Li Ping'an's main purpose in coming today was to eat.
It was his first time eating food from the Imperial Palace, though he had tasted plenty of delicacies on his travels far and wide.
But the fine dishes served in the palace were not something one could find just anywhere.
So, apart from exchanging a few words with the emperor of Great Xia and occasionally chatting with Great Xia's Chief Attendant beside him, Li Ping'an spent most of his time eating mouthful after mouthful.
Although he ate quickly, he did not seem uncouth.
Li Ping'an had long since mastered this particular skill.
His thumb hooked over the rim of his bowl, his chopsticks flitted over the various delicacies like a dragonfly skimming water.
The bowl had been completely empty, yet another glance revealed it was already filled to the brim.
But in mere moments, he had eaten every last morsel in it.
Then came another round of dragonfly skimming.
Old Ox's movements were almost perfectly synchronized with his.
"Swish, swish, swish~"
All manner of dishes were brought to the table in turn, and few people at this table were focused on eating to begin with.
After all, those seated there were figures such as the Director, the Chief Attendant...
Most merely sampled a mouthful of each dish before putting down their chopsticks. The food held little attraction for them.
The Chief Attendant, for instance, simply rested with his eyes closed, paying no one any attention.
The Director and the old Daoist occasionally exchanged a few words and drank a cup of wine, though they remained silent most of the time.
It was as though they were unfamiliar with each other.
The higher people's cultivation, the more often they behaved this way.
For one thing, they were surrounded by juniors, so