Chapter 172 Who to Choose?!
ved Cutout to complete."Oh, that's how you do it. Rujia is really great,""Rujia, how do you handle this engagement"Classmates sought help from Xie Rujia one after another; she was patient and gentle i...Chapter 172: Who!
The third time Our Western Sea Dragon Palace's Crown Prince wanted to match our Ah Zi with Zhao Guang and Zhao Hongyu, but they didn't respond. Old Zeng raised his aura and continued.
"Old Zeng, to be honest, our Ah Zi already has a consort prince." Zhao Guang said.
"Who" Old Zeng asked intentionally.
"He's the one who just defeated Qin Shaoyang in the competition—Ah Ren. He is our Eastern Sea Dragon Palace’s consort prince." Zhao Guang spoke calmly.
"Mm!"
Old Zeng grunted, and an exceptionally powerful aura spread out; simply at the Daoist Master Rank Upper Grade level of Zhao Guang and Zhao Hongyu immediately couldn’t stand steady and tipped backward.
Mu Lao and Shang Lao standing behind them took a step forward promptly and pressed their palms against their backs to support them secretly.
Old Zeng was really arrogant, coming over to attend the banquet but daring to be impolite to the host at an event hosted by the Eastern Sea!
Just as Zhao Guang and Zhao Hongyu felt suffocating in the chest and were about to withstand no more, a bright blue light shot down and pushed toward Old Zeng with one hand!
Old Zeng moved to block it, clashing palms!
Bang! A gale swept up the tablecloth inside the banquet hall; those with weaker cultivation levels, regardless of distance, all stepped back several paces.
Old Zeng also staggered backward two steps, his face pale.
But opposite him stood Zhao Kuo, remaining motionless!
The difference in power was instantly judged!
"Old Zeng, you’ve been in seclusion for hundreds of years. Yet I don’t see any increase in your cultivation! If you don’t want to trigger Heavenly Tribulation and hide yourself away at the Western Sea Dragon Palace, what’s the point of being such a high-level expert!" Zhao Kuo shouted brazenly.
Old Zeng felt stifled in his chest and wanted to refute but had no way to do so. The Western Sea has coveted the territory and resources of the Eastern Sea for a long time, but it was precisely because of Zhao Kuo’s existence that they did not dare take any rash actions.
Now, after Old Zeng finally emerged from seclusion, he still wasn’t Zhao Kuo's match!
"You’ll only be able to keep up this agitation for a few more days. As long as you can't pass through Heavenly Tribulation, why should we fear that the Eastern Sea has any high-level experts" Zeng Yitao standing beside Old Zeng arrogantly called out.
"Who are you to butt in" Zhao Kuo waved his hand, and a huge blue-glowing palm half the size of Zeng Yitao appeared in midair, swinging towards Zeng Yitao's head!
The old man Zeng was still feeling chest congestion, but he rushed forward to protect his grandson. He countered with another blue-glowing palm, and a loud bang followed as both palms struck each other and dispersed. The old man couldn't help but take three steps back, almost spitting out blood!
Zhao Kuo indeed had refined himself to the peak level, just one step away from the tribulation! The old man Zeng was shocked; this hidden disadvantage could only be swallowed by him.
"And also..." Zhao Kuo stepped forward. "I return this chunk of Mystic Ice to you!"
He pulled out a seemingly ordinary white ice block and tossed it towards the old man Zeng. As long as one's cultivation is deep enough, they could see through the surface layer of the ice block, revealing flashing blue crystals—exactly what cultivators dream of: natural Mystic Crystals!
The old man caught this chunk of Mystic Ice with his hand and glared at Zhao Kuo.
"Hehe, we in the East Sea don't care for your Mystic Ice!" Zhao Kuo lifted his head. "Do you think that by accepting your Mystic Ice, we'll have to marry Ah Zi to you from the West Sea"
The old man was so angry he shook uncontrollably; however, his strength was no match for Zhao Kuo's, and all he could do was endure.
He had thought that Zhao Kuo would still be in seclusion to prepare for the heavenly tribulation, and wasn't sure if Zhao Kuo would even show up today. It turned out this information was incorrect!
"Besides," said Zhao Kuo, "how can we divide it With over a hundred elders but only one chunk of Mystic Ice, do you want us to make the East Sea's elders fight for it until there is only one left"
The several East Sea elders looked at each other after hearing this; when they heard West Sea had sent a chunk of Mystic Ice, they did indeed have some thoughts. Now Zhao Kuo pointed out that this was intentional to cause conflict among the East Sea's elders! No matter how Zhao Guang divided it, there would always be dissatisfied elders.
Furthermore, "What if all the elders go into seclusion for three years What then if an external enemy invades during that time"
Hearing this loud scolding from Zhao Kuo, Zhao Guang nodded silently. His third brother was usually full of complaints, but when it came to big matters, he wasn't confused. He too had thought of these deeper reasons, but given his position, it wouldn't be appropriate to directly refuse.
By stirring things up like this, Zhao Kuo exposed the old man Zeng's scheme!
The old man smiled awkwardly. "Elder Zhao is overthinking. With peace reigning everywhere today and the five dragon tribes as close as family, how could there be an external enemy invading"
"Humph, you never know." Zhao Kuo glanced at him before returning to the crowd.
In fact, he had been in the banquet hall since Harker's battle with Qin Shaoyang began. He didn't want to step in earlier and anyway he disliked Harker; it would be good if Harker lost some face in front of everyone. But he hadn't expected Harker to win so beautifully.
And standing nearby, Harker was slightly impressed by his uncle Zhao Kuo's astuteness despite being rough.
He was unaware that when Zhao Yanzǐ and he played around in the art district last time, Zhao Kuò suddenly appeared because Qín Shào-yáng had been tailing them! And Zhao Kuò’s fierce words, "Whoever dares to bully Azi, I’ll strip off his Han-er," were actually directed at hiding Qin Shaoyang in darkness! It was this sentence that immediately scared Qin Shaoyang away!
Could someone who had cultivated up to the Upper Heaven Rank really be a fool
"It's about time. Let's start the banquet!" Zhao Kuàng looked around and said calmly.
The crowd slowly moved, each looking for their seats.
"Ah Ren, sit with us," Zhao Hongyù called out to Hao Ren.
“Sure,” Hao Ren agreed readily.
Zhao Yanzǐ also obediently returned to her mother’s side. She liked sticking by Su Hán, but Su Hán's identity as a censor made it impossible for her to sit with Zhao Kuàng and the others.
Hao Ren, being the "son-in-law," of course sat next to Zhao Yanzǐ; they both wore striped shirts that complemented each other. Under the lights, there was indeed something about them reminiscent of a golden prince and princess pair.
Zhao Kuàng and Zhao Hongyù sat on Zhao Yanzǐ’s left side, while Zhao Kuò sat to Hao Ren's right. Some specially invited old elders also took their seats around this main table in order.
The West Sea and East Sea had a relatively good relationship on the surface, so their seats were all near the main table. Through the shoulders of some elder figures, Hao Ren could clearly see the vicious gaze of that "West Sea Young Master."
Su Hán sat farther away from them, sitting with several river dragon kings and drinking alone.
The banquet hall was full of lively chatter, and waiters brought dishes of genuine mountain delicacies and sea treasures. Hao Ren had never seen such things before; they were all good food for replenishing qi and nourishing beauty that could only be found in the Dragon Palace.
Several women dressed in palace attire stepped onto the stage and started elegant singing and dancing, moving gracefully.
Sitting next to Hao Ren, Zhao Yanzǐ wasn’t interested in the dancing. She ate her food bite by bite without speaking to Hao Ren. This made Hao Ren feel rather bored; he could only focus on eating his food. His right side was occupied by a menacing-looking Zhao Kuò, so there was no way Hao Ren would talk with him.
After three rounds of drinks, the atmosphere gradually became lively. Zhao Kuàng nudged Zhao Yanzǐ and said, "Today is your birthday; you can't just sit still. Take turns going around to toast all the elders."
"Okay," Zhao Yanzǐ pursed her lips and stood up.
"Ah Ren should also go with you," suggested Zhao Hongyù.
“Mm.” Hao Ren stood up, picking up his wine cup.
The toasting started from the farthest table. Zhao Yanzǐ walked through the bustling hall toward a table near the entrance. As Hao Ren held his wine glass and followed her, they immediately became the focus of everyone’s attention.
Seeing everyone's gaze focused on them, Zhao Yanzǐ slowed her pace and drew closer to Hao Ren. She hesitated for a moment before gently holding onto Hao Ren’s wrist.
Under the lights, Zhao Yanzǐ lightly leaned against Hao Ren, moving slowly with her small shoes while her delicate palm held onto Hao Ren’s fingers.
This way, everyone could see that Hao Ren was her fiancé!
Knowing%, ten thousand
The farthest table belonged to the dragon kings from several rivers near the East Sea. Seeing Zhao Yanzǐ approach with a cup in hand, they hurriedly stood up.
Since Zhao Yanzǐ was still young and could not drink alcohol, she used tea instead of wine. The wine served today was specially brewed by the Dragon Palace of the East Sea using rare herbs from the Hall of Hundred Flowers. An ordinary person without any cultivation would get drunk for half a day after just one sip.
From his appearance, Zhao Kuang seemed only in his thirties or forties but he was actually over two hundred years old. Zhao Yanzǐ was truly still young, and although it appeared that Zhao Kuang was strict with her, he actually loved her deeply. This was common knowledge among the dragon kings nearby.
Therefore, when Zhao Yanzǐ personally came to offer a toast, none of these river dragon kings dared to be arrogant or rude. They all greeted her politely one by one.
In this way, they moved from table to table. Since Zhao Yanzǐ was drinking tea, she did not have to worry about getting drunk, but Hao Ren felt slightly dizzy after his drinks.
Zhao Yanzǐ held onto Hao Ren, afraid that he would really pass out.
After circling around the entire venue, sweat appeared on Hao Ren’s palm. Zhao Yanzǐ finally changed her posture, using her arm to hook into Hao Ren’s elbow. This way was even more intimate.
The last table outside of the main table belonged to Old Ceng's group.
Actually, Zhao Yanzǐ did not want to go over to them for a toast but everyone was watching closely so she could only unwillingly walk towards them.
Surface appearances were maintained; the West Sea and East Sea still appeared as solid allies. Even the seating arrangement for the West Sea group was closest to the main table!
"Grandpa Ceng, I wish you longevity like the East Sea and blessings like the mountains!" Reaching the table, Zhao Yanzǐ raised her teacup and said indifferently.
Hmph! Old Ceng snorted but seeing that everyone’s attention was on him, he could not just turn his face. He only awkwardly smiled and raised his wine glass high.
In reality, Zhao Kuang and his wife had made Hao Ren and Zhao Yanzǐ walk around the venue to offer a toast to all guests, declaring publicly that Ah Zi already had a fiancé, and the East Sea had found its son-in-law!
If anyone still wanted to court the East Sea, they were out of luck. The East Sea's little princess, Ah Zi, was engaged!
This was also when Hao Ren got to observe up close the fiery jealousy in the eyes of this so-called "young master" of the West Sea! against his chest."What do you think Didn’t I say I could bring you all up to the Fifth Heaven" Zhen Ciming asked proudly while standing on the disk."So what’s so special about it I can get here by r...