70 Chapter 1227: Liu Yang’s Crisis 2 (1/2)
”It's like this. The emperor of the Qingyuan Empire, Chu Tianxing, wishes to reconcile with Zhang shi, so he has specially paid a visit to the Combat Master Hall in hopes of making amends. However, Zhang shi happens to be in seclusion at the moment, so it is not convenient for him to meet him. Thus, he hopes to meet you instead,” the combat master said.
”He wants to meet me? Tell him that I'm not free!” Liu Yang waved his hand impatiently.
What he was lacking the most at the moment was time, and he did not want to waste a single second of it.
”Young Master Liu, you cannot simply spend every single second of your life cultivating. You need to relax and wind down from time to time. Even though His Majesty did have a disagreement with Zhang shi in the past, he seems to be earnestly seeking reconciliation this time around. Why don't you meet him and foster some goodwill with him? No matter what, he's still the emperor of the Qingyuan Empire. If his attempts at reconciliation fall through, he could possibly resort to underhanded tricks to deal with Zhang shi, and that would only cause Zhang shi more trouble!” the combat master advised.
”This… Alright then!” After a moment of hesitation, Liu Yang eventually nodded.
While the other six of his peers were busy bringing glory to his teacher's name, he was the only one who was still leeching off their teacher, using his teacher's cultivation resources.
If he added to his teacher's trouble on top of that, what rights would he have to continue remaining as Zhang Xuan's student?
Thus, he quickly washed up and switched into a fresh set of clothes before following that combat master to the main hall.
Upon seeing Liu Yang, Chu Tianxing quickly walked over to welcome him with a bright smile, completely devoid of the airs of an emperor. ”You must be Brother Liu, I have long heard of your name! To be qualified to become Zhang shi's direct disciple, you must be a man of great talent!”
Slightly taken aback by Chu Tianxing's abrupt intimacy, Liu Yang awkwardly replied, ”Your Majesty, you're flattering me…”
”Not at all, not at all! There isn't any point beating around the bush before someone as smart as you, so I'll just straight to the point. As you know, I had a conflict with Zhang shi previously over King Zhongqing, so I earnestly wish to make amends and heal the rift between us.”
At this point, Chu Tianxing raised his hand, and a guard standing behind him walked over and passed a jade container to him.
”This is a gift that I have specially prepared for Zhang shi as a token of my sincerity. I hope that you won't turn down my goodwill!”
Glancing at the jade container in his hand, Liu Yang frowned. He slowly pried it open, and a gush of concentrated spiritual energy immediately burst forth from the container.
Concentrated high-tier spirit stones, five of them!
Liu Yang widened his eyes in astonishment. ”This…”
He knew that his teacher urgently required concentrated high-tier spirit stones, so if he could help his teacher secure these five concentrated high-tier spirit stones, he would be doing his teacher a great favor!
Noticing Liu Yang's expression, Chu Tianxing's smile brightened. ”Brother Liu, aside from the gift for Zhang shi, I have also prepared a present for you, too.”
He raised his hand once more, and another guard swiftly walked forward and grandly presented another jade container. ”I know that Brother Liu possesses exceptional talent in fist arts, so I specially paid a visit to the Blacksmith Guild to have them forge a pair of knuckledusters for you! It's a Saint low-tier weapon, and I believe it should be fitting for you.”
As Chu Tianxing spoke, the guard opened the jade container.
Jiya!
A powerful aura emanated from the jade container. Lowering his gaze, Liu Yang saw a pair of beautifully-crafted knuckledusters. A brilliant gleam was reflected off them, and one could feel the powerful aura of a Saint low-tier weapon.
”This…” Liu Yang's voice went hoarse, and his body could not help but stiffen in astonishment.
To be honest, he had wanted a pair of knuckledusters for some time in order to augment his fist arts. However, his teacher had been too busy recently, and he could not bring himself to trouble his teacher at such a moment. As such, he could not hold back his agitation upon seeing Chu Tianxing's gift.
Liu Yang hesitated for a brief moment before replying, ”I appreciate your goodwill, but I can't accept these valuable gifts from you.”
”Brother Liu, there's no need to hold yourself back. It's my fortune to be acquainted with you, and I hope that these gifts can serve as a token of our friendship for the many years to come. So, I hope that you won't turn down my goodwill!” Chu Tianxing urged with an earnest smile.
”I see… Since that's the case, I'll humbly accept your gifts. I'll also relay your goodwill to my teacher.” Liu Yang took the knuckledusters from the jade container and put them on.
They happened to fit him perfectly. The more he looked at them, the more he found himself liking them.
As these knuckledusters had just been forged, they did not have any spirit in them yet. As such, he could use them immediately without having to win the acknowledgement of a weapon spirit.
”There's no need to stand on ceremony,” Chu Tianxing replied graciously. ”Right, that reminds me. There is going to be a family banquet in the royal palace tonight. My younger daughters have long heard of your name, and they have been pestering me for an opportunity to meet you. If it isn't too much trouble, I would like to invite you to join us in the banquet!”
”This…” A hesitant frown emerged on Liu Yang's forehead. ”Since it's a family banquet, it wouldn't be good for an outsider like me to join in the commotion…”
”It's fine, it's fine! It isn't easy for two people to meet in this massive world, and I have already long considered you my brother, so there's no need to be so formal with me! Actually, I intended to invite Zhang shi over as well, but it's a pity that Zhang shi is currently in seclusion. Brother Liu, it'll truly be an honor for our Qingyuan royal family if you would join our family banquet!” Chu Tianxing said.
”I thank you for your high opinion, but I need to cultivate,” Liu Yang replied.
”Brother Liu, I know that you are a diligent individual, and I admire your perseverance as well. However, you need to take a rest from time to time and recharge yourself! Also, I actually do have a small request to make of Brother Liu during the banquet. My sons have been getting rather lazy recently, and that has been a huge headache for me. So, I hope that you can teach them a lesson and make them understand that there's a world far greater than the one that they see, and that they shouldn't get complacent with what they have!”
”This…” Liu Yang was conflicted for a moment before eventually nodding. ”Alright then.”
No matter what, the other party did give him a new pair of knuckledusters, so it was only right for him to return the favor. Furthermore, this was an opportunity for him to further his teacher's reputation. With these thoughts in mind, his hesitation in accepting Chu Tianxing's invitation was alleviated.
All six of his departed seniors and juniors were all outstanding individuals, bound for great heights in the future. Living under their shadows, he had been under extreme pressure in recent days. He strongly craved for a chance to prove himself as well, and this family banquet was the perfect opportunity for him to do so.
Seeing that Liu Yang had made up his mind, Division Head Zhou decided not to say anything else. In any case, he did not think that any harm would come to Liu Yang under Chu Tianxing's care.
Before long, the duo was already well on their way to the royal palace.
By the time they arrived at the royal palace, the family banquet had already started. Countless princes and princesses walked in and out the area, chatting harmoniously with one another.
As expected of the princesses of a Conferred Empire, they were all outstanding beauties. Sitting among them, Liu Yang could not help but feel his heart beating in nervousness.
While their beauty was nowhere on par with Zhao Ya, Wang Ying, and the others, it was still inevitable that a seventeen-year-old young man like him would find it hard to keep his cool before their charming smiles and alluring gestures.