The Imperial Banquet

After that, the three of them settled into virtual reality games.

It had to be said — the Red Maple Empire's technology was considerably more advanced than anything Lu Yuan had known in his previous life. VR gaming simply hadn't existed back then.

Some developers had built role-playing games modeled on Gene Warriors venturing into the Land of Origin — entering dungeons, gathering rewards, that sort of thing. For the three of them, that genre held limited appeal, but there were plenty of other types to choose from: arena combat, life simulation, and more.

It turned out Rebecca was far more of a gamer than either Lu Yuan or Si Tingxue. She was the one dragging both of them through game after game, showing them what to do.

All in all, they had a wonderful time.

It wasn't until Li Qinghe called them for dinner that the three of them finally, somewhat reluctantly, pulled themselves out.

Most of the food had been prepared by Shuangyue, with a few meat dishes made by Si Tingyu — and it had to be said, everything was delicious.

As far as Lu Yuan was concerned, as long as Li Qinghe wasn't the one cooking, all was right with the world. He had absolutely no desire to open that particular mystery box. His luck never ran especially well at the best of times.

After dinner, Li Qinghe and the others joined in as well, and the whole group played card games together.

Nobody brought up cultivation or the Land of Origin. After all, Harvest Day was meant for rest and celebration.

Because Si Tingxue had absolutely no desire to run into certain foreign princes, she simply moved in with Si Tingyu for the duration of the holiday.

With Si Tingxue staying, Rebecca naturally did the same.

Fortunately, Li Qinghe's villa was spacious enough — there was still a spare room, and Si Tingxue and Rebecca shared it together.

Shuangyue, of course, also stayed.

Over the following days, the group alternated between lounging at home and heading out to explore the city. With Harvest Day in full swing, the streets were packed — festival activities and ceremonial events filled every corner, the entire city alive with noise and color.

For the person who had once inhabited this body... or more precisely, ever since a tragedy had taken his childhood family, every Harvest Day had been spent alone. It had meant scraping together whatever small change he'd saved up over the months, buying a little meat, treating himself to something just slightly better than usual.

Those memories were still in Lu Yuan — they lived somewhere in the back of his mind. But this year was different. Clearly, unmistakably so.

At a dart booth, Li Qinghe closed her eyes and, with one hand, sent five or six darts flying at once. Every single one hit the jackpot.

The booth owner stood there looking as though the foundations of his world had crumbled. He was completely dumbfounded.

Li Qinghe grinned and planted both hands on her hips:

"Hey, mister! Hand over the prizes!"

The owner, face drawn in misery, began passing everything over — giant stuffed animals, a gaming console, and the most valuable item of the lot, a Light-Brain.

Shuangyue stepped forward with a quiet smile and accepted a four-leaf clover crystal necklace that looked decidedly cheap, fastening it around her neck.

What struck Lu Yuan as unexpectedly charming was that Si Tingyu went straight for the black cat plushie, hugging it to her chest with genuine delight.

Si Tingxue didn't take anything. Rebecca snatched up the gaming console, practically beaming.

Once Li Qinghe had finished distributing the haul, she turned with a cheerful grin:

"Let's find another booth!"

The owner watched them go, mouth working soundlessly. He clearly knew Li Qinghe was a Gene Warrior — and clearly didn't dare say a word.

He'd taken a heavy loss. At this rate, Harvest Day was turning into Suffering Day.

From the sidelines, Lu Yuan gave a quiet, resigned smile, walked over, and scanned the payment code. He transferred tens of thousands in cash to the owner.

He smiled at the still-miserable man:

"Sorry about that. Consider it a purchase on my end. Everything's paid for."

The owner blinked, checked his phone, and his expression instantly transformed:

"Th-this — My Lord, this is far too much! You've given far too much!"

Lu Yuan waved it off. "Keep the rest. It's Harvest Day — wouldn't feel right taking it back."

He turned and walked away.

This wasn't the first booth. It had already been several.

Li Qinghe and the others all knew perfectly well that Lu Yuan was footing the bill behind them. That was precisely why they played with such abandon. Left to themselves, it might have been a harmless bit of fun — but for the booth owners, it could have meant devastating losses.

They weren't entirely without conscience about it.

It wasn't until evening that the group finally headed home.

The moment they stepped through the door, Unit One spoke up:

"Master, two invitations were delivered today."

No one in the group looked particularly surprised.

"Ah... that time already?"

Lu Yuan, however, was genuinely puzzled — he had no idea what kind of invitations were being discussed.

Li Qinghe accepted the two gold-trimmed envelopes, opened them, then turned to Lu Yuan with a warm smile and extended one toward him.

"Little Yuan, this one's for you. Of course — with your talent, the Imperial family would naturally send you a personal invitation."

"The Imperial family?"

Lu Yuan took it, opened it, and read.

A flicker of disbelief crossed his face.

The invitation was requesting his presence at the Imperial Harvest Day Banquet.

"The Imperial Banquet? They actually invited me?"

He was a little stunned.

Beside him, Si Tingyu said with a calm smile:

"Nothing surprising about it. You entered the Talent Camp just two months ago and already hold second place on the Combat Rankings. Your potential alone is reason enough. And beyond that, you saved a considerable number of Guard Corps soldiers during the Beast Tide. An invitation is only fitting."

Si Tingxue gave a rare nod of agreement. "My sister is right. You've more than earned your place at the banquet."

Lu Yuan glanced between the two sisters, expression odd:

"You already knew about this?"

Si Tingyu's smile was serene. "I reviewed the guest list at some point. Your name was there."

*Ah. That explains it.*

She was the First Princess, after all — and a Princess with both remarkable talent and genuine power.

Li Qinghe draped an arm around his shoulders with a wide grin:

"There'll be dancing, you know. I'll teach you the steps tonight."

Late afternoon on Harvest Day.

Li Qinghe had dressed in a stunning black formal gown, black lace gloves adorning her hands. She looked like an elf born from the night itself.

She stood in the living room adjusting Lu Yuan's tie. He wore a white suit — already handsome by nature, and with the Spatial Type gene now woven into his being, there was something otherworldly about him, a quiet, mysterious quality that hadn't been there before. He looked every inch the elegant young nobleman.

Once the tie was straight, Li Qinghe studied him with bright, approving eyes, a smile curving her red lips:

"Not bad at all, little Yuan. Absolutely stunning. Half the girls at tonight's banquet are going to lose their heads over you."

Lu Yuan's mouth twitched into a helpless grimace:

"Do I really have to wear this? It's so uncomfortable."

He preferred clothing with a looser collar. With the suit on and the tie knotted at his throat, everything felt slightly constricting.

"Non-negotiable. It's a royal banquet. Basic etiquette must be observed."

Li Qinghe wore a mischievous grin, wagging a finger at him.

Every year during Harvest Day, the Red Maple Imperial family hosted a grand banquet. Every major family and notable powerhouse across the empire received an invitation. Barring genuine prior commitments, it was almost universally accepted — it was simply a matter of showing respect.

As a guest, observing basic formalities was the bare minimum. Anything less would be an affront to the hosts.

"It's about time. We should head out."

Lu Yuan nodded.

Just the two of them today — the others had all left earlier to prepare. Changing for a formal banquet took time, and especially for royalty, there was no question that Si Tingyu and Si Tingxue needed to return to their own quarters to get ready.

Lu Yuan and Li Qinghe climbed into her red hovering sports car.

The vehicle streaked through the air toward the Imperial Palace at the heart of the Imperial Capital.

White Willow District, being the city's affluent quarter, was actually not far from the palace. They arrived in no time.

The Red Maple Empire's Imperial Palace was enclosed by a massive outer wall, its main gate spanning over twenty meters in width.

Two columns of soldiers stood at attention guarding the entrance.

Perhaps because of the banquet, quite a few vehicles were already parked in the lot not far from the gates.

Li Qinghe pulled in, and they both stepped out.

The moment they did, nearly every eye in the vicinity turned their way.

The men looked at Li Qinghe. The women looked at Lu Yuan.

Li Qinghe noticed the attention immediately. One corner of her mouth curved upward. She let her gaze drift slowly across the crowd, something dark glinting briefly in her eyes.

The moment those men got a clear look at her face, every single one of them went pale. Cold sweat broke out visibly. Each of them hastily grabbed their partners and made themselves scarce.

Lu Yuan watched this unfold with a deeply puzzled expression:

"Qinghe, are you some kind of man-eating monster? Why is everyone so terrified of you?"

Li Qinghe shot him a look:

"What are you on about? It's simply that many of these self-styled nobles have had... run-ins with me in the past. I cannot stand their type."

Lu Yuan gave her a sincere thumbs-up. "Respect."

Li Qinghe's mouth curved upward. She linked her arm through his, and Lu Yuan felt the warmth of the contact — and caught the faint drift of her perfume.

"Come on. We're going in."

At the gate, a middle-aged man in battle armor stood stone-faced as guests filed past. The moment his gaze landed on Li Qinghe, however, his expression lit up. He stepped forward with a warm smile:

"Miss Li, you're here as well."

"Vice-Captain Balin. Good to see you."

Li Qinghe greeted him with a smile.

Balin turned his eyes to Lu Yuan:

"And this must be Student Lu Yuan? My son is in the Talent Camp too — Keli Balin. That kid mentions you every time he comes home."

Lu Yuan blinked. He did know a Keli Balin — not closely, but they'd exchanged a few words.

He smiled at Balin. "So you're Senior Keli's father. A pleasure, sir. Senior Keli trains incredibly hard — he's someone I genuinely look up to."

Balin's smile deepened. "You're too kind. If he had even half your ability, I could sleep soundly at night."

Lu Yuan scratched the back of his head with an awkward, modest laugh.

Li Qinghe glanced at him with a faintly amused look, then said:

"Vice-Captain, we'll head inside now."

"Of course, Miss Li. Enjoy yourselves. And Student Lu Yuan — come visit sometime when you have a free moment."

"I absolutely will!"

Inside the gate lay an enormous estate — mountains rising within its grounds, a cluster of distant castles at the far end.

Lu Yuan and Li Qinghe walked at an unhurried pace.

Along the way, Li Qinghe glanced sideways at him, a teasing glint in her eye:

"Little Yuan, I didn't realize you were such a smooth talker. Did you see how pleased Vice-Captain Balin was?"

Lu Yuan rolled his eyes expressively:

"What else was I supposed to say? Don't tease me, Qinghe. I was just being polite."

"Ha! I'm not teasing — knowing how to talk to people is a genuine skill. More friends and fewer enemies. Your older sister is genuinely pleased."

Li Qinghe pulled his arm a little tighter against her side.

Lu Yuan's expression shifted uncomfortably.

*I had absolutely no idea Qinghe was quite so... substantial.*

He immediately began reciting the Diamond Sutra in his head.

They soon drew close to the castles.

Outside the main castle complex, several large plazas had been furnished with long banquet tables. Attendants moved among them, setting out food, drinks, and empty place settings.

Li Qinghe swept the area with a glance. "Our venue is the innermost castle."

Lu Yuan nodded, and they crossed the plaza toward the interior.

The banquet venue varied by status. The further inward one went, the higher the standing of those gathered.

With the Li family's position, Li Qinghe naturally belonged in the innermost castle plaza — the most prestigious venue of the night.

As they passed through the outer plazas, the guests already mingling there looked over, offering Li Qinghe — or rather, both of them — smiles tinged with careful flattery.

Li Qinghe returned only a brief nod and walked on.

Once they had passed, the guests resumed their conversations.

One young man had noticed his father offering a humble, almost deferential smile toward a woman who looked as though she'd stepped out of a legend — and toward a young man roughly his own age. He frowned slightly, something unpleasant stirring in his chest.

The envy, of course, was aimed at the young man on her arm. He turned to his father with a tilt of his head:

"Father, who were those two? They seemed awfully cold."

The young man's father was a portly middle-aged man in a well-cut suit. He replied with a note of wistful admiration:

"That young lady is the most cherished of the Shadow Battle Emperor's younger generation. Her standing is simply beyond our reach. If she had given us even a second glance, we might have secured several new alliances at this banquet."

The young man's eyes went wide:

"A Battle Emperor... that young lady is actually a Battle Emperor's descendant?"

To most people — not just common folk, but even many with rank and standing of their own — a Battle Emperor was a legendary existence, something approaching a guardian deity of the empire.

And that woman who looked as though she had descended from myth itself... was a Battle Emperor's blood?

His envy of the young man deepened sharply.

"Wh-what about him, then? Father, do you know who that young man is?"

The portly man thought for a moment, then shook his head. "Him I'm not certain about. But to escort Miss Li as her companion, he's certainly no ordinary person. If you could get acquainted with him, it would be a considerable advantage for our family."

The young man's hand closed into a fist, jaw tight.

Just then, a broad-shouldered middle-aged man approached with a young man in tow.

Spotting Valke, he raised an eyebrow and smiled: "Mr. Valke, you're here early."

Both Valke and his son turned at the voice.

A warm smile of recognition spread across Valke's face:

"Mr. Yang, it's been too long."

The young man offered his greeting as well: "Uncle Yang. Yang Ping."

Yang Ping spotted the younger man and gave his shoulder a friendly thump:

"Bill, it's been a while. How are things at the Imperial Gene Warrior Academy? Settling in all right?"

Bill straightened slightly, a note of quiet confidence in his reply:

"Already at First-rank, intermediate level, Yang Ping."

Yang Ping raised a brow and nodded. "Not bad. Keep it up."

"What about you, Yang Ping?"

"Me? Muddling along. Just hit Second-rank. Happened to inscribe a decent Chief Grade gene recently."

"What?! How did you advance so fast?! And you inscribed a Chief Grade gene?!"

Bill's jaw dropped.

Even Valke beside him stared wide-eyed, turning to look at Yang Ping's father with barely contained admiration:

"Mr. Yang — your family has produced a true dragon."

Yang Ping's mouth curved into a satisfied smile. "Just lucky, I suppose. And I work hard."

That last part was something he'd picked up from Lu Yuan — whatever the circumstances, credit your effort and leave it at that.

The truth, of course, was something else entirely. His cultivation had broken through because of the Enhanced Spirit Power Gene Fluid he'd purchased from Lu Yuan. The Chief Grade gene had been sold to him at a heavy discount — just ten thousand Credits, practically a gift.

As for actually getting through the inscription of a Chief Grade gene, Yang Ping had been far from confident when he began.

His first gene had been Elite Grade, his second Boss Grade — but pushing to Chief Grade for the third inscription still required no small amount of luck.

In the end, he'd shamelessly pestered Lu Yuan until Lu Yuan lent him a complete set of First-rank Chief Grade Gene Armaments to bolster the process.

With that support, he'd barely made it through in one piece.

Of course, something that embarrassing was not something he had any intention of mentioning here.

For now, he simply wanted to bask in the admiration. After all, it really had taken his own effort — that part, at least, was entirely true.