Within the Longevity Garden.
Sever hours after Ye Zichenâs departure, Xiao Yumei appeared in his courtyard, leading Lilâ Tiantian by the hand.
âLorie, where did Ye Zichen go?â
There was no one in the courtyard but little Lorie, who was gleefully eating medicines. When she heard someone ask about Ye Zichen, she didnât turn her head to look.
âHeâs not here.â
âDo you know why he left?â
âHe went off with Zuo Mo to attend City Lord Linâs wedding,â said Lorie, continuously stuffing pills into her mouth. âHe left me here to protect you two. For the next few days, donât leave the manor, or if you do, let me know first.â
âAlright.â
Having received her answer, Xiao Yumei nodded lightly, and led Tiantian out of the courtyard.â
âHeâd only home for a few days,â Xiao Yumei sighed helplessly. Then Lilâ Tiantian came to a sudden stop.
âIf Daddy isnât here,â she said, blinking up at Xiao Yumei, âcan we go play with Auntie Changâe?â
âHer?â
Xiao Yumei frowned. Back when theyâd first returned to Maple City, Changâe had stayed in the longevity gardens for a few days.
She didnât know why, but even though Lilâ Tiantian had always disliked talking to others, sheâd immediately taken to Changâe.
In fact, she treated her the same way she did Xiao Yumei and Ye Zichen.
Although this surprised her, she was happy to see Lilâ Tiantian looking so lively. It was justâŠ..
Even just looking at Changâe made her feel strange.
âLorie just said that your dad left her here to protect us. It seems likely that there will be danger in the near future, so weâd best not go out.â
âDonât worry about that,â said Taintian, tugging at Xiao Yumeiâs sleeves, âAuntie Changâe lives in the Heavenly Court. Nowhere could possibly be safer than that. Also, we arenât going for long, just to go play for a bit. Come on!â
Xiao Yumei always doted on Tiantian, and couldnât resist; she simply pursed her lips into a helpless smile, and reached out to tousle Tiantianâs hair.
âAlright, alright, then letâs go play with your auntie Changâe. But how will we go? My relationship with the Heavenly Court isnât as close as your dadâs.â
âHee hee, I have a way.â
âThen Iâll go inform LorieâŠ..â started Xiao Yumei, but Lilâ Tiantian immediately cut her off.
âNo need for that,â said Tiantian, âAunt Lorie is happily eating, why disrupt her? Letâs just go!â
âŠ..
Within the City Lordâs manor, the group stood within the courtyard.
When Ye Zichen spoke, Zuo Mo, who stood by his side, instinctively knit her brows. Zhao Zizhaoâs froze briefly, but soon got his expression back under control.
âEmperor Ye,â he asked calmly, âwhat are you saying?â
âAm I wrong?â Ye Zichen asked, his tone somewhat provocative, especially given his unconcealed playfulness. âOn the way here, I saw that many guests had already arrived, yet my Leisure House never received an invitation to your wedding. Itâs just, Iâm the sort of person who loves getting in on the action and decided to crash the party. I trust you wonât mind.â
Zhao Zizhaoâs expression didnât change; he simply kept on smiling.
âWhy would I be offended? I couldnât be happier that Emperor Ye has come to attend our wedding. In truth, I sent someone to deliver your invitation- itâs on its way as we speak. Youâve likely noticed that, although lots of people have come to Hundred Flowers City, true major powers have yet to arrive. This is out of consideration; we know youâre extremely busy. We didnât want to delay you is all,â he said. âActually, I was planning to go invite you in person a few days from now. I hadnât thought youâd come with her Family Head Zuo.â
âThen, can I interpret that as you saying that everyone you invited in advance is of relatively low status?â said Ye Zichen, intentionally picking holes in his words.
âYou must be joking,â said Zhao Zizhao, responding to Ye Zichenâs nit-picking with a relaxed smile. âWe invited Family Head Zuo in advance, but who would dare say she is of low status? Itâs not that everyone I invited in advance is low-ranked, rather, we ordered our invitations based on which organization someone is part of. For instance, solitary cultivators and sect-leaders were sent their invitations last, just like you.â
âThatâs strange,â said Ye Zichen, a playful light flashing through his eyes.
âSect-leaders are often locked in long-term secluded cultivation,â he snorted, then continued, âso you ought to have sent your invitations far in advanceâŠ.. Does your insistence on sending them last imply that you didnât want us to come?â
âEnough.â
Zuo interrupted him before he could say more, and tugged at his arm before smiling at Lin Xihe.
âBig Sister Lin,â she said, âweâre exhausted from our journey. Could you arrange for us to go rest for a while?â
In truth, the prior scene left Lin Xihe feeling extremely uncomfortable. One side was her future husband, the other the Immortal Regionâs Yellow Emperor.
Although theyâd smiled throughout their conversation, it was obvious, no matter how you looked at it, that they were trying to find fault with each other.
This tense feeling left her extremely out of sorts, but she didnât know how to stop them.
Fortunately, Zuo Mo had said something. Lin Xihe hurriedly took the opportunity to make them stop arguing.
âThatâs right,â she said experimentally, glancing at Ye Zichen, âyour Maple City canât be considered near to our Hundred Flowers City. You must be tired from the long journey. Iâve long since prepared rooms for you, so how about we head over there now?â
When Ye Zichen looked at Zuo Mo and saw her grim expression, he smiled helplessly, stretched, and said, âNow that you mention it, I really am somewhat tired.â
âThen follow me, Iâll take you to your guest rooms,â said Lin Xihe.
âThanks for your help,â said Ye Zichen, cupping his hands respectively. Then he turned to Zhao Zizhao.
âGeneral Zhao, letâs chat more next time.â
âTake care, Emperor Ye.â
He watched Ye Zichen depart, then his expression darkened.
Before long, the side gate opened.
âBro, that brat Ye Zichen suddenly showed up. Will that be a problem?â
A young man who looked about seventy percent similar to Zhao Zizhao approached. This was his younger brother, Zhao Ziming.
No wonder they were brothers; even their grim expressions seemed cast from the same mold.
âNo. Even if we hadnât invited him, it was inevitable that heâd show up when we invited Zuo Mo,â said Zhao Zichao. âI know that already. Judging from his words, he seems to have figured some stuff out.â
âThenâŠ..â
âNo need to worry. Even if heâs here, it wonât affect the big picture at all.â
With that, Zhao Zizhao squinted like a poisonous snake stalking his prey.
âSoon, this Hundred Flowers City will be in my hands,â he said, smiling coldly. âThen, as long as I give the signal, I can catch all those clan and family heads in the same net, and the whole region will be mine! The Immortal Region has always been governed by its Sacred Land, but has yet to produce a true monarch. I shall soon be its first monarch!â
âThen, Big Brother, you have to be careful,â replied Zhao Ziming. âCooperating with the Demon Realm is perilous.â
âNo need to worry. I have my ways of handling them.â
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