Chapter 257

Chapter 257: The Feast Without Joy

Just after peering into the time-space ruins, the Grand Xuan Dynasty immediately took action, showing utmost caution.

“Aofeng Sect’s Li Yingjun, Su Qing’er obeys the command!” Li Hui hurriedly stepped forward; celebrating the Prince’s birthday required decorum, and without showing respect, how could he seek the Emperor’s jade sword? The silver snake bracelet only opened a tiny gap, carefully concealing their activities to avoid being exposed too soon.

The booming voice faded away, without a decree, only an oral command.

Before entering the palace, they naturally needed to prepare. The atmosphere in the Grand Xuan Dynasty became tense, with even the markets feeling the pressure. Qiniang’s sales of spirit talismans and alchemy went smoothly, but she could sense the official stress; this was a shift in the environment from relaxed to strict.

The instigator was busy, feeling the consequences of his actions; before the chariot sent from the palace arrived, he finally prepared everything and stored it carefully.

To celebrate the Prince’s birthday, gifts were necessary. Li Hui felt quite frustrated; he needed to escape back to land, couldn’t charge expenses to the Aofeng Sect, and had to pay from his own pocket. If he could approach the Noble Concubine and obtain the Emperor’s jade sword, he would accept any cost; what did the Xuantian Road mean to him?

Time flew by, and even though one day passed outside, it felt insufficient for his eighteen days here.

As night fell the next day, a delicate pavilion arrived at the port. Li Hui and Su Qing’er followed the eunuch into the pavilion, and a flash of light instantly transported them to a waterside platform.

“Please follow me; Noble Concubine Wan and the Prince are hosting a feast at the Furong Pavilion for the disciples from all sects.” The eunuch, in his thirties, at first glance seemed to be a woman, his skin delicate but hands and feet large, walking steadily like a farmer.

Li Hui enjoyed observing people; there was a myriad of personalities. This was his first time seeing a eunuch, and he quietly studied his gait. Su Qing’er liked to admire the scenery, looking around with an air of mischief.

Before long, clouds and mist converged.

When they stepped out of the mist, a splendid pavilion stood before them.

This exquisite pavilion seemed utterly ordinary, surrounded by a lotus pond with no other aesthetic features, seemingly embarrassing for the royal palace. However, Li Hui recognized that the pavilion was entirely made from Xumi Bamboo; what could this be? Low-key luxury.

In fact, it was anything but low-key.

Once inside the pavilion, the space expanded, sparkling with gold and brilliance. Gems carpeted the floor, golden walls stood tall, and exotic treasures abounded, with lanterns hanging high…

Li Hui’s eyes couldn’t absorb it all. Suddenly, he spotted a pair of light blue Ice Silkworms gliding past, gleaming with cold light; he truly wanted to take out a pearl and gather them.

They were too wealthy, too extravagant, too luxurious, too…

Compared to this, Li Hui felt extraordinarily poor; he wished he could package the pavilion and take it away, for the walls were made of dragon scale gold, which could trade for how much blank talisman paper?

Without the enhancement from the silver snake bracelet, his success rate for creating talismans only reached fifteen percent, meaning he could complete three out of twenty talismans. This was with grasping hand seals and the benefits from the sympathetic talismans; otherwise, it would be abysmally low.

If he could take this pavilion, Li Hui believed he could easily boost his success rate to forty percent, and reaching fifty percent wouldn’t be a stretch.

Of course, that was just a daydream.

Not to mention how many golden-armored warriors stood along the corridor, surrounded by strange beasts like tigers, leopards, wolves, and snakes flickering in the shadows—not mere fragments, but complete forms—indicating they were at the Great Perfection of the Concentrating Spirit stage. The Spirit Motion marks ranked above the middle tier, forming formations with their armor to engage in combat, easily killing those at the Initial Condense Essence Stage. Additionally, the pavilion harbored formations, offering extraordinary defense.

“Please walk this way.” The guiding eunuch became increasingly cautious.

Li Hui felt hot all over; his Ideal Body instinctively responded to the strength of the formations. Moreover, several exotic treasures on him reacted, signaling someone was using spiritual sense to scan.

Walking through the light cast by scattered lanterns, the surrounding palaces stood tall and numerous, but only shadowy outlines were visible.

Su Qing’er snorted. “Tch, what’s so special to look at?”

“What’s wrong, Junior Sister?” Li Hui noticed her displeasure.

“Be respectful. You should call me Senior Sister!” Su Qing’er emphasized, lifting her chin and pointing towards several pavilions, saying, “They’re looking at us like we’re monkeys; aren’t they bored in the palace? Even a single person can be fascinating for hours.”

At that moment, a nearby voice piped up, “Little girl, are you Su Qing’er? Hahaha, I’ve heard you have a youthful face and a generous bosom, and it’s true! I’m smitten at first sight and want you as my princess. Hahaha, being the Aofeng Sect’s son-in-law wouldn’t be bad either.”

Others chimed in, “Tonight we’re fortunate to see the true appearance of the princess; it’s fate from three lifetimes. Why not accomplish a good arrangement after the feast?”

“Bastard.” Su Qing’er was about to strike back, but her small hand was playfully held by her mischievous Junior Brother. She heard him laugh, “So you’re already a princess, huh? I must get close. By the way, I hear you snore and kick the blanket when you sleep; I wonder how many of Grand Xuan’s green-capped kings have seen that up close.”

The air felt nearly stagnant. A gale stirred near the golden path, and a shadowy figure in a pavilion seemed to dance. A hoarse voice struck like a sword, “Impudent!”

Li Hui was very kind to those close to him; he could joke with Su Qing’er but wouldn’t allow others to speak disrespectfully. He smiled lightly and said, “I’m not bold at all; why is it that everywhere I go, people say I’m audacious? Junior Sister is like a treasure in my palm; I must protect her, so how could I allow you to belittle her? Come, if you have the skill, challenge me, or I’ll go to you for a duel.”

Those with gentle tempers often became formidable when angered. Li Hui fell into this category: usually refined and polite, but it was a great mistake to underestimate him!

“Hahaha, not daring to come? Then I’ll advance.” Li Hui held Su Qing’er’s hand, and under the astonished gaze of the eunuch, he departed from the golden path, entering thick mist, and suddenly, a thunderous sound erupted as the formations activated one after another.

Su Qing’er screamed in fright, “Stupid Junior Brother, do you want to die?”

However, in the next moment, Su Qing’er was astonished to find that Li Hui carried her like a drifting feather, floating with the wind, scattering through the mist and rain. No matter how fierce the wind or rain, no matter from which direction, he seemed to stroll through heaven, carefree and unrestrained, catching her breath in awe!

In a blink, Li Hui bypassed eighteen formation rings, disregarding restrictions, and stepped onto the cobbled path leading to the grand pavilion. He scanned the figures within, striding forward, “Which of you is the prince? If you want to marry my Junior Sister, it requires Eight Celestial Dragons pulling the carriage, eight sacred decrees as endorsements, eight countries’ rare birds dancing, eight treasure mountains as gifts, eighty thousand true cultivators kneeling, and all sects bringing congratulations. Hehe, those demands are a bit low; it’s a close call!”

The cultivators in the pavilion had yet to recover, thinking: “Eight Celestial Dragons pulling the carriage, eight sacred decrees as endorsements, eight countries’ rare birds dancing, eight treasure mountains as gifts, eighty thousand true cultivators kneeling, and all sects bringing congratulations? What level is that? He dares to say the demands are low; that’s barely sufficient? Even the current Emperor wouldn’t reach this level while seeking a wife, truly arrogant and rude.”