85: Chapter 85: The invitation is posted, let the feast begin!

The banquet continued.

The guests saw only the Third Prince's two attendants following behind Xiao Ye, with no sign of the Third Prince himself. They vaguely guessed what had happened, but they all tactfully kept their mouths shut, and no one dared to ask.

After all, everyone present had felt that Golden Core Master's pressure just now. It clearly hadn't been emitted by those two guards, so could it only have been Xiao Ye?

Who would dare to look for trouble at such a critical juncture?

No one knew whether the Third Prince was dead or alive—and frankly, no one cared anymore.

Xiao Ye sauntered back to the banquet, raised his wine cup toward the guests, and smiled like a Maitreya Buddha. "Come, come, everyone, keep drinking! Don't be polite! I'm happy today!"

The guests raised their wine cups in unison, their smiles looking more painful than crying.

In a corner, Dan Da and Bao Tian squatted together, looking at the antidote bottles in their hands, wanting to cry but having no tears.

"Big brother, are we... selling ourselves into slavery?" Bao Tian asked in a low voice.

Dan Da sighed and looked up at the sky with a profound gaze. "Selling ourselves? If you sell yourself, at least there's a chance to redeem your freedom. We've signed a lifetime contract."

Bao Tian: "..."

He suddenly felt that the days of working for the Third Prince were actually quite good. At least he didn't have to eat poison.

—

What happened at the banquet spread throughout the Great Qian Empire within a few days as if it had grown wings.

"Have you heard? The Family Head of the Xiao Family in Qingshan Town has formed a Golden Core!"

"A Golden Core Old Ancestor? One hasn't appeared in a hundred years!"

"Isn't he an Alchemist? How did he also Cultivate to the Golden Core stage? This crossover is too ridiculous!"

The major cultivation families in Sunset City and even the entire Great Qian Empire were shaken. A tiny Xiao Family from Qingshan Town actually produced a Golden Core Old Ancestor? This news was more outrageous than smoke rising from their ancestral graves.

For a time, the minds of the major families became active. Some pondered how to build a connection, some planned to send Spirit Stones to show loyalty, and others targeted the rumors of Xiao Ye's "fondness for beauty"—this newly promoted Old Ancestor was said to be quite romantic, with concubines more beautiful than the last and very picky tastes.

Should they send a few beauties from their clan for a marriage alliance? After all, how much Face would being the son-in-law of a Golden Core Old Ancestor bring?

The wind in the entire Great Qian cultivation world changed overnight, the weather vane turning faster than a fan.

Of course, at the same time, another piece of news also flew like it had wings to the capital of the Great Qian Empire thousands of miles away.

Something happened to the Third Prince at the Xiao Family...

As for how it happened, there were many versions. Some said he was killed, some said he was missing, some said he was carried off by a Yao Beast, and some even said he actually tripped and fell to his death—but everyone knew in their hearts: the Emperor would not swallow this insult.

The Imperial Palace, Golden Chime Hall.

"Bang—"

An imperial celadon teacup was smashed ruthlessly onto the ground, porcelain shards splashing everywhere. The surrounding eunuchs and palace maids knelt in unison, not daring to even breathe loudly.

"A mere tiny Xiao Family! So what if he's a Golden Core Master? He's only at the third layer of Core Formation, yet he dares to kill my son!" The Great Qian Emperor's Face was ashen, his hair and beard bristling with rage. He slammed his palm onto the dragon desk, making the entire hall hum and causing dust to fall from the ceiling. "Someone! Summon the Ten Great Enshrined Experts! I want to execute nine generations of the Xiao Family!"

The Ten Great Enshrined Experts were ten Golden Core Masters secretly maintained by the Great Qian Imperial Family. They usually Cultivated in seclusion deep within the palace and rarely took action. When they did, it meant the extermination of a sect; they were the imperial Family's nuclear weapons.

In less than half an hour, ten streaks of light shot into the sky from the palace, piercing through the clouds and flying rapidly toward Qingshan Town with an earth-shattering Aura.

In the Xiao Family's backyard, following a loud cry, Luo Lili gave birth to a chubby baby boy.

“Ding—Congratulations to the Host for fathering an offspring with an Earth-Grade Low Grade Spiritual Root! Reward: Seven years of cultivation! Three thousand Spirit Stones! Medium Grade Spiritual Artifact—Sun-Shooting Bow!”

Xiao Ye held the wrinkled little fellow and studied him for a long time. The more he looked, the more he felt the baby resembled him—although newborns all look like little old men, his temperament was perfectly captured.

"Let's call him Xiao Yong," Xiao Ye decided. "'Yong' for brave; the kind who charges at the front in future fights."

After playing with him for a while, he handed his son to the wet nurse and turned to dive into the secret room.

Seven years of cultivation—if he didn't refine it quickly, was he supposed to save it for the New Year?

A day later, the stone door of the secret room burst open. Xiao Ye walked out refreshed, his overall Aura significantly thicker than when he entered.

Fourth layer of Core Formation, steady and solid, one step at a time.

"Cultivation is just so simple and unadorned." Xiao Ye patted his robes, his lips curling into a grin. "Gaining cultivation just by having a kid, I love this System."

In another three months, Wan'er and the others would be giving birth soon, and he could have another wave of Breakthroughs then. But for now, this window of time was a bit long; he couldn't just wait around, it was too wasteful.

"It's time to continue taking concubines." Xiao Ye leaned back in his chair, crossed his legs, and began to calculate his next targets for harvesting.

Just as he finished speaking, Li Fu came running in eagerly, his Face covered in smiles. "Master, the Song Family of Sunset City wants to form a marriage alliance with their Third Young Miss. She's already in the main hall. Do you want to go take a look?"

"Song Family?" Xiao Ye raised an eyebrow. "What's their background?"

"One of the three major families of Sunset City, they have a solid foundation." Li Fu lowered his voice. "That Third Young Miss of the Song Family is eighteen this year, pretty as a painting, and her Spiritual Root is also good—it's Mystic Grade High-Rank."

Xiao Ye's eyes lit up, and he stood up abruptly, straightening his robes. "Let's go, let's take a look."

In the outer courtyard hall, a young girl dressed in a pale yellow dress was sitting upright in a chair, holding a teacup in both hands, as dignified as a traditional painting.

Hearing footsteps, she looked up, revealing an exquisite and small Face with features like a painting and skin as white as a peeled egg.

Xiao Ye stepped over the threshold, his gaze falling on her, and the corners of his mouth slowly curled up.

Ding!

[Name: Song Jia]

[Age: 18]

[Cultivation: First layer of Foundation Establishment]

[Aptitude: Mystic Grade High-Rank]

[Rating: 83]

I agree to this marriage!

The dry spell! It's time for it to end.

"Li Fu, send the invitations, we start the feast in three days!"

PS: Thank you for the support, readers! This book has reached 170,000 words and will soon undergo testing. I hope you all add it to your bookshelves and leave many comments!

Thank you, everyone!