The Victory Banquet

At midday, at Laurel Moon Tower in the capital.

In the lobby on the first floor, an elderly storyteller dressed in a scholar's robe sat alone in the center of the hall, surrounded by tables of wine. On the second floor, square tables were set up along the railing, where patrons enjoyed their food and drinks while listening to the old man's storytelling.

"Smack!"

The old man picked up the gavel and said in a deep, resonant voice:

"Several sunsets have passed over the Cangshan Mountains, and the human heart is filled with the most profound thoughts. Last time, we talked about how the Shaman God was forced back to Jingshan City by the Great Confucian Zhao Shou, and the two sides fought to a standstill."

The old man raised his hand and pointed sharply, emphasizing, "But that is the Shaman God, one of the strongest beings throughout history. He is indestructible, even the Great Confucian could not kill him. So, the Shaman God returned and attacked Great Feng again. But the Great Confucian is dead. Who can stop him now?"

He paused, then leisurely picked up his teacup, took a sip, and continued:

"Furthermore, in Leizhou, our Great Feng's Transcendent warriors fought valiantly, blocking the Buddha at the Leizhou border, refusing to retreat an inch, yet they too faced a life-or-death crisis. Daoist Jinlian sacrificed himself for his country; who will be next?"

The diners around slowed down their eating and listened attentively.

"Leizhou and Yuyang Pass are already so dangerous, but even that cannot compare to Xu Silver Gong Xu, who, overseas, single-handedly held off two Gods and Devils." The old man stroked his beard and said with emotion:

"That battle blew the heavens and earth away, the sun and moon lost their light, and the entire ocean turned blood red, covered with countless fish carcasses."

The old storyteller described the events with great seriousness, while the diners in the restaurant listened attentively, immersed in the scenes he painted.

Standing by the railing on the second floor, Li Lingsu picked up her wine cup, took a sip, and said with a sour tone:

"The details are so clear, Xu Ningyan must have spread it herself."

The swordsman in blue robes Chu Yuanzhen, sitting opposite him, shook his head:

"It was a message from the imperial court."

"I've heard the same version more than ten times already. These past few days, people have been spreading the story of Xu Ningyan's achievements in teahouses, restaurants, brothels, and even the Imperial Music Bureau. Everyone in the capital knows that he has become an unparalleled Martial God."

Li Lingsu put down her wine cup and said expectantly:

"Are there any details about me in the stories that happened there?"

Chu Yuanzhen glanced at him:

"The details of how the Holy Son of the Heaven Sect was momentarily confused, wanting to be the Heavenly Venerable's father, and then being expelled from the sect?"

Li Lingsu lowered her head and drank.

Chu Yuanzhen asked, "What are your plans next?"

He was referring to his future spiritual practice.

Li Lingsu pondered for a moment:

"I'm Supreme Forgetfulness of Emotion, and I don't care for the Human Sect or the Earth Sect anymore. I plan to return to the Primordial Dao Arts. Hmm, before that, I want to raise my Martial Dao to the Fourth Rank."

Chu Yuanzhen immediately showed a look of pity.

Li Lingsu turned her head and looked back at the main hall and the diners below. Seeing their expressions of admiration and their joy at Xu Qi'an's achievement, she was momentarily dazed.

"Envious?" Chu Yuanzhen asked with a smile.

Li Lingsu scoffed:

"I'm not Yang Qianhuan; these empty titles are nothing but fleeting clouds to me."

The Holy Son disliked showing off in public and was not at all envious of Xu Qi'an's reputation.

Chu Yuanzhen nodded:

"Fortunately, he was in seclusion at the Bureau of Astronomy, completely oblivious to the outside world; otherwise, I'm truly afraid he wouldn't have been able to withstand this blow."

Upon hearing this, Li Lingsu revealed a smug smile:

"I've already resolved my inner conflict. Now that I think about it, there's really no need to compete with Xu Ningyan. His romantic entanglements are just with the Flower God, the Imperial Preceptor, Princess Lin'an, and Yeji. Although these women are stunningly beautiful, they are all formidable women. He'll have a hard time getting into trouble."

"Moreover, my sister has a strong personality and can't tolerate any injustice, so she's destined to be someone he can only see but not have."

"And Huaiqing, with Number One's domineering nature, would he be willing to share a husband with other women?"

"On the other hand, although I'm overwhelmed dealing with my female confidantes, they're all devoted to having my children."

Chu Yuanzhen then showed a look of pity and said:

I also have a Xu Ningyan.

The Holy Son did not take it to heart and said:

"So?"

Chu Yuanzhen hesitated for a moment:

"There's something I'm not sure whether I should give to him. Hmm, Her Majesty Huaiqing originally intended to die for her country to stop the Shaman God. When we met at the border, she gave me a letter and asked me to pass it on to Xu Ningyan."

"Later, Dean Zhao Shou sacrificed his life for the country in place of His Majesty, but she forgot to return this letter."

Isn't this a will? And it even specifically names Xu Ningyan, that scoundrel? The Holy Son's eyes lit up, and he lowered his voice:

What did the letter say?

Chu Yuanzhen shook his head:

"Prying into other people's privacy is not the act of Gentleman."

As he spoke, he took the letter out of his pocket, placed it on the table, and said:

"I'll hand it over to Xu Ningyan when he arrives."

Li Lingsu was shameless; she snatched it away and began reading.

At first, he had a gossipy look on his face, secretly excited. But as he watched, his expression gradually froze. Then, his expression turned angry and resentful, revealing a sense of frustration at having shot himself in the foot.

"Why should I watch it? Damn it, damn Xu Ningyan! I have never seen such a heartless and ungrateful man, so lecherous and despicable! It's an outrage against heaven!"

Li Lingsu put down the letter, her face filled with grief and indignation.

That was an empress, the supreme ruler, the monarch of a nation!

Such a woman, even if of average appearance, is better than a stunning beauty.

Huaiqing herself was a remarkable woman who possessed both wisdom and beauty.

Li Lingsu, who was also a playboy, once again recalled the fear and humiliation of being dominated by "Xu Qian".

Chu Yuanzhen lowered his gaze, quickly glanced at the envelope, and immediately understood that Huaiqing and Xu Ningyan's "affair" had hurt the Holy Son's heart.

He was jealous.

Just moments ago, Chu Yuanzhen was mocking Yang Qianhuan. He silently put away the envelope, folded it neatly, and tucked it into his pocket, saying:

"I've suddenly changed my mind. As for the letter, I'll inform His Majesty later and let her decide for herself."

"Brother Li, let's just pretend this never happened."

Since it's a "love letter" expressing her heartfelt feelings, it definitely can't be given to Xu Qi'an. Given Huaiqing's personality, she would never want this letter to fall into Xu Qi'an's hands.

If he were to hand over the letter, he might be beheaded by Huaiqing's order a few days later simply because his left foot stepped out the door first.

Chu Yuanzhen took out the letter in front of Li Lingsu because he wanted to peek into its contents through him.

As for whether there was anything wrong with doing so, Chu Yuanzhen believed that what did Li Lingsu's prying into his privacy have to do with him, Chu Yuanzhen, and that he was still a Gentleman.

"Of course! This matter will absolutely not be leaked."

Li Lingsu readily agreed, but secretly planned to find an opportunity to reveal the affair between the adulterous couple to the Imperial Preceptor, Miaozhen, Lin'an, and the Flower God.

He wanted to make Xu Qi'an pay the price for his womanizing.

As for whether there was anything wrong with doing this, Li Lingsu believed that it was Chu Yuanzhen who failed to properly safeguard the "suicide note," so what did it have to do with him Li Lingsu?

"Huh, when did the Holy Son return to the capital?"

Just then, a familiar voice came from the stairwell. The two looked in the direction of the voice and saw a man dressed in blue with an ordinary appearance climbing the stairs, with a little girl with her hair in a bun sitting on his shoulder.

Two short legs dangled over the man's chest, and her small feet wore a pair of white embroidered shoes.

The little girl had a round face and her eyes weren't very bright, making her look a bit simple-minded.

The man looked exactly like "Xu Qian".

Chu Yuanzhen and Li Lingsu nodded to each other.

Why does the Holy Son look so displeased with me? Xu Qi'an sat down at the table, then put the Little Bean down, who obediently settled into eating mode and began to eat in silence.

"His Majesty will be holding a victory banquet in the palace in three days to reward those who have contributed. You two should remember to attend."

As he spoke, Xu Qi'an looked at the Holy Son: "Will you roam the martial world from now on, or stay in the capital and follow me?"

Li Lingsu glanced at him and sneered:

"Why should I follow you? This Holy Son is a man of great merit, enjoying endless riches and honors."

Xu Qi'an said calmly:

"Before coming here, I discussed it with His Majesty. We planned to teach you the secrets of dual cultivation and help you open a Daoist temple in the capital, recruit many disciples, and specialize in the Bedchamber Arts. Since you are unwilling, then forget it."

Li Lingsu changed his tone. "Elder brother, please accept my bow."

The secret method of dual cultivation could solve his predicament of having spent all his money and finding it difficult to recover, while opening a Daoist temple was a dream come true for every Daoist Order cultivator.

Xu Qi'an then looked at Chu Yuanzhen:

"Why did you call me out?"

Chu Yuanzhen said without changing his expression:

"Drinking alcohol and eating meat."

As he spoke, he picked up his chopsticks to pick up some food, only to find that Xu Lingyin had already eaten all the dishes.

"My sister's appetite has increased again." He silently put down his chopsticks.

Three days later.

The Empress hosted a banquet for her officials in the Xuande Hall, inviting princes, nobles, civil and military officials to celebrate the Great Feng Peace that reigned throughout the land.

As the appointed time arrived, civil and military officials took their seats one after another.

Wei Yuan led his two adopted sons, Yang Yan and Nangong Qianrou, into the room. The man in blue glanced at the main table, where Huaiqing, dressed in imperial robes, sat in the east seat, with Xu Ningyan to his left.

Xu Lingyin, with half her head peeking out, was standing next to Xu Ningyan.

Wei Yuan hesitated for a moment, then silently walked to the side, avoiding the main table.

"Godfather?"

Nangong Qianrou expressed her confusion.

The position to the right of the Empress belongs to Wei Yuan.

"It's just a meal, it doesn't matter where you sit."

Wei Yuan said calmly, leading his two adopted sons to sit at the next table.

Just as they sat down, another group of people arrived, led by the dashing Flying Swallow Heroine, dressed in a Daoist robe, followed by Chu Yuanzhen, Asuro, and other members of the Heaven and Earth Society.

Li Miaozhen glanced at Xu Qi'an, who sat down at the main table with an air of nonchalance. Then, turning her head, she noticed Chu Yuanzhen and her senior brothers, and quietly went to another table.

Seeing this scene, Nangong Qianrou's heart stirred. She recalled the tragic scene on the day of Xu Ningyan and Prince Lin'an's wedding and suddenly understood her godfather's good intentions.

Godfather wants to watch the show again.

Sure enough, at that moment, a golden light appeared, transforming into a beautiful and aloof fairy.

The Imperial Advisor has arrived.

Luo Yuheng, dressed in flowing robes, silently picked up the Little Bean and put him aside, then sat down next to Xu Qi'an.

On the other side, Second Uncle Xu entered somewhat reservedly with his family, followed by his aunt, Erlang, Lin'an, Mu Nanzhi, and Xu Lingyue.

"Cough cough!"

Xu Erlang cleared his throat and said in a low voice:

"Father, come with me."

They took their parents to Wang Zhenwen's table, while Lin'an, Mu Nanzhi, and Xu Lingyue sat at the main table.

Next, the leaders of the Gu Race arrived. Long Tu brought hundreds of his tribesmen to the banquet, but they were stopped at the palace gate by the Imperial Guards. In the end, he only brought Lina and Mosang's two children to sneak in.

Palace maids and eunuchs carried wine and dishes to and from each table, while in the distance, dancers from the Imperial Music Bureau performed to entertain the guests, and the sounds of string and wind instruments filled the air.

"Master!"

The Little Bean, who had been deprived of his seat, felt like he had found his people when he saw Lina and Long Tu enter, and happily ran over.

Long Tu patted the Little Bean's head, glanced around, and walked towards the table where the Gu Race leaders were sitting.

Shadow Ba Ji and the others immediately showed expressions of disgust.

Lina glanced at the location of the Gu Race leader and the members of the Heaven and Earth Society, then looked away without going over. Instead, she pulled the Little Bean to the table where Liu Hong, Zhang Xingying, and other civil officials were sitting.

She patted the Little Bean's head, Little Bean suddenly had a flash of inspiration, displaying a cleverness beyond what was usually displayed, and said in a sweet voice:

May I sit here?

Who could resist Xu Ningyan's sister?

Zhang Xingying stroked his beard and laughed:

"Little girl, aren't you shy? Sit next to this old man."

Liu Hong then turned his head and looked around, jokingly saying:

Fortunately, the Grand Tutor didn't come today.

The civil officials at the banquet burst into laughter.

Xu Ningyan's younger sister was notorious for her dullness, which caused a sensation in the capital's official circles. The teachers at the Cloud Deer Academy were at a loss, and the Grand Tutor was almost obsessed with trying to enlighten her.

The Little Bean jumped onto the round stool and began to eat without saying a word.

With this opening, Grand Secretary Qian Qingshu casually echoed:

"I don't believe in superstitions. Miss Xu Household's lack of education is simply because she hasn't met me."

Zhang Xingying's smile was forced and insincere.

"There's no need for Grand Secretary Qian to intervene. I'll simply take a few days out of my busy schedule and give this girl her first lessons."

Left Censor-in-Chief Liu Hong took a sip of wine, casually picked up some food, and said:

"I've heard that Xu Household is exceptionally talented in cultivation."

He suddenly paused, his chopsticks clinking on the plate. Where was the food?

The food was all eaten.

Xu Lingyin and Lina silently got up and walked to the next table.

They specifically chose the seats where the civil officials were seated, while the two maids cleverly avoided the tables where the military officers were seated.

Liu Hong stared at the mess of cups and plates on the table, and after a long while, finally managed to utter a sentence:

Who said she's dull-witted?

On the other side, Luan Yu, dressed in a bright and alluring outfit, rose from her seat and walked towards the main table.