Volume Two, Travels in the Kingdom of Qi Chapter 110: Qi Xuan Makes His Appearance

As time passed, more and more cultivators arrived for the banquet, and before long a few prodigies from the Core Realm had also made their appearance.

Zhang Heng could not be bothered to care how many came. He was thinking about something else: how to stir up enmity later. Should he beat Qi Xuan in front of everyone?

No, that would not do. Qi Xuan had not offended him. Without a proper reason, Zhang Heng would not have an easy excuse to strike. Besides, he was not even sure he could beat Qi Xuan.

Just then, a proud young man walked in from outside. Zhang Heng looked closely.

It was the same youth he had met that day: the young master of Cloud Feather Manor. Though Zhang Heng had come here looking for trouble, that young master was, after all, at the seventh level of the Core Realm. Zhang Heng’s experience points were still too low, and he was probably no match for him yet.

So Zhang Heng decided not to provoke him for the time being. But trouble was never something one could simply avoid.

At that moment, Wu Ba noticed Zhang Heng and strode straight toward him.

“What do you want?” Zhang Heng did not even bother to look at him. While eating the food on the table, he asked lazily.

“Boy, tell me the secret of that divine staff.” Wu Ba had no intention of wasting words and immediately issued his threat.

At that, Zhang Heng nearly laughed. He forced himself to hold it in. He had thought Wu Ba had come to make trouble, but he had not expected the fool to be this amusing. Even now, he still believed that rotten wooden stick was some kind of treasure.

Pretending to be angry, Zhang Heng said, “Don’t push your luck. I already let you have the treasure. You still want to know how to use it? Dream on.”

After a pause, he continued, “Unless you give me two Spirit Crystals, I’ll never tell you.”

“Boy, without strength, and still pretending to be something you’re not, you’ll die very badly,” Wu Ba said, continuing his threat.

Though Zhang Heng had suddenly revealed strength at the seventh level of the Clear Spirit Realm, which did puzzle him a little, in his eyes it made no difference. They were all trash, equally easy to handle.

Zhang Heng retreated a step, fear showing on his face. “This is the banquet of Prince Qi. Are you really going to make a move here and seize it by force?”

“Boy, I’ll still give Qi Xuan some face. But you won’t stay here forever, will you? Hahaha...” With that, Wu Ba laughed and walked away.

After all, the priceless treasure was already in his hands. Sooner or later, he would figure out how to use it. He might as well spare this brat for now. Right now, all the geniuses of the Qi Kingdom had gathered here. If he kept arguing, he would only make himself a laughingstock.

As soon as Wu Ba left, Qi Sisi spoke up at once. “That man is the young master of Cloud Feather Manor. He’s already reached the seventh level of the Core Realm at such a young age. How did you manage to offend him?”

Zhang Heng spread his hands helplessly. “I found a priceless treasure, but he snatched it from me. Now he still wants the method of using it. Isn’t that going too far?” He deliberately infused his words with a trace of spiritual force, aiming them at the young master.

“Zhang Heng, don’t be afraid. This is Prince Qi Xuan’s territory. He definitely wouldn’t dare act recklessly.”

Seeing that Zhang Heng had no reaction, she assumed he was frightened. Qi Sisi went on, “I know the eighteenth prince, Qi Xuan. Later, just let him mediate a little. For the prince’s sake, Wu Ba won’t dare make things difficult for you.”

Zhang Heng was startled and almost thought he had misheard. “What did you say his name was?”

“Wu Ba. What’s wrong?”

“No problem, no problem,” Zhang Heng said aloud. Inwardly, however, he almost burst out laughing.

Wu Ba—no father. So this kid lost his father at such a young age. No wonder he was so arrogant and overbearing.

Just then, the true host of the gathering finally arrived.

The eighteenth prince of the Qi Kingdom, Qi Xuan. A man who combined strength, status, and looks, flawless from head to toe. He was the perfect male deity of the Qi Kingdom.

Qi Xuan wore a long robe and carried himself with extraordinary grace. Surrounded by a crowd of prodigious Core Realm cultivators, he slowly walked toward the center. Aside from those favored by heaven, everyone else quietly lowered their heads.

Some of the young women had stars in their eyes.

“See? Feeling a little inferior now?” Qi Sisi teased in Zhang Heng’s ear.

At that moment, Qi Xuan spotted Zhang Heng. Ignoring the other gifted youths, he came straight toward him.

“Oh no,” Qi Sisi muttered. She had thought Qi Xuan was coming for her. Hastily, she buried her head on the table and murmured in prayer, “Don’t see me, don’t see me.”

She had sneaked out of the palace, and after learning of it, the Qi Emperor had flown into a rage, forbidding her from taking even half a step outside the imperial grounds. If Qi Xuan found out she had run off, she feared he would drag her back to the palace again.

“Brother Zhang, long time no see.” Qi Xuan smiled and gave Zhang Heng a courteous bow, completely ignoring Qi Sisi.

“Brother Qi, long time no see.” Zhang Heng rose and returned the salute with a slight bow. After all, this was another man’s territory; giving him face was only proper.

Qi Sisi thought to herself: Could it be that my royal brother came to see Zhang Heng, not me? Thinking this, she finally relaxed a little and quietly lifted her head.

“Brother Zhang, since you’ve come to the imperial capital, I should have played the host and shown you around, but there have been too many matters at home, and I couldn’t spare the time. Let me punish myself with a drink.” With that, Qi Xuan picked up the cup from Qi Sisi’s table and drained it in one gulp.

“Brother Qi, go and attend to your affairs first. Don’t mind me,” Zhang Heng said, also taking a sip in response.

“Then I shall go and greet the others first.” Qi Xuan bowed slightly, then reminded him, “My younger sister is naturally unruly. If she has done anything to offend Brother Zhang, I hope you will be generous and forgive her.” Having said that, he turned and walked toward the central area to receive the rest of the guests.

Qi Sisi watched Qi Xuan’s departing back, angrily waving her fist.

Then, smiling, she said, “How about it? Didn’t see that coming, did you? This young lady is the princess of the Qi Kingdom.”

“What kind of expression is that?” Seeing that Zhang Heng gave no reaction, Qi Sisi could not help but feel puzzled.

“Oh, so you’re the princess of the Qi Kingdom. How shocking. How dazzling. How delightful.” Zhang Heng answered with exaggerated enthusiasm.

Qi Sisi stared at him in astonishment. In her mind, Zhang Heng had always been a wooden block; seeing him suddenly act like this really caught her off guard.

“By the way, Zhang Heng, how do you know my royal brother?” Her brother Qi Xuan was the foremost male idol of the Qi Kingdom, while Zhang Heng was merely a lowly cultivator. The two were clearly not from the same world—how could they possibly have any connection?

“Your royal brother nearly died. I saved his life, and then we got to know each other,” Zhang Heng replied casually.

“You’re lying. I think it was my royal brother who saved your life,” Qi Sisi said flatly, not believing him at all. In her eyes, Qi Xuan was so powerful—how could it possibly have been Zhang Heng who saved him?

“Believe it or not,” Zhang Heng said, too lazy to argue further. Sometimes it was like that: the more truth you told, the less others believed it.

It seemed there was no need to deliberately beat up Qi Xuan to stir up hostility. Simply standing here, Qi Xuan had already drawn plenty of enmity toward Zhang Heng.

Just now, when Qi Xuan came over to chat with him, the gazes of the other cultivators had remained fixed on Zhang Heng, all of them discussing what sort of extraordinary person he might be.

After all, Qi Xuan was powerful and high in status. Everyone wanted to curry favor with him, but no one had the chance.

And yet the person Qi Xuan had主动 sought out for friendship was merely a seventh-level Clear Spirit Realm cultivator? Could it be that this prince had some peculiar taste?

Thinking this way, the lower-level cultivators all felt that their chance had come.