Chapter 762: Birthday Banquet 7

‘Sang Zhi?’

‘Isn’t Sang Zhi the Eighth Prince of Beili?’

Li Mu shuddered and looked back in horror.

A man in black robes, subtly patterned and trimmed with gold, strode into view.

Once again, the sight left everyone stunned.

The man’s features were chiseled and sharp, and he radiated an imposing, aristocratic air. His looks were easily on par with those of the Crown Prince of Xi Yan.

Good heavens—

What kind of divine figures had come to celebrate Elder Chen’s birthday today? Each one was more shocking than the last.

Elder Chen was taken aback for a moment when he saw Sang Zhi. The boy had grown into such a handsome young man, but the aura about him was completely different from his childhood.

In recent years, Qian Fanji and Gu Shuo had only heard of Sang Zhi’s bloodthirsty reputation. They hadn’t seen him in years, and now, upon seeing him, they both frowned in unison.

‘Neither of them wanted Pangtuan to have any more contact with him.’

Xiliu Yuan watched with a calm gaze.

‘It seems he really has changed.’

“I wish Elder Chen blessings as boundless as the East Sea and a life as long as the southern mountains,” Sang Zhi said, stepping forward and cupping his fists in a salute.

“You’ve changed so much in ten years, I almost didn’t recognize you.” No matter how Elder Chen looked at him, the young man didn’t seem to match the rumors.

“I came in a hurry and didn’t bring a valuable gift.”

“Your presence is gift enough. Don’t worry about presents,” Elder Chen said with a laugh.

“No, how can one celebrate a birthday without a gift? I’m a bit more worldly, so I’ll offer a million taels of silver,” Sang Zhi said, pulling a slip of paper from his robes and handing it to Du Yi.

Du Yi took the note, then turned and headed for Li Mu.

Li Mu was already scared witless. When he turned and saw Du Yi approaching, he was instantly filled with a sense of foreboding and took a small step back.

The crowd watched, completely baffled.

Du Yi walked right up to him. Backed against the doorframe, Li Mu had nowhere left to go.

“Stamp it.” Du Yi thrust the note forward.

Li Mu held the note and looked down. On it was written: “Birthday gift: one million taels.” His mind instantly went blank.

“Stamp it,” Du Yi repeated coldly.

Trembling all over, Li Mu shakily took a seal from his robes and stamped the note. ‘A million taels of silver… gone just like that—’

Du Yi took the note, returned to Sang Zhi’s side, and handed it to Luo Xuan.

“The Eighth Prince of Beili, a birthday gift of one million taels of silver!” Luo Xuan announced loudly.

Rage billowed in Old Prince Feng’s heart. He glared daggers at Li Mu. ‘He represents Beili? Hah!’

“Your Highness, please let me explain…”

“Get lost.”

Li Mu’s heart ached with regret. ‘This trip to Dayu City has not only cost me my entire fortune, but my business with Nanyuan is now in jeopardy as well.’

‘This is all the Eighth Prince’s fault—’

‘Why did he have to come to Dayu City at a time like this?’

‘If it had been any other prince, he might have been able to resist. But he didn’t dare defy the Eighth Prince. It wasn’t just him; very few people in all of Beili did.’

‘Sigh… It’s over. Everything has gone down the drain.’

‘The Emperor will have my hide when I get back—!’

Jiang Chenyi was shocked. ‘So that’s the Eighth Prince of Beili… The moody, bloodthirsty prince from the rumors. How could Miss Ye be so familiar with him?’

In the crowd, Huo Feng gripped Huo Liran’s arm tightly.

“Are you still thinking of going to pay your respects to Prince Feng?”

A chill crept into Huo Liran’s heart. She had thought that if she could just get on Prince Feng’s good side, his esteemed status meant he could surely kill Ye Qianning and avenge her second uncle.

But now…

“Liran, face reality. We can’t afford to provoke her.” Huo Feng had been shocked too many times in this short hour.

‘The Crown Prince of Xi Yan, the Eighth Prince of Beili, and so many other families, all of them are familiar with Miss Ye…’

‘No wonder… No wonder his father said back then that they weren’t worthy of Miss Ye’s attention. People like them really were beneath her notice.’

‘That’s why she ignored everything Liran did to her. She simply couldn’t be bothered…’