Chapter 640: Two Judgments

“Huh?”

Everyone was stunned by his words and secretly applauded.

Master Teacher Chen Yue's question was clearly designed to condemn him; any answer would be wrong. Yet, Master Hong retaliated with a single sentence against such a difficult question.

“Alright, you say I'm late, but the Crown Prince hasn't even arrived. Does that mean he's even later? Do you dare say the Crown Prince is late? What exactly do you mean? It's just a banquet. What's your intention in deliberately slandering me?”

As soon as he said this, not only did he answer his opponent, but he also seized the opportunity to counterattack, leaving Chen Yue unable to respond. His face flushed and then paled, making him so frustrated he nearly spat blood.

Seeing that his ally, Master Chen, was speechless, Luo Zhao interjected, “Oh? Master Hong's eloquence has improved significantly in just a few days!”

“Not only has my eloquence improved, but my combat skills have too. Master Luo, would you like to test them?” Master Hong filled a glass of fine wine, smiling as he looked towards a certain spot: “Tell me, isn't that right, Master Feng?”

“You… *cough*!”

Feng Yu's body swayed, aggravating his injuries, and he spat out a mouthful of blood. *Weren't we not going to talk about this anymore? Why bring it up again? Besides, those two sought trouble with you; it has nothing to do with me. I was quietly hiding on the side, not even daring to speak, and now I'm caught in the crossfire…*

“Master Feng was injured by spirit beasts during a hunt… He's been keeping a low profile these past two days, so how could he know about your combat skills!” Luo Zhao's mouth twitched as he snorted. His words were quite damaging, implying that Master Feng being injured by spirit beasts indirectly meant Master Hong was a spirit beast himself, lacking human empathy.

“So it was spirit beasts that caused the injury, what a pity!”

Hearing the insult in his opponent's words, Master Hong remained unfazed. He simply looked up and said, “The wounds on his face show no obvious lacerations, only blunt contusions, redness, and blackening, which are formed by the infusion of true qi. His nasal bone is slightly sunken, forming a straight line with his forehead, clearly a result of being kicked. His ears are swollen, and his lips are purple, marks left by being slapped… These are clearly marks of a human attack, yet you claim it was a spirit beast…”

At this point, Master Hong raised an eyelid, his gaze sharp as lightning: “Tell me, Master Luo, are you blind? Or have you learned to lie with your eyes wide open?”

“You…” Luo Zhao's face flushed, and he nearly fainted. Master Teachers have excellent eyesight. There's a significant difference between injuries inflicted by humans and those by spirit beasts. Luo Zhao's earlier statement was merely an attempt to change the subject and avoid embarrassment. Who would have thought… Master Hong would directly expose it, making Luo Zhao look like he was lying through his teeth.

Luo Zhao trembled with rage, but he couldn't utter a single word. *If I admit this guy did it, the ambush will definitely be exposed… Damn, wasn't he always awkward with words? How did he suddenly become so eloquent?*

The others also exchanged glances. Master Hong is truly impressive! Master Chen and Master Luo launched a combined verbal attack, trying to provoke him into a trap. Yet, he parried and counterattacked, not only succeeding but leaving them speechless… How did he do it?

“What's wrong with me? Did I say something incorrect? Or perhaps… Master Luo is the 'spirit beast' you spoke of, and Master Feng's injuries were inflicted by you, and now that I've pointed it out, you feel a bit awkward?” Master Hong said indifferently.

“Hmph!” Luo Zhao clenched his fists, wanting to reply, but couldn't find the words.

“Alright, you yourselves said this is a joyous banquet for everyone to gather. Why make it so tense?” Seeing his old friend about to explode with anger but unable to speak, Chen Yue had no choice but to mediate.

“Indeed, it's just a banquet, no need for all this.”

Raising his wine glass, Master Hong drank it down and said no more.

“Damn it…”

Seeing him like this, Master Luo and Master Chen both looked grim, as if suffering from constipation. They had originally been furious because this guy messed things up earlier. They wanted to give him a taste of his own medicine and stomp on him a bit before the banquet started, but they never dreamed that before they could even extend their feet, they'd be the ones getting stomped on. And it was the kind where he got kicked multiple times in the face. The more they thought about it, the more depressed they became.

They secretly looked up, wondering if they had left a bad impression on the genius, but saw him still drinking, his face calm and unperturbed, as if he hadn't heard the quarrel at all.

“That's good…”

Seeing that the other party didn't mind, the two exchanged glances and sighed in relief.

“Who knows what's gotten into this guy; his eloquence is far better than before. There's no benefit in arguing with him. Let's wait until the Crown Prince arrives.” Knowing there was no advantage in continuing the argument, Luo Zhao, Chen Yue, and Feng Yu communicated with each other via telepathy.

For a moment, the room fell silent again.

While they were stubbornly refusing to yield, each with their own thoughts, in a courtyard within the Crown Prince's palace, a lavishly dressed young man stood, seemingly waiting for someone, and it was unclear how long he had been waiting. Even so, there was no trace of impatience on his face, only a smile. If Master Hong were here, he would surely recognize him: this was Ye Qian, the Crown Prince of the Phantom Feather Empire!

“Damn it, damn it! It's all that guy's fault! If he hadn't snatched my Dugencao, I wouldn't be unable to buy it now… Xing Yuan, have you found out who that person is?”

A roar, followed by a beautiful figure, entered the courtyard from outside.

“Well… in a bit, I'll have Ye Qian send someone to investigate…”

Immediately after, a slightly apologetic voice spoke. A young man followed closely behind. These were Princess Six and the young man Xing Yuan, whom Zhang Xuan had encountered earlier at the Pavilion of Wonders.

After leaving the Pavilion of Wonders, Princess Six searched everywhere for the Du Youcao, but found it nowhere, despite extensive efforts until now, yielding no results. The more she thought about it, the angrier she became, and she couldn't help but roar as soon as she entered.

“Princess Six, Senior Brother Xing Yuan!”

Crown Prince Ye Qian came forward, cupped his fists, and bowed.

“Oh? You're here, perfect. I have something I need your help with!” Xing Yuan looked over indifferently.

“Senior Brother, please state your command!” Ye Qian said quickly.

“Earlier today, Princess Six and I encountered a young man, around twenty years old, with a chubby butler, at the Pavilion of Wonders. Please help me investigate his identity and report back as soon as possible.” Xing Yuan waved his hand.

“Alright!” Ye Qian nodded. Although the description was vague, this was the imperial capital of the Phantom Feather Empire, and with his power as Crown Prince, it would be quite simple to find someone.

“Princess Six, Senior Brother Xing Yuan, I'll have someone handle this immediately. Tonight, I've prepared a welcoming banquet for you. You can also take the opportunity to meet the new students from our Phantom Feather Empire who will be sent to the Master Teacher Academy…”

“Not interested!” Princess Six waved her hand. When she left, she was a high and mighty princess; now she had returned as someone else's maidservant. She was already fuming, so how could she be in the mood for any banquet!

“This…” Ye Qian was full of embarrassment, not expecting this senior female student to flat-out refuse. He looked towards Xing Yuan, who was not far away: “Senior Brother, you…”

“Oh, you go back first. I'll be there in a bit!” Xing Yuan waved his hand.

“Alright!” Ye Qian also saw that Princess Six was in a foul mood, so he said no more, bowed, and walked out. Although he was the Crown Prince of the Phantom Feather Empire, compared to the princess of the Hongyuan Empire, he was far inferior, not even in the same league. If she was willing, that was fine; if not, he would never dare to force her.

Just a few steps after leaving the courtyard, he heard Xing Yuan's telepathic message in his ear: “Princess Six is in a temper. I'll persuade her, and we'll come over together in a bit!”

“Thank you, Senior Brother!” Hearing the promise, Ye Qian's eyes lit up, and he walked out. The main purpose of this banquet was to welcome Princess Six and the others. If they truly didn't attend, it would be embarrassing.

“Princess Six, don't be angry. Once Ye Qian finds out his exact identity, if necessary, I'll pay any price to buy the Grass of Woe for you…” Seeing him leave, Xing Yuan tried to comfort her.

“None of your business!” Princess Six sat down huffily.

Xing Yuan stood there, feeling utterly awkward, unsure whether to leave or stay. This Princess Six had a strange temper, making his pursuit of her very difficult. She had been fine moments ago, but then changed in an instant, leaving him bewildered. *Honestly, that kid made you his maidservant, and you agreed. I even tried to dissuade you, but you wouldn't listen… You even disagreed when I suggested killing him… But now you're here, throwing a tantrum at me and Ye Qian, what's that about?* The more he thought about it, the more depressed he became.

“Yu Fei-er, what's wrong?”

Just as he was wondering how to console her, he heard footsteps, and a woman walked over, full of excitement, smiling as she walked, as if she could leap for joy.

“Miss Qi Qi, you…” Seeing her like this, Xing Yuan was stunned. Luo Qi Qi, who was usually as cold as ice and always met with rejection when she spoke, how could she be full of smiles today? If the people in the academy found out that the ice beauty could actually smile, wouldn't they go crazy on the spot?

“Nothing!” Hearing his words, Luo Qi Qi realized her expression was amiss. Her face instantly hardened, returning to its icy state. She came before Princess Six: “What's wrong? Why are you so angry?”

“I…” Princess Fei-er was about to speak, but then she frowned beautifully and looked at Luo Qi Qi: “By the way, what happened to you? Why are you so happy?” Her thoughts were the same as Xing Yuan's. Luo Qi Qi always kept her emotions hidden. Hadn't she gone out to teach alchemy today? Why was she so happy upon her return? It didn't fit her personality at all!

“Me? I just encountered something, nothing much…” Thinking of Master Zhang's demeanor, a look of respect appeared in Luo Qi Qi's eyes, and her lips curled into a smile again. She continued looking at Princess Six: “You should tell me first. Who could possibly make our Princess Six so angry?”

“It's that shameless…” Halfway through, Princess Fei-er's lips curled up, and she shook her head: “No, why should I go first? You tell me first, who made our Miss Qi Qi, who never shows her emotions, so happy?”

“I…” Luo Qi Qi hesitated: “How about this, let's both tell what happened at the same time! No need to hide anything from each other!”

“Alright!” Princess Fei-er nodded: “Start!”

“He's a despicable, shameless young man who's best at swindling people, ignorant and reckless, utterly infuriating!” Princess Fei-er gritted her teeth, her eyes filled with hatred.

“He's a gentle and elegant, magnanimous young talent, profoundly learned and truly admirable!” Luo Qi Qi said with adoration.