Yun Qing listened quietly, his expression unchanged. He merely raised his wine cup and took a small sip. As the wine slid down his throat, it proved mellow and rich, a thread of warmth flowing straight into his dantian. It felt wonderfully comfortable.
Xia Wushang watched Yun Qing in silence for a moment, then suddenly smiled. His smile held a little less courtesy and a little more sincerity.
"Still, Eldest Young Master Yun and I did fight shoulder to shoulder on the Azure Cloud Road. Since Fellow Daoist Yun has asked, I won't keep the Yun Clan guessing."
Yun Qing raised his cup in a distant toast, his tone likewise growing a little warmer. "Please, Brother Xia."
The two favored sons of heaven tacitly drew closer, their forms of address shifting from "Your Highness the Crown Prince" and "Eldest Young Master Yun" to "Brother Xia" and "Fellow Daoist Yun."
Yun Tianluo covered his lips with his folding fan, amusement in his eyes, and shared a drink with the Third Prince, Xia Wujie, seated across from him.
The two accompanying guests also understood without a word.
Xia Wushang set down his cup and smiled openly. His first words were, "You have come from afar, and what you seek does indeed exist in our Great Xia. We are also willing to give it to you."
Such straightforward readiness instead left Yun Qing and his two companions slightly taken aback.
From what they knew of this Crown Prince of Xia, he hid unfathomable depths behind his composure, and his thoughts were difficult to read. Even if his words did not wind around thirteen bends, he ought to leave himself three layers of room to maneuver. His frankness today was quite unexpected.
Yun Tianluo gently waved his folding fan and voiced their doubts with