The King glanced at Ling Xiao, his face devoid of expression. He then turned back to the pitifully crying Li Tianqi, his eyes filling with affection. He reached out to pat her head and said with a gentle smile, "Now, tell Grandpa how he bullied you."

"He... he... he cursed at me!" Li Tianqi stammered for a moment before finally landing on the most suitable excuse. After all, it was rather indefensible for a noble princess like herself to forcibly demand someone else’s maids.

"Oh? And why did he curse at you?" The old King’s stern gaze swept over the nosy nobles craning their necks for a better view. They were instantly startled. ’So our curiosity has earned His Majesty’s displeasure!’ Although they were dying to know the latest bit of royal gossip, none of them dared to remain. The group scattered like startled animals, moving to a safe distance from where they could still sneak glances in this direction.

Their curiosity about Ling Xiao, however, grew uncontrollably. They thought His Majesty the King should have immediately seized Ling Xiao to appease his granddaughter. After all, contradicting a princess within the Royal Garden was an act of high treason. How could the dignity of the Royal Family be so easily sullied?

To their surprise, however, His Majesty the King showed no intention of punishing Ling Xiao whatsoever. The old King glanced coolly at Li Tianlie, and at Wulan Tuo and the others still standing behind him, and frowned slightly. Li Tianlie quickly said, "I will take my leave." After giving his men a pointed look, the group departed in a hurry.

Li Tianqi was born into the Royal Family. Having never been wronged in her life, she had grown spoiled and willful. Yet, she wasn’t stupid. When she saw her grandfather dismiss everyone, leaving her alone with that detestable man and his two pretty maids, her heart filled with apprehension.

"Grandpa..." she called out, her voice delicate and choked with tears.

"Enough. Now you can tell me exactly what happened."

Li Tianqi didn’t dare hide anything from her grandfather, much less act on her usual impulses. She meekly recounted what had happened. When she was done, she didn’t dare to look up at his face. By now, she knew she wasn’t getting her way today. Escaping without a scolding would be the best possible outcome. She couldn’t help but steal a glance at Ling Xiao, only to see his detached expression, as if even her grandfather, the King, wasn’t worth his notice. Annoyance flared in Li Tianqi’s heart. ’You scoundrel! What’s so great about you? You just wait. I’ll remember this. One day I’ll get my revenge, and then this Princess will make you beg for death!’

’Of course, His Majesty the King knew exactly what kind of person his granddaughter Princess Tianqi was. He knew she’d been spoiled since she was a child. And of all people, she had to provoke Ling Xiao. The boy was neither servile nor overbearing even in his own presence, let alone with a young girl. Putting on airs as a princess would be completely useless against him!’

’What’s more,’ the King thought, ’I’m still considering what Elder Rong and Nangong Elder of the Sword Sect said. I was just worrying about how to find an opportunity to win Ling Xiao over, and now a golden one has presented itself. How could I possibly let it pass?’ With this in mind, the King’s face darkened, and he scolded, "Tianqi, you are fifteen years old. In one more year, you will be of age. Why are you still acting so outrageously? Tell me, do you still think he was the one at fault, and not you?"

"Ah, no, that’s not it, Grandpa! Tianqi... Tianqi knows she was wrong." After saying this, Li Tianqi burst into tears, turned, and ran away. ’I can’t believe even Grandpa, who loves me most, would defend that boy today,’ she thought, ’making me lose so much face! I swear on my life, I will get revenge for this humiliation!’ Li Tianqi vowed internally.

"Ling Xiao, Princess Tianqi is just a young woman. Don’t stoop to her level." The old King didn’t ask a single thing about Ling Xiao cursing at Princess Tianqi. Instead, he was, in effect, apologizing to him!

For the monarch of a great nation, the King of one of the largest empires on the continent, to personally apologize to a young man—if word of this got out, it would leave countless people dumbfounded!

Chunlan and Qiuyue, who had witnessed the entire exchange, were stunned beyond belief. They even forgot to bow to His Majesty the King. By the time the King turned to leave, the two women—both cultivators at the level of Fourth-rank Great Sword Master—felt their legs go weak. They watched the King’s somewhat slender back recede, and when they looked at Ling Xiao again, their eyes were filled with adoration!

This small interlude at the banquet soon passed. The nobles seemed to forget the incident, though their hushed whispers were filled with speculation about what the old King had said to make the esteemed Princess flee in tears. In any case, everyone could now be certain of one thing—the Ling Family’s third son, who was once considered useless, had apparently... found favor!

The climax of the evening’s banquet was undoubtedly the public appearance of Old Marshal Qiu Chen!

Many of the younger nobles didn’t know who the old man was, earning them deep scorn from the more established aristocratic families. To not even recognize the Empire’s Military God, a Fifth Rank Demon Sword Master, Old Marshal Qiu Chen, yet still call oneself a noble? It was a disgrace to the aristocracy!

In truth, the nobility was an inherently forgetful class. In contrast, not a single commoner in the Lanyue Empire had forgotten who the Empire’s Military God was. They certainly hadn’t forgotten that they owed their peaceful and stable lives to the monumental achievements of Old Marshal Qiu Chen!

The Crown Prince appeared to have just finished his state affairs. Arriving just in time, he saw Old Marshal Qiu Chen standing there in high spirits, greeting the crowd. A shadow of gloom flashed in his eyes. Though it vanished in an instant, it was noticed by one of his father’s Palace Maids, who quietly turned and slipped away.

His Majesty the King saw the Crown Prince as well. He gave a weary yawn, covering his mouth and wiping away the resulting tear from the corner of his eye. Then, forcing himself to rally, he announced, "The Beast Race has appeared in the southern part of the Empire, and we... have driven back their assault!"

The nobles below erupted in wild cheers, applauding furiously. Surely, such news would excite even a Monarch who wasn’t overly fond of grandiose achievements?

"In this battle, our warriors all demonstrated their immense bravery! And now, I call upon a representative of these heroes... Ling Xiao, the third son of the Ling Family, son of our Empire’s Western Border Guardian General, Ling Tianxiao, to come forward! I shall personally bestow an honor upon him!"

Ling Xiao froze for a moment, feeling the gazes of almost everyone in the room lock onto him. Their eyes held all sorts of emotions: envy, jealousy, astonishment, disbelief, anger...

Ling Xiao straightened his clothes, offered a faint smile to Chunlan and Qiuyue at his side, and then walked toward His Majesty the King with his head held high.

The nobles seemed to finally understand why the King hadn’t punished Ling Xiao for openly defying the Princess.

Most people, however, were simply jealous of Ling Xiao’s good luck. ’So many warriors fought in that battle,’ they thought, ’so why was he the only one singled out? Can he truly represent the heroes, both living and dead?’

’He’s just a Celestial Vein Master!’

Many of the nobles whose own children had fought in that battle watched Ling Xiao with grim faces, their hearts filled with indignation and rage.

’On what grounds?’ they fumed. ’Is it just because his father is a General?’

’This is unfair!’

As if hearing the silent outcry from the nobles, His Majesty the King smiled faintly and said, "Perhaps you are wondering why Ling Xiao should be the one to represent these heroes. And you are right—everyone who participated in the defense of Cameron Town is a hero! Every last one of them is a warrior of the Empire! But Ling Xiao not only fought exceptionally in that battle, but just a few days ago, he also successfully found a fugitive wanted by the Empire for many years."

The old King spoke, sighing softly. "Most of you should still remember the case of Marquis Manzini from all those years ago, yes?"

A ripple of sighs passed through the crowd. Back in the day, Marquis Manzini had been an incredibly powerful and influential figure in the Imperial Capital’s court. For some unknown reason, however, he provoked Hai Tian, who was then a Tier One Demon Sword Master, and his entire household was massacred overnight.

The incident sent shockwaves through the entire Imperial Capital. Nearly every noble feared for their own safety.

The entire upper echelons of the Imperial Capital were enraged. Did this mean that if they provoked a High-tier Martial Artist, even they—the powerful elite of the Empire—could not ensure their own safety?

In the end, a master of the Sword Sect from the Imperial City intervened and captured Hai Tian. Hai Tian was then thrown into the grand prison to await public trial and execution.

But at some point, he had unexpectedly managed to escape.

He vanished as if into thin air, disappearing completely from the Imperial Capital.

Then, a few days ago, a body was strung up at the gates of the Imperial Capital, and a notice was posted declaring that the man was none other than the long-wanted fugitive, Hai Tian!

Nearly every noble celebrated as if it were the Festival of the Blast Flame Lion King. They never dreamed that the matter was connected to this young man. ’He was the one who discovered Hai Tian?’

"The old villain Hai Tian, already injured, was slain by the full power of the Ling Family’s own young tiger!" His Majesty the King suddenly raised his voice. "For such a warrior, I ask you, should he not be rewarded!"

The nobles were so shocked by the King’s words they were left nearly speechless. The way they looked at Ling Xiao had changed completely. Even those who were initially jealous were now simply dumbfounded.

’A Tier Two Demon Sword Master, even an injured one... how could he possibly be killed by a... a Celestial Vein Master?’ they wondered. But since these words came from the King himself, who would dare to question them?

"How can such a fine General’s Son not be rewarded? Therefore, I have decided to ennoble Ling Xiao as a Viscount, with Cameron Town as his fief..." Before His Majesty the King could finish speaking...

A dissenting voice cried out, "Your Majesty, you cannot!"