"Thank you, Young Master Han, for your kind understanding."
The guards began to employ their mystic arts to search. After some time, they nodded and smiled. "This way please, Young Master Han." Xiao Chen nodded and strode into the grand hall.
The Divine Archean Zither was really just a zither string from the f.u.xi Zither. Naturally, he could hide it in the Nine-heaven Jade Pendant. When the two guards saw no divine zither in his Divine Vessel, they let him in.
Liu Fenghuang had almost completely recovered from her injury. She sat beside Liu Yunzheng. Xiao Chen did not see Luo Shangyan. He walked over to the Teal Jade Sect disciples and paid his respect to Liu Yunzheng. "Master." This might be the last time he addressed him thus.
Liu Yunzheng nodded, smiled and made him sit. After some time, the other sects started to enter and take their places. Finally, Yu Wenji and his Empress, together with Princess Xuanyue, strolled in. Only the Third Prince, Yu Wenmu, was missing.
The banquet lasted for nearly two hours. The sovereign enjoyed himself with his subordinates. They toasted one another and mingled merrily. 12 ravishing dancers graced the center of the hall. They were not only gorgeous to behold, their dance postures were entrancing, carrying on their bodies a faint, refreshing scent which invigorated the senses. Many young disciples were bewitched. They wanted to edge forward to take in their scent.
During these two hours, Yu Wenji did not mention Xiao Chen"s request at all. Finally, two persons walked into the hall. It was the Third Prince, Yu Wenmu, accompanied by Luo Shangyan.
The grand hall quietened down at once. The 12 dancers retreated to one side. Liu Yunzheng"s face began to change color slightly. Luo Shangyan cast a glance at Xiao Chen. She did not look for long, but turned her glance elsewhere instead.
Yu Wenmu beamed with happiness. He raised a wine goblet and smiled at the company in the hall. "After tonight"s banquet, I hope that the Sect Leaders can stay to attend my wedding with Miss Luo three days later." Then, he downed the wine.
The atmosphere in the entire hall froze. Yu Wenji and Princess Xuanyue blanched slightly as well. They knew that he tended to go to the extremes, but did not expect him to do this in Xiao Chen"s face. He had totally embarra.s.sed Xiao Chen and was forcing him to revolt.
When the company finally came to themselves, they all raised their goblets to congratulate him. "Our congratulations to Your Highness, over your marriage with Miss Luo! We wish you two external bliss!"
The Teal Jade Sect members too stood up, all except Xiao Chen. Liu Yunzheng kept motioning him with his eyes. "Han Chen!"
Xiao Chen pretended not to hear. He ignored the company holding up their goblets. All at once, everyone"s eyes were upon him. They heard him say quietly, "I"d rather not take the wine."
The atmosphere turned even more tense. Yu Wenji looked ghastly and embara.s.sed, while Xuanyue said quietly, "Young Master Han, you have rendered us great service at the Immortals League Compet.i.tion. I have discussed with His Majesty. We will make you a marquis in three days" time. You will have a city as a gift."
Enn.o.bled as a marquis and receiving land as a gift! This was such a lavish honor. In other words, decades and even centuries later, there would be another aristocratic family in the land, the Hans. The others were all green with envy.
Xiao Chen smiled lightly. "I am just a rustic commoner. I do not deserve such great honors. Has Princess Xuanyue forgotten her promise the other day?" As he said this, he cast a nonchalant glance at her.
Xuanyue did say that he could inform her about which n.o.ble lady he had fallen for. She did this merely to win him over. Right now, she really wished that he had fallen for some n.o.blemen"s daughter. Unfortunately, it wasn"t so!
"A gentle and graceful maiden will always be courted by gentlemen. Young Master Han is still young. I can understand. But Miss Luo knew my third brother before you. Surely, you can"t be so unreasonable, Young Master Han?"
Xiao Chen gave a loud snicker. Luo Shangyan immediately cast a glance at him and shook her head. She was advising him not to speak. Xiao Chen ignored her. "Unreasonable? He forced her to marry him the moment they met. Was this reasonable? Ho ho! Besides, what made Princess Xuanyue so sure that Miss Luo hadn"t known me first?"
"Enough!" A cold voice rang out. Yu Wenmu could endure no more. He glared madly at him. "You had merely won at the Immortals League Compet.i.tion. You think you are someone great? Do you think that without you, Han Chen, our state cannot survive?"
Xiao Chen"s mind began to replay the scenes when he sneaked into Luo Shangyan"s room. The helplessness in her eyes, the grievance. And her words, "What can you give me instead... "
He knew nothing he said now mattered. He rose, cast a glance at Luo Shangyan and said quietly, "Senior Sister Luo... "
Luo Shangyan slowly raised her head and walked over to Yu Wenmu"s side. "I"m sorry, Your Highness." After these words, she strolled lightly over to Xiao Chen. Yu Wenmu was someone eager to win in everything. She had submitted to him to repay Liu Yunzheng"s debt in saving her. She did not want to get the Teal Jade Sect into trouble by rejecting Yu Wenmu. She had also experienced too much. Her heart had gradually turned cold.
Yet now, the sudden appearance of Xiao Chen reinvigorated her hopes. She knew that even if she gave in to Yu Wenmu, he would not let Xiao Chen off.
Yu Wenmu"s gaze became colder and colder. "I always get what I want... " Before his speech was over, he had brandished out an icy Immortal"s Sword. The company shuddered. The eyes of Liu Fenghuang gradually reddened, thanks to either the tense atmosphere, or to something else.
Yu Wenji did not talk them out of a confrontation. He thought that this man was too impudent. Mu"er had to exercise some royal authority. Xiao Chen smiled indifferently. "I"m afraid it"s no longer in your hands, Your Highness."
"Is that so...?" Yu Wenmu"s eyes turned colder. He strode a few steps forward and suddenly blanched. His Immortal"s Sword gave a clang in the air and fell to the ground.
The rest of the people were equally stunned. "What happened? Why can"t we mobilize our True Energy?" The faces of Yu Wenji and the others paled. Princess Xuanyue shouted to the outside guards. "Protect His Majesty!" Immediately, a huge company of guards armed with sabers dashed in, some shielding Yu Wenji and his Empress, the rest guarding outside the grand hall.
Princess Xuanyue"s face took on a deathly white pallor. She said to Xiao Chen, "Han Chen! What are you doing?" Xiao Chen sneered coldly. "You people forced me to. I won you the compet.i.tion, risking my life. So how did you treat me? By taking precautions against me all the time! And you want Sect Leader Liu to reclaim the divine zither too!"
When he said this, he snickered. "I just want to show the others this is not a Victory Banquet, but a Banquet at Hong Gate!" With these words, he condensed Qi out from his fingertips and his True Qi soared up to a beam column. A terrible shriek rang out. A man in black fell down from the beam. A b.l.o.o.d.y cavity was between his brows. He had been slain.
The faces of everyone instantly turned pale. The Emperor had ordered them to leave their magic treasures and weapons behind, yet he had hidden so many a.s.sa.s.sins in the hall. The act made many resentful.
"There are three more!" Xiao Chen exerted his Qi again and three golden radiances streamed up the palace beam once more. "Ch-ch-ch" went the noise. Instantly, they penetrated the skulls of three Foundation Building Realm Cultivators.
Many had never seen such powerful finger force before. They blanched. "G.o.d Slaying Finger! The long-lost G.o.d Slaying Finger!"
"You!" Princess Xuanyue"s face turned deathly pale, looking even more ghastly. She had to glance over to Liu Yunzheng.
Liu Yunzheng"s countenance had long changed color. "Han Chen! What are you doing?"
Xiao Chen smirked coldly at him. "Sect Leader Liu, I forgot to tell you, I sneaked into your Teal Jade Sect only to lay my hands on your divine zither." He said this to distance the Sect from him. He did not want to implicate it too far.
Tears welled up in Liu Fenghuang"s eyes. She asked in a choked voice, "Junior Brother Han, are you telling the truth...?" Xiao Chen sneered coldly. "Liu Fenghuang, you are so naive! Do you think I regard you as my Senior Sister, even though I call you one? I just wanted to win your father"s trust!"
Liu Fenghuang could help herself no longer. Tears streamed down her eyes. She still mumbled, "I don"t believe, I don"t believe... "
When the rest in the palace heard that he was an infiltrator into the Teal Jade Sect and would no longer be restrained by Liu Yunzheng, they panicked even more. Since they could no longer mobilize their True Energy, they were no different from ordinary people. He, on the other hand, was holding the divine zither. If he wanted to slay everyone, no one could stop him...
Suddenly, an icy voice rang out. "Junior Brother Han, time to go." Chu Lingjiao had stood up. Liu Yunzheng stared at her with disbelieving eyes. He mumbled, "Lingjiao, you too... "
Liu Fenghuang too raised her head. "Senior Sister Chu, are you also... " Chu Lingjiao smiled faintly. "Sect Leader Liu, how does my special Illusive-Immortal Incense smell like?"
When the company heard the name "Illusive-Immortal Incense", their faces turned as pale as death. Liu Yunzheng"s body started to shiver. "So you are... you are from Heartless Palace!"