The hot summer in the Ling Kingdom was gone. The pleasant autumn replacing the heat. Occasionally, a gust of cool wind would whip through, which pleased everyone on the street. The weather was perfect, so people crowded to the scenic spots in the suburb. The city was busy, so were the isolated places of interest.
At sunset, lights could be seen scattered across the city. Travelers returned feeling revitalized, from the brisk wind blowing the fatigue away.
From around the corner, a swaying palanquin appeared, carried by four men.
The uniqueness of the palanquin had pedestrians making comments. Followed soon after by two more palanquins bouncing down the street.
The three palanquins bumped along heading to the south part of the city.
At the Yuhua Restaurant, Prince Ning was seated in the seat of honor. He wore a magnificent robe, intricately trimmed with gold. His gold crown was inlaid with jade, and the pattern on the crown depicted a flying dragon playing with a pearl. Noble as he was, his look was vicious.
Ten people attired in ornate clothing sat to either side of him. They were gawking at Prince Ning each wearing an adulatory smile.
"Prince Ning, is it true you invited Yu Liuying?" A man sipping at his tea asked scornfully.
Prince Ning forced a smile and replied, "Yu Clan is the largest clan of the Ling Kingdom. It shouldn't be a surprise I invited Yu Liuying to my birthday celebration." His fake smile looked more malicious, and sneaky look lurked in his eyes, "Vice Minister Feng, are you still angry about what happened last year? Ah, come now, one year has passed. Don't hold a grudge. We all know she has a habit of flirting with handsome men. We won't laugh at you."
Hearing this, Vice Minister Feng swore to himself, clutching his fist, 'If Yu Liuying comes, I will avenge her insult from last year
ng Tianxin before; now though, she despised Liuying for bringing two men on her arms. She beckoned a maid to open the long box. A gleaming sword appeared to everyone. She explained, "It took a lot of time and great effort to get this sword, which is named Ming Shou, and belonged to a kung fu master. I thought heroes should use good swords, and so, Wu Jin and I would like to present this sword as a gift to you."
Wu Jin was emotionless, as though he didn't care about the sword. His gaze turned to Yun Canglan, and he made eye contact with her. Wu Jin was confused about her glance.
After Yang Tianxin finished, a man got up. He took a box from a servant and handed it to Prince Ning while in a flattering manner told him, "Prince Ning, I spent a long time looking for this painting, 'The Sunset' by Mister Night Phoenix, my birthday gift to you, Prince Ning."
Everyone was excited. and they stared enviously at the box in front of Prince Ning. In all the world, there were only fifteen paintings by Mister Night Phoenix, top member of the Nine Prominent Figures. Few people had seen his paintings because his paintings were nearly priceless.
The son of the Grand Councilor must have spent a large sum of money on this painting.