Chapter 44

Li Yunxiao felt the various gazes of the crowd and walked calmly through the center of the banquet hall. Suddenly, he sensed a cold glance from Li Yi, who was seated at the main table.

"Hmph," he let out a light, cold snort, a look of disdain appearing on his lips. He sat down at the Chen family's original seat as if no one else was around, with Meng Wu and Meng Bai sitting on either side of him. Chen Zhen and Han Bai squeezed together, sitting at the lower end of the table.

The Chen and Han families were military families that had long relied on the Li family, and their ranks were not low. Therefore, they were seated in a relatively prominent position in the secondary banquet hall.

Li Yi's gaze instantly turned cold, his pupils filled with murderous intent. Li Baifeng, who stood behind him, wore a worried expression.

In addition to Li Yi's hostile gaze, an elderly man with a long beard, seated opposite the Li family, also stared at him with cold, piercing eyes. This man was none other than Lan Hong, the chief minister. Behind him, Li Yunxiao saw Lan Xuan, his face dark and filled with resentment. It seemed his injuries had healed, but the former arrogance and invincibility were gone.

The people at the other two tables also stared at him with great curiosity. One of them had a face as hard as iron, his presence like a mountain, immovable. He was Xiao Qingwang, the Grand Commander of the Imperial Guard. Opposite him sat Liang Wenyu, a second-rank alchemist from the Alchemist Guild, who gave Li Yunxiao a friendly smile.

On the other two seats were two men in dragon robes. One was in his forties, and the other was only a teenager, his face still retaining some childishness. They were the Crown Prince Qin Yang and the Second Prince Qin Yue. Both were outstanding individuals, hailed as the most likely to succeed to the throne. They were also carefully observing Li Yunxiao.

The last two empty seats were reserved for the main guests, Luo Yunshang and Qin Ruxue.

"Since you're here, come up and sit. We're all from the Li family; how can you sit in someone else's seat?" Li Yi suddenly said, his gaze fixed on the ceiling, exuding an air of invincibility. But everyone knew who he was talking to. The entire banquet hall fell silent, and everyone was well aware of the Li family's situation.

Li Yunxiao seemed not to hear, admiring Meng Wu's delicate demeanor, and said with a smile, "Do you know why people are born with their nostrils pointing down?"

Meng Wu, who had been tense, suddenly felt curious and asked, "Why?"

All the officials and ministers were also taken aback, wondering the same thing.

Li Yunxiao suddenly burst into laughter, "Ha ha, if our nostrils pointed up, wouldn't they fill with water during the rain?"

"Ha ha!"

The entire hall erupted in laughter, and all eyes turned to Li Yi, who had been looking up at the ceiling with his nose in the air. Even the people from the Lan family, who had been hostile, showed mocking smiles.

Chen Zhen and Han Bai laughed loudly, Meng Bai slapped the table in laughter, and Meng Wu blushed and giggled, covering her mouth.

"Ha ha!" Xiao Qingwang laughed without restraint, "This kid is interesting!"

"Slam!"

Li Yi, enraged and embarrassed, smashed a wine glass on the ground and roared, "Li Yunxiao!"

The laughter abruptly stopped, and the entire hall fell silent, the air thick with tension.

Li Yunxiao's gaze turned cold, and he took a sip of wine without lifting his head, saying coldly, "Who are you?"

Li Yi's fists clenched, and a martial artist beside him suddenly stepped forward, flashing to Li Yunxiao's face and shouted, "Ridiculous! As a member of the Li family, you should kneel and apologize to the acting head of the Li family!"

The martial artist's aura exploded, like a surging wave, pressing down on Li Yunxiao. He was ready to break Li Yunxiao's legs and force him to kneel, to assert Li Yi's authority.

"Kneel? Kneel your sister!" Li Yunxiao's figure suddenly vanished from in front of the martial artist.

"Slam!"

A crisp sound echoed, and the martial artist felt a sharp blow to his left cheek. Everyone's hearts skipped a beat, and Xiao Qingwang's eyes narrowed sharply.

"Servant, kneel for your master!"

Li Yunxiao struck suddenly, a golden light flashing, transforming in the air, and delivered a powerful punch to the martial artist's dantian. The martial artist was shocked and tried to retreat, but he found Li Yunxiao's punch covering several meters around him, leaving no place to hide!

"Thud!"

A dull sound echoed as the punch struck the martial artist's dantian, like a balloon bursting. The martial artist spat out a mouthful of blood, his back broken by the force, and his body withered. Li Yunxiao struck him again, and he fell to his knees, prostrate at Li Yunxiao's feet.

"Whoa!"

Everyone was stunned. In one move, Li Yunxiao had shattered the martial artist's qi sea, completely disabling him!

Xiao Qingwang's eyes flashed with sharp light, Lan Hong wore a thoughtful expression, Lan Xuan's eyes were filled with fear, and the two princes were taken aback, frowning. Li Yi was dazed, stammering, "You, you actually..."

"Actually your sister!" Li Yunxiao kicked the martial artist in the head, sending him flying like a soccer ball, crashing into the table in front of Li Yi, spilling food and drink everywhere.

The martial artist made no sound, his eyes wide, already dead.

"Watch your dog, 8527." Li Yunxiao patted his hands, saying calmly. After doing all this, he sat back down as if nothing had happened.

8527... Everyone's faces changed, and cold sweat broke out on their foreheads...

"You!"

Li Yi was so angry that his eyes bulged and his face turned red! 8527 was the number he had been given when he was a servant in the Li family, and he was only later granted the Li surname. No one had dared to mention this number in years.

"Old Eight, a servant should be honest. The master will give you bones, or you'll be stripped of your bones and fed to the dogs," Li Yunxiao said coldly. "Today, the emperor has set a banquet for the officials. I don't want to break a dog's bones in front of everyone!"

"You!" Li Yi could no longer contain himself, leaping up in a frenzy, a sword emitting colorful light flying from the main table. His eyes were filled with murderous intent, and his mind was a blur, with only one thought: to tear Li Yunxiao to pieces!

Suddenly, an invisible force descended from above, stopping Li Yi. No matter how he roared and slashed, he could not move, trapped in the main hall.

Xiao Qingwang flicked his finger, and the invisible force burst like bubbles. Li Yi's body was hit as if by a hammer, flying back to his seat. He raised his head slightly and said softly, "Today is a joyous occasion, and the emperor has set a banquet for the officials. Let's not cause any unpleasantness."

The Crown Prince Qin Yang immediately agreed, "Commander Xiao is right. Someone, clean up and set a new table for Young Master Li!" Immediately, several eunuchs and maids rushed in, carrying away the martial artist's body and quickly setting up a new table.

Li Yi's face was twisted with rage, and he roared, "Li Yunxiao, be prepared to face my wrath!"

Li Baifeng, who had been shocked by Li Yunxiao's actions, turned pale at Li Yi's words, his eyes filled with deep worry.

Li Yunxiao poured himself a glass of wine and sniffed it lightly, "Hmm, don't dogs that bite not bark?"

"Bang!"

Li Yi's mind was clouded with anger, and he sat back down, no longer speaking. He was afraid he would die of rage!

The entire banquet hall fell silent after the commotion. Everyone's expressions were varied, and they began to think. But no matter who, they all sensed a sense of "chaos." Li Yunxiao's sudden appearance would certainly bring great turmoil to the Li family. The chaos in the Li family would inevitably lead to chaos in the country!

Xiao Qingwang's eyes narrowed as he looked at Li Yunxiao. Among all the people present, his gaze was the sharpest. He had seen Li Yunxiao's movements clearly, and they were fluid and seamless, without a single pause!

How could such a free and spontaneous boxing technique, such a spontaneous martial intent, be performed by a mere martial artist? It was like a thousand hammer blows, incredibly powerful! Even Xiao Qingwang himself would not dare to claim such a deep understanding of martial arts!

Just as the atmosphere in the hall became awkward, a eunuch outside shouted, and King Qin Zheng, accompanied by Luo Yunshang and Qin Ruxue, entered, surrounded by officials. Everyone stood up and bowed.

Although Li Yunxiao was somewhat unwilling, he nodded in acknowledgment.

What was a king of a small country? Even the emperors of the superpowers in the Tianwu Realm would treat him with respect and a smile!

King Qin Zheng, with his white hair, was already old. He walked slowly, supported by Qin Ruxue, and smiled as he entered the main hall, sitting above all the officials, presiding over the banquet.

Luo Yunshang and Qin Ruxue also sat in the empty seats on either side. When they entered, they both glanced at Li Yunxiao in surprise. Li Yunxiao smiled and made a V sign.

Qin Ruxue made a funny face and stuck out her tongue, indicating, "So old-fashioned!"

The most old-fashioned thing in the world was making a V sign...

Sitting on the dragon throne, the aura of a long-time ruler emanated from him. He laughed with a slightly hoarse voice, "Today, I have set a banquet for the officials because of two great joys. First, Commander Yunshang has advanced to become an alchemist, a true genius. Second, Ruxue's illness of over a decade has finally been cured. Both of these events bring me great joy and satisfaction."