sbdcsierra Chapter 190: Establishing Authority
Chapter 190: Establishing Authority
Chapter 190: Establishing Authority
"I was unaware of the arrival of the two princes of the Southern Tang Kingdom. I apologize for not welcoming you properly and for any offense caused." The man stepped forward, bowed to Lin Fei and Li Longqian, and then sneered, "Jingguang, you have offended the two princes. Why don't you apologize at once?"
Huo Jingguang's face twitched a few times. Although he was very unwilling, he still clasped his hands and said, "I was unaware of the identities of the two princes. I have offended you. Please forgive me."
Seeing someone step forward to take charge, even that hothead Huo Jingguang dared not be arrogant anymore, and Li Longqian's princely dignity returned instantly.
"Hmph, since you don't know our identities, I'll let you off this time!" Li Longqian sneered. "If you offend me again, remember this is the Southern Tang Kingdom, not your Northern Han Kingdom. I will then use the laws of the Southern Tang to deal with you!"
He only dared to use his words to his advantage and didn't dare to actually do anything to Huo Jingguang. Not to mention that Huo Jingguang was an envoy of the Northern Han Dynasty, and the matter concerned both countries, so he dared not make a decision on his own. Just considering Huo Jingguang's hotheaded temper, if he were really pushed to the limit, even ten Li Longqians wouldn't be enough to defeat him.
Huo Jingguang's eyes twitched a few times. He glanced at the person next to him, but in the end, he suppressed his anger.
Unlike Li Longqian, Lin Fei was more concerned about the identity of the suddenly appearing man. Huo Jingguang was a member of the Huo family, one of the twelve great families of Northern Han, and his cultivation was extraordinary. However, he seemed to be very respectful to this man, so this man's background must be extraordinary.
"Haven't you asked me yet?" Lin Fei asked, looking at the man.
"I am Liu He. His Majesty, out of consideration for an old minister, has reluctantly granted me the title of Marquis. It is truly nothing to boast about." The man chuckled and said, "On this mission to the Southern Tang, these young men respected the elders and allowed me to take on the position of chief envoy. I hope Your Highnesses will take good care of me."
Lin Fei ignored the man's flowery pleasantries and directly grasped two important pieces of information—the Marquis and the mastermind.
No wonder Huo Jingguang, with his status and cultivation level, treated this old man with such respect; it turns out that this man was not only the mastermind but also a marquis.
It should be noted that the title of Marquis is the most prestigious title in a country. Although there is a Duke above him, it is practically a nominal title and does not exist in either the Southern Tang or the Northern Han.
Even with Su Lie's merits and cultivation, his title was only Marquis. This shows that a Marquis is not a title that just anyone can attain through age and seniority. Although this old fellow seemed humble, every word he spoke was like a nail.
Lin Fei only needed to recall briefly to figure out the guy's background and identity.
Marquis Liu He of Changshan, a member of the Northern Han imperial family, possessed the cultivation level of the second stage of the Dharma Aspect Realm.
With Lin Fei's photographic memory, recalling Liu He's information was only a matter of moments.
"So he's a powerful expert at the Dharma Aspect Realm. This old guy is really playing dumb to fool everyone!" Lin Fei couldn't help but sneer inwardly.
If you underestimate this old man because he has a smiling face and seems very respectful, you'll suffer a great loss. For example, Li Longqian, who is standing to the side, might be sold out without even realizing it.
"So you are Marquis Changshan." Lin Fei smiled lightly and cupped his hands in a respectful gesture towards Liu He: "This junior has been disrespectful!"
Liu He was slightly taken aback. Although he was a powerful expert at the Dharma Aspect Realm, he had never been well-known, and even within the Dharma Aspect Realm, he wasn't considered particularly formidable. His name wasn't even on the Dragon and Tiger Ranking. Even within the Northern Han Kingdom, Liu He's reputation wasn't great, and many people didn't recognize him. He never expected that a prince from the Southern Tang Kingdom, thousands of miles away, would recognize him in such a short time.
Now, Liu He dared not underestimate Lin Fei anymore. He put away his previous smiling face and said seriously, "I have long heard of Prince Longyuan's great name of 'Dao Sword and Demon Blade.' Seeing him today, I can see that he is indeed a dragon among men with extraordinary bearing!"
He thought that Lin Fei's spies had already spread throughout the Northern Han Kingdom, and that even his own identity could not be hidden from him, which was why he was so serious.
In reality, Lin Fei had only stayed in Tianmen Prefecture for a long time and had happened to see Liu He's information in the prefecture's files. This led Liu He to mistakenly believe that Lin Fei was incredibly powerful.
Just then, a burst of wild laughter suddenly came from the courtyard: "What 'Dao Sword Demon Blade'? It's only ranked twenty-third on the Wind and Cloud Ranking. It can't even make it into the top twenty. How dare it be called a dragon among men, a rising talent?"
The laughter was extremely arrogant, as if the speaker didn't take Lin Fei seriously at all.
In fact, Lin Fei's cultivation level was not particularly amazing, but his identity was that of a prince of a country. Even Liu He, a marquis at the Dharma Aspect realm, had to address him as "Your Highness".
At this moment, the laughter was extremely arrogant, which made Liu He feel embarrassed, and his old face was almost crumbling.
He coughed lightly, looking extremely embarrassed, and lowered his voice to Huo Jingguang beside him, saying, "That kid from the Han family is probably drunk again! Jingguang, go check on him, don't let him embarrass himself in the Southern Tang Kingdom!"
"Yes, Lord Marquis!" Huo Jingguang replied and hurriedly ran into the courtyard.
Liu He smiled insincerely and said to Lin Fei, "Your Highness, please don't be offended. That kid usually likes to drink, and he's probably drunk again today, so he's speaking recklessly."
"The Han family of Huaiyin?" Lin Fei frowned slightly, then smiled and said, "It's alright, I'm not the kind of narrow-minded person who can't stand people talking."
Just as Liu He breathed a sigh of relief, Lin Fei abruptly changed the subject, coldly laughing, "But since you're the one spouting such arrogant words, you must possess extraordinary abilities, right?"
At this point, Lin Fei suddenly shouted, "Then come out and let me see who this extraordinary person is! Hiding and hiding is nothing short of cowardly behavior!"
With this loud shout, Lin Fei had used all his true energy. Li Longqian, who was standing next to him, hurriedly covered his ears and jumped far away. He felt a sharp pain in his ears from the shock.
Even Liu He, who was at the Dharma Aspect Realm, changed his expression: "What powerful true energy! What formidable skills! No wonder he comes from the Jade Emperor Sect. He has used the Taoist technique of 'Tongue Spreading Spring Thunder' so exquisitely!"
To onlookers, Lin Fei's shout was merely a loud noise that made their eardrums ache; there seemed to be no earth-shaking phenomenon, and its power seemed to be nothing special.
Even someone with Li Longqian's cultivation level wasn't injured by this, so it doesn't seem to be that powerful.
But in reality, this is because Lin Fei poured all his energy into a single point, with almost no leakage. Others were naturally unaffected, but those targeted by Lin Fei suffered greatly.
If Li Longqian had the cultivation level of his, he would probably have been killed by Lin Fei's shout. This was something Lin Fei could only do after opening up his five acupoints; before that, he couldn't do it with his current cultivation level.