The Ye Clan wasn't being merciful to Ye Jun by staying silent. He was sure that if the circumstances were different, they would have punished him heavily for what he did.
The clan would never normally tolerate this kind of disrespect.
But they endured it for the moment, and Ye Jun knew exactly why. He raised his head toward the seven highest seats of the stadium, where six people sat, leaving the center chair empty.
Three were familiar faces to him, namely his father, the Patriarch of the Ye Clan. The other two were the Patriarchs of the Tang Clan and the Xia Clan, all three wearing robes marked with their Clan symbols.
The other three, however, were unfamiliar faces, but Ye Jun recognized them by the sigils on their robes.
'Envoys of the Vassal Sects,' Ye Jun thought.
The North was vast, with three Main Sects having dominion over all of it. But the North was still too big, and there were many matters that the Main Sects couldn't afford to handle themselves.
That was why all three of them had many Vassal Sects under them, which oversaw their authority and dominion over the smaller regions.
Bright Star City fell under Heavenly Frost Palace, one of the strongest sects in the whole Empire.
But there were three Vassal Sects overseeing Bright Star County, namely the Iron Frost Sect, White Gale Pavilion, and Azure Current Sect.
Ye Jun glanced at the Envoys and whispered to Meihui, "How strong are they?"
"Late stages of the Origin Realm," Meihui replied calmly.
'They are strong,' Ye Jun sucked in a cold breath upon hearing that. "Can you defeat them?"
"At my prime?" Meihui raised an eyebrow. "Easily. But I'm currently weakened. If the three of them come at me together, things would be difficult for me."
"Would you lose?" he asked.
She hid her smile behind the fan and said, arrogance dripping from her voice, "No. I'd win."
Ye Jun couldn't help but smile as well. Then he turned back toward the Envoys, thinking about how he needed to impress them today and enter one of their sects.
'Only then will I be free of this clan. I can also enter the Heavenly Frost Palace from there, which will finally make me worthy of Liangxue. I would have a status there to match hers.'
He knew it was somewhat delusional thinking, as the Song Clan basically ruled the whole North, but it was a target for now.
By then, other clans and participants had also noticed him, and whispers filled the stadium. Everyone speculated about what his actions meant, and in no time, the news of his wager against Ye Chen spread.
That made the people even more excited, especially the other two clans, who were happy to see the Ye Clan experiencing such internal shame.
Reputation mattered a lot in this world, and the Ye Clan was taking a hit. So naturally, the other two were pleased about it.
Ye Jun even noticed their Patriarchs talking among themselves while glancing at him occasionally. Their faces held smiles, while Ye Zhong just stared at him hatefully.
'Suffer more humiliation, old men!' Ye Jun thought, looking back at him. 'You care about reputation so much, so suffer. But this isn't the end. One day, I'll make sure your head touches my feet.'
"Don't let anger get to your head," Meihui said as they found a corner to stand in. "It'll affect your performance."
"You really think so?" Ye Jun chuckled.
Meihui paused, remembering the night the Su family was killed, and said, "I see. I have no worries then."
"I'm surprised nobody paid attention to you," Ye Jun said.
"I'm hiding my face and walking behind you," Meihui replied. "They probably assumed I'm a servant you picked up to seem sophisticated."
"Damn! You made them believe it," Ye Jun's eyes widened slightly in surprise. "You manipulator."
Meihui looked away. "I did no such thing."
"Yes, yes. I completely believe you," Ye Jun rolled his eyes. Then he looked around and asked, "Why are we still waiting though? Everyone is already here."
"Perhaps not everyone."
Just as Meihui's words fell on his ears, he noticed a procession approaching the stadium.
There were only three carriages, surrounded and followed by more than a dozen people riding on Rhyshadiums, horse-like war Spiritual Beasts. They were one of the rarest breeds found in the Empire, mostly seen in the North.
'To be able to afford so many Rhyshadiums… I can only think of a single person,' Ye Jun's eyes lit up in surprise. 'But what is she doing here? Or is it someone else from her clan?'
His suspicions were soon confirmed when he noticed the emblem engraved on the carriages.
A giant, ferocious black dragon coiled around a frost-covered mountain peak, roaring to the heavens.
The emblem of the Song Clan, the rulers of the North, the Clan of the King in the North.
The stadium turned deathly silent as everyone stood up from their seats, even the Envoys, as they all stared at the carriages respectfully.
The procession soon came to a stop, and the carriages were lowered while the war beasts screamed loudly, as if announcing their authority over this land.
As everyone watched, a woman stepped out from the first carriage and went toward the center one. There, she respectfully lifted the carriage's curtain and bowed.
From the carriage stepped out a woman of unmatched beauty, with clear jade-like skin and long, beautiful black hair. Yet her eyes contained a cold rationality that made everyone shiver in place.
Song Liangxue adjusted the slender sword at her waist and looked toward the Ye Clan, only to fall into immediate confusion. Then she looked around more as the Envoys came forward to greet her.
That was when her eyes locked with Ye Jun's, and they sparkled with clear excitement. Her face broke into a soft smile as she said, "Won't you greet me, dear?"
Ye Jun's lips twitched as he instantly understood what she was doing. But how could the shameless side of him resist?
So he smiled widely and said, "How can I not, wifey?"
Then, without any hesitation, he strode forward and, before anyone could react, embraced Song Liangxue in a tight hug.
He whispered, inhaling her flowery scent, "You lose!"
"What did I lose? I got a warm welcome from my husband, so I've obviously won," she replied.
"You sly fox!" Ye Jun couldn't help but laugh.