Hearing his grandfather’s seemingly random question, Tang Yan was taken aback and put on a pitiful expression. “What do you mean, ‘what’s going on’? I’ve been listening to you these past few days, and haven’t disrespected Miss Purple Yun at all.”
“That’s not what I meant. The City Lord’s wife is celebrating her birthday today, and she sent a personal invitation first thing this morning,” said Tang Laozi.
“Well, that’s perfectly normal, right? The major families in Cloud City must have received the invitations too,” Tang Yan replied dismissively.
“Bullshit! What I meant is, why does the invitation specifically ask for you to attend?” Tang Laozi pulled out an invitation and handed it to Tang Yan.
Tang Yan took it, and sure enough, at the bottom of the invitation, there was a line of elegant writing: Please ensure that Master Tang Yan attends.
Suddenly, Tang Yan guessed what was going on. The Scarless Pill he gave the City Lord’s wife must have worked wonders.
However, Tang Yan didn’t want to overcomplicate the matter. He smiled and said, “How would I know the City Lord’s intentions? If they’re asking me to attend, it’s definitely for a good reason!”
Tang Laozi thought about it and nodded. “True. Let’s get ready and go there around noon.”
After returning to his room, Tang Yan pondered for a while before heading back to his alchemy room to continue his work.
By noon, Tang Yan tucked a few items into his robes, put on his gold-trimmed white outfit, and grabbed his folding fan. He and his grandfather took the carriage to the City Lord’s mansion.
The birthday celebration for the City Lord’s wife had attracted attention from the entire city, with long lines of carriages outside the gates. The atmosphere was lively and festive.
As they stepped out of the carriage, Tang Yan opened his folding fan and walked behind his grandfather toward the hall. His usual swagger and carefree attitude returned as he resumed his previous “dandy” persona.
Upon entering the main hall, people naturally divided into two groups: the younger generation sat together, while the older generation took another area. Though the hall wasn’t yet full, the Tang family’s status as one of the Four Great Families drew immediate attention. The guests were all watching closely to see if the infamous young Tang Yan would do something outrageous again.
There were eight seats per table in the younger generation’s section, and the seats at the front were reserved for the highest-ranking families. Typically, only the first two tables had special status; the ones further back were not as important.
However, this time, the first table was already full.
Stolen novel; please report.
Liu Family, Wu Family, and Qin Family had two seats each, while the remaining two seats were occupied by two young members of the Qian Family.
The Qian family, though considered a second-tier family in Cloud City, had been rising in power due to their business acumen and close ties with the Liu family. It was no surprise that they occupied two seats, but the fact that they were seated at the front implied they were aligned with the Liu family, thus essentially taking up four seats.
As Tang Yan and Xiao Cui walked toward the first table, he was feigning surprise. “Oh? It’s already full? You two—aren’t you the attendants from the City Lord’s mansion? How did you end up in the main seats?”
He was pointing at the two members of the Qian family.
Everyone turned to look at them, noting that their red robes and the appearance of attendants did indeed resemble those of the City Lord’s staff.
“Pfft…” Some of the younger members of the families couldn’t help but laugh. As the laughter spread, the entire hall began to chuckle.
The two members of the Qian family turned red with embarrassment. One of them, offended, said, “Look properly, I’m from the Qian family!”
“Qian family? Then why are you sitting in my seat? Want to go up against the Tang family? Get lost!” Tang Yan roared as he swiped his hand and slapped both of them across the face.
The two were caught off guard and slapped so hard that their faces turned bright red.
“Bang!” Before they could react, Tang Yan kicked them both out of their seats.
The hall fell into complete silence. No one had expected Tang Yan to be so straightforward and audacious. In front of all the major families in Cloud City, not only did he slap Qian Rulong and Qian Shenghu’s faces, but he had humiliated the entire Qian family.
Tang Laozi’s heart skipped a beat. His grandson seemed to stir up trouble wherever he went.
Now, the Tang family was already under pressure from all sides. These slaps had only made things worse, turning the feud between the Tang family and Qian family even more intense.
Qian Shenghu, only 20 years old and already at Yellow Stage 5th Rank, was one of the top young experts in Cloud City. Usually, he walked around in grandeur and had never been publicly humiliated like this. And now, to add insult to injury, it was by the infamous Tang Yan.
“I’ll kill you!” Qian Shenghu shouted, gathering his true qi and slashing at Tang Yan with a sword-like blow.
“Looking for death!” Tang Laozi coldly snorted and threw his tea cup at Qian Shenghu.
“Bang!”
Qian Shenghu was instantly knocked back, his palm strike disrupted by the tea cup.
“You’re shameless, Tang Laozi!” Qian Shenghu’s father stood up, pointing angrily at Tang Laozi.
“Hmph! I’m old. I don’t care about my face, but anyone who dares harm a hair on my grandson will have to deal with me!” Tang Laozi’s voice carried a murderous intent, sending a shiver through everyone in the hall.
The crowd fell silent, watching Tang Laozi protect his grandson fiercely. He was like a mad dog defending its cub—he wouldn’t hesitate to bite anyone who dared approach.
“Cloud City isn’t your Tang family’s playground. As long as you’re here, you must follow the rules of Cloud City. The older generation should not interfere in the younger generation’s quarrels. What you did was completely out of line,” sneered Liu Wuji, the head of the Liu family.
“Liu is right. You can’t lose your dignity just because you’re old, Tang Laozi,” chimed in Wu Wei, the head of the Wu family.
“Tang Laozi, your actions are unbecoming of the Four Great Families. If you persist, you’ll bring shame upon the family,” Qin Feiyue, the patriarch of the Qin family, added, his tone filled with veiled warning.
The atmosphere in the hall grew tense. The grand gathering was only beginning, and already the Four Great Families were at odds. But this time, it was a three-against-one situation, and the Tang family seemed to be losing.
“Everyone knows Tang Yan’s weak cultivation; how could he possibly withstand a full blow from a young man from the Qian family?” The voice of an elderly man broke the tension.