“Pa!”
Inside the Golden Luan Hall, the Emperor of Da Yan, hair bristling with rage, suddenly rose to his feet.
All that talk about “a gentleman’s revenge is never too late even after ten years,” and “a true man can bend and stretch”—at this moment, he had thrown it all out of his mind.
He was so furious now, he could practically cough up blood! Su Chen might be strong, but he shouldn’t be provoking him like this!
As the Emperor of Da Yan abruptly stood up, the Guardian Daoist rushed forward.
“Your Majesty, you must not! Absolutely not!”
“A gentleman is benevolent and patient! If you act on impulse, you’ll only bring endless troubles for days and years to come. Please, Your Majesty, think thrice—remember, the nation comes first!”
The Guardian Daoist had long since been traumatized by Su Chen. Now, seeing the King enraged, he hurriedly stepped forward to urge restraint.
The King now possessed peerless talent—only lacking time to cultivate. As long as he endured a while longer, once he reached a certain realm, he would surely make Su Chen pay for today’s offense!
“Hmph!”
The Emperor of Da Yan let out a cold snort, crushing the Liu Li Lamp in his hand to pieces.
He took the Guardian Daoist’s words to heart—halfway, at least—but he didn’t plan to follow them entirely!
“Pei Wuji! Go, have those two—have those two—pfft!”
The Emperor’s gaze was icy, but the words he was about to shout stuck in his throat, and he ended up choking on his own breath.
In the end, all he could do was sigh long and helplessly,
“It’s cold up there in the wind. Bring two jugs of fine wine up for me.”
“At your command!”
What happened in the Golden Luan Hall, of course, was unknown to those outside.
At this moment, all the visitors and cultivators on Phoenix Terrace were wide-eyed and dumbstruck as they stared at Li Xuan.
How could they believe that, in the Imperial Capital of Da Yan, someone actually dared to fly up to the Forbidden Peak and release Kongming Lanterns?
That blue-robed young lord who had joked earlier was now completely stunned.
He’d only said it in jest—who would have thought someone would actually do it!
Little did he know, Su Chen himself hadn’t thought of this at first. It was precisely his words that inspired Su Chen to bring Ruo Ximeng up to the top of the Forbidden City!
“Wow! Master, how did you come up with the idea to release Kongming Lanterns here?”
With Su Chen’s help, after sending two Kongming Lanterns into the sky, Ruo Ximeng looked at Su Chen, her beautiful eyes sparkling like stars.
“It just came to me, that’s all.”
Su Chen spoke nonchalantly, but the slight curve at the corner of his mouth betrayed his pride.
‘Shameless host! Was this really your idea? Clearly, someone else said it first!’
Ruo Ximeng didn’t know the truth, but the Imperial Teacher System was well aware of the whole story.
Someone else had suggested it first, and this shameless Su Chen had simply stolen the credit!
‘Mind your own business.’
Su Chen shot back coldly at the Imperial Teacher System, not in the mood to bother with it.
Letting Kongming Lanterns fly here wasn’t just flashy—it also gave a panoramic view of the Imperial Capital’s nightscape. Truly, it was an excellent spot for sightseeing!
Su Chen had already decided that, whenever he had time in the future, he’d come here often to enjoy the view!
At this moment, the visitors and cultivators on Phoenix Terrace, shocked as they were, were also waiting to see what would happen to Su Chen and Ruo Ximeng.
These two audacious people had brazenly appeared atop the Forbidden Peak—an Imperial forbidden ground.
No matter how carefree they seemed now, in just a moment, Yulin Army Commander Pei Wuji would surely skin them alive!
Under everyone’s watchful gaze, Pei Wuji, however, arrived late…
“Haha, see that? I told you—like an old man hanging himself, courting death!”
When Pei Wuji appeared above the Forbidden Peak, a cultivator immediately gloated.
“Hmph! This kind of act is indeed romantic, but you can only be romantic once in your life—after that, your head’s moving house!”
A heavily made-up woman, full of envy, jealousy, and hate, spoke up.
Just now, Ruo Ximeng’s elegant release of a Kongming Lantern atop the Forbidden Peak had made countless people green with envy.
The more envious they’d been, the more gleeful they felt now.
Pei Wuji, with his deadpan face, was a symbol of bad luck in the Imperial Capital.
In the Imperial Capital of Da Yan, almost no one wanted to see Pei Wuji’s expressionless face.
While many awaited Pei Wuji to arrest Su Chen and Ruo Ximeng, what happened next left everyone dumbfounded.
At that moment, Pei Wuji actually produced two jars of Imperial Wine, then clasped his fists respectfully and said,
“Lord Su Chen, Your Highness Ximeng, these are Imperial Wines His Majesty specially ordered me to bring for your enjoyment. I hope I haven’t disturbed your elegant mood.”
Su Chen nodded slightly—these two jars of fine wine had come at just the right time.
“Not at all, not at all. Wuji will take his leave!”
Pei Wuji also dared not linger, lest he anger Su Chen and bring trouble upon the Da Yan Dynasty.
Pei Wuji felt rather flattered—after all, this was someone who had single-handedly flattened his superior, the Guardian Daoist. How could he have the right to drink with Su Chen?
The conversation between Pei Wuji and Su Chen was, of course, inaudible to those on Phoenix Terrace.
However, Pei Wuji’s respectful attitude toward Su Chen and Ruo Ximeng was plain for all to see.
Now, everyone on Phoenix Terrace was thoroughly stupefied.
Just who were these two, to make even Yulin Army Commander Pei Wuji so deferential and wary?
That night, the mysterious man and woman atop the Forbidden Peak became legends in the Imperial Capital.
The story spread from ten to a hundred, a hundred to a thousand, and soon swept through the entire Imperial Capital like a hurricane.
Now, nearly everyone was speculating about Su Chen and Ruo Ximeng’s true identities.
Just what kind of people were they, to make even Yulin Army Commander Pei Wuji bow and scrape before them!
After sending Pei Wuji away, Su Chen took Ruo Ximeng and sat down on the very top of the Forbidden City.
“Master, the wind is so strong up here, and it’s a little chilly too.”
Though the view was expansive, the cold wind never ceased.
“Is that so?”
Su Chen paused—he didn’t feel the cold at all.
But thinking Ruo Ximeng might be more delicate, he immediately pulled her into his arms.
Nestled against Su Chen, gazing out at the myriad lights of the city, Ruo Ximeng felt utterly blissful.
As she lifted her head to look at the starry sky, invisible streams of starlight quietly merged into her body.
As the power of the stars poured in, the Mixed Yuan Star Technique she was cultivating began to operate even faster.
Gentle, warm currents surged from Ruo Ximeng’s dantian, flowing into the dim Star Apertures throughout her body.
Within the human body, there are three hundred and sixty Star Apertures, each containing boundless power. Once all are awakened, a mere wave of the hand could shake the heavens and split the earth.
As more and more starlight poured into Ruo Ximeng’s Star Apertures, the first Star Aperture in her body grew brighter and brighter.
Originally, this Star Aperture was as dim as a faded star—but now, it shone ever more brilliantly, ever more luminously.