Chapter 43: Palace Feast

　　Originally, the black-clad man was trying to lead Yunxiao to a deserted place to deliver a message, but unexpectedly, he was caught and brought away by him instead. With a bitter smile, he said helplessly, “Young Master Yunxiao, it’s me.”

　　He took off his black mask, revealing a helpless face and a wry smile.

　　Yunxiao squinted at him and said, “Oh, it’s Li Xian! Why aren’t you with Fourth Uncle? What do you want from me?” Li Xian was a member of the Li Family’s branch. As his strength was pretty strong, he was promoted to work beside Li Baifeng, one of Yunxiao’s uncles.

　　“Young Master, it turns out that the rumors about you are true!” Li Xian said with shock in his eyes. “You have defeated Lan Xuan, a peak nine-stars warrior with just one move, and saved the Princess by stimulating her acupoints with gold needles! Young Master, you were hiding so deeply from all of us!”

　　“Go straight to the point.”

　　“Are you going to attend the palace feast tonight?”

　　“If you don’t cut the crap, I’ll leave.” Yunxiao gave him an indifferent look, obviously without much patience.

　　Li Xian shook his head and said with a wry smile, “Young Master, you know the current situation of the Li Family. The rumors about you have caused a lot of uproar recently, and have attracted Li Yi’s attention. Fourth Master has received news that he will certainly find some way to deal with you if you attend the feast tonight. Now is not the time for us to contend with him, so Fourth Master hopes that you can absent tonight and not clash with Li Yi.”

　　Yunxiao smiled faintly and said, “Boring! He is just a clown, and I have never put him in my mind.” His eyes narrowed slightly as he said in a cold voice, “However, if he is stupid enough to jump in front of me, I don’t mind crushing him to pieces.”

　　‘Crushing him to pieces…’

　　Li Xian shook his head and thought to himself that Yunxiao was too young after all. “Li Yi is by no means as simple as he appears,” he said gravely. “Right now, almost the entire Li Family is under his control. Young Master, since you’ve been patient for so long, you must not act in a rush now! Fourth Master and several family elders are also secretly planning things. We will fight this thief when the time is right!”

　　Yunxiao sneered, “As an adopted son who was given the family name because he had done a good job as a slave, what trouble can he cause?”

　　“Young Master, you must not underestimate him!” Li Xian said seriously. “This Li Yi is not only strong in his own strength, but there must be some power supporting him from behind! Master is worried about Old Master and you, Young Master, so he has not dared to act. Young Master, you just need to get out of his way for a while. When Master and Fourth Master have finished their preparations, we can naturally annihilate these thieves in one stroke.”

　　The Master he mentioned was Yunxiao’s father, General Feilong-Li Changfeng.

　　“Hmph! I’m not interested in your child’s play. As for the power behind Li Yi, I can’t say about others, but His Majesty the King must be a part of them. Otherwise, how could a clown have the ability to control a famous family with incomparable credit, whose Old Master is a peak-level Martial Lord of the Four Quadrants realm?”

　　Li Xian was dumbfounded by what Yunxiao had said, and was so horrified that his forehead was dripping with cold sweat.

　　He had been following Fourth Master Li Baifeng for some time and had heard some information, but it was not until recently that he heard Li Baifeng talk about the possible involvement of His Majesty’s power behind this matter. At that time, everyone was shocked and could not believe it. He did not expect Yunxiao to have guessed it so easily…

　　He cried out involuntarily, “Young Master, how…how did you guess it?”

　　“It’s obvious!” Yunxiao said calmly. “My grandfather has the greatest military achievements, so many men will respond to his call. Moreover, my father is in charge of a million troops, guarding the western border. Right now, the military of the whole state is almost the private army of my family. If you were the king, could you sleep soundly under such circumstances? The rapid rise of the Lan Family in recent years tells us that it is a pawn used by His Majesty to restrict us. Even so, Qin Zheng was not at ease, so he created a puppet, Li Yi, and used this puppet to divide my family from within while restricting my father. This is the situation His Majesty would like to see.”

　　“This…” A huge wave surged in Li Xian’s heart. He did not think Yunxiao could analyze such a complicated situation so clearly. “Are you going to give in without a fight?” he asked in shock.

　　Yunxiao smiled faintly and said, “You don’t have to worry about it. Go back and tell Fourth Uncle not to worry either, and ask him to do whatever he usually does. My grandfather and father will naturally find a way to deal with this matter. Isn’t the situation very good now? The King is comfortable enough not to bother us. When he leaves us alone, my grandfather and father will be comfortable as well. It was not easy for everyone to get a balanced and happy situation, so don’t make a mess out of it.”

　　Li Xian’s eyeballs almost fell out when he heard that as he said in shock, “Could it be…could it be that this matter…”

　　“That’s enough!” Yunxiao interrupted him impatiently with a wave of his hand and said, “I’m not interested in participating in your affairs. However, if Li Yi is stupid enough to mess around with me, or Qin Zheng is tired of being the King, I don’t mind…helping him to change into a better position.”

　　Li Xian was so terrified that he almost fell to the ground, gasping as his head went black for an instant. As he watched Yunxiao’s figure fade away, he felt his head buzzing as he was left completely stupefied!

　　…

　　It was soon evening, and there was an endless stream of people in front of the palace, all of whom were important officials and pillars of the state. Many students of Jialan Academy also came to the feast with their elders in the family. Every palace feast was an excellent opportunity for these people to network and get closer to each other.

　　“Young Master Yun?”

　　Chen Zhen and Han Bai came together; their families were also important military officials. Dissatisfied with the King’s attitude toward the Li Family, their elders seldom participated in such palace feasts, and usually sent juniors to attend.

　　“Where have you been these days, Young Master Yun?” As soon as Chen Zhen came over, he punched Yunxiao hard on the shoulder.

　　But, his face fell instantly. Looking at his red and swollen fist in horror, he cried out, “What’s the matter with your body? Why is it hard like iron? My hand is swollen!”

　　Yunxiao smiled faintly as he took out two origin impacting pills from his ring before handing them to the two. “After taking this origin impacting pill, you two should be able to break through and become warriors directly.”

　　Chen Zhen said incredulously, “How is this possible? I’ve just opened four chakras.”

　　Han Bai picked up a pill and glanced at it, then said in doubt, “Is this really an origin impacting pill? Young Master Yun, don’t lie to us! I have seen them before. Most of them are grayish-white, while some of the best ones are milky white. How can there be origin impacting pills as transparent as glass beads?”

　　Yunxiao laughed, “Give them back to me if you don’t want. They are refined by Master Zhang Qingfan.”

　　“What!” Both of them were taken aback. They hurriedly looked at the pills over and over again, then each took out a jade box and carefully put the pill inside.

　　Han Bai suddenly said mysteriously, “Young Master Yun, is Master Zhang and Master Xu’s sudden announcement of secluded cultivation related to you?”

　　“Oh? Are they cultivating in seclusion? Why do you think it has something to do with me?” Yunxiao asked in surprise.

　　Chen Zhen felt dizzy. “Heavens! Don’t you know such big news? Where have you been these days? The two of them began cultivating in seclusion as soon as the Princess recovered from her illness, and Master Zhang gave you the origin impacting pills. So, we guess this has something to do with you.”

　　Yunxiao just smiled but did not say a word. It was reasonable for Zhang Qingfan and Xu Han to cultivate in seclusion. That day, he had solved all the problems and questions they had accumulated over the years, so they needed a long time to comprehend.

　　“Young Master Yun, let’s go in! It seems that most of the guests have arrived,” Han Bai urged.

　　“Wait a little longer. I’m waiting for someone.”

　　“Waiting for someone? Who is it?”

　　“Well, here they come.”

　　The figures of Meng Wu and Meng Bai came from a distance, leaving everyone stunned. Staring at Meng Wu, who was dressed in a very different way, Chen Zhen frowned and said, “Why do I find this pretty girl familiar?”

　　The way Meng Wu dressed herself up captivated the few guys. During normal times, she always dressed plainly. How could she have the time and money to dress up when she was busy working all day to make money? But, she was like a pure and fresh daffodil today, fascinating them all.

　　“Oh, it’s you!” Han Bai recognized her at last and said in surprise. As if something had dawned on him suddenly, he pointed to Yunxiao and laughed, “Well, well…No wonder we haven’t seen you for days, and no wonder you don’t know anything about the two masters cultivating in seclusion. Young Master Yun, can you still walk now?”

　　Chen Zhen also recognized Meng Wu now. He was surprised and said, “A short girl without bosoms can become so beautiful just by casually dressing up? Wow! Young Master Yun, you sure have a pair of keen eyes! I didn’t know you are so good at finding a pretty girl!”

　　Meng Wu’s face was red and she was very nervous. She never thought that she would have a chance to come to the palace. Looking at all kinds of luxurious carriages outside the palace, she felt as if she was dreaming.

　　Yunxiao laughed. “Let me introduce you again. This is my friend, Meng Wu, and this is her brother and my new disciple, Meng Bai.”

　　“Dis…disciple?” Han Bai exclaimed. “Young Master Yun, you really do everything you can to pick up girls!”

　　Meng Bai said angrily, “So your purpose of taking me as a disciple is to pick up my sister!”

　　“Meng Bai!” Already flushed with shame after being teased by them, Meng Wu stamped her foot in anger when she heard her brother speak.

　　The group of five walked into the palace while talking and laughing. The banquet hall was held in a beautiful garden. Although it was just the beginning of spring and the flowers had not bloomed yet, they were still greeted by a refreshing fragrance. In the courtyard, Meng Wu and Meng Bai were dazzled by all the small bridges and flowing water, the soft music that lingered in the air, and the scenery that looked like an immortal realm on earth.

　　The banquet hall had been filled with tables arranged on both sides according to the officials’ levels, stretching over a hundred meters long. Many people had already taken their seats, and everyone was talking with smiles on their faces.

　　There were only two rows of eight seats in the main banquet hall, and behind each were placed the many seats of the attendants. All those who could enter the main banquet hall were the most central figures in the state’s inner power circle.

　　Although Zhang Qingfan had given Yunxiao the invitation card, it did not indicate the seat. The seat belonging to the Li Family in the main banquet hall had been occupied by a splendidly dressed, handsome young man, who was talking and laughing with other guests. Yunxiao’s uncle, Li Baifeng, actually sat behind him.

　　The arrival of Yunxiao and his friends immediately attracted everyone’s attention, not only because they were only teenagers, but also because Yunxiao, a good-for-nothing in the capital, had become famous in recent days. Not only had he crippled Lan Xuan, who was praised as a genius, with only one move, but also cured the princess’s illness by stimulating her acupoints with gold needles.

　　Yunxiao would certainly be one of the main characters today.