Chapter 166: Party Guests
Translator: Noodletown Translated Editor: Noodletown Translated
Hao Ren turned his head and found Qin Shaoyang’s blue light quite dim. It seemed like he was on Li-level, which was only one realm higher than Kan.
The make-up artist and the hairstylist had the same impression. They took one step forward and said to Qin Shaoyang, “This is East Ocean’s dressing room, and no one can come here uninvited.”
Bang!
A surge of energy was released from Qin Shaoyang’s body.
The make-up artist and the hairstylist stumbled several steps back before crashing hard into the wall. Although Hao Ren was prepared and didn’t fall back by holding onto the edge of the dresser, he felt an uncomfortable pressure on his chest.
“This is what you get for disrespecting an Inspector!” With a snort, Qin Shaoyang turned and walked out of the dressing room.
The make-up artist and the hairstylist rubbed their chest and could breathe again after a good while.
They walked to Hao Ren and said, “Gongzi Hao, sorry for the trouble we caused you.”
“No problem.” Hao Ren smiled at them. “It’s just that I may have dust on my face, and the hair is messed up.”
“It doesn’t matter. We will do it again.” They stood before Hao Ren and got busy once again.
Looking back at the door that Qin Shaoyang had walked out from, Hao Ren clenched his fists.
Strength spoke loudest in the world of cultivation. If he had reached Zhao Kuo’s realm, even an Inspector like Qin Shaoyang wouldn’t be daring enough to mess with him.
After half another, Hao Ren once again looked handsome and refreshed in the mirror.
“You are late!” a high-pitched voice sounded in the dressing room.
Dressed in a blue-and-white striped blouse and a classic long skirt, Zhao Yanzi appeared by the door.
She had both the elegance of a little princess and the cuteness of a girl. Her outfit was obviously another masterpiece of Zhao Hongyu’s.
She had light makeup on which accentuated her beauty, and she would look stunning at the party.
“I arrived long ago, but I stayed in the dressing room the whole time,” Hao Ren said.
“Humph! You need makeup to look handsome!” Zhao Yanzi walked to where Hao Ren was sitting and yelled.
Hao Ren was speechless and thought, “Well, I’m not handsome enough to match you, a lady born with beauty and bad manners.”
The make-up artist and the hairstylist were making the final adjustment. They didn’t dare to mention the incident with Qin Shaoyang.
“Good. It’s done,” they stood back half a step and said.
Hao Ren stood up and moved to stand in front of the mirror.
Staring at the man with a straight figure, a handsome face, graceful movements, Zhao Yanzi almost didn’t recognize Hao Ren who was in the black suit.
She stared at him while taking two steps back subconsciously.
Hao Ren wanted to ask her how much time was left before the party begins, but Zhao Yanzi said before he opened his mouth, “Not handsome!”
“Huh?” Puzzled, Hao Ren asked, “When will the party begin?”
“In…” Zhao Yanzi avoided Hao Ren’s eyes. “…About half an hour.”
“Where are Uncle and Auntie?” Hao Ren asked.
“They are also preparing…” Seeing Hao Ren walking toward her, Zhao Yanzi suddenly became nervous. Abruptly, she ran out of the dressing room.
Confused, Hao Ren looked at the door, having no clue as to what caused her strange behavior.
Suddenly, it occurred to him that he had not gotten Zhao Yanzi a birthday gift!
However, it was too late now. He decided to compensate for it later.
“Well, Ren, you look dashing today.”
When he was thinking about the birthday gift, Zhao Hongyu walked in with Zhao Guang.
“Uncle! Auntie!” Hao Ren greeted them respectfully.
Today, both Zhao Hongyu and Zhao Guang were dressed in formal attires; a gown and a suit. They were a perfect couple with Zhao Hongyu’s beauty and elegance and Zhao Guang’s handsome looks and majestic presence.
“Zi told us that she is looking for you. Where is she?” Zhao Hongyu looked around and asked.
“She ran out a moment ago. I guess she went to find Su Han,” Hao Ren said.
“I suppose Su Han came with you.” Zhao Hongyu handed him the key to his car. “When Su Han came to visit me today, I was about to pick up some elders in the suburbs. So, I borrowed your car for it.”
“No problem.” Hao Ren also took out the key to the Ferrari.
“If you like, you can keep the car. I’m planning to get a new car since the Ferrari is quite picky with road conditions, but our garage can only park two cars,” Zhao Hongyu said as she raised a hand to push the key back to Hao Ren.
“No, I can’t accept it.” Hao Ren was determined.
“Then, I’ll lend it to you. If you still refuse it, I’ll have to sell it for one million yuan,” Zhao Hongyu continued.
“It is quite a waste to sell the almost brand-new car that worth millions for only one million.” Hao Ren thought for a moment and decided to keep the car for Zhao Hongyu temporarily since the garage in his home by the sea was quite big.
“Ok, I’ll keep it for you until you find a good buyer,” Hao Ren said.
“Good!” Zhao Hongyu smiled and was pleased. She planned to buy an SUV which offered her a better view of the road, but she didn’t know what to do with the Ferrari. She liked the car a lot and was reluctant to sell it, but the car would gradually lose value if she left it unused. Giving it to Hao Ren as a gift was the perfect solution for her.
Zhao Guang had no objection to Zhao Hongyu’s decision. He didn’t care about the Ferrari. For him, Hao Ren’s breakthrough to Kan-level was something worthy of celebration.
He was delighted with Hao Ren’s diligent cultivation, and he now had high hopes for Hao Ren’s future progress since he was told that Hao Ren had reached Kan-level without the aid of the two elixir pills.
He had regarded Hao Ren as a hard-working and kind young man, but he didn’t hold high hopes for his cultivation achievements. After all, if Hao Ren cultivated hard, the East Ocean had enough elixirs to elevate him to Zhen-level.
Now seeing that Hao Ren was not without talent in cultivation and his fortitude was far greater than ordinary people, Zhao Guang was more determined to keep this future Fuma.
The party was about to begin in half an hour, so Zhao Hongyu took Hao Ren to the grand banquet hall on the third floor.
Zhao Yanzi’s birthday party this year was a significant event, and even the South Ocean and North Ocean, which had few dealings with the East Ocean, had each sent representative groups of 20 to 30 people led by high-rank officials equivalent to Premier Xia in the East Ocean Dragon Palace.
It was only half an hour before the party began, but the people of the West Ocean Dragon Palace had not arrived yet. When Hao Ren entered the grand banquet hall, he found that most of the people in it emitted blue lights while only a few had different colors.
Those with different color didn’t emit strong lights, but by their old looks and the respectful attitudes the others showed toward them, Hao Ren knew that they were the most powerful cultivators here. True masters knew the importance of modesty.
“That is Elder Shi from GreenStone Mountain. He is the No.1 Elder of the Earth-Elemental Dragon Clan in the east and has a cultivation power of 600 years. That one with long eyebrows is Elder Mu from the Qingfeng Forest. Although he has retired from the throne of the Wood-Elemental Dragon Clan, he as the former Dragon King still has a strong influence. That red-faced elder emitting red light is Shang Chu, an elder who cultivates a fire-elemental technique. And that one…” Zhao Hongyu led Hao Ren into the hall and pointed out the most influential guests so that he wouldn’t offend them by accident.
Hao Ren listened carefully, knowing that they were senior hermits, and Zhao Guang took a ton of effort to invite them to the party.
Their appearances at the party showed their respect and support to the East Ocean Dragon Clan. They were a force the West Ocean had to reckon with if they wanted to start a war with the East Ocean.
“Well, well, well! Little Yu, you are as pretty as I remembered!” The red-haired and red-faced old man walked over and said to Zhao Hongyu with his resonant voice.
He wasn’t circulating any techniques, but the heat he carried was a bit overwhelming for Hao Ren. The burning sensation heated his face.
If this elder had shown his face on the street, he would have made a scene. No wonder Zhao Hongyu had to pick them up.
“Hi, Elder Shang. Are the dishes here to your taste?” Zhao Hongyu asked politely.
“They are good. The only problem is that they dry up as soon as I touch them. Obviously, they are not as good as the stuff in your dragon palace,” Elder Shang said with a chuckle
“It is because your cultivation of the fire-elemental technique, Burning Flames in Wilderness, has reached such a high realm. It’s a blessing that you haven’t burned up everything in the mortal world.” Zhao Hongyu smiled.
“Girl, you are still such a sweet talker.” Elder Shang glanced at Hao Ren. “And is this Little Zi’s Fuma?”
“Hello, Grandpa Shang,” Hao Ren said.
“Good! Good!” He nodded and looked Hao Ren up and down. “He’s indeed a handsome young man. But he is only at Kan-level, not very high, right?”
“He’s still young, and there’s a long road ahead of him.” Zhao Hongyu smiled again. “Please take a walk around the place; the good stuff will be served once the party begins.”
“Good.” This Elder Shang wandered away, and the burning sensation that Hao Ren was feeling instantly disappeared.
Zhao Hongyu introduced Hao Ren to the elders one by one. Meanwhile, Zhao Guang was busy greeting the other guests and had no time to make rounds with them.
After the introductions, Hao Ren found that the elders were all cultivators with unfathomable powers and were as mighty as Zhao Yanzi’s Third Uncle. He thought, “Due to their old ages and peaceful minds, they probably don’t care about the title of No. 1 Cultivator, and that is why the title went to Zhao Kuo who had only been in the cultivation world for 200 years. However, Zhao Kuo is an extraordinary genius since he had reached top-tier Qian-level in only 200 years. Of course, Su Han is an even rarer genius since she had reached mid-tier Qian-level in only 20 plus years!”
After meeting the elders, Zhao Hongyu was about to give Hao Ren a break when a clear voice greeted her, “Ms. Zhao.”
Zhao Hongyu turned and saw Qin Shaoyang standing before her with a fake smile.
“Hi, Mr. Qin. What can I do for you?” Zhao Hongyu asked him, looking dignified in her formal dress.
“It’s true that one can merge with the Dragon Core and become a member of the Dragon Tribe after reaching Kan-level,” Qin Shaoyang’s eyes glinted. “However, as an Inspector, I suspect that Hao Ren only reached the realm temporarily by taking elixirs.”
“What do you want?” Hao Ren took one step forward and asked.
“I’ll do a little test.” Qin Shaoyang locked his eye on Hao Ren. “If you are truly a Kan-level Cultivator, you won’t be afraid of the test. One thing the Inspectors could do is to evaluate the level of realms.”
“Ren, let me handle this,” Zhao Guang walked over and said firmly.
“I have a suggestion, Mr. Qin. You may lower yourself to Kan-level and fight with me. What do you think?” Thinking back to the competitions he had seen in the hall among the kids, Hao Ren asked abruptly.