"Ninth Highness had eradicated the evil cultivators, rendered a great service to Beiyang City, and saved my daughter's life as well. For such immense kindness, this humble official has prepared a modest gift. I hope Your Highness will not disdain it."
As he spoke, several guards carried a number of large chests from the room into the hall.
After the guards withdrew, Lin Zhengquan opened the chests one by one. Rosy clouds immediately shot forth, mist billowed upward, and a dense spiritual aura spread out at once, filling the entire hall.
"City Lord, this gift is too great. I fear I cannot accept it!"
The spiritual energy emanating from these chests likely far exceeded a thousand spirit stones.
Lin Zhengquan said solemnly, "Your Highness has rendered Beiyang City a great service. A mere handful of spirit stones is naturally something Your Highness can accept. These five chests each contain five hundred spirit stones, making two thousand five hundred in total. I ask that Your Highness not refuse."
Hearing this, Xiao Minghuang did not continue to decline and accepted the spirit stones.
Afterward, Xiao Minghuang attended the welcoming banquet held by the City Lord's Manor.
Could You Drink This Cup for Me?
The main hall of the City Lord's Manor was brilliantly lit, with music from zithers and flutes winding through the air.
Cups were raised and exchanged, wine vessels crisscrossing in celebration.
Xiao Minghuang sat at the seat of honor, with Ye Ruoshui beside her.
"Where did Wanqiu go...?"
Xiao Minghuang swept her gaze across the guests at the banquet, yet she saw only unfamiliar faces and no trace of Lin Wanqiu.
Lin Zhengquan sat not far away. Seeing her look around, he smiled.
"Is Your Highness looking for my daughter?"
Having her thoughts seen through, Xiao Minghuang's expression remained calm as ever, though she felt somewhat embarrassed inside. Lin Zhengquan was Lin Wanqiu's father after all. Even as a princess, she could not disregard that relationship.
Not knowing how to respond, Xiao Minghuang merely nodded faintly.
"Your Highness, do not worry. My daughter is coming now."
As he spoke, Lin Zhengquan tapped the table three times. The sound was not loud, but it carried a distinct rhythm, as though it could travel an immense distance.
With the three taps, the music abruptly ceased, and every lamp in the banquet hall went out.
Besides the officials of the City Lord's Manor, the guests present included members of Beiyang City's great lineages, yet none of them understood what was happening.
But in the next instant.
A point of pearly light suddenly lit up in the center of the hall, swiftly expanding to illuminate an area ten feet around it.
Beneath that bright pearly glow, a vivid streak of red emerged.
The woman wore a brilliant red dress. Her skin was smooth as congealed cream, her beauty blazing like fire, her eyes like autumn waters. Her sweet smile was radiant and enchanting; she was so breathtakingly beautiful that none who saw her could forget her.
Those bright, lovely eyes were staring straight at Xiao Minghuang, seated at the head of the hall.
Perhaps because everyone else stood in darkness, no one noticed the flicker in Lin Wanqiu's gaze.
Moreover, her entrance was simply too stunning. Everyone's attention was captured by her beauty that could topple kingdoms and her peerless grace, leaving them unable to notice the slightest shift in her eyes.
Nearly all the guests present were prominent figures of Beiyang City. They had close ties with the City Lord's Manor and could be said to have watched Lin Wanqiu grow up.
They suddenly realized that the quiet, plain little girl of the past had blossomed into such a peerless beauty.
An elderly man with graying hair sighed.
"If I had a son, I would empty my family fortune to take Miss Lin as my daughter-in-law."
A noblewoman glanced at her own daughter. Knowing she could not compare, she said disappointedly.
"If my daughter possessed even half of Miss Lin's beauty, she would not still be past thirty without anyone coming to propose."
Once the elders had finished their sighing, the younger generation could no longer sit still and began discussing it among themselves.
"It has only been a few months since we last saw her. How did Miss Lin suddenly become so beautiful?"
"Could she have taken a Beauty-Preserving Pill? City Lord Lin's family fortune is vast. Buying one for his daughter would cost him little."
"Brother Liu, you truly know how to joke. How could a Beauty-Preserving Pill have such powerful effects? She has practically become a different person."
"Everyone, is there perhaps one possibility? I mean, just perhaps, Miss Lin had always been this peerlessly elegant, and we simply never noticed before."
Amid the whispers, the pearly light gradually brightened and expanded throughout the entire hall, restoring light everywhere the eye could see.
Everyone's eyes remained fixed on Lin Wanqiu, as though they were still wondering why Miss Lin, who had once seemed so ordinary, had suddenly become so beautiful.
Lin Zhengquan glanced toward the seat of honor. Seeing the appreciation in Xiao Minghuang's eyes, satisfaction flickered in his pupils.
"Wanqiu, why are you not going to pour wine for Her Highness?"
At this, Lin Wanqiu nodded slightly and walked in small steps to Xiao Minghuang's side.
Seeing Lin Wanqiu, resplendent in her gorgeous attire, approach her, even Xiao Minghuang could not help revealing a look of amazement.
In all her life, aside from herself, she had never seen another woman of such unparalleled beauty.
Lin Wanqiu's red robes and peerless, world-toppling face were thoroughly etched into Xiao Minghuang's mind, impossible to forget for the rest of her life.
Now, this beauty capable of toppling a city and kingdom gazed at Xiao Minghuang with eyes full of tenderness, watching her without blinking.
Under such a gaze, even Xiao Minghuang, who had weathered countless storms and fought through hundreds of battles, felt her pretty face flush slightly and an unfamiliar stirring rise in her heart.
"How strange. Why does my body feel so warm?"
She suppressed the heat in her heart and thought instead.
"Perhaps making a contract with Lin Wanqiu would not be bad. Her meridians are blocked from birth—she is far too pitiful. I must help her."
As she pondered, a gentle smile appeared on Xiao Minghuang's face. Her brows curved, and the coldness usually present on her fair, rosy cheeks was gone.
Perhaps that gaze encouraged Lin Wanqiu and gave her courage. She continued holding up the cup and bent gracefully forward.
At this moment, Ye Ruoshui, standing behind Xiao Minghuang, had a face full of confusion and panic, as though she were saying:
"Her Highness said that I am the most important person in her heart... It must be so... it must be..."
Lin Wanqiu bent slightly and poured Xiao Minghuang half a cup of wine.
Yet Xiao Minghuang did not drink. Instead, she lifted the wine cup and said gently:
"Wanqiu, could you drink this cup for me?"
For some reason, she especially wanted to see this peerless beauty with a faint flush of drunkenness.
Lin Wanqiu's cheeks reddened slightly. She reached out with her small hand, accepted the cup, and drained it in one gulp.
The warm wine entered her stomach, making Lin Wanqiu's snow-white face grow even rosier. She looked so delicate and alluring that she was a feast for the eyes.
Not far away, Lin Zhengquan smiled faintly. Comparing Ye Ruoshui and Lin Wanqiu, he rejoiced inwardly.
"A mere maid—how could she possibly be mentioned in the same breath as my daughter? Before long, Wanqiu will surely hold Her Highness's heart firmly in her grasp. Then Beiyang City will have a backer as well."
Ever since the former Beiyang City Lord had died, his old injury had prevented him from breaking through to the Divine Sea Realm. The imperial court had long intended to recall the Lin family to the capital. If he could not find a backer at court, the day this vast Lin family collapsed would not be far away.
"Wanqiu, sit beside Her Highness!"
As he spoke, Lin Zhengquan looked toward Xiao Minghuang, seemingly seeking her opinion.
Naturally, Xiao Minghuang had no objection and nodded.
Fragrant breezes stirred, and a lovely figure swayed.
Lin Wanqiu moved with graceful elegance and sat beside Xiao Minghuang, her gaze upon her filled with tenderness.
After pondering for an entire afternoon, she had already made her decision.
Even if the little maid beside Xiao Minghuang looked difficult to deal with, she would never give up!
This was not merely for the Lineage's interests, but for her own feelings as well.
Perhaps she had already fallen for Xiao Minghuang the moment she first saw her in that pitch-black cave.
People might not believe in love at first sight, but Lin Wanqiu knew that was only because they had never met someone as peerlessly unmatched as Xiao Minghuang.
"We were betrothed before birth, and we met despite being complete strangers. This is a match made by heaven, a pair destined by nature!"
Lin Wanqiu thought to herself.
After that, Lin Wanqiu kept pouring wine for Xiao Minghuang. Xiao Minghuang did not refuse and drank every cup, occasionally pouring wine for her in return.
Before long, both women's cheeks were faintly flushed, their eyes moist and hazy with tipsiness.
Without realizing it, the bright moon had climbed high into the sky, and the night was already half gone.
Perhaps they had drunk too much. Even the bodies of martial artists could not quite bear it, and many guests rose unsteadily to take their leave.
Xiao Minghuang, seated at the head of the hall, had also been made to drink quite a bit. Her soft body leaned against Lin Wanqiu's, her eyes half-closed as though she were between dream and waking.
Behind them, Ye Ruoshui occasionally looked toward the two women leaning against each other. Her eyes were full of confusion, and an inexplicable irritation arose in her heart.
"Her Highness said I am the most important person in her heart. I should trust Her Highness! Trust Her Highness!"
A Public Proposal, the Chen Family's Treason!
Below the platform, Lin Zhengquan was seeing off the drunken guests.
Just as most of the guests had nearly left.
An elderly man with graying hair suddenly stepped out from among the banquet tables, his face flushed and his body reeking of wine.
"Lin... Brother Lin!"
The old man raised a hand, pointed at Lin Zhengquan, and swayed as he spoke.
"We brothers have been friends for decades. Today, your brother wants to ask you for something. You must agree. If you refuse, then you are looking down on your brother!"
His voice was so loud that it startled the groggy guests awake. Even Xiao Minghuang, seated at the head of the hall, gradually cleared her mind and looked over.
Lin Zhengquan frowned slightly, displeasure rising in his heart.
The drunken old man was the head of the Chen family, one of Beiyang City's four great lineages. He was at the eighth level of the Spring Gushing Realm, his strength second only to Lin Zhengquan's.
Ordinarily, Lin Zhengquan showed the Chen Family Head some respect and addressed him as brother.
"With Ninth Highness here today, I only hope this fellow does not cause trouble for me."
As he pondered, Lin Zhengquan circulated his spiritual power and forced the wine from his body. After exhaling a breath of stale air, he rose and smiled.
"All of us brothers are rather tired today. Brother Chen, could you speak of this tomorrow? So long as it is within my power, I will certainly agree."
"What tomorrow?!" The Chen Family Head slapped the table, his neck red as he shouted, "Today, this old man wants a single answer from you! Your brother has something to ask of you—will you do it or not?!"
Hearing this, everyone present drew in sharp breaths and whispered among themselves.
"What is wrong with the Chen Family Head? Ninth Princess is right here, yet he dares to be so presumptuous?"
"Wine gives courage to cowards. Let us see what the Chen Family Head intends to say next. Hopefully, he does not go too far, or today's matter may be difficult to settle peacefully."
Lin Zhengquan did not answer. His expression shifted between light and dark as he hesitated over whether to throw this drunken madman out of the banquet.
At the seat of honor, Xiao Minghuang had also been roused by the commotion. She looked toward the man standing in the center of the hall and shouting loudly.
"This man is the Chen Family Head?"
She remembered that the evil cultivator's storage pouch had contained a stack of letters recording the exchanges of benefits between the evil cultivators and the Chen Family Head.
At the Chen Family Head's command, the evil cultivators had plundered and slaughtered ordinary people, extracting their vitality and blood for the Chen Family Head to cultivate an evil art. They had also served as intermediaries between the Chen Family Head and the Golden Elephant Kingdom, allowing him to collude with foreign powers and seize profit.
As Xiao Minghuang pondered this.
The Chen Family Head waved his hand and called out:
"Yu'er, take out that pill and let your Uncle Lin examine it."
As his words fell.
A young man stepped out from behind him. He appeared to be over thirty, fat-headed and large-eared, ugly in appearance. From time to time, his gaze drifted toward Lin Wanqiu, seated at the head of the hall, carrying a trace of greed.
Lin Zhengquan looked at the young man and asked:
"I know you. You are the Chen Family Head's son, Chen Yu. What is this about?"
When Chen Yu heard that Lin Zhengquan knew him, delight appeared on his face. As though presenting a treasure, he took a Brocade Box from his sleeve and offered it before him.
"This nephew heard that Miss Lin was born with blocked meridians and finds cultivation difficult. This nephew and Miss Lin have been childhood sweethearts since youth, innocent companions who grew up together, so this nephew has always felt deeply distressed."
Before you continue