You said it was a useless body, yet you punched a saint to pieces?

Chapter 3 Family Banquet

Upon seeing Zheng Wanqing appear, Li Fu, who had been limp as a rag doll, seemed to regain his strength before death. Ignoring the excruciating pain of his shattered bones, he used both hands and feet, leaving a glaring trail of blood on the ground, and scrambled toward the red figure.

"Your Highness! Help! The Seventh Young Master... the Seventh Young Master has gone mad!"

Li Fu, tears streaming down his face, his blood-stained face contorted in pain, pointed a trembling finger at Wang Dao and screamed hoarsely:

"He wants to kill this old servant! He's going to kill this old servant right in front of you! He has no respect for you, no regard for the rules of the Prince's mansion!"

Zheng Wanqing frowned slightly, a fleeting look of disgust flashing in her phoenix eyes.

She didn't even glance at Li Fu at her feet, as if he were a dirty thing that had offended her eyes. With a gentle wave of her wide sleeve, a soft yet irresistible force pushed Li Fu aside.

Then, she moved gracefully, the golden phoenix on her skirt seemingly floating in the clouds, each step exuding captivating elegance, until she stopped three steps in front of Wang Dao.

That perfectly preserved, stunningly beautiful face was now adorned with a warm, spring-like smile, and her voice, though soft, possessed an undeniable, penetrating power.

"Dao'er, you child..."

She looked Wang Dao up and down, her beautiful eyes revealing a perfect blend of surprise and relief, like a loving mother watching her unruly child finally grow up.

"To actually break free from the shackles of being born with a useless body and embark on the path of cultivation—such a miracle is truly something to celebrate."

Zheng Wanqing tilted her head slightly, her tone becoming distant and affectionate: "If His Highness knew, he would surely be much more at ease. All these years, while he guarded the northern border, he has always been thinking of you."

Wang Dao sneered inwardly.

"miss?"

The high and mighty Prince of Zhenbei only had his so-called grand ambitions for hegemony in his eyes. He had no idea that in this vast palace, there was a so-called seventh son who had been abandoned in a corner to fend for himself.

Although he was inwardly complaining, Wang Dao did not show it on the surface. Instead, he bowed deeply to Zheng Wanqing with a sincere expression, his posture extremely respectful.

"Your Highness is too kind."

Wang Dao straightened up, his dark eyes clear and unfathomable, looking directly into Zheng Wanqing's eyes. His voice was loud and clear, his tone sincere enough to move even the most hard-hearted person:

"My good fortune today is entirely due to the Princess's meticulous care over the years."

"If it weren't for the precious resources that the Princess would send every month without fail, how could I have persevered in my cultivation in that desolate courtyard?"

At this point, Wang Dao's eyes reddened slightly, as if he were expressing his deepest feelings:

"Especially those dried medicinal herbs and aged pills, their medicinal properties are mild and suitable for a child with such a weak body to absorb slowly."

"Without the Queen's generosity, I would never have been able to break free from my constraints and embark on the path of martial arts."

"This kindness will be etched in my heart forever, and I will never forget it!"

Zheng Wanqing's perfect smile faltered slightly amidst Wang Dao's heartfelt gratitude.

Her jade-like hand, hidden beneath the bright red sleeves, clenched even tighter. This little rascal was pointing his finger at her and cursing her.

He used the meager resources she provided each month, like those of a beggar, to highlight his extraordinary talent and virtue, while also giving her, his mistress, a slap in the face.

"If you give him truly top-tier resources, wouldn't he become unstoppable?"

An unnamed fire surged in Zheng Wanqing's chest, and she wished she could suppress this strange and unfilial son on the spot.

But as the principal wife who had been in charge of the Prince's mansion for many years, she forcibly suppressed her surging anger in an instant. The smile on her face not only did not disappear, but became even brighter. She even reached out her jade hand and patted Wang Dao's broad shoulder affectionately.

"You child, why are you being so polite with your mother?"

Zheng Wanqing withdrew her hand, her gaze shifting, but her tone suddenly changed, carrying an undeniable force:

"Dao'er, you've broken the curse of your useless body! This is a great joy!"

"Sharing joy is worse than enjoying it alone; we must hold a grand family banquet to celebrate this."

Her smile deepened, but her eyes grew even more profound:

"Let all your brothers and sisters in the palace who care about you come and meet our newest prince, and share this joy with you!"

After saying this, Zheng Wanqing's gaze finally passed over Wang Dao and landed on Li Fu, who was lying on the ground like a pile of mud.

Wang Dao seemed oblivious to the fleeting sharpness in her eyes. He hurriedly spoke, his voice filled with the grievance of being wronged and boundless anger, like a child who had suffered a great injustice and had finally found an elder to confide in.

His voice suddenly rose, filled with the grief and indignation of being slandered, his words like a sharp sword pointing directly at Li Fu on the ground.

"This Li Fu dares to sow discord between my son and Your Highness! He... he spouted nonsense, claiming that you sent him to embezzle my cultivation resources!"

Wang Dao clenched his fists, veins bulging, eyes bloodshot, as if he were about to devour someone at any moment:

"Upon hearing these words, I felt as if struck by lightning! The Princess has treated me with boundless kindness, yet this wicked servant dares to slander me like this!"

"In a fit of anger, I couldn't help but take action to punish this scoundrel who dared to tarnish the Princess's reputation!"

"Oh?"

Zheng Wanqing's face instantly darkened, and a cold glint flashed in her originally gentle phoenix eyes.

"That old bastard dares to falsely claim to be acting on my imperial decree and sow discord between my son and me?"

Her voice turned cold, each word sounding as if it had been pulled from an ice cellar, carrying an undeniable air of authority and murderous intent.

"Indeed... he deserves to die!"

Seeing Zheng Wanqing's chilling tone, Wang Dao immediately seized the opportunity, his eyes flashing with ferocity, and the blood and qi that had just subsided around him began to boil again.

"Since the Princess also believes this wicked servant deserves to die, then let me cleanse the house for the Princess. Let's kill Li Fu right now!"

He made a move to step forward again, and that undisguised, overwhelming killing intent once more engulfed Li Fu like a raging tide.

"What use is such a wicked servant? He deserves to die a thousand deaths!"

"don't want!"

Li Fu sensed that Zheng Wanqing's cold gaze no longer held any intention of protecting him, but only disgust.

He was completely terrified, his liver and gallbladder were about to burst, and he didn't care that his mouth was full of blood. He kowtowed frantically like he was pounding garlic, letting out screams like a pig being slaughtered.

"Your Majesty, spare me! Seventh Young Master, spare me! This old servant knows his mistake! This old servant will never dare to do it again!"

"Slap! Slap! Slap!"

He slapped his fat face, which was already swollen like a pig's head, while crying and begging for mercy:

"For the sake of my many years of loyalty to the Prince's mansion, I beg Your Highness to spare my life!"

He slammed his fist against the bluestone floor, making a loud thud, and soon his forehead was torn open and bleeding profusely.

A cold glint flashed in Zheng Wanqing's eyes.

"snort!"

She let out a cold snort, glancing at Li Fu with disgust, as if looking at him for even a second would sully her eyes.

"Guards, drag this old dog away and beat him to death!"

After doing all this, Zheng Wanqing put on her gentle and beautiful face again and chatted with Wang Dao for a few more minutes about everyday things.

She casually inquired about Wang Dao's current cultivation level, but when she learned that he had reached the Golden Membrane Perfection, a hint of surprise flashed almost imperceptibly deep in her phoenix eyes, which were as deep as an ancient pool.

"The golden membrane is perfect... Excellent, wonderful!"

She said "okay" twice, her smile becoming even more gentle and charming, as if she were genuinely happy for him.

"Now that you have achieved a certain level of cultivation, this dilapidated courtyard is truly a disservice to you." She looked around at the overgrown and dilapidated courtyard, frowning slightly. "From now on, you will live in the Hidden Dragon Pavilion in the South Garden. You can move there tomorrow."

A moment later, Zheng Wanqing prepared to leave.

Before leaving, she once again instructed Wang Dao: "Dao'er, be sure to attend the family banquet on time tomorrow."

She turned slightly to the side, her gaze falling on Wang Dao, her tone carrying the earnestness characteristic of an elder:

"Your breakthrough and remarkable achievement will surely cause quite a stir."

"Within the Prince's mansion, there are open and covert attacks; it is never a safe place. You must be very careful."

Wang Dao immediately bowed, his face displaying just the right amount of gratitude and admiration.

"Thank you for your consideration, Your Highness. I understand. Your Highness has gone to great lengths for me."

Zheng Wanqing smiled with satisfaction, then turned around and gracefully left the courtyard. Her bright red phoenix robe cast a long shadow in the afterglow of the setting sun.

Wang Dao watched her graceful figure disappear outside the courtyard gate, the gratitude and humility on his face quickly fading.

He looked up at the sky, where the afterglow of the setting sun had dyed half the sky red.

"A banquet at the Prince's residence..."

Wang Dao muttered to himself, a faint smile curving his lips.

"It really is...something that's both unfamiliar and interesting."