Chapter 113: Chapter 112: An Audience with His Majesty the King

Ling Xiao found it a bit strange. He had just thoroughly humiliated the Grand Imperial Prince, and now the Royal Family had sent an invitation first thing in the morning. ’This can’t be a friendly gathering, can it?’ The invitation was simple, stating that a grand banquet would be held in the Royal Garden this evening and cordially inviting Ling Xiao to attend.

Logically, for such a grand banquet, even if General Ling Tianxiao wasn’t home, the invitation should have gone to Lady Ling. There was absolutely no reason for them to invite Ling Xiao directly.

Chunlan and Qiuyue couldn’t make heads or tails of it either. They recalled that over the years, the Ling Mansion had often received similar invitations, but they were always for Lady Ling. Never before had one been addressed to the young masters or misses.

Ye Wen Ni didn’t know much about the affairs of high society, nor was she particularly interested. She simply reminded Ling Xiao, "You just killed the Eldest Prince’s men, and now you’re going to a Royal Family banquet. Don’t you think this could be a plot?"

Chunlan and Qiuyue, however, recognized the eunuch who delivered the invitation. They knew he was one of His Majesty the King’s personal attendants, and that couldn’t be faked. Besides, impersonating a royal herald was a capital offense; not even the Crown Prince would have the gall to do such a thing!

He glanced at his mother’s and sister’s seclusion rooms. Most of the night had passed, and they were still quiet, with no sign of anything amiss. Although the process of the Purple Blue Fruit clearing one’s meridians was painful, neither his mother nor his little sister was a Celestial Vein Master, so the pain they experienced would naturally be much less.

Furthermore, it was a process no one else could help with. Generally speaking, it was rarely dangerous, and the time required to clear the meridians varied depending on the individual’s constitution. Ye Wen Ni, for example, possessed exceptional talent, so her advancement had been very swift. Lady Ling, on the other hand, was already past the golden age for cultivating the Martial Dao, so the time she needed to break through her meridians would naturally be much longer.

The morning sun slowly crept over the eaves, its rays spilling into the courtyard and shining on Ling Xiao’s tall, slender figure, making him seem even more imposing. Chunlan and Qiuyue practiced their sword forms nearby for a while, and Ling Xiao casually offered them a few pointers.

Ling Xiao was very satisfied; the two girls’ mastery of the Jade Maiden Sword Skill had become quite refined.

Ye Wen Ni, meanwhile, had returned to her academy. The more of the world she witnessed, the more she felt her own knowledge was lacking, and she was determined to enrich it.

As the temperature rose and the air grew hot, the door to Ling Yun’Er’s room burst open. The young girl rushed out, her face a picture of pure joy, and she called out to Ling Xiao with excitement, "Third Brother, I broke through the Lianquan Acupoint! I’m a Fourth-rank Great Sword Master now!"

Ling Xiao gave a slight shrug. ’My little sister’s talent is pretty good, but she’s still a notch below that girl, Ye Wen Ni. A step behind. Still, it’s fine. There’s plenty of time. After all, Ling Yun’Er is still young. As long as she’s willing to cultivate diligently, her future accomplishments will be limitless!’

’A heaven-defying thing like the Purple Blue Fruit can elevate a person’s starting point to incredible heights, even if it can only be consumed once! But the process of obtaining one is exceedingly difficult. It’s not as simple as finding a Purple Blue Fruit tree and picking the fruit; it’s entirely possible you might just find a tree with no fruit on it at all.’

’And the Magical Beasts that guard the Purple Blue Fruit, like the fifth-rank Snow Mountain Lightning Falcon I encountered, possess power on par with a Demon Sword Master! But even a Sixth Rank Demon Sword Master would likely be unwilling to make an enemy of a fifth-rank Flying Magical Beast!’

This was also why, over so many years, the great families had only managed to produce one or two top-tier experts. To take on a single Demon Sword Master-level threat, a family might lose several Mad Sword Masters and many Great Sword Masters, a price that, for many, far outweighed the potential gains.

’If the members of those great noble houses ever found out that my luck was so outrageous I’d obtained fifteen Vantia Holy Fruits in one go—and that I was now recklessly squandering such heavenly treasures on my family—they would surely go insane.’

Ling Yun’Er hurried off to take a bath. The Purple Blue Fruit also had the effect of cleansing one’s marrow, causing the body to expel many impurities after consumption. It wasn’t that Ling Xiao didn’t want to refine Foundation Establishment Pills for his family to use. ’The truth is,’ he thought, ’none of them have a Spirit Root. For them, the effects of a Foundation Establishment Pill wouldn’t be a significant improvement over the Purple Blue Fruit, and using the pills would risk exposing too many secrets. That’s why I decided it was better to just give them the Purple Blue Fruit.’

’Actually,’ Ling Xiao mused, ’I’d really like to meet this world’s so-called Sword Gods. I want to see how they managed to cultivate to that level, and how their methods differ from those of the Cultivation Realm.’

After her bath, Ling Yun’Er emerged looking like a little fairy, her entire being suffused with a graceful, otherworldly aura. Her already noble and beautiful face now shone with a newfound confidence. Furthermore, having undergone the baptism of pain from clearing her meridians, Ling Yun’Er seemed to have matured a great deal overnight. Although her cheerful personality remained, it was now tempered with a certain gravity she lacked before.

"Third Brother! Thank you! I’m so happy! I’m going to the Sword Guild tomorrow to get tested! A Fourth-rank Great Sword Master, hehe! I wonder how shocked they’ll be? Oh, but... do you think this will cause people to target our family? You, me, Mother, and even Chunlan and Qiuyue—all of our strengths have suddenly surged. Won’t people with ulterior motives take notice?"

Ling Yun’Er’s words gave Ling Xiao pause. ’Could today’s invitation from the Royal Family be related to this?’ He quickly dismissed the thought. ’Probably not. Chunlan and Qiuyue are strong, but they’ve never shown their abilities in public. Right now, I’m the only one who has revealed such a surge in power. Logically, any suspicions would lead them to believe I simply survived that horrific Medicated Bath! No one would ever believe that a Celestial Vein Master like me could retrieve a Holy Fruit from the Holy Mountain... That’s utterly impossible!’

Ling Xiao smiled faintly and said, "Don’t worry. Just keep a low profile, and everything will be fine."

Ling Yun’Er pouted adorably, pressing her lips together. Then, she said with some frustration, "But I was looking forward to teaching that little bitch Wulan Minmin a lesson now that I’m stronger! This ruins all the fun."

"Alright, don’t overthink it," Ling Xiao said. "Wulan Minmin probably won’t have the guts to bother you for a while anyway. I’m leaving Mother in your care. I need to go to the Imperial Palace."

Ling Yun’Er pursed her lips. "Going to one of those aristocratic parties? Sounds dreadfully boring! Go on, get out of here!"

By the time Ling Xiao arrived at the Royal Garden with Chunlan and Qiuyue, many high-ranking nobles had already gathered. Judging from their expressions, most of them didn’t seem to know the purpose of the banquet either.

Ling Xiao handed his invitation to a guard. The guard’s expression immediately became solemn. He snapped to attention, gave Ling Xiao a military salute, and said respectfully, "Young Master Ling, His Majesty has given an order. He wishes to see you!"

"Huh?" Ling Xiao had considered a thousand possibilities, but he’d never imagined His Majesty the King would want to see him in person. ’This joke seems to be getting out of hand.’ At that moment, Chunlan deftly retrieved two Gold Coins. Despite the pained look on her face at the expense, she subtly and accurately slipped them into the guard’s pocket.

The guard’s smile broadened noticeably. In a low voice, he said, "His Majesty the King is with the Old Marshal, who hasn’t appeared in public for many years. They seem to be in high spirits. That’s all I know."

"My thanks," Ling Xiao said.

Seeing Ling Xiao’s polite demeanor, the guard became even more deferential. A person summoned by name by His Majesty the King was basically guaranteed a meteoric rise. For a simple guard like him to receive such politeness from a future star, he was inwardly overjoyed.

Just as Chunlan and Qiuyue started to follow, the guard stopped them, looking troubled. "Ladies... my apologies, but His Majesty will see Young Master Ling alone." 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

Ling Xiao glanced at the bustling Royal Garden, where elegant nobles strolled about, and said to Chunlan and Qiuyue, "It’s a rare opportunity to be here. Why don’t you two take a look around?"

Chunlan and Qiuyue were, after all, still young women. Not just anyone got the chance to visit the Royal Garden! It was filled with countless rare flowers and exotic plants, and its pavilions and waterside gazebos were exquisitely beautiful. Naturally, they wouldn’t pass up the chance to see it all.

And so, Ling Xiao followed the guard toward a quiet Traveling Palace.