Upon arriving at Yanghua Hall, he saw Ye Zhenghao sitting before a mirror, rolling a bruised forehead with a hard-boiled egg.
His careful demeanor struck him as amusing, as if the man were a maiden, afraid of marring his appearance.
With that thought, he walked forward and teased him playfully, "Brother Zhenghao, you've experienced it firsthand. How do you feel now?"
"Hmph, bringing up what I don't want to talk about!"
Ye Zhenghao glared at Yan Biao in exasperation, his expression shifting immediately.
He said gravely, "But speaking of which, he's truly strong. This kind of strength, I doubt even your uncle and my father could match..."
Ye Zhenghao, in his usual cultivation, had sought guidance from Yan Shenghui and Ye Yaoyang, so he quietly compared the three.
"That's not necessarily true. Don't forget, towards you, both Uncle and the Dean would hold back, lest they shatter your self-esteem..."
Upon hearing this, Yan Biao immediately took offense and argued back.
Ye Zhenghao sighed at this, "Perhaps..."
...
Night fell.
A banquet had been arranged in the main hall of Liehuo Courtyard.
All the active personnel of Liehuo Courtyard were present in the hall. In addition to them, the top ten disciples from the previous martial arts competition in Liehuo Hall were also in attendance.
Witnessing such a grand occasion, Ye Cangtian exchanged a look with Dongfang Mingyue.
To this day, neither of them could figure out what Ye Yaoyang was up to!
However, since they were here, they decided to make the best of it and quickly took their seats at the tables.
"Everyone, today, Miss Dongfang Mingyue of the Hidden Group and Mr. Ye Cangtian have arrived at Liehuo Courtyard. This is both an affirmation of our Liehuo Courtyard and a testament to our trust and friendship..."
"Therefore, I invite everyone to raise their glasses and toast our friends who have traveled from afar."
As the banquet began, Ye Yaoyang stood up, raised his glass, and spoke slowly.
As his voice fell, everyone stood up, raising their glasses in a gesture of toasting Dongfang Mingyue and Ye Cangtian.
"..."
Dongfang Mingyue was slightly taken aback. Since her arrival, the courtesy she had received had been exceptionally high, showing her great respect.
However, the more this was the case, the more uneasy she felt.
"Sister Mingyue..."
At that moment, Ye Cangtian's voice reached her. Dongfang Mingyue then realized that the people from Liehuo Courtyard were still holding up their glasses.
She quickly raised her own glass and said, "Thank you, Senior Ye, and everyone, for your warm hospitality..."
Having spoken, Dongfang Mingyue downed the wine in her glass in one gulp.
On the other side, watching Dongfang Mingyue set down her glass, Ye Yaoyang smiled faintly.
He then spoke, "Miss Mingyue, you may not be familiar with everyone present. May I take some time to introduce them to you?"
Dongfang Mingyue nodded. As a guest, she had no reason to refuse, so she replied, "Thank you for your trouble."
Seeing this, Ye Yaoyang did not hesitate and began his introductions, from Yan Shenghui to the junior captains, he introduced them all.
Finally, he looked at the eight people seated on the periphery and said, "The top ten from the martial arts competition, step forward!"
The top ten from the martial arts competition?
Hearing these words, Ye Cangtian and Dongfang Mingyue's bodies suddenly trembled.
Previously, Yan Shenghui had mentioned that this martial arts competition was specially arranged by Ye Yaoyang, breaking with tradition.
Could it be that this competition was prepared for them?
As they pondered this, Ye Yaoyang on the other side had already begun his introductions.
He introduced them from last to first according to their ranking in the competition. The introductions for the top few were generally brief.
It was only when he introduced the second-ranked individual that a slight smile appeared on his face. "Yan Biao, is the second-ranked in the competition. He is also Yan Shenghui's son. He has excellent talent and is definitely a rising star of Liehuo Courtyard..."
Compared to the previous eight, Ye Yaoyang's description of Yan Biao was much more elaborate.
After Dongfang Mingyue nodded in acknowledgment, Ye Yaoyang's face showed a hint of pride as he continued his introductions.
"The one below is my humble son. My son's cultivation is relatively average, but thanks to everyone's favor, he is known as one of the Twin Heroes of Liehuo Courtyard, barely on par with Yan Biao."
"Although his talent is not inferior, my son is very diligent, and has achieved some success, gaining a certain reputation and strength."
"I believe that in time, my son will soar and break through the bottleneck of the Celestial grade..."
Ye Yaoyang spoke rather humbly about Ye Zhenghao, but his words were extensive.
After listening to Ye Yaoyang's words, the expressions of the crowd were somewhat peculiar.
The reason was simple: Ye Zhenghao was an absolute prodigy within Liehuo Courtyard. Such a humble introduction, in the eyes of the crowd, was a low-key display of wealth.
Moreover, it was more memorable than a simple boast, and Ye Yaoyang would also gain favor from Dongfang Mingyue and others because of it.
On the other side, Dongfang Mingyue smiled and nodded at Ye Zhenghao, acknowledging him.
In her eyes, Ye Yaoyang was not boasting in a low-key manner, but stating a fact.
Compared to Ye Cangtian, Ye Zhenghao wasn't even a speck of dust!
Seeing Dongfang Mingyue greet him, Ye Zhenghao quickly responded, then lowered his head and sat down.
If it were in the past, when Ye Yaoyang said this, he would have put on an air of humble politeness and inwardly chuckled with pride.
But not today!
Dongfang Mingyue had just witnessed his humiliation earlier, and most importantly, he had provoked the situation first and then been thoroughly thrashed, which was utterly shameful.
For this reason, the moment he saw Dongfang Mingyue, he felt like burrowing into the ground.
If he had known that Ye Yaoyang was introducing him to Dongfang Mingyue, he would never have attended this banquet, even if it meant death.
"Hmm?"
Ye Yaoyang was taken aback by Ye Zhenghao's action of lowering his head and sitting down.
After all, everything he had done was for his son, Ye Zhenghao!
With his son acting like this now, wasn't all his effort wasted?
With that thought, he quickly said, "Zhenghao! The future belongs to you young people. You should interact more with Miss Mingyue..."
With that one sentence, Ye Zhenghao felt like spitting blood.
He understood Ye Yaoyang's intention, which was clearly to have him toast and deepen their mutual goodwill.
Helplessly, he had no choice but to stand up and say, "Miss Mingyue, it is truly my honor to meet you! I toast you!"
As he spoke, Ye Zhenghao downed the wine in his cup without even waiting for Dongfang Mingyue's reply, and then sat back in his seat.
Uh...
Dongfang Mingyue said nothing, merely drinking her wine. However, Ye Yaoyang, seated at the head of the table, was twitching at the corners of his mouth, stunned.
He wondered why his son, who was a great and upright man, was acting this way today.
Why did he seem like a mouse encountering a cat?
Could something have happened between them earlier?
Thinking to himself, seeing Ye Zhenghao in this state, Ye Yaoyang did not press him further.
He turned his gaze to Ye Cangtian and slowly said, "Mr. Ye, what do you think of these young talents in our Liehuo Courtyard?"
Hmm?
Ye Cangtian was slightly taken aback. He hadn't expected the attention to shift to him.
However, Ye Cangtian reacted quickly. He immediately replied, "These individuals are all outstanding among the younger generation, very good indeed. Especially Ye Zhenghao and Yan Biao, they are true rising stars..."
Ye Cangtian did not hesitate to praise them. After all, given the current situation, they had shown him considerable respect, so he decided to say things that would please them.
"Hahaha!"
Upon hearing Ye Cangtian's words, Ye Yaoyang burst into hearty laughter.
He loved hearing others praise his son, especially in such an occasion, and especially today!
After a moment, the laughter subsided, and Ye Yaoyang spoke again, "Mr. Ye flatters us. Both Biao'er and Zhenghao are far inferior to you..."
Got it, this old fellow has started the mutual flattery!
Ye Cangtian muttered to himself, then quickly replied, "Senior, you jest. I am merely a bit luckier. In terms of talent, I am far inferior to both of them. I believe it won't be long before they surpass me."
Hearing Ye Cangtian's words, Ye Yaoyang was extremely pleased, a proud smile appearing on his face.
Truth be told, he thought the same. One day in the future, his son would surely surpass Ye Cangtian and become the true leader of the younger generation in the ruins.
With that thought, his gaze returned to Dongfang Mingyue, his expression turning serious. He said, "Miss Mingyue, I intend to form a good relationship with the Hidden Group and establish a united front, advancing and retreating together. May I know your opinion?"