Zhang Linyi was on the verge of tears.
What kind of situation was this?
Guo Shiyun scratched her head with an embarrassed smile, then said, "When you put it that way, it's all thanks to Ancestor catching the Fire Crow in the first place. So the greatest credit belongs to Ancestor."
Yue Donglai's eyes lit up upon hearing this.
Ahem, well, she did have a point there.
"Haha, Shiyun truly understands me, unlike certain people." As he spoke, Yue Donglai glanced at Zhang Linyi, his eyes full of disappointment.
Feeling Yue Donglai's gaze, Zhang Linyi really wanted to cry.
Damn it, I finally understand why I'm not in his good graces!
"Ancestor, these two powerful beings have given us such an incredible opportunity. Shouldn't we pay them a personal visit?" Zhang Linyi took the opportunity to ask.
The value of this cultivation technique was beyond words.
Moreover, she felt they could take this chance to build a good relationship with such extraordinary people.
Hearing this, Yue Donglai shook his head. "One of the seniors sent Shiyun away, which shows they don't want to be disturbed. If we go there, we'd be offending both seniors."
Guo Shiyun nodded. "That beautiful senior clearly had no intention of letting me stay."
Yue Donglai looked at Guo Shiyun with doting eyes and praised, "Shiyun is so thoughtful."
Zhang Linyi's face twitched violently again.
"So we just leave it alone?" Zhang Linyi frowned.
Yue Donglai turned to Guo Shiyun and asked with a smile, "Shiyun, what do you think we should do?"
Guo Shiyun pondered for a moment, then her eyes suddenly brightened as if she'd thought of something.
"That senior participated in a martial arts tournament held for the kingdom's prince's birthday. And that senior was part of a six-person team. I saw him chatting quite happily with several young people in the group. This suggests the senior values this kingdom and these young people. Since we can't build a relationship with these two seniors directly, we can indirectly please them."
Hearing Guo Shiyun's words, Yue Donglai burst into hearty laughter.
"Shiyun has truly grown up! Such a clever plan, truly praiseworthy! Zhang Linyi, listen to this—you need to learn from her. You're practically failing as a teacher!" As he spoke, Yue Donglai glanced at Zhang Linyi.
Zhang Linyi suddenly looked toward a nearby pillar.
Is anyone going to stop me?
I suddenly want to bash my head against it.
"In that case, we must attend the prince's birthday banquet tonight. Good, I'll go prepare a grand gift right now."
With that, Yue Donglai vanished from the spot.
Suddenly, only Zhang Linyi and Guo Shiyun remained in the hall.
Guo Shiyun turned to look at Zhang Linyi.
Zhang Linyi glared at Guo Shiyun through gritted teeth.
"Ahem, Master, is your leg alright? I saw Ancestor hit you pretty hard just now. I don't mean anything by it, just wondering if it's broken."
Zhang Linyi's face was ice-cold.
Waiting online for replies: What are the different ways to kill your disciple?
---
The mortal realm.
The sky was growing dark.
Black Jiao returned with a cloth sack on his back.
When Chen Ping'an saw the sack on Black Jiao's back, his eyes gleamed with a green light.
Excellent!
It really works this way!
Black Jiao arrived in the courtyard and set down the sack.
Chen Ping'an stepped forward to inspect it.
Inside the sack were wild rabbit carcasses.
Several chunks of large meat that looked like wild boar.
And various other types of beast meat.
"Tsk tsk, Little Blackie did well."
Chen Ping'an had finally discovered the proper way to use Black Jiao.
From now on, whenever they needed meat, he could just send Black Jiao out for a trip.
These wild animals tasted far better than domesticated livestock.
And thinking of domesticated livestock, Chen Ping'an glanced at the rooster lying not far away.
The rooster sensed Chen Ping'an's gaze at that moment.
It immediately shuddered.
No way...
Master, you're not thinking of eating me again, are you?
That's right—Chen Ping'an had wanted to eat it before, but fortunately it had been clever enough to go out and lure back some wild pheasants for Chen Ping'an.
Seeing that the sky was getting dark and it was time to make dinner, Chen Ping'an picked up the sack and headed toward the kitchen.
At the same time, he glanced at the distant sky, thinking about the Zhan Wu Kingdom.
At tonight's banquet, everyone there should be discussing him.
---
Zhan Wu Kingdom.
Inside the royal palace, drums and gongs were beating loudly—it was quite lively.
Throughout the capital city, many people of power and influence were flying toward the palace.
Some had already arrived at the palace early and were waiting inside.
Among them, Liu Shuai was currently with Yang Ming.
Besides the two of them, Tian Shanshan, Wang Dagui, and others were also present.
Several young people gathered around a table.
Their faces were somewhat grave.
"I really can't see anything special about these two stones."
"Me neither."
"..."
Liu Shuai had spent the entire afternoon studying them.
But he simply couldn't discover anything special about the two stones.
He had tried channeling spiritual energy into them.
He'd also attempted various methods.
Like dripping fresh blood on them.
Burning them with fire.
Soaking them in water, and so on.
However, despite all this, the stones showed no change whatsoever.
To unlock the secret of the stones, he'd gone directly to Yang Ming.
After all, one of the two stones was meant to be given to Yang Ming.
He'd also brought along Tian Shanshan and the others, following the saying that many hands make light work—maybe if everyone studied them together, they might figure it out.
But...
After studying them for quite a while, they still couldn't determine what was special about the two stones.
They seemed completely ordinary!
"Based on what you've said, all this must be the senior's arrangement, and these two stones must be extraordinary." Yang Ming said seriously.
Then, he suddenly thought of a possibility and quickly said, "Could it be that these two stones will only reveal their special properties when the banquet begins and you give one to me in the senior's name?"
At these words, Liu Shuai's eyes also lit up. "That's right, it must be like that!"
And so, Yang Ming and Liu Shuai began waiting for the banquet to start.
Time passed.
A drumroll suddenly thundered out.
The entire palace was filled with a festive atmosphere.
The banquet was beginning!
Yang Ming and Yang Liwan began receiving guests.
At the center of the palace was a plaza.
It was now filled with tables and chairs.
Packed with people.
Yang Liwan raised his wine cup, and after a speech, announced the banquet had officially begun.
At this moment, they entered the gift-presenting segment.
A crowd of people rushed forward eagerly, bringing out gifts to present.
What they didn't know was that at this very moment, a black hole suddenly appeared in the sky above.
Three people emerged from it.
The arrivals were none other than Yue Donglai and his two companions.