"Ah? Who?"
Ruojin didn't react at first. But when she saw her friend's expression change from gloomy to bright in an instant, her excitement so unrestrained it was almost a loss of composure, she immediately realized that this blue-clad young man with his distinctive bearing was probably the mysterious "friend" Hong Hanran had mentioned earlier, the one who could turn the situation around.
"Come on, help me greet him!"
Hong Hanran didn't have time to explain. She took the still-bewildered Ruojin by the hand and hurried toward Lin Yi, who had just reached the entrance and was about to follow the crowd into the manor.
Ruojin followed for a couple of steps, her mind racing to guess the young man's identity. Who could make Hong Hanran lose her composure like this?
Just then, out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of a figure who had appeared without warning inside the manor, at the entrance to the corridor leading to the main hall.
He wasn't particularly tall and wore a plain, dark gray robe. His face looked ordinary, but the moment he appeared, the somewhat noisy atmosphere around them seemed to freeze.
An invisible majesty spread quietly through the area, like liquid mercury pouring across the ground, making everyone who sensed it hold their breath without thinking.
Ruojin's heart jolted.
It was World Lord Hong Yan!
He had come out in person. Wasn't he supposed to be in the main hall, welcoming the most honored guests?
Why was he here near the manor entrance?
Ruojin saw World Lord Hong Yan calmly nod to the guests nearby who had noticed him and bowed in greeting.
Then, without pausing, World Lord Hong Yan strode straight toward someone.
In that instant, every gaze at the entrance turned in that direction.
The