Chapter 197: First Contact

"Mr. Shen, let me formally introduce myself. I am Song Meixian, team leader of Group Two, Field Operations Division of the Special Affairs Bureau…"

Once they were seated inside the tea restaurant, Song Meixian and the others formally introduced themselves once more.

"Shen Siyuan, my situation—I expect you're all clear on it," Shen Siyuan said.

Song Meixian rose, poured Shen Siyuan a cup of tea, and said: "Mr. Shen, please don't take offense. Our Great Xia has only had less than a hundred years to restore order; it was all won through the successive sacrifices of our forebears, which gave us what we have today—"

As he spoke, he slowly closed his eyes. The somewhat restless aura about his body began to gradually calm, and at his pupils a crystalline gleam began slowly to gather.

The two gazed at each other with tender affection; his hair and hers tangled together in the rosy mist, scattering with the wind's dance, then drawing together again.

Whoosh! Before the astonished eyes of every beastman, a great tongue of flame suddenly leapt up from the stone, giving everyone a fright—Leng Xin included.

He gave the folding fan a single wave, then tucked it behind his back, and, in front of everyone from the City Lord's residence, strolled on ahead with unhurried composure.

I couldn't be bothered to call those brats from the first day of the holiday; mainly I felt that sometimes we just couldn't play together—after all, we weren't on the same level. So I notified everyone to meet at the gate of No. 7 Middle School at noon three days later, which was the day after Octopus came back.

The latter was brave and fierce, with a somewhat violent temper, but he had brains; he wasn't like those loose cannons who went around stirring up trouble everywhere.

"Then thanks for the trouble," Li Xiao replied politely. Although he didn't like using such threatening tactics, he later found this method was in fact the most practical.

"Eternity in haste!" Like an evil incantation, the voice rang out across the Seventh Layer of Heaven, and Taishang let out a bloodcurdling scream. His Taishang realm instantly collapsed, and he tumbled down from his former state.

It was naturally because, when he had just beast-transformed his hawk talons, he had ruined his shoes. But in the eyes of all the outsiders, the giant hyena had been killed by Black Tiger.

How would he treat Father and her? Publicly denounce Father's past misdeeds? Or simply finish Father off? And why had he brought her along, dressed in her finery, to attend the celebration banquet for him and the SGB Group?

"If Young Master Song doesn't wish to speak, then pretend I never asked." Wen Yu didn't quite understand it herself—why was it that she always seemed to care a little more about his affairs, always wanted to help him through his troubles, and always worried he might be "set up" by someone.

Ma Yun glanced at Zi Ying and the others, feeling quite pleased in his heart. Zhao Pu, on the other hand, wore a dark, sullen expression, staring fixedly at the man.

Seeing that His Majesty the Emperor was in low spirits, clearly in a mood to recall past hardships against present sweetness, Song Qiqiu quickly reined in his own gladness. He glanced at Feng Yansi, Chang Mengxi and the others who had come along; their expressions varied, but they were clearly all in agreement with his view.

Ouyang Zheng lowered his head to drink his tea, then looked up—and happened to catch sight of Huaxi with her eyes half-closed, lightly pressing her lips together, as if carefully savoring the cup of tea. Those moist, dewy lips, glistening with a trace of tea, looked plump and lustrous, like a dew-kissed crimson crabapple blossom—bright, alluring, and impossible to resist the urge to kiss.

"But have you thought it through? Yu'er is on the Fuxi Continent; Zhilou won't give up." Shang reminded Yueniang in a low voice. Not to mention that Zhilou had carried Yu'er for so long—even he, as the father, would not give up. He could stop Zhilou from going to the Fuxi Continent, but he himself would definitely go.

Huaxi went to pay her respects to Lady Xiao. Regarding the matter of Lantern Festival night, Lady Xiao did not seem to press the issue; she asked a few casual questions about the poetry gathering. Huaxi only said that Chen Shijin had invited Mu Xiuyuan, and then mentioned going on the Shangsi Festival to sweep the grave of Mu Xiangwan.

And these fishermen belonged to the lowest, most despised class of trades. The Ming kingdom's division of its social strata was extremely strict; the fact that Haifeng's grandfather had disregarded his own military-household status and mingled with these lowly fishermen was a truly shocking thing.

Huaxi understood. "This method is not bad either." Any hint of a gesture in full view of everyone could well be exposed on the spot; an anonymous review avoided coloring the judgment with personal feelings, and was indeed fair.