Chapter 77
Chapter 77 Fawning
Hua Qiyue raised her brows, experiencing a headache. It looked like a useless piece of trash would never be welcomed. Even though she was already a Qi Artist at the lower level of the Dragon Diagram Realm, no one had accorded her any importance.
Liu Shaoming was tall and handsome, but had deep features like a Caucasian.
The company asked after one another’s health. The Old Madame was particularly happy. She had not expected the Four Great Families to come together.
"Please sit, all you distinguished guests!" The Old Madame smiled. Hua Qiyue glanced blandly at the company, receiving Xia Tian and Liu Shaoming’s looks of resentment.
Two really straightforward kids. They didn’t know how to disguise their feelings. Such enemies were like Huangfu Xuan. They were not dangerous at all.
Hua Qiyue sneered a few times quietly in her heart.
"Ho ho, Princess Jinghua has created a great sensation on the Ji family’s arena. She really amazed everyone!" The House Master of the Xia family, Xia Yuan, smiled. His gaze landed on Hua Qiyue.
Hua Qiyue nodded nonchalantly at him. "You flatter me, Mr. Xia. It’s just the luck of a young girl!"
"It’s not just luck! Princess Jinghua has kept her strengths well hidden!" Liu Mo said politely.
"Princess Jinghua is so clever. I admire you greatly!" Ouyang Youche said with a faint smile. Even though the handsome man was smiling, there was a tinge of melancholy in his eyes. It could not be wiped off.
Hua Qiyue smiled. "I heard that Young Master Ouyang reached the Great Completion of the Soaring Cloud Realm at a very young age. You make me feel ashamed of myself!"
These were all civil talk. In her former life, Hua Qiyue had said plenty of such. She was now quite adept at it.
The Old Madame was very satisfied with Hua Qiyue’s responses. Hua Mengshi and Hua Xiaoyi, however, hid their resentment behind a mask of gentle charm.
There were many young and promising scions in Hua’s Mansion now–Ouyang Youche, Liu Shaoming and the others. They were the capital’s new generation. The evening banquet today resembled more a matchmaking session.
The Four Great Families brought together their sons. And the young master of the Ouyang family came alone. Well, there was a vague meaning in this.
"Ho ho, you flatter us. Qiyue has always been weak. It was only thanks to Master Xuanji that she has adopted a son and become a person of renown. We have received so much concern!" The Old Madame said with a smile. The maidservants quickly brought in the tea. Second Madame and Hua Mengshi gnawed their teeths hatefully in secret.
Once a "useless piece of trash," she had, in a short period of time, stolen all the limelight and skyrocketed in power. She was now the envy of everyone.
Ouyang Youche smiled faintly, his eyes sparkling with an odd glimmer. "Princess Jinghua, we the Ouyangs have another house with a lovely, scenic background of hills and rivers. If you are free, Your Highness, why don’t you stay there for a time? It is the best cultivation ground possible. I’m sure Your Highness knows how important a good location is for your cultivation?"
Ouyang Youche was forthright. He went past the civilities to throw a direct olive branch at Hua Qiyue!
Liu Mo’s face sank slightly, but he immediately smiled. "Princess Jinghua, we the Lius own a cavern with abundant Spiritual Qi. It’s the best spot for cultivation. We can let Your Highness stay there for free!"
As soon as he said this, Liu Shaoming snorted coldly. "But Father, that’s my natural cavern!"
The company heard him and instantly looked at them derisively. Obviously, Liu Mo had forced Liu Shaoming to come.
Liu Shaoming was the only male offspring of the Liu family. Liu Mo had dozens of concubines, but they all bore him daughters. After 20 years of torturous wait, he still only had one son.
Liu Mo doted on Liu Shaoming, causing him to become conceited and domineering. He gave everyone his cold, elitist look.
Although he was conceited, he wasn’t at heart a wicked man. He had not killed anyone or committed arson. However, he bore a deep resentment toward Hua Qiyue.
Liu Shaoming could still faintly remember this demure girl drooling at his handsome self when she was 12. Her salivating mouth was disgusting.
He would never forget the scene. Hua Qiyue, however, had long forgotten it. She made a fool of herself after getting drunk for the first and only time in her life. The original Hua Qiyue was lonely and a
"Shaoming, don’t blabber nonsense!" Liu Mo was shocked and angry. After all, Hua Qiyue had mastered the Soul-Binding Steps, lost for a thousand years. It meant that some unignorable supreme master was behind her.
The Four Great Families were all courting Hua Qiyue, except for his insensible son!
"Old Madame, Princess Jinghua, please don’t get angry. My son is talking nonsense after a few cups of wine. I’m truly sorry!" Liu Mo immediately apologized. The Old Madame smiled and shook her head tactfully.
"It’s normal for young people to drink a bit more. Never mind, never mind!"
"Father, I’m telling the truth. After all… our Liu family doesn’t need to rope in such trash!" Liu Shaoming glared at Hua Qiyue in disgust and said hatefully in his heart: pretend, just go on pretending! Let’s see how far you can pretend!
Liu Shaoming’s words made Liu Mo so angry that his face turned deathly pale. He was thoroughly embarrassed.
"Men, the young master is drunk. Drag him out!"
Liu Mo said loudly. Immediately, two Qi Artists from the Liu family strode up and pulled on Liu Shaoming’s shoulder. Liu Shaoming was even more infuriated. He pointed at Hua Qiyue with a florid face. "This sort of woman shouldn’t dream about using our family resources!"
Liu Mo regretted greatly that he had over-indulged his son. This boy was a blockhead who just didn’t get it. He did not even know the basic etiquettes.
Immediately, the Xia and the Baili families gave him a look of derision. They were watching the scene quietly.
The Old Madame was quite calm. Hua Xiaoyi stared at Hua Qiyue with gloating eyes. No one had expected Liu Shaoming to scold her on the spot, giving her no face.
Hua Qiyue started to chuckle. "Young Master Liu, you misunderstood. Even if your family gives me your entire mansion, I will not dare accept it."
The Old Madame stared at Liu Mo with quiet, indifferent eyes.
Liu Mo quickly apologized. "I’m really sorry. My son has been spoilt and rude since young. I’m sorry he offended the Old Madame and Her Highness. Ignore him, everyone."
Liu Shaoming was dragged out of the hall. The atmosphere became a little awkward. Hua Qiyue looked blandly at Liu Mo and Ouyang Youche. "Master Liu, Young Master Ouyang, thank you for your deep concern. But I can’t accept anything, having done nothing. I will surely not dare accept your lavish gifts."
They did not expect Hua Qiyue to reject them so directly. Yet, give it a moment’s thought. Hua Qiyue had a mysterious master behind her and that man was extraordinary. Besides, she had Long Red and her fame far surpassed an ordinary high-level Qi Artist’s.
Why should the present Hua Qiyue accept a gift from them?
The faces of the House Masters all blanched a little. Hua Qiyue’s words revealed that her backing was exceptionally strong. She thought nothing of the Four Great Families. That was what she meant!
They were shocked. The Four Great Families had rarely all come after a single person, let alone an unmarried girl. They had been rejected for the first time.
The atmosphere began to coagulate.
Liu Mo coughed lightly and smiled. "Princess Jinghua, you ought not blame a person for a meager gift. Do you consider my gift too meager?"
Liu Mo said this very carefully. Xia Tian laughed out lightly. His laughter was full of disgusted resentment. "Master Liu, of course your gift is too meager! It’s just a cavern! Princess Jinghua has lots of caverns to choose from! She even has Long Red! What else could she not get?"
The provocative tone in Xia Tian’s voice made Liu Mo even more embarrassed. Xia Yuan growled in a low voice. "Don’t be rude, Tian’er!"
Xia Tian snorted coldly. Of course, he would never forget that woman’s lustful eyes!
And he was four years younger than Hua Qiyue! However, when they first met, she had drooled. It was so disgusting. Even its recollection now made Xia Tian very awkward.
"Ho ho, Young Master Xia is still young. He has certainly made a slip of the tongue." The Old Madame’s face changed color and she said this, quite displeased.
Her granddaughter’s fame had now inflated and her powers were far beyond her expectations. Yet she had been slandered by this young fellow, still wet behind his ears. He reacted in a rather petty way.
"Old Madame, Your Highness, please don’t get angry. It’s all my fault for not raising him properly. Please don’t take offense. I’m sure the Old Madame knows how powerful we are. But my son is right: Her Highness lacks nothing. But our Xia family is trying to befriend Hua’s Mansion with a sincere heart. If Her Highness lacks anything in the future, she can look us up. If it is within our abilities, we will climb a mountain of swords, plunge into a sea of fire, or die a thousand deaths to do it!"
Xia Yuan’s words were sincere and affecting. The Old Madame smiled and nodded. His sincerity meant much more than giving them a compound.
Xia Tian’s countenance changed color and he pulled a long face. "Father! You know full well I don’t like her!"
He was throwing a childish tantrum again. Xia Yuan’s face looked quite ghastly. Baili Yan looked indifferently at this scene. In his heart, he was deriding them for having reared tigers instead of sons.
Hua Qiyue quietly took a sip of tea. Xia Yuan muttered his chastisements at Xia Tian. Fearing his father’s authority, the young fellow finally shut up.
Ouyang Youche smiled a little. "Your Highness, our compound… not everyone can stay in our compound. There are all sorts of famous herbs in there. And… the natural entrance to the Dragon Cave is there. If it delights Your Highness, you can go hunting through that entrance."
The company heard him and all suddenly blanched!
The Dragon Cave was the most famous passageway in Changjing Kingdom. It led to the Magic Beasts Forest. However, the Ouyang family had occupied that treasured feng shui spot.
Since the cave was rugged and full of traps, magic beasts from the Magic Beasts Forest would often run into the Dragon Cave and die there.
The Ouyang family would seize their Crystals after the Magic Beasts died. That was why the family was not only renowned for their medicinal herbs, but also for having possessed tens of thousands of Magic Beast Crystals.
Once a Qi Artist lay his hands on a Crystal, he would ask an alchemist to refine it into a pill. It could rapidly improve his cultivation.
Everyone was green with envy for that prized feng shui spot. Since the Ouyangs were a powerful family, few could provoke them. The Four Great Families were all evenly matched, yet always contesting one another.
Now, Ouyang Youche was luring Hua Qiyue away with such a prize? Allow her easy entry into the Dragon Cave and to lay her hands on Magic Beast Crystals? They were the cherished dreams of innumerable Qi Artists!
After all, this was a great bargain she could pick up without any risk. She could improve rapidly. Hua Qiyue had stolen the bargain everyone was dreaming of!
A tinge of surprise flashed across Hua Qiyue’s eyes. She was not an ignorant person. Naturally, she knew what Ouyang Youche’s invitation signified.
The Old Madame looked at Hua Qiyue. She did not know what Hua Qiyue was thinking, nor did she know what her grand-daughter really needed.