"Are you here for the birthday celebration as well, Young Master Qiu?" Ling Xiao picked up a glass of wine and took a small sip.
A trace of mockery flickered across Qiu Qinghan's face. "Celebration? Is she worthy? Uh, hehe, I merely heard the city was lively and came to see the sights."
"Oh?" Ling Xiao's eyebrows rose slightly. If even the Great Xia Empress Dowager was unworthy, what status did this Qiu Qinghan possess?
"Young Master Xiao, I feel an immediate kinship with Miss Qingchan. I wonder if you could... part with her?" However, the cold arrogance on Qiu Qinghan's face lasted only three seconds before transforming into a look of greed.
"She's not my maid. She's my woman," Ling Xiao stated plainly, without elaboration.
The expressions on both Ye Qingchan's and Qiu Qinghan's faces froze simultaneously.
"Young Master..." Ye Qingchan's eyes reddened, visibly moved.
Meanwhile, a flicker of killing intent passed through Qiu Qinghan's eyes, ultimately settling into indifference. "I see. My apologies, then."
Your woman?
If you were gone, wouldn't she be mine?
This Ye Qingchan... serene yet lively, adorably shy, and her looks are... peerless. More importantly...
Heh, such a divine maiden shouldn't be wasted on a man.
"Heh, Brother Xiao, what gift have you brought for the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet?" Qiu Qinghan mused inwardly. Judging by the young man's demeanor, his cultivation probably wasn't weak.
Moreover, since he came from Xuyun City, he might have some connection to the Great Xia royal family.
But was he here in Dragon Fortune City to celebrate... or to assassinate?
"A gift? My presence is the gift. They should be offering me congratulations," Ling Xiao sneered.
Qiu Qinghan shot him a meaningful glance.
I have to say, the way this kid spouts nonsense with a straight face is quite entertaining.
But how long can you keep up this act?
"Alright, Qingchan, it's time we left. Young Master Qiu, until we meet again." Ling Xiao stood up, took Ye Qingchan's delicate hand, and walked out of the tavern.
The smile on Qiu Qinghan's face instantly darkened.
A demon has emerged in the Western Frontier. Xia Yong of Xuyun City is dead.
Xiao Ling... Ling Xiao?
That demonic prodigy from the Eastern Frontier who single-handedly slaughtered three thousand disciples of a holy land?
Am I overthinking this?
But... should I report this to that lord?
In a dark alley, Ling Xiao casually tossed a armored guard to the ground, snapped his fingers, and instantly incinerated the man into nothingness.
"Interesting, truly interesting! This Great Xia truly lives up to its name as a land of dragon fortune," Ling Xiao's eyes sparkled with delight.
Ye Qingchan stood quietly beside him, not uttering a word from beginning to end.
Based on Ling Xiao's actions, she could roughly tell that they probably didn't align with the righteous path.
But so what?
The one she loved was the Young Master!!
What did the distinction between righteous and evil matter?
The Great Xia Imperial Palace was bustling with noise and excitement!
An imperial dynasty like Great Xia naturally had countless vassal kingdoms under its rule.
Among the Eight Great Imperial Dynasties, there were naturally both allies and enemies.
Especially since the new Emperor of Great Xia had obtained his throne through usurpation...
While many orthodox imperial lines looked down on him, they secretly desired to control him and use him as a weapon.
"Crown Prince He Qi Wai of the Great He Kingdom, presenting a thousand-year blood ginseng as tribute, congratulates the Empress Dowager on her centennial birthday!"
"Crown Prince Yan Thirty-eight of the Yanqing Kingdom, presenting a pair of deep-sea green jade corals as tribute, congratulates the Empress Dowager on her centennial birthday!"
...
"The Second Prince of the Great Qi Imperial Dynasty, Qi Deqiang, presenting a Dao Artifact: the Eight Trigrams Qiankun Bell, congratulates the Empress Dowager on her centennial birthday!"
Outside the main palace hall, the procession of guests was endless.
Upon hearing the guard's announcement, the entire palace fell into a dead silence.
A... bell? [Note: The word for "bell" is a homophone for "funeral bell" or "to attend a funeral," making it an extremely unlucky gift for a birthday.]
Was that the fucking point?
Of course not!!
If an ordinary person received a bell at their birthday banquet, they'd probably be dead by now!
But was this an ordinary person?
This was the Second Prince of Great Qi!
Among the current Eight Great Imperial Dynasties of the Western Frontier, Great Qi ranked among the upper four.
In the past, they were comparable in strength to Great Xia, but now, Great Xia simply couldn't be mentioned in the same breath.
And a Dao Artifact!!
As expected of an imperial prince, his gifts were extravagant!
"So the Second Prince of Qi has arrived. Please, come in quickly!" Above the hall, Xia Sheng's eyes narrowed. Though a gloom lurked in their depths, a warm smile spread across his face.
Beside him sat an elderly woman with snow-white hair, and on the other side, a beautiful woman in her forties, wearing a golden crown and phoenix robes. These were the Empress Dowager and the Empress, Dugu Qingfeng.
Below the throne, three princes and one princess sat in the front row.
Except for the First Prince, Xia Feng, who was absent.
The Fourth Prince, Xia Sun, and the Fifth Princess, Xia Yanran, were born of concubines.
The Second and Third Princes were the Empress's direct descendants.
All four had cultivations at the Breakthrough Realm. Xia Feng was the strongest at the late Breakthrough Realm, while the other four were all at the mid-stage.
"Humph, Xia Feng is becoming more and more disrespectful. He doesn't even return for the Empress Dowager's birthday. Does he hold no regard for Your Majesty and the Empress Dowager?" The Empress coldly snorted, her tone calm.
Xia Feng was the great contributor to their lineage's ascension to the throne.
He was also the strongest contender for the Crown Prince position.
But since he wasn't the Empress's direct descendant, she naturally... never missed an opportunity to suppress him.
"Hehe, Empress, why bother with him? You know Feng'er's temperament; he's solely devoted to the Dao. He doesn't even care about the throne. A few days ago, he said he was taking Shuang'er to explore some ancient ruins. I'm afraid he won't be back for a while." Emperor Xia shook his head with a light laugh, though a trace of gloom hid in his eyes.
This First Prince of his was indeed becoming more and more mysterious.
Sometimes, even he felt... somewhat unable to see through him.
But fortunately, he seemed genuinely uninterested in the supreme imperial power. Otherwise...
"Hehehe, Deqiang pays his respects to Emperor Xia, Empress Xia, and the Empress Dowager!" Below the hall, a figure in golden robes stepped forward slowly, bowing to Emperor Xia and the others. His gaze, however, subtly drifted towards Xia Yanran.
This Fifth Princess of Great Xia was a renowned talented daughter of the Western Frontier.
It wasn't that her cultivation was exceptionally high, but rather... her celestial beauty and gentle temperament made her an ideal match.
But!!
Such an ideal match was said to have been married off to a mortal with no background or status three years ago.
Who knew what kind of shit Emperor Xia's brain was filled with? Instead of using such a perfect tool for political marriage, he'd given her to a waste?
A cold gleam flashed in Qi Deqiang's eyes, a detail that naturally didn't escape the notice of Emperor Xia and the others.
"Second Prince, please, no need for such formalities! A seat for the Prince!" Emperor Xia frowned slightly, a thoughtful expression emerging in his heart.
Xia Yanran was his daughter, but her marriage had been decided by a now-deceased elder from the Xia Sheng lineage.
The elder had said... if someone arrived with the token, Xia Yanran should be married to him.
The elder hadn't elaborated on the reason. At that time, Xia Yanran had just been born, and the Xia Sheng lineage hadn't yet ascended to the throne.
So, no one found it inappropriate.
What Emperor Xia hadn't expected was that three years ago, a down-and-out youth, covered in dust, had actually walked up to him and presented the token the elder had spoken of.
Xia Yanran had refused. Emperor Xia himself had been somewhat reluctant.
But... remembering the elder's final instructions, he had ultimately agreed to the marriage.
Three years passed in the blink of an eye. This live-in son-in-law had been tolerant and low-key, enduring all the sarcasm and ridicule from Xia Yanran and her mother.
Thus, the title "Great Xia's Good-for-Nothing Son-in-Law" became known to all.
Who knew if this good-for-nothing would show up today to disgrace himself?
"Hehehe, Emperor Xia, my visit has another purpose. My Great Qi... wishes to form an alliance with Great Xia. Therefore, I was specially sent to assess Emperor Xia's sincerity." Although Qi Deqiang's words were directed at Emperor Xia, his gaze continually drifted towards Xia Yanran.
Hearing this, Emperor Xia and Empress Dugu exchanged a glance. Though dissatisfied, they had their suspicions.
Great Qi was at its peak, ranking among the top of the Eight Great Imperial Dynasties.
Although this Second Prince of Qi spoke arrogantly, he had the capital to be arrogant.
If they could form an alliance with them, Great Xia's unstable national situation would surely stabilize.
But... judging by the Second Prince's meaning, his intentions probably weren't limited to an alliance.
Xia Yanran was married to that good-for-nothing, but it was said she remained pure and untouched.
If... hehe!
This matter could be accomplished!!