The reason Qin Xiao had suddenly changed his attitude was naturally because he had backing.
Right before he entered the door, the Great Elder Token given to him by Ye Qiuyue suddenly transmitted a voice.
After a brief, quiet exchange, Qin Xiao learned that his Master's Wife had made a breakthrough and was asking for his whereabouts. He briefly explained the situation to her before pushing the door open.
These kinds of private rooms generally featured sound-isolation Formations, so the people inside remained unaware of Qin Xiao's conversation. However, this particular sound-isolation Formation was only of ordinary quality. The earlier dispute in Private Room One had inadvertently caused a riot of Spiritual Qi, damaging a portion of the array. That was how Qin Xiao had learned of the situation unfolding inside.
"The Great Elder Token? Why is it in your hands? Where is the Great Elder?"
Seeing Qin Xiao bring out the token, Ye Tianyi hastily stood up to ask.
She had just returned from inspecting shops in other cities and hadn't found the time to return to the Heavenly Clothes Pavilion before rushing to this banquet. Because the appointment had been scheduled in advance and the time was nearly up, she had come straight here, completely unaware that Ye Qiuyue had returned.
"Ah, this token was naturally given to me by my Master's Wife. She is currently on her way here."
Qin Xiao quickly explained.
"Ye Qiuyue is coming too?"
Chen Lou asked with a hint of apprehension.
"It does not matter. Ye Qiuyue is merely at the peak of the Soul Formation stage. I have already broken through; what can she do even if she comes?"
Chen Shunyi spoke with an expression of complete indifference.
Previously, part of the reason he had not dared to aggressively pressure Ye Tianyi was because of Ye Qiuyue. Before his breakthrough, both he and Ye Qiuyue were in the Soul Formation stage. Even though he had been at the peak of the Soul Formation stage and Ye Qiuyue was only in the late stages, they were still within the same major realm. If they were to fight a battle to the death, he had possessed no absolute certainty of victory.
But things were different now. Even if Ye Qiuyue had reached the peak of the Soul Formation stage, he was already in the Body Integration stage. Although they were only separated by a single minor level, that level represented the massive gulf of a major realm. He no longer feared Ye Qiuyue in the slightest, which was exactly why he had dared to come here and demand answers.
"Who said my Master's Wife is still at the peak of the Soul Formation stage? You are allowed to break through, but my Master's Wife is not?"
Seeing that the other party had only recently broken through to the Body Integration stage, Qin Xiao did not take the threat to heart.
As for whether Chen Shunyi would suddenly fly into a rage and try to kill him, he did not consider the possibility at all.
"Brat, if you continue to speak with such disrespect, this old man will not mind taking action against a mortal like you."
Chen Shunyi grew somewhat angry. No matter how much he disdained lowering himself to strike a mortal, he did not have a particularly good temper either.
"A dignified Body Integration stage expert, and the Grand Commander of the Supreme Heavenly Dynasty to boot, surely would not stoop to attacking an ordinary person like me, right? If word of this reached the ears of the Heavenly Dynasty, I fear it would damage the dynasty's prestige."
Qin Xiao had already made thorough inquiries. Ye Jiarong had explained it to him: the reason the Supreme Heavenly Dynasty held the firm support of the secular world was naturally due to its strict regulations. They could impose a Penalty upon ordinary people in accordance with the rules, but they absolutely could not slaughter mortals on a whim.
"Uncle, set your mind at ease. Since it is inconvenient for you to act, allow me. He is within my city, so I have the authority to deal with him. As for the charges, I will simply have someone find a suitable one."
Chen Lou also knew that the Heavenly Dynasty's rules were extremely strict. His uncle was a Grand Commander and therefore could not easily lay hands on a mortal. But Chen Lou was different; he was the City Lord. As long as there was a formal charge, he could deal with Qin Xiao however he pleased, provided he did not beat the man to death. This was precisely why he had held back the full force of his palm strike earlier.
Of course, this was only the rule on the surface. If Ye Tianyi were not present, he could have directly killed Qin Xiao. As long as he cleaned up the scene thoroughly, no one would ever know, and it would be impossible for the Heavenly Dynasty to fault him for it.
"That is more like it. A Grand Commander cannot just casually strike people. Let your nephew handle it."
Hearing Chen Lou's words, Qin Xiao eagerly chimed in.
If this Grand Commander truly cast all caution to the wind and insisted on killing him, the man would likely only suffer a minor Penalty. It was best not to provoke the old monster any further and just wait for his Master's Wife to arrive.
"Brat, you have some nerve. To think you dare to overlook this City Lord so completely. Disrespecting a City Lord is equivalent to disrespecting the Heavenly Dynasty. This City Lord will apprehend you right now."
Seeing Qin Xiao still acting so brazenly, Chen Lou could no longer restrain himself. He shot to his feet and lunged toward Qin Xiao.
Yet before Chen Lou's palm could even reach Qin Xiao, it was deflected by a sword strike from the arriving Yun Man.
Lin Shimeng also drew her sword. The two of them fully unleashed their Spiritual Qi, instantly radiating the auras of early-stage Nascent Soul cultivators.
"Two Nascent Soul stage cultivators? Not bad at all. It just so happens that this City Lord is currently lacking two concubines. If you two beauties agree to serve me, I might just be persuaded to let this brat live."
Chen Lou stated plainly as he took in the sight of Yun Man and Lin Shimeng.
"Old geezer, who the hell do you think you are? You dare to harbor designs on my disciples?"
Qin Xiao cursed without a shred of restraint. His disciples were his reverse scale; absolutely no one was allowed to touch them.
"Enough. What kind of disgraceful behavior is this?"
Chen Shunyi glared at his nephew, finding the display utterly shameful. This was a public place.
"Forgive me, Uncle. I spoke without thinking."
Chen Lou had been so blinded by his own lust that he had entirely forgotten his uncle was still in the room. Scolded, he swiftly regained his senses.
"Brat, if I were you, I would run as far away as possible right now rather than wait here to die. If you are counting on the Heavenly Clothes Pavilion to protect you, then let me be the one to tell you: the Heavenly Clothes Pavilion can no longer even protect itself."
Chen Shunyi still had to maintain his face and bearing, given his current position as a Grand Commander of the Heavenly Dynasty.
"Who says my Heavenly Clothes Pavilion cannot protect itself?"
Before Qin Xiao could even open his mouth, Ye Qiuyue had already arrived on the Third Floor.
"Master's Wife."
"Aunt."
"Great-Grandmother."
Qin Xiao and the others immediately called out their greetings upon seeing Ye Qiuyue.
The one calling out 'Great-Grandmother' was, naturally, the boy Ye Jiarong.
"What? You also broke through to the Body Integration stage?"
Chen Shunyi sensed Ye Qiuyue's aura and was shocked to find that she, too, had reached the Body Integration stage.
"Correct. If you know what is good for you, you will leave right now. But if you wish to fight, my Heavenly Clothes Pavilion will entertain you to the bitter end."
Ye Qiuyue had always possessed a fiery temper. To dare threaten the Heavenly Clothes Pavilion to her face? If he wanted a battle, she would give him one.
"Hmph. Very well, Heavenly Clothes Pavilion. I will remember this."
Seeing that Ye Qiuyue had successfully broken through, Chen Shunyi knew that any further intimidation today was hopeless. He did not linger. Rising to his feet, he threw down a final parting threat and strode away.
"Hmph, every convenience and privilege your Heavenly Clothes Pavilion currently enjoys in Tianyi City is hereby revoked."
Seeing his uncle depart, Chen Lou dropped his own icy decree before turning to follow him out.
"Why are all of you gathered here?"
Ye Qiuyue asked, her face filled with confusion.
"Master's Wife, come. Let's return to our Private Room to talk in detail."
Realizing that standing around in the open was hardly appropriate, Qin Xiao suggested they retreat to Private Room Two.
"Let us go. There is no need to stand around out here."
Ye Qiuyue agreed, feeling similarly that lingering in the corridor was poor form.
The group subsequently moved back into Private Room Two.
"I can roughly guess why Tianyi is here, and I can understand Xiao'er's presence as well. But why on earth are you here?"
Ye Qiuyue asked, directing her gaze toward Ye Jiarong.
"Great-Grandmother, it is all a misunderstanding! I invited this Senior for a meal. I had no idea that you all knew each other. I beg Great-Grandmother not to fault me."
Ye Jiarong's mind was still reeling in a dazed panic. What in the world was going on today? His aunt had suffered a total fallout with the City Lord, his great-grandmother had exchanged ruthless threats with the Grand Commander, and the Senior he had invited to dine turned out to be his great-grandmother's close acquaintance. What exactly had he stumbled into today?
"It is fine. This is Xiao'er's first time visiting Tianyi City, so our Ye Family should naturally extend our hospitality as hosts. You did well, boy."
Ye Qiuyue had no intention of scolding him; she had merely asked out of curiosity. Hearing his explanation, she felt rather pleased by his initiative.
"Thank you for the praise, Great-Grandmother."
Ye Jiarong hurriedly wiped the imaginary sweat from his brow, immensely relieved that he was safe.
"Aunt, how did you break through? Didn't you say before that you would be unable to break through in the short term?"
Ye Tianyi was deeply curious as to why Ye Qiuyue had suddenly achieved her breakthrough. After all, strengthening the Primordial Spirit required a significant amount of time; how could it possibly be done this quickly?
"I was originally ready to break through, but I was limited by the insufficiency of my Primordial Spirit. This time, I found an item capable of nourishing the Primordial Spirit, so I naturally broke through."
Ye Qiuyue explained truthfully.
She had originally intended to break through during her last session of Secluded Cultivation, but her Primordial Spirit had always been just a sliver lacking, keeping the breakthrough out of reach. That was why she had ended her seclusion early. Having obtained the Saint Origin Spirit Fruit this time, she only needed to Refine and Absorb it to naturally advance without any further bottlenecks.
It was only because to Refine and Absorb the Saint Origin Spirit Fruit took over an hour; otherwise, she could have rushed over even faster.
"Where is that unfilial son? Where is my unfilial son?"
While the group was conversing, a voice suddenly echoed from the direction of the stairwell.