Chapter 1390: Do You Know Each Other?

Qi Wang's sudden shout plunged the lively Yaochi grand gathering into instant silence.

Everyone present was stunned, their jade cups frozen in mid-air, including Yaochi Xian Mu herself, a Quasi-Emperor, who was taken completely by surprise.

"Who is that guy? Has he gone mad?" The brief quiet was quickly broken as the Yaochi event erupted in whispers. Such blatant provocation was clearly intended to stir up trouble.

"This is the first time I've ever heard of someone disrespecting Yaochi to this extent." Many elders stroked their beards in disbelief. "To take a Yaochi goddess to a brothel – it's shocking just to hear such words."

"Capture them." Amidst the discussions, Yaochi Xian Mu spoke, setting down her jade cup as if she could already see the two figures fleeing through the misty clouds outside the mountain.

"You're asking for it." The nine Yaochi Da Sheng charged out one after another, their faces dark with anger.

"I'll go too." Ji Ning Shuang coughed lightly and stood up, her expression a mix of amusement and helplessness. Others might not know, but she recognized the voice as Qi Wang's. She never expected him to be so audacious – it was as if he lived to cause chaos.

"Are you out of your damn mind?" Outside Yaochi Immortal Mountain, Ye Chen cursed at Qi Wang as they sped away. He never imagined that the guy, who had been sitting quietly just a moment ago, would suddenly let out such a shout, instantly enraging the entire Yaochi Holy Land.

"I just wanted to go into the mountain and eat some peaches." Qi Wang scratched his nose and shook his head, looking completely unconcerned.

"Why don't you go eat shit instead?" Ye Chen was so angry he nearly spat blood, letting loose a string of expletives.

"Not so fast." A shout came from behind them. Before the words even faded, nine figures crossed the void and blocked their path. The nine Yaochi Da Sheng had arrived, their overwhelming presence suppressing the heavens. Ye Chen and Qi Wang, still trying to escape, were forced to their knees on the spot.

"You've got some nerve." One of the Yaochi Da Sheng snorted coldly, his words shaking the two until they coughed up blood.

"Misunderstanding! It's all a misunderstanding." Ye Chen forced a laugh, and Qi Wang quickly looked contrite, meek as a lamb.

"Disrespecting Yaochi comes at a price." The Yaochi Da Sheng raised his hand abruptly, preparing to strike.

"Esteemed elder, please show mercy." Before he could act, Ji Ning Shuang arrived like a streak of rainbow light, landing in the area. She first glared at Qi Wang, then hurriedly bowed respectfully to the Yaochi Da Sheng. "Esteemed elder, please show mercy."

"Yaochi, do you know them?" The Yaochi Da Sheng looked at Ji Ning Shuang with a puzzled expression.

"Of course we know each other. The three of us even—" Qi Wang started to speak, but Ji Ning Shuang quickly covered his mouth before he could finish, as if she knew exactly what nonsense he was about to spout—that would truly cause an uproar.

"They are friends from my tribulation trials." Ji Ning Shuang kept her hand firmly over Qi Wang's mouth and smiled at the Yaochi Da Sheng. "In fact, you could say they saved my life."

"Is that truly the case?" The Yaochi Da Sheng frowned slightly. Earlier, she had clearly heard the word "brothel," and if Ji Ning Shuang hadn't intervened in time, the next word would likely have been even worse.

"Absolutely true. I wouldn't dare deceive you, esteemed elder." Ji Ning Shuang smiled, though it was laced with awkwardness.

"Even so, their words were utterly outrageous." The Yaochi Da Sheng said sternly.

"We had no choice." Qi Wang coughed. "We didn't have invitations, so they wouldn't let us in to eat the peaches. I had to call out like that. And hey, it worked perfectly."

"Dear seniors, feel free to take him away and stew him. I won't object." Ye Chen said.

"Take them away." The Yaochi Da Sheng ordered directly, not wanting to waste time on these two eccentrics.

"Esteemed elder."

"I won't pursue this, but that doesn't mean Xian Mu won't."

"Uh." Ji Ning Shuang pursed her lips and followed along, not forgetting to shoot Ye Chen an annoyed glance, as if to say: How on earth did you end up with this donkey?

"It was an accident, just an accident." Ye Chen coughed and rubbed his forehead in frustration.

"Hey, they aren't really going to kill us, right?" Qi Wang poked Ye Chen with his hand.

"Get lost. I don't want to deal with you." Ye Chen's face was full of dark lines. He thought he was eccentric enough, but Qi Wang was even more of a troublemaker. That howl had nearly scared him to death.

Ji Ning Shuang rubbed her forehead too, regretting her oversight in forgetting about the invitations. Otherwise, this ridiculous situation wouldn't have happened. The Yaochi goddess was truly furious this time.

The nine Yaochi Da Sheng moved swiftly, bringing Ye Chen and Qi Wang back to the Yaochi grand gathering.

These two certainly knew how to make an entrance, descending from the sky under everyone's watchful eyes. All attendees scrutinized them – these were the oddballs who had disrespected the Yaochi Holy Land.

As soon as they landed, Ye Chen felt a chill run through his body. The Yaochi elders and disciples were glaring at them fiercely, and those who admired Yaochi were shooting cold looks their way.

Meanwhile, the Yaochi Da Sheng had already approached Yaochi Xian Mu and whispered a divine message to her.

Yaochi Xian Mu looked at Ji Ning Shuang with a strange expression, unaware that her own goddess had such peculiar friends who dared to openly suggest taking her to a brothel.

Ji Ning Shuang handled it smoothly, glancing around before fixing her eyes on the distant sky, as if to say: They are my friends, so please give me some face.

Yaochi Xian Mu couldn't help but chuckle, then turned her gaze downward with interest. Her eyes skipped over Qi Wang and settled on Ye Chen. As she looked, her beautiful eyes narrowed slightly.

She wasn't the only one staring – many elderly Quasi-Emperors in attendance were watching too, their eyes filled with deep meaning, as if they had recognized Ye Chen's bloodline, the legendary Huang Gu Sheng Ti.

"Disrespecting the goddess demands execution." A loud shout suddenly rang out, startling the group of elderly Quasi-Emperors.

The one shouting was none other than the Sun Moon Shen Zi, his face full of righteous indignation. He saw this as a prime opportunity to show off and wasn't about to let it slip away.

"Disrespecting the goddess demands execution." Following his lead, Tai Qing Shen Zi, Zhi Zun Shen Zi, and Pian Miao Shen Zi stood up one after another, all brimming with fury.

"Disrespecting the goddess demands execution." Tian Fa Shen Zi, Cang Ling Shen Zi, and Yu Hua Shen Zi also rose, speaking with great passion. Anyone unaware might think Ye Chen had a personal vendetta against them.

"I didn't even provoke you guys." Ye Chen shrugged. "Don't try to scare me. I have a bad temper."

"How dare you speak so boldly." The seven of them roared in unison and moved to lunge from their seats.

"Enough." Yaochi Xian Mu intervened with authority, her tone carrying a hint of sternness.

"Xian Mu, they—"

"I will handle this myself." Yaochi Xian Mu said softly, waving her hand to release the restraints on Ye Chen and Qi Wang. "Since they are friends of Yaochi, we will let this slide. Please, take your seats."

"Thank you, Xian Mu." Ye Chen and Qi Wang grinned and scurried off, casually finding a table in the corner and making themselves at home.

In contrast, Tian Fa Shen Zi and the other six looked furious, their faces turning iron-blue. They had expected to make a grand show of themselves, but Yaochi Xian Mu had sided with these two insignificant Quasi-Saints who disrespected Yaochi. It was a humiliating setback.

The minor disruption passed, and the gathering continued as before, with everyone resuming their unfinished drinks.

After a cup of wine, the sound of qin and xiao music rose gracefully. Yaochi's fairies took to the clouds, their jade silks fluttering as they danced with elegance, though not quite matching Hua Wu's style, it was still captivating.

In the corner, Ye Chen, seated quietly, scanned the area and quickly located the reincarnated individuals. Besides Ji Ning Shuang, there were over a dozen in Yaochi Holy Land: three from Mu Yun family, two from Xing Yue Palace, one from Qi Xi Palace, and the rest from Da Chu imperial clan.

Hm?

As he observed, Ye Chen suddenly sensed someone watching him and turned to look in that direction.

It was at a table nearer the front, where a young man in purple robes and a woman in white sat. The one staring was the purple-haired youth, his eyes deep and unfathomable.

"Feng Xian Er." Ye Chen murmured to himself. He didn't recognize the purple-robed youth, but he knew the woman in white – it was Feng Xian Er, whom he had met in Phoenix Valley. She had tried to reclaim the Phoenix Immortal Art from him out of dissatisfaction and ended up getting a lesson.

As Ye Chen looked at her, Feng Xian Er was looking back, her eyes full of resentment and chill.

Ye Chen ignored it and turned to the purple-haired youth beside her. His bloodline was extraordinarily powerful, his vital energy vast like an ocean, with faint phoenix cries echoing. Sitting with Feng Xian Er, he had to be from the Phoenix Clan, and of high status.

The purple-haired youth smiled faintly, his lips curving with mockery. "I've been searching for you for a long time. The Phoenix Clan's Immortal Art isn't something you can take so easily."

"That's the Eighth Prince of the Phoenix Clan, also their Shen Zi." Qi Wang said from the side. "He's no pushover – ranked eighth, yet he holds the Shen Zi position."

"I can see that." Ye Chen took a sip of wine and glanced in another direction. At the table opposite Feng Xian Er's sat a young man in white, leisurely enjoying the dance in the clouds. His aura was no weaker than the Phoenix Shen Zi's, and his bloodline was equally formidable.

"Someone from the Xian Clan." Ye Chen said quietly, as if he had identified the bloodline.

"The Xian Clan Shen Zi – a real tough one." Qi Wang bit into a pan peach. "Don't mess with him if you can help it. He's the type to hold a grudge, and it won't end well."

"You sure know a lot." Ye Chen turned to Qi Wang with interest.

"It's a talent." Qi Wang chuckled and shoved the entire pan peach into his mouth, then pointed to another table. "See that big guy with the bare arms? He's the Man Clan Shen Zi. The one next to him is the Wu Clan Shen Zi. Across from them, that blue-haired woman is no small fry – she's the Ling Clan Shen Nv. The girl in green beside her is the Gu Clan Shen Nv. And straight across from us, that red-haired youth is the Mo Clan Shen Zi."

Qi Wang was thorough, his knowledge extensive as he pointed out each one, giving Ye Chen a rundown. It seemed he knew everyone there inside and out.

Ye Chen said nothing, just listened quietly while surveying the room, secretly amazed at the depth of Yaochi Holy Land's connections. The ancient nine clans had all been invited, and their Shen Zi or Shen Nv were present in person.