Chapter 784: “Banquet (11)”
Lei Chen was feeling rather confused, not knowing exactly what had transpired as things were looking a trifle different than what he had thought.
Lei Yuan went back silently to his seat. This time, the gaze he threw at Jun Xie was no longer filled with the slightest tinge of contempt or disdain.
The banquet had already started and the dancers glided in under raucous cheers, swaying their slender hips in slow graceful and beautiful gyrations, their lips turned up in gentle smiles. The beautiful flowery scene completely mesmerized the youths with their yet to fully mature minds. They wined and dined on the grand feast provided, enchanted and intoxicated by the excessive luxuries and revelries of the Crown Prince’s Residence, many of them lusting for more of such extravagance and mind numbing indulgence of the moment. The banquet that Lei Chen had thrown this time had enticed and seduced many of the disciples’ hearts, filling them with greed and longing.
Having had a small taste of the riches of the Yan Country’s Crown Prince, they could not help but compare it with their current lives which further reinforced their lust and yearning.
Qiao Chu and the others did not hold much interest for wine and the finger licking good food at the feast had not been able to incite their appetite which only made them crave for Ye Mei’s skills in the kitchen.
Lei Chen was all smiles, satisfied with all the pairs of eyes he saw filled with longing and envy from the youths. That was the result he wanted to see. Irregardless whether those eyes were from people he wanted to win over, he wanted to exhibit to every single one of them what the Crown Prince had at his disposal. Lei Chen was well aware that youths at that age were weakest against the allure of such lavishness.
He subconsciously turned to look at Jun Xie but he did not see what he had anticipated on Jun Xie’s face. He was merely sitting in his seat quietly, his eyes lowered, as if unconcerned with the revelry all around him. His eyes were clear and cold as ever, isolated from others, seemingly unable to fit into any part of the clamour that was the Crown Prince’s Residence at that moment.
The disciples of the Dragon Slayers Academy, had not tried to stir up any trouble with the Zephyr Academy as Lei Chen had expected and that had deprived him of any chance to put up his act. The banquet that he had painstakingly planned had though won cheers from everyone, but disappointingly, everyone did not include Jun Xie, the one person he had been most keen to win over.
Gu Li Sheng’s Spirit Healing Technique had rocked the world and Lei Chen had previously gotten people to approach Gu Li Sheng, to try to invite him to the Yan Country, to become a part of his faction. However, Gu Li Sheng had immediately rejected the proposal. Gu Li Sheng’s Spirit Healing Technique had also become his weapon and even Lei Chen did not dare to force Gu Li Sheng to submit to him. Hence, he had set his sights on Jun Xie now.
But…..
Nothing seemed to interest the little kid. Although he had not embarrassed Lei Chen…. neither had he shown any positive reaction.
This was the first time that Lei Chen was feeling helpless and undecided on how he should move in pursuit of his target. Frustrated that he was still unable to win Jun Xie over, even the wine that passed over his tongue seemed to lose a bit of its flavour, turning a little bland and dull.
The banquet was getting rowdier and the Third and Fourth Princes who were supposed to be here had still not appeared. Even when the banquet ended, the two people had not turned up.
Throughout the entire duration of the banquet, Lei Chen had attempted to chat up Jun Xie but he had not been given the opportunity. Jun Xie’s head had not lifted once and he did not utter a single word the entire time and Lei Chen had no choice but to give up, turning to have a rather merry chat with Qu Ling Yue instead.
The night deepened, and in the brightly lit Crown Prince’s Residence, the banquet was approaching its end. Many of the youths still had not had their fill of fun as they departed from the place of merriment, walking with reluctant steps as they went out of the Crown Prince’s Residence, their faces flushed from the intoxicating wine, many of them looking back in longing every few steps, at the magnificent mansion they were leaving from.
On the other hand, the youths from the Zephyr Academy left without once turning their heads. Under the chaotic mess of reluctantly leaving disciples, no one noticed that a little black cat had suddenly leapt into Jun Wu Xie’s arms.