Dinner Together

A simple thank-you made Chen Xiaolin as happy as a little boy. Mere gratitude would not have excited him so much, but the gentleness in her voice gave him a taste of something different. Yang Qingliu had never spoken to him so tenderly before.

She had even avoided his gaze, whether deliberately or unconsciously. But perhaps the emotion she felt this time would be the key that pried open the door to her heart.

It was time for the award ceremony.

This was also the most thrilling moment. Wasn't this precisely what everyone had worked so hard in the tournament for?

Unexpectedly, the person presenting the awards was not the head referee, Liao Yunxiao, but the contestant who had competed in the first tier. The moment she introduced her identity, all the contestants and even the referees, except Liao Yunxiao, dropped to their knees in respect.

On the awards platform, a graceful woman with violet eyes and silver hair revealed her true face and calmly introduced herself.

"Hello, everyone. I am Han Qing. Earlier, I chose to withdraw from the tournament for certain reasons, causing considerable confusion for the Referee Panel. Here, speaking only for myself, I offer my apologies to all the referees."

With that, she moved to bow to the head referee, Liao Yunxiao. This frightened Liao Yunxiao terribly, and she hurriedly stepped aside and went forward to stop her. What a joke! Even a Transcendent Master, though exempt from kneeling before royalty, would never dare calmly accept a bow of apology from a royal.

"Your Highness, please don't! You were delayed because you heard that a Snow and Ice Banshee had appeared in the Dense Fog Zone and went to investigate. This was not your fault. Quite the contrary, our Shenzhou Kingdom is proud to have a princess like you, who disregards her own safety and thinks only of the people."

Only then did everyone, both at the tournament grounds and watching the livestream, understand. Her Highness had withdrawn because she had heard about the Snow and Ice Banshee in the Dense Fog Zone and gone to investigate. That was entirely understandable.

What a wonderful princess, devoted to her country and her people!

Having unexpectedly won a wave of goodwill, Han Qing was very pleased with the excellent excuse Liao Yunxiao had found for her.

What else could I do? Liao Yunxiao thought. We'll all be family in the future. Naturally, one family doesn't speak as though it were two.

Han Qing's melodious voice echoed across Wuji Peak Summit.

"You are all citizens of Shenzhou, the pillars of our future. After three and a half months, the Beast Pet Tournament has finally borne fruit. Now, on behalf of the royal family and the Shenzhou Kingdom, I will present your rewards. Beast Tamers whose names are called, please come onto the platform to receive them!"

Of course, with so many people in the top five hundred, she could not present every award herself. That would wear her to death. The referees handled those ranked five hundredth through twenty-first, while she only presented the awards to the top twenty in the first and second tiers.

The winner of first place in the first tier was none other than Gongsun Qianxue, the controlling woman who disliked Jiang Hao.

When Gongsun Qianxue stepped onto the platform, her beautiful eyes rested on Han Qing, whom she considered a formidable rival. Discovering that Han Qing was a princess shocked her, but she did not let her feelings show and treated Han Qing with the utmost respect.

The rewards for the first tier were far more generous than those for the second. The first-place winner received not only two supreme-grade Beast Crystals, but also a military rank one level higher than the second-tier winner's.

It was Jiang Hao's turn to receive his reward.

He stood excitedly before Han Qing, making no attempt to conceal the adoration in his eyes as he stared at her with burning intensity.

Unfortunately for him, Han Qing had long since grown accustomed to this. Blushing was out of the question.

She was more curious about what Jiang Hao had experienced during his disappearance, but she could hardly question him directly in front of so many people. She placed a supreme-grade Beast Crystal and a contract granting a military rank into his hands. In the future, whenever Jiang Hao wished to join the army, that contract would allow him to take up the post of Deputy Commandant directly.

Holding those two items, Jiang Hao reluctantly left.

Once the award ceremony ended, Jiang Hao and his teammates were about to pack up and head home when Liao Yunxiao came over and told him to go with her, saying she had questions for him.

His teammates all understood that she must want to speak to Jiang Hao about the Snow and Ice Banshee. After exchanging a few words with them, Jiang Hao followed Liao Yunxiao onto the Windriding Bird reserved for the Referee Panel.

To his surprise, Han Qing was there too.

Without the slightest hesitation, he sat down beside her.

"Your Highness, what a coincidence! We meet again."

Han Qing replied coolly, "It isn't a coincidence. I asked Sister Yunxiao to bring you here. There are some things we'd like you to tell us in person."

Groups of contestants departed on Windriding Birds, leaving only a few referees, Jiang Hao, and the others on Wuji Peak Summit. Oh, right-there were also several Guardians, elusive dragons whose heads appeared but whose tails were never seen.

Feeling uncomfortable under everyone's scrutiny, Jiang Hao ventured, "Does Your Highness want to ask where I went while I was missing?"

"That's right. This matter is very important to our Shenzhou Kingdom, so I hope you won't conceal anything."

Looking at the face so close to his own, Jiang Hao suddenly smiled. "Your Highness, I can tell you anything, but I have one request."

"Jiang Hao, how dare you speak to Her Highness like that? With no manners or respect for the rules, are you trying to disgrace our Dragonkeep?"

At Liao Yunxiao's rebuke, Han Qing frowned. She could not guess what Jiang Hao was getting at. What if he made some outrageous demand?

"Tell me," she asked cautiously. "As long as it isn't excessive, I'll agree."

"Could I stop calling you Your Highness and just use your name?"

What sort of strange request was that?

Then Jiang Hao added, "Everyone calls you Your Highness. If I call you that too, wouldn't it feel a little distant? I think using your name would feel much closer."

"Jiang Hao, don't be disrespectful! Her Highness's name isn't something you can use just because you feel like it." He truly knew no bounds.

Han Qing studied Jiang Hao carefully. His expression told her he was serious.

"You may call me by my childhood name, Yuechu. Except in public, of course."

She had agreed! Jiang Hao beamed and held up his left wrist before the two women.

On his wrist were three white threads that were impossible to notice without a close inspection.

Han Qing looked at them several times in confusion. She was not sure what Jiang Hao meant by showing her his wrist.

Liao Yunxiao, however, was far more knowledgeable. She even reached out to tug at the white threads. "Is this... hair?"

Jiang Hao moved his hand away. "Don't touch them! These are gifts from Senior Ice and Snow. She said that whenever I encounter a difficulty I can't resolve, I can snap one of these white hairs, and she'll answer my summons and appear."

At this, Liao Yunxiao cried out, "How is that possible? I've heard that the Snow and Ice Banshee is utterly savage. How could she have let you go?"

Jiang Hao shrugged and spread his hands helplessly. "How would I know? Maybe it's because I'm handsome!"

"Tch!"

Liao Yunxiao was not the only one put off by his narcissism. Even Han Qing was a little speechless.

They had better get back to business!

Han Qing continued questioning him, focusing on the crucial points.

"Then how powerful is she?"

That was the most important question. What would they do if she threatened the safety of the Shenzhou Kingdom?

"I don't know either, but I can say for certain that she's very, very powerful, because she's the only demon I've ever seen who can speak!"

"Heavens!"

The referees nearby immediately cried out in horror. What did a demonic beast capable of speech signify? As far as they knew, any demonic beast in this world that could speak human language had to be at least at the Divine Beast level. Yet the Snow and Ice Banshee did not possess a Divine Beast bloodline.

Why was such a powerful being on their Shenzhou Kingdom's land, and why had they heard nothing about her?

Han Qing's feelings were also tangled and difficult to describe. For a while, no one spoke again.

The Windriding Bird flew quietly down from Wuji Peak Summit.

Han Qing suddenly looked at Jiang Hao's wrist again, hope on her face. "Jiang Hao, since the Snow and Ice Banshee didn't harm you, do you know why?"

Even Jiang Hao could not explain that.

The likeliest possibility was that the Snow and Ice Banshee had wanted him to take away the Lava Heart. She seemed deeply wary of that thing. If she had spared him because he had helped her, then it all made sense.

Obviously, Jiang Hao did not want to announce to everyone that he was currently carrying a priceless heavenly treasure in his backpack.

What he did not know was that Han Qing was planning something at that very moment, something involving him. The instant she heard that Jiang Hao could summon the Snow and Ice Banshee to his side whenever he encountered a difficulty he could not resolve, she had begun formulating her next move.

That was to send Jiang Hao onto the battlefield. If he went to war, he would inevitably encounter danger. When that happened, he could summon the Snow and Ice Banshee to the battlefield to help.

Although this would be terribly unfair to Jiang Hao, the City of Eternity was now hanging by a thread. She had no choice but to use this to counter Xiao Lin, the North Sea Kingdom's Saint.

She could not directly order Jiang Hao to go to the City of Eternity now, so she had to find an opportunity. As it happened, recruitment was underway throughout the country. At that thought, the corners of Han Qing's lips lifted slightly.

The Windriding Bird was very fast, reaching Wuji City from Wuji Peak Summit in only half a day.

They arrived in Wuji City just in time for dinner. Seeing Jiang Hao's reluctance to part, Liao Yunxiao rolled her eyes. She decided to keep his engagement to Han Qing a secret for now, lest the little brat become so excited that he could never sleep again.

Seeing this, Han Qing said directly to Liao Yunxiao, "Sister Yunxiao, would you like to have dinner together? I'll have someone make the arrangements."

"Absolutely!"

Before Liao Yunxiao could speak, Jiang Hao eagerly agreed.

Unexpectedly, Liao Yunxiao shook her head. "Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness, but I still have many matters to attend to. How about letting this little brat keep you company instead?"

Second Sister, you're magnificent! I love this godly assist.

Han Qing hesitated for a moment, then nodded in "reluctant" agreement.

Liao Yunxiao and the other referees watched the two leave. Looking at Han Qing's retreating figure, Liao Yunxiao sensed something amiss, though she could not put her finger on it just then. All she knew was that this princess never spent time alone with a man. Why had she suddenly invited her to dinner today?

Jiang Hao followed Han Qing to her temporary residence. The traditional-style building had none of that extravagant splendor. Instead, it had the quiet elegance of a summer retreat manor.