Chapter 65

The young man in the brocade robe watched all of this with a smile, and for some reason, he felt a warm part of his heart being touched.

Song Li turned his head, baring his teeth in a smile that revealed eight neat teeth, and said, "You're not angry that I exposed your identity?"

The young man in the brocade robe shook his head slightly, "I like to wear men's clothing when I travel because it's more convenient, not to hide the fact that I'm a woman."

Song Li smiled, "Your beauty, even on a woman, is a bit too much. On a man, it's downright demonic. We all feel ashamed and unworthy in your presence."

The young man in the brocade robe laughed, "Even though I know you're flattering me, I can't deny that it feels good to hear."

The two of them exchanged a glance and then laughed together.

"My name is Song Li, nice to meet you," Song Li extended his hand, "May I have the honor of knowing your name?"

"There are no such formalities among us in the martial world," the young man in the brocade robe shook Song Li's hand, "I'm the seventh in my family, everyone calls me Long Qiqi."

"Long Qiqi, that's a great name. Right next to us is the most famous tavern in Chang'an Street, Zui Xian Ju. Since it's better to meet by chance than to invite, would you like to join me for a few drinks, Miss Long?"

Long Qiqi's eyes flickered as she glanced at him, her expression half-smiling, half-serious, "Is it your habit to invite girls to drink at a tavern when you first meet them?"

"Oh, today is the first time I've ever invited a girl to drink... I've never had the experience of knowing girls before, so I don't know what the right thing to do is," Song Li couldn't help but blush, "You just said there are no formalities in the martial world, so I mustered up the courage to invite you to drink."

Song Li wasn't lying. In his previous life, he was a nobody, and no girl ever paid him any attention. In this life, although his family was prominent, he was still young and had no experience with girls. It was embarrassing to admit, but that's why Song Li blushed, not out of shyness.

Seeing Song Li's awkward expression, Long Qiqi burst out laughing, "I was just asking casually. You're right, there are no formalities in the martial world. If you want to drink, let's drink. Do you think I'm afraid of you?"

Song Li noticed that Long Qiqi exuded a noble and refined aura, clearly from a wealthy and privileged background, but her words and actions were full of the spirit of the martial world. He couldn't help but marvel at her. He wondered if she was deliberately doing this to hide her identity or if she naturally enjoyed this kind of demeanor.

Song Li turned to Pang Da and instructed him that if Pan Shaofeng returned, he should tell him that Song Li was drinking at Zui Xian Ju and to come find him. After that, he and Long Qiqi walked side by side to the nearby Zui Xian Ju.

On the second floor of Zui Xian Ju.

Pan Shaofeng entered the private room, where a young man in a brocade robe was drinking alone, looking quite dejected.

"Little Prince, I finally see you," Pan Shaofeng was on the verge of tears.

This young man was Prince Song Moran of the Jingwang Mansion. Since being beaten and robbed of the fire seed by Song Li, his life had fallen into endless darkness. His father, the Prince, had been kind to him, purchasing many medicinal pills to help heal his injuries. However, he no longer had the face to look anyone in the eye.

Failure was not to be feared, but such a crushing and humiliating defeat, especially at the hands of someone he should not have lost to, was unbearable.

Pan Shaofeng was a good friend of his. If they hadn't been apart for a year, Song Moran would not have agreed to come out for a drink. He now spent his days at home, feeling too ashamed to face anyone in the capital.

When Pan Shaofeng approached him, Song Moran was stunned for a moment, stammering, "You... are Shaofeng? Why is your face so swollen?"

"Little Prince, I was bullied!" Pan Shaofeng was almost in tears, "Think about it, a year ago, who in Holy Lion City dared to show us any disrespect? Why do I feel something is off after being away for a year?"

"Don't tell me your face was beaten," Song Moran looked incredulous. Pan Shaofeng had a high talent for cultivation, already breaking through to the peak of the Body Tempering stage and entering the Qi Induction stage before going to Mount Taiyue. After a year at such a prestigious sect, he should have made significant progress. With his combat strength, few of the rich and powerful in the capital could match him. There were certainly many stronger experts in the capital, but most of them were elders who wouldn't bother with the younger generation.

"Little Prince," Pan Shaofeng finally shed tears of humiliation, "You don't know, I was just slapped dozens of times in front of a whole street of people... It's a great disgrace. I, Pan Shaofeng, will not rest until I avenge this!"

Song Moran sighed, thinking to himself that Pan Shaofeng had only been slapped, while he had been beaten like a dead dog in front of everyone and had his fire seed stolen. The man had not only injured his body but also trampled on his confidence and dignity. Who could he turn to for solace?

"Yes, a year ago, who in the capital dared to show us any disrespect... but after a year, everything has changed... Holy Lion City is no longer our domain..." Song Moran downed a cup of wine in one go, his face turning red instantly.

"What's different? Little Prince, why are you saying such discouraging things? I was planning to ask you to back me up. Don't worry, you don't need to fight. Just your presence will scare him to death!" Pan Shaofeng gritted his teeth, "Just stand there and watch me beat him up! I'll return the humiliation he gave me twofold, and I won't stop until he looks like a pig's head!"

Song Moran had clearly drunk a lot. In a daze, he seemed to be back in the glory days. Hearing Pan Shaofeng's words, he slammed his cup to the ground and laughed to the sky, "That's right, just my presence will scare him to death! In the entire capital, who dares to disrespect my father, the Prince!"

"Little Prince, you truly are my good brother!" Pan Shaofeng rubbed his hands together in anticipation, grinning, "Let's go, he's still waiting for me on Chang'an Street. I'll beat him to death!"

"You don't need to go to Chang'an Street. I'm right here, waiting for you to beat me up!" Just as Pan Shaofeng finished speaking, Song Li and Long Qiqi pushed aside the curtain and walked in.

After Pan Shaofeng left, Song Li didn't even bother to look at him, so he didn't notice that he had entered Zui Xian Ju. With his keen senses and excellent hearing, he had overheard Pan Shaofeng and Song Moran's conversation when he went upstairs. Seeing that the little bastard had sought Song Moran for support, Song Li almost burst out laughing. How could he find someone so weak to back him up? Song Moran was his defeated opponent, and he wanted to use him against Song Li? Was he looking for a punching bag?

So, he simply pushed aside the curtain and entered their private room.

"Little Prince, it's him, Song Li, who beat me! When did this scum start to act so arrogantly in the capital? My brother has been bullied like this, what are you going to do about it?" With Song Moran's support, Pan Shaofeng's courage grew, his back straightened, and his voice grew louder.

However, after he finished speaking, he didn't hear any response from Song Moran. Usually, at this point, he would have shouted a few times to boost his own courage.

Pan Shaofeng turned his head and saw Song Moran sitting there like a zombie, his eyes fixed on Song Li, his face pale as paper, his lips trembling, unable to say a word.

"Little Prince, what's wrong... What's going on..." Song Moran's unusual behavior left Pan Shaofeng confused. In his past experience, the Little Prince of Jingwang Mansion was very arrogant, looking down on everyone except the Crown Prince, Song Mofei.

Why did he look so terrified when he saw Song Li? When did Song Li become so terrifying?

"Shaofeng... The one who beat you was Song Li?" Song Moran turned to ask Pan Shaofeng a very stupid question. He already knew the answer but wanted to confirm it.

"Yes, Little Prince. It's him. You have to stand up for your brother," perhaps because he had been slapped too many times, the boy's mind was a bit muddled, and he hadn't noticed Song Moran's unusual state.

Song Moran's mind buzzed. The saying "enemies meeting, eyes red with rage" was true; he wanted to pounce and strangle Song Li! This man had stripped him of his dignity and taken away all his glory! If Song Li hadn't beaten him so publicly and taken the "Purple Heart Crystal Fire" from him, he might have gained the same status as the Crown Prince in his father's eyes. But all of that was now just a fantasy. Because of the duel with Song Li, his life had fallen into endless hell.

He didn't think about the fact that if he hadn't provoked Song Li, he wouldn't have been beaten so badly.

His eyes were filled with deep hatred, but he was powerless to do anything.

The last time they dueled, Song Li was only at the peak of the Body Tempering stage, one level below him, yet he had defeated him. Now, he was still at the peak of the Body Tempering stage, but Song Li had already reached the second level of the Qi Induction stage! The gap between them was growing wider.

In terms of combat strength, he was far from a match for Song Li. In terms of background, both their fathers were princes, but he was a secondary son, while Song Li was the legitimate heir. Their statuses were no longer comparable, and no matter where they went, he, a secondary son, could never surpass the legitimate heir.

He hated Song Li with a deep, gnawing hatred, but he knew he no longer had the right to challenge him.

"Song Moran, I just heard that you were going to back Pan Shaofeng. What do you plan to do? I'm right here, come on, let's start." Song Li hooked his little finger at the two of them. In his previous life, he had seen this gesture in kung fu movies, and he liked it. It was domineering, arrogant, and a great way to humiliate the opponent.

"Little Prince, did you see that? This guy is so arrogant. You have to stand up for your brother. I don't believe he would dare to touch someone from the Jingwang Mansion!" Pan Shaofeng moved closer to Song Moran, still terrified of Song Li. The closer he was to Song Moran, the safer he felt.