A beggar, a monk, an infatuated fool, and Xiao Chen.
No matter how one looked at it, this was a motley group of people. Yet, they openly and boldly walked into the Smiling Daughter Pavilion.
The guards at the doors seemed to have already received some information. They just took a look but did not take any action.
This made the people at the side wonder when a beggar could so openly enter the Smiling Daughter Pavilion.
Ling Yu felt somewhat timid. During this period, he had been badly beaten up. He did not dare believe that he could enter.
“Martial Uncle, can I really go in?”
Before Xiao Chen could answer, more than one hundred pretty women appeared.
Then, these women lined up and greeted as one, “Young Master Xiao, welcome to the Smiling Daughter Pavilion.”
An exceptionally beautiful woman walked out from behind the row of women. She wore a green dress with a jade hairpin on her head. She had exquisite facial features and an extraordinary air.
“Headliner Qiu Yue!”
“What is the headliner Qiu Yue going to do? Is she personally welcoming guests?”
“Who is that person? What are his origins?”
“This setup is very grand. Even a prince would not receive such treatment, right?”
Xiao Chen looked at the green-dressed woman as she walked over to him gracefully and curtseyed.
“Young Master Xiao, please come with me. The Pavilion Master has been waiting for a long time. Please do forgive her for not welcoming you from afar,” Qiu Yue said softly. Her gentle smile easily entranced the surrounding observers, captivating them.
Xiao Chen pointed to the three beside him. “My friends would like to enter with me.”
Qiu Yue looked around and frowned slightly. A dirty beggar, a wretched-looking person who was completely covered up, and a fool with a swollen face.
After a big internal struggle, Qiu Yue said seriously, “Since they are Young Master Xiao’s friends, they are also friends of the Smiling Daughter Pavilion. However, this person cannot enter!” She pointed a dainty finger at Ling Yu.
“For what reason?!”
Ling Yu immediately refused to submit to that. He asked loudly, “Why can I not enter?!”
Qiu Yue stopped speaking at this point. There seemed to be more to this. Then, she sighed, “It is for your own good. However, this is not my intention. It is Elder Sister Ling Long’s intention.”
Ling Yu said somewhat dispiritedly, “I don’t believe it. I don’t believe that this is Elder Sister Ling Long’s intention. Let me see Ling Long. I want her to tell me personally.”
“Let him in.”
Just at this moment, a voice came from the inside.
Qiu Yue nodded slowly and said, “Young Master Xiao, please enter.”
Xiao Chen stepped across the threshold, entering the Smiling Daughter Pavilion. Like the Misty Rain Pavilion, there was an independent world within the Smiling Daughter Pavilion.
The outside looked like a glittering pavilion. In reality, there was a small world with mountains, rivers, and vast white clouds inside.
There seemed to be palaces and pavilions above the white clouds, like a celestial realm.
Honored guests filled the surrounding pavilions.
Ordinarily, there should be many honored guests around the mountains and rivers. However, there was only one table today.
The other honored guests could only hold small gatherings in the pavilions and watch the performance.
Headliner Qiu Yue led the four through small paths in the forest, arriving at the banquet hall amid the mountains and rivers.
Along the way, Xiao Chen discovered many experts hidden in the forest.
The banquet hall was already filled with people. On the first cursory glance, he discovered several familiar people.
There were the Association Chiefs of the top ten Heavenly Alliance subordinate merchant associations. However, the situation was different from previously.
This time, outsiders accompanied the Association Chiefs. If Xiao Chen guessed right, they should be from the upper echelon of the dynasty’s ancient Noble Clans.
“Lord Xiao.”
Fatty Wei and the other two Association Chiefs who signed the new contract stood up and greeted Xiao Chen with embarrassed expressions.
The other Association Chiefs just glanced at Xiao Chen before ignoring him, showing some hostility in their eyes.
Xiao Chen nodded slightly, indicating for the three to sit down. Indeed, there was more to this invitation.
After Xiao Chen’s four took their seats, a group of people walked over from behind, making a grand entrance.
A veiled woman led the group. Three handsome men with a noble air and the vast might of the dynasty accompanied her.
These men were of different ages. However, the air of nobility and the overwhelming dynasty’s might were exactly the same.
These three people were princes.
Xiao Chen thought to himself, This banquet seems to be on a much grander scale than I imagined.
There are three princes and many of the capital’s Noble Clans. What are they planning?
As Xiao Chen felt bewildered, he felt a gaze filled with undisguised murderous intent.
Xiao Chen followed the gaze and found its owner. It belonged to a person who stood beside one of the princes. That person’s expression and appearance looked similar to Monarch Yu’s.
Duke Yun!
What a plan! The Smiling Daughter Pavilion gathered all the people I offended here.
The Association Chiefs and Noble Clan Elders at the banquet hall all stood up and saluted respectfully, “Greetings, First Prince, Eighth Prince, Thirteenth Prince, and Pavilion Master Yang!”
“There is no need for everyone to stand on ceremony today. This is Pavilion Master Yang’s event. Don’t see us as princes or distinguished guests. The true guest of honor here is the Heavenly Alliance’s envoy inspector, Xiao Chen, Lord Xiao!” the prince closest to the veiled woman said with a faint smile as he pointed to Xiao Chen.
“Haha! The First Prince is right. If not for knowing that Young Master Xiao would be coming, this old man would not come to the Smiling Daughter Pavilion tonight.”
The Bountiful Treasure Pavilion’s Liu Zhang laughed sinisterly as he stood up and responded to the First Prince’s words.
“That’s right. Young Master Xiao is the true guest of honor today. Even with all of us added together, we are not as important as Lord Xiao!” the Golden Essence Merchant Association’s Jin Bao said half-jokingly as he gravely raised his wine cup.
Martial Uncle…something seems off. Ling Yu sent a voice projection when he saw the group of people smiling like ravenous wolves that found prey.
Ling Yu noticed that everyone at the banquet table possessed a strong air and had Sovereign Emperor experts with them.
When he looked around, he found more hidden experts among the shadows.
These experts had already silently sealed off all paths of escape. This place looked like an open forest garden, but in reality, it was already sealed off like a cage.
The more frustrating thing was that, aside from Fatty Wei and the other two Association Chiefs, these people at the table stared at Xiao Chen with smiles, as if they had already triumphed over him. This inspired some fluster.
Stay calm. Xiao Chen sent a voice projection.
Then, Xiao Chen looked at the veiled woman and said, “Pavilion Master Yang is really well connected. This Xiao did not know that I would be having this meeting with so many major characters. This truly startled me.”
Xiao Chen had thought that there would be just the First Prince, at most.
Unexpectedly, such a scene would appear. Three princes, ten Association Chiefs, and the representatives of the Noble Clans backing the merchant associations all came.
What a murderous banquet! This group of people already made up their minds to deal with me.
Masked by the veil, Pavilion Master Yang’s beauty appeared indistinct. She waved her hand and said, “Young Master Xiao, there’s no need to get angry. Please take a seat first.”
“Let’s talk business first. I really don’t dare to sit casually in this place,” Xiao Chen retorted indifferently.
The veiled woman laughed softly, “There’s no rush. Take a seat first. Today is the last performance of my Smiling Daughter Pavilion’s headliner Ling Long. Let’s wait for headliner Ling Long to finish her performance first before discussing anything.”
“Martial Uncle.”
Ling Yu could no longer remain calm when he heard Ling Long’s name.
Considering Ling Yu’s feelings, Xiao Chen sat down calmly. Then, he looked around and smiled coldly in his heart at everyone’s expressions.
If they think that they can deal with me just by having many people here, it is too early for them to be happy.
Let’s see what tricks you lot have.
The veiled woman gently clapped. A woman immediately flew down from the palace in the clouds.
This woman held a pipa in her embrace. When she appeared amid the clouds, she was like a fairy, someone within sight but beyond reach.
“Headliner Ling Long is out!”
The honored guests in the private rooms in the surrounding pavilions immediately cheered endlessly, their emotions surging.
Ling Long plucked the strings as she tuned her instrument, testing the tone. This immediately piqued the honored guests’ interest and filled them with anticipation.
As the pipa music rang out amid the vast white clouds, it materialized as a vast river poured into a lake with a bright moon.
Warbling music told a story as the water babbled from a hidden spring and the moon rose.
The bright moon in the lake broke out of the water as the flowing pipa music rang out.
A white-clad fairy on the moon danced with the sword. With the wondrous pipa music, the audience could not distinguish between reality and fairyland.
The lake appeared icy. As the pipa music rang out, it sounded melancholic.
When the bright moon soared into the sky, it was like a silent cage locking up that beautiful fairy. No matter how she danced or swung the sword, she could not break out of the moon.
Suppressed emotions appeared in the spectators’ hearts, feeling unbearable.
When the suppression reached an extreme and almost caused their hearts to crumble, the pipa music suddenly sped up like the final charge of a vast army on the verge of defeat.
“Bang!”
The bright moon in the sky shattered. The caged beauty broke out while wielding her sword.
“Whoosh! Whoosh!”
Not just one person appeared. More than one hundred white-clad women emerged from the moon, dancing with their swords. They flew off the cloud stage and danced around amid the pavilions in the surroundings.
The fairy instantly appeared to be within reach, as if the dream became reality.
The suppressed emotions disappeared, and everyone let out thunderous cheers.
The piece ended. Ling Long smiled faintly, bowed, and left silently.
“Headliner Ling Long, don’t go!”
“Encore! One more piece!”
The Fairy Basket appeared at a suitable time, and all the honored guests in the private rooms in the pavilions gave generously.
Countless Primeval Heavenly Pills turned into jade ribbons entering the Fairy Basket in the clouds.
The Fairy Basket gave off a celestial light, and thousands of vibrant flowers flew out. This pushed the atmosphere in the Smiling Daughter Pavilion’s small world to the peak.
“Everyone, please be quiet. Today is headliner Ling Long’s last performance. From today on, she will no longer appear in the Smiling Daughter Pavilion,” headliner Qiu Yue said after appearing amid the clouds and flowers.
After a pause, the crowd fell silent in shock. Then, Qiu Yue announced, “The First Prince has redeemed headliner Ling Long. On the fifteenth of the next month, the First Prince will personally come to bring headliner Ling Long away, marrying her. I hope that everyone will come and offer your best blessings at that time.”
“What!”
Over at the banquet hall, Ling Yu’s wine cup fell out of his hand and shattered.
He appeared at a loss, like he got struck by a bolt from the blue, stunned and immediately stupefied.
