Chapter 657: Starting a Revolt
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Everyone in Moon Tower chatted away. Xue Ye and the rest knew what their Second Sister was like, and they had no words to say about her. What they hoped for at the moment was that their Third Brother was not too far away, that he was still near enough to catch wind of the news and come to the Zhuge family estate. There was still hope so long as he showed up before the day of the engagement.
On Crouching Dragon Mountain, many mighty ones from Xuanwu City and young students paid their visits to the Zhuge family, and the estate bustled with noise and excitement.
The Zhuge family threw a banquet to welcome guests from all over the place. Someone came to inform Zhuge Mingyue and the rest of the cottage group, and they got moving.
At the place where the banquet was held, things were indeed bustling. Many young proud sons and daughters arrived, but there were still quite a number of seats not taken at the front. Zhuge Mingyue’s arrival attracted attention from all present guests.
“Congratulations, Ms. Mingyue.” Many rose and cupped their hands to pay their respects to Zhuge Mingyue, and she was seen with a faint smile throughout the whole process. That smile she wore was different from the one she wore before Ye Futian and the rest of the group. At the moment, it was one that made people feel distant; it was one put up solely for the sake of formalities.
“Are father and the rest not here yet?” Zhuge Mingyue asked a servant girl beside her.
“The clan leader was discussing some important matters with some senior figures in the Wind Residence. He should be here shortly.”
“Right.” Zhuge Mingyue nodded. “Wait for me here, I’ll go have a look.”
“Will do.” Ye Futian and the rest of the gang nodded. They found themselves seats while Zhuge Mingyue left the place.
Many cast their gaze at Ye Futian’s party. The other guests were able to tell that they were some exceptional people and some of great renown.
Ye Futian ranked first on the Law Rank while Yu Sheng ranked second. Hua Jieyu was a Divine Spiritual Sorcerer. Many discussed who would have ended up being the one to win her heart in the Zhuge family. Even Xue Ye and the rest were no ordinary folk. Many were able to guess their ident.i.ties. They were the juniors of Zhuge Mingyue—Xue Ye and Luo Fan—who caused quite an uproar in Alchemy City several months ago. There was also You Xi, daughter of the City Lord of Alchemy City. They were quite surprised to find her pregnant so soon.
You Chi’s daughter and son-in-law. Those were people whose statuses were not far behind Zhuge Mingyue’s. Other than that, there was also Bai Ze, the second son of White Cloud City, at the banquet.
Some students and disciples of clans and forces in Xuanwu City smiled and cupped their hands at Ye Futian and his party. The top two figures of the Law Rank of the Holy Zhi Palace were definitely renowned figures in their own right. Furthermore, the weight of the current top two far surpa.s.sed Ximen Hanjiang. It was said that Ye Futian was still currently a Grade Three n.o.ble and had very amicable relations with Zhuge Mingyue. People like that were deemed worthy of being friends with.
However, no one was seen deliberately trying to be overly close and friendly with them, for they knew that they were not on good terms with Bai Ze. Worse still, both parties resented each other very much, and the same could be said for Zhuge Xing. It was thought that many of the younger generations of the Zhuge family did not like them.
“We finally get to see Ms. Mingyue in person, and she’s definitely as exceptional as she is rumored to be. It was said that Ms. Mingyue possessed an incredibly high talent in cultivation. Being able to see Ms. Mingyue becoming a couple with Bai Luli is indeed something envious to many,” someone from one of the clans in Xuanwu City said with a smile.
“Indeed, the ceremony to be held in a month will probably be the grandest event to be held in the Barren State in recent years. We won’t see another couple so perfectly matched for one another in years to come.”
“I’ve heard that Bai Luli possesses the potential to become a saint. He, after all, got to be ranked tenth on the Barren Sky Ranking at such a young age. The rumors are probably true, and we’ll probably be seeing the hope of a saint emerging from the Barren State in him.”
“Well, if that is the case, wouldn’t there be a saint emerging from White Cloud City, and a son-in-law who is a saint for the Zhuge family, then?” someone joked. Bai Luli and Zhuge Mingyue became the talk of everyone present, and things looked incredibly lively.
“Regardless of birth, looks, or talents, Ms. Mingyue definitely has it all. Bai Luli seems like the only one for her in the entire Barren State.” The youths of the Zhuge family liked the marriage alliance very much. There was no one who was ignorant of Bai Luli’s talents. He would soon become the Zhuge family’s son-in-law, marking the alliance between White Cloud City and the Zhuge family. That, coupled with the Holy Zhi Palace’s relations with both forces, would have put them at the pinnacle of the Barren State’s social hierarchy.
There was no one they could be dissatisfied with such a marriage alliance. Everyone looked forward to it.
“Indeed,” many said in agreement.
“Indeed my *ss,” Luo Fan, who was drinking, cursed under his breath and slammed his cup on the table. He was in a very foul mood. He had not wanted to say much, but the chatter around him was practically stoking the fires of his suppressed rage. The only one suitable for his Second Sister was his Third Brother. Bai Luli had no place in all of this.
Many turned their eyes at Luo Fan. It was obvious that this junior of Zhuge Mingyue felt rather displeased with the matter. The people of the Zhuge family frowned. While Ye Futian’s party consisted of people of great renown, they were on the grounds of the Zhuge family, and it was not their place to be so insolent in front of anyone. The marriage alliance was bound to happen, regardless of what they thought about it.
“Fifth Brother, drink up,” Ye Futian, who was right beside Luo Fan, said. Their cups touched, and Luo Fan gulped down everything in one go. His mood could not have been any fouler, yet Second Sister explicitly told them to stay out of these matters.
Bai Ze was also drinking in silence. Yu Sheng spared a glance at him, wanting to see how long he would be able to hold it in.
Sounds were heard from quite a distance away, and many turned their eyes to where the sounds came from. Many figures were seen arriving, and all of them were great figures from all corners of the world. There were several who exuded imposing bearing. The middle-aged man at the center wore a simple robe, yet the humble appearance was unable to conceal his tremendously exceptional bearing. The man was the clan leader of the Zhuge family, Zhuge Qingfeng.
Ye Futian recognized a figure at Zhuge Qingfeng’s left. It was a great figure from the Holy Sage Pavilion in the Holy Zhi Palace. There was another right behind him, and that person was none other than Bai Luli. Zhuge Canyang and Zhuge Mingyue followed right behind their father. There was yet another great figure at Zhuge Qingfeng’s right—the biological younger brother of the City Lord of White Cloud City, Bai Luli’s uncle, Bai Yan. He too was a very powerful figure. The City Lord himself had returned to White Cloud City to prepare for the event to be held a month later. Bai Luli was to return to the Holy Zhi Palace later as well, and the matter would have been settled for the time being. All of them would leave right after the banquet. Everyone else in that group were leaders of Xuanwu City clans.
They came to the front of the banquet, leaving themselves quite a distance away from the younger generation. The younger generation rose in response, paying their respects by cupping their hands before them.
“Young people truly are invigorating.” Zhuge Qingfeng walked to his seat smiling, then said, “Please take your seats.”
Everyone then sat down. Zhuge Qingfeng scanned his guests at the banquet, finding Ye Futian, Xue Ye, and the rest of the party. He then addressed them, “So, Jieyu has returned. It is quite unexpected to see Xue Ye bringing You Chi’s daughter here. It’s really something indeed. Mingyue, I a.s.sume the one right beside Jieyu would be Ye Futian?”
Xue Ye and Luo Fan had visited the Zhuge family before, and as such, Zhuge Qingfeng knew them.
“Indeed.” Zhuge Mingyue nodded.
Ye Futian and the rest of his gang stood and bowed. “I, Ye Futian, am here today to pay my respects, Uncle Zhuge.”
Zhuge Xing and everyone glanced at Ye Futian. That fellow sure knows how to get familiar with people. Calling some elder he met for the first time ‘uncle’ and whatnot.
“You and Jieyu are a couple, little brother of Mingyue, and you are from the Holy Zhi Palace. It seems fitting that you address me as your uncle.” Zhuge Qingfeng nodded with a smile. No one felt anything weird about it, as Ye Futian’s ident.i.ty and talents meant that he was not actually trying to reach for places out of his league by calling Zhuge Qingfeng his uncle.
“Thank you, uncle,” Ye Futian said. Zhuge Qingfeng nodded and asked the mighty ones from the Holy Zhi Palace beside him, “I heard that that kid became the champion of the Law Rank as a Grade Three n.o.ble and that he was granted entry to the Sage Hall. Is that true?”
The mighty one from the Holy Sage Pavilion right beside him was named Zhu Song, a sage who enjoyed an esteemed status in the Holy Sage Pavilion. His face was a stern one, even when he smiled. As such, it was not hard to tell that he was one who was both very hard on himself and others.
“Indeed. When that kid first came to the Battle Sage Palace to train, he was like Sage Douzhan himself. Vastly superior combat capacity and all. The eldest brother summoned all six lords to discuss the matter and granted him permission to enter the Sage Hall. Everyone has high expectations for him,” Zhu Song said as he nodded.
Ye Futian’s eyes sparkled. So the very reason I was permitted entry to the Sage Hall was due to the a.s.sistant palace lord summoning all six of the lords and discussing the matter.
The elder of the Holy Sage Pavilion was indeed different from the likes of Bai Ze and Zhuge Xing in that he did not discriminate against those from other palaces or pavilions. Ximen Hanjiang would not have been granted entry to the Sage Hall otherwise. Despite this, he still held the opinion that the Holy Sage Pavilion made the wrong decision with his Second Sister’s case.
“I look forward to the growth of this generation.” Zhuge Qingfeng smiled and said, “Have a seat.”
Ye Futian and the rest sat down. Many great figures turned their eyes at Bai Luli and Zhuge Mingyue. Some elders smiled and said, “The more I look at them, the more I find them to be an ideal couple.”
“Indeed, it has been quite a while since we’ve seen a couple so perfectly matched for each other in the Barren State,” someone from the sides said in agreement. Many opened their mouths to talk about the matter. The banquet that day was held to greet the mighty ones from Xuanwu City to congratulate them, and it was only natural that the topic of the day was Bai Luli and Zhuge Mingyue.
“Many in the Barren State are looking forward to the wedding between my brother and Ms. Mingyue, however, someone in the Zhuge family claimed that my brother was ill-suited for Ms. Mingyue,” Bai Ze said plainly. Many frowned. Some elder from the Zhuge family asked, “Everyone from the Zhuge family is satisfied with the arrangement. Who dared speak such insolent words?”
Ye Futian saw Bai Ze glaring at him from the corner of his eye.
Zhu Song glanced at Bai Ze. While it is true that this little brother of Bai Luli has exceptional talents, his temperament is nowhere near that of Bai Luli’s. He has little hope of achieving great things. But then again, if Ye Futian did say such words, he was indeed being a little too stubborn.
“It is natural for the one who ranked first on the Law Rank to have great pride; however, everyone from the Zhuge family looks forward to the event. What he said was indeed hard on the ears,” Zhuge Xing said in agreement.
“Bai Luli and Ms. Mingyue are practically a couple matchmade in heaven. It is unthinkable to see someone displeased about it. The Holy Zhi Palace places a lot of importance on this person, yet he seems to be jealous of Bai Luli.”
Bai Ze’s words lit up the resentment of many. Many of the younger generation from the Zhuge family came forward to chastise Ye Futian. The air turned rather awkward as there was no hint of the joy and harmony found before.
Bai Ze lowered his head and continued drinking, looking at the ruckus he kicked up with a cold, smug look on his face. Despite Ye Futian’s current prestigious status in the Holy Zhi Palace, Bai Ze still deemed Ye Futian unfit to doubt his brother and intended to teach him a lesson.
Ye Futian glanced at Bai Ze with plain eyes and wore a sarcastic smirk on his face. If he is so h.e.l.l bent on being humiliated, I guess I’ll just have to oblige him.