Cultivating Immortality, Starting from Childhood Sweethearts-Chapter 455 - Forget it, better not say anything.

Xu Ming had no idea why the enemy had come to the Xu estate.

Logically speaking, there was nothing in the Xu estate that they would want.

Moreover, two hundred years ago, during the imperial succession struggle, both the Xu and Qin families had remained neutral.

As such, these neutral forces should not have made enemies of Prince Shan’s remnants.

Even if those remnants sought revenge, their first target would certainly not be the Xu or Qin families.

Regardless of their true objective, the banquet at both estates could not be interrupted—it had to proceed as planned.

“Li Han, go invite Mister Cao for a drink.”

Xu Ming instructed Li Han.

Hearing this, Li Han froze for a moment, sensing the weight of the request.

Mister Cao was a Jade Purity Realm cultivator, originally an imperial court enforcer.

When the Jinyiwei was first established, they lacked high-level experts.

To compensate, the Wu Emperor had assigned a Jade Purity Realm enforcer from the palace—Mister Cao—to temporarily oversee the Jinyiwei.

Once the Jinyiwei’s members matured and they had their own Upper Three Realm martial artists or Upper Five Realm cultivators, Mister Cao would return to the palace.

For Xu Ming to call upon Mister Cao now meant only one thing—he believed that an extremely powerful cultivator from Prince Shan’s remnants had infiltrated the Xu and Qin estates.

This wasn’t impossible.

Although Wudu was protected by a grand national defense array, it was usually kept in a dormant state.

Keeping it active would consume an excessive amount of spirit stones, not to mention the wear and tear on the formation itself.

After all, no city could remain on high alert indefinitely.

As long as an Upper Five Realm cultivator avoided causing disturbances, they could come and go as they pleased—undetected by the Wu Emperor.

And for such an expert, sneaking into a crowded banquet was the easiest thing in the world.

“Understood, Brother Xu! I’ll go invite Mister Cao immediately.” Li Han cupped his fists.

Guang Yin reminded him, “When on duty, remember to use proper titles.”

Li Han chuckled sheepishly. “Yes—Commander Xu.”

Xu Ming smiled. “It’s fine. Besides, none of us are wearing our Jinyiwei robes today. Now hurry up—take the back entrance.”

“Yes, sir!”

Li Han quickly left the courtyard and made his way toward the rear entrance of the Xu estate.

“Well, we might be overthinking things. The banquet is about to start—everyone, take your seats.”

“Yes, sir.” The others cupped their fists in salute.

As the auspicious hour approached, nearly all the guests had arrived at the Xu and Qin estates.

Li Han also returned, bringing Mister Cao from the Jinyiwei with him.

The Jinyiwei had their own designated table at the banquet.

“I have to say, this really is a grand affair—worthy of a Duke’s estate.”

After taking his seat, Li Han commented to Guang Yin.

Guang Yin chuckled. “Of course! This is the residence of a founding Duke. And I heard that for this year’s ancestral rites, the Xu family matriarch has stepped aside and entrusted Brother Xu with presiding over the ceremony. Do you know what that means?”

Although Li Han was a straightforward man, even he could grasp something so obvious.

“If you ask me, Brother Xu is the only one truly qualified to lead the Xu family. But it’s not Xu Ming who’s lucky to belong to the Xu family—it’s the Xu family that’s lucky to have him.”

Guang Yin smirked. “Indeed. Brother Xu doesn’t need to inherit the hereditary title of Duke—he could rise to power entirely on his own merits.”

Sitting nearby, Deputy Commander Zhao Feiyan silently took a sip of wine as she listened to their conversation.

Zhao Feiyan had previously served as a Qianfu Commander in the Dragon-Leopard Cavalry.

Her exceptional battlefield achievements had earned her a transfer to the imperial palace, where she became a deputy commander of the Imperial Guards.

Her martial cultivation was at the pinnacle of the Golden Body Realm.

There was no doubt—Xu Ming was famous throughout Wu.

At this point, who in the empire hadn’t heard of the young scholar-general?

Zhao Feiyan greatly admired Xu Ming’s talents.

But in her mind, she couldn’t help but wonder—

How old is Xu Ming, really?

Xu Ming was not yet twenty years old—not even of age to receive his crown ceremony.

And yet, this young brat had been entrusted with the command of the Jinyiwei, one of the most critical institutions in the empire.

Because of this, Zhao Feiyan had always harbored doubts.

As his subordinate, she had never been fully convinced of his leadership.

Now, hearing her comrades speak about Xu Ming with such admiration, she found it even more difficult to accept.

In today’s Wu Kingdom, rising to the rank of Marquis or Prime Minister was no simple feat.

One of the prerequisites was expanding the empire’s borders.

Zhao Feiyan believed that their confidence in Xu Ming came purely from their shared experiences as comrades-in-arms.

They had fought together in the Blood Asura Battalion, surviving life-and-death battles side by side.

That was why they placed such unwavering trust in him.

Just as the group was chatting over tea, all while remaining cautiously alert, a loud voice echoed through the courtyard—

“Prince Qin has arrived!”

At the announcement, everyone immediately stood up.

They knew that Her Highness the Princess had arrived.

“Your subjects pay respects to Prince Qin!”

Without exception, everyone in the courtyard—whether they had seen her or not—shouted in unison.

Recently, rumors had been circulating in court—

The Wu Emperor was seriously considering naming his only daughter as the Crown Prince.

This imperial jewel was not just the Prince of Qin; she was also a Qianhu (Thousand-Man Commander) of the Jinyiwei.

It was clear that the Wu Emperor intended for her to take over the Jinyiwei after Xu Ming.

At the very least, she needed to have a firm grasp over the institution.

Dressed in a Prince Qin ceremonial gown, embroidered with a four-clawed golden dragon, Wu Yanhan stepped into the Xu estate.

Her very presence exuded an overwhelming aura of authority, making everyone instinctively hesitant to approach her.

Yet, when their eyes finally fell on this woman’s face, those who had never seen her before found themselves unable to look away.

Never in their lives had they seen such an astonishingly beautiful woman.

And in that moment, they all wondered—

Why had Xu Ming refused the Emperor’s marriage decree back then?

Wu Yanhan’s voice, naturally commanding and regal, rang out—

“There is no need for such formalities. Please, be seated.”

“Thank you, Your Highness!”

The crowd responded in unison before finally taking their seats.

Soon enough, the banquet resumed its previous lively atmosphere—

Some engaged in idle chatter, some sipped tea, and the courtyard once again filled with the sounds of conversation.

However, many couldn’t help but steal glances at Wu Yanhan from time to time.

She was—

The Emperor’s only bloodline.

A Prince of Equal Rank King, the Emperor’s closest kin.

Born with a Martial God Physique.

Ranked in the Top Ten of the Beauty List.

Her very existence was steeped in legend.

“So that’s Wu Yanhan? The one the Emperor once betrothed to Xu Ming?”

A young woman sitting beside an elderly man gazed at Wu Yanhan.

“Indeed.”

Liu Feng nodded. “But in my humble opinion, she is far from being as beautiful as Your Highness.”

“Hmph.”

The young woman withdrew her gaze.

“Cold and emotionless. No wonder no one wants to marry her.”

“...”

The old man beside her glanced at the girl, as if wanting to say something.

But in the end, he simply took a sip of tea.

Forget it.

Better to stay silent.

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