C4 Provocation

"Could my master be a fool?"

It was astounding how openly sarcastic people could be, and yet, he would sincerely offer his thanks? This was beyond the pale!

Squirt, who often endured hardships at the hands of Qin Xuan in the palace, had not expected to be disrespected by a mere disciple of the Grayhands while visiting the Golden Feast. Granted, the Grayhands were a renowned sect in the martial world, but where did this disciple, attending the Sword Pavilion Assembly, get the audacity to show such disrespect to our esteemed prince?

"Insolence! In the presence of the fourteenth prince, such insolence will not be tolerated!" Squirt felt a rare surge of assertiveness and was determined to put these Grayhands disciples in their place, especially Yu Wu. He could almost picture their faces, filled with regret, upon realizing whom they had offended.

And just as he had imagined, the entire second level of the Golden Feast fell into an eerie silence.

The faces of the four at Yu Wu's table turned pale, their gazes fixed on Qin Xuan who stood just ahead to Squirt's right. The patrons, previously captivated by Qin Xuan's music, now fell silent, their eyes wide with disbelief that the musician was none other than the renowned fourteenth prince of Eshago, Qin Xuan!

"My apologies, please forgive me," Qin Xuan said, seeing the astonishment on everyone's faces, as he quickly bowed with his hands clasped together.

Squirt was quite pleased with the reaction of the four Grayhands disciples. Their fearful expressions brought him immense satisfaction.

After all, serving Qin Xuan was no easy task.

The servants of the Crown Prince were not to be taken lightly in the palace, and even the little eunuch from the Fifth Prince's residence, who was out of favor with the king, held higher status than him. Now, Squirt had finally found a moment to hold his head high, and he was so thrilled he nearly hugged Qin Xuan's leg and wept with joy.

But before Squirt could fully savor the moment, he heard the junior fellow apprentice beside Yu Wu burst into laughter.

"Look who it is, the famously distinguished fourteenth prince of our dynasty, hahahahaha..."

"Fourteenth Prince Qin Xuan, since childhood, has been immersed in the arts of music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, never once wielding a sword. In our martially esteemed dynasty, the fourteenth prince, as a future pillar of the realm, should be diligently cultivating martial skills within the palace. Yet here he is, mingling with the common folk for entertainment. How very befitting of the fourteenth prince's reputation," Yu Wu said, eyeing Qin Xuan with a mocking glint.

Laughter erupted at his words.

Rumors about the fourteenth prince had long circulated in the marketplace. The common folk held martial prowess in high esteem, and in the royal court, it was paramount. Had Qin Xuan not been born into the imperial family, his lack of cultivation and irresponsible behavior would have seen him cast out to beg in the streets.

Squirt had thought that invoking the prince's status would restore his master's honor, yet it only led to further ridicule.

"How dare you! Mocking the fourteenth prince in public—I'll fight you all!" Tears brimmed in Squirt's eyes as he rolled up his sleeves and flailed his slender arms, ready to take on Yu Wu with all his might.

"Given that he's the personal eunuch of the fourteenth prince, he surely has a martial cultivator at his side. Yulong, it seems the prince intends to test the mettle of our Grayhands grandmasters. Show him what you've got," Yu Wu said, poised on a stool, sipping tea with the air of a refined gentleman.

"Senior Brother, he has no martial cultivation. Even I can see that, and Senior Brother Yulong practices a rigorous body refining method. He'll surely cause harm. This is... this is bullying the weak!" Qingluo, the junior sister apprentice standing by Yu Wu, spoke urgently as she saw Yulong readying himself to confront the eunuch.

"Junior Sister Apprentice Qingluo, you are new to the world and unaware of its perils," Yu Wu responded leisurely, taking another sip of tea.

"Even if he is protected by a martial cultivator, he belongs to the fourteenth prince. If Senior Brother Yulong injures him, not even our Master could shield us from the palace's wrath," she argued, her cheeks flushed with urgency to prevent the inevitable clash.

"The Atrela Dynasty reveres martial strength above all. As the second senior brother of the Grayhands, my cultivation has reached the third level of the Innate Realm. Qin Xuan may be the fourteenth prince, but he's widely recognized as a martially inept. The disparity in our statuses is clear, and even if the Emperor were to hear of this, it's doubtful he would chastise the Grayhands for disciplining such a worthless son." Yu Wu scoffed dismissively.

"Brother is absolutely correct. The fourteenth prince is nothing special—just a waste born into royalty. Even if the palace holds him accountable, given the grandmaster's regard for Second Senior Brother, he would never stand idly by." The woman beside him sneered in agreement, "Moreover, it was merely a minor eunuch. Junior sister apprentice, do you really think Second Senior Brother's status is inferior to that of a lowly eunuch?"

"I... I didn't mean it that way!"

Amidst the squabble between the junior sisters, Yulong had already charged at Squirt. According to Qin Xuan, Squirt had always been as thin as a malnourished monkey, short and pale. If he dressed as a woman, his appearance wouldn't seem out of place at all.

Yulong of the Grayhands, on the other hand...

Standing at eight feet tall, his body was a testament to raw power. Next to Squirt, he made the latter look even more frail and defenseless.

In the midst of their conversation, Yulong, with a fierce shout, hoisted Squirt into the air by the front of his clothes. With seemingly no effort, he flung Squirt away.

A scream pierced the air as Squirt crashed down onto the neighboring table, causing patrons to scatter in every direction. The table's seven bowls and eight dishes shattered upon impact, leaving the floor in disarray.

"I wonder if my Grayhands' martial cultivator has caught the eye of your Highness?" Yulong didn't spare Squirt a glance as he fixed his eyes on Qin Xuan and smirked.

It was a blatant challenge!

Watching Squirt struggle to rise from the ground, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, it was clear that Yulong's lifelong practice of body refining had endowed him with fearsome strength. The force of that throw would leave an ordinary person bedridden for weeks with internal injuries that wouldn't heal anytime soon.

Qin Xuan was seething with anger.

His fists clenched in stealth, his martial cultivation realm had undergone a transformation following his impassioned performance. Now at the third level of the Innate Realm, he might not be a match for Yu Wu, but handling Yulong would be a simple task.

Lost in thought, Qin Xuan was on the verge of taking action when suddenly, a piercing female voice erupted from the private room.

"Who gave you Grayhands the audacity to run wild in front of the imperial city gate!"

No sooner had the icy voice faded than two figures dashed out of the private room, materializing before Yulong as swiftly as specters. Clad in black, these two masters of the Pulse Forging Realm exuded such formidable strength that Yulong, standing mere steps away, felt his legs quake with the urge to flee at once.

In that instant, every onlooker, Qin Xuan included, turned their gaze toward the beaded curtain at the back of the private room, anticipating what would come next.