Chapter 70: Never Been Here Before
Imperial Palace, Hall of Supreme Harmony.
"Baron Xian, Grand Xia has always valued peace. Please go back and inform your three grand dukes that we do not wish to start a war," the emperor said, sighing softly as he looked at Baron Xian.
“A war would not be beneficial for either of us,” said Li Guozhu slowly.
The civil and military officials nodded in agreement, seemingly expressing their support.
"Hmph." Baron Xian snorted coldly and his gaze swept around. "If you don't want to start a war, you must compensate for the lost life of Viscount Zhou Xiu. Those two subordinates of Fang Chen must die. Moreover, he must personally write an apology letter and post it in front of the Imperial Palace of Grand Xia."
The officials glanced at each, their expressions conflicted and uncertain. The baron’s request would have been an easy one if it weren’t for the fact that Fang Chen had recovered his cultivation. But now that Fang Chen had regained his strength of the Qi Core Stage, even the emperor couldn’t force him to do anything. Unless they shredded all pretenses with him, there was nothing they could do.
Everyone understood that Grand Xia couldn’t afford to have a direct conflict with Fang Chen. He was the only martial artist in the Qi Core Stage in the empire, and with him around, they could at least deter empires like Qingsong.
"Oh, right. I heard that there’s a charming fairy on the Jade Immortal Boat by Grand Xia River. I would like to meet her since I’m here. I wonder if I could have the honor. In Longdu, we have often heard about how beautiful the women in Grand Xia are,” Baron Xian said with a faint smile.
"Your Majesty, Minister Ye’s son, Ye Qinghe, is a frequenter of the Jade Immortal Boat. Why not have him bring Baron Xian with him to meet Fairy Yu? Baron Xian will be staying for a few more days, so we can take our time talking out our differences," interjected the crown prince.
The emperor didn’t reject his input and nodded faintly. "Very well."
“Consider our conditions carefully,” Baron Xian said with a light laugh. Then, he bowed to the emperor and left.
"Your Majesty, why not... directly capture and execute Huang Sihai and Tie Ma? By the time Fang Chen learns about it, it’ll already be too late. We can at least appease Longdu this way,” an official suggested.
Everyone looked at him.
The emperor glanced at the official. "Indeed; it would be too late for Fang Chen to do anything. He won’t kill me, but he’ll definitely come for you.” With that, the emperor stood up and left.
The official stood in a daze, and after a while, he shivered. When he glanced around him, he noticed that most of the ministers had already dispersed.
Fang Manor.
Fang Chen sent Tie Ma to get Li Daoye. Since he moved into the Fang manor, he had been bothering Abbess Qinghe every day.
When Li Daoye arrived, he joyfully asked, "Do you have any instructions, my lord?"
Fang Chen beckoned him over and handed him the Dragon Ridge token. "I need some spiritual materials for talismans. Here, take this and go get them for me. Tie Ma will guide you there."
"Dragon Ridge?" Looking at the token, Li Daoye suddenly understood. That had to be a black market for cultivators. He grinned and began rubbing his fingers together, saying, "My lord, buying things usually requires spirit stones..."
Fang Chen smiled ambiguously. "As the young sect master of the Eight Trigrams Sect, how could you not have any? Go buy them first. I'll reimburse you later.”
Li Daoye was surprised, then said awkwardly, "You’ve met Elder Ming Jing?"
Fang Chen nodded. "Yes.”
"Where is he now?" Li Daoye asked.
"When he heard that you had a feud with the Spirit Blood Sect, he fled from the capital. He even claimed that he did not know you.”
When Li Daoye heard that, he seemed astonished. Then, he cursed out loudly, “That coward! He's so scared of death!” Suddenly, he felt that Fang Chen’s words were a little off as well, and said, “Wait a minute, since when did I have a feud with the Blood Spirit Sect?"
"You also bear some responsibility for the death of Monk Xu Hui. When I encounter the people of Spirit Blood Sect in the future, I won’t hide it from them, naturally.” Fang Chen said.
Horrified, Li Daoye retorted with a squeak, "You can’t do that!"
"Well, you ought to have considered the consequences of using me very carefully before you tried to. Go; do what I told you. if you do a good job, I might consider letting you stay behind the scenes,” Fang Chen said with a faint smile.
With that, Tie Ma stepped closer to Li Daoye, and coolly said, "Shall we go?"
Li Daoye’s blinked rapidly, and through his twitching lips, he managed to utter two words, "Let's go..."
"If you try to escape, I'll tell the Spirit Blood Sect that you're the young sect master of the Eight Trigrams Sect," Fang Chen said with a smile.
You're ruthless! Li Daoye cursed inwardly and reluctantly followed Tie Ma to leave.
Not long after the two left, Xu Ge rushed in and reported in a low voice, "My lord, I heard that the crown prince ordered Ye Qinghe to bring the envoy from Longdu to the Jade Immortal Boat tonight. Those toads are really lusting over something they cannot obtain...”
"If they're going to the Jade Immortal Boat, then things are going to get interesting. I was planning to take Huangfu Jie there tonight since it’s rare for him to come all the way here, not to mention that he’s rushing back to the southern region tomorrow. Yeah, also, go invite Officer Yuan as well, since they’ll be traveling together tomorrow.” Fang Chen planned to go to the Jade Immortal Boat tonight, and it was a rare opportunity. After all, it cost a good amount of silver to visit the Jade Immortal Boat, and his pockets were a bit dry.
The nights were pretty lively along the riverbanks of Grand Xia, several times so from the busiest streets of the capital during the day. The floating boats on the surface of the river were adorned with beautiful, colorful lights that welcomed their many guests.
Right there on a patch of the riverbank was Ye Qinghe as well as several officials. They were guiding Baron Xian over. "Baron Xian, this way, please."
Next to them were several scholars from Longdu who were specially invited to accompany him.
As people nearby noticed Ye Qinghe and the others, they respectfully made way for them. Seeing that they were headed toward the Jade Immortal Boat, hints of envy flashed in their eyes.
The Jade Immortal Boat had everything one could wish for, but it was also very expensive. Just enjoying the music and watching the girls dance could cost around forty to fifty taels, not to mention the luxurious food and drinks one could buy.
A charming middle-aged woman on the Jade Immortal Boat noticed Ye Qinghe and quickly approached, bobbed a courtesy, and said, "If it isn’t Young Master Ye!"
"Madam Liu, I want to book the entire Jade Immortal Boat for the night. I have a couple of distinguished guests with me," Ye Qinghe requested with a faint smile.
Hearing that, Madam Liu’s eyes sparkled with glee, and she quickly said, "Ah, what a grand gesture! Please, step inside. I'll make the necessary arrangements right away."
Ye Qinghe, Baron Xian, and the rest of them entered the Jade Immortal Boat amidst the lively, enchanting atmosphere. The sounds of laughter, music, and the tapping of feet on the boat’s wooden tiles enveloped them. This was a completely different world from outside—a world of luxury, pleasure, and indulgence.
Baron Xian chuckled. "Lord Ye, it's better to share the joy than to enjoy it alone. Where’s the fun in just the few of us being here?"
Ye Qinghe immediately responded with a smile. "You’re right, absolutely right."
Thus, he didn't mention that he’d book the entire boat anymore, and instead, invited Baron Xian and the others aboard the boat.
Every half an hour, the Jade Immortal Boat would stop by the riverbank for guests to board. Those who boarded were usually wealthy bosses, influential figures, martial artists, or scholars with considerable fame. None of the people who could go on the boat were ordinary.
Just as the Jade Immortal Boat was about to depart, another group of guests suddenly appeared, boarding.
On the boat, Huangfu Jie was suddenly struck with curiosity, as he had noticed that none of the servants guiding them seemed to have reacted to Fang Chen’s presence. He inched a little closer toward Fang Chen and whispered into his ear, “Why do they not recognize you, my lord?”
Fang Chen smiled faintly, saying, "That's because I've never been here before."
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