After a brief conversation with Ye Qingxian, the little one parted ways with her and headed to the main hall alone. Luo Tian and Zheng Zheng hurriedly approached Ye Qingxian to ask about the child’s identity. Ye Qingxian’s expression turned solemn. "Remember," she warned, "she is someone you cannot afford to provoke."
Luo Tian and Zheng Zheng nodded, engraving her words into their minds. They knew Ye Qingxian never joked. If she said this child must not be offended, then it was the absolute truth. Avoiding this child was like avoiding a Ghost God.
「In the main hall of the Luo Mansion」
The hall was a festive scene, festooned with red lanterns and colorful streamers. The guests who had come to congratulate Luo Tian on his birthday were either wealthy merchants or high-ranking officials. They gathered in small groups, chatting and laughing convivially.
Anyone entitled to attend Master Luo Tian’s birthday banquet was considered one of the elites of the region. Merchants were required to have a family fortune of at least 10,000,000 Gold Coins, while officials had to be of the Fourth Grade or higher. Status was paramount, so everyone present wore an expression of immense pride.
We are successful. We are dragons among men. We are the most talented of the talented.
Their hearts swelled with passion, joy, and pride.
But everything changed the moment the little one entered. The child was unaccompanied by any adult. She was adorable, and her clothes looked clean, but no matter how one looked, her outfit didn’t seem to be worth more than 10,000 Gold Coins. To them, such attire was for the poor.
Distinguished figures always wore clothing of the finest quality. Of course, there were powerful experts and recluses who dressed simply—for instance, the Prince from the Domain of Myriad Demons, or certain masters from the Artifact Domain and the Xiuyuan Realm who disliked dressing up. However, out of respect for Master Luo Tian, even they would arrive at the Luo Mansion in splendid attire. This was certainly not the case for this little one.
And so, this group of self-proclaimed successful people deemed the child to be poor. Utterly destitute.
"Why would a child from an impoverished family be allowed in such a high-class event?"
"This is an insult to us dragons among men!"
The merchants and officials shook their heads in disdain. Still, a few women’s eyes lit up. They found the child so adorable that they wanted to scoop her up into their arms.
The little one paid them no mind. If a dog bites you, do you bite it back? It’s better to just slap their faces with the facts later.
She found a seat in a corner and began to count on her fingers by herself. The banquet, with its 108 tables, had yet to officially begin, but some food had already been served.
「Outside the main hall」
Ye Qingxian had already left, and Luo Tian went to make some preparations. Meanwhile, Zheng Zheng found his daughter.
"Father, let me tell you, a child was bullying me!" the seven-year-old girl whined, conveniently reframing the earlier incident to make herself the victim. This was her habit at home as well. If she woke up too late, it was the servants’ fault, and they had to be punished. If a servant woke her and she still felt tired, it was still the servants’ fault, and they still had to be punished. Now, she was complaining to her father, hoping he would stand up for her.
"It’s a trivial matter, not worth your attention." Zheng Zheng shook his head. He was well aware of his daughter’s temperament. He usually indulged her every whim out of doting love, but right now, more important matters were at hand. "Daughter, I need you to get close to a certain child. Remember, you must become her friend."
The seven-year-old girl frowned. "Father, this child you’re talking about... what’s her status? What’s her background? If her status is too low and she has no connections, I don’t want to be her friend!"
"It seems you’ve learned my lessons well. Yes, that’s right. We can’t befriend children with no connections; it’s a complete waste of time," Zheng Zheng said, continuing his daughter’s education. "This child’s status is anything but simple. If you become her friend, my official career will soar. Who knows, your father might even become the king of a nation one day!"
Hearing this, the seven-year-old girl’s face lit up with joy. She, too, wanted to be a Princess.
"Don’t worry, Father! I will definitely become her friend."
"Good." Zheng Zheng nodded and then told his daughter that the child was a cute little girl wearing a white dress.
"I’ll remember that," the girl said, immediately running off to begin her search.
Zheng Zheng, however, lingered for a moment, his mind racing. Where could Miss Ye have gone? She loves fine food. Could she be at a nearby restaurant? No, I must find her. The national treasury is running low... how can we solve this? Miss Ye, you have to tell me!
With that, Zheng Zheng also left the Luo Mansion, heading to the nearby restaurants to look for Ye Qingxian.
The seven-year-old girl searched everywhere. She even called over some of the other boys and girls she had met that day to help her find the little girl her father described, but they found no one. They had all subconsciously overlooked the little one in the corner. A girl with such a powerful background couldn’t possibly be wearing such cheap clothes, right?
Unable to find her target, the seven-year-old girl grew angry. Her gaze fell upon the little one in the corner, and she huffed, "Let’s use her as our punching bag."
"Okay," the other children all nodded in agreement.
As the little one sat there quietly counting her fingers, the seven-year-old girl led the others over. "Hey! We want this spot. Move."
These words irritated the little one. She simply threw a punch.
AH!
A little girl was knocked unconscious to the ground.
"How could you do that?" An adult pushed through the crowd, pointing an accusing finger at the little one. "What did my child do to you to deserve being hit?"
"Can you all just leave me alone?" the little one sighed, exasperated by the scene.
Seeing the little one was still acting so arrogant, the seven-year-old girl became even angrier. She stormed forward and shouted, "You hit someone! You’re in the wrong!"
However, just as her words fell, the little one snorted. Her hand shot out and grabbed the seven-year-old by the collar.
"Don’t think I don’t know you’re the one behind this," the little one said coolly. "Why do you insist on courting death over and over again?"
With that, she casually tossed the seven-year-old girl aside like a piece of trash. The girl slammed into a wall, letting out a pained scream before bursting into tears.
"Child, how can you act like this?"
"You’ve gone too far!"
A few more adults stepped forward to admonish her.
"Your children are the ones who misbehaved, yet instead of disciplining them, you come to lecture me?" the little one said coldly. "Don’t you think there’s a problem with your parenting, not to mention your character?"
Hearing her words, the corners of the adults’ mouths twitched. But they refused to admit that their own doting was the problem.
"Child, don’t talk nonsense."
"That’s right, you were the one in the wrong."
"You threw the first punch, so it’s definitely your fault. Hurry up and apologize to our children!"