In the Jin Kingdom's royal palace, inside the Xuanzheng Hall.
The Jin Kingdom's royal family had gathered together.
There were no outsiders, and no so-called hidden guards.
The ruler of the Jin Kingdom, Jin Xianghou, sat in the main seat, with the royal family seated on both sides.
At this moment, not a single person in the hall was speaking. The atmosphere was exceptionally quiet yet incredibly oppressive.
"Report!!!"
A messenger's voice came from outside the door.
"Enter!"
Jin Xianghou uttered a single word calmly.
The messenger entered the hall, dropped to one knee, and reported, "Reporting to Your Majesty, the Imperial Guards' general failed to capture the wanted criminals and was slain with a single sword strike by a true disciple of the Piaomiao Sacred Sect."
Hearing this news, all the royal family members in the hall showed looks of surprise.
They had been waiting for the people from the Great Luo Sacred Sect to arrive, but unexpectedly, the Piaomiao Sacred Sect had emerged halfway. Things were getting troublesome.
"Where is the target now?"
Jin Xianghou asked without showing any emotion.
"The target has gone to the Nightless City, and has taken the Quiet Princess with them."
Hearing this, the expressions of everyone present became extraordinarily colorful. If Jin Hou weren't sitting above them, they would have wanted to discuss whether something was wrong with that Chen Xuan's head.
"You may withdraw."
Jin Xianghou said nothing more, simply waving his hand.
As soon as the messenger withdrew, everyone, including Xianghou, turned their gazes toward Prince Lingye.
"Imperial son, what exactly is the relationship between Chen Xuan's group and that quiet girl?"
Lingye quickly rose and said, "According to Jing'er, that Chen Xuan is an Immortal Master. As for the rest, this son does not know."
"Ridiculous!"
A man who bore some resemblance to Lingye sneered, "Immortal Master? That Chen fellow is nothing but a mere mortal. I think you just want to monopolize that treasure for yourself!"
Lingye said calmly, "Third Imperial Brother, those words aren't quite right. Chen Xuan's group entered the Crown Prince's territory. What ability do I have to take people from there?"
"Who knows if you have your people in there? You're not doing this kind of thing for the first time," the Third Prince said sarcastically.
"Enough."
Jin Xianghou said calmly, appearing completely unbothered, as if the matter had nothing to do with him.
"Now is not the time to assign blame. Just keep a close watch on them. As for the final outcome, we'll wait until the Crown Prince arrives. By the way, where is Imperial Uncle Hongyun now?"
An elder stood up and said, "Old Ancestor, he is currently at the Longevity Palace, meeting with his descendants."
"Remember this—whatever Imperial Uncle Hongyun needs, try your best to accommodate him. The matter with the Taiyin Academy must absolutely not affect the coronation ceremony. Do you all understand?"
Jin Xianghou deliberately raised his voice a few degrees to demonstrate to everyone the importance he placed on this matter.
Everyone below responded in unison:
"We understand!"
Jin Hou gazed out the door, his eyes radiating a sharp light, and said calmly, "My Jin Kingdom has finally welcomed a King-level expert!"
In the Longevity Palace, voices buzzed with excitement.
Old Ancestor Hongyun held his wine cup high—he didn't know how many cups he'd already drunk. Even with his profound cultivation, a trace of intoxication appeared on his face.
The current Old Ancestor Hongyun could be said to be at the peak of his life, basking in success.
As the saying goes: when one person attains the Dao, even their chickens and dogs ascend to heaven.
Old Ancestor Hongyun held this banquet today specifically to promote his family's younger generation, so he had summoned all his descendants.
He wanted to see if there was any talent among the younger generation—ideally someone who, like him, could join the Supreme Sword Sect.
Even the Nineteenth Princess and her son were present, though due to her humble origins, she could only sit at the very bottom of the banquet.
Listening to the various flatteries from his children and grandchildren, Old Ancestor Hongyun also became somewhat carried away.
He set his wine cup aside and loudly declared, "Today, with everyone present, whatever matters you have, just tell this Old Ancestor. Whatever this Old Ancestor can accomplish, I will satisfy all of you."
The descendants who came to the banquet, hearing these words,提出their requests one after another.
However, in Old Ancestor Hongyun's view, these were all minor matters, and he agreed to each one.
Half an hour later, the children and grandchildren withdrew, satisfied.
To demonstrate his generosity, Old Ancestor Hongyun asked again, "Is there anyone else?"
Just then, the Nineteenth Princess stood up from the corner and said respectfully:
"Fa... Father, my daughter's friend wishes to meet with Father. I wonder if Father has any free time recently?"
As soon as these words were spoken, a lavishly dressed woman immediately said haughtily:
"Nineteenth Sister, your request is too outrageous. What kind of person is Father—how could your impoverished friend be worthy of meeting him?"
The other female relatives nearby also chimed in: "Second Sister is right."
"Can't you make a decent request?"
"..."
The Nineteenth Princess had been thinking earlier about what kind of request to make. After much consideration, it would ultimately be about securing a good future for her son.
But then she remembered what the Quiet Princess had said—Immortal Master Chen was a person of vast supernatural abilities. If her son could become his disciple, his future would surely be boundless.
So she decided to take a gamble, to see if this favor could bring an opportunity for her son.
Old Ancestor Hongyun initially didn't recognize his own daughter at all. It was only when he heard someone call her Nineteenth Sister that a blurry figure surfaced in his mind.
"Tell me, what kind of person is this friend of yours? If it's just some nobody, then make a different request."
"Lingxiu doesn't know what kind of person he is either. I only heard the Quiet Princess call him Immortal Master Chen, and he comes from Dongyang Prefecture."
After saying this, the Nineteenth Princess regretted it a little. Her few words probably weren't enough to catch her father's attention.
Clang!
Upon hearing this, Old Ancestor Hongyun's wine cup immediately dropped onto the table.
"Say that again—where is he from, and what is his title as Immortal Master?"
Princess Lingxiu was startled by Old Ancestor Hongyun's words. Her legs went weak, and she nearly collapsed to the ground.
The female relatives nearby, seeing her in this state, showed nothing but schadenfreude on their faces.
After all, with one more person, what they could obtain would be reduced by a fraction.
"Dongyang Prefecture, Immortal Master Chen!"
Princess Lingxiu said, forcing herself to speak.
"Do you know what he looks like?"
Old Ancestor Hongyun instantly sobered up completely. In Dongyang Prefecture, the only one who could be called an Immortal Master was his own master. Most importantly, the surname was Chen. What he needed to do now was confirm this.
"Yes. Some time ago, Xiao'er secretly painted a picture of that Immortal Master fishing."
Princess Lingxiu quickly took out a scroll from her son's storage bag.
"Quickly, present it for Father to see."
Old Ancestor Hongyun said excitedly.
Princess Lingxiu brought the scroll before Old Ancestor Hongyun and slowly unfurled it. The painting showed a young, handsome man with a long sword at his waist, sitting on a boat and fishing.
"Good, well painted!"
Old Ancestor Hongyun praised. The scroll perfectly captured his master's transcendent, otherworldly aura.
"Where is Xiao'er? Come let this grandfather take a look at you."
Hearing these words, Princess Lingxiu was completely stunned. She never imagined that with just a single painting, she could make her father so happy. Could it be that Immortal Master Chen really was an extraordinary expert?
"Xiao'er, quickly come over here to mother."
The young man sitting in the corner heard his mother's call and walked over with his head lowered.
Old Ancestor Hongyun, seeing how shy his grandson was, smiled and said, "Raise your head, let grandfather take a look!"
Xiao'er carefully raised his head and said softly, "Xiao'er greets Grandfather."
Old Ancestor Hongyun was very pleased: "Xiao'er, you're excellent. From today onward, you'll live with grandfather in the royal palace."
Hearing this, Princess Lingxiu nearly fainted from happiness. Being able to stay by Old Ancestor Hongyun's side—this was an immense honor.
Earlier, many people had humbled themselves to ask Father for guidance on their children's cultivation, but not a single one had been allowed to stay by Father's side.
Everyone around turned green with envy. Lingxiu's luck was simply too good—with just a single painting, she made the Old Ancestor beam with joy. If they had known, they would have prepared one too.
Old Ancestor Hongyun said calmly, "Alright, today's banquet ends here. Lingxiu stays; everyone else may leave."
Hearing this, everyone showed thick jealousy on their faces, wishing they could trade places with Princess Lingxiu.
But the Old Ancestor had already issued the dismissal order, so they could only leave resentfully, while also becoming curious about who the person in the painting was.
Princess Lingxiu looked at her sisters' gritted-teeth expressions, feeling an indescribable pleasure in her heart. Immortal Master Chen was indeed extraordinary...
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