Chapter 103: Trying to Threaten Li Chen, But Ended Up Giving Him Leverage!

Li Chen never felt being a Sage was shameful, so he never held back when it was time to show off.

Trying to bluff me? You’re still too green!

Li Chen and Lady Youlan each released their own aura.

At this point, they both knew roughly each other’s realm, so they retracted their auras, and the restaurant returned to normal.

Yet none of those present dared to look at them with that disrespectful gaze anymore.

Many finished eating and left immediately, leaving only a few bold souls to watch the spectacle.

The owner of the exotic cuisine restaurant rushed over; his attire didn’t resemble that of a TianCe Empire citizen.

“Unaware of your noble guests’ arrival, I beg your pardon for the lack of proper reception.”

The owner wore a headscarf and had a long beard, meticulously groomed and smooth.

Like most people, he only knew these two were extremely powerful, but had no idea just how strong.

Yet he understood that when someone of this caliber entered his establishment, he must treat them with utmost care.

“Go about your business, don’t bother with us—we’re just here to eat.” Li Chen replied casually.

The owner was wise enough to know he was in the way; he said if they needed anything, to call out, then departed.

Before leaving, he instructed the serving girls to prepare the finest ingredients in the kitchen.

Perhaps still uneasy, he went to the kitchen himself.

This minor incident passed, and Lady Youlan no longer intended to make Li Chen retreat; she knew she lacked the ability.

She was merely curious: she’d long heard the capital was teeming with powerful experts, and initially hadn’t believed it.

Now it seemed the rumors were true.

But who was this young powerhouse?

Li Chen’s presence had, to some extent, overturned her perception—or rather, her disdain—of the secular world.

To a woman raised within a sect, secular dynasties were merely ordinary institutions maintaining stability for common folk; sects stood far above.

The secular world was rife with injustice and suffering.

Many problems secular dynasties couldn’t solve could only be resolved by them.

Only sects could suppress regions, maintaining order.

Yet this very world she looked down upon harbored such terrifying power—her certainty in the sects’ superiority began to waver.

If the capital concealed many such powerful experts, then the sects’ lofty status was a joke.

Still, it seemed implausible; perhaps this man was an exception.

Lady Youlan was also curious: how many other skilled experts like this man remained hidden in the capital?

If possible, she might even recruit this man to join her in confronting the Emperor.

After all, her own Dao Companion, the Supreme Heavenly Man, had once tried recruiting the Sage-level Master Yu from Yunlu Academy.

The Supreme Heavenly Man was always deeply patriarchal; she had silently supported him all along.

She truly wished to prove her own capability, yet the Supreme Heavenly Man always believed she was incapable.

For instance, with the extraterrestrial demon’s treasure, he insisted she couldn’t control it—when she reached to touch it, she remembered how swiftly he withdrew it; she still resented that.

If she could recruit this one, wouldn’t it surprise the Supreme Heavenly Man?

Suddenly, Lady Youlan recalled something.

The Sage-level Emperor was Li Xian’s younger brother, meaning the Emperor was young.

This man was also young, his aura unmistakably Sage-level, his appearance peerless—could it be that the Sage-level Emperor was him?

That couldn’t possibly be a coincidence.

Could she really run into the Emperor while having a simple meal?

Whether or not he was, now that she’d thought of it, she decided to test him.

If he truly was the Emperor, she must advise her Dao Companion to proceed with caution.

In their calculations, the Emperor was certainly no match for the Supreme Heavenly Man; he merely didn’t want to tarnish his reputation and planned to use subtle tactics.

They hadn’t taken the Emperor seriously at all.

But now it seemed they’d underestimated his combat power.

Yet this was only Lady Youlan’s suspicion—she still needed to test him further.

Directly asking would yield no answer; no one would openly declare themselves Emperor, so she thought of tailing him.

If she discovered where this man lived, she’d know his identity.

If he was the Emperor, she’d inform the Supreme Heavenly Man.

If he wasn’t, she could still recruit him later.

After all, recruiting an Emperor to fight against himself? That was beyond even her recklessness.

Having decided, Lady Youlan began chatting with Li Chen.

At once, she lied: she claimed she was visiting the capital, experiencing its customs and culture.

This was deliberate—if she said she came to do business or seek someone, and he probed further, her lack of details would expose her.

So she simply claimed to be a tourist, leaving him no opening for suspicion.

Li Chen then deployed his seduction tactics, asking about her hobbies.

To seduce, one must start with the other’s interests to understand their character.

At the mention of hobbies, Lady Youlan paused, then replied she liked growing flowers and plants.

She had no other interests; in her small courtyard at the Tianyan Divine Sect, she merely cultivated spiritual flowers and immortal herbs.

This indeed struck a blind spot in Li Chen’s knowledge—he wasn’t familiar with such matters.

Yet women who loved flowers and plants were usually patient and yearned for beauty.

Wu Nanzhi at the next table grew more and more exasperated: are you two really having a conversation? Don’t you care about my feelings?

She’d planned to watch Li Chen embarrass himself, yet he didn’t even pretend—he unleashed his aura.

As a woman, she understood the elegant matron across from him was clearly interested in Li Chen. Whatever, she wasn’t his woman; why should she care?

Wu Nanzhi wasn’t the type to throw tantrums; having finished her meal, she paid and left the restaurant, giving Li Chen space to flirt.

Yet just a few steps outside, a familiar figure appeared beside her—it was none other than Li Chen.

“Why stop flirting?” Wu Nanzhi snapped.

“Didn’t you tell me to flirt?” Li Chen replied seriously.

If anyone else said that, Wu Nanzhi would think them insane.

But coming from Li Chen, it felt perfectly normal—he’d always been insane!

She didn’t know if he was deliberately provoking her or if he simply thought that way.

Still, his coming out made her genuinely happy.

It meant, in Li Chen’s eyes, she was still better than that woman.

No matter how beautiful she was, she clearly was married—Li Chen wouldn’t be serious, just playing around.

!

My advantage is obvious!

Whether true or not, thinking this made her joyful.

The gloom had vanished.

“Can’t you be less promiscuous? Won’t your wife get angry?”

“My wife doesn’t control me—why don’t you take over?”

“Why don’t you just die! Next time I see your wife, I’ll tell her everything that happened today!”

“Sure, sister—I’ll remind you to include our first meeting too; my wife loves hearing that story.”

Wu Nanzhi’s restored mood was shattered again.

Clearly, Li Chen couldn’t let go of the “sister” joke.

And if they told the world about their first meeting, everyone would think she was a pervert!

She’d intended to threaten Li Chen—yet ended up giving him leverage instead.

Seeing Wu Nanzhi gritting her teeth, Li Chen found it amusing.

As for the woman in the restaurant, he’d merely flirted a little for amusement.

That kind of smooth-talking mature woman was indeed hard to handle.

After strolling awhile, Li Chen asked Wu Nanzhi if she’d join the evening banquet; she politely declined, saying she disliked going out at night and preferred staying home.

Li Chen didn’t press; after bidding her farewell, he prepared to attend the banquet.

At that moment, a shadow quietly followed.

It trailed him all the way to the Jing’an Prince’s mansion, stopping only after watching him enter.

“Could he be someone from the Jing’an Prince’s household?” Lady Youlan wondered internally.

It seemed the TianCe Dynasty’s imperial lineage was formidable—the Emperor was a Sage, and now even the Jing’an Prince’s household housed one.

She must return immediately and inform the Supreme Heavenly Man, lest their plans go awry.

The Jing’an Prince’s mansion was unusually lively that day, packed with guests.

Since there was no morning court, many officials had arrived by noon.

Li Chen wasn’t late, but when he arrived, everyone else had already gathered.

Besides officials, the most numerous guests were members of the imperial clan.

In truth, this was simply a Li family banquet—most attendees were Li Chen’s relatives; he came in casual attire, appearing utterly relaxed.

Li Chen had just stepped through the door and saw nothing but familiar faces.

Besides Jing’an Wang Li Longyu, who rushed forward to greet him, there were Chancellor Zhao Wenyuan, Grand General Guo Po, and even the newly appointed Minister of Justice Pang Jin.

A solid lineup of court heavyweights—Li Longyu’s prestige was fully displayed.

At first glance, Li Chen thought they were about to hold a meeting.

Then came various princes, crown princes, and princesses—all powerful members of the imperial clan, all kin to Li Chen.

Many were older, and by convention, they were Li Chen’s elders.

In the past, Li Chen dreaded such gatherings, because the people before him were precisely the so-called “seven aunts and eight uncles,” each requiring a proper greeting; failing to recall the correct title or misaddressing someone led to unbearable awkwardness.

But now he was the Emperor—he didn’t need to greet these people.

Instead, these elders hurried over to greet Li Chen, eager to make themselves known to him.

The Emperor was a unique figure even within the imperial clan.

He wasn’t wearing the dragon robe today to assert his status, but he was still the Emperor—they dared not offend him.

After the old princes paid their respects, the crown princes and princesses came forward.

Perhaps the greetings were becoming tiresome; Li Chen beckoned Pang Jin over and asked him to report on his duties, to pass the time.

Seeing the Emperor occupied with official business, others hesitated to interrupt.

Pang Jin was bewildered—wasn’t today a day off from court? Why was he being summoned for a private report?

As Minister of Justice, he had enough sense to understand: he was simply helping His Majesty avoid trouble—that was his duty as a minister!

There was little to report anyway; important matters could never be discussed in such a public setting.

The two walked to the back garden of the Jing’an Wang’s residence, which was not only vast but even featured a small racetrack.

It was said that Jing’an Wang’s princess loved horses, so he had built this racetrack for her.

At this moment, many young imperial clan talents were racing there, with plenty of cheers and shouts from spectators, as if in a competition.

Yet one man alone seemed shunned, mocked by the others.

Li Chen asked curiously, “Who is that man?”

Pang Jin glanced over and replied, “Your Majesty, he is Jing’an Wang’s son-in-law, Chen Xuan.”

(End of Chapter)