Chapter 137: Disguise
On the day of the victory banquet, the Imperial family invited all the major noble houses to attend. Every building’s optical screen in the Imperial Capital was live-streaming the event in real-time.
It wasn’t just on the streets; even the young nobles inside the banquet hall were discussing this emerging Second Princess.
“It seems the next successor will definitely be the Second Princess.”
“Yeah, I didn’t expect her to achieve so much at such a young age. It probably won’t be long before the Zerg are cleared out, and we’ll have a brief period of peace for nearly a hundred years while the Zerg Mother is in dormancy.”
“That’s why Guides have such high status. Without an S-class Guide, how could the Sentinels have destroyed the wormhole?”
“You say that, but while an S-class Guide is important, they still need an SSS-class Sentinel to cooperate. Without the Empire’s God of War, the Princess alone couldn’t have destroyed the wormhole.”
“Oh? Calling him ‘God of War’ now? Didn’t you use to call him a ‘defective product’?”
“Heh, times change. But why aren’t the Princess and the God of War here yet? It’s almost time for the banquet to start. Where are they?”
The people were there, but their souls had already drifted away.
In the Princess’s Palace, Xie Qiang was propping up her head, watching Hong Que and the others in a standoff.
Hong Que was dressed in a white, red, and gold military uniform. The broad fit made his tall and straight figure appear even more imposing, radiating a blend of power and unruliness. He stood before Sen Ji with his arms crossed, complaining loudly, “Why are you the one leading Xie Qiang into the hall? You’re taking all the good stuff for yourself, aren’t you? I don’t agree. I should be the one holding Xie Qiang’s hand; I’m her true genetic partner!”
“This is Xie Qiang’s wish. Your protest is invalid.” Sen Ji was dressed in a white noble suit with a glacier-blue gemstone embedded in the collar, further highlighting his naturally noble and elegant aura. He looked at Hong Que with a calm expression, showing no signs of being provoked. A single sentence left Hong Que momentarily speechless.
“They really are noisy.” Beside Xie Qiang, the silver-haired youth sat on the sofa with his legs crossed. He wore a simple tactical uniform that made his already stunning and beautiful face even more eye-catching. He toyed with the light-blue hair ribbon on his ponytail, and his fox ears lightly brushed against Xie Qiang’s cheek. His seductive voice was charming, making one’s ears feel numb. “Princess, I won’t fight them for the position of escort, as long as you have your first dance with me~”
Just as he finished speaking, his fox ear was grabbed. “Hiss, it hurts, hurts—”
Mo Yin gripped the restless fox ear expressionlessly and pulled it back. Cang Jiu, like a rabbit caught by its ears, was forced to move backward. He said indignantly, “Dumb wolf! Are you a pervert! How dare you touch my ears!”
Mo Yin: “Mm.”
Cang Jiu: “???”
Xie Qiang couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
As expected, one thing overcomes another. To deal with someone as clever as Cang Jiu, one needed the dull and stubborn Mo Yin.
“Alright, Hong Que. The matter of the escort was settled yesterday. Stop arguing with Sen Ji.” Xie Qiang stood up, ending the competition. “If we keep dragging this out, we’ll be late.”
“You didn’t even consult me before settling it!” Hong Que looked a bit hurt. “In the past, whenever we attended a banquet in the palace, I was always the one expected to be with you!”
He had assumed this time would be the same.
“This time is different.” Xie Qiang walked over to him and pulled at his hand. “Sen Ji and I both need this victory banquet to announce that we are tied together. That way, those with ulterior motives will know that if they want to harm me, they must be able to defeat an SSS-class Sentinel first.”
“Fine, fine, fine. Your business is most important. I’ll let him have the chance to be your escort this time, but—”
Hong Que leaned down, his lips curling into an arrogant smile. “I’m not someone who likes to lose out. You have to compensate me for my loss!”
He shot a slightly provocative glance at Sen Ji, then pointed to his own cheek and said to Xie Qiang, “Kiss me.”
Xie Qiang glanced up at Sen Ji. Upon hearing Hong Que’s request, Sen Ji’s eyes narrowed dangerously. However, noticing that Xie Qiang was looking at him, his expression immediately softened, and he revealed a perfectly considerate smile. “Are you going to kiss him?”
Though it was a gently worded question, it gave her the illusion that if she dared to kiss him, she wouldn’t be able to get out of bed tonight.
Xie Qiang rubbed the bridge of her nose and backed down. “Can I owe it to you? We’re really about to be late.”
“Sure~” Unexpectedly, Hong Que agreed very generously. “We’ll do it later then. I’m not in a hurry~”
He took the opportunity to scoop Xie Qiang up. He gave a slight flick of two fingers at his forehead and said to Sen Ji and the others with a triumphant smile, “The two of us will fly ahead!”
With that, blood-red wings sprouted from his back, and he flew out of the palace at high speed while holding Xie Qiang.
Mo Yin followed without a word.
“Taking advantage of being able to fly… truly doing whatever he wants.”
Cang Jiu stood up slowly. After retracting the fox ears on his head, his well-behaved aura vanished completely. He stretched and, seeing Sen Ji still standing motionless, arched an eyebrow and laughed. “Aren’t you going to chase them? Careful that stupid bird doesn’t play dirty and lead the Princess into the hall first.”
This was a live broadcast. Whoever stood by the Princess and entered first would be seen as the most favored, and their family’s status would rise accordingly.
However, interestingly enough, the few individuals present didn’t care about their family’s interests at all.
One had been abandoned early by a short-sighted family because of a disability. Two had been forced by their families to kill each other over the evolution of an SS-class Sentinel. One was the sole remaining heir of a dead line. And another didn’t even have a family.
Choosing such individuals… the Emperor had truly put a lot of thought into it.
Sen Ji glanced indifferently at Cang Jiu. “Thanks for the reminder. I also kindly remind you: your legs are short and you walk slowly, so you should start early too, lest you make Xie Qiang wait for you.”
“Tsk!” Who has short legs! He hasn’t even finished his growth spurt yet!
The tiger and the fox, one taking a step and the other taking two, walked toward the palace entrance. Behind them, Wanyan Jin took off his gold-rimmed glasses. His grey-blue snake pupils lowered coldly, landing on his frequently vibrating optical computer.
His smooth, deep blue hair fell over his shoulders like a deep-sea waterfall. From within that waterfall, a slender water snake with shimmering blue scales emerged, lifting its head to lightly rub against the man’s jaw. Hiss hiss…
Master, you are alone again.
“No matter. I’m used to it.” Wanyan Jin reached out to touch the Lan Snake’s head. His pale fingertips brushed over the optical computer, opening the messages.
[Grandson: The disguise should end now. You appear today.] [Grandson: The evidence is placed under the second pillar of the west wall. Go get it.] [Grandson: Once it’s done, I’ll return your freedom.]
A mocking and playful expression suddenly broke out on his originally cold and world-weary face, wrapping his handsome, flawless features in a dangerous and dark atmosphere. He nonchalantly deleted the chat history, hooked his gold-rimmed glasses into his chest pocket, and stood up to walk toward the palace entrance.
He was really looking forward to today’s show.
He wondered what kind of expression that sharp-tongued little cat would wear when she saw the brother she had worked so hard to please was about to drive her to her death.
It would surely be magnificent.
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