Xiao Lin didn't have a high-profile personality, so his birthday banquet wasn't much fun.
After the performers played music and danced on the stage, only the ministers were left exchanging conventional greetings with each other.
It was at this time that a man walked in laughing. The man was dressed in white with a jade crown, and a transparent jade hanging on his waist.
"I'm late for Sixth Brother's birthday banquet. I hope Sixth Brother won't be angry."
Although he was smiling, his eyes were not.
Sitting on the main seat, Xiao Lin's initially gentle expression had turned slightly colder upon seeing him. Xiao Lin stood up. "Fourth Brother."
It turned out to be King Zhao.
Su Su quietly observed King Zhao. His gait was slightly conceited, his eyes were somewhat bluish-black, and his gaze was sharp. With just a glance, one could see that he was a person that was hard to get along with. King Zhao's identity was quite unusual. His mother was the Emperor's favourite imperial consort1, and her maternal family was very powerful. So, in the future battle for the throne, he would be Xiao Lin's most significant opponent.
King Zhao, Xiao Shen, sat on another main seat. He squinted his eyes, and his gaze fell upon Ye Bing Shang. "Side Imperial Concubine Shang, long time no see. Why do you look even more pitiful now? Look at this pale face that makes people feel sorry for you. Could it be that Sixth Brother is mistreating you?"
He said it with a smile, but his gaze maliciously wandered back and forth between Ye Bing Shang's neck and collar.
Ye Bing Shang averted her gaze uncomfortably, her eyebrows gave out a slightly displeased expression. She politely stood up and bowed with respect, "I hope His Highness King Zhao doesn't joke with this concubine."
King Zhao's lips curved upwards. His hawk-like gaze was still staring at Ye Bing Shang.
Xiao Lin's face had sunken, and he put his wine cup down heavily.
"Fourth Brother, you don't have to trouble yourself over my household affairs."
King Zhao smacked his lips. He didn't dare to continue upon seeing the immortal-like being, Xiao Lin, angry. Sixth Brother had a gentle temperament. It was okay if you didn't provoke him, but it wouldn't end well once you had. He then looked away. As if he had thought of something, he then looked with great interest towards the Ye Family.
"Third Miss Ye is also here." King Zhao looked at Su Su, and his eyes lit up.
His impression of this Third Miss remained from the past. She was a spiteful, willful, and vicious-hearted young lady. But the Third Ye today had a different bearing, with a scorching flower ornament in-between her eyebrows.
If the Eldest Miss Ye was a pretty bloomed lotus, then the Third Miss would be a peony2 that had just began to blossom.
A young girl who had just matured was youthful and attractive. The two girls of the Ye Family were born well.
Su Su didn't expect that King Zhao would end up diverting his attention to her when she was just eating melon3.
His vulgar gaze made people uncomfortable.
However, Su Su was calm and collected. She said to King Zhao, "This official's daughter greets His Highness, King Zhao."
Then, she hid behind Tantai Jin with evil intentions.
Come on, bad devil! Go and face King Zhao.
Tantai Jin looked at the girl behind him in bewilderment. She looked back at him with a straight face.
Tantai Jin's gaze looked uncertain. He glanced at her, then replaced her to meet King Zhao's gaze.
King Zhao smiled treacherously, "Hostage prince, long time no see. Is your life in the General's residence better than the cold palace?"
Su Su felt that King Zhao was like an arrogant giant crab that walked horizontally. He was not only lecherous but also had evil tendencies. Whenever he caught someone, he would publicly criticize them4.
The entire atmosphere had changed since his appearance at the banquet.
Tantai Jin said, "Thanks, King Zhao, for your concern. The General's residence has been very good."
"That's good then. But I really miss hostage prince, my good childhood playmate." King Zhao lifted his robe and slightly split his legs. His expression was darkly hinting at his ridicule and contempt.
Tantai Jin's expression did not change, and he nodded. He toasted King Zhao a cup of wine.
King Zhao raised his eyebrows. He was amazed. Last time, this lowly prisoner of war— the hostage prince, had crawled through his legs, and his hands had clenched the mud so tightly that the green veins on the back of his hands bulged. Now, he was hinting at that incident to humiliate Tantai Jin, but his reaction was extremely calm. How interesting.
When Su Su heard this, her heart clenched unconsciously. She suddenly remembered what the momo from the cold palace had said. The princes often seemed to have fun toying with Tantai Jin.
What did King Zhao do to Tantai Jin?
She couldn't help but glance at Tantai Jin, trying to make out something from his expression, but she could only see the young man's thin side face. His long lashes and dark pupils were remarkably calm.
In a flash, the joyful and harmonious banquet became dreary because of King Zhao. At this moment, a plump minister smiled and said, "This lowly official just came back from the border of Great Xia some time ago and obtained something exciting. I don't know if the two princes and everyone here are interested in enjoying it together."
King Zhao leaned forward and said, "Oh? Lord Li better not use mediocre things to fool this prince. Take it out and show us."
Lord Li smiled and said, "This lowly official doesn't dare." He clapped his hands, and the servants brought in a huge square object. It was covered by black silk cloth, and the inside couldn't be clearly seen.
Lord Li walked over and lifted the black cloth.
Surprisingly, a mighty lion was lying on its stomach inside the cage.
Everyone looked at each other.
Pang Yi Zhi said, "Lord Li, although lions are not commonly seen, they are not something rare. Lord Li, what do you mean by this?"
Lord Li smiled so widely that his eyes couldn't be seen.
"Don't worry, everyone. The good show is yet to come."
He took out a palm-sized jade box from his robe. He opened up the jade box and threw it into the iron cage.
Su Su had a bad feeling. She stared at the box intensely.
A bee that was the size of a fingernail flew out of the box.
"This is the Scarlet Flame Wasp. Although it's small, just it alone can defeat the lion."
As soon as he finished talking, the lion stood up vigilantly. Unexpectedly, the fiery red wasp charged directly into the lion's ear.
The lion started to madly slam its body on the cage.
Lord Li was still smiling. The next moment, the lion convulsed and fell onto the ground. Suddenly, its head exploded, and the remnants splattered all over the floor.
The Scarlet Flame Wasp that had been the size of a fingernail earlier had now become the size of a sturdy man's fist.
Everyone's eyes widened. The females of the families' expressions turned ghastly. They used handkerchiefs to cover their eyes, and their stomachs were churning.
Su Su abruptly put down her chopsticks.
It wasn't just something strange. This Scarlet Flame Wasp was clearly a demonic creature.
How could a demonic creature appear in the mortal world?
As expected, the next moment, the face of the initially kind and straightforward Lord Li suddenly became distorted. "Now that everyone has seen enough excitement, you can go to the Yellow Spring5 with ease!"
An unforeseen event happened out of the blue. Dozens of Scarlet Flame Wasps suddenly flew out from the lion's iron cage.
The Scarlet Flame Wasps charged towards the crowd, and the sound of screaming fell incessantly to the ear.
General Ye's expression couldn't help but change. He drew out his sword and started to chase away the Scarlet Flame Wasps that were flying in his direction.
Everyone had seen the formidable power of these creatures. If one were to let them enter their body, they wouldn't be able to live.
Xiao Lin's reaction was even faster. He slashed his sword at a Scarlet Flame Wasp. He turned back and ordered, "Protect the Side Imperial Concubine and leave!"
His men hurriedly guarded Ye Bing Shang aside.
Ye Bing Shang held onto Xiao Lin's hand and said in a trembling voice, "Wangye6."
Xiao Lin said, "Go!"
He took off his cloak, wrapped it around Ye Bing Shang, and pushed her towards the maidservants.
The guards hastily protected Ye Bing Shang and left.
Su Su knew this was a big problem. She initially thought that the mortal world was peaceful. To prove her wrong, when she attended a birthday banquet, she actually saw something that shouldn't have appeared.
Although General Ye was good at martial arts, he was just a mortal. He had never seen such weird and ferocious Scarlet Flame Wasps.
The Scarlet Flame Wasps were so agile that Ye Xiao was badly struggling.
At the scene, the stream of screaming was never-ending. The Scarlet Flame Wasps broke through the human bodies and became bigger and bigger.
A Scarlet Flame Wasp was about to get into General Ye's head in the next blink, but a sharp sword cut it into half.
Ye Xiao turned around and saw a pair of sharp yet beautiful eyes.
"Xi Wu?"
Su Su couldn't care about what her General father would think of her. With a twist of her wrist, she drew a circle before grasping the sword in front of her. "Dad, we have to leave quickly."
If the Scarlet Flame Wasps grew bigger and bigger, they would become harder to deal with.
Ye Xiao's heart sank, but he quickly understood the consequences and retreated towards the outside of the door. These things were far beyond human capability to deal with.
About ten Scarlet Flame Wasps charged from all sides and Su Su managed to kill one with great difficulty.
She turned back and saw that General Ye had already retreated to the side of the main door. Before she could breath out a sigh of relief, she turned around and realised that Tantai jin was gone.
Su Su: "... !"
She was in a panic. If something were to happen to him, she couldn't live either. The three realms would also quickly be doomed.
In a flash, a Scarlet Flame Wasp flew towards her.
Someone abruptly caught her wrist. Su Su shouted in surprise, "Eldest Senior Brother!"
Xiao Lin frowned as he didn't understand why the Ye Xi Wu in front of him would address him that way. "What are you still standing here for? Quickly leave!" Although he didn't like Third Miss Ye, he wouldn't neglect rescuing those in danger.
Xiao Lin's sword aura was completely different from his amiability. His sword carried a vaguely cold aura, diffracting light and shadow, swift and cool.
Su Su was caught off guard and saved by Xiao Lin. She was moved that her Eldest Senior Brother had never changed.
When the secret guards of the prince's residence joined in, the situation eased a lot.
Nonetheless, the Scarlet Flame Wasps were still absorbing the power of the dead humans and growing bigger and bigger.
Su Su held onto her sword. She didn't have time to care about her own safety and walked towards the chaotic crowd.
She was really anxious. Where is Tantai Jin? Where did he go?! Did something really happen to him?!
In a flash, a man in front of her was forced into a corner by a human baby-sized Scarlet Flame Wasp. Su Su twisted her body and stabbed it without even thinking.
She used the Qinghong Sword Technique to its fullest and cut off the Scarlet Flame Wasp's wings and head.
Only then Su Su saw the person who was almost killed.
The man looked at her with disbelief.
It was Pang Yi Zhi. Pang Yi Zhi had excellent literary talent, but he wasn't good at martial arts. He looked at Su Su hesitantly. His mouth used to be vicious and sharp, but now, it was a little disobedient. "You... You..."
The beautiful flower ornament in the middle of the girl's forehead was messily smeared, but her clear eyes were beautiful as if burning multi-colored.
Su Su pursed her mouth in a straight line. "Lord Pang, hurry up and run for your life!" Why did he keep staring at her! Did a flower bloom on her face?
Pang Yi Zhi looked perplexed. He turned around and was about to run.
Su Su suddenly pulled his sleeve. "Wait a minute. Did you see Tantai Jin?"
"Hostage prince ——" He lowered his gaze and saw a dirty little face that was looking at him eagerly. The girl was holding a sword, and her eyes were bright and stubborn.
Pang Yi Zhi's heart palpitated and he pushed her soft hand away. He averted his gaze. "I didn't see him!"
*
Ye Bing Shang was escorted by the secret guards, running towards the prince's inner residence.
When they walked through the rockery, a maidservant suddenly screamed. When Ye Bing Shang looked back, she saw a Scarlet Flame Wasp rush out from the maid servant's body and charge towards her ferociously. The guards were flustered. "Side Imperial Concubine Shang!"
A guard hurriedly went to block it. Unfortunately, he had never seen this kind of strange creature before, so his martial art skills were useless. The guard's eyes widened, and the Scarlet Flame Wasp had already passed through his body.
In a moment, the Scarlet Flame Wasp flew over, and the guards fell one by one. The secret guard that was protecting Ye Bing Shang had disappeared. Ye Bing Shang tripped over a stone and fell to the ground.
She was frightened and desperate. Was she really going to die under the siege of these bizarre creatures today? The odd creature in front of her was actually half the size of an adult man! Just looking at it made her almost faint from fear.
Ye Bing Shang's face paled and she backed away.
The next moment, dark purple clothing appeared in front of her.
Ye Bing Shang looked up in shock. But, before she could clearly see the person who came, her eyes went dark, and she lost consciousness.
The young man raised his hand and caught that huge Scarlet Flame Wasp.
As he grabbed its antennae, the Scarlet Flame Wasp that had been violently killing people just before was now starting to tremble in fear.
Tantai Jin tilted his head and laughed. He whispered slowly, "It's okay to kill anyone else, but you shouldn't touch her."
His chapped right hand clenched its antennae tightly.
When his blood touched the Scarlet Flame Wasp, it screeched strangely and instantly turned into a puddle of foul-smelling liquid.
The smile on Tantai Jin's face disappeared, and he looked at the pool of fiery red liquid indifferently. He turned around and gently carried the girl from beside the rockery.
Ye Bing Shang leaned against the young man's thin chest.
Tantai Jin carried Ye Bing Shang to the willow tree by the lake and put her down. He pulled her slender right hand and wiped his own blood on her wrist.
He finished everything leisurely and walked back with ease.
Maybe he should go back and see whether King Zhao was still there.
Didn't King Zhao miss the "warmth" from his childhood? He didn't mind helping this prince relive his feelings from the past.
As for Ye Xi Wu, he half-heartedly thought that in this kind of situation, she might already be dead.
Tantai Jin passed by the panicking crowd that was escaping. In the past, he had looked docile and timid. But now, it was the turn for these high-rankers to look flustered and hysterical.
He couldn't help but laugh when he saw an official push his wife towards the Scarlet Flame Wasp.
What can that do?
As expected, a few seconds after the Scarlet Flame Wasp killed the frightened wife, it also killed the official.
Tantai Jin was leaning against a red pillar and watching this hell on Earth. The smell of blood spreading in the air made him so happy that his eyes squinted. The potent blood gas penetrated his lungs. He choked and coughed twice, but the corner of his lips were highly perked up.
Through the shadow of the tree, Tantai Jin saw a man in green with an appearance like a fallen immortal, tirelessly lifting his sword to protect the crowd leaving the prince's residence.
King Xuan, huh. Many thoughts passed through Tantai Jin's heart.
But the next moment, the smile on the corner of his lips froze. Tantai Jin didn't expect that the girl he had thought to be dead would appear not far away.
Her hair was scattered, and the flower ornament on her forehead had been smeared. Her little face was even stained with a few tints of red.
It was strange that she didn't look messy at all. Even in the bustling crowd, people could find her at a glance.
The girl was carrying a sword, and the sunlight reflected on the tip of the blade. That ray of light was so dazzling and warm that it could burn someone.
She was walking and saving people along the way. He heard her anxiously asking the people that she had rescued. "Have you seen Tantai Jin?"
The officials shook their heads. She had hurriedly saved many people, but everyone waved their hands at her.
Tantai Jin looked at her coldly. A strange feeling rose again on the places of his fingers that had previously touched her. They were itchy and painful.
The young man gasped for air and lifted his foot to step on a Scarlet Flame Wasp that was killing people.
"Go! Kill her!" Tantai Jin said.