The Lin's Patriarch is weird.

The royal delegation entered Azure Willow City, and the quiet atmosphere of the early morning gradually gave way to a subdued commotion.

The city had only just begun to awaken.

Merchants were lifting the shutters of their storefronts, street vendors were arranging their goods upon wooden stalls, and the aroma of freshly prepared food drifted through the streets.

Yet the moment the royal insignia became visible, the rhythm of the streets changed.

People stopped what they were doing.

A merchant who had been carrying a crate froze in place and stared toward the approaching procession. A group of cultivators lowered their voices as they watched the three enormous caravans slowly make their way through the city.

Whispers spread through the streets.

Azure Willow City was not unfamiliar with influential cultivators, but the appearance of a royal delegation was an entirely different matter.

The royal family stood above every major family within the kingdom, and even powerful cultivators treated representatives bearing the royal insignia with considerable respect.

As the procession approached, the citizens instinctively moved aside.

Within moments, the wide street had cleared almost entirely.

Merchants pulled their stalls closer to the buildings, pedestrians gathered along the edges of the road, and cultivators stood with their hands clasped respectfully before them.

No one needed to order them to make way.

The authority represented by those golden insignias was enough.

The royal guards marched at the front of the procession, their expressions solemn as they maintained formation while pulling the caravans.

Lin Xuan walked alongside the delegation, his expression calm as he observed the reactions around him.

Only a short while ago, these streets had been filled with the ordinary noise of morning.

Now, they had become strangely quiet.

Even the vendors who normally shouted their prices at passing customers had fallen silent, watching the royal delegation pass with cautious curiosity.

Qian Deyu glanced around at the citizens and chuckled.

"Your city seems rather lively in the morning."

Lin Xuan smiled faintly.

"It is usually even livelier."

Qian Deyu raised an eyebrow.

"Then perhaps we arrived at the wrong time."

"Perhaps."

Lin Xuan gave a small shrug.

However, he knew there was no such thing as the right time.

Regardless of whether the royal delegation arrived at dawn, noon, or night, the citizens would react in much the same way upon seeing the royal insignia.

The procession continued through the city without incident.

Before long, the streets gradually became quieter as they reached the outer districts, and eventually, the familiar walls of the Lin Family estate came into view.

Everything had gone smoothly.

There had been no disturbances, no accidents, and not even a single troublemaker bold enough to obstruct their path.

Then they arrived at the gate and Lin Xuan’s footsteps suddenly stopped.

His eyes landed on the figure sitting directly in front of the estate.

A young girl sat calmly upon a wooden chair, her posture relaxed as though she had been waiting there for quite some time.

Lin Xuan then stared at the chair as that chair looked remarkably familiar.

It looked exactly like the chair he normally used during family meetings.

On second thought... That was indeed his chair.

For several seconds, Lin Xuan simply stood there.

He was completely confused.

More importantly, he was utterly flabbergasted by what he was seeing.

Behind him, the royal delegation gradually came to a halt.

Qian Deyu followed Lin Xuan’s gaze toward the young girl and raised an eyebrow.

"What is going on here?"

"I’m bored."

The young girl sitting before the gate suddenly spoke, her voice carrying clearly through the otherwise quiet entrance.

She was sitting with one hand supporting her cheek while her other arm rested lazily upon the armrest.

Mo Jian’s expression immediately darkened.

"Young lady, please mind your manners."

Hai Yue glanced at him without much interest.

"What did I do?"

Mo Jian’s brows furrowed.

"You are sitting at the entrance of someone else’s residence and complaining that you are bored. We are guests of the Lin Family, not the owners of this place. At the very least, you should show some courtesy to the Patriarch."

Hai Yue merely sighed.

"I’ve already been courteous enough."

Wei Rong’s expression became somewhat displeased.

He turned toward Lin Xuan and frowned.

"Patriarch Lin, forgive my bluntness, but your attitude toward the royal delegation is somewhat lacking."

Lin Xuan blinked.

"My attitude?"

Wei Rong nodded seriously.

"We have traveled all the way here on behalf of the royal family. Yet you have allowed someone to sit directly before your own gate and behave so casually in front of us. Surely, you should take the royal envoy more seriously."

Lin Xuan’s expression became increasingly strange.

He opened his mouth, intending to explain but in the end closed it right away.

Wasn’t making a fool of themselves some sort of an entertainment as well?

Meanwhile Qian Deyu frowned as he stared at the young girl.

Something was not right.

He had already noticed the unusual atmosphere surrounding the Lin Family when they arrived, but he had initially assumed it was simply because of their sudden appearance.

Now, however, he began putting the pieces together.

There was no way someone from the Lin Family would behave this rudely toward their own Patriarch.

Especially not in front of a royal delegation.

Yet this young girl had not shown even the slightest concern.

There is no way this girl is from the Lin Family.

So there is only one other possibility left, she’s one of the legendary Whale People.

The reports also mentioned that it was young girl and an elder who came out.

A faint smile appeared at the corner of his lips.

This is certainly more interesting than I expected.

Wei Rong’s expression became increasingly stiff.

He had expected the Lin Family to show considerably more respect toward the royal delegation.

Instead, the young girl before them showed no sign of moving out of the way.

Even worse, Lin Xuan himself did not seem particularly concerned.

Wei Rong’s brows twitched.

Was this Lin Family truly taking the royal family’s envoy this lightly?

He glanced toward Mo Jian.

Mo Jian’s expression was no better.

As an elder of the royal family’s Treasury Department, he was accustomed to receiving respect wherever he went.

Even powerful cultivation families would normally greet him with considerable courtesy upon learning his identity.

Yet here, they had arrived and they were already being treated as though their presence were nothing more than an inconvenience.