Chapter 199: Chapter 199: The Matter Has Blown Up
In the royal palace.
The banquet was in full swing.
Midway through the feast, a servant suddenly approached Elder Kuchen’s side. "Master Kuchen, a deacon from the Soul Master Tower named Liu Zhiwen asked me to inform you that he has an urgent matter and requests to see you."
"Liu Zhiwen? Where is he?" Kuchen frowned.
"I have arranged for him to wait in the side hall next door."
"Go. Take me there."
Meanwhile, a man in fine robes also approached Hua Luoxuan. "Master Hua Luoxuan, I am Marquis Nanling, Leng Mo. It is an honor to meet you, Master."
Hua Luoxuan nodded at him.
Marquis Nanling’s face showed a trace of hesitation before he gritted his teeth and said, "Master, a niece of mine asked me to inform you that she has a matter of utmost urgency to report..."
"Marquis Nanling, Master Hua Luoxuan is a very busy man. What time does he have to meet some niece of yours?" A man approached from the side, sneering as he overheard the conversation. He then turned to Hua Luoxuan with a fawning smile. "Master Hua Luoxuan, I am Prince Ping. I have admired you for a long time. I wonder if the Master could spare a moment for a brief chat?"
Marquis Nanling was a rather low-ranking marquis in the Royal City. Hearing Prince Ping’s words made him feel uneasy, but thinking of his niece’s plea, he gritted his teeth again. "Master Hua Luoxuan, my niece is named Leng Yingying. She said it’s about her friend, Ye Xuan..."
"Shoo, shoo. Something about a niece’s friend? Marquis Nanling, who do you take Master Hua Luoxuan for? The Master manages countless affairs every day. He doesn’t have the time to meddle in your family matters," Prince Ping said with a look of disdain.
But before he could finish, Hua Luoxuan’s eyes suddenly widened. He grabbed Marquis Nanling by the collar. "What did you say? Your niece is Leng Yingying? Is she from Blue Moon City? Where is she right now?"
"Yes, yes, she’s from Blue Moon City! My niece is in the royal palace right now, she just can’t enter this main hall."
"Quick, take me to her."
For some reason, a sliver of unease flashed through Hua Luoxuan’s heart.
’Leng Yingying pulled strings all night, even risking entry into the royal palace just to find me. Could it be that something has happened to Young Master Xuan?’
With his sharp mind, he instantly guessed that Ye Xuan and the others must have run into some trouble outside and had no choice but to find a way into the royal palace to seek him out.
’Damn it. I’ve been in the royal palace for the past two months. If I had known, I would have made time to go back.’
Hua Luoxuan’s heart filled with self-reproach as he anxiously followed Marquis Nanling out of the main hall.
The two main figures of the banquet leaving in such a hurry midway through the feast planted a seed of doubt in everyone’s minds.
In a side hall.
Master Kuchen met Liu Zhiwen.
"What did you say?" Master Kuchen’s brow rose coldly. "That Iron Blood Guard captain with the surname Wang, acting so wantonly? He dared to be insolent and even laid a hand on you?"
Liu Zhiwen had a mournful look on his face. "Elder Kuchen, that Captain King’s Dao of the Iron Blood Guard is so full of himself! Not only did he show you no respect, but he also claimed that Master Ye Xuan is a major criminal of the Iron Blood Guard, that his case involves the security of the kingdom, and that our Soul Master Tower has no right to interfere. He even said that when the Iron Blood Guard handles a case, no amount of pleading from anyone will work."
"Didn’t you mention my name? Didn’t you mention Ye Xuan’s status as a Soul Refiner?"
"I did, but they paid it no mind. They also said... they also said..."
"What else did they say?" Kuchen’s gaze was ice-cold, his anger gathering.
"They asked who the hell Elder Kuchen was, saying they’d never heard of you. They even mocked your name, saying that no ’Withered Grass’ or ’Withered Leaves’ could order them around. When this subordinate tried to reason with them, he simply had his men throw me out."
"Bastards." Kuchen was so angry his hair was about to stand on end. "Since when is my young friend Ye Xuan’s business any of the Iron Blood Guard’s concern? Did you see Commander Xuu from the Public Security Office?"
"I did. Not just Commander Xuu from the Public Security Office, but Commander Long was there too. Even Marquis Tianqi and Marquis Zhenjun were present. Their attitudes were all atrocious. They all said they’d never heard of you, Elder, and showed you absolutely no respect. I suspect they’re all in it together. From the looks of it, they’re planning to condemn Master Ye Xuan to death."
"Good. Good." A cold light shot from Kuchen’s eyes. "This Elder has been in seclusion for the past few years, rarely venturing out. It seems the dignitaries of this Royal City have forgotten me. Commander Xuu, Commander Long, the Iron Blood Guard, is it? These animals dare to look down on this Elder. I’d like to see if they really think they can run this Royal City with an iron fist!"
Liu Zhiwen quickly tried to placate him. "Elder Kuchen, calm your anger, please! Your status is noble; don’t lower yourself to the level of these animals. The most urgent task now is to rescue Master Ye Xuan. Judging by their behavior, I fear that now that he’s been taken to the Iron Blood Guard, his chances of survival are slim."
"You’re right. I will report this to His Majesty at once. This Elder tried to be courteous before resorting to force, but it seems there’s no need for reasoning with animals."
In a corner outside the main hall.
Hua Luoxuan met Leng Yingying.
"Elder Hua Luoxuan, you have to save Ye Xuan!"
Those were the first words out of Leng Yingying’s mouth when she saw Hua Luoxuan.
"What? What did you say? What happened to Young Master Xuan?"
Hua Luoxuan’s face suddenly went pale, a look of terror in his eyes. A terrifying aura erupted from his body, deeply shocking Marquis Nanling, who had followed him.
He had been watching Hua Luoxuan at the banquet for a long time, but this was the first time he had seen the perpetually calm and composed Master Hua Luoxuan—the newly appointed Vice President of the Court Alchemists—reveal such a panicked expression.
Leng Yingying immediately recounted the entire sequence of events in great detail.
"That Sixth Prince is truly detestable! Not only did he have Marquis Tianqi’s son provoke us at the auction, but those two young masters also tried to attack Ye Xuan outside. Ye Xuan was forced to fight back, and they actually had him thrown into the Public Security Office! Now he’s been taken to the Iron Blood Guard. If you don’t go save him soon, I’m afraid Ye Xuan will be in grave danger!"
"So you’re saying Young Master Xuan is still alright for now? The Iron Blood Guard who arrested him—which division are they from?"
Hua Luoxuan’s expression relaxed slightly, but the fury in his eyes was like a gathering storm, dark and immense.
"I don’t know which division. It was my uncle who found this information for me."
Hua Luoxuan’s icy gaze fell upon Marquis Nanling at his side.
Marquis Nanling swallowed hard and hurriedly said, "Master Hua Luoxuan, the one who took the young man away was King’s Dao, captain of the Third Squad of the Iron Blood Guard’s Southern Guard."
"King’s Dao, it was him? Isn’t he a member of the Crown Prince Alliance? No wonder..."
Startled, Leng Yingying suddenly understood something and quickly told Hua Luoxuan about Ye Xuan’s conflict with the Crown Prince Alliance.
"The Crown Prince Alliance? So they’re under the First Prince’s command? After the First Prince graduated, His Majesty put him in charge of the Iron Blood Guard’s Southern Guard. In that case, the First Prince is most likely involved in this matter," Hua Luoxuan nodded.
Marquis Nanling’s heart pounded in his chest as he listened. He had been the one to dig up this information for Leng Yingying, but he never expected the young man he’d investigated to have such a powerful background, one that could incite such fury in Master Hua Luoxuan.
’But the people he’s offended are just too terrifying,’ he thought. ’Marquis Tianqi, Marquis Zhenjun, the Sixth Prince, the First Prince... every single one of them is ten, even dozens of times more powerful than I am.’
Marquis Nanling felt he had been dragged into a conflict he should have never touched.
"What a Marquis Tianqi, what a Marquis Zhenjun! What a Sixth Prince, and what a First Prince! I don’t care what their backgrounds are. If Young Master Xuan loses even a single hair on his head, I, Hua Luoxuan, will not let this rest."
After saying this through gritted teeth, Hua Luoxuan looked at Leng Yingying. "You wait here. I will report this matter to His Majesty at once. I believe His Majesty will certainly deliver justice for Young Master Xuan."
With a wave of his hand, Hua Luoxuan hurried back into the banquet hall.
He had heard of places like the Iron Blood Guard’s headquarters. He knew that the longer he delayed, the greater the danger Ye Xuan would be in.
At almost the exact same time, Hua Luoxuan and Kuchen strode back into the main hall together.
Both men were in a hurry, walking straight toward Monarch Zhao Jing at the very front.
This strange behavior, especially since the two were the guests of honor at this banquet, immediately drew the astonished gazes of everyone present.
But one look was all it took for nearly every guest present to suck in a sharp breath of cold air, a chill running through their hearts.
The two masters, who had just been smiling and conversing with the crowd, now had faces as dark and cold as ten-thousand-year-old ice. Their eyes betrayed a boundless, suppressed fury.
"What happened? Why do both masters look so grim after stepping out for a moment?"
"Could something major have happened?"
The atmosphere in the hall suddenly turned strange. Even Zhao Jing, upon his dragon throne, rose to his feet inexplicably, a look of confusion on his face.
"Masters, why such grim expressions? Did something happen?" Zhao Jing asked in confusion.
But before his voice had even faded,
"Your Majesty, I implore you to deliver justice for this subject!"
"Your Majesty, I beg you to deliver justice for this old subject!"
The two masters had actually knelt on one knee in perfect unison, speaking with one voice.
The scene sent an immediate uproar through the court.
"Masters, please, rise quickly."
Their actions gave Zhao Jing quite a fright.
Both Hua Luoxuan and Kuchen were paragons among the kingdom’s Alchemists and Soul Refiners. Their identities were noble, their statuses lofty. When meeting the Monarch, they only needed to bow; there was no need for them to kneel at all.
And now, after their conferment, one was the esteemed Vice President of the Soul Master Tower, while the other was the Vice President of the Court Alchemists. They were even ennobled as third-rank dukes. When seeing the Monarch, they didn’t even need to bow. In fact, Zhao Jing himself had to respectfully address them as ’Master’.
For both of them to now kneel on one knee at the same time was enough to make even Zhao Jing, the Monarch, feel alarmed.
Hua Luoxuan and Kuchen were both momentarily stunned to see the other’s actions, but they ignored each other and once again began to speak at the same time: "Your Majesty..."
They spoke in unison, and both frowned.
"Master Hua Luoxuan, I have a matter of utmost urgency to report to His Majesty. I ask that you let me speak first. I will be sure to remember this favor," Kuchen said with a frown.
"Master Kuchen, it’s not that I won’t yield to you, but I also have a matter of utmost urgency. This is incredibly important; it concerns the very life and death of a young friend of mine. I hope Master Kuchen can give me some face and allow me to speak first."
Hua Luoxuan refused to back down. He knew that the longer this dragged on, the more danger Ye Xuan was in.
