Chapter 0016: Birthday Gifts

After a night of cultivation, when Huang Long stopped practicing and woke up, he found that his Purple Mansion Spirit had grown a little more, he felt refreshed, and his cultivation level had improved again.
However, now that he had reached the Qi Refining and Spirit Transformation stage, the Qi-Boosting Pills he had made before were useless; taking them had no effect on him at this point.
Qi Refining and Spirit Transformation required the “Spirit Nourishing Pill” to nourish the spiritual core.
But currently, it was inconvenient to acquire medicinal materials in the Zhao family, so everything had to wait until he returned to the Huang family after this trip.
The auction for the Magic Sword was just over ten days away, and Huang Long, who was far away in the Blizzard Empire, often heard news about it.
Now, the news of the Magic Sword auction was spreading widely across the Hengyuan Continent, causing a huge stir. Even if his second uncle, Zhao Tian, hadn’t had to return to the Zhao family for his grandfather Zhao Yang’s 80th birthday, he would have gone to the Lu Tong Kingdom to attend the auction.
He was very interested in the Magic Sword he had crafted.
These were things Huang Long hadn’t anticipated back then.
Initially, he had resorted to this method only because he lacked money for pill-making. Now, it had caused such a sensation across the Hengyuan Continent.
After all, that Magic Sword was merely a mid-tier treasure.
Huang Long stepped out of the courtyard, only to find that the Zhao family’s grounds were already crowded with people. In the corridors, hundreds of servants from the Zhao family were shuttling back and forth—a bustling scene indeed.
Although the Zhao family had started preparing for grandfather Zhao Yang’s 80th birthday three days earlier, there were so many guests that they had to rearrange things.
Not even near noon yet, and the main street in front of the Zhao family was already packed with various carriages, magical beasts of all kinds, leaving no space even in the surrounding streets.
Nobles from the Blizzard Empire kept arriving to offer their congratulations—barons, viscounts, counts, marquises, and even several dukes from the empire, who were all dukes like grandfather Zhao Yang.
Royal families from neighboring kingdoms also sent envoys.
Some came with invitations, while others brought birthday gifts.
The gifts already filled up two entire large rooms.
Near noon, Huang Long finally saw his aunt, Zhao Miao—the most favored empress in the Blizzard Empire. Her arrival was grand, with hundreds of guards following her, plus the servants carrying the gifts—nearly a thousand people in total.
They crossed several streets, and nobles of all ranks, along with ordinary people, stepped aside to make way.
Zhao Miao arrived in a dragon carriage pulled by six dragon horses, looking noble and aloof, with her eight-year-old son sitting beside her.

The Dragon Horse can be regarded as the most noble mount in the Hengyuan Continent—worth ten thousand gold pieces. The imperial chariots of the five great emperors each had nine such horses, while hers had six, reflecting Emperor Lin Er of the Blizzard Empire’s deep affection for her.

On her father Zhao Yang’s 80th birthday, as an imperial concubine, Zhao Miao naturally had to bring her son back to celebrate with him. She also heard that her sister, who had married into the Lutong Kingdom, had returned as well.

Over the years, she had never forgotten those past events. She had tried to forget them, but love brings deep affection, while hatred brings pain—especially since it was her own sister, whom she had always respected, who had stolen her happiness. If it had been someone else, perhaps her resentment would have faded over time. But why exactly her own sister? She often asked herself this question with pain in her heart.

Upon arriving at the Zhao family’s residence, she and her son dismounted from the dragon chariot. Nobles of all ranks came to greet them. Among the crowd, she saw her sister Zhao Rong, whom she hadn’t seen in over twenty years. Twenty years later, what were once young girls were now married women, with children of their own. After the Zhao family and nobles led the imperial concubine into the hall, Huang Long heard shouts outside the door: “Lord Lin Quan, the imperial marquis, has come to offer his congratulations!”

The nobles in the hall were surprised and murmured in astonishment. Although Zhao Miao was an imperial concubine, she was Zhao Yang’s daughter, so it made sense for her to come to celebrate for their father. But the presence of Lin Quan, the only imperial marquis of the Blizzard Empire, was intriguing.

However, only a few people in the Zhao family knew that Lin Quan, though ostensibly there to offer congratulations, might actually be there to see his “favored one.” Zhao Miao snorted inwardly and glanced at her sister beside her.

Surrounded by nobles, Huang Long saw Lord Lin Quan—kind-faced, smiling amiably, with well-proportioned features, exuding an air of refinement and nobility. It was clear he had been a handsome man in his youth. Was this her father’s rival? Huang Long secretly compared him to his father, Huang Xiong. His conclusion was that, whether in appearance or family background, his father seemed inferior in every way. Yet why did both his mother, Zhao Rong, and his aunt, Zhao Miao, fall for Huang Xiong? This was something not only Huang Long couldn’t understand but also the late Zhao Yang and his brother Zhao Shou had struggled to comprehend.

At noon, the birthday banquet officially began. Various marquises and dukes raised their cups to congratulate Zhao Yang, who sat at the head of the hall with a smile, then returned the greetings to the nobles.

At the head table, the atmosphere was very harmonious. When Duke Lin Quan faced his mother Zhao Rong, his expression remained calm, as if he were just chatting casually with her about matters since their last meeting. Huang Long sat at the end of the head table; next to him was our little witch Zhao Ying, followed by Lin Guang who came with Duke Lin Quan, and Lin Wu, the son of Aunt Zhao Miao. Our little witch Zhao Ying was staring wide-eyed at what she called “Lin Guang Dan,” but in such a situation, neither of them dared take further action. After several rounds of drinking, Zhao Miao signaled her son Lin Wu to take out the birthday gift in front of everyone for Zhao Yang. A crystal-clear coral-shaped blood jade emitting a red glow appeared before them. As the red light shone, the nobles in the hall felt a warm sensation throughout their bodies. “Coral Blood Jade!” exclaimed the nobles who recognized it. The others who didn’t recognize it were also shocked. Good heavens, it was indeed the legendary Coral Blood Jade! Legend has it that Coral Blood Jade comes from the depths of the Death Sea, one of the four most dangerous places in the Hengyuan Continent. It is extremely precious and priceless. Those who practice combat energy can double their speed when training beside it—it is something every warrior dreams of possessing. As a Sacred Realm warrior, Zhao Yang’s importance to this Coral Blood Jade goes without saying. The nobles were stunned to see such a treasure here, even Zhao Yang and Duke Lin Quan were shocked. Zhao Yang took the Coral Blood Jade from his daughter’s hands. Even though he was a powerful warrior who had seen countless grand occasions, his hands trembled slightly as he received it. Emotionally, Zhao Yang looked at his daughter Zhao Miao and said, “Miao, this is too precious.” Zhao Miao smiled slightly and replied, “Hehe, it’s nothing. Father, don’t worry. I saw this Coral Blood Jade lying unused in the royal treasury, covered in dust, so I asked the Emperor to give it to you on this birthday to make the best use of it.” The nobles in the hall were speechless. Such a treasure lying unused in the royal treasury, covered in dust! At that moment, Zhao Miao suddenly turned to Zhao Rong and said with a smile, “Sister, I wonder what gift you prepared for Father this time?” The atmosphere at the head table instantly became tense. Zhao Yang, Zhao Shou, Zhao Tian, Duke Lin Quan, and the others all frowned. Zhao Rong’s expression turned ugly. She had originally prepared a precious gift for her father Zhao Yang, but now, in the face of her sister Zhao Miao’s Coral Blood Jade, she felt unable to show it. Compared to such a treasure, her gift seemed worthless.

She had previously seen her sister smiling and chatting cheerfully, thinking that her sister had forgotten about those past events. Unexpectedly, more than twenty years later, her sister still resented her. Zhao Rong smiled bitterly in her heart.