Han Han, Come!

"Oh?" Li Qingluan lightly stroked her wine cup with her fingertips. Hearing this, she tilted her head slightly, a meaningful smile curling at her lips. "What news is the Ninth Young Master referring to?"

"For example, her surname and given name, what her temperament is like, and so on." As Qin Wangchuan spoke, his gaze never left the elders. At this moment, they were already discussing how they would join forces in the future.

Li Qingluan chuckled softly and tapped the rim of her cup, producing a crisp sound.

"That, I do not know. I have only heard that she possesses the bearing of a prodigy and Peerless Phoenix Demeanor. I imagine she should be worthy of the Young Master."

Her voice was soft and unhurried, carrying a trace of lazy teasing.

This scene made quite a few people turn their heads.

They wanted to look, yet did not dare to.

If the Imperial Dynasty's Eldest Princess, Jiang Xuanli, had been a blooming peony before—gorgeous and captivating—

Then Li Qingluan was a sword tempered in ice.

Frost seemed to congeal over her entire body. Though her blade had yet to leave its sheath, its chill had already seeped into one's bones.

There was no need for a ringing blade, no need for bloodshed. One sidelong glance was enough—three parts Qingjue crushed the throat, seven parts pride flayed the heart.

As for why they held such an impression, those prodigies and Saint Sons she had beaten to death or maimed understood it deeply.

"The bearing of a prodigy, Peerless Phoenix Demeanor?" Qin Wangchuan tapped the table with his fingertips, amusement surfacing in his eyes. "That sounds... rather like someone praising herself."

"Do you truly not know?"

Li Qingluan met his gaze without the slightest evasion. Instead, she leaned forward slightly, her red lips parting. "I do not."

The two exchanged a glance. The clamor within the hall seemed to be shut outside, while the air around them grew several degrees more stagnant.

"Swear it?"

"Of course..." The corners of her eyes curved, cunning light rippling in her gaze like a cat that had stolen a bite of fish. Her fingertip lightly tapped the tabletop. "If I'm lying, I'm a puppy."

Keep pretending. Let's see how long you can keep it up.

With Qin Wangchuan's mind, how could he possibly fail to notice? It was simply that Li Qingluan was too strange.

She was cold toward everyone else, yet only before him would she reveal this mischievous side of herself.

Fine.

He would play along with her.

As the wine passed through three rounds, the hall gradually grew more boisterous.

In a corner of the hall, Ye Jianwei's long, slender fingers were brushing over the zither strings, playing "Qingping Yue" with the smooth flow of drifting clouds and running water.

Suddenly, her fingertips paused so faintly it was nearly imperceptible, yet the zither music did not break in the slightest.

She immediately transmitted her voice:

Young Master, someone is acting suspiciously in the southeast corner.

I know.

Qin Wangchuan tapped the table lightly, his gaze sweeping inconspicuously over the seated guests before finally settling upon a thin youth standing beside a pillar in the southeast corner.

Without question, he was Han Han.

Though he had no aura at all and was difficult to notice, that was utterly useless before Ye Jianwei.

After all, she had no eyes and did not use Divine Sense. Instead, she used zither music to observe the world.

It is about time.

When the feast was at its height, someone suggested sparring to make friends. Judging from what happened afterward, the one who made that suggestion was likely an accomplice as well...

Sure enough, someone slapped the table and rose the very next moment.

"Everyone, it is rare for so many outstanding figures to gather today. Why not spar and make friends, exploring the Great Dao together?"

It had come!

Qin Wangchuan's gaze sharpened as he looked up—

Qin Wudao stood with his hands behind his back, his white robes whiter than snow. His sleeves fluttered despite the lack of wind, like an Exiled Immortal descending into the mortal world.

So it was Eldest Brother...

That was within Qin Wangchuan's expectations.

After all, apart from Eldest Brother, only Fourth Brother could say something like that.

"Chu Qingyan." Qin Wudao called out a name, then walked toward the hall without even turning his head. His voice was cold. "Must I invite you personally?"

Chu Qingyan chuckled and followed him. "I thought you had forgotten our last arranged battle."

"Be careful. This time, I came prepared."

Before his words had faded, a white figure suddenly drifted out from the eastern seats.

The man in white snapped open his Folding Fan. With a gentle smile, he first glanced at Chu Qingyan, then shifted his gaze to Qin Wudao. "Two against one should count as fair for you, right?"

The candles in the hall suddenly flickered merrily. A black-robed figure rose with a swish from the western seats.

The wine gourd at his waist swayed with the movement, spilling several drops of rich fragrance.

"Since it's already two against one..." He casually hoisted his heavy sword onto his shoulder, the Copper Bell tied to its tassel jingling. "How about three against one?"

"Whatever." Qin Wudao did not even pause his steps, his voice remaining calm.

"Come together."

The moment everyone in the hall watched the figures depart, the place erupted into uproar.

"As expected of Qin Wudao! Facing the prodigies of several clans, he could not even be bothered to turn his head!" A young cultivator flushed with excitement.

"If we speak of which Great Emperor of the present age is stronger or weaker, I fear no one can judge." The old man beside him stroked his long beard, a sharp glint flashing through his cloudy eyes. "But if we speak of who stands at the forefront of the Quasi-Emperor realm—"

He looked toward the white-robed figure in the hall, his voice suddenly sinking. "None other than Qin Family Wu Dao!"

"This bearing, this composure... I heard that even Chu Qingyan could not last ten moves against him last time!" someone whispered in admiration.

Praise rose and fell through the crowd. Only Qin Wangchuan's mouth twitched as he exchanged a glance with Second Brother in the corner—

What composure does Eldest Brother have? Clearly, it is...

He knew too well.

In Qin Wudao's eyes, where all living beings were "equally treated without distinction," whether one was an unparalleled prodigy or a wild dog by the roadside, they were all moving stick figures.

"Indeed. One more second of pretending, and he would have been exposed."

"But foremost of the Quasi-Emperors? That is the first time I've heard that title."

Qin Wangchuan sighed faintly.

He had known Eldest Brother was strong, but he had never expected him to be this strong!

He was already a Quasi-Emperor, and was even called the foremost among them.

Seeing this, Fourth Brother Qin Kuangge burst into laughter and stepped out as well. Looking toward the Yan Clan, he said, "Since Eldest Brother has already begun..."

"Yan Yun, how long are you going to keep waiting?"

The atmosphere in the hall instantly boiled over. A crimson figure shot up from the Yan Clan's seats. Yan Yun leaped into the center, his robes billowing like flames.

"Hahaha! Qin Fourth, I came here today waiting for you to say that!" He smashed the table before him with a wild laugh, then pointed at Qin Kuangge amid splashing wine. "If I don't beat you until you kneel and call me Grandpa, I'll take your surname!"

Qin Kuangge bared his teeth in a savage grin and tore open his brocade robe, revealing a body of muscles. "With that three-legged-cat Burning Heaven Art of yours?"

The two cursed at each other as they headed outside, tables and chairs bursting apart all along their path.

"At every banquet, it is usually the same few people, so this sort of thing is quite common." Li Qingluan explained considerately.

Qin Wangchuan nodded, then rose to his feet beneath her surprised gaze.

"Is there someone you wish to fight?"

"No. But there is something I must do." Qin Wangchuan spoke as he walked toward the hall's exit on his own.

Whispers immediately rose throughout the hall.

"Is the Ninth Young Master looking for someone to fight? I wonder who it will be..." A young cultivator widened his eyes, even forgetting to set down the wine cup in his hand.

The old man beside him stroked his beard thoughtfully. "The most likely candidate should be that one from the Yun Clan. They are of similar age and both possess Immortal Bodies."

"Not necessarily!" Another person slapped the table. "It could also be someone from the Zhou Clan! The Zhou Clan enraged the Qin Clan before. Perhaps he will take this opportunity to establish his authority."

Several female cultivators in the corner whispered among themselves. "What realm do you think the Ninth Young Master has reached? I can't see through him."

"The Longevity Immortal Body cultivates slowly. He should be in the Third Realm, right?"

"Have you forgotten that the Ninth Young Master has Complete Immortal Bones? I think he should be in the Fourth Realm!"

"The Fourth Realm?! I don't think that is very likely..."

Amid the discussion, Li Qingluan watched Qin Wangchuan's receding figure, unconsciously stroking her wine cup with her fingertips.

She suddenly realized that her little fiancé, who had always kept a low profile, now carried a trace of resolute determination in his back.

At the hall entrance, Qin Wangchuan's steps suddenly halted.

With his back to the crowd, his robes stirred faintly in the draft passing through the hall. He suddenly turned around, his gaze fixed directly upon the corner of the hall—

"Han Han!"

His sharp shout echoed through the hall, startling several maidservants and making the trays in their hands tremble.

The guests exchanged looks and glanced around, yet none knew what sort of person Han Han was.

Li Qingluan's fingertips paused, her wine cup stopping by her lips as she followed Qin Wangchuan's gaze—

Behind the pillar in the farthest corner, a thin youth slowly straightened.

The Spirit Fruit he had bitten halfway through stopped at his lips, but his eyes shone as brightly as stars. He met Qin Wangchuan's gaze without dodging or wavering. Though his frame was slight, his back stood perfectly straight, like a young bamboo stalk stubbornly growing amid wind and snow.

"Since you came for me, why hide and skulk?"

"—Come!"

Waiting was not Qin Wangchuan's style.

He would take the initiative!