Previously, Zu An hadn’t even been able to say goodbye to Yan Xuehen in the Fiend King Court, so he had always been worried about her. Later, even after the relief of learning that she had already returned to the White Jade Sect from Chu Chuyan, he had still felt a bit empty inside. There were just too many things between the two of them that they had to properly talk about.
When Sun Xun saw how Zu An seemed almost stupefied, he laughed proudly. This kid had really brought it upon himself. Did he really think he was all that just because he was a marquis and had led an Imperial Envoy before? Sect Master Yan and Sect Master Guan were both grandmasters, practically the most powerful beings in the world. Did he really think he could compare to them?
Yi Commandery’s officials had wanted to see Zu An make a fool of himself, but now, they felt that King Yan’s decision made sense. After all, Sect Master Yan and Sect Master Guan were both incredibly famous. Sect Master Yan in particular not only had profound cultivation, but was also rumored to be exceedingly beautiful as well, with an aloof and transcendent aura. Even the emperor treated her as a respected guest.
Many of Yi Commandery’s officials had felt conflicted in joining King Yan Manor’s banquet, but now, they were highly expectant. They really wanted to see whether the legendary Sect Master Yan was as much of a goddess as the rumors stated.
Zhang Zijiang’s mouth hung open. Holy smokes! Two grandmasters? Those aren’t people I can afford to provoke.
Even though Zu An had already shown that he was extremely powerful, that was only in comparison to people. Apart from earth immortals, grandmasters were already at the very peak of the world! Compared to them, Zu An was still far off.
Only Xie Daoyun was worried about how Zu An felt. In order to alleviate the awkward situation, she spoke up and explained, “The Heavenly Sorrow Sect’s Sect Master Guan Chouhai is a grandmaster who has been famous for many years. But after the current dynasty was established, the great sects all withdrew into seclusion, so most people gradually forgot his name.” She didn’t introduce Yan Xuehen, because she felt that someone so popular didn’t need any introduction.
Zu An asked curiously, “What level of grandmaster is Guan Chouhai at?”
Xie Daoyun was stunned, replying, “Grandmasters have ranks between them? That, I don’t know. But judging from his prestige in the past, he should be quite strong among grandmasters.”
Zu An realized that the higher the cultivation rank was, the fewer people there were at that rank. Even the divisions of cultivation ranks at the grandmaster level were a secret for most cultivators. If he hadn’t received explanations from the two grandmasters Yan Xuehen and Yun Jianyue, he wouldn’t necessarily have known about that.
…
Zu An was very expectant and in high spirits along the way. Eventually, the whole group finally arrived at King Yan Manor. Zu An sized up the grand king manor before him. King Yan had invited them over when he and Sang Hong passed by Yi Commandery, but they hadn’t accepted in order to avoid trouble.
A delicate fragrance wafted out of the door from within. The group could vaguely make out blossoming roses. They were red, pink, white… It made one wonder whether every single type of rose in the entire world was inside. Even though it was currently a bleak winter, the gorgeous roses added an air of springtime to the entire garden.
“How beautiful!” Xie Daoyun cried, her eyes sparkling. There weren’t many women who could resist such a scene.
A proud look appeared in Sun Xun’s eyes as he said, “Our king is someone who appreciates flowers, and his noble and unyielding self especially appreciates roses. Every single rose here is precious, and almost every single one was personally planted by the king in his earlier years. After several decades, it has reached this condition.”
Even Zhang Jie and the other local officials who didn’t get along with King Yan couldn't help but admire King Yan Manor’s flowers.
Only Xie Daoyun frowned slightly. Zu An keenly picked up on it and asked considerately, “What is it?”
Xie Daoyun gave Sun Xun a look, then said quietly, “King Yan says he loves flowers, but this garden only has rare varieties without any ordinary roses. Just from that alone, we can tell that he isn’t someone who really likes flowers and that he’s only doing it to show off.”
Because King Yan Manor had made things difficult for Zu An, she had subconsciously developed a bad impression of them.
“It’s still little sister Ling’er who’s the sharpest, haha!” Zu An remarked. He naturally didn’t have any good impression of King Yan either. Whether it was because of the time King Yan had captured Qiu Honglei and fought a great battle against Yun Jianyue, or his potential implication in Golden Token Seven’s murder, it would be hard for Zu An to develop a good impression of the man even if he wanted to.
…
The group continued forward under Sun Xun’s lead. Soon after, a middle-aged man dressed in official robes emerged with a group of people to welcome them.
After listening to the introductions of the officials beside him, Zu An learned that the man was King Yan’s heir Zhao Huang. Even though he was called King Yan’s heir, because King Yan was an elder who could be considered the emperor’s uncle, he was actually of the same generation as the emperor. He had already remained an heir for several decades, but he still had no prospects for inheriting the position of king yet.
“Please come inside. Father king is already waiting for everyone inside,” Zhao Huang said. He looked like a surprisingly calm and steady person, someone who had quite the presence.
Zu An’s group followed him into a courtyard. However, troubled expressions soon spread across the faces of Yi Commandery’s officials. Even the good-natured Xie Daoyun couldn't help but frown.
The spacious courtyard was extremely beautiful and more than suitable for entertaining guests, but there was already a banquet going on, and it seemed a bit excessive. King Yan was seated in the highest seat, with several tables of guests to either side. They were clearly all high in status, and King Yan was chatting happily with them.
Xie Daoyun was a bit annoyed. Wasn’t King Yan being a bit too disrespectful here? How could he start the banquet with someone else before the guests arrived? Didn’t that mean he was looking down on those who arrived later?
“Everyone, please come inside,” Zhao Huang said, his face not conveying anything unusual. He continued to courteously invite them.
Zu An’s group was very upset, but they couldn't act up. They could only follow him inside for the time being. Soon afterward, however, their gazes were drawn to King Yan’s left side.
There, they saw a woman dressed in a daoist robe. She had beautiful eyes, snow-white skin, and long black hair. Even though there was a white veil over her face, they could still tell that she was exceptionally beautiful. However, her cold and distant expression vaguely gave off a dignified and unquestionable air, a reminder that she was a grandmaster who inspired awe throughout the world. Was this the legendary Sect Master Yan? As expected of a goddess from the heavens above! The group’s anger immediately dissipated the moment they saw her.
However, there was something that caught their attention even more. There was a young woman dressed in blue seated next to Yan Xuehen. Her figure was sweet and graceful, and she was also veiled. Her beautiful, starry eyes were less imposing than those of the woman next to her, and the fiery red waistband around her slender waistline also added a charming air to her appearance.
The two women seated there made all of the roses in the garden appear lackluster.
“Who is this woman? She’s actually not inferior to Goddess Yan,” many officials from Yi Commandery muttered with expressions of shock.
Only Xie Daoyun recognized her. She couldn't help but turn around to give Zu An a look. However, she saw that Zu An was looking in that direction in a daze. He looked excited and overjoyed. In that instant, she suddenly felt a bit sad.
Zu An hadn’t expected to find not only Yan Xuehen here, but also Chu Chuyan! He was so excited he didn’t even know what to say.
The two women’s expressions were initially extremely cold; they remained indifferent as they replied to the conventional greetings around them. When they saw more people arrive, they both frowned. They preferred peace and quiet and didn’t like such banquets to begin with, let alone with so many others joining. They were about to get up and leave when they suddenly saw Zu An at the forefront. They were both completely stunned.
Yan Xuehen’s entire body trembled. She was filled with alarm! She reflexively wanted to turn around and leave. Meanwhile, Chu Chuyan was shocked and happy. She really hadn’t expected to bump into Zu An here!
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