Qin Yining remained as calm as usual, her bright beautiful eyes narrowing in displeasure, like sharp sword gleams flashing coldly in the desolate moonlight, making people involuntarily gasp and raising the hair on the backs of their necks.
Zhou Meng was equally awed by her appearance, but what surged more strongly in his heart was an intense possessive desire for such a woman.
Only after seeing Qin Yining did Zhou Meng deeply feel that his previous decades had been wasted!
Despite having possessed so many women, none of those vulgar powdered faces could compare to the one before him—proud and unyielding like a winter plum blossom, magnificent and blazingly beautiful.
Even if he possessed ten thousand of those ordinary women, they couldn’t compare to possessing this one before him. Like a precious treasure or a fine book that made one unable to resist repeatedly caressing and savoring it—the more carefully one came to know her, the more impossible it became to hide one’s admiration. Each contact produced that tingling, itching feeling in one’s heart.
This woman—he was determined to have her!
Zhou Meng stood with hands behind his back, displaying unprecedented forcefulness when facing Qin Yining. “The banquet is about to begin. Miss Pang should come with this Prince immediately.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the surrounding soldiers raised their weapons forward, the cold sharp gleams pointing directly at the stern-faced Minuo tribespeople.
Qin Yining met Zhou Meng’s tiger-like hungry gaze without backing down, giving a mocking smile. “This is the first time this young woman has seen such a scene for inviting guests. The Prince’s manner doesn’t seem like holding a banquet to celebrate new life, but rather like declaring war.”
Lu Heng also said, “The Prince spoke so well at noon—how has he adopted such an attitude now? Originally we thought the Prince was an enthusiastic and considerate person, and wanted to sincerely befriend you. This is truly regrettable.”
Zhou Meng actually felt somewhat uncomfortable being spoken to this way.
Initially he had been gentle and considerate toward Qin Yining because he wanted to please the beauty, and he had calculated that with Qin Yining confined in the palace, she couldn’t escape his grasp no matter what.
But now look—the beauty had been bullied by those stupid women and used it as an opportunity to leave the palace. He had just escorted her out and was already regretting it. What if these people escaped during the night?
If that really happened, wouldn’t he lose both the grain and the beauty? Rather than let that happen, it was better to strike first and capture her!
“You needn’t feel regret. This Prince brought so many people precisely to avoid slighting Miss Pang. Even if you attend the banquet, having our own troops guard here means you needn’t worry too much.” Zhou Meng frowned, “Or are you saying you don’t trust this Prince?”
“Of course not.” Lu Heng said, “If we didn’t trust the Prince, we would have taken our leave long ago. How could we interact so sincerely with the Prince?”
Zhou Meng sneered coldly. Take their leave? He’d like to see if these people could leave the uninhabited zone alive! He didn’t believe that if the Xiyue people, after a century of persistent exploration, couldn’t get out of this vast desert, these people could!
Qin Yining observed expressions and saw Zhou Meng’s look, combined with his attitude of bringing troops to surround the Minuo tribe today—she could guess his mindset fairly well.
Things were really developing in the direction she least wanted to see.
It was her mistake to have aroused this lecher’s predatory desire.
Seeing Qin Yining’s slightly furrowed brow and worried expression, Lu Heng was extremely concerned and even less willing to let her attend this Hongmen Banquet.
But before he could speak, Qin Yining said first, “Didn’t you say there was a banquet? Let’s go.”
She then called Uncle A’erhan, Su Rina, and Wulan out, “For attending a banquet, I can bring attendants and maids, right?”
In broad daylight, forcing a young woman to attend a banquet with troops—if he didn’t even allow one guard and two maids, Zhou Meng felt he’d lose too much face. So he said magnanimously, “Naturally you can. Miss Pang’s requests are never excessive.” His tone was so indulgent it was as if Qin Yining were a peerless treasure.
Regardless of how others felt, Lu Heng and Uncle A’erhan and other Minuo tribespeople who understood what Zhou Meng said all felt a chill.
Lu Heng helped Qin Yining put on her hood, whispering, “Be extremely careful.” He very much wanted to go along, but if he left, the Minuo tribe here would become like scattered sand with no one to command. If something really happened, there wouldn’t even be anyone in charge.
Qin Yining smiled, “Don’t worry, it’ll be fine. I’ll prioritize ensuring safety.”
“Though you say that, who doesn’t know your stubborn temperament?” Lu Heng sighed.
When stubborn, she’d risk her life—so unyielding, yet so heartbreakingly endearing.
Qin Yining smiled soothingly, then called Uncle A’erhan, Su Rina, and Wulan to walk together toward Zhou Meng.
The Xiyue troops surrounding the Minuo tribe all retreated, parting like the Red Sea to clear a path for Qin Yining.
Zhou Meng watched Qin Yining with deep, intense eyes, the burning anticipation in them almost impossible to hide. He cleared his throat before saying hoarsely, “Let’s go.”
Qin Yining nodded and followed.
After the group left, the Xiyue army didn’t withdraw but tightened the encirclement.
Ha’er Bala worried in a low voice, “What should we do? They’re clearly going to force Chief Qin.”
Lu Heng said, “If we can’t outsmart them, we can only fight hard. But she won’t allow us to do that. Yesterday she said she wouldn’t let any tribesperson lose their life for no reason.”
Both Ha’er Bala and Chagan Bala were deeply moved.
Their shared experiences through hardships had long made them companions who could entrust their lives to each other. Qin Yining hadn’t abandoned them to leave alone at the crucial moment, had conquered the uninhabited desert together with them, and now was going to deal with that old man for their safety—they felt both moved and guilty.
While Lu Heng and the Minuo people worried anxiously, Qin Yining’s carriage had already arrived at the square outside the palace gates under Zhou Meng’s military “escort.”
Looking through the gaps in the carriage’s warm curtains, Qin Yining saw that many Xiyue citizens had gathered in the square. Men, women, old and young chatted lively, craning their necks to watch the approaching procession. Seeing Zhou Meng sitting upright on his horse, everyone knelt in salute, shouting, “Long live the Prince! Long live the Prince!”
Zhou Meng felt very proud—in Xiyue he was the regional overlord, and nothing could escape his control. What he wanted, he would definitely obtain.
Zhou Meng looked at Qin Yining’s carriage with full confidence.
The carriage slowly stopped at the palace gates. Su Rina and Wulan came forward to help Qin Yining down, while Uncle A’erhan stood grimly beside the carriage, alert to the surroundings.
As soon as Qin Yining got out, Zhou Meng immediately dismounted and strode over, saying to the crowd behind him, “This is the legendary Divine Maiden of the Xiyue religion, the Divine Maiden who brought us grain and hope.”
Though it was night, the area outside the palace gates was brightly lit like daylight. The people saw the graceful woman in a red cloak—though half her face was hidden by her hood, her overall bearing was impossible to conceal.
Everyone already knew the Divine Maiden had brought grain to Xiyue. Now hearing the Prince’s words, they all joyfully shouted loudly, “Long live the Divine Maiden! Long live the Divine Maiden!”
The wave-like cheering was even more passionate and intense than when they had saluted Zhou Meng earlier, showing how much the Xiyue people revered the legendary Divine Maiden and how desperately they craved grain.
Such a scene made Uncle A’erhan break out in cold sweat, while Su Rina and Wulan were nearly pale with shock.
Qin Yining hesitated for a moment, then removed her hood.
When she was in Great Yan, she had refused to become a member of Yuchi Yan’s harem and was angrily made into Daoist Master Xuan Su by Yuchi Yan, leading a hundred Daoist nuns in spiritual cultivation at the imperial villa. Due to the “Holy Maiden protecting the nation’s fortune” title she had created to escape persecution by the tyrant emperor and demon empress, the suffering people of Great Yan had once flooded the Xuan Su Temple converted from the imperial villa—that scene had been much grander than this.
So Qin Yining wasn’t intimidated at all. At this moment she seemed to possess some mysterious and noble aura, even her walking pace and posture different from usual.
She slightly raised her chin, saying coldly yet gently, “The Divine Maiden will bestow prosperity and peace upon the Xiyue people. May the land of Xiyue never know hunger again!”
The people were stunned for a moment, then knelt down and cheered wildly, “Long live the Divine Maiden! Long live Xiyue! Long live the Prince!”
Her sudden transformation stunned Uncle A’erhan, Su Rina, and Wulan, who knew her well.
Zhou Meng watched her back with complex, indescribable feelings. Perhaps he had been bewitched by her beauty, always regarding her merely as a beautiful woman who must be possessed. But now seeing her show no fear before so many people, actually assuming the bearing of a Divine Maiden and striking right to the heart with one sentence, gaining reverence and reputation among the people—this truly made Zhou Meng feel very unwilling.
He was the master of this land—how was it that the people now seemed to revere the grain-bringing Divine Maiden more!
Zhou Meng pressed his lips together, called to Qin Yining, and the group headed toward the main hall. The wave-like cheering of the people continued unabated.
In the main hall, besides a central low table, low tables and cushions were also arranged on both sides.
Over a dozen officials with their families knelt on either side, welcoming the Prince’s arrival.
Qin Yining was arranged at a low table right next to Prince Xiyue, with Uncle A’erhan and the two maids standing behind her.
What Qin Yining noticed most was that Zhou Meng also had over twenty guards beside him, faintly forming a semi-encirclement that surrounded both her and Zhou Meng.
The banquet began amid the curious gazes of the officials toward Qin Yining.
Though called a banquet, with Xiyue’s limited food variety, the dishes weren’t particularly sumptuous. Qin Yining casually ate a few bites and refused Zhou Meng’s toast for the third time: “This young woman appreciates the Prince’s kind intention, but I’m truly feeling unwell and am not good at drinking.”