This time, Ye Rong had carefully prepared a gift. Among his entourage, he also had Jiang Chen and Tian Shao—two young men who had been in the spotlight quite a bit recently—as well as Ling Qianli, a prodigious disciple of the Qianlan Southern Palace.
He had thought that this occasion would give him a chance to make a good impression.
He never expected that Ye Dai would go even harder this time—three of the attendants he brought along were Spirit Realm cultivators! In years past, that would have been simply unthinkable!
What's more, the gift Ye Dai had prepared—the Yellow Dragon Observing Sea Diagram—essentially set the tone the moment it appeared. Everyone else's gifts were nothing but jokes in comparison, not even on the same level.
"Fourth Brother, what have you prepared this time? You should bring it out and let us have a look too." Third Prince Ye Zheng wore a smile with just a touch of provocation.
Ye Rong felt Consort Dan's gaze turn toward him and forced himself to calm down, telling himself not to lose composure. He had to hold steady. No matter what, he couldn't lose his dignity—he couldn't lose face in front of the old Grand Tutor and Consort Dan.
"Sister Dan, the Grand Tutor is a man who transcends the mundane world. I'm afraid ordinary worldly things wouldn't catch his eye. So this time, I happened to come upon a creature—a Saber-tooth Flying Fox cub. It is remarkably spirited. The Tiangui Kingdom is vast, but apart from the Grand Tutor himself, I truly can't think of anyone else who could nurture this fox's spiritual nature."
The moment Ye Rong said this, even Ye Dai was faintly surprised. He gave Ye Rong a meaningful look, a flicker of displeasure stirring within him.
You could tell from this gift that Ye Rong had indeed put considerable thought into it. The Saber-tooth Flying Fox wasn't exactly a rare or precious spirit creature, but if its spiritual nature could be cultivated over time, it could eventually transform into a Spirit Beast—effectively granting its owner a companion on par with a Spirit Realm powerhouse.
Most importantly, the Saber-tooth Flying Fox already possessed more spiritual awareness than ordinary beasts even as a cub, making it highly perceptive and responsive. On top of that, its small stature and adorable appearance made it immediately endearing at first glance.
Furthermore, Grand Tutor Ye didn't have many hobbies, but raising various rare and extraordinary creatures was his greatest passion. In terms of sheer monetary value, the Saber-tooth Flying Fox cub that Ye Rong was presenting certainly couldn't compare to the Yellow Dragon Observing Sea Diagram—but when it came to appealing to the old man's personal interests, it was a different story entirely.
"That bastard Ye Rong—looks like his ambitions aren't dead yet. Going to all this trouble, he's clearly trying to curry favor with the old Grand Tutor. Could it be that a prince born of a mere consort actually thinks he can compete with me for the Crown Prince position?" Ye Dai certainly had reason to be unhappy.
Ye Rong's recent performance had been making him increasingly displeased.
When Consort Dan saw the Saber-tooth Flying Fox cub that Ye Rong presented, the little creature's round eyes were spinning with curiosity as its chubby paws clutched a piece of fruit, munching away without a care in the world. It looked utterly adorable.
Women were naturally fond of pets, and seeing how cute the little creature was, Consort Dan took a liking to it immediately, unable to resist reaching out to tease it a couple of times.
"Fourth Prince, where did you find this little fellow? It's really charming," Consort Dan said with a smile, offering what seemed like a casual compliment.
Ye Rong felt a flutter of delight but maintained a modest expression. "I came across it by chance, really."
He knew perfectly well that what appeared to be an offhand compliment from Sister Dan was actually meant to give him a chance to shine in front of the Grand Tutor.
He felt a flicker of gratitude, knowing that Sister Dan was, after all, still on his side.
Though Ye Dai still wore that refined, easygoing smile on his face, inside he felt as disgusted as if he'd swallowed a fly. Sister Dan had actually been warm and friendly to that bastard Ye Rong—and it left a bitter taste in Ye Dai's mouth, as though something precious to him had been snatched away.
Right at that moment, Lü Wuji, who stood behind him, suddenly spoke up: "Fourth Prince's Saber-tooth Flying Fox cub is indeed a novel little pet. I wonder, though—what have these three behind Fourth Prince prepared for the Grand Tutor? Perhaps they could let the rest of us have a look as well?"
Lü Wuji was very skilled at seizing his opportunities. He could see that Ye Dai appeared calm on the surface but was undoubtedly seething inside.
Seeing this opening, Lü Wuji knew it was time to ease his master's burden.
You, Ye Rong, want to steal the spotlight? Then we'll go after your entourage. We'll make your people humiliate themselves and squash whatever momentum you've built.
In Lü Wuji's eyes, Tian Shao was nothing more than a lowly Battalion Commander — someone who didn't belong on any proper stage. Even if he'd recently been promoted to Deputy Commander, he was still a pauper through and through. How much good stuff could he possibly have? And putting aside that question, whether he'd even bothered to prepare a gift for the old man was doubtful at best.
As for Ling Qianli, he was a disciple of the Qianlan Southern Palace with a temperament like a stone from the bottom of a cesspit — foul and unyielding. The man was utterly clueless when it came to social graces. How could anyone expect him to prepare any kind of gift?
As for Jiang Chen, the fellow did have some decent things. But this was his first time attending such an occasion — a bumpkin who'd never seen the world. Would he bring an extravagant gift? Lü Wuji didn't believe so.
Sure enough, the moment those words left his mouth, the smile on Ye Rong's face stiffened ever so slightly.
Lü Wuji, who was expert at reading people's expressions, immediately caught this detail and surmised that Ye Rong had certainly not instructed his subordinates to prepare gifts.
Especially this Jiang Chen — he'd barely been in the Royal Capital for any length of time. Would he be willing to splurge on a lavish gift? Absolutely impossible!
It seemed he'd made the right bet.
Sure enough, First Prince Ye Dai flashed an approving glance and shot Lü Wuji a look, then laughed: "Fourth Brother, that flying fox of yours really is quite something — clearly you put a lot of thought into it. Now I'm actually curious about the gifts your entourage has prepared."
Ye Dai's eyes were razor-sharp; how could he fail to see Ye Rong's predicament? His words were designed to twist the knife — deliberately making things uncomfortable for Ye Rong.
If Ye Rong truly hadn't had his attendants prepare any gifts, the humiliation would be enormous.
Ye Zheng had always had a terrible relationship with Ye Rong, and on top of that, he was one of First Prince Ye Dai's most loyal cronies. Seeing the First Prince speak up, he chimed in as well: "That's right, Fourth Brother. You've been so thoughtful this time — you couldn't possibly have let your attendants come empty-handed, could you?"
That remark was a touch more pointed. But Ye Zheng had always been blunt and uncouth; his direct, no-nonsense style was something everyone had long grown accustomed to.