Chapter 789: Night Dreams

The night was already deep, and the Jin Ling Prince's Mansion was brightly lit.

Although limited by taboos, the Prince's Mansion only occupied a corner of the ruins of the Daxing Dynasty palace, but after all, it was a Prince's Mansion, and the gilded pillars, glazed lamps, and shark-silk curtains in the banquet hall all displayed the splashing wealth of the royal family.

Just as Qiu Mingyuan expected, the Jin Ling Prince sat high in the upper seat, and sitting on the left and right lower seats were the principals of the Gusu Lu clan and the Qiantang Xie clan in Jin Ling—Jian Sanye Lu and Fifth Master Xie.

Both were dressed in brocade and silk, with a graceful demeanor, but there was a trace of anxiety in the depths of their eyes.

As for Li Yan, he pretended to be confused, drinking wine and eating dishes.

The banquet dishes in this Prince's Mansion were indeed particular. Although they had Jin Ling characteristics, they were luxurious in terms of knife work, cooking, and plating.

For example, the main dish "Jin Ling Auspiciousness" was based on the most famous salted duck in Jin Ling, carefully selected from "Osmanthus Ducks" raised by the side of Taihu Lake for a hundred days, marinated in aged Huadiao wine, Huai salt, star anise, cinnamon, and other secret old brine, and then slowly roasted over pine wood, cypress branches, and osmanthus until the skin was golden red and oily, with fragrance penetrating the bones.

The slicing of the duck required "thin as cicada wings, shaped like a peony," arranged in the shape of auspicious beasts like Qilin or Ruyi cloud patterns, served with amber-colored sugar-marinated osmanthus wine and tender ginger buds.

There was also "Jade Belt Qiong River Soup."

Taking the tender meat of the most fatty knife fish before Qingming, the fat under the scales of the shad, and the pufferfish milt safely handled by top-level chefs, adding chicken-zong mushrooms and ham to boil into a milky white thick soup.

Served in a translucent glazed cup, a crystal-clear "Jade Belt" made of sturgeon tendon floated on the surface of the soup, extremely fresh and luxurious, symbolizing "Jade Belt across the river, blessings lasting long."

Li Yan praised while eating, as if he had really come to attend the banquet.

Only those two powerful clans were anxious, occasionally looking at the Jin Ling Prince, but the Jin Ling Prince was also in a dilemma, unwilling to speak for a long time.

Just at this moment, the sound of silk and bamboo rose, and a group of exquisitely dressed performers stepped onto the stage. With light sleeves fluttering and singing voices turning, it was exactly the Kunqu opera *The Peony Pavilion* that was popular in Jiangnan at the time.

Li Yan's eyesight was extraordinary, and with one sweep, he confirmed that they were all ordinary people.

There was no fluctuation of magic power around them, nor any evil aura.

He wasn't blaming him for being cautious; after all, the Ghost Opera Troupe was also a major enemy.

But this formation also confirmed Qiu Mingyuan's judgment. This banquet was named the Jin Ling Prince's birthday banquet, but in reality, it was a "reconciliation wine" set up by the Lu and Xie families borrowing the prestige of the Prince's Mansion.

After three rounds of wine, the atmosphere gradually became subtle.

The Jin Ling Prince finally made up his mind, put down the jade chopsticks, coughed lightly, and turned his gaze to Li Yan, a warm smile piled on his face: "Li Li Shaoxia Li is a young hero, making many meritorious deeds in Jin Ling City, which this Prince admires very much. However, in the Jiangnan land, stability is the priority. Now that the two family heads, Lu and Xie, are here, they also admire the Li Li Shaoxia's demeanor and wish to release past grievances with the Li Li Shaoxia over a cup of wine."

He paused, pointing out, "The Lin family matter involves a wide range, and there may be misunderstandings. The Huai Tree Village case will naturally be handled by the imperial court's laws and the Mystic Sect's regulations. The Li Li Shaoxia has been running around and is tired, why not rest for a while?"

"The two families are willing to make some compensation to complete the decency of the Jiangnan gentry and defend against the Taihu demon atmosphere together."

Li Yan sat still, his fingertips unconsciously stroking the edge of the cold wine glass.

He looked at the glass lamp, the scene before him filled with clinking cups and soft whispers, but what flashed through his mind were the "human cocoons" piled like mountains in the tunnel of the Huai Village ancestral hall, the stiff and numb faces of Zhou Dayong's wife and child, and the bitterness of the heavy taxes on weaving households recounted by the boatman.

The Jiangnan people were struggling in deep water and scorching fire, while the perpetrators or accomplices were talking lightly about "decency" and "compensation" in this luxurious hall.

A fire of evil in his heart was hard to extinguish, so how could he agree.

He raised his eyes slowly, smiling, sweeping over the Jin Ling Prince and the two family heads: "Prince's kindness, Li accepts. But this kind of matter naturally has the imperial court's laws, and Li is just a wandering Jianghu person, so I don't have this ability."

The atmosphere in the hall suddenly solidified.

The sound of silk and bamboo stopped at some unknown time, and the performers retreated in panic.

Jian Sanye Lu's smile froze on his face, and a trace of fierce color flashed in Fifth Master Xie's eyes.

The Jin Ling Prince's warmth also faded, flashing a trace of embarrassment and deeper impatience. He waved his hand: "Li Li Shaoxia speaks too seriously, let's not talk in riddles..."

Li Yan interrupted him, looking directly at this seemingly noble Prince, his voice not high but every word clear: "Li has a question, the Prince's status is noble and transcendent, why are you willing to come forward personally to mediate for the two families' affairs?"

This was also the point he was confused about.

Jin Ling's position was special, with many taboos. Past generations of Jin Ling Princes lived cautiously, fearing being caught by the imperial court's censors, so how could this Prince dare to get involved in this mess?

Hearing this, the Jin Ling Prince's throat rolled, wanting to speak but stopping, but finally only vaguely said: "This Prince... this Prince is also considering the overall situation, maintaining the peace of Jiangnan..."

Li Yan keenly captured the panic and helplessness in the other party's eyes.

Clearly he didn't want to, or couldn't talk deeply about the reason.

Just at this suffocating moment, a familiar smell made Li Yan alert instantly—it was the smell mixed with the earthy fishiness of the tunnel, the sweat of despair, and hatred.

He narrowed his eyes, locking his gaze on a servant who was holding a tray and walking with his head down.

That servant's steps seemed respectful, but his body was taut like a bow, and his eyes, through his low-hanging forehead hair, were nailed to Fifth Master Xie.

It was Captain Zhou from Huai Tree Village!

Li Yan immediately remembered this person, and a sneer appeared on the corner of his mouth.

This man's family was ruined, so how could he stop his revenge.

The world is never short of flies and dogs, and it is never short of the anger of a common man.

Just as he approached the main table and was about to put down the dishes—

"Stop!"

A guard beside Jian Sanye Lu also noticed something wrong and shouted sharply.

That servant raised his head abruptly, revealing a haggard face with messy stubble, but full of bone-deep hatred; it was exactly Captain Zhou from the Yangzhou Commandant's Office who was "punished and returned to his native place." 【

In his eyes at this moment, only the madness to burn everything remained!

"You dog thieves! Return the lives of my wife and child!"

Zhou Dayong let out a wild roar and suddenly exerted force, slamming the silver tray in his hand along with the hot soup fiercely toward Fifth Master Xie, while at the same time throwing himself like a moth to a flame, recklessly crashing toward the area where the heads of the Lu and Xie families were located!

He was merely a Captain of the Commandant's Office; although he had reached the Dark Jin level and possessed rich combat experience, he was clearly no match for the expert guards of the two great families.

Yet, on Zhou Dayong's face, only a manic satisfaction remained.

His abdomen had, at some unknown time, become highly distended.

A dangerous red light shone through his clothes, with the faint sound of muffled thunder.

"Thunder-fire mechanism! Retreat quickly!"

An exclamation from one of the guards rang out.

Li Yan's pupils constricted, and he immediately retreated.

He had already understood Zhou Dayong's resolute plan.

This man had long harbored a death wish; with his wife and child dead and himself eroded by curses and despair, he did not know who he had found to hide the thunder-fire mechanism in his abdomen to perish together.

Boom—!

A deafening explosion tore through the luxury of the Wang Fu and the silent night.

Blinding firelight and violent airwaves exploded fiercely with Zhou Dayong as the center.

Broken wood, porcelain shards, and flesh and limbs flew everywhere, mixed with scorching air currents.

The area near the main table instantly turned into a slaughterhouse.

Screams, exclamations, and the sound of breaking cups and plates merged into one.

Fifth Master Xie, who bore the brunt of it, along with the guards beside him, were blown to pieces on the spot.

Jian Sanye Lu was blown away by the airwave, crashing heavily against a pillar, vomiting blood, his life or death unknown. The Prince of Jin Ling, who was slightly closer, was also affected by the explosion; although protected by his personal expert guards, he did not die, but he fell into a coma.

Thick smoke billowed, and the scent of sandalwood mixed with the smell of blood to create a nauseating atmosphere.

The banquet hall, originally filled with the fragrance of clothes and shadows of hair, was a mess, with crying and shouting rising everywhere.

Li Yan blocked the flying debris, watching this human tragedy with cold eyes.

"You... why didn't you stop him?!"

The commander of the Wang Fu guards, covered in dust, glared at him angrily.

Li Yan gave a faint glance, "What, derelict in your own duty, and you want to pin the blame on me?"