Tang Xia hastened her steps, then sat on the right side of Helian Jue with an indistinct smile in her mouth.

“I apologize for what happened, sister.” Yi Jiazi wore some grievance in her phoenix eyes, putting on the sensible air, which satisfied King Nanchen.

“In Southland, Jiazi was an outstanding woman in terms of military strength. But she became gentler after she came here. It is true that each place has its own way of supporting its own inhabitants.” King Nanchen squinted his sharp eyes as he smiled with his whiskers moving as well.

“King Nanchen, you flatter me. I was frivolous and young before. Now that I’ve met the man who I can give my all for, I must change for him.”

Yi Jiazi said in a soft voice with her rosy cheeks.

Yi Jiazi’s words were said to Helian Jue. However, he was not happy to hear that.

“I’d like to appreciate how you would look in silver armor and on a horse.” Helian Jue said jokingly, with his eyes half-closed, humiliating Yi Jiazi calmly.

Yi Jiazi said she changed for him, but Helian Jue admitted that he would prefer what she used to be.

Helian Jue’s words made Yi Jiazi’s face turn red out of shame.

Not paying attention to Yi Jiazi, King Nanchen had fixed his eyes on Tang Xia’s shoulder from the beginning, as his sharp eyes were like the talons of a falcon, the bottom of his eyes covered in darkness.

Tang Xia turned her head away stiffly.

“Is King Nanchen interested in my beloved imperial concubine?” Helian Jue opened his fair teeth as his handsome face was like a clear dam, not showing happiness nor anger.

King Nanchen knew what he did was too much, then smiled awkwardly, “Of course not.”

Kings from other countries entered the hall successively. As the host of the banquet, Helian Jue stood up and greeted every one of them.

It could be seen that it was not dark yet from the hollow rosewood windows. Rays of evening sunlight extended from afar as the breeze was like a monster engulfing the whole evening.

Tang Xia avoided toasting each other then looked for Chu Tiankuo in the candlelight.

As the breeze swept by, her hair was blown into the air, with her vermilion hair band fluttering as well. Finally, Tang Xia found the man in silver armor outside the crowd.

“Yue Ji.” A rough voice came from behind.

Tang Xia raised her thin eyebrows, then turned around and happened to crash into a broad chest.

When she saw who was in front of her, Tang Xia stepped back immediately, then bent her knees slightly, “I, Yue Ji, pay my respects to you, King Nanchen.”

King Nanchen wore a trace of a smile in his eyes as the smell of drink on him fused with the candlelight of Xingyun Tower. In the dim, flickering light, King Nanchen’s rough face appeared somewhat gentle.

“Rise.” King Nanchen opened his mouth, fixing his eyes on Tang Xia’s delicate face, “You are so beautiful tonight.”

King Nanchen said a little tipsily. The smell of drink on him swarmed into Tang Xia’s nose, making her frown disgustedly. However, she kept herself under control.

“Thank you for your compliment. I, Yue Ji, as the imperial concubine, should dress up to attend such a grand banquet so that I can win honor for the other sisters in the imperial harem.”

King Nanchen laughed, “Win honor? There surely are lots of interesting and charming women in the imperial harem of Helian Jue.”

Tang Xia stepped back quietly, “Thank you for your compliment, King Nanchen.”

Before she went away, King Nanchen held Tang Xia’s delicate wrist.

“What do you mean, King Nanchen?” Tang Xia lost interest in the stand-off, with some traces of coldness flickering in her delicate peach blossom eyes.

King Nanchen hiccupped from the wine, and with a frivolous look in his eyebrows, “You are truly a beauty who is so charming even when you are angry.”

Knowing that King Nanchen had lost most of his reason, Tang Xia wanted to get rid of him as quickly as possible, making her red dress more coquettish in the candlelight.

“Please behave yourself, King Nanchen. I cannot accept what you just said to me. But as far as I’m concerned, the emperor would accept it for me.” Tang Xia wore a sneer in her mouth.

What Tang Xia meant was quite obvious – she was suppressing King Nanchen with Helian Jue.

King Nanchen wore a look of scorn on his face with some coldness flickering in his eyes, “How could Helian Jue support such a big country without his father, who laid a solid foundation for him?”

“Now Helian Jue is under attack from both sides, and is no longer like the sun at high noon.” King Nanchen wore a taunting smile in his mouth. Tang Xia could conclude that King Nanchen was not drunk and was sober at least at this moment.

“Little beauty, how about becoming my imperial concubine so that I can protect you?” King Nanchen wore a smile with a trace of greed flickering in his prudent eyes.

King Nanchen’s words reminded Tang Xia of Chu Tiankuo. Both of them used the same way to refer to themselves. However, this man in front of her was so disgusting that she just wanted to run away from him.

King Nanchen caught the disgust in Tang Xia’s eyes, then tightened his massive hand holding her delicate hand.

“Yue Ji, do not be so unappreciative.” King Nanchen said with anger flickering in his eyes. “Do you know how easy it would be for me to get you? I just need to beat around the bush, and Helian Jue would present you respectfully with both hands to me.”

“You are just a bitch, how dare you pretend to be reserved?”

Looking at King Nanchen’s disgusting face, Tang Xia felt extremely angry. However, King Nanchen owned such great strength that she could not get rid of him.

As she stepped back, Tang Xia crashed into a set of silver armor.

Chu Tiankuo’s indifferent face appeared behind Tang Xia’s back with the same familiar smell around him. His handsome face reflected the candlelight, with a glow flickering in his indifferent eyes. Chu Tiankuo frowned, wearing extreme coldness around him.

“You are speaking some strong words, King Nanchen.” Chu Tiankuo said in a cold voice. As Tang Xia tilted her head, she felt her shoulders being covered vaguely.

It was the warmth from Chu Tiankuo’s palm.

King Nanchen fixed his eyes on Chu Tiankuo for a moment, then the anger between his eyebrows rose up immediately, “What the hell are you.”

Chu Tiankuo replied in a cold voice and fixed his eyes on King Nanchen for a while, then glanced away, “I’m a member of the armed imperial guard who is in charge of the security of the imperial concubines.”

Chu Tiankuo’s voice was as pleasant as a deep horn melodiously haunting Tang Xia’s ears. Chu Tiankuo’s eyebrows were filled with coldness, attracting Tang Xia’s eyes completely.

“An armed imperial guard? You are just a eunuch with hair. What can you do to me if I want to have Yue Ji?”

King Nanchen wore a trace of danger in his eagle eyes, as if he had assumed that the man in front of him would not dare draw out his sword.

Chu Tiankuo closed his thin lips tightly. In Tang Xia’s view, the moving glow of his forehead could be seen clearly.

“I can do nothing to you, King Nanchen.” Chu Tiankuo, who looked just like Asura from hell, with his red lips and gleaming teeth, said slowly with coldness in his voice, “But I can kill you.”

Before his voice had died away, Chu Tiankuo drew out his sword with his slender arm and held it to the side of King Nanchen’s neck suddenly.

Everyone’s look was attracted to the blade.

“What are you doing?” King Nanchen’s imperial bodyguard shouted, with a Roman nose full of Southland features.

Chu Tiankuo wore a poker face with his handsome eyebrows and extreme coldness, which seemed to freeze the man in front into ice.

“I want to kill you.” Chu Tiankuo’s cold voice hit King Nanchen’s ears, which made him frown.

“Hm.” King Nanchen snorted with a malicious smile in his mouth.

“Helian Jue!” King Nanchen shouted in his rough voice. As his whiskers were chipped off, King Nanchen wore a strange smile.

Helian Jue in the high platform frowned his eyebrows tightly. In the candlelight, his face appeared gentler with an indifferent look, showing no happiness nor anger.

“Helian Jue, we have known each other since childhood, and we were introduced to each other by our elders. You are also ten years younger than me.” His Adam’s apple bobbed in his throat then he added, “I, King Nanchen, ask for someone from you today. What would you say?”

Helian Jue buried his whole face into the darkness and said in a cold voice, with his slender fingers tapping on the wooden table vaguely.

“Who do you want, Brother Nanchen?” Helian Jue did not order Chu Tiankuo to put his sword down but just asked the question.

Not knowing what was going on, Yi Jiazi’s phoenix eyes were full of envy at the sight of Tang Xia between Chu Tiankuo and King Nanchen.

“How about putting down the sword, then we can have a good talk?” Yi Jiazi said in a soft voice, frowning her eyebrows involuntarily.

“It is none of your business.” Helian Jue said in a cold and impatient voice with a casual but stunning smile.

“I want your Yue Ji!” King Nanchen spared no effort to shout, touching the sword on the side of his neck so that his copper skin spilled blood and immediately dyed the sword red.

Helian Jue glanced away, cooling the air around him immediately, then said imperially, “I assume that you are kidding, King Nanchen.”

King Nanchen tilted his head, not paying attention to the blood on his neck, then wore a bigger smile, “You just need to answer me.”

The candlelight hid Helian Jue’s face in the darkness, and the pureness of his coquettish eyes was replaced by extreme coldness.

Helian Jue raised his voice and said, stressing each syllable, “Why should I give my woman to an animal?”

The atmosphere froze for a moment.

King Nanchen’s pupils shrunk drastically followed by monstrous anger. Then he hit the sword on the side of his neck away and turned around, looking directly at Helian Jue.

Helian Jue was not afraid at all, and looked back at King Nanchen with his coquettish eyes wearing extreme coldness on his face.

“Helian Jue, are you sure of what you have said?” King Nanchen wore a malicious smile gradually. His eyes turned crimson and his body heaved as if he was accumulating his anger.

“I’m quite sure.” Helian Jue said toughly, raising his chin haughtily and wearing a smile of contempt.

“Alright!” King Nanchen shouted angrily and tightened his hand holding the sword hidden in his sleeves – he would thrust his shining sword through Helian Jue’s forehead as long as Helian Jue said another word.

All of a sudden, a fight was on the verge of breaking out and the atmosphere was down to the freezing point.

“You are both the kings of your own country, how shameful it is for you two to act on impulse for a woman!” One aged voice came, attracting everyone’s attention back immediately.

“She is Archduke Qingling!” One man shouted, attracting everyone’s look to the old woman.

“I pay my respects to you, Archduke Qingling.” Everyone in the hall all bowed to the woman. As Tang Xia looked at Helian Jue, she was surprised to find that he made a bow genuinely with his hands folded in front to Archduke Qingling.