821 Fanning the Flames, Borrowing a Knife to Kill Someone (2)

The place had changed significantly from what Xu Qing remembered in his memory.

Looking around, all he could see were the countless camps of the Seventh Prince’s imperial army, stretching endlessly in every direction.

Now that he was back, Xu Qing couldn’t help but look at the sky, memories of the past scenes flooding his mind.

After a while, he withdrew his gaze and amidst the reception by the subordinates of the Seventh Prince, the army was arranged to set up camps outside. He and Kong Xianglong were invited to the palace for the banquet.

Li Yunshan and the others weren’t invited to join.

After all, in the eyes of the Seventh Prince, there were only a few individuals from Fenghai County who he would remember, and Kong Xianglong was invited only due to his grandfather.

So, not long after the army had set up camps, Xu Qing and Kong Xianglong followed the subordinates of the Seventh Prince, entering that small country known as Te Chi. As they journeyed through, they found most houses abandoned.

The entire area had been taken over by the imperial forces, and the city exuded an aura of solemn killing. The ground was marked with dried bloodstains.

Compared to this, the dark blue palace was especially conspicuous in the city. The music and laughter inside also drifted out and entered Xu Qing and Kong Xianglong’s ears.

The two of them looked at each other with calm expressions and walked into the palace.

The moment they stepped in, the singing and dancing in the luxurious palace continued but the laughter stopped. Many gazes gathered on the two of them.

Similarly, everything in the palace was reflected in Xu Qing and Kong Xianglong’s eyes.

The Seventh Prince sat at the front. At that moment, he was smiling as he looked at Xu Qing.

Beside him was a beautiful woman with a cold expression. She was also in the main seat like him, so it could be seen that their statuses were the same.

Below the two of them, there were more than ten youths on both sides of the hall. There were men and women among them and most of them had extraordinary cultivation levels. They were at least at the Nascent Soul realm. There were even a few who emitted the fluctuations of the Spirit Repository.

Most of the people there had remarkable appearances and were dressed extravagantly. While there were a few in simple attire, their star-like eyes and unique aura made them stand out even more.

Yet, from their gaze and expressions, it was difficult to discern the attitudes of these individuals. After all, having grown up in the imperial capital, they possessed a certain level of sophistication and composure, even if not overly deep.

When they looked at Xu Qing and Kong Xianglong, the Seventh Prince lifted his hand slightly. Immediately, the singing and dancing in the hall stopped. The music stopped, and only his laughter echoed in the hall.

“Xu Qing, Kong Xianglong.”

Xu Qing solemnly cupped his fists and bowed.

“Greetings, Seventh Highness.”

Only the reckless would openly reveal their inner likes and dislikes, and such individuals were clearly absent here. Even if there were any, they would likely be intentionally doing so.

For example, Kong Xianglong was expressionless. Although he also bowed, he didn’t say anything.

Seventh Prince didn’t seem to mind Kong Xianglong’s actions. He looked at Xu Qing with admiration in his eyes and spoke to everyone.

“This individual is the one you guys mentioned before, Xu Qing from Fenghai County. He has been praised by His Majesty, granted a golden plaque, a yellow robe, qualifications to the Imperial Academy, and first-class battle merits of the human race.”

With that, the Seventh Prince pointed at the people at the banquet and began to introduce them to Xu Qing.

“Xu Qing, this is Zhou Tianzhi. He’s a heaven chosen of the Imperial Capital’s Taisui Academy and is overflowing with talent.”

“This is Luo Jinsong, a descendant of the Heavenly Marquis Luo Yun.”

“This is Fairy Liuling. She’s from the Creator’s Manor. The Creator’s Manor researches gods and our human race’s Sun of Dawn also has something to do with them.”

“This is the grandson of the Supreme Commander Meng.” The Seventh Prince smiled and introduced them to Xu Qing one by one.

Most of the people here were descendants of nobles. Their families had either produced heavenly marquises or had high-level ancestors now. There were also a few famous people in the Imperial City.

“There’s also Huang Kun. Brother Huang and Xu Qing are from the same lineage. He works in the Sword Holding Ministry and his ancestor is the great deacon of the Sword Holding Ministry.”

Those cultivators he pointed out also smiled and nodded at Xu Qing.

Xu Qing returned the greetings one by one.

One of them attracted Xu Qing’s attention.

“Xu Qing, you might not have seen this person before but he’s also a member of your Fenghai County. He’s the heaven chosen of the Great Void Demon Transformation Sect, Zhang Qifan. 30 years ago, he went to the imperial capital to study and returned with the princess recently.”

The person introduced by the Seventh Prince was a middle-aged man. He stood up and cupped his fists toward Xu Qing. His expression was filled with emotion and admiration.

Finally, the Seventh Prince’s expression turned solemn. He stood up and bowed to the cold woman beside him before turning to speak to Xu Qing.

“Xu Qing, this is my elder sister, Princess Anhai.”

Xu Qing calmly cupped his fists and bowed.

“Greetings, Princess.”

Beside him, Kong Xianglong also lowered his head to greet.

Princess Anhai was still cold. She nodded slightly and didn’t say anything.

When the Seventh Prince saw this scene, his eyes narrowed slightly. Very soon, he returned to normal and called Xu Qing to take a seat.

Xu Qing nodded and sat at the end of the left side of the hall with Kong Xianglong, near the entrance.

As he sat down, the singing and dancing started again and the sounds of laughter rang out again. Zhang Qifan from the Great Void Demon Transformation Sect, who was sitting opposite Xu Qing, picked up his wine glass and toasted Xu Qing from afar.

The smile on his face was sincere and filled with emotion.

When Xu Qing saw this, he raised his wine glass. After drinking it, a voice rang out from beside him.

“Xu Qing, it’s our first meeting and I shouldn’t be so presumptuous, but I am extremely curious… What did you answer in the Emperor Heart Inquisition to make the light extend 100,000 feet?”

The person who spoke wasn’t Zhang Qifan but the youth sitting to the left of Xu Qing and Kong Xianglong.

He was dressed in a light yellow robe, his appearance handsome as well, but his expression seemed accustomed to softness, giving him an air of kindness and benevolence.

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