Ying'er looked down to check and, realizing she had been tricked by Ye Qiu, bared her teeth and claws, ready to pounce on him.
Ye Qiu raised his hand and placed it on Ying'er's forehead, laughing, "If you don't want to get a spanking, behave yourself. Come on, let's go cultivate."
"I need to brush my teeth, I need to wash my face."
"Then come find me in a bit."
Ye Qiu walked out of the main hall with his hands behind his back.
The shadowy figure was behind him, seething with hatred.
Two hours passed in the blink of an eye.
After Ye Qiu finished his cultivation, Chen Bo rushed up and said, "Brother Ye, a guest requests an audience."
"What kind of guest?"
"The guests sent by Xia Zhu are in the outer living room," Chen Bo said.
"Then let's meet."
Ye Qiu smiled.
The two quickly arrived in the living room.
Inside the living room, an elderly man dressed in a Tang suit sat sipping tea.
Upon seeing Ye Qiu arrive, the old man put down his teacup, quickly stood up, and bowed: "This old man is Ning Zhen, greetings to Palace Master Ye."
"Mr. Ning, there's no need for such formalities. Please have a seat."
Ye Qiu smiled.
"Thank you, Lord Ye."
Ning Zhen sat down, smiling broadly, and said, "I have heard many stories about Palace Master Ye, but I am still quite surprised to see you in person. You look so young."
"Old Ning is definitely not as superficial as judging by appearance."
Ye Qiu said.
"Of course," Elder Ning said. "Palace Master Ye, I was sent by Lord Xia to invite you over for tea and a simple meal. I wonder if Palace Master Ye is available? If not, I will come another day. It's no trouble at all."
"Even Elder Ning made the trip in person, so he must have some free time. Let's go, it's time to meet with Master Xia."
Ye Qiu said.
"Haha, that's excellent, Lord Ye, please."
Ning Zhen smiled brightly.
"please."
The two walked out of the living room, one after the other.
Chen Bo, standing behind, stared wide-eyed, somewhat bewildered.
Ye Qiu is actually going to meet the strongest man in the Great Xia Dynasty?
Chen Bo also wanted to see him, but he knew his own position well; given his status, he wasn't qualified.
...
Half an hour later, Ning Zhen brought Ye Qiu to the Xia Emperor's Palace.
The palace guards wanted to check Ye Qiu for weapons as usual, but Ning Zhen stopped them.
“General Yan, this is Ye Qiu, the Lord of the Dragon Palace. He has come to the Imperial Palace, so there is no need to check these things.”
Ning Zhen smiled.
"yes."
General Yan stepped aside slightly to make way.
He also knew that a master of Ye Qiu's caliber could cause enormous damage without even carrying a weapon, so the inspection was unnecessary.
A moment later, Ye Qiu and Ning Zhen arrived at the study where Emperor Xia was.
Of course, Ying'er followed secretly the whole way without being discovered by anyone.
Upon entering the study, Ye Qiu finally met Xia Zhu.
The Xia ruler was over sixty years old, but he looked to be in good condition, like a middle-aged man, with a powerful and imposing presence.
Upon seeing Ye Qiu, Xia Zhu, who was reading official documents, immediately put down his pen, carefully examined Ye Qiu, and said with a strange expression, "He looks just like him, he really does look too much like him."
Ye Qiu was puzzled. What did it resemble? Could it be that it resembled Ye Huangchao?
But Ye Qiu didn't rush to ask. After bowing, he said, "Ye Qiu greets Lord Xia. To be honest, I should have taken the initiative to pay my respects to Lord Xia, but instead, Lord Xia asked Elder Ning to invite me. I am truly ashamed."
"There's no need to be so formal," said the Xia ruler. "Please, have a seat."
Thank you.
Ye Qiu didn't stand on ceremony and sat down calmly.
Xia Zhu waved his hand, signaling Ning Zhen to leave.
Ning Zhen smiled and nodded, then left the study and stood guard outside.
Xia Zhu then looked at Ye Qiu and laughed, "When you were still in Qianzhou, I was already paying close attention to you. I even sent people from the Dragon Palace to invite you, but you not only refused, you even killed someone. Is that true?"
"Ahem, a mistaken killing."
Ye Qiu chuckled dryly, not flustered at all, because he knew that Xia Zhu was not here to interrogate him.
Xia Zhu patted Ye Qiu on the shoulder and said, "Killing him is fine. That guy was disobedient anyway, so I don't blame you."
"Thank you for your forgiveness, Lord Xia. By the way, who did you say I resembled before?"
Ye Qiu asked curiously.
"Like your mother."
"The Lord of Xia said softly."
Upon hearing the word "mother," Ye Qiu was stunned. He opened his mouth as if to ask something, but the words failed him.
Xia Zhu patted Ye Qiu on the shoulder again to comfort him.
Then he said, "I called you here today for two reasons: first, I want to see you and discuss some things with you."
Secondly, I want to tell you a story that's been buried for a long time, a story that only you can hear.
"Is it related to my mother?" Ye Qiu asked.
“It’s all related to your parents,” Xia Zhu said.
Ye Qiu took a deep breath, his heart already churning: "Lord Xia, please speak."
"Alright." Xia Zhu said quietly, "This story begins twenty-four years ago."
That year, I wasn't yet the Xia Lord. I cultivated in the Dragon Palace with your father, Ye Huangchao. The former Palace Master of the Dragon Palace was my master. You probably didn't know about this connection, did you?"
Ye Qiu was surprised: "I really didn't know that."
"It's not too late to know now." Xia Zhu continued, "Ye Huangchao and I are as close as brothers, until one day, your mother appeared."
She was like a goddess descended to earth; Ye Huangchao and I both fell in love with your mother almost at first sight.
But your mother had no romantic feelings for me or Ye Huangchao; in fact, she got along very well with us.
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