Heavenly Dao Engine
Chapter 904 - 904 0548 Not Just Any Good Men and Pious

Chapter 904: Chapter 0548: Not Just Any Good Men and Pious Women_1 Chapter 904: Chapter 0548: Not Just Any Good Men and Pious Women_1 Chapter 0548: Not a Bunch of Fools or Simpletons

Might makes right, and this is a truth universally acknowledged in the Cultivation World. Often, the measure of one’s strength was simply determined by the level of one’s cultivation realm; generally speaking, those with higher cultivation realms possessed greater strength. Now, as Gao Jinmei revealed her cultivation level, the guest officials realized they had no grounds to compete with her anymore. Originally, if Young Master Xiang Bo had been on their side, they might have stood a chance against Gao Jinmei. However, Gao Jinmei was invited by Qi Tian, who had gained Xiang Bo’s trust. Without Xiang Bo’s support, anything they said would only bring humiliation upon themselves.

Xiang Bo laughed heartily, “Summon someone to carry out my order: set up a banquet in the Flower Hall. Today, with the help of two distinguished guest officials, why should we worry about our Xiang family not thriving? Qi, Masters Gao and Xia, you all must attend. And Master Lin, you must attend too. In the future, we shall all work together; let us grow closer to one another.”

With the City Lord absent from the mansion, Xiang Bo held the highest status within the City Lord’s Mansion. His words were tantamount to supreme commands. Soon enough, the servants had prepared the banquet in the Flower Hall.

This was Qi Tian’s second visit to the Flower Hall. During his last visit, he was targeted by Lin Zhenzhao and others, forcing him to take a seat at the very end. This time, Lin Zhenzhao and the guest officials had learned their lesson and no longer vied for the seats of honor. They all stood respectfully at both sides of the Flower Hall’s entrance, waiting for Xiang Bo, Gao Jinmei, and Xia Xiaoming to take their seats first. Naturally, they did not plan to vie for seats with Qi Tian anymore. After all, Qi Tian had punched Lin Zhenzhao and sent him flying not long ago. Even if they still looked down on body cultivators, they dared not show the same contempt for Qi Tian as before.

However, deep down, Lin Zhenzhao and the other guest officials did not believe Qi Tian deserved to sit at the head of the table. Their deference was solely because they couldn’t defeat Qi Tian—it was submission to power, not genuine respect.

While Lin Zhenzhao and the others outwardly showed respect but inwardly sneered, they witnessed a scene that greatly shocked them. Xiang Bo was the first to step onto the platform in front of the Flower Hall entrance. However, he did not enter first. He stood outside, very respectfully inviting Gao Jinmei and Xia Xiaoming to enter ahead of him. Xiang Bo did not extend the same courtesy to Qi Tian. The secret technique Qi Tian had used on him made it easier for Xiang Bo to believe what Qi Tian said, but it didn’t make Xiang Bo regard Qi Tian as more honorable than himself.

Neither Gao Jinmei nor Xia Xiaoming saw anything amiss with Xiang Bo’s act of deference, but they did not proceed into the Flower Hall either. Instead, they squeezed past Xiang Bo to the sides of the entrance, lowered their heads, bent over, and said to Qi Tian, “After you, please.”

Qi Tian hummed indifferently and then, with a composed expression, stepped first into the Flower Hall. He walked straight to the prepared banquet and took the seat of honor without hesitation.

Gao Jinmei and Xia Xiaoming carefully followed behind Qi Tian. As he was about to sit down, one of them eagerly pulled out his chair, even sweeping off any dust with their sleeve. The other wasn’t idle either; after Qi Tian sat down, they quickly prepared his tableware, attending to every detail with a thoughtfulness surpassing even the most devoted maidservant.

Once Gao Jinmei had arranged the tableware for Qi Tian, he casually gestured to the seats beside him and said indifferently, “You may sit as well.”

Only after receiving Qi Tian’s nod of approval did Gao Jinmei and Xia Xiaoming carefully take their seats next to him, not daring to settle in fully but perching on the edge of their chairs. They did not dare to sit on equal terms with Qi Tian. After all, Qi Tian was their master, and serving him well was their foremost duty. Food and drink, by comparison, were trivial matters. Besides, what delicacies could this modest City Lord’s Mansion possibly offer?

Seeing how Gao Jinmei and Xia Xiaoming behaved, Xiang Bo, along with Lin Zhenzhao and the other guest officials, were utterly astonished. It was clear to them that the respect and even fear Gao Jinmei and Xia Xiaoming showed towards Qi Tian was deeply ingrained, not something that could be faked. If all this was real, what could possibly make Gao Jinmei and Xia Xiaoming show such a combination of respect and fear towards Qi Tian?

This question was too daunting to ponder deeply. The mere thought was enough to fill them with trepidation. Could it be that Qi Tian hailed from a great family or sect, sent out to temper himself? If not for this, it would be hard to find a reason for the mix of respect and fear from Gao Jinmei and Xia Xiaoming. Surely it couldn’t be because Qi Tian was so strong that he had overpowered them? That was unthinkable, utterly preposterous and unbelievable.

Xiang Bo took his place at the head of the table, having witnessed how Gao Jinmei and Xia Xiaoming fawned over Qi Tian. In facing Qi Tian, he couldn’t help being somewhat anxious, no longer as relaxed as before, nor as nonchalant as one behaves when higher in status to another.

“Master Qi,” Xiang Bo addressed Qi Tian differently for the first time, no longer calling him “Qi,” but bestowing upon him the honorary title of “Master” as he did with other guest officials. “Masters Gao and Xia are your friends, the esteemed individuals you’ve recommended to me. Could you perhaps introduce them briefly? Where do they hail from?”