A Toast

The Nangong Family was still as extravagant as ever, traveling in priceless Immortal Palace. Although it was slightly less impressive than the spectacle seen at Tiantai Mountain last time, it was still a magnificent palace with golden buildings and vermilion walls, auspicious rainbows, colorful phoenixes soaring, and three crimson-scaled Coiled Dragon lying on auspicious clouds, their necks chained by shimmering golden iron chains, presumably for dragging the clouds.

Before the palace stood the Feathered Forest Army, clad in golden helmets and adorned with fiery plumes, riding magnificent steeds, as well as Foundation Establishment stage celestial warriors. A quick glance revealed over a hundred people, but they were all ceremonial guards, mostly just casual fare. It seemed the Nangong Family hadn't come to fight.

Li Fan didn't take them seriously either. He led the leopard to the door and tied it up. He also glanced at the three dragons to make sure they weren't the ones he had lost, so he didn't turn on them on the spot.

"I wondered which manor lord he was, with such a wide circle of friends, he must be a hero of the Southern Country. I invited him to the palace for a chat. Turns out it's Fellow Daoist Qingyue. Indeed, heroes emerge from among the young."

A tall, handsome envoy in a black crown and red robe emerged from beneath the Heavenly Gate. Li Fan recognized him; he was the same envoy who had previously "carried him."

"You haven't mistaken me for a prince, have you?" Li Fan bowed with a half-smile.

This person truly deserves to be called a True Person, after all, he is at the Nascent Soul Stage level. However, the Cultivation Method of the Immortal Palace are, how should I put it, too outdated, too conservative, and too rubbish. Apart from those directly passed down by the Immortal Kings, these ministers can at most rely on dual cultivation to cultivate their life force to the Nascent Soul Stage level, but their cultivation and magical power are completely inadequate. They are only slightly better than those ministers who cultivate the divine path.

To put it bluntly, Li Fan could kill such a Nascent Soul Stage with a flick of his wrist, without even blinking. Of course, the two sought different paths, so there's no inherent superiority or inferiority. Perhaps one day Li Fan himself might lose control and use it as a snack, while this person would be a high-ranking official enjoying wealth and honor. Therefore, there's no need to despise the other's path as trash. Li Fan is simply objectively assessing the other's combat strength as garbage.

"I am not worthy of being called a real person. I am Chen Bin, a mere clerk under the command of the General of the West."

When I first met Brother Li in Changsi City that day, I wanted to see what kind of talent could be granted a title at such a young age. But upon closer inspection, Brother Li exuded the aura of a king, as if he were destined by heaven, and his domineering presence was overwhelming. I was truly intimidated and thus mistook him for someone else!

Later, when I heard that Brother Li refused the imperial decree from the Three Palaces, I realized that there are always people more capable than oneself! It turns out that there are indeed righteous people in this world who are not interested in fame or fortune! You truly deserve to be called a young hero renowned throughout the Three Palaces! My admiration and respect for you are beyond words, and I have long wanted to befriend you!

"Isn't this a rare and fortunate opportunity? Please allow me to take the liberty of sharing a drink and a good chat with you, fellow Daoist! Hahaha!"

This Minister Chen is truly a diplomat; he's so eloquent, using a mix of flattery and honesty, making Li Fan feel a little embarrassed that he might use his flying sword to kill him later...

Anyway, this person ignored Li Fan's barbed words from the start and remained gentle and refined, making people feel like they were a long-time friend. He was indeed not easy to deal with.

Li Fan frowned slightly as he listened to the flattery, finding it rather unusual. He wasn't sure if this Chief Clerk Chen was the kind of two-faced, hypocritical person who spoke sweet words but harbored malice beneath a veneer. But judging from his appearance alone, he was truly refined, distinguished, and possessed a certain air of authority; he hadn't expected him to be so adept at flattery. Perhaps this man wasn't like this before he became an immortal, but simply became skilled at it after joining the Nangong Family...

"Qingyue is just a rustic country bumpkin, Lord Chen, there's no need for such formalities. If you truly wish to make friends, how about we go down to the estate and have a good drink? That way we won't be bothered by any tactless people..."

Li Fan glanced outside at the various Divine Beast and spirit birds he could ride, all exceptionally handsome and magnificent. Then he looked at his own leopard with its bulging belly, which seemed like a cheap minivan parked among a group of supercars—a rather incongruous sight...

"Hehe, Brother Li, there's no need to worry. My princess loves to make friends with heroes from all over the world, and she will be even happier to know that it's you, Brother Li."

Moreover, those present today are all learned, reasonable, gentle, and virtuous talents, many of whom are on the Nascent Soul Stage of reaching the Nascent Soul stage. Their trip to Lei Marsh for training is merely a side trip; their main purpose is to make friends with fellow practitioners from Ink Bamboo Mountain and repair the relationship between their two families. How could anyone possibly offend such outstanding individuals whom the Three Realms hold in high regard?

Come, come, let me introduce you to the next generation of talented young men in the Nangong Family."

Chief Clerk Chen was indeed a very outgoing person. With a mix of flattery and persuasion, he led Li Fan into the hall.

However, after hearing him say that, Li Fan became less inclined to go. He had already prepared his sword; if all those people coming were just a bunch of cowardly juniors trying to smooth things over and ease tensions, and no one dared to offend him, what was the point?

He's not some indiscriminate killer; he needs a reason to act, right? Are you suggesting I should just wipe you all out because your clouds are blocking the sunlight in my backyard? Even then, I should choose a time when no one is watching, right? There's a bunch of passersby eating barbecue and watching the show down there...

Besides, what talented individuals could the Nangong Family possibly have? Let alone Nascent Soul Stage the Nascent Soul Stage, so what? He'd seen Wushuang and Wuchen before. While the Nascent Soul Stage Cultivation Method passed down through the Immortal Palace were indeed more powerful than those of ordinary rogue cultivators, compared to the True Cultivator of Lou Guan and the Xuanmen, and compared to the transformations of the Tai Su Dao of the Moshan lineage, they were far inferior. Whether something is trash or not is all relative.

This is boring; I'd rather stay home and cultivate immortality.

Li Fan was immediately disappointed. He just smiled and remained silent, following Chief Clerk Chen, into the hall. He planned to exchange a few polite (and sometimes sarcastic) remarks with the Nangong Family member, then say that they couldn't see eye to eye and take their leave.

Of course, it would be even better if he could provoke the other party into a sword fight on the spot. He was already prepared for self-defense. If he wiped out the Nangong Family, the higher-ups wouldn't be able to find fault with him...

Upon entering the hall, one indeed finds numerous nobles in opulent attire feasting amidst jade platters and exquisite delicacies, with celestial maidens dancing. There are about twenty people, all juniors at the Golden Core Stage; at a glance, they all seem like brothers and sisters. A bowling ball thrown at them could knock down a whole bunch of the likes of Nangong...

Seeing Li Fan's sly grin, Chief Clerk Chen, didn't know what he was laughing about, but he figured that Li Fan's willingness to attend the banquet meant he wanted to ease tensions with the Nangong Family, so he treated him with sincerity.

"Greetings, Princess Wuqing. Please allow me to introduce you. This is Li Er Qingyue, the second master of Qingyue Creek, an elite disciple of Ink Bamboo Mountain."

"So you are Qingyue, I've long admired your name. I am Nangong Wuqing of Qingtian (meaning 'clear sky')."

Princess Wuqing was a beautiful young woman. Judging from her face, which was a perfect model of the Nangong Family's Daoist physique, it was clear that she was undoubtedly a direct descendant of the princess. There was no need to rate the appearance of someone who had deliberately imitated it for the purpose of cultivating their Daoist physique. However, her pectoral muscles were not as developed as Wushuang's, so she probably hadn't practiced body cultivation.

Li Fan wasn't in a hurry to answer her, but couldn't help frowning slightly as he asked, "Brother Chen, what's going on with the Li Er of Qingyue Creek?"

Before Chief Clerk Chen could answer, Princess Wuqing, unexpectedly, wasn't angry at his rudeness. Instead, she laughed and said, "It was that catfish spirit who said it. It declared that this place is Qingyue Creek, its territory, and anyone passing through must pay a piece of meat as a toll. If anyone causes trouble, it will Li Er to deal with them."

"I found this interesting, so I invited this Second Master to come and meet you. So it is Fellow Li Daoyou."

Li Fan, "..."

Chief Clerk Chen, laughed and said, "Brother Li must be playing around with his spirit pet. Princess Wuqing, Brother Li is the most outstanding talent among the younger generation of Ink Bamboo Mountain, a hero appreciated by the abbot. He will surely have a place among the younger generation in the future."

There have been some misunderstandings between our two families in the past, but they have nothing to do with the younger generation. In the future, we will all have to work together to fight against the cult. It would be better to take this opportunity to talk things out and let each of us keep to our own business."

Nangong Wuqing smiled, clearly understanding what Chief Clerk Chen meant, "That's right, Brother Li, I'd like to offer you a toast."

Li Fan glanced at the immortal wine brought by the maid beside him, but didn't take it. Instead, he asked, "Are you Princess Nangong Ninety-Six? I've met Princess Ninety-Nine and Prince Number One Hundred and Several before; they all once reached the Nascent Soul Realm. How come you, ranked so high, don't even reach the Nascent Soul Realm? Could it be that you also did something wrong and were reincarnated to cultivate again?"

"Brother Li..." Chief Clerk Chen, smiled somewhat stiffly, immediately realizing that Li Fan had no intention of reconciling with them.

Nangong Wuqing was not annoyed. Holding her wine cup, she continued to persuade him, "Mr. Chen, there is no need to force the issue. Our Nangong Family does indeed have many descendants, some good and some bad. Those two scoundrels were instigated by villains and offended the fellow Daoists of Ink Bamboo Mountain. It is only natural that Brother Li is unhappy. I will not take it to heart."

To let Brother Li know, I have actually been practicing in the Xuanmen sect since I was a child. When the Xuanmen selects disciples, they don't care about cultivation level. Instead, they choose a suitable successor based on the results of the Five Arts assessment. I also want to become a disciple of a True Cultivator who has attained the Dao, so I am willing to spend more time honing my skills and am not in a hurry to break through.

My return to the Southern Country this time is also to gain experience and to meet the talented young people outside the Central Plains. By exchanging ideas and skills, we can all improve together.

I had heard of Brother Li's great name before, when I heard about his two good-for-nothing siblings. Brother Li is undoubtedly a first-rate talent in the Southern Country, so how could I not befriend him?

However, since you are unwilling to associate with the ninety-sixth princess of the Nangong Family, then let's set aside family background. Let's treat this cup of wine as a gesture of friendship between Wu Qing, Outer Sect Disciple of Hengshan, and Qingyue, a disciple of Ink Bamboo Mountain. What do you say?

"..."

Now that she had a handle on him, Li Fan was somewhat stunned. After all, in terms of background, the Nangong Immortal Family was scum, and the royal family of Li Country was no good either...

So Li Fan tried to renege, saying, "I'm different from you. I'm still young and can't drink."

A vein throbbed on Nangong Wuqing's forehead, but she forced herself to hold it in. However, she didn't spill any wine, showing a degree of composure compared to her two younger siblings.

Chief Clerk Chen, sighed inwardly. Qingyue was indeed a rare Dao Seed, but he never expected that this guy would be so petty and vindictive. The Nangong Family had offended him right away, which would make things difficult.

Of course, he immediately jumped in to defuse the situation, "Then let's use tea instead of bar water, come on, let's get some tea..."

Nangong Wuqing's smile had faded considerably, and she could only manage a forced smile as she said, "Very well, everyone has their own ambitions. In that case, please drink this cup, fellow Daoist, to resolve this misunderstanding and let bygones be bygones."

Who wants to forgive and forget with you? How many people have died because of your misunderstanding? Can the blood debt on Tiantai Mountain be settled with a cup of tea?

So Li Fan just smiled and sniffed the tea the maid handed him, then shook his head and said, "This tea is too fragrant. I, a lowly commoner, am not worthy to drink it. But it would be a waste to pour it away. My leopard has eaten too much fatty meat, so I might as well give it some to cleanse its palate."

After being urged to drink three times Nangong Wuqing stopped smiling, nodded, and said, "It seems I haven't been hospitable enough. The maids below are too clumsy; they can't even brew tea properly."

Upon hearing this, the maid immediately knelt on the ground and kowtowed repeatedly, leaving a pool of blood on the floor, crying out, "Princess, please spare me!"

Seeing how terrified the maid was by her words, Li Fan knew what kind of person the princess was usually. He wasn't surprised at all, and gave a cold laugh, "Are you upset that she dirtied the floor?"

Pretending not to have heard anything, Chief Clerk Chen immediately stepped forward with a smile to smooth things over. With a flick of his sleeve, he conjured a gust of wind that enveloped the maid, helping her to her feet. "Fellow Daoist, please don't misunderstand. I meant nothing by it; I just came to say hello. If it's inconvenient today, let's do it another time. Why make things so tense..."

Li Fan narrowed his eyes, glanced at the trembling maidservant, and said, "It seems today is not a convenient day. I'll take my leave now..."

"What do you mean by acting like this? Did I say I was going to do anything to you?"

Chief Clerk Chen was taken aback, only to see Nangong Wuqing, her brows lowered and her face expressionless, glancing at the terrified maid, saying, "Go and make the tea."

Upon hearing this, Chief Clerk Chen immediately fell silent, stepped back to stand beside Nangong Wuqing, and remained silent, looking like a clay statue.

In fact, it wasn't just him who stopped talking; all the talented men who had been drinking and making merry just moments before suddenly fell silent as well. They had been background noise just moments before, but now that they were quiet, their presence was all the more pronounced.

So Li Fan stopped mentioning leaving and just stood there watching how they would perform next.

After a while, the maidservant came up tremblingly with a pot of fresh tea.

"There's nothing inconvenient about it," Nangong Wuqing even glancing at Li Fan, then sat down on the couch and waved her hand. "Go invite my fellow Daoist for tea."

The maidservant, trembling, handed over the tea, saying, "Please, please, please..."

Li Fan narrowed his eyes. "If I don't drink, what are you going to do to her?"

The maid trembled like a leaf upon hearing this, almost collapsing from her weakness. Nangong Wuqing, however, remained silent, as if she hadn't heard anything at all.

Li Fan glanced at Nangong Wuqing, then at the maid, and said, "By the way, I've heard about the methods of your Immortal Palace... Do you also skin them alive and make them into palace lanterns?"

Nangong Wuqing suddenly raised her eyes, her phoenix eyes seeming to gleam with two beams of blue light as she stared directly into Li Fan's eyes. In an instant, an almost ferocious aura emanated from her appearance, as if it were some kind of powerful magic, capable of making people tremble with fear and beg for mercy with just a glare.

Or perhaps it's not some powerful spell at all, just two simple words.

Power and influence.

Li Fan met the blue light in her eyes, smiled and looked back at her, and then, surrounded by more than twenty talented men, took a step forward.

At that moment, Nangong Wuqing remained expressionless, but Li Fan could feel the hairs on his back standing on end.

Damn, so many experts! What happened to the bunch of good-for-nothings who were supposed to be out sightseeing? Sword intent, count how many.

"The Profound Heaven Sword Intent says, 'Four Nascent Soul Stage and three trash cultivators. The ones hiding are quite interesting. Judging from their style, they should be from Hengshan.'"

There are two Xuanmen cultivators among the Golden Core cultivators, clearly above the trash level; the others can be ignored. Oh, and the one in front of me has a decent foundation; he's definitely not going down the Immortal Palace path.

Even the weakest Nascent Soul Stage is still Nascent Soul Stage. Golden Core cultivator from the Xuanmen sect possesses extraordinary abilities; in a direct confrontation, it's probably a 50/50 chance.

How can this be a 50/50 fight? Are you overestimating my fighting ability?

'The Dao of the Profound Heaven Sword Intent: it's either live or die.'

It's a 50/50 chance!

Li Fan then smiled and said, "Why are you making such a fuss? We're all allies now. Do you think I'd risk my life to chop your head off?"

He reached out and picked up the tea that the maid had brought him, then drank it.

"The tea is good. May I leave now?"

Nangong Wuqing waved her hand, "No need to see me out."

So Li Fan turned around with a smile and walked away from the Immortal Palace without looking back, all under the watchful eyes of everyone.

Li Fan led the Cloud Hidden Leopard from the gate and flew a full ten feet away. Suddenly, he turned around and saw Chen Bin standing under the palace gate, looking at him.

"Mr. Chen, would you like to join us for a drink? We'll each pay our own." Li Fan smiled and cupped his hands in greeting.

Chen Bin shook his head. "Brother Li, why bother? Offering three cups of wine is already the height of courtesy and respect."

"Ha, so I'm just a corporal after all," Li Fan laughed at him. "Mr. Chen, you chased after me like this just to tell me this? Princess Wuqing already gave me enough face by offering me three cups of wine. Was I ungrateful? Or do you have some fancy excuse to persuade me to go back and kneel before her?"

Chen Bin for a while. "It's my fault. I should have advised the princess beforehand... No, actually, thinking about it, how much of your dissatisfaction with the Nangong Family is truly out of a sense of duty to Ink Bamboo Mountain? I'm afraid it's more like taking your anger out on others..."

Li Fan frowned. "What are you talking about?"

Chen Bin slowly began, "No wonder I couldn't find your family genealogy. Abusing the maid in front of you must have offended your mother. Please forgive me..."

Li Fan's expression changed drastically. "What nonsense are you spouting! Believe me or not, I'll kill you with one sword!"

Chen Bin sighed, bowed to Li Fan, and turned to return to the palace.

"Profound Heaven Sword Intent says, 'Boy, your Dao heart is in turmoil.'"

"I know!"

Li Fan's expression shifted between anger, confusion, murderous intent, and sudden realization, his mood unpredictable as he stared at the Immortal Palace for a long while.

He gritted his teeth, rode his leopard, turned around, and flew back to his residence, where he closed the door and sat cross-legged on a prayer mat.

I closed my eyes, but could no longer enter a meditative state.

The whispers in my ear grew louder and louder, becoming increasingly louder.

Finally, the boy was forced to huddle in the corner of the quiet room, covering his head and closing the door tightly to prevent any light or noise from entering.

But the light still flickered, dazzling his eyes, as if he were holding the radiant sun into his embrace.

Yes, it's definitely in my arms.

Li Fan's eyes widened as he stared intently at the shimmering Rubik's Cube in his hand.

In the flickering light, the shadows of seven heads were projected, all crowding together to whisper.

The fourteen pairs of beastly eyes, hidden in the dark mist, were illuminated by the beacon-like Rubik's Cube, shining as brightly as stars.

"Nangong Wuqing!"

"Taboo!"

"Servant!"

"Palace lanterns!"

"Lei Marsh!"

"Kill them all!"

"Good!"