Section 421: Just Ten Steps Apart
The Yan family was hosting this year's Clan Assembly, so naturally, they were also organizing this banquet. Before every Clan Assembly, there is such a banquet where you can meet all the top experts from each clan and befriend those you admire.
All the top experts from the Clan Assembly would attend this banquet. Opportunities to gather so many experts in one place were exceedingly rare. This was the highest-level banquet in the entire Free Star Region. Moreover, both the current head of the Yan family and the matriarch would be present at the venue. While the Yan family head was naturally prestigious and formidable, the matriarch was also an extraordinary figure in her own right.
Due to the Clan Assembly being held there, the density of young geniuses on Lised was far greater than anywhere else. This also attracted the attention of the Child Snatchers organization. For a considerable period, Child Snatchers ran rampant on Lised.
It was this matriarch who, joining forces with several major powers on Lised such as the Huang family, swept through all the Child Snatcher strongholds on the planet with thunderous force. It was from that time onward that the Child Snatchers vanished from Lised without a trace. If people feared the Yan family head, their respect for the matriarch came genuinely from the heart.
The matriarch had never appeared at the banquet in previous years. No one knew why, but this year she actually attended in person.
Ye Zhong stuck close to Feng Su's side. If he didn't keep a tight watch on this woman, the consequences could be severe. Just imagining a horde of Xifeng tribe mechas chasing him down sent a chill down his spine, even with his strong nerves. He absolutely could not let that happen. To ensure it, Ye Zhong followed Feng Su almost step for step.
Ye Zhong soon realized his actions were nothing but self-inflicted torment.
Feng Su wasn't wearing a veil today. Her peerless beauty was fully displayed for all to see.
For this banquet, she had specially dressed up. This purple dress was custom-made for her by the Yan family, complementing her ethereal, elusive气质 like a blooming violet. The cinched waist accentuated her perfect figure flawlessly. The low-cut neckline exposed her sexy collarbones to the air, and her smooth, creamy skin shimmered with an alluring glow under the lights.
Feng Su's appearance at the banquet attracted everyone's gaze like a magnet. Most of these martial artists, Spell Casters, and Brewers paid little attention to life's finer details and rarely spent time on their appearance. The other female experts from the assembly seemed dull and plain in comparison, like common hens facing a phoenix.
In that moment, Feng Su conquered everyone with her beauty.
But the feeling for Ye Zhong beside her wasn't so pleasant. In everyone's eyes, he was like dung beneath a beautiful flower.
Killing intent! Absolutely killing intent! When people reluctantly tore their eyes from Feng Su, they would inevitably land on him. Each time, Ye Zhong could feel waves of intense, overwhelming killing intent crashing towards him like tidal waves. Unfortunately, he was extremely sensitive to changes in his surroundings. It was like a master sommelier with an acute sense of taste being forced to eat spicy peppers—the torment was truly excruciating.
On the surface, Ye Zhong remained calm and composed as usual. But in reality, his entire back was soaked with sweat. Every expert here possessed at least the realm of a Domain Master. Being stared down by so many powerful individuals would have broken someone with weaker mental fortitude. Even Ye Zhong found it hard to bear.
Feng Su glanced lightly at Ye Zhong beside her, feeling immensely pleased. For many days, she had been suppressed by this youth. No matter what tricks she tried, nothing worked. Now, having a chance to mess with him, Feng Su felt an indescribable satisfaction.
A captivating smile unconsciously graced her lips as she leaned closer to Ye Zhong and gently linked her arm with his.
Suddenly, the intensity of the murderous gazes directed at Ye Zhong multiplied exponentially. In an instant, Ye Zhong was drenched in cold sweat. Of course, outwardly, our Ye Zhong remained perfectly calm and steady. You couldn't even detect a tremor in his hands.
Snorts of disdain echoed around them, some near, some far. These assembly experts were all proud individuals. They only refrained from causing a scene out of respect for the Yan family. If this were the streets, Ye Zhong was certain they would pounce and tear him to pieces.
"You'd better not play with fire," Ye Zhong warned Feng Su in a voice barely audible.
Feng Su's smile brightened even more. She tightened her grip on his arm, leaning her body almost entirely against him.
"Don't you like it?" Feng Su breathed softly, seductively, near his ear, with a hint of provocation.
"Hmph!" A barely perceptible vibration originated from his throat as Ye Zhong let out a soft snort.
Feng Su shuddered, her face abruptly changing color.
Being controlled wasn't Ye Zhong's style. He had just used his Throat Shock Wave, but this time he confined it to an extremely small range and kept the intensity very low. However, because Feng Su was so close to him, it was still enough to affect her.
Although Ye Zhong had tried his best to limit the Throat Shock Wave to a very small area, the people here were knowledgeable. Their gazes towards him immediately changed, the hostility diminishing significantly.
After this lesson, Feng Su became much more subdued.
The banquet hall was very large, but similarly, there were also many people. The hall frequently resonated with the hearty laughter of old acquaintances reuniting. Among these martial artists, those with booming voices weren't just one or two, but numbered in the dozens. This directly resulted in the hall being a cacophony of noise.
"Is this a banquet?" Feng Su's expression was somewhat stunned. Having been a top star in the Five Major Star Domains, she had attended countless high-end banquets and had never seen such a chaotic one.
Taken and the others had wisely distanced themselves from Ye Zhong and Feng Su. That level of killing intent wasn't something just anyone could withstand.
Seeing so many people, and to avoid unnecessary trouble, Ye Zhong unceremoniously pulled Feng Su along and found a corner to sit down quietly.
Ye Zhong didn't notice that not far away, a handsome, gentle-looking young man was observing the two of them with interest.
If Feng Su's arrival was the first climax of the banquet, the second climax arrived with Rui Bing. When Rui Bing, dressed in a pure white training uniform, appeared at the banquet holding the hand of an adorable seven or eight-year-old boy, everyone's gaze was once again riveted.
Her cool temperament, faint resoluteness, and the unique bearing of a true martial artist made it impossible to ignore Rui Bing's presence, even if her looks weren't peerlessly beautiful.
The snow-white training uniform, her icy gaze, and the crisp efficiency in her movements added a touch of heroic elegance and grace.
If Feng Su represented temptation, then Rui Bing, to some extent, represented a dream.
Rui Bing's expression was normal, showing no fluctuation. Holding the little boy's hand, she walked into the banquet hall. The little boy smiled shyly at the surrounding assembly experts, showing no fear. The female experts nearby immediately had stars in their eyes upon seeing such an adorable child.
The area in front suddenly quieted down. Ye Zhong couldn't help but look up slightly puzzled, but he was in a corner with too many people blocking his view. He quickly lowered his head again. His curiosity wasn't strong to begin with, and especially in such a complex environment, he preferred to keep a low profile.
He didn't know that just over ten steps ahead of him was the person he had been searching for all along!
Rui Bing, holding the little boy's hand, walked to another corner. Rui Bing was also someone who disliked the spotlight. In this aspect, she and Ye Zhong were surprisingly similar. Both were equally low-key, yet equally unafraid of trouble. To some extent, they shared quite a few similarities. Perhaps it was precisely because of these similarities, more or less, that Ye Zhong could accept Rui Bing so naturally.
"Can you please not stick so close to me? Good heavens, people will definitely think there's something going on between us. And stop keeping that wooden face all the time, aren't you tired? When you see people, whether you know them or not, you should greet them. Our Ye family is one of etiquette..." Ye Luo whispered incessantly into Ye Yin's ear.
A vein throbbed on Ye Yin's forehead.
Just then, someone approached from the front. Ye Luo immediately switched to a different face—polite, refined, elegant, with a gentle smile that made people instantly feel goodwill.
As soon as the person passed, Ye Luo immediately reverted to his previous demeanor: "Also, don't wander too far from me later. Your skills are too weak. With your delicate skin and tender flesh, one hit and you'd be done for. Let me tell you, martial arts are the true path..."
Another vein throbbed on Ye Yin's forehead!
At that moment, a server approached them.
"Excuse me, are you Mr. Luo Shi?" the server asked respectfully.
Ye Luo immediately put on his standard gentlemanly face, smiling with utmost grace. "That would be me. May I ask what you need?"
The server immediately made a guiding gesture. "The Matriarch heard that you are participating in the Assembly again and was very pleased. She would like to invite Mr. Luo Shi for a chat."
"The Matriarch?" Ye Luo couldn't help showing a puzzled expression. How would the Yan family Matriarch know about him? Although he was confident in his skills and considered himself handsome, he wasn't so narcissistic as to think his charm could make the octogenarian Matriarch a fan of his.
"Yes. The Matriarch instructed me personally. Please, come this way. If you have any questions, I believe they will be answered once you meet the Matriarch." The server's posture remained unchanged as he made another 'please' gesture.