After taking their seats at the banquet, everyone drank heartily.
Qin Xin, who was sitting in a corner with Ye Langtian, picked up a cup filled with an unknown spiritual wine and slowly put it to his mouth.
The sweet taste spread in my mouth, and the pure spiritual energy immediately flowed into my stomach, bringing a feeling of comfort to my whole body.
Ye Langtian, who had also drunk a cup of spirit wine, immediately exclaimed, "Xia Qi truly lives up to his reputation as the second prince of the Great Xia Dynasty. This generosity... this spirit wine must be worth a thousand gold pieces just for this one cup."
Just as he put down his cup, a slightly authoritative voice suddenly rang out from the second floor of Zuixiao Tower, and all the invited disciples from the various inner courtyards turned to look at the source of the voice.
"Dear inner court disciples of the Eastern Wilderness Academy, thank you for your presence."
Xia Qi, dressed in plain clothes, stood up respectfully with a smile on his face. If Qin Xin hadn't seen his true colors before, he would probably have mistaken him for a very humble person.
"Thank you for your hospitality, Second Prince. However, if you wish to invite us to assist you, I'm afraid this is not enough."
A burly young man with a bare upper body and bronze skin casually picked up a wine glass, bowed apologetically to Xia Qi above him, and then drank the wine in one gulp.
This seemingly deliberate act of provocation immediately darkened Ruan Yuan's expression, who was sitting next to Xia Qi. He uttered a soft shout, "Ba Hu! Remember your place! Don't overstep your bounds!"
"Oh! What's wrong, Ruan Yuan? Are you starting to pledge your loyalty now?" Ba Hu glanced at Ruan Yuan with disdain and sneered, "As expected, all of you Ruan clan members are the same!"
Ruan Yuan slammed his hand down on the wine cup on the table, glaring at Ba Hu. His aura surged instantly, and he roared, "You're courting death!"
"If you're not convinced, come and test your skills!"
Ba Hu curled his lip, clenched his fist, and the bones made a cracking sound as they rubbed together.
Seeing the tension in the room, Xia Qi calmed down the furious Ruan Yuan and said with a soft laugh, "Alright, Ruan Yuan, calm down. I think Brother Ba Hu is on the side of Fifth Brother, so it's normal for him to have some hostility towards me."
Upon hearing this, many of the invited inner court disciples felt a surge of goodwill towards Xia Qi. Faced with such an unreasonable and domineering tiger, the fact that he, as the second prince of the Great Xia Dynasty, could easily tolerate it naturally earned him some compliments.
“Brother Qin Xin, this Ba Hu is no ordinary man. He is the heir of the Ba Clan, one of the four great families of the Great Xia Dynasty, and ranks ninth on the Inner Court’s Prodigy Ranking. It is said that his strength is at the eighth level of the Qi Sea Realm.” Ye Langtian said with a smile. “Although this Prodigy Ranking is compiled by the Inner Court disciples themselves and has no authority, being ranked in the top ten means that one’s strength should not be underestimated.”
Hearing Ye Langtian's words, Qin Xin smiled lightly. Looking at the situation, he understood that the Ruan Clan, one of the four major families of the Great Xia Dynasty, was definitely standing behind the Second Prince Xia Qi. As for the Ba Clan, they were probably standing behind the Fifth Prince Xia Ming. He had a deep impression of the Ba Dao that protected Xia Ming in the Luoshen Mountain Ruins, and its appearance was very similar to the Ba Hu in front of him.
"I don't think Ba Hu's words make any sense. If the Second Prince's aim is to win him over, then please allow me to take my leave."
Shui Qingxi, who had been resting with her eyes closed, seemed a little impatient with the scene and got up to leave.
“Miss Qingxi, please wait. I had no such intention. I only hope that you will all be lenient with me during my time cultivating at the Eastern Wilderness Academy.” Xia Qi hurriedly said, holding a cup of spiritual wine in his hand. He walked to Shui Qingxi and drank it all in one gulp. “I’m punishing myself with this cup as an apology to Miss Qingxi.”
"You're too kind, Second Prince."
Shui Qingxi stopped leaving, seemingly forced to return to her seat due to her status.
"I have a feeling that Xia Qi is interested in Shui Qingxi." Ye Langtian stroked his chin and said seriously, "Now that the Prince of Zhennan has 100,000 troops under his command and is stationed on the border of the Great Xia Dynasty, the princes of the Great Xia Dynasty must all want to win over Shui Qingxi, after all, she is the only daughter of the Prince of Zhennan."
"Winning her over won't be that easy."
Hearing Ye Langtian's guess, Qin Xin could naturally see through Xia Qi's actions. However, based on his understanding of Shui Qingxi, Xia Qi clearly had no chance.
After Ba Hu's interruption, the once lively banquet became somewhat quiet, with the invited inner court disciples chatting amongst themselves.
As Ruan Xiaoman swayed her seductive waist, she seemed to have spotted something in the banquet hall and whispered something in Xia Qi's ear.
Qin Xin, who had been on guard with his spiritual sense, felt a slight sinking feeling in his heart when he suddenly sensed the gazes cast upon him by Xia Qi and the others.
"It seems we've been discovered," Qin Xin thought to himself.
Seeing the figures of the group walking towards him, Qin Xin did not run away. He continued to drink the spirit wine that the maid had poured for him, drinking it calmly.
"I've finally found you."
Xia Qi, dressed in plain silk robes, stopped in front of Qin Xin, his eyes slightly narrowed, his expression unreadable for a moment. "I didn't expect you to hide in this inner courtyard."
Qin Xin picked up his wine glass, leaned back in his chair, shrugged, and said softly, "Oh? May I ask what business the Second Prince has with me?"
Seeing Xia Qi's actions, Ruan Yuan was somewhat puzzled, but he followed him to Qin Xin's side. When he saw Qin Xin drinking, a strange smile appeared on his face. "I didn't expect you to dare to provoke the Second Prince. You really don't know your own limitations."
"By the way, Prince Ruan Yuan, he was one of those who entered Luoshen Mountain with Princess Xia Yue. As far as I know, he and Princess Xia Yue have a close relationship, and he seems to frequently visit Princess Xia Yue's courtyard." After seeing Qin Xin there, Lin Jinglei's eyes flashed with surprise, and he walked over directly, adding fuel to the fire as he spoke.
"Brother, this bad man is the one who injured me, you must avenge me."
Ruan Xiaoman, with her swaying waist, grabbed Ruan Yuan's arm, her half-exposed breasts rubbing against his arm. Her delicate figure made some inner disciples' blood boil.
"You dare to touch my people and even hurt my dear sister? You've got some nerve."
Ruan Yuan's face was gloomy and ugly, and his aura was so violent that it seemed as if Princess Xia Yue was his own property and no one else was allowed to touch her.
"Are you brave? Maybe it's innate."
Qin Xin put down his wine glass and slowly stood up.
"Alright, alright, alright! Second Prince, leave this fellow to me, so you don't get your hands dirty."
Ruan Yuan laughed in anger, his face contorted, a wicked smile playing on his lips.
Xia Qi smiled and nodded slightly, but a cold killing intent flashed in his eyes. After exchanging a glance with Ruan Yuan, the latter immediately understood, nodded, and walked straight to Qin Xin.
Ye Langtian, who had been sitting next to Qin Xin, quickly moved aside, seemingly not wanting to be implicated in Qin Xin's affairs. Qin Xin understood, after all, Xia Qi's identity was important, and the Eastern Wilderness Academy was located within the territory of the Great Xia Dynasty. As a powerless member of the Yan Dynasty's royal family, if he were to get involved, he would likely be in danger.
"Qin Xin, kneel down and kowtow three times to the Second Prince, and I'll consider sparing your life." Ruan Yuan looked at Qin Xin arrogantly, as if giving him a final act of charity.
"Kneel? Not really." Qin Xin dismissed him lightly, "My knees are naturally tough."
"Hmph! You're asking for death!" Ruan Yuan understood Qin Xin's sarcasm and instantly became enraged. His immense aura swept out, overturning Zhou Ce's table.
"What an idiot!" Qin Xin smiled calmly, and with the Heavenly Phoenix Martial Spirit Pattern activated, he placed his hands in front of his chest.
Under the overwhelming force, Qin Xin took a few steps back before regaining his footing.
"Ruan Yuan, it seems you want to go to the Punishment Hall in the inner courtyard."
Just as Ruan Yuan was about to make another move, a soft snort rang out. Shui Qingxi walked forward slowly and leisurely, glanced at Qin Xin, and then blinked gently.
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