I am a living immortal.

There's even some harmony.

Fine wine and delicious food are the best means to bring people closer together. Obviously, the prince understands this, so he does this. He does not make the atmosphere so stiff under the erosion of taste buds. Of course, they will still quarrel, and it is impossible for him to harm his own interests for some delicious food and wine.

Old Goat and Chen Tao ate heartily in front of a table of delicious food, unconcerned as some others. They had no intention of participating in the competition, nor were they interested in arguing; they simply wanted to watch the fun. As they ate, they constantly observed the expressions of those around them.

The prince took the lead and started talking about the younger generation in the martial arts world, and talked about various grudges and hatreds. There was no deep hatred and it was still very relaxed. Those present were all seniors, and they were naturally happy to see these young people who had just emerged. There was competition, but also sincerity.

As the conversation continued and deepened, from the younger generation to the old veterans in the martial arts world, the atmosphere became increasingly subtle. The chopsticks that had been moving frequently stopped, and no one cared about the wine in the glass anymore.

The scene seemed to quiet down all of a sudden.

Only Old Goat and Chen Tao were eating a sea fish in front of them as if nothing had happened. They seemed to be completely unaware of the surrounding atmosphere. They did not talk to each other, but just listened with their ears perked up.

The reason why the originally good atmosphere dropped to freezing point was that during the conversation, someone, perhaps unintentionally or under the influence of alcohol, directly pointed out that the prince did not invite them to a martial arts competition, but to recruit them.

The hand of the court extended to the martial arts world, which was unacceptable to many people in the martial arts world. What's more, those rules and regulations made many people feel suffocated as if they were trapped in a cage. Such straightforward words would not have caused this banquet that started well to fall apart so quickly.

If the prince had just explained a few words or even softened his tone a little, this would not have happened.

But no one knew what was wrong with this prince, or he was just used to having his way, so no one dared to disobey him. He admitted directly that the hand of the court was going to reach out to the world of martial arts.

This caused a huge uproar.

The atmosphere suddenly became awkward.

"Your Highness, do you think that there is no one in charge in the martial arts world? Or does Your Highness want to show off your power in front of us? Do you think we are easy to bully? Although we do not have a million-strong army like the court, we have tens of thousands of men in the martial arts world. Your Highness, do you understand what we mean?" The person who spoke was Wang Chu, one of the four great masters mentioned by Chen Tao at the beginning. After he spoke first, the others followed suit to express their dissatisfaction.

However, no one expected that even with the Grandmaster at the head, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince didn't seem to buy into the situation. He didn't care about the threats and said directly, "I don't understand. I only know that Confucians use literature to disrupt the law, and knights use force to break the law. Your threats have only made me more certain of this idea. Your country has its own laws, and your family has its own rules. You have the convenience of the country, but you don't want to bear any responsibilities. Aren't you taking it for granted?"

This statement directly angered many people.

Wang Chu's face was even uglier. He had originally thought that the prince's attitude would at least soften a little, but he didn't expect that. Even the other party's tone did not change, as if Wang Chu was insignificant.

"Your Highness, the court and the martial arts world have always been at peace. May I ask why? Please tell me the truth, Your Highness, instead of making up stories." An old voice was heard, and everyone looked at Dong Qing.

Right now, a good guy is needed to persuade them, so he spoke up. He actually had some reservations about whether the martial arts world should be under the control of the court. No one likes to be bound by others. What he wanted was for both sides to tacitly not interfere with each other, like before.

However, they all seemed to have underestimated the prince. Not only was he a martial arts master, but he also had a very noble status. Therefore, he was born with the attitude of a superior and self-confidence.

This confidence was reflected in the fact that even when being glared at by so many people, he remained calm. In response to Dong Qing's question, the good man, the prince answered without hesitation: "Because if the Yu Kingdom wants to reach a higher level, it must break through. Relying on Yu Kingdom's own strength is not enough. You are also part of Yu Kingdom, so you should not stand idly by at this time!"

"Why?"

"Yes, why? That's your world in the court. If you want to move up a level, why should we pay for it?"

"Why?" the prince sneered.

"Just because you are on the land of Yu State, you are all Yu State people. You eat the food produced by Yu State, drink the water of Yu State, and were born and raised here, you have responsibilities. You are no different from the people of this world!"

The prince's voice was loud and majestic.

"You ask me why, and I have to ask you, why do you disagree? This is your root. Yu Country has given you peace, freed you from the ravages of war, and allowed your parents to give birth to you and raise you safely. Why do you refuse? Why do you stay out of it and say it has nothing to do with you? This concerns the court, the people, and the martial arts world. The beneficiary is the entire world, and does this world include you? You have enjoyed protection for so long, but it has come at a price. Now you still want to ask me why!!"

The prince's speech was deafening.

The person who asked why kept saying "you" for a long time but couldn't say a word.

The prince glanced at the crowd.

He met a pair of cold eyes: "You say the world is the beneficiary. That sounds very high-sounding, but there are so many poor people in this world who are just trying to survive. How come I don't see them benefiting?"

"Your Highness, look at the fish on my table. It's a sea fish, right? Your Highness, do you know how much effort and money it takes to transport such a fish from the sea to here, and how many people it can feed."

"Even if we obey you, what we gain won't be ours. Instead, it will all be embezzled by you upper-class people. You should know this better than us. There's no need to make such high-sounding statements. For the country? I think it's for your own reputation. Do you dare to say that you don't have any? Why don't you tell us what we will gain in a more concrete way? Perhaps more people will follow you."

Another person stood up to refute.

This time, the Crown Prince was silent for a moment, but only for a moment. When he raised his eyes again, he looked at the person who had spoken: "Relationships linked by interests are not reliable. Perhaps what you said makes some sense, but if everyone cares about gains and losses, then Dayu will become like the previous country."

"Row against the current, if you don't advance, you will retreat."