Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"Hmm?"

Hearing those words, everyone was awed.

Master Teacher Chen Yue's question was clearly an attempt at soiling Hong shi's reputation. And yet, Hong shi actually managed to counterattack against such a difficult question.

You said that I was late? Fine! But even the crown prince isn't here yet, are you going to blame him for the same as well?

This is just a casual banquet, and yet here you are pointing fingers around. Let me ask you, what are you trying to do?

Not only did those words seamlessly respond to Chen Yue's accusation, it even left the him in a difficult position. He could neither agree nor disagree with Hong shi's words, and his face gradually reddened in frustration. He felt so stifled that he could spew blood at any moment.

"Oh? It has only been awhile since we last met, and Hong shi has become much more eloquent than before!"

Seeing his alliance mate Chen Yue being placed in a difficult position, Luo Zhao stepped forward and intervened.

"Not just so, my cultivation also advanced significantly in the past few days. Luo shi, would you like to give it a try?" Hong shi filled his cup with fine wine as he glanced to the side. "Don't you agree, Feng shi?"

"You Pu!"

Feng Yu's body staggered. In an instant, his injuries were triggered, and a mouthful of fresh blood spewed from his mouth.

Didn't we agree not to talk about this matter? Why are you bringing it up now? Besides, they are the ones who are causing you trouble, not me! To think that I would still be shot despite sitting quietly in my corner over here

"Feng shi was wounded by spirit beasts when he was out hunting a few days ago he had been spending his time recuperating at his residence, so how could he possibly know how strong you are?" Luo Zhao harrumphed.

Luo Zhao's words were indeed quite scathing. By saying that Feng shi was hurt by a spirit beast, he was hinting that Hong shi was no different from a vicious beast.

"So, he was hurt by a spirit beast? My condolences!"

Naturally, Hong shi could tell the insult hidden within the other party's words, but he paid it no heed. He glanced at Luo Zhao calmly and said, "There are no clear cuts on his face, mostly swellings from region to region. The swellings on his face carry a tinge of redness amidst gray-this is a sign that zhenqi was harnessed behind the attack. The bridge of his nose is slightly caved in, forming a straight line with his forehead-this is clearly the result of a kick. The slightly redder print that stretched from his ears down to his lips-that is obviously caused by a slap

"These wounds are obviously caused by a human, and yet you claim that he was done in by a spirit beast"

At this moment, a glint flashed across Hong shi's eyes as he continued, "Luo shi, may I ask if you're blind? Or have you learnt how to spout barefaced lies?"

"You" Luo Zhao's face reddened, and he nearly fainted then and there.

Master teachers possessed exceptional eyesight. There were distinctive differences between the wounds caused by a spirit beast and those caused by a human. The only reason why he said the words that he did was to change the subject and alleviate the awkwardness in the air Who knew that Hong shi would point them out explicitly and claim that he was lying through his teeth

Luo Zhao's entire body trembled in rage, but he couldn't find a single word to say.

If he were to claim that it was Hong shi who beat him up, the matter regarding them blocking the other party's passageway would be revealed as well

Damn it, hadn't words always been his weakness? When did he become so sharp-tongued?

Everyone stared at one another in shock.

Hong shi was way too formidable!

Chen shi and Luo shi had worked together to corner Hong shi with their words, but they ended up being rendered speechless instead!

"What about me? Is there anything wrong with my words? Or could it be that the 'spirit beast' that caused Feng shi's injuries refers to you, and you're feeling angry at having that pointed out by me?" Hong shi replied impassively.

"Humph!" Luo Zhao clenched his fists tightly. He was bubbling with rage, but he simply couldn't find the words to refute the other party's accusation.

"Alright, enough. This is just a casual banquet, there's no need to make things so tense here!" Seeing that Luo Zhao was about to explode from frustration, Chen Yue could only step in to mediate.

"Indeed, this is just a banquet. There's no need to go so far!"

Hong shi sipped on his wine.

"Damn it"

Seeing Hong shi's attitude, Luo shi and Chen shi's face darkened.

They intended to get back at Hong shi for wreaking havoc at their place so as to vent their frustrations before the start of the banquet. Who knew that before they could even lift up their legs, they were already kicked in the face?

Furthermore, it was the type where their faces were stomped on viciously.

The more they thought about it, the more frustrated they became.

They quickly turned to the main table to check if they had inadvertently left a bad impression with that genius, but the latter simply continued drinking his wine nonchalantly, as though he hadn't heard the quarrel just a moment ago.

"That's good"

Seeing that Wu shi was no paying no heed to their affairs, they heaved a sigh of relief.

"For some reason, this fellow's tongue is much sharper than before. There's no benefits to arguing with him. We should wait for the crown prince to arrive first!"

Knowing that they would only get more frustrated the more they argued with Hong shi, Luo Zhao, Chen Yue, and Feng Yu came to an agreement.

And thus, the hall fell silent once more.

While the group over here were harboring their own thoughts, in one of the courtyards within the Eastern Palace, a well-dressed young man stood patiently as he waited for someone.

He seemed to have been standing there for quite some time now, but there wasn't the slightest impatience in his expression. On the contrary, he was smiling instead.

If Hong shi were here, he would surely recognize the young man to be the crown prince of Huanyu Empire, Ye Qian!

"Damn it, it's all that fellow's fault! If not for him taking away my Sorrow Severing Grass, I wouldn't be in such a dilemma now Xing Yuan, have you found out who that guy is?"

A furious complaint sounded. Following which, a beautiful figure walked into the courtyard.

A slightly apologetic voice the sounded.

It came from the young man following behind the beautiful figure.

It was the Sixth Princess and Xing Yuan whom Zhang Xuan met at the Mystical Treasure Hall earlier.

After leaving the Mystical Treasure Hall, the Sixth Princess continued looking around to search for a Sorrow Severing Grass, but despite searching until now, her efforts were in vain.

The more she thought about it, the angrier she felt.

"Six Princess and Senior Xing Yuan!"

The crown prince walked forward and bowed.

"Oh? It's great that you're here. I have something I need your help on!" Xing Yuan said.

"Senior, feel free to instruct me!" Ye Qian hurriedly said.

"In the day, Sixth Princess and I met a young man in Mystical Treasure Hall. That young man is in his twenties, and he was walking around with a plump butler. Help me look into his identity and report back to me as soon as there's any result," Xing Yuan instructed.

"Yes!" Ye Qian nodded.

Even though the other party's description was very vague, considering that they were within Huanyu Capital, it wasn't too difficult for Ye Qian, with his influence as the crown prince, to search for a single person.

"Sixth Princess and Senior Xing Yuan, I'll have this done immediately. Also, I've prepared a banquet for you tonight, and I would like to invite you over. At the same time, you can also meet the freshmen Huanyu Empire will be sending over to the Master Teacher Academy this year"

"I'm not interested!"

The Sixth Princess waved her hands in annoyance.

She was still a proud princess when she left the residence earlier this morning, but by the time she returned, she had become the maid of another man instead. Angry and humiliated, how could she possibly be in the mood to attend a banquet?

"This" Not expecting the Sixth Princess to reject his offer so directly, Ye Qian turned to look at Xing Yuan awkward. "Senior, you"

"Oh, I'll return to my residence first. I'll be there in a moment!"

Xing Yuan waved his hands.

"Alright!"

Seeing that the Sixth Princess was at the peak of her anger, Ye Qian bowed and left the courtyard.

He might be the crown prince of Huanyu Empire, but his standing still paled far too much in comparison to the princess of Hongyuan Empire. The both of them weren't of the same standing at all.

It would be a delight if the other party accepted his invitation, but even if that wasn't the case, he dared not push his case.

Right before he was about to walk out of the courtyard, he heard Xing Yuan's voice echoing by his ear, "Sixth Princess is currently at the peak of her rage. I'll talk to her for a bit and come over with her later on!"

"Thank you, Senior!"

Hearing the other party's promise, Ye Qian's eyes lit up.

The purpose of this banquet was to welcome the Sixth Princess and the others. If they were to skip out on this banquet, it would indeed be embarrassing on his part.

"Sixth Princess, calm down. If we still aren't able to find a Sorrow Severing Grass, we can always purchase it from the young man back then after Ye Qian uncovers his identity"

After Ye Qian left, Xing Yuan immediately hurried forward to console the Sixth Princess.

"This is none of your business!" The Sixth Princess sat down angrily.

Standing at the spot, Xing Yuan was at a loss. It didn't feel right for him to stay there, but leaving also felt wrong either.

The Sixth Princess had an extremely eccentric temper that made it difficult for him to court her.

She would be fine one moment and throwing a tantrum the next. As fickle as the weather, she often left him feeling puzzled.

Honestly speaking, you were the one who agreed to become that lad's maid. I tried to persuade you against it, but you simply didn't listen I even proposed to have him killed, but you turned that down too

And yet, here you are, throwing a tantrum before me and Ye Qian over that matter. What the heck is this?

The more he thought about it, the more frustrated he felt.

"Yu Fei-er, what's wrong?"

Just as Xing Yuan was at a complete loss, footsteps sounded from the outside, and a lady excitedly entered the room. There was a bright smile on her face, and she looked as though she was about to skip in joy.

"Lady Qiqi, you"

Looking at the other party's expression, Xing Yuan was dumbstruck.

The lady before him, Luo Qiqi, was known for her coldness. She would always keep a distant aura no matter whom she was speaking to. Why would there be such a bright smile on her face today?

If those from the academy were to learn that this ice beauty was capable of smiling, would they go insane?

"It's nothing!"

Only upon hearing Xing Yuan's words did Luo Qiqi notice the smile on her face. She swiftly reverted back to her usual cold expression before walking up to the Sixth Princess and asked, "What's wrong? Who made you so angry?"

"I"

Princess Fei-er was just about to speak but she suddenly lifted her gaze to look at Luo Qiqi with a frown. "Actually, I'm more interested in what happened to you for you to be so happy."

She shared the same thoughts as Xing Yuan. Luo Qiqi had always maintained a nonchalant expression in public. If she recalled correctly, the latter said that she was going to the Apothecary Hall to conduct a lecture. But if that was the case, there should be no reason for her to be so happy.

This was contrary to her personality!

"What happened to me? It's nothing much"

Recalling Zhang shi's dashing figure, a hint of respect gleamed in Luo Qiqi's eyes, and her lips subconsciously crept up once more. "It's fine, you should speak first. I'm curious to see who can send our Sixth Princess to such a huge rage!"

"It's all because of that shameless"

But halfway through her words, Princess Fei-er shook her head and smiled. "Wait, why should I speak first? You should tell me who made our ice beauty Lady Qiqi so happy first!"

"I" Luo Qiqi hesitated for a moment. "Alright, why don't we speak together then!"

"Fine!" Princess Fei-er nodded. "Now!"

"It's a despicable, shameless, ignorant, and infuriating young rascal!" Princess Fei-er gritted her teeth in resentment.

"It's a refined, magnanimous, intelligent, and awe-inspiring young talent!" Luo Qiqi spoke in admiration.