Chapter 157: The Gathering
As Haoran stepped through the fading light of the wooden double doors, the transition was like a cold plunge into a mountain spring.
Chu Xueyu, her silver and gold sword already sheathed back into her storage, crossed her arms over her chest, her eyes, which could freeze the blood of a thousand soldiers, were currently narrowed in a mix of suspicion and protective instinct.
Feng Yuyan snorted in amusement.
Haoran stood still for a moment, the weight of the cosmic map Shen Daiyu had shown him still burning in his mind’s eye.
After all, he still remembered the terrifying, tectonic pressure that had leaked from the other sleeping Supremes when the truth was spoken.
He gave a small, nonchalant shrug, his hands sliding back into his wide sleeves.
Chu Xueyu didn’t move. She stared at him for several long moments, her gaze searching for the flicker of a lie or the shadow of a hidden burden.
Haoran shook his head slowly.
He doesn’t know why those Supremes doesn’t seem to want others to know about the truth, but there definitely must be a reason.
Chu Xueyu studied him a moment longer before nodding decisively. "Very well. I won’t ask. I trust your judgment, Haoran. For now, the world is waiting for you. Let us go and meet the guests."
*
*
This was the inner sanctum of the Shen Clan’s hospitality, a space designed to accommodate hundreds of thousands of the most powerful individuals in the Central Region.
As for the others, naturally, they had to enjoy their time outside.
In a corner of the hall, standing near a fountain that flowed with liquid starlight, stood Luo Mingye and Xia Mengyao.
However, the world of cultivation was built on a web of connections and Luo Mingye was the granddaughter of the Zither Saint, Luo Kang, a peak Earthly Saint Realm cultivator whose music was said to be able to pacify a space-time turbulence.
Years ago, during Shen Haoran’s coming of age ceremony, Luo Kang had been one of the few experts outside the clan invited to perform, and even Luo Mingye accompanied him.
However, it seems trying to bandage and hide her massive chest has been hurting her, so she simply let them be.
But that’s besides the point!
Luo Mingye groaned, her green eyes flashing with annoyance as she turned toward the figure standing awkwardly behind them. "You... How shameless can you be? I only invited Sister Mengyao! This is an elite gathering, not a public park!"
"What a shameless bastard," Luo Mingye spat out, her voice dripping with vitriol.
Around a year ago, a simple book titled Ye Fang’s Diary had magically appeared beside her while she was practicing her zither.
And she also knew that Xiao Chen was the "Protagonist" of this world—a man destined for greatness, but also a shameless hypocrite who deceived Xia Mengyao and countless other women to build his harem and his power.
Her clan was destroyed, her grandfather killed, and she was left as a wandering orphan—all because she had been "touched" by Xiao Chen’s charm and helped him seek revenge against the Shen Clan, whom Xiao Chen offended by killing one of their Crowns.
’Is there any girl more pitiful than the ’me’ in that book?’ she thought. ’Well, not this time.’
The trio turned their gazes simultaneously.
And from his attire, it seemed he was dressed in robes that cost more than a small city.
Ye Fang snorted, looking at Xiao Chen as if he were a particularly interesting insect. "Oh, you could, could you? My cultivation might be low for now, but my grandfather is a Peak Profound Saint Realm expert, and my father is a 3rd Stage Profound Saint! My lineage flows with the blood of Saints! What are you? A fallen prince with nothing but a sword and a mouth full of ’righteous’ excuses?"
"Good argument," Ye Fang replied, his smirk widening as he stepped into Xiao Chen’s personal space, unfazed by the threat of violence. "Unfortunately for you, in the real world, there is no ’if.’ I was born into a great family, and you were born in the mud. That is the reality the Heavens have chosen. So, as a ’dog on the roadside,’ why don’t you fetch us some wine and stop bothering the ladies?"
Ye Fang didn’t even look at him anymore, and instead e turned his gaze toward Luo Mingye, a subtle, knowing glint in his eyes.
Diary System and the "Diary" that had "accidentally" appeared to her.
Some of the Heroines of Xiao Chen in the novel The Abandoned Prince’s Counterattacks have a copy of his diary.
Although he has yet to succeed with the latter, he knew that it won’t be long before that happens.
In the diary, Ye Fang was a "villain" who died early at Xiao Chen’s hands, but in person, he was the only one standing up to the protagonist’s insufferable aura.
She looked at Xia Mengyao, who was watching the scene with a conflicted expression, and then back at the two men.
As Xiao Chen stood there, fuming and humiliated, the herald at the front of the hall suddenly struck a massive gong.
"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!" the herald’s voice boomed. "PRESENTING THE HEIR OF THE SHEN CLAN! SHEN HAORAN!"
Haoran walked in, flanked by the three Empresses, his golden eyes scanning the room with a gaze that made everyone, including the "Protagonist" and the "Villain," feel as if their secrets were being laid bare.