A flicker of surprise and curiosity passed through Princess Julian's eyes, deep as the night sky. She gazed at Ma Lang's cold, determined face, and couldn't help but feel a hint of admiration.
He was the first person at this banquet, intertwined with power and desire, to dare refuse her proactive offer of a cheek kiss. Ma Lang's self-restraint and courage only fueled the princess's keen interest in him.
The atmosphere in the banquet hall instantly became subtle and tense. The descendants of the gods looked on in astonishment, their whispers rising and falling like a tide.
Ma Lang's sister, Ma Qing, also widened her eyes, staring at her brother in disbelief.
She secretly pinched his waist hard. Ma Lang winced but still strove to maintain his cold demeanor and calm. Ma Qing muttered to herself, "This kid, I worked so hard to set up a ladder for you, and you actually kicked it down?"
Ma Lang frowned, enduring the pain from his waist, his face still maintaining a cold expression. He slowly turned around, picked up a cup of amber-colored secret wine, and gently swayed it, as if tasting the stories from afar.
However, his heart was already in turmoil. Years of social anxiety had taught him to use coldness to mask his unease and panic.
Through the gaps in the crowd, Princess Julian caught a glimpse of Ma Lang's forced composure and found him somewhat endearing. She had heard rumors about him, saying he was benevolent but extremely introverted.
At this moment, her close friends also gathered around, pointing and whispering about Ma Lang. Ma Qing watched this scene with a teasing smile, finding it somewhat amusing.
Ma Lang had lived two lives but had never experienced so many gazes focused on him. He felt unprecedented embarrassment and unease, those gazes like invisible weights pressing down on him, almost suffocating him.
He pretended to be aloof as he slowly walked to a corner of the banquet hall and sat down. Only when he was sure no one was watching him anymore did he let out a sigh of relief.
Just as he raised his head, he met a pair of bright eyes. It was a beautiful girl in a华丽长裙, looking at him with curiosity and a hint of shyness.
When their eyes met, she instantly lowered her head, her cheeks slightly flushed. Ma Lang's heart stirred. Could she also have social anxiety? To meet someone like him in this noisy banquet hall made him feel both surprised and familiar.
However, he soon suppressed these thoughts. Maintaining his aloof persona was his top priority now.
So, he continued to pretend nothing had happened and moved to a more secluded corner. He glanced back at his previous "fellow" and saw only a shadow huddled in the corner like him, and he breathed a sigh of relief again.
He sat quietly in the corner, enjoying this rare peace and solitude.
Music, dancing, laughter... all of it felt out of place for him.
He was like an observer, quietly watching every detail of this feast.
Suddenly, the lights in the banquet hall briefly went out and then flickered back to life. Cheers followed as the performance segment began.
Ma Lang didn't pay much attention. He was about to immerse himself in his own world again when his gaze subconsciously swept over the previous figure. However, that figure had vanished, leaving only a small, delicate lady's embroidered shoe lying quietly on the ground.
Ma Lang's heart tightened, and a sense of foreboding washed over him. As he was about to get up and investigate, the golden energy in his mind suddenly stirred. "Is it time to act?" he thought to himself.
Closing his eyes, the invisible vertical eye on his forehead quietly opened, and everything before him became clear and vivid.
He saw his cousin Ma Yuan moving gracefully among the crowd, adept at social interactions, but with occasional flashes of gloom in his eyes.
His gaze soon fixed on Lu Xi'an and Wen Liu. These two idle rich young men were hiding in a secluded corner, whispering and scheming.
Wen Liu occasionally rubbed the ring on his finger, a hidden aura connected to somewhere. Ma Lang followed this aura and detected a spatial fluctuation hidden in the void where the girl had disappeared.
He instantly understood everything. It was these two idle rich young men who were behind it!
Ma Lang stroked his chin and fell into thought, contemplating how to rescue the girl without exposing his abilities. Just then, an idea popped into his mind, a low-key and appropriate solution.
He quietly picked up the small embroidered shoe and found Princess Julian. He described in detail what had happened to the girl.
The princess was horrified when she saw the shoe. She immediately announced the stop of the dance and explained the situation. She ordered the array formation of the banquet hall to be closed, prohibiting anyone from entering or exiting, and instructed all guards to search. However, despite their efforts, the guards found nothing.
Ma Lang looked at Princess Julian's anxious face and felt relieved. He knew he had successfully shifted everyone's attention to this matter. Now, he just needed to wait for the right moment to rescue the girl.
The atmosphere in the banquet hall became even more tense and subtle. The descendants of the gods speculated about the girl's identity and the kidnappers' motives.
Ma Lang sat quietly in the corner, observing everything with a cold eye. He knew that many unknown secrets and shadows were hidden behind this feast, and he was gradually getting involved.
He understood that only by staying low-key and cautious could he stay away from danger.
Time passed, and the hustle and bustle in the banquet hall gradually faded. However, everyone was anxious about the missing girl. When they learned that she was the granddaughter of the Alliance's Chief Counselor, they were even more shocked by the kidnappers' audacity.
Seeing that the moment had arrived, Ma Lang pretended to casually walk past Wen Liu. He secretly extended his consciousness and used his "Decomposition" skill on the ring on Wen Liu's finger.
With a gentle flick of his finger, an invisible energy surged towards the ring.
The ring exploded under the impact of the energy, and the hidden space shattered. The girl fell gently onto the thick carpet like a light feather.
The scene erupted in an uproar, while Ma Lang stood quietly aside, a hint of a smile flashing through his eyes.
Everyone in the room instantly understood the truth. Others thought it was because the temporary spatial charm had expired and collapsed on its own when the girl's disappearance was unexpectedly discovered.
But Wen Liu, the perpetrator, knew that wasn't the case. He was now terrified to the extreme, trembling all over.
Princess Julian hurried over, gently picked up the girl, and carefully examined her. Finding that she was only unconscious, she breathed a sigh of relief.
She stared at Wen Liu, her voice cold and firm, "Who gave you the courage to kidnap the granddaughter of the Alliance's Chief Counselor at the Qingyun Feast? You will pay for this!" With that, she turned and walked away, holding the girl.
As she turned, Princess Julian's gaze fell on Ma Lang again.
A strange and puzzled look flashed through her eyes, as if in that instant, she had seen through a hidden secret about Ma Lang...