“Bam! Bam! Bam!” The sharp and clear slapping resounded throughout the inn to the astonishment of the crowd. “Isn’t this too much, not sparing any face for the Peng Clan - an irreconcilable feud. It might even antagonize Upper Faction.” Someone took a deep breath and murmured. The Peng and the Chen from Upper Faction were extremely close due to their marriage alliances. Thus, Shengping’s action was also a direct insult towards the Chen. “Who is he?” No one recognized Li Qiye here but someone this bold couldn’t be a nobody. However, his background remained unknown to the crowd. “Well done!” Clapping suddenly interrupted the slapping. A person came in and laughed: “A dog threatens based on its master’s influence. He thinks he can do whatever he wants after sucking up to Upper Faction. Yes, keep on teaching this ignorant brat a lesson!” The newcomer looked quite young. He was well-dressed with a silver cloak; strangely enough, his hair was white, draping over his shoulders. This color made him quite unique. His eyes were sharp like an eagle looking at a prey. “Silver Fox!” Everyone, whether it be clan disciples or sect elders, came up to greet this young man. “Silver Fox of Northern Territory from Sacred Institution.” Everyone shuddered after seeing him. Sacred Institution was one of the four great powers while Northern Border was one of its two sects. It was quite powerful with many sects and clans beneath its banner. This youth was quite famous, a great genius and the representative of Northern Territory - Xu Zhijie. He was in charge of a legion acting as the pillar of Sacred Institution and a supervisor in Insane Court. The guy had quite a prestigious role so everyone gave him face. Moreover, he was good at socializing on top of possessing a keen view on everything. Because of this, these powers wanted to maintain a good relationship with him. This was why everyone in the inn got up to greet him. After the death of the previous emperor, the important players have been wanting to seize power. Though Wang Han was temporarily in charge, a new emperor would be appointed in due time. There were a few potential candidates right now, and Zhijie was one of them. Thus, it was crucial to be on his good side, just in case. Li Qiye flicked his finger at this time and the suppressed old man got blown flying. He then waved his sleeve at Shengping. Shengping finally stopped and let go of Weijin: “Young Lord Peng, people only live once, you need to more careful.” He was actually speaking with good intent in order to stop the kid from provoking Li Qiye. It wouldn’t just be a slapping session next time. But now, the only thing on Weijin’s mind was hatred and a thirst for vengeance. “Yang! Remember this, I will not only destroy Grand Sword but will also torture all of its members, flaying your flesh, piece by piece... Just you wait...” He struggled to run out of the inn but still uttered these vicious words before leaving. Silver Fox Zhijie only shook his head and said: “What a fool, throwing away his clan’s face.” He then walked over to Li Qiye and bowed: “My name is Xu Zhijie, a disciple of Insane Court. You must be Dao Brother Li.” It looked like he has figured out a little about Li Qiye, just not his exact identity. The Wang Clan has been keeping a tight lid on this. “Mmm.” Li Qiye nodded and continued drinking his wine. “This inn has too many ears so it is hard to talk, are you interested in visiting my camp? Give me a chance to be a good host.” Zhijie smiled and said. Seeing this polite attitude from someone as influential as Zhijie surprised the people here. They all looked at Li Qiye with curiosity regarding his background. “Not interested.” Li Qiye flatly answered. The straight refusal made Zhijie look a little awkward. He cupped his fist and continued: “Brother Li, this is a tempestuous and unpredictable period, stay at my camp and enjoy your time there while watching everything unravels.” Zhijie had his reasons for doing so. He had heard information from the palace that the queen viewed this brat very highly. She naturally had reasons for doing so as well because she wasn’t an incapable person. She had done a fine job helping her husband keep the throne and there was no chance for her to be so respectful towards an unknown person. Perhaps the guy had some secrets to him. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖 Thus, Zhijie wanted to win Li Qiye over and use him as a way to defeat the Wang. The power struggle was reaching the apex. Everyone was going all out despite keeping a false facade of civility. Hoping to be the next emperor, he tried to keep a calm expression but his emotion was running amok. The Wang Clan was definitely a powerful rival in his way towards the throne. He must either defeat them or win them over. However, they were isolating themselves, stopping all information from leaking out. Thus, Zhijie truly needed Li Qiye to figure out what was going on. This was a chess piece necessary to make the next move. He wanted to see if this guy was worthy of Wang Han’s respect. “Don’t disturb my drinking.” Li Qiye didn’t bat an eye, not giving a damn about the guy. Zhijie didn’t give up and was still smiling: “That’s fine then, is it alright if I have a drink with you here?” “Not just anyone is qualified to drink with me.” Li Qiye responded. The atmosphere became frozen again and Zhijie could no longer keep a straight face. Who was Zhijie? This was a leader in Insane Court with the cultivation of a minor True King - powerful and influential. For some sect elders, to be able to drink with him was an honor. But now, Li Qiye said that the guy wasn’t qualified to drink with him. This was no different from slapping the guy’s face. Zhijie was good at socializing but this situation made it quite difficult. He was riding a tiger and couldn’t back down. Maintaining politeness after being slapped before everyone was no longer the right course of action. It would diminish his authority and prestige. “Boom!” The sound of an approaching army interrupted his dilemma. A group rushed inside, led by a youth who pointed straight at Li Qiye: “Imperial Tutor, it’s this brat, please avenge me!” [Imperial tutor in charge of the upbringing of the crown prince - this is the official role/translation in Chinese dynasties. I’m not sure how it fits here because there might not be a prince? It’s not the regular hereditary hierarchy[/ref] This youth was, of course, Peng Weijin. No one expected him to find reinforcement so quickly!