Chapter 1386

Prince Fu Yang Longyue saw that he hadn't drunk his own toast, but as host he couldn't well point it out, so he turned a blind eye, pretending not to have seen.

Yang Longyue, though he wanted to keep the peace, found someone displeased: the Black Hu Eighth Prince, Wanyan Tian Yue, who happened to be seated with Hong Yingtai. Seeing Hong Yingtai merely pretend to sip his lips before setting down the Golden Goblet, Wanyan Tian Yue flared with anger. He had always looked down on this Prince of Southern Yue, deeming him unworthy to sit at the same table as himself. He snorted coldly, glaring at Hong Yingtai and demanded, "Why aren't you drinking?"

Wanyan Tian Yue was speaking in gibberish, which Hong Yingtai naturally couldn't understand, but Wanyan Tian Yue always carried a translator with him, and his attendant immediately rendered his words into a translation, and the tone was even stricter and more overbearing than Wanyan Tian Yue's own.

Hong Yingtai, seeing he had been noticed, gave an embarrassed laugh: "I… I'm feeling unwell…" Before he could finish, Wanyan Tian Yue slammed the table and snapped, "You won't even drink Prince Fu's toast—aren't you denying the host face?"

Yang Longyue hadn't expected the Black Hu prince to jump in and accuse him; although Hong Yingtai had acted improperly, Wanyan Tian Yue's harsh rebukes of the Southern Yue prince in front of everyone completely ignored the man's dignity. Yang Longyue was about to intervene and mediate.

A lazy voice from the right said, "Everyone says he's unwell, yet you force him to drink—coming from the barbaric wilds, you don't even know what propriety is." It was the Seventh Prince of Da Yong, Xue Daoming, speaking. Da Yong and Black Hu were at war, originally enemy states; as the saying goes, enemies meeting burn with hatred. Xue Daoming had little acquaintance with Hong Yingtai and, by rights, had no reason to defend him. Yet seeing Wanyan Tian Yue provoke, he chose to side with Hong Yingtai.

Wanyan Tian Yue glared at Xue Daoming and snapped, "What are you even? I'm talking to him—what's it to you?"

Xue Daoming replied, "I just can't stand the arrogant swagger of those barbarians forcing others to comply." He slapped the case, showing no retreat.

The Nineteenth Prince Herdan of Shajia said, "Prince Xue, your words are off—what makes a 'barbarian'? Do you Central Plains folk think you're inherently superior? In your eyes, we're all barbarians. If so, why have you come all this way to seek the position of prince consort? The Kingdom of Tianxiang isn't part of the Central Plains either; by your logic, Princess Yingyue would be a barbarian woman." This matter had nothing to do with him, but Herdan's motive was to stir up trouble—he wouldn't pass up a chance to add fuel to the fire.

Hu Xiaotian saw the princes start tearing at each other as soon as the banquet began, and he couldn't help wanting to laugh—those who enjoy a spectacle never mind the fuss. Indeed, appearances deceive; he hadn't expected Herdan, who seemed rough and blunt, to speak with such clarity, every word revealing deep scheming.

After all, this was the Prince Fu's mansion; Prince Fu Yang Longyue hurriedly urged calm: "Everyone, settle down. You are all honored guests of the Kingdom of Tianxiang—do not let a trivial matter damage our harmony."

Wanyan Tian Yue replied, "Prince Fu, you're mistaken—I'm not angry over a trifle; it's because this man is utterly rude. Not even drinking Prince Fu's toast shows he looks down on Prince Fu, and looks down on the Kingdom of Tianxiang. I speak out to redress the prince's grievance." Everyone came with the same goal, naturally seeing each other as rivals, and those present tonight are the strongest contenders for the prince‑consort position. To disparage one is to gain one; to eliminate one is to gain one.

Hong Yingtai's face flushed and paled under Wanyan Tian Yue's words; he steeled himself, thinking, "It's just two cups of wine—close my eyes and it'll go down." He lifted the Golden Goblet, tipped his head back, and gulped the drink, telling himself, "I'll finish it and see what you have to say then." But Hong Yingtai overestimated his tolerance; as soon as the wine hit his stomach, his innards churned like a stormy sea. He hurried to turn his head away, but before he could fully do so, he burst out with a puff! —spraying not only wine but also the food he had just eaten, the brunt of it hitting Wanyan Tian Yue. Wanyan Tian Yue never imagined Hong Yingtai would dare spit on him; drenched head‑to‑toe in a strong wine stench, he flew into a rage, raised a fist as big as a wine vat, and smashed it into Hong Yingtai's face, shouting, "You little southern barbarian, you're asking for death!"

Everyone cried out in shock as Wanyan Tian Yue's punch sent Hong Yingtai flying from his seat straight toward the place of the Beggar Gang's junior chief, Shangguan Yun Chong.

Shangguan Yun Chong's brows twitched; he lightly waved his right hand forward, and an invisible inner force shot through the air, like an unseen big hand steadying Hong Yingtai. Hong Yingtai's body swayed, and he found himself standing firm on the ground.

At that moment, his two personal warriors charged at Wanyan Tian Yue without hesitation, clearly intending to regain their master's face.

The young master of Luoying Palace, Tang Jingyu, raised his long sleeves slightly, with a swoosh! A feathered arrow struck the pillar in front of the two warriors, exactly blocking their path; his move showed he stood on the same side as Shangguan Yun Chong.

Prince Fu Yang Longyue hastily made a gesture, and his guards stepped forward to separate the few people.

Wanyan Tian Yue looked at himself covered in filth, fuming and letting out a strange yell, wishing he could rush forward and tear Hong Yingtai to pieces on the spot.

Most of those present, seeing the scene, secretly gloated over the misfortune, especially Da Yong's Seventh Prince Xue Daoming, who chuckled and said, 'Who else to blame? If you hadn't forced people to drink, it wouldn't have come to this.' Though the others thought similarly, none dared say it outright.

Wanyan Tian Yue pointed at Xue Daoming and said, 'Xue Daoming, I, the prince, will duel with you!'

Xue Daoming gave a contemptuous smile: 'Do you deserve it?'

Wanyan Tian Yue, fuming, wanted to rush over, but Prince Fu Yang Longyue desperately held him back.

Prince Fu Yang Longyue saw that the welcoming banquet was about to turn into a free-for-all fight; he felt both amused and exasperated, hurriedly persuaded Wanyan Tian Yue, and also had someone ask him to go inside to change clothes. Only with difficulty did he manage to persuade Wanyan Tian Yue to leave. Meanwhile, the Sixth Prince of Nanyue State, Hong Yingtai, had already taken his leave. Today at the banquet he had utterly lost face; Hong Yingtai's skin was naturally thin, so after such an incident he naturally did not want to stay here any longer. Moreover, he had just vomited all over Wanyan Tian Yue and feared retaliation, so he hastily took this opportunity to take his leave.

Hu Xiaotian and Xu Mubai simply watched the developments from start to finish, considering it none of their business and unwilling to get involved in the dispute; however, they also noticed a hint—most of those present were merely posturing, shouting about fighting and killing, but since this was the Prince Fu's mansion, a real fight was out of the question.

The banquet ended in discord; Prince Fu Yang Longyue also lost face. After Hong Yingtai took his leave, the guests rose and left one after another. Xu Mubai whispered, 'Cousin, let's go too.'

Hu Xiaotian nodded. At that moment, Da Yong's Seventh Prince Xue Daoming passed by his side, his eyes coldly fixed on Hu Xiaotian, and he slowly nodded back.

Hu Xiaotian smiled and said, 'Seventh Prince, long time no see!'

Xue Daoming said in a low voice, 'That old score, I will settle it with you sooner or later.'

Hu Xiaotian's heart skipped a beat; he didn't know the true meaning of Xue Daoming's words. Could it be that the matter of him using the 'substitute peach for plum' stratagem to rescue Long Xi Yue from Kangdu had already been known to him? After a moment's thought, that seemed impossible. Originally, it was Xi Yan who had disguised herself as a Zi Juan; logically, it should have been flawless. Suddenly he thought of a possibility: Long Xuanjiao knew the inside story of the whole affair very well; if she revealed the truth to the Da Yong side, then Xue Daoming would naturally know the ins and outs of this matter, and would surely hate him to the bone.

Hu Xiaotian showed no sign of weakness, calmly saying, 'Good, I'll be waiting for you!'

After bidding farewell to Prince Fu, the crowd departed one after another; Hu Xiaotian also did not speak privately with Yang Longyue, leaving the Prince Fu mansion's gate. He and Xu Mubai then went their separate ways. At that moment, Zhan Peng, who had been waiting outside, came forward and whispered, 'My lord, so soon?'

Hu Xiaotian nodded and said, 'Let's talk when we get back!'

From behind came a friendly call: 'Brother Hu, wait!'

Hu Xiaotian didn't need to turn around to know it was Heer Dan arriving; he slowly turned and greeted him with a smile. Because of Heer Dan's performance tonight, Hu Xiaotian realized even more that those who came to apply for the position of prince consort were all smiles hiding knives, hypocritical and pretentious people; one must not be deceived by their outward warmth and goodwill. In fact, deep down they all regarded each other as rivals, wishing they could eliminate the others at once.

Heer Dan came to Hu Xiaotian's side, affectionately putting an arm around his shoulder and said, 'Since arriving in Piaoxiang City, I have lost track of my elder brother; if it weren't for tonight's Prince Fu banquet, I wouldn't know where to find you.'

Hu Xiaotian hypocritically said, 'I also miss my brother, you know.' He noticed that among Heer Dan's retinue were Daha Lu and the National Teacher Jia Luo. Of course he wouldn't pay much attention to the brute Daha Lu, but he couldn't help feeling extra wary of Jia Luo; just seeing his disciple Kang Tu use soul‑control techniques to manipulate Xie Tianqiong's abilities during the journey was already extraordinary, let alone Jia Luo himself as the master. Hu Xiaotian always felt Jia Luo's gaze toward him was unfriendly; he suspected that the soul‑master DuoJi he had eliminated in Xichuan might have close ties with Jia Luo, and if that were true, he would need to be on guard against this person all the more.

Heer Dan warmly invited, 'Brother Hu, we haven't had a chance to drink tonight; the nice banquet has been messed up. Not far ahead there's a decent tavern—let's go have a few more drinks as brothers; I happen to have something important to discuss with you.'

Hu Xiaotian originally didn't want to go, but hearing that Heer Dan had an important matter to discuss with him, he nodded. The two rode side by side forward, while the others followed far behind.

Heer Dan asked, 'Brother Hu, did you notice anything subtle about tonight's banquet?'

Hu Xiaotian shook his head and said, 'Sorry for my dullness; I didn't notice anything subtle.'

Heer Dan lowered his voice and said, 'As far as I know, many people have already secretly joined forces.'

Saturday, tonight's small gathering of friends—First Update! (To be continued~^~)