"Y-your…Majesty", General Meng gulped nervously as he almost choked on his words.
"And who might this refined and esteemed gentleman be?", the Emperor smiled at General Meng as he addressed him. And although his tone was calm, the authority within his words can not be denied.
"I… I am General Meng, your Majesty. His Majesty may not remember me, but I was there when His Majesty ascended the throne", General Meng's tone immediately became meek as he conversed with the Emperor.
"I see.", Emperor Han stared at the General straight in the eye.
"P-please forgive me, your Majesty. I did not know that the Lieutenant and her friends were your guests", the General chuckled nervously as he slowly backed away. "T-then please excuse me, your Majesty, Lieutenant", said the General as he bowed.
But before General Meng can turn away, his view was blocked by two large men.
"Please do not leave so soon, General Meng. Since you are already here, then I insist you join us", The Emperor waved his hand, "Men, please assist the esteemed general to our table"
General Meng was going to refuse, but the two burly man did not give him a chance to as they forcefully dragged him to a nearby table.
The Emperor then turned his attention towards Xianying. He ambled towards her with a smile on his face.
Xianying did not know what to do as the country's highest person of authority approached her. It felt like the longest second of her entire life. Should she smile? Was she allowed to look at the Emperor in the eye during this occasion? Why is she so awkward when she was usually so talkative?
Xianying's heartbeat raced as the handsome emperor got nearer and nearer to her. Nothing was coming in her mind, so she just saluted at the approaching sovereign.
"L-lieutenant Colonel Xianying, reporting for duty!", Xianying winced internally. Reporting for duty? What exactly was she going to report? Maybe she should have just kept her mouth shut, she thought.
"No need of such formalities, Miss Xianying", instead of saluting, the Emperor bowed towards Xianying and grabbed her saluting hand-
And kissed it.
"I see now that your beauty does not lose to your bravery, Miss Xianying. Please do know that your quick actions and courage during the latest wave have not gone unnoticed. Thank you for your undying service to this country, Lieutenant", the Emperor once again bowed towards Xianying.
"N-n-no, Your Majesty. I…I t-thank you for the praise.", Xianying was frozen stiff with the Emperor's sudden… moves. "B-but the honor is not mine. Master Xing Cai and Lord Viel was the one who… eliminated the drakel nest"
"Do not discount your efforts in repelling the drakels, Lieutenant", Xing Cai, who was standing quietly on the side, finally broke her silence as she heard Xianying mentioning her name, "Thank you for inviting us to this dinner, your Majesty", Xing Cai curtsied as she introduced herself to the Emperor.
The Emperor, in return, bowed even more respectfully towards Xing Cai. "The honor is ours, Master Xing Cai. To be graced by the presence of a celestial is a gift"
"Please, your Majesty. There is no need to bow. And I am afraid to disappoint you, I am not… a celestial", Xing Cai once again remembered the winged men. For her to claim that she was one of them was foolish, their strength far surpassed what she could even accomplish in her entire life.
"Not a celestial?", there was a visible disappointment in the Emperor's tone.
"Yes, your Majesty. I am a cultivator"
"A cultivator!?"
It seems that Xing Cai being a cultivator was much more of a surprise for the Emperor as his eyes opened wide in shock.
According to the reports he received from his network, Xing Cai defeated a Drakel Champion by herself. If she was a cultivator, then that would mean that she was one of the strongest in the world. And yet this was the first time the Emperor have come to known of her existence.
The Emperor knew of all the cultivators that posed a threat towards his country. They could be counted in one hand, so him not knowing who Xing Cai is was impossible. Could it be that she was a hidden cultivator?
No, perhaps Xing Cai being a cultivator was even better. This would mean that there was a chance to bring her in to his country's side. For her to defeat the drakel champion, that would mean that she holds no hostility against the country.
"Your Majesty?"
"I apologize for my rudeness, seeing a cultivator of your strength has truly shocked me", the Emperor cleared his throat. The respect on the Emperor's voice quickly returned as he addressed Xing Cai. "Truly, I thank you for taking care of our drakel problem, Master Xing Cai"
"No need for thanks, your Majesty."
The Emperor nodded. He then finally placed his attention towards the golden haired child that has been staring at the food section for a while now, completely ignoring the whole conversation.
The Emperor has also received a report that there was a golden-haired child that had a halo on top of his head. And seeing as Xianying addressed the little child as 'Lord Viel', then that would mean that this child might be a legitimate celestial. So, the Emperor thought.
"It is our honor to have you here, Lord Viel", the Emperor once again bowed as he greeted Viel.
"Hm? If you are hungry, then we should eat, mister. You've been holding your stomach for a while now", said Viel as he glanced at the bowing Emperor.
"!!!", Xianying's eyes grew wide in shock.
Xing Cai immediately lightly smacked Viel on the head, "Viel, have some respect. You are talking to an Emperor"
���Huwhhhaaat!?", there was visible confusion in Viel's face as he stared at the Emperor. He then proceeded to look at the Emperor from head to toe. "But… where's your beard?"
Xing Cai no longer had the strength to smack Viel on the head as she just pinched the bridge of her nose.
Throughout the books that Viel has read during his short stay in the academy, all the Emperors were drawn to have majestic beards, comparable to his Grandpa. So truly, his shock was genuine.
"T-this…", the Emperor was astounded. If someone had to be perplexed, it should be him. But seeing as he was dealing with a child, that could potentially be a celestial, he quickly calmed himself down. "I am afraid mine hasn't grown yet, Lord Viel"
Viel then sighed as he looked at the Emperor with pity. "'Tis fine, young Emperor. I will share you my Grandma Ling's ointments so you can grow your beard", Viel said as he patted the Emperor on the leg.
The Emperor's eyes twitched. Once again he needed to remind himself that he was talking to a child.
"T-then you have my thanks, Lord Viel. And speaking of being hungry, I must confess that I am.", The Emperor then waved his hand, "Please, let us eat first before we discuss any further"
"Yes!", Viel raised his fist in excitement as he proceeded to go ahead. Not even waiting for the Emperor.
Viel then proceeded to sit next to General Meng, who had a very irritated expression on his face. What was the Emperor's purpose for forcefully making him dine with them?
General Meng stared at the bumbling child beside him. The little child's feet could not even reach the floor as she sat. How is someone so young even allowed here?
The Emperor seemed to treat both the tall woman and this little girl with respect. What were their identities? General Meng squinted his eyes as he planned to have them investigated after all of this is over.
"I hope all of you enjoy the course I had prepared, shall we eat then?", The group then proceeded to eat their meal as soon as the food were served on their table.
There was a period of silence as the group enjoyed their meal, with occasional small talks between the Emperor and Xianying.
However, after a while, General Meng could no longer contain his curiosity and patience. "This, if you do not mind me asking, miss. But how do you know His Majesty?", said General Meng as he looked at Xing Cai.
Xing Cai was not going to answer, but since the mood will turn awkward if she did not do so. So, she just told General Meng that they were invited by the Emperor as thanks for eliminating the drakel nest.
"Y-you?", General Meng could not believe what he heard.
As if not wanting to hear him talk anymore, Xianying, who was having a conversation with the Emperor, interrupted General Meng. "Master Xing Cai is a cultivator, General Meng"
"A… A cultivator? In the presence of his Majesty!? Have you gone mad for bringing them here, Lieutenant!?", General Meng stood up as he slammed his chopsticks on the table.
"Sit down, General Meng. You are souring the mood", Emperor Han glanced at the passionate General, "And I will not repeat again, they are my guests"
"F-forgive me, your Majesty. I was just overwhelmed by my sentiment to protect you", General Meng forced himself to calm down as he returned to his seat. He then looked towards the golden haired child beside him.
"T-then, are you also a cultivator, little girl?"
"No, I'm a god… and I'm a boy", Viel nonchalantly answered as he continued to eat his food.
The Emperor almost choked as he swallowed the food in his mouth whole. General Meng was dumbfounded, and even the whole dining hall turned quiet as the eavesdroppers from the other table shut their mouths in disbelief.
"Y-your Majesty!", Xianying quickly handed the coughing Emperor some water.
"Ahahaha. It seems that Lord Viel really likes to joke around", the Emperor chuckled as he regained his composure. But then, he saw the expression on Xianying's face.
There was a nervous look on Xianying's face as she looked at the Emperor.
Then even everything clicked in the Emperor's mind.
The reports of the child having a halo on top of his head.
A bright light and a huge gaping hole appearing on where the drakel nest was.
Xianying addressing him as Lord, when she was just addressing Xing Cai as Master.
It all added up, the little boy really is a celestial. He may not be a god as he claimed, but he was a celestial.
Realizing that he really was meeting a celestial, the Emperor nervously gulped. It seems that he needed to tread carefully.
It really was the correct decision to invite them to dinner, and also, it did not hurt that Xianying, a soldier directly under him, seemed to be closed to the two. It was time to proceed to his plan.
"Then since everyone seems to be about finish with their meals, I will not delay any further", The Emperor cleared his throat, trying his best to contain his excitement.
"I invited you here not only to thank you for clearing the drakel nest", the Emperor then stood up as he looked towards Xianying.
"Lieutenant Colonel Xianying, for your actions during the last wave, with the powers bestowed upon me by the Kingdom of Shenzhou, I hereby promote you to Brigadier General"
"Y-yes!?", Xianying instantly stood up as soon as she heard the Emperor's words.
"W-what!? Your Majesty, with all due respect, but there's a process to this!", General Meng disputed. He was, however, ignored by the Emperor.
"I have also heard of the tragic news of your brother's death a year ago during training. For that, we are truly sorry"
It seems that the Emperor, within the few hours, from the moment he called to invite them to dinner, has already learned everything that is to know about Xianying.
Xing Cai furrowed her eye brows, it seems that this Emperor was more cunning than she initially thought. Viel, of course, was oblivious to everything as he continued to chow on his food.
"We have also known that you have reported the incident to be investigated a dozen of times but were ignored by the higher ups. And now perhaps, our news can serve as a payment for our negligence.", the Emperor then grabbed Xianying's shoulders, his eyes full of passion and sincerity.
"Your suspicions were right. Your brother's death was not an accident."
Hearing the Emperor's words, Xianying could not help but release a deep but reluctant breath. She really did not know what to feel at the moment. Perhaps, it was a mix of elation and displeasure.
General Meng, however, clearly knew what he was feeling right now. His whole body started to sweat as he trembled in his seat.
The Emperor picking his favorite restaurant as a meeting place.
Him being invited by the Emperor to dine with them.
None of those were a coincidence. The Emperor clearly knew who he was.
Like a fly, he was caught in the palms of the Emperor. And the Emperor's next words confirmed it.
"General Meng, if my sources are to be right. You were the officer in charge during that incident…
Correct?"