded. No wonder the world called him Young Master Long; there seemed to be reasons for it.
Chu Lingwei shrugged. After spending some time with her second uncle, she discovered he was a very cheerful person.
That such a person could endure fifty years in the Dark Night Forest and not go mad from the patriarch's suffering indicated his inner strength.
Chu Lingwei and Lan Xingyi ate the finest spiritual cuisine at Wangchun Tower. As Chu Lingwei was leaving, she quietly asked the waiter the price of their meal and couldn't help but shed a tear of sympathy for Long Ziqian.