Bei Huchen was already middle-aged. Sitting there upright, he did indeed look the part now—no longer the playboy who was gilded on the outside but rotten within. This time, he had also brought his son, Bei Hu'ao, along. Xing'er and I had seen the boy at the Heavenly Sword Immortal Sect. Back then, he had truly lived up to the name "Proud," but now he didn't dare look at me. He had probably been warned by his father in advance, afraid of provoking me.
In this insect body of mine, I couldn't touch even a drop of alcohol, so of course I wasn't going to drink. Although several wine pots were set on the table, they had all been filled with beverages that looked almost exactly like wine. With Jiufang Tao, Bei Yun, Shengtu Wushuang, Shengtu Qianrou, and Gu Longxiu sitting beside me, no one knew whether I was drinking wine or water once the family banquet began. In any case, the Four Emperors and their heirs drank plenty.
However, they had spent years drinking at palace banquets, so they all held their liquor well. Even though this was a family banquet, none of them dared truly let themselves go. They toasted one another with high spirits while sampling the wine discreetly, afraid of ruining matters.
Ling Tian was also seated below. As the Crown Prince overseeing the realm and my representative among my heirs, how could he not attend? It was just like how the Four Emperors had brought their sons.
After three rounds of wine and five courses, everyone had imbibed more or less. With their minds opened up, this was naturally the time for the men to discuss serious matters. Thus, Bei Yun and the other women soon found excuses to leave, leaving me and Ling Tian,