Chapter 761: Birthday Banquet 6

Wang Li of the East Shu Chamber of Commerce flushed with embarrassment. ‘The gift is precious, fine. But why did he have to drag East Shu into it? Talk about getting caught in trouble out of nowhere.’

He covertly sized up the Crown Prince of Xi Yan. ‘Are Xi Yan and the Lu Shu close?’

‘If not, how could he possess Lu Shu elixirs? An entire bottle, no less!’

‘I must report this to the Emperor when I return. The Lu Shu are a taboo subject in East Shu. While the rumors can’t be fully trusted, they aren’t entirely false either.’

The East Shu Imperial Family was indeed wary of the Lu Shu clan.

Old Prince Feng’s eyes nearly went rigid with jealousy. He glared fiercely at the Xi Yan emissary, and thinking of how the man had only presented a statue, his disdain grew even stronger.

Fang Rui of the Xi Yan Chamber of Commerce was nearly scared to death. ‘Their esteemed Crown Prince just paid his respects to Elder Chen. So, if I… pay my respects to Old Prince Feng, wouldn’t that be suicide?’

“Old Prince, my apologies. I believe I’ve come to the wrong place.”

Old Prince Feng frowned. “What?”

“Men, retrieve the birthday gift. We are going to pay our respects to Elder Chen,” Fang Rui commanded. He then turned, ignoring Prince Feng completely, and headed straight for the Immortal Sea Building.

An attendant retrieved the glass statue from the servant standing beside Prince Feng and followed his master without a moment’s delay.

This move stunned the onlookers.

It took a second for Old Prince Feng to react. Seething, he ground his teeth and was about to charge forward with a curse, but his butler held him back from behind.

“My Prince, you mustn’t,” the butler said, flicking his eyes toward the Crown Prince of Xi Yan.

The grinding of Old Prince Feng’s teeth was audible, but in the end, he forced himself to calm down.

“Old Prince, pay no mind to these two-faced schemers,” Li Mu said, seizing the chance to take a jab at Xi Yan. “They claim they want to partner with Nanyuan in the marine trade, yet they show us no respect. Their methods are truly shameless.”

This only made Old Prince Feng even angrier.

“My Prince, we in Beili would never do such a…”

“Zhan Chi of Beili pays his respects to Elder Chen!”

Li Mu hadn’t even finished his sentence when a powerful, resonant voice boomed in his ear. The sound sent a shudder through him. He turned his head in a daze, and the sight of Zhan Chi bowing to Elder Chen nearly made him pass out from rage.

And he was still wearing a simple set of Beili military armor—

“Heh. Heh. Heh.” Old Prince Feng let out a few hollow chuckles, a cold laugh that barely concealed his fury.

A chill went down Li Mu’s spine as he heard the laughter. When he turned to meet the Old Prince’s gaze, the hairs on his arms stood on end. “Prince Feng, please, don’t misunderstand! Zhan Chi doesn’t represent Beili. He’s just an acquaintance of Elder Chen.”

“A fine ‘Beili.’ A fine ‘acquaintance,'” Old Prince Feng sneered, flames practically leaping in his eyes.

“Zhan Chi is a General of Beili’s military,” Wang Li chimed in, also seizing the opportunity. “His rank is far higher than Official Li’s. If a General doesn’t represent Beili, does a minor official like you?”

‘Knock out the other two countries, and the partnership with Nanyuan will belong to us, East Shu!’

Li Mu sputtered, “My Prince, you must believe me! Zhan Chi is only here at the commerce convention to ensure my safety. He cannot represent Beili!”

“How much of what Official Li says can be believed? The other man is a full-fledged General.”

Li Mu shot a glare at Wang Li before turning back to the Old Prince. “Beili’s gift of the seven-colored glass is the best proof! Furthermore, our Emperor places great importance on trade with Nanyuan. Chen Rentian was exiled from Beili! How could the Emperor possibly allow someone to represent Beili and pay respects to him?”

Old Prince Feng was only half-convinced.

“My Prince, I, Li Mu, represent Beili—”

“Sang Zhi of Beili, representing Beili, pays his respects to Elder Chen.” A magnetic, lazy voice drifted from the crowd.