Chapter 451: Peaceful Prelude
Cang Feng Kingdom, Imperial Palace.
At this moment, Cang Wanhe's face was flushed red, his gaze dazed, and his hands trembled violently... so violently that they shook the entire table with a faint tremor.
Just within the span of less than a quarter of an hour, he had successively received sound transmissions and arcane text messages from the kingdoms of Jialuo, Tianxiang, Heisha, Kuishui, and Canglan—all from over a hundred thousand li away. These transmissions, which required an enormous cost to accomplish over such a distance, were all personally delivered by the nation lords of these five kingdoms! Within the transmissions, the five kingdom emperors spoke with a fervent warmth, even an almost fawning tone, offering various greetings and then expressing a strong desire to personally visit the Cang Feng Imperial Clan, carefully inquiring whether he had any free time in the near future.
All five kingdoms were like this.
In the past, these five kingdom lords would not even deign to respond to a cordial invitation from Cang Feng Kingdom, let alone take the initiative to visit.
"...Younger brother, I would very much like to go up and take a look... Although there might be some risk in doing so."
"Mm." True Person Gu Cang nodded slowly. He naturally understood what Yun Che meant by "risk." Although Feng Hengkong had publicly promised not to target Yun Che over the Phoenix bloodline issue, no one would believe that the Fenghuang God Sect had completely let the matter go. True Person Gu Cang took the initiative to speak: "In that case, how about staying in the same courtyard as us tonight?"
Xia Yuanba's eyes lit up, and he quickly said, "Right, right! The Fenghuang God Sect arranged a courtyard for us earlier. Brother-in-law, you stay in the same courtyard as us! I have so much I want to talk to you about."
Yun Che didn't hesitate and nodded directly. He also had many questions to ask Xia Yuanba, and staying in the same courtyard as True Person Gu Cang meant he wouldn't have to worry about being ambushed by the Fenghuang God Sect at night. "Then I'll gladly accept the offer."
"Awesome!" Xia Yuanba was so excited he was practically dancing. "Then let's go back now! Brother-in-law, I have way too many questions to ask you, like how you got out of Tian Jian Villa, how Sister is doing now, why you've become so powerful, and also, and also..."
Yun Che was about to answer when his gaze suddenly caught sight of Ling Jie in the crowd, along with the person he was talking to...
"Senior, I'll excuse myself for a moment."
Yun Che immediately turned and walked over quickly.
"Little Jie!" After approaching, Yun Che called out.
Ling Jie spun around with a "whoosh," his eyes brightening sharply as he rushed forward excitedly, his eyes gleaming with light. "Boss! Wow, wow, wow, ahhh! You were absolutely amazing today, totally awe-inspiring... Um, by the way, boss, how come you're here?"
"That's a question I should be asking you. How did you end up here?" Yun Che countered.
"Hehe," Ling Jie scratched his forehead. "Actually, the day after you left the Imperial Palace, the Cang Feng Emperor publicly announced that you were representing Cang Feng Kingdom in the Seven Kingdoms Ranking Tournament here. As soon as I heard that, I decided to come... And I made the right choice! Boss, you know what? You're not just the legend of Cang Feng anymore—you're the legend of the entire Tian Xuan Continent!"
For his sake, Ling Jie had traveled a hundred thousand li alone to get here. In the arena, even at the risk of being targeted by the Fenghuang God Sect, he had still shouted and cheered for him with all his might, even questioning the Fenghuang God Sect. This moved Yun Che deeply. He reached out and patted Ling Jie on the shoulder, then turned his gaze to Hua Minghai, his expression turning strange.
What puzzled him wasn't Hua Minghai's utterly non-technical disguise... but how the two of them had ended up together!?
"Ahem," Hua Minghai propped his chin with his hand and said with a serious face, "Boss Yun, I used to admire you because you caught me and saved my wife, but now... my admiration is like a torrential river that never ceases—"
"Be careful, you two." Yun Che cut Hua Minghai off directly, speaking with grave seriousness. "You were leading the cheers for me from the stands earlier, and there's a chance the Fenghuang God Sect might have taken notice of you. If, by any chance, the Fenghuang God Sect causes you trouble, remember to send me a sound transmission immediately."
"Hmph, do you think I'm afraid of the Fenghuang God Sect?" Hua Minghai said with utter disdain. In his eyes, the Fenghuang God Sect was nothing but a bunch of people who could only eat his dust.
Ling Jie patted his chest, completely unconcerned. "Boss, don't worry. My maternal grandfather is a full-fledged elder of Tian Wei Sword Domain. As long as I flash that identity, they wouldn't dare do anything to me."
"What? Your grandfather is from Tian Wei Sword Domain, and he's an elder?" Hua Minghai's eyes bulged, and his face twisted in indignation. "A brat like you, who's clueless and weak as hell, actually has such a powerful backing! This world is way too unfair!"
"Your grandfather?" Yun Che's face also showed surprise.
Ling Jie nodded and said, "Back in the day, my mother chose my father over my grandfather, which made my grandfather furious. A few days ago, my father and mother, along with my older brother and me, went to Tian Wei Sword Domain to see my grandfather, and the conflict between my mother and grandfather was finally resolved. Uh... it seems my grandfather actually likes me quite a bit. He said he'll personally teach me the complete Tian Wei Supreme Sword Art, hehe."
Yun Che's expression became somewhat complicated for a moment. He nodded and gave Ling Jie a faint smile. "In that case, I feel a bit more at ease. Tomorrow, we board the ark, so I need to go prepare early. I won't keep you for now. Little Jie, you can stay in Phoenix City for a few more days. After I finish exploring the Primordial Mystic Ark, I'll return to Cang Feng with you."
"Yes!!" Ling Jie agreed excitedly.
"If possible, take care of Little Jie for me these few days," Yun Che said to Hua Minghai.
"No problem! Taking care of a soft, tender little brother like him is a piece of cake." Hua Minghai declared with absolute certainty, but as soon as he finished, Ling Jie retorted and scorned him without hesitation.
Yun Che chuckled, turned around, and went back to True Person Gu Cang and Xia Yuanba. Together, they walked directly toward the VIP guest courtyard area of Phoenix City.
Hua Minghai turned his head away, and all the expression on his face instantly vanished, replaced by a somber, heavy look...
It seemed there was some kind of conflict... no, it should be hatred—deep-seated, inescapable hatred—between him and Tian Wei Sword Domain!
Recalling the subtle shift in Yun Che's gaze when Ling Jie mentioned Tian Wei Sword Domain, Hua Minghai fell into a long, contemplative silence.
...