Ye Xuan and Ye Ling were stunned by the scene before them. After a moment, Ye Xuan shook his head and smiled, "Still the same familiar vibe!"
Back in Qingcheng, it was the same. Only those with value were befriended, and people with value only associated with others like themselves.
Beside Ye Xuan, Lu Ming said angrily, "Brother, that guy looked down on us. Should I teach him a lesson for you?"
Ye Xuan glanced at the chubby boy, smiling, "People flock to their kind. It's normal."
Lu Ming wanted to say more, but at that moment, Lu Xiaoran approached, leading a man dressed in a yellow robe. The man looked around twenty-five or twenty-six, handsome, with a dignified demeanor.
The man walked up to Ye Xuan, glanced at him, and smiled, "You must be Brother Ye Xuan."
Ye Xuan looked at Lu Xiaoran, who quickly introduced, "Young friend Ye Xuan, this is the Grand Prince of our Jiang Kingdom, Jiang Niansheng."
The Grand Prince!
Ye Xuan was slightly surprised. He cupped his hands respectfully, "Ye Xuan from Qingcheng."
Neither servile nor overbearing.
The Grand Prince nodded with a smile, "Since Brother Ye Xuan has gained the favor of City Lord Lu, we must stay in touch in the future!"
Ye Xuan was about to reply when a voice filled with excitement echoed through the hall, "Mo Suiqing is here."
Mo Suiqing!
Upon hearing the name, everyone turned their attention to the stairs.
Even the Grand Prince in front of Ye Xuan looked towards the stairs, tidying his attire before walking over.
Seeing this, Lu Xiaoran hesitated for a moment but said nothing. He naturally sided with the Grand Prince, and he had intended to introduce Ye Xuan to him. However, he didn't want Ye Xuan to feel uncomfortable, so he hadn't revealed much about Ye Xuan. Now, seeing the Grand Prince's casual demeanor, he considered explaining further, but knowing that Ye Xuan was a swordsman who despised such behavior, he decided to stay silent.
It was better not to force the introduction if it would only make Ye Xuan unhappy.
Under everyone's gaze, a young woman ascended the stairs.
She was about twenty years old, wearing a bright red dress, tall and slim. Her features were strikingly exquisite, with phoenix-like eyes, smooth jade-like skin, and eyes as bright as the stars. Just one look seemed enough to captivate anyone.
She was truly beautiful.
Even Ye Xuan couldn't help but glance at her a few times.
He didn't reject beautiful things. He appreciated them, though without any other intentions.
Ye Xuan looked away and turned to Lu Xiaoran, "Senior, who is she?"
Lu Xiaoran smiled, "Mo Suiqing, the First Beauty of the Capital."
The First Beauty of the Capital!
Ye Xuan blinked, then asked instinctively, "What about An Lanxiu?"
The woman before him was indeed enchanting, but to say she surpassed An Lanxiu seemed a bit much.
Lu Xiaoran smiled, "An Lanxiu is renowned throughout a hundred kingdoms, but not for her beauty. People don't think of her looks first, do you understand, young friend?"
Ye Xuan nodded in understanding.
With Mo Suiqing's arrival, everyone in the room focused their attention on her, gathering around her like stars around the moon.
Beside Ye Xuan, Lu Xiaoran said, "Mo Suiqing is not only beautiful; she also comes from the Mo family, an ancient clan even the royal family fears. Currently, two of the princes are competing for the position of crown prince. If either one of them could marry her, the crown prince title would practically be guaranteed. However, her standards are incredibly high—she once declared that no man in the entire Jiang Kingdom was worthy of her."
Just then, Ye Ling, standing beside Ye Xuan, said, "I think my brother would be good enough!"
Ye Xuan shot her a look, "I'm just a treasure in your eyes. In other people's eyes, I'm not even a weed."
Ye Ling smiled sweetly, holding onto Ye Xuan's arm tightly.
To her, her brother was worthy of anyone.
Lu Xiaoran laughed heartily, "Young friend, do not belittle yourself. You are young and capable. If you set your mind to it, anything is possible!"
He didn't know who was behind Ye Xuan, but he knew one thing: Ye Xuan had killed the elder of Drunken Immortal Inn and survived. Later, Drunken Immortal Inn's Cold Master was killed.
Ye Xuan shook his head and smiled. He glanced at Mo Suiqing in the distance. This type of woman had standards that reached the sky, and he wasn't interested in making a fool of himself.
In his opinion, a relationship should be about feelings and character. Talent, potential, and family background mattered too, but if love was based solely on those, it was meaningless.
It's like loving someone because they're rich, but not loving them if they're poor. What kind of love is that?
The banquet began. Ye Xuan, his sister Ye Ling, Lu Xiaoran, and the chubby boy sat at their own table, piled high with dishes—more food kept coming.
The siblings and the chubby boy were eating happily. Ye Xuan and Ye Ling were used to hardship and had never tasted such delicacies, while Lu Ming simply loved food.
Meanwhile, others were toasting and mingling. Only their table was eating with abandon.
Seeing this, Lu Xiaoran shook his head and smiled wryly. But he knew better than anyone what his son was like. Asking the chubby boy to make polite conversation was impossible; he'd probably offend someone instead. And Ye Xuan—in his opinion, Ye Xuan had high standards and wasn't interested in associating with others. What he didn't know was that every time Ye Xuan said he was a lone cultivator, people would just walk away!
Ye Xuan was also helpless.
Damn it, needing to ask someone's background before making friends—what a ridiculous thing.
A moment later, Lu Xiaoran looked into the distance and said, "You three continue eating. I see some old acquaintances, I'll go greet them!"
None of the three responded, and Lu Xiaoran smiled, shaking his head as he walked away.
Ye Ling picked up a large chicken leg for Ye Xuan, "Brother, eat more."
Then she picked up a cabbage leaf and placed it in Lu Ming's bowl, "Chubby boy, you need to lose weight. Vegetables are good, eat more!"
Lu Ming looked at the green leaf in his bowl with grievance, "Sister Ling, you're so biased."
Ye Ling giggled and picked up a piece of braised pork for Ye Xuan, "Brother, this is really good, so tender..."
Beside them, Lu Ming was utterly speechless, "Humph! When I get back, I'll ask my mother to give me a little sister. No, two sisters!"
Ye Xuan and Ye Ling exchanged a glance and burst into laughter.
Meanwhile, a veiled woman stood beside Mo Suiqing. It was none other than Han Xiangmeng, who had arrived a short while ago.
Though Han Xiangmeng was conversing with Mo Suiqing, her gaze occasionally drifted towards Ye Xuan. She hadn't expected to see him here.
Noticing Han Xiangmeng's gaze, Mo Suiqing glanced at Ye Xuan, "Xiangmeng, do you know him?"
Han Xiangmeng nodded slightly.
Mo Suiqing smiled, "If he caught your eye, he must be interesting. Tell me, whose son is he?"
Han Xiangmeng shook her head, "We've only crossed paths once or twice. We're not close."
Mo Suiqing's lips curled into a fox-like smile, "Not close, yet you keep looking at him. What, have you taken a fancy to him?"
She looked at Ye Xuan in the distance, "He's not bad-looking—your taste is decent."
Han Xiangmeng shook her head, "Don't be ridiculous. We just crossed paths twice. I didn't expect him to be here."
Mo Suiqing glanced around and smiled, "There's nothing strange about it. Geniuses from across Jiang Kingdom are here to make connections—which is invaluable, right? Besides personal strength, connections matter too."
Han Xiangmeng said flatly, "Did you see him trying to befriend anyone?"
Mo Suiqing was stunned and looked at Ye Xuan again, somewhat surprised, "Now that you mention it, he does seem different."
Han Xiangmeng shook her head, "Let's not talk about him anymore. His affairs have nothing to do with us."
Mo Suiqing, however, shook her head repeatedly, "Now I'm interested. Come on, let's go see for ourselves!"
Han Xiangmeng's face changed slightly, "Suiqing, don't provoke him..."
"Provoke?"
Mo Suiqing smiled, "That's an odd choice of words. Are you afraid of him? What's going on?"
Han Xiangmeng was about to explain when Mo Suiqing interrupted, "Forget it. Now I'm even more curious. Let's go see for ourselves!"
With that, she pulled Han Xiangmeng along towards Ye Xuan's table.
Every move the two women made drew countless gazes. Seeing them approach Ye Xuan, the crowd looked towards him, curious about his identity. Few people could attract Mo Suiqing's attention.
Mo Suiqing glanced at Ye Xuan and smiled, "There are empty seats here. You wouldn't mind if we joined you, right?"
Ye Xuan looked at the two women. He recognized Han Xiangmeng, but he couldn't figure out what they wanted.
Without waiting for Ye Xuan's response, Mo Suiqing pulled Han Xiangmeng to sit down. She looked at Ye Xuan, "What's your name, young master? Which family are you from?"
Ye Xuan put down his chopsticks, cupped his hands, and said, "Ye Xuan, a lone cultivator."
A lone cultivator?
Mo Suiqing's interest deepened, "Just a lone cultivator?"
Ye Xuan nodded, "Just a lone cultivator."
Mo Suiqing smiled, "Lone cultivators don't usually qualify to come here."
Ye Xuan smiled, "We just tagged along with Lord Lu to grab some food."
Grab some food!
Ye Xuan's words drew laughter from the crowd.
Mo Suiqing also laughed, "It's my first time seeing someone here just for the food."
Ye Xuan pondered for a moment and said, "Miss Mo, if you have something to say, please get to the point."
All the gazes around were fixed on him, which wasn't a good thing. He didn't want to make enemies for no reason.
Mo Suiqing smiled, "I'm just here to chat. Is that not allowed? What, does Young Master Ye think I'm not worthy to sit with you?"
Hearing this, some men nearby frowned. One of them approached and looked at Ye Xuan coldly, "Miss Mo, who is he to deserve to sit with you?"
Smack!
Suddenly, Lu Ming slammed the table, pointing at the man, "Who the hell are you to talk to my brother like that?"
The man's eyes narrowed, "Do you have a death wish?"
Lu Ming was about to retort, but Ye Xuan stopped him and looked at Mo Suiqing, "Miss Mo, did I offend you somehow? Why are you trying to get me into trouble?"
Mo Suiqing blinked innocently, "Trouble? I'm not doing that. You're accusing me wrongly! I found you interesting and wanted to know you better. Instead, you misunderstand me like this... It seems Young Master Ye has no interest in associating with me."
Ye Xuan said in a deep voice, "But as you can see, your actions are making me a target!"
Mo Suiqing smiled slyly, "That's your problem, isn't it?"
Ye Xuan looked at Mo Suiqing—this woman was clearly here to stir things up. He stood up, pulling Lu Ming and Ye Ling along, "Let's go!"
Ye Ling obediently nodded, picking up an apple from the table and putting it in her pocket because Ye Xuan liked to eat fruit after meals.
Seeing the three of them about to leave, Mo Suiqing's face grew cold, "Ye Xuan, are you really going to embarrass me like this? What, do you look down on me?"
Beside Mo Suiqing, the man sneered, "Miss Mo, why bother with such a person?"
He glanced at Ye Ling mockingly, "Not only are they here for free food, but they're even taking some to go. I've never seen anything like it. Such lowly people are capable of even more disgraceful acts!"
Hearing this, Ye Ling's face turned pale, and she hurriedly put the apple back on the table.
Seeing this, Han Xiangmeng's expression changed instantly.
How did the massacre on the cloudship happen? It was because of this little girl!
Sure enough, before the man could react, Ye Xuan disappeared in a flash. In the next moment, he was in front of the man, punching him squarely in the mouth.
Bam!
The man flew back several meters, all his teeth flying out, blood splattering everywhere!
Everyone in the hall looked stunned.
He hit him!
He actually struck someone here!
Mo Suiqing hadn't expected Ye Xuan to hit someone either. She looked at Ye Xuan coldly, "You're quite capable, aren't you?"
After punching the man, Ye Xuan walked right up to Mo Suiqing, "A woman like you, relying on her looks, showing no respect for anyone, treating the men around her as playthings, enjoying watching them act foolishly because of your words—does it make you happy? Let me be blunt, a woman like you, even if you lay naked in front of me, I'd have no interest."
He picked up the apple from the table, took Ye Ling and Lu Ming by the hand, and walked away.