Chapter 760: Birthday Banquet 5

‘If the rumors are true, then the man standing before me is as good as the Monarch of Xi Yan…’

Old Prince Feng’s expression soured. Faced with a figure of such immense stature, by rights, he, a Prince of Nanyuan, should have personally gone to offer a respectful welcome.

But the man wasn’t here to celebrate his birthday. ‘If I go to offer greetings, won’t I lose all face? I can’t move. I’m his elder, after all. The Crown Prince of Xi Yan didn’t come to wish me a long life, so on what grounds should I go greet him?’ ℯℯ𝑙.

“Brother, is he really the Crown Prince of Xi Yan?” Jiang Yue asked, craning her neck.

“There’s no mistake. No one in the world would dare impersonate the Crown Prince of Xi Yan.” Jiang Chenyi stared at the regal man. His very presence exuded a noble air, no matter where he stood.

“Did Sister Ye invite him too? Just who is she? She’s incredible.” Jiang Yue had never seen so many dignitaries and precious treasures in one place.

Jiang Chenyi said nothing, though he was thinking the exact same thing.

‘The Crown Prince of Xi Yan and Miss Ye must know each other. And for Miss Ye to be able to invite so many powerful families… a few days ago, that man from the Immortal Sea Building—his identity can’t be simple, either.’

“Elder Chen,” Gu Shuo called out softly.

Elder Chen snapped out of his shock and made a gesture as if to help him up. “Your Highness is of a noble status. How could an old man like me dare to accept such a courtesy from the Crown Prince?”

“You are too modest, Elder Chen,” Xiliu Yuan said calmly. “My father, the Emperor, once studied under you. That makes you his esteemed teacher. You are more than worthy of this courtesy.”

His voice wasn’t loud, yet it carried clearly to everyone in the crowd.

Upon hearing this, the onlookers looked at Elder Chen with none of their earlier mockery. Their shock gave way to respect.

To think that Elder Chen had once been a tutor to the Emperor of Xi Yan! They had all assumed he was just some old man who founded an academy.

“Your Highness praises me too highly. Please, come inside, come inside.”

“Bring forth the birthday gift for Elder Chen,” Xiliu Yuan said calmly, looking over his shoulder.

A guard stepped forward and presented the birthday gift with both hands.

Luo Xuan stepped forward to receive the gift. His eyes widened slightly as he looked at it, and he announced slowly, “From Xi Yan, a bottle of Lu Shu Pills.”

The moment the words left his mouth, another wave of gasps rippled through the crowd.

Those in the know were rendered speechless by the sheer shock of it.

Pills from the Lu Shu Clan?

A whole bottle?

Xi Yan is truly extravagant!

Even the people from the clans of Beijiang and Guanghai were visibly shocked to hear of the Lu Shu Pills, never expecting to see something from the Lu Shu Clan in a place like this.

“The legendary Lu Shu Pills… so they actually exist.”

“A whole bottle… That’s an incredibly grand gesture from Xi Yan.”

“What kind of medicine are Lu Shu Pills?”

Many in the crowd had no idea. But of course, at a gathering with so many experts and powerful figures, it didn’t matter if one was uninformed; there were plenty of people ready to explain.

“The Lu Shu Clan is the most mysterious family in the four kingdoms. They’re rumored to be a clan from an ancient era, and their pills can supposedly bring the dead back to life and regenerate flesh on bone. A single one is nearly impossible to come by.”

“I heard that back when the former Empress of East Shu was gravely ill, the Emperor knelt before the Lu Shu Clan and still couldn’t obtain a single pill. The late Emperor of East Shu was so enraged that he launched an attack on the Lu Shu Clan, and in the end, his kingdom was nearly destroyed by them.”

“Oh? Are you talking about that devastating war in East Shu a hundred years ago?”

“That’s the one. The Lu Shu Clan had the East Shu Imperial Family at their mercy. But for some reason, they suddenly withdrew, taking only the heads of a few imperial princes to hang on the city gates as a warning.”

“My grandfather told me it was because the Lu Shu Clan found the Imperial Palace boring. They simply didn’t care for it.”

“To think the Lu Shu Clan looks down on even emperors.”

“You bet they do. The East Shu Imperial Family is still terrified of the Lu Shu Clan to this day.”

The knowledgeable people in the crowd continued their explanations, one after another, though their stories seemed to be trampling all over East Shu’s dignity.