CHAPTER 365: CHAPTER 319

Being rejected like that, Ye Junying felt embarrassed to follow any longer. After all, his original goal was to leave Hua Hall, and he had accomplished that. With this thought, Ye Junying felt much better, and the fact that a woman had turned him down was immediately tossed to the back of his mind.

Yang Lan watched the two who had disappeared into the crowd, his gaze growing dim. These two looked normal—too normal. It didn’t seem like they were off to a rendezvous!

"I’m telling you, this young couple has secrets. Don’t you agree?" Ye Junying rubbed his chin, pondering.

"What’s it got to do with you whether they have secrets or not? Let’s go!" If it weren’t unsightly for men to roll their eyes, he would have definitely given Ye Junying an eye roll. How could a grown man be so nosy?

"Do you think we should follow them and take a look?" Ye Junying slyly suggested, becoming more convinced that it was a good idea.

Yang Lan’s mouth twitched twice, and without looking back, he stepped into the crowd. He did not recognize that idiot.

.........

"Be extra careful. If you sense danger, don’t act tough. Come back and we’ll think of a solution together," Mo Junhua advised Lan Tian as the two of them entered the crowd and split up.

"Got it. You too," Lan Tian nodded, casually chose a direction and wandered off, while Mo Junhua walked in the opposite direction.

In just a short while, many more people had arrived in the garden. Well-dressed men, holding glasses of wine, sipped their drinks while admiring the beautiful, enchanting, and provocatively dressed ladies in their elegant evening gowns, fluttering through the party like flowers and butterflies.

Waiters carrying drinks shuttled back and forth. Lan Tian casually took a glass of orange juice, sipped it, and leisurely strolled around the garden, listening in on the gossip among the guests.

After listening for a while, it was all trivial stuff. The girls were chatting about who had arrived, who looked handsome, their family backgrounds, whether they were single, and so on.

The men were discussing which girl was pretty, which had a nice figure, whose daughter they could perhaps take advantage of, and whose daughter they should steer clear of, only allowed to feast their eyes but not touch.

"Little Lan, what a coincidence, you’re here too." Suddenly, Zhang Shenjing’s voice came from behind. Lan Tian’s scalp tingled, and she instinctively wanted to step away quickly, her toes twisting in the grass as she forcefully suppressed the urge.

Crap, Shen Jingbing was here too. She had forgotten that, with Shen Jingbing’s family background, he would definitely attend such functions, and her running into him was only a matter of time.

Her standing spot was not in the center of the party, but it wasn’t a particularly secluded area either. Sparse groups of handsome men and beautiful women surrounded her. If she ran, it would definitely attract attention, which was not Lan Tian’s intention.

Most importantly, it would catch Zhang Shenjing’s attention, sparking his curiosity, and that wasn’t good at all. Zhang Shenjing was whimsical and unrestrained; if his curiosity wasn’t satisfied, he’d shamelessly stick around all night and she wouldn’t be able to get rid of him. He was certainly capable of such behavior.

A tap on the shoulder, and Zhang Shenjing had already moved close. "Did you come here especially to greet me, knowing that I would show up? Such a good student, really well-behaved. The teacher appreciates you. In a bit, I will give you red flowers as a reward. Come on, let me show you around."

Lan Tian blinked, pretending not to hear his words, and moved a step away, causing the hand on her shoulder to miss its mark.

"Yo, girl, you’re here too," Zhang Shenjing tried to lean in again, but Hua Kongque squeezed through, pushing Zhang Shenjing aside, and looked around, asking, "Didn’t your soldier come?"

"Here they come," Lan Tian muttered, pondering how to shake off Zhang Shenjing.

"Why do I only see you here by yourself? It’s not safe for you right now. At a banquet like this, accidents tend to happen the most. It’s crowded outside, with people coming and going, and if an accident occurs, it’ll be hard to find the perpetrator. What was your man thinking, letting you be out here alone? Come on, brother will escort you back." Hua Kongque said, intending to take Lan Tian back to the Hua Hall.

Lan Tian was taken aback and curved her lips slightly. Hua Kongque’s kindness was all for her safety. If she told him that her Combat Power was off the charts, he probably wouldn’t believe it.

Lan Tian blinked and got an idea. She beckoned him with a curl of her finger and stole a glance around, looking secretive. Hua Kongque moved closer to cooperate. Zhang Shenjing saw the two acting all mysterious and deliberately keeping him out of the loop, which piqued his curiosity. Yet he also scoffed disdainfully and eagerly leaned in closer, which Lan Tian pretended not to notice.

"Brother Hua, actually, I’m waiting for Ji Feng."

Hua Kongque stood there stupefied for quite a while before slowly getting up, at a loss for words. He had thought it was serious and that his little sister had spotted a suspicious figure. It was a fine opportunity to show off.

Zhang Shenjing simply "tsked" in response. Everyone knows about her relationship with the Crown Prince; why the need for secrecy? In their circle, who doesn’t know the Crown Prince’s special treatment towards her? She could practically ask him for anything.

Lan Tian didn’t care whether they believed it or not, she strode toward the garden entrance. This way, she would immediately know when Ji Feng arrives.

Zhang Shenjing and Hua Kongque didn’t know what to think and followed her, which gave Lan Tian a headache.

"Did Ji Feng tell the two of you to protect me at the banquet?"

"Um... No, he didn’t," Hua Kongque admitted with hesitation.

"My gut tells me that I’ll get to see a great show if I stick with you tonight, Little Lan. My instincts are usually very accurate. Of course, it’s my duty to stay close and protect you, as a reward for your earlier welcome. You don’t need to thank me too much. It’s what I should do." In any case, that meant Zhang Shenjing wasn’t going anywhere.

"Sister, you can stop trying so hard. The Crown Prince may not have instructed us, but I’m your brother and your safety is my responsibility. If something happened to you at the banquet, I’d regret it for life. So, either I’ll hand you over to your man or I’ll stay and wait for the Crown Prince with you."

Lan Tian felt as if she were seeing Hua Kongque for the first time, her eyes widening slightly, and after pressing her lips together, she almost refused but ended up saying, "Alright, if you insist, then we can wait together. Let’s go there!"

Lan Tian looked around and pointed to a corner on the left side of the garden entrance, where there were two paired lighthouses. In front of the towers was a small circular stone table with three small stone stools, which were perfect for the three of them to sit and wait. From there, they could see the entrance path.

Zhang Shenjing and Hua Kongque looked in the direction she pointed and thought the view wasn’t bad, agreeing to wait there.

Midway there, Yang Lan and Ye Junying suddenly appeared from somewhere. Seeing the two, they came over with faces full of surprise, slinging their arms around each other’s shoulders like good buddies, catching up on old times. Zhang Shenjing and Hua Kongque struggled but couldn’t break free from their grip, as they dragged the pair elsewhere.

Lan Tian was stunned, not expecting this turn of events. She found it amusing and looked on, just in time to catch Ye Junying winking back at her, understanding that Yang Lan and Ye Junying had come specifically to help her. She silently mouthed a thank you and, while Hua Kongque and Zhang Shenjing were occupied, slipped into the crowd.

Lan Tian wandered around the garden, seeing that Mei Lan and a few of her fellow disciples had all arrived. They moved smoothly through the garden like they owned the place.

While listening to gossip and almost having made a full round of the garden, she didn’t find any traces of an Array, nor a whisper of Spiritual Energy. If it weren’t for what she had heard earlier from Mei Lan and her fellow disciples about the He Xu Palace, she would think this was just an ordinary residence.

Lan Tian stood at the corner, with bushes of flower shrubs that reached halfway up a person behind her. She sipped some orange juice, subtly retreated behind the shrubs, glanced at the men and women in the banquet, saw that no one was paying attention this way, and then, with a turn, disappeared behind the shrubbery.