Chapter 373: Empress Returns to the Capital

Chapter 373: Empress Returns to the Capital (Part 1/2)

After Xiao Ce'an left, leaving only Xiao Lexian in the hall, blood unexpectedly trickled down the corners of Xiao Lexian's mouth. Simultaneously, over half of his jet-black hair turned white, and his agile figure seemed to shrink, as if he had deflated.

A hint of despair flashed in Xiao Lexian's eyes, and he thought to himself, 'I didn't expect that just using the Purple-Golden Dragon Emperor Flame once would cause such significant damage to my body.'

The root cause of the problem ultimately lay in the Flame Emperor Dragon Fruit gradually withering inside him. If he couldn't find a replacement Eternal Flame Dragon Fruit, his cultivation would likely disperse gradually. In the future, not to mention the Heaven-Extinguishing Purple-Golden Dragon Emperor Flame, he might not even be able to summon the most ordinary Crimson Flame Dragon Emperor Flame.

...

In the capital of Yan Kingdom, Changling City.

Tonight, Song Qian was going to take Song Ye to Fenyu Building in the city for dinner. At the Rooster hour, father and daughter left together, riding in a carriage. Apart from the coachman, they didn't bring any other servants.

Seeing that there were suddenly many patrolling soldiers and yamen runners on the street, Song Ye hadn't asked anything before Song Qian spoke, "The Empress of Yan Kingdom returned to the capital today, so there are naturally more soldiers patrolling the city."

Obviously, Song Qian had been paying attention to every move and even the slightest change in expression from Song Ye.

Song Ye had heard some things about the Empress of Yan Kingdom, Wei Xinlan. She was an extremely ruthless person. In order to secure the throne, she almost exterminated all male descendants of the Wei imperial family. However, she had no interest in governing the country, entrusting almost all state affairs to her male consorts, while she indulged in cultivation and romantic affairs.

Wu'an Marquis He Tianyu was her most influential male consort.

Ten years ago, He Tianyu accompanied Wei Xinlan to her secret cave for cultivation, and they only returned to the capital together today.

Fenyu Building was one of the top restaurants in the capital, with luxurious decorations both inside and outside. The front was extremely crowded, with people bustling and horses constantly moving.

The area in front of Fenyu Building's main entrance was too congested for convenient carriage parking. So, Song Qian instructed the coachman to stop the carriage at a nearby alley entrance. After getting off, she let the coachman go back; there was no need for him to wait.

Song Qian and Song Ye entered Fenyu Building together.

The second floor was a VIP room, and Song Qian usually dined on the second floor. Song Ye followed Song Qian up the stairs.

However, at the staircase entrance, Song Ye was suddenly stopped by a waiter. "Outsiders are not allowed on the second floor. It's a new rule here."

Since Song Ye had a little spirit bird with him, it was obvious to others that he was an outsider. Moreover, with more and more players entering this bustling city recently, ordinary people were no longer surprised by the existence of outsiders. However, most people felt wary or even hostile towards outsiders, considering them strangers from the outside world.

Therefore, in many places in the city, outsiders were explicitly prohibited.

Song Qian immediately glared at the waiter and said, "This outsider is brought by me. Can't he go to the second floor?"

The waiter recognized Song Qian and respectfully said, "Master Song, I'm really sorry. This is a rule set by our manager, and I dare not violate it."

"Bring your manager here!" Song Qian said with a hint of anger in her tone.

"Master Song, please don't get angry. I'll inform the manager right away," the waiter said with respect and hurriedly went to inform the manager.

Chapter 373: Empress Returns to the Capital (2/2)

At this moment, a young man in brocade clothing walked over.

The waiter immediately bowed to greet the young man, "Third Young Master."

This young man was none other than Shangguan Xing, the third son of the Shangguan family head.

The Shangguan family was the most prestigious immortal cultivation family in Yan Kingdom, slightly surpassing the Yuwen family in overall strength. Fenyu Building belonged to the Shangguan family's business.

Shangguan Xing immediately reprimanded the waiter, "Madam Song is our distinguished guest here. You can't stop the person she brings!"

"Third Young Master, but the person she brought is an outsider. The manager said—"

"Shut up! This restaurant belongs to my Shangguan family. Even if the manager is here, he has to listen to me. Remember, anyone who comes with Madam Song, even if they are outsiders, is a distinguished guest here. Understand?" Shangguan Xing scolded loudly.

"Understood." The waiter nodded.

"If you understand, then hurry up and get out!" Shangguan Xing cursed.

Although the waiter was very dissatisfied, he could only lower his head and leave.

"Madam Song, I apologize sincerely." Shangguan Xing took a step forward and apologized to Song Qian, "These servants handled things improperly, disturbing your mood. I hope you can forgive us."

"It's fine." Song Qian replied and then turned to continue walking up the stairs.

Shangguan Xing originally wanted to say something more, but seeing her cold expression, he helplessly swallowed his words. Then, his gaze fell on the outsider behind Song Qian.

This outsider indeed had a somewhat handsome appearance, and based on looks alone, he was not inferior to Shangguan Xing. It's no wonder Madam Song was willing to bring him along.

Recently, there had been rumors in the Song residence that Madam Song was about to marry someone. Could it be this outsider?

But soon, Shangguan Xing smiled and shook his head because he found this idea absurd. Now, outsiders were generally considered lower-class, dirty, and dangerous by most people. He was well aware that a smart woman like Madam Song would never degrade her status by marrying an outsider. It would not only affect her reputation but also tarnish the entire Song family's reputation, and even the entire Longyang Song family would be criticized.

Therefore, if Madam Song fancied a handsome outsider, keeping him as a male consort in her chamber would be enough; there was no need to make such a fuss about marrying him.

At this moment, in a private room on the second floor, several pairs of eyes were also watching Song Ye and his daughter as they walked up the stairs.

"Marquis, that woman is Madam Song, the head of the Longyang Song family."

Inside the room, a middle-aged man with a goatee spoke to the fair-faced man next to him, "My son, Yuchen, has had no news until now. It's probably because she plotted against him and he died by her hands. I beg the Marquis to help me seek justice for my son."

The man with the goatee was Pang Lei, the current head of the Tenghe Pang family and the biological father of Pang Yuquan. The man he called "Marquis" in the room was none other than the Marquis Wuan, He Tianyu, who had returned to the capital today.

He Tianyu squinted his eyes slightly, and his gaze flowed over Madam Song, "I didn't expect the rumored head of the Longyang Song family to be such a stunning beauty."

Then, He Tianyu's gaze fell on Song Ye, and his heart skipped a beat.

'This isn't the Duke Song from Yancheng? Didn't he go missing? How could he be here today? No, there's a flying spirit around him. He is an outsider, not a creature of this world. He shouldn't be the same person as Duke Song.'