All Heavens: A Role-Playing System Starting from Tianlong

It took Zhang Cheng some time to finally shake off the clingy little Zhong Ling.

At this moment, he was squatting on the roof of some room in the Prince's mansion, idly enjoying the breeze.

Within Dali City, the only place that interested him was Tianlong Temple.

But since he had a prior agreement with Duan Yanqing, he couldn't very well sneak over to investigate on his own.

He had been squatting there for a short while when he saw Yue Laosan, who had run away at some point, hurrying back to the palace, with a small troop of cavalry following behind him.

It seems Duan Zhengchun and his men are back. I just don't know if Yue Laosan found any help on his trip.

He leaped off the roof, landed lightly on the ground, and walked back to his room as if nothing had happened.

Sure enough, not long after, a servant knocked on the door, saying that the prince and princess had invited them.

Zhang Cheng responded and went out to meet Mu Wanqing, Zhong Ling, and Duan Yanqing.

As soon as Zhong Ling saw him, she came over and said, "Brother Zhang, where did you go? I've been looking for you for ages!"

Zhang Cheng glanced at her: "Squatting on the rooftop to enjoy the view."

"To see the scenery?" Zhong Ling blinked. "What kind of scenery can you see from the rooftop of the Prince's mansion?"

"I saw a little girl chasing me around three times before finally squatting on the ground, panting," Zhang Cheng said without changing his expression.

Zhong Ling blushed, snorted, and turned her head away, ignoring him. Mu Wanqing listened from the side and shook her head helplessly.

The four followed the servants through several courtyards and arrived at a bright and spacious hall.

A banquet has already been set up in the hall.

The person sitting in the main seat was a middle-aged man dressed in a purple robe.

The man had a square face, thick eyebrows, and large eyes. He had a powerful demeanor, yet he also possessed a refined and scholarly air. He was truly a dashing and debonair figure.

Beside him sat a woman dressed as a Taoist nun, in simple white clothes, with a beautiful face and an otherworldly air, as if Guanyin Bodhisattva had descended to earth.

This must be Duan Zhengchun, the Prince of Zhennan, and his wife, Dao Baifeng.

Duan Yu is accompanied by the Prime Minister. It seems that Yue Laosan has been doing quite well in the Prince's mansion lately, as he has been arranged to sit next to Duan Yu.

Upon seeing Zhang Cheng and his entourage enter, the middle-aged man seated at the head of the table rose to greet them with a broad smile:

"Esteemed heroes, please take a seat! My name is Duan Zhengchun, and this is my wife, Dao Baifeng. I am deeply grateful for your righteous act of saving Yu'er."

Yu'er has returned and recounted everything that happened on the journey. "Thanks to everyone's care and support along the way, otherwise this child would have suffered so much."

Having said that, he stepped aside and gestured for the guests to sit down. The guests returned the gesture with clasped hands and took their seats in turn.

Zhong Ling, Zhang Cheng, and Mu Wanqing sat to Duan Zhengchun's left, while Duan Yanqing, Yue Laosan, and Duan Yu sat to his right.

After Zhong Ling sat down, she took out a delicate little box from her bosom and handed it to Duan Zhengchun: "Uncle Duan, this is for you!"

Duan Zhengchun was taken aback, then took the box: "This is...?"

"My mother asked me to give this to you." Zhong Ling blinked. "She said it's very important and asked me to give it to you personally."

Duan Zhengchun found Zhong Ling lively and charming, and smiled, "Oh? I wonder who your mother is...?"

"My mother's surname is Gan, and her name in the martial arts world used to be 'Pretty Yaksha'," Zhong Ling answered frankly.

A soft "snap" sounded. Dao Baifeng gently placed the chopsticks on the edge of the plate.

Duan Zhengchun's smile froze for a moment.

He lowered his eyes, looking at the box in his hand, his fingers tightening slightly. After a moment, he casually slipped it into his sleeve and said gently:

"So Miss Zhong is the daughter of an old friend..."

Before he could finish speaking, Dao Baifeng picked up her teacup, lowered her head, and took a sip. Duan Zhengchun swallowed the rest of his sentence.

Zhong Ling blinked. Although she was young, she was very quick-witted. She had seen Dao Baifeng put down her chopsticks and Duan Zhengchun's momentary stiffness.

Then, when she connected this to the fact that her father seemed to have a deep-seated grudge against "the one surnamed Duan," she vaguely realized that she might have said something she shouldn't have.

But she remained expressionless; instead, her smile widened, and she subtly changed the subject:

"Uncle Duan, this tea smells wonderful! Is it a local specialty? My dad loves drinking tea, I'll have to bring some back for him when I get back."

As she spoke, she picked up her teacup and took another sip, her eyes curving into crescents, as if nothing had happened.

Duan Zhengchun readily replied, "Miss Zhong has a good eye; this is the famous Gantong Tea from Dali. If you like it, I'll have someone pack some for you to take with you later."

"Thank you, Uncle Duan!" Zhong Ling smiled sweetly, but secretly glanced at Dao Baifeng out of the corner of her eye.

Seeing that the princess was indifferent, drinking tea with her eyes down and not even glancing at her, she immediately understood what was going on.

She turned to Duan Yu and said with a grin, "Silly boy, when you secretly went to Wuliang Mountain last time, did Uncle Duan scold you when you came back?"

Duan Yu was taken aback, then scratched his head and said, "Father didn't scold me, but..." Once he started talking, the atmosphere finally eased.

The banquet officially began. Amidst the clinking of glasses, the atmosphere was quite harmonious.

Duan Yu was very lively, toasting Zhang Cheng one moment and talking to Yue Laosan the next.

Yue Laosan, this "brainless" and "unhappy" guy, was cold and indifferent to others, but he was exceptionally lenient with his "disciple," and was amused by Duan Yu to the point of grinning.

The laughter sounded like a broken gong, causing the maid next to her to secretly purse her lips.

Duan Yu seemed to have become very familiar with Yue Laosan, and he laughed along with him. The two put their arms around each other's shoulders, making quite a scene.

Dao Baifeng's gaze swept over Duan Yu and Yue Laosan from time to time, her eyes filled with helplessness.

She was half-tricked and half-persuaded by the two men to return to the manor, and she was already reluctant to do so. Now, seeing Duan Yu getting along so well with this scoundrel, she was even more annoyed, but she couldn't bear to scold him.

Mu Wanqing barely touched her chopsticks.

Her gaze would occasionally fall on Duan Zhengchun, watching him chat and laugh with the others, watching him serve food to Dao Baifeng, and watching the loving look in his eyes when he occasionally glanced at Duan Yu.

This man seemed to treat his family very well. He wasn't the heartless man she had imagined. But the more he seemed to be like this, the more confused she became.

Duan Yanqing sat alone in the corner, drinking his wine without saying a word.

His gaze would occasionally drift subtly towards Dao Baifeng, and then towards the "Guanyin Bodhisattva" he couldn't forget.

Twenty years have passed, but her features and temperament remain unchanged, as if time has left no trace on her.

He lowered his eyes and drank the wine in his glass in one gulp.

Zhong Ling sat at the table, looking around. She secretly reached under the table and gently traced words on the back of Zhang Cheng's hand:

"Brother Zhang, why do I feel like everyone seems to have something on their mind?"

Zhang Cheng remained calm and replied telepathically, "Just eat what you need to eat, why worry so much?"

Zhong Ling pursed her lips and didn't ask any more questions, but her eyes started darting around more frequently.

After several rounds of drinks and five courses of food,

Mu Wanqing looked at Duan Zhengchun in silence, still unsure of how to speak.

As she was thinking, she suddenly caught a glimpse of Zhang Cheng holding a wine glass, his gaze sweeping over her with a half-smile.

Immediately afterwards, he transmitted his voice into her ear: "How is it? Have you seen enough? If you don't think it's clear enough, I'll let you see it even more clearly."