270: Luxury banquet

Han Jun's gaze swept across the courtyard, finally landing on you as he said coldly, "Qin Chen, I know you might have some background. But this is the Tianyu Immortal Dynasty; if you are a dragon, you must coil up, and if you are a tiger, you must crouch! Since you have come, you must follow the rules here."

"Rules?" You smile slightly. "When have I not followed them? On the contrary, Your Excellency broke in for no reason; what kind of rule is that?"

"Enough nonsense!" Han Jun waved his hand impatiently. "I only came for one thing today—your marriage with the Ninth Princess is void. If you know what's good for you, leave the Immortal Dynasty as soon as possible. You are not welcome here."

"And if I don't leave?" Your tone remains calm.

Han Jun narrowed his eyes, a cold light flashing as he said word by word, "Not leave? Then... stay here forever!"

Before his voice could fade, his Golden Core Spiritual Pressure surged. His right hand condensed a gale-force wind, and he was about to strike—

"Stop!"

A clear shout came from outside the gate.

Even before the sound died down, Prince Ji Heng's figure flickered like a ghost, standing firmly in front of you with a solemn expression.

"Han Jun! It's one thing for you to act overbearingly on normal days, but you dare to come here and run wild knowing that Qin Chen is my close friend?"

Seeing Prince Ji Heng, Han Jun only gave a cold snort, showing surprisingly little reverence. "Cousin, this matter has nothing to do with you. Please step aside. Otherwise, don't blame me for not showing any consideration."

Han Jun's paternal aunt is the current Empress, and Prince Ji Heng happens to be the Empress's son. Thus, Han Jun had called Prince Ji Heng 'Cousin' since childhood—this was also something Prince Ji Heng himself had strongly requested.

Despite this, the relationship between the two could only be described as average.

Hearing this, Prince Ji Heng laughed instead of getting angry. "Good! This Prince also wants to see just how much you have improved lately!"

Han Jun's face immediately stiffened.

He never expected that Prince Ji Heng would actually tear off all pretense with him for the sake of an unknown 'friend'.

If they truly came to blows, he had no certainty of victory.

After weighing his options for a moment, Han Jun had no choice but to suppress his anger. He glared at you fiercely and left a parting threat: "Qin Chen, you're lucky the First Prince is protecting you today! But he can protect you for a moment, not for a lifetime! We'll see!"

With that, he flicked his sleeves in anger and left dejectedly with his group of guards.

Once Han Jun's figure disappeared, you looked at Prince Ji Heng and asked with a smile, "He is the Prime Minister's son, after all. By offending him for me today, aren't you cutting off your own arm? How will you gain the support of the officials in the future?"

Prince Ji Heng smiled indifferently, not caring at all. "The Han Family has always only recognized the 'Crown Prince' position rather than a specific individual. Since they have never stood on my side, why should I care about offending them?"

His words were indeed the truth, and you were aware of it too—the Han Family had always been die-hard members of the 'Crown Prince Party'. Whoever sat on the throne of the heir apparent, the Han Family would support.

Even though Prince Ji Heng was Empress Han's biological son and shared a closer Bloodline with the Han Family, strangely enough, the Han Family still supported Crown Prince Ji Kang, who was not born of the Empress. It was as if the Han Family only recognized the Crown Prince's status and not the Bloodline.

It was precisely because of this that the Han Family could maintain intermarriages with the Imperial Family for generations and hold the position of Empress securely. In many people's eyes, Han Xue was already the designated future Crown Princess.

However, you always felt that Prime Minister Han was doing this deliberately; one could only say the Han Family disguised themselves too well.

But you couldn't be certain. If the Han Family truly wanted to support Han Jun to become the successor, then the position of Empress might fall to another Family.

In the long run, wouldn't the Han Family be cutting off the Legacy of the Prime Minister's position?

If they only valued the status of the Empress and the continuation of the Family, then supporting Crown Prince Ji Kang was a perfectly logical choice.

Although you were curious about this, you had no interest in delving into the truth—these struggles for imperial power held no meaning for you.

You looked at Prince Ji Heng and cupped your hands with a smile. "I see. Then thank you, Brother Ji, for resolving the situation."

Prince Ji Heng waved his hand, his tone sincere. "Why the need for thanks between us? I regard Brother Qin as a confidant. Anyone who dares to bully you is crossing me, Ji Heng."

Hearing this, you couldn't help but feel a sense of irony—if Prince Ji Heng hadn't schemed against you before, you might have actually believed him.

If he had a bit less calculation and a bit more sincerity, perhaps you really would have made him a friend.

Unfortunately—many people do not understand that in relationships between people, the greatest open scheme is actually sincerity.

Only sincerity is unsolvable.

But in the cycle of Karma, the most laughable thing is often that sincere people are the ones who get hurt the deepest.

Soon, after a few more pleasantries, Prince Ji Heng departed.

Qin Han, lying on your shoulder, opened his bleary eyes and asked in confusion, "Daddy, why didn't you kill that kid?"

You smiled and patted Qin Han's head. "Han'er, if an ant is performing a play for you, wouldn't killing him ruin the enjoyment of the show?"

Qin Han nodded with a face full of confusion. "But... his performance was too fake, it wasn't good at all."

You only smiled slightly and did not respond.

However, a strange sense of enlightenment dawned in your heart—

Savoring these trivialities of the Mortal world and observing the struggles and choices of the human heart had actually given you a more tangible understanding of the ethereal Karma and Laws of fate.

Ants fighting in the mud, chess pieces jostling on the board.

Their desires, their schemes, and even their self-righteous 'wanton behavior' all became mirrors of fine dust in your eyes, reflecting the lines of the Dao Pattern.

This was precisely why you had always remained indifferent, allowing them to stir up trouble and show off their tricks before you.

Watching the play is also a form of cultivation.

Even if—their acting was truly clumsy!

But on second thought, isn't this so-called 'worldly wisdom' exactly like this?

The next day,

First Prince Ji Heng hosted a banquet for you at the most luxurious 'Star-Grasping Pavilion' on the top floor of Duyan Tower.

The banquet was spread out, filled with delicacies and shimmering with spiritual light.

The main dish was a plate of 'Braised Qilin Tendon,' made from the finest back tendon of a Tier 3 Spirit Beast, the Fire Cloud Rhinoceros. It had been slow-cooked over a low flame for three days, resulting in a rich gelatin that melted in the mouth.

One of the dishes, the 'Dragon-Patterned Prawn,' was as large as a watermelon and entirely crimson. Its shell naturally bore golden dragon-shaped patterns, with its whiskers and claws fully intact, radiating Spiritual Qi.

There was also a bowl of 'Steamed Snow Phoenix Gall.' The gall was like white jade, floating in a spiritual spring and emitting a crisp, cold air; it was a treasure for cleansing the Meridians.

The most eye-catching item was the pot of 'Millennium Immortal-Drunken Brew.' The wine was contained in a mutton-fat white jade bottle. As the waitress just barely cracked the seal—

"Pop!"

A soft sound rang out—not an explosion, but the pleasant chime of Spiritual Qi and wine aroma, compressed to the extreme, being released in an instant.

In an instant, a rich but not cloying mellow fragrance spread out, filling every corner of the private room.

This small bottle of 'Millennium Immortal-Drunken Brew' alone was worth 1,888 Low-Grade Spirit Stones, equivalent to the expenses of an ordinary Family for over a decade without eating or drinking.

The several Qi Refining female cultivators standing in attendance, even while trying hard to maintain their composure, couldn't help but have their throats twitch as they quietly swallowed their saliva, their tongues unconsciously licking their slightly dry lips.

The entire banquet, including the spiritual wine, cost over 6,000 Spirit Stones.

One must know that a Qi Refining Cultivator only earns dozens to hundreds of Spirit Stones a year.

This was equivalent to the entire savings of a Qi Refining Cultivator for at least a dozen years without eating or drinking.

A Mortal could not afford such a banquet even in ten lifetimes.

Its level of luxury could well be imagined.