"People from the Nine Mansions? Should I take care of him?"
The Emperor of Black Vulture Nation approached.
"No need, no need."
Xu Taiping waved his hands repeatedly.
He had gauged the strength of these two, and it was very likely they were not inferior to their sect leaders.
"If you can't speak well, then speak less."
The Sixth Princess glared at the Emperor of Black Vulture Nation upon hearing this.
The Emperor of Black Vulture Nation chuckled "hehe" and then obediently stepped aside, remaining silent.
"Daoist Taiping, please go ahead. If the Nine Mansions give you trouble, I'll figure out a way to resolve it for you."
Haitang spoke with full confidence.
"Alright… alright!"
Xu Taiping nodded and quickly left.
***
Hongyun Restaurant.
"Just half an incense stick's time."
When Xu Taiping returned to the restaurant, his clone was about to enter the room with a basket of steamed buns.
At this moment, the clone clearly showed signs of dissipating spiritual energy.
"Xu Taiping, why did it take so long just to get some buns?"
At this moment, Oriole roared from inside the room.
Xu Taiping quickly dispelled the clone and caught the basket of buns from its hands, smoothly bringing them back to the room.
"Brother Oriole, you've been pondering this move for at least the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, are you going to keep thinking?"
Xu Taiping ate a bun while asking Oriole, who was scratching his head and ears across the table.
"Give me one!"
Oriole stretched out his hand towards Xu Taiping, somewhat frustrated.
"Help yourself."
Xu Taiping placed the basket of buns on the table and continued to chew while mentally asking Fairy Lingyue, "Sister Lingyue, the matter has been resolved. Could you go a bit easier? I feel like Brother Oriole's Dao heart is becoming unstable because of you."
The issue with the Sixth Princess was settled; there was no need for a heavy hand, time to divert Oriole's attention.
"I've already been quite gentle. It's his chess skills that are terrible," Fairy Lingyue said, slightly discontented.
"Sister Lingyue, how did you become so skilled at chess?"
Xu Taiping conversed with Fairy Lingyue in his mind while pouring himself a cup of tea.
Now that the matter was resolved, he was in the mood for a light-hearted chat with Fairy Lingyue.
"A long, long time ago, I had a master who loved chess. Every day, he'd drag me to play with him. After nearly a hundred years of playing, my skills naturally improved," Fairy Lingyue reminisced.
"A hundred years?"
Xu Taiping was full of surprise.
"Taiping, pour me a cup of tea!"
Just then, Oriole, who was intently staring at the chessboard, loudly urged Xu Taiping.
"Brother Oriole, your white pieces have no way out, better to concede."
As Xu Taiping poured tea for Oriole, he offered a reminder.
"No, let me think, I'm sure I can find a brilliant move to break the situation!" Oriole said without lifting his head.
"Clip-clop, clip-clop, clip-clop!…"
Suddenly, a rapid sound of horse hooves arose in the street. Looking up, they saw a squad of fierce Tiger Guards rushing down the street, heading straight for Hongyun Restaurant.
Hearing this commotion, Oriole immediately put down his chess pieces and murmured softly, "Finally, some action. Just don't know which side has prevailed."
"What did you say, Brother Oriole?" Xu Taiping feigned ignorance.
"Nothing, this game is pointless," he said, pushing the chessboard into disarray.
"Unrestricted Talisman."
Xu Taiping smiled and extended his hand.
"Take it."
Oriole slapped a Talisman Scroll onto Xu Taiping's hand with a resigned expression.
During his time in the capital, Xu Taiping had been well-behaved, which pleased him greatly.
"Bang!"
Just then, the door to their room was violently pushed open.
"Who is Xu Taiping? Who is Oriole?"
A Tiger Guard clad in heavy armor bellowed at them.
"I am Xu Taiping," he replied.
"Sir, what do you need me for?" Oriole was puzzled.
In his view, no matter how the situation developed, it should not involve him.
"His Majesty has successfully negotiated peace with the Sixth Princess of White Tree Nation. Xu Taiping, for your role in protecting the princess, you are both invited to a banquet at the palace," the Tiger Guard declared in a gruff voice.
"Negotiations… successful?!" Oriole stood up, his face a picture of disbelief.
He knew some things, and according to his original predictions, at least one of the Emperor of Black Vulture Nation or the Sixth Princess of White Tree Nation was supposed to die.
"Isn't it a good thing that the negotiations were successful?" Xu Taiping looked at Oriole with a smile.
"Ah, yes, it is a good thing!" Oriole quickly covered up his lapse with a laugh.
"Let's go, Brother Oriole, the palace banquet is sure to be lavish," Xu Taiping said, standing up with anticipation.
Oriole hesitated.
Suddenly, he considered the worst possibility.
"Could it be that both of them have awakened?"
But he immediately dismissed the thought. In his opinion, both of them, being exiled immortals who had lost their memories of past lives, could not possibly awaken without external assistance.
"Brother Oriole, are you coming or not?" Xu Taiping urged him.
"Let's go, let's go together."
After a brief hesitation, Oriole decided to go to the palace to see for himself.
What is there to fear for someone who from Nine Mansions?
He reassured himself internally.
***
At the palace banquet.
"You, you, you, I, I, I…"
Oriole, looking at the Emperor of Black Vulture Nation in front of him, couldn't stop his hand from trembling as he held his wine cup, stammering without being able to utter a complete sentence.
"Stop with the 'you' and 'I', drink up!" The Emperor of Black Vulture Nation slapped Oriole's shoulder forcefully.
"Uh…"
With just that light slap, Oriole's True Qi churned violently, almost causing him to burst.
"What's the matter? Does the Nine Mansions look down on me, Xiang Nantian?" The Emperor of Black Vulture Nation's face darkened immediately.
"No, no, no, Great Hero Xiang, you misunderstand. I'm just feeling a bit under the weather," Oriole quickly waved his hands and downed the wine in his cup, declaring, "I'll punish myself with three cups!"
At this moment, he truly had his own troubles.
He would never have imagined that Xiang Nantian would awaken along with Qi Haitang.
"That's more like it!" Xiang Nantian laughed heartily, then patted Oriole's shoulder again, nearly knocking him out.
At the other end of the banquet, Qi Haitang, reincarnated as the Sixth Princess, watched the scene with relish.
"Senior Haitang, Oriole holds no great malice towards you and your husband," Xu Taiping said, feeling somewhat sorry for Oriole.
"Don't worry, your Brother Xiang is just teasing him. Those few pats were actually to help him clear his meridians. Not only is it harmless, but it's also beneficial," Haitang said with a light smile.
"That's good," Xu Taiping nodded.
"Also, Senior Haitang, what exactly happened on this trip to Black Vulture Nation?" After a few drinks, Xu Taiping finally couldn't help but ask.
Proofreader & Editor: Lotas