"Make yourself at home," Ye Tian said with a smile to Xiao Bai.
Then, he called out, "Fu Bo."
Not long after, an elderly man with neatly combed white hair walked over.
"Tell the kitchen to prepare a seafood feast for this lady."
"Yes, sir."
"Two servings!" the Sea Witch quickly interjected, holding up two fingers.
She confidently adjusted her glasses and smiled at Ye Tian. "I almost forgot, this is your home. We're the hosts here."
"I am the host. You're just my personal guard," Ye Tian corrected.
The Sea Witch smirked. "If that's the case, shouldn't I really stick close to you?"
As the Sea Witch stepped closer, Ye Tian deftly sidestepped her.
"No need to stick too close. I don't want anyone misunderstanding."
As he spoke, Ye Tian casually glanced at Qian Renxue, who was watching with an amused smile.
…
Half an hour later.
The luncheon officially began.
The venue was the rarely used grand dining room on the second floor of the villa.
Since the luncheon was arranged on short notice and the villa had few servants, the cleaning had been rushed.
Water stains were still visible on the table.
Fortunately, the guests weren't high-ranking nobles.
Dai Mubai, Ning Fengzhi, and the others were all soul masters who had trained across the continent. They had seen it all and weren't particularly demanding.
The only one who seemed uncomfortable was Prince Xue Xing.
He took a handkerchief from his waist and wiped the oak chair several times.
Still unsatisfied, he asked his secretary for a few sheets of bamboo paper and wiped the chair again.
Only then did he reluctantly sit down.
Next, he wiped the table in front of him.
"It's hard to imagine that I'd come to such a… humble place if it weren't for discussing diplomatic matters with your Star Luo Empire," Prince Xue Xing said, holding a fresh handkerchief to his nose and frowning.
Dai Mubai forced a smile. "Your presence here, Prince, shows that we all share the desire to resolve this matter."
"This is also what my father hopes to see."
"Hmph," Prince Xue Xing snorted, not giving Dai Mubai a friendly look.
It wasn't that Prince Xue Xing looked down on Dai Mubai.
As the aggrieved party, it was a common diplomatic tactic to display arrogance toward the Star Luo prince.
Seeing the tension rising, Ning Fengzhi quickly interjected, "Haha, what did we agree on earlier? No diplomacy at the dining table. Let's just treat this as a gathering of friends, eating and laughing together."
"We can discuss diplomatic matters this afternoon. There's no rush."
Hearing this, Qian Renxue glanced at Ning Fengzhi, a faint smile playing on her lips. "That's right. There's plenty of time to discuss diplomacy after the meal."
"For now, let's talk about something more enjoyable."
With that, Qian Renxue turned her gaze to Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing beside him, feigning a sigh.
"The youth of the continent are becoming more and more remarkable."
"Prince Dai Mubai, you're not even twenty-five yet, are you?"
Dai Mubai wasn't sure why Qian Renxue was asking about his age, but it was a harmless question.
He smiled and replied, "I'm twenty-three this year."
Qian Renxue's smile widened, and she lavished praise on him. "Twenty-three and already a Soul Emperor? You're a true genius. When I was twenty-three, I was only a Soul King."
Then, as if remembering something, she straightened up and asked, "I heard you graduated from Shrek Academy?"
"That's correct," Dai Mubai answered instinctively.
"Then you must be classmates with my junior sister, Rongrong," Qian Renxue said slyly.
Dai Mubai glanced at Ning Rongrong and smiled. "Not just classmates. There were only seven students in Shrek Academy. We were like family."
Dai Mubai had hoped to use this connection to build rapport with Qian Renxue.
But as soon as he spoke, his expression turned uneasy.
If he revealed too much, how could Ning Fengzhi intervene in the afternoon negotiations?
After all, this was a negotiation between nations. As the patriarch of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Ning Fengzhi's position was already somewhat awkward.
Now that Dai Mubai had brought up their connection, if Ning Fengzhi spoke up for him, wouldn't it seem like he was betraying the Heaven Dou Empire?
Ning Rongrong, oblivious to the deeper implications, smiled warmly and added, "At Shrek Academy, we called ourselves the Shrek Seven Devils. Dai Mubai was our big brother."
Seeing Ning Rongrong take the bait, Qian Renxue was delighted.
"Haha, hearing you talk about it makes me nostalgic for my school days too."
But while some were happy, others were worried.
Ning Fengzhi's smile gradually stiffened.
He regretted bringing Rongrong along.
She was only causing trouble.
As the conversation continued, Prince Xue Xing's face hardened like a stone sculpture.
He forced a smile and looked at Ning Fengzhi. "Patriarch Ning, I didn't realize your connections ran so deep."
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had always been a traditional supporter of the Heaven Dou royal family.
Their relationship had always been rock-solid.
Heaven Dou's Emperor Xue Ye had even considered arranging a marriage between Crown Prince Xue Qinghe and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
…Though this wasn't something Prince Xue Xing wanted to see.
After all, he supported Prince Xue Beng.
A marriage between Qian Renxue and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect would do him no good.
But he absolutely didn't want to see the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, a long-time supporter of the Heaven Dou Empire, cozying up to the Star Luo Empire and playing both sides.
It seemed necessary to use this negotiation to remind the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect who was really in charge.
At that moment, Butler Fu's voice came from the dining room entrance.
"The chicken soup is here!"
The chicken soup was the first course of the banquet, meant to warm the stomach and prepare it for the colder dishes that would follow.
Seeing the maid bring the soup to the long dining table, Prince Xue Xing nodded in satisfaction. "At least they know the proper order of serving dishes."
No one responded, their attention focused on the maid as she served the soup to each guest.
Under their gaze, the maid grew increasingly nervous, barely daring to breathe.
However, when she finally served Ye Tian at the end of the table, she let out a sigh of relief.
"Why does this soup have a strange aroma?" Prince Xue Xing frowned, looking at Ye Tian. "Has it been tested for poison?"
At his words, the maid's hand trembled, nearly spilling the soup.
Seeing this, Prince Xue Xing quickly put down his spoon and stared intently at the maid beside Ye Tian. "Why are you so nervous? Is there something wrong with the soup?"
"Haha, Prince, you must be joking. What could possibly be wrong with the soup? The servants are just nervous because they've never served so many important guests before," Ye Tian explained, defending the maid.
In his heart, however, he was filled with disdain. These freeloaders were really treating this place like their own home.
"Heh, how can I trust you with just a few words?" Prince Xue Xing sneered at Ye Tian.
"Everyone here is a high-ranking official from two great empires. If something goes wrong, can you bear the responsibility?"
(End of Chapter)
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