"This is my son, Shen Lu!"
Shen Xuefeng was smiling with a gourd of wine in his hand while showing off his son. All the guests knew he was a special kid. They just didn't know why. Since his birth, the Drunken General's third son had been hidden from the eyes of the other clans, even those of the Emperor himself. This was his first public appearance, but their spies had already done some research. They knew Shen Lu's comprehension and talent were very high, but for such a powerful clan it wasn't weird. What was weird was how overprotective the members of the clan were, to the point of obvious favouritism sometimes. The mystery around the youngling was unfathomable, and this was a great opportunity to uncover the truth. Shen Lu felt the eyes of the crowd sharpening, looking for anything out of place, maybe antlers, horns, a tail, a sign of a God, but nobody tried to inspect him with their spirit power. After all, they were still in the Shen Mansion, one of the four Kings' sacred territories. Even members of the Imperial Family wouldn't dare to be disrespectful in here.
"Father, aren't you forgetting something?" asked Shen Lu, showing proudly a piece of paper.
"Oho! Fine, fine! here it is," said Shen Xuefeng as he took out a ring from his pocket, "This is a Storage Ring, you can keep all kind of things inside it. Even Mao!"
A meow filled with gloom came out of the Demon Beast. Shen Lu wore his new ring and mischievously looked at it. He pointed at the Dragon Cat, that disappeared, sucked into the space inside the ring. With a wave of his hand, Mao reappeared, dazed by the fast change of environment. The storage space wasn't very large, roughly 9 sqm, but everything inside of it was under his control.
After thanking his father and greeting the guests he went towards a table, where all the kids were chatting. This was the birthday party of a 5 years old Young Master, so it would be a little shameless if only curious adults were present. The ages of the ones at the table went from four to sixteen, making the atmosphere awkward. Sons and daughters of all the important clans of the Empire. He could see the three scoundrels from his clan smiling kindly, but glaring at each other. Those three were really stupid. It was fine to have internal strife, but, at least in public, they had to behave. A divided clan is a weak clan. Near them were the heirs of the other three Kings: Feng Li, Wu Shirong and Huang Yun. Like Shen Zhi, they had their rivals, who were sitting at the same table, except for Feng Li, King Feng Chang's only son, who was the only one who had the same age as him. He seemed like a scared lamb surrounded by hungry wolves. Shen Lu sat at the seat of honour, caressing Mao, that purred on his lap. He felt like a clichè villain. Another peculiar guest was Lin Chao, who came from another country, the Ming Empire. The Lin clan and the Shen clan, being the two overlords of the lands at the border between these two behemoths, had quite a strange relationship. They tried to maintain a friendly relationship, while the Emperors hated each other's guts and were always on the verge of war.
"Young Master Feng Li, I didn't think you would come, considering how far Redsnow City is. I hope you had a comfortable trip, welcome!"
Feng Li almost jumped from the chair. He didn't expect to be greeted first. Even if he was a Prince, he was still too young to receive such an honour, since at the table were currently sitting the best and the brightest of the current generation, who were all his seniors.
"Th-Thank you very much, Big Brother doesn't need to worry, my trip has been good! H-happy birthday!" he stammered, playing nervously with his sleeves.
"What 'Big Brother'? Young Master Feng Li is older than me, just call me Shen Lu."
The other diners stared at the two, stunned. By the intel they got from their clansmen, Shen Lu was certainly more than intelligent than boys of his age. So, how could he break the etiquette and be so disrespectful to his guests? He was ignoring everyone, talking just to Feng Li.
"I wouldn't dare! I'm just a couple months older... My dad said that since King Shen Zheng was his Elder Brother then you too are my Big Brother!"
"Heeee...Then just call me Brother," answered Shen Lu smiling like a wolf in sheep's clothing."Y-yes!"
He moved his eyes to the rest of the people. It was a funny scene. Some were clearly fuming with anger, others were in deep thought, and two proud teens already left the table, stomping their feet, seething with rage. They were Huang Yun, fifteen years old, and Lin Chao, thirteen years old. His smile got even larger. What he did was a calculated move, to shake the tree. Watching their reactions was, not only amusing but also a way for him to guess their personalities and possible weaknesses. It was too easy. They may have been talented youngsters, but in the end, almost all of them were pampered and naive brats.
His eyes met those of Wu Shirong. The heir of the Wu Clan remained impassible the whole time, but he showed a hint of cautiousness now. Of course, there were a few interesting ones.
"I'm terribly sorry, where are my manners! Welcome, everyone! Thank you for coming here today!" said Shen Lu bowing towards them, "Young Masters, pardon me for my rudeness, I'm still young..."
"It wasn't anything serious. Everyone, let's wish Young Master Shen Lu a happy birthday!" said Wu Shirong. Soon, a half-hearted clapping and a few 'happy birthday' rang out in the hall. The awkward atmosphere gradually eased and the table was engulfed by the chatter. Lin Chao and Huang Yun were too embarrassed to return to their seats, realizing too late that they have been played by a child, so they just stood in a corner, ignoring everyone else. A small shadow swiftly approached behind them without making a sound.
"It's an honour to meet the two of you, seniors. Can I offer you some tea?" asked Shen Lu. The two felt their blood freeze. They were already at the Xiantian level, but this child had sneaked up on them so easily and they hadn't sensed anything. The eyes of the Third Young Master seemed those of a reptile, cold and charming. "I bet you have a lot of interesting stories to tell. I would like to hear about your experiences."
"Of course, it would be our pleasure. We've been rude earlier, I apologize," said Lin Chao, swallowing all the insults and putting up a fake smile. Like hypnotized by his gaze and his mellifluous voice they meekly followed him and sat down again, leaving the others marvelling about their thick skin. They lost a bit of face, but it was better to maintain a good relationship with the little devil.
Song Fen smirked proudly. Her son was going to be a soaring dragon, at such a young age he could already compete in wits with the talented young men and ladies of the Empire. She checked the time, then with a flick of her hand she gave an order to a servant and cleared her throat.
"The dinner is served!"
From the two entrances swarmed dozens of servants, who carried finely decorated porcelain plates. The aroma of food made all the guests swallow their saliva. The Shen clan had one of the most delicious cuisines on the continent and also some of the best cooks, so the trip was worth it, even just to taste the food. The mountainous territory had many lakes and was crossed by many rivers, which flew into the nearby Frozen Sea, so the speciality of the house was obviously seafood and fish. Today though, the main dish was the cake. It was requested personally by Shen Lu, as it wasn't a tradition to have cakes on birthdays. He didn't know how did they make it, but the scent was very sweet. The size was unbelievable, so big they had to carry it in a Storage Ring.
Suddenly, a voice interrupted the buzz. "It looks heavenly, I want a slice of that."
The owner of that voice was a man who just walked in the hall. His hair was completely white but he had the face of a young man. The stark contrast was enhanced by his golden crown and robes. Shen Lu looked at the white dragons embroidered on it and had a feeling of deja vu. Anyway, even if he was a King of Hell or the Jade Emperor himself, today was his birthday and that was his cake.
"Greetings, Your Majesty...? We are honoured to have you here, however, if you want a slice of cake, I'm afraid you will have to wait your turn," he said hesitantly.
Surprise and shock went through the crowd. They recognized that man. He was the Emperor! And the Third Young Master dared to tell him to wait in line!
The Emperor silently stared at the child. The child looked back at the Emperor.
"Fair enough..."
Shen Xuefeng breathed a sigh of relief when he heard the words of the Emperor. Then he broke a little tablet under the table. It was better if his father came quickly, to avoid any disasters.