Hearing his grandfather's baffling question, Tang Yan was stunned too. He pulled a long face. "What do you mean, what's going on? These past two days I've done everything you said. I haven't disrespected Miss Zi Yun one bit."

"It's not about that. Today is the City Lord's Wife's birthday. Early this morning, they sent someone over with an invitation just for us," Old Master Tang said.

"Isn't that perfectly normal? Every major family in Yun City should have received one, no?" Tang Yan replied, unconcerned.

"Bah. What I'm asking is, why would the City Lord name you by name on the invitation and insist you attend?" Old Master Tang drew out a card and handed it over.

Tang Yan took it and looked. Sure enough, at the bottom of the invitation ran a line of flowing characters: Young Master Tang Yan is sincerely requested to grace us with his presence.

A thought turned in his mind, and he guessed the gist of it. The Traceless Pill he had given the City Lord's Wife that day must have done its work.

Still, he had no wish to make a show of the matter, so he laughed. "How would I know what the City Lord's Manor is thinking? Besides, if they wanted to come after me, would they bother with all this mystery? It can only be good news."

Old Master Tang thought it over and found it reasonable. He nodded with a smile. "True enough. Get ready in a while. We'll head over at noon and see for ourselves."

Back in his room, Tang Yan turned the matter over for a long while, then returned to his alchemy room and busied himself there.

At noon, Tang Yan tucked a few things into his robe, changed into his white robe with gold trim, took a folding fan in hand, and rode toward the City Lord's Manor in the same carriage as Old Master Tang.

For the City Lord's Wife's birthday, families large and small across Yun City stirred at the news. Carriages stood in a long line before the City Lord's Manor, a bustling, splendid sight.

Stepping down from the carriage, Tang Yan snapped open his folding fan and followed behind Old Master Tang toward the hall. His gait, though, was loose and unrestrained, every bit the dandy he had once been.

Inside the main hall, the guests had quite naturally divided themselves into two camps. The younger generation gathered in one area, the elders held another.

The seats were not yet full, but the Tang Family was, after all, one of the four great families. The moment they entered, every eye turned their way.

Old Master Tang carried high standing in the city, so of course no one would openly mock him. Instead the crowd let their glances drift, here and there, onto Tang Yan, waiting to see whether this legendary good-for-nothing young master would make a fool of himself again.

Each table seated eight. In this half of the hall, where the younger generation sat, the closer a table stood to the front, the higher the family's standing. Only the first two tables carried any real weight, though. From the third row back, no one fussed over which seat sat ahead of which.

Right now every gaze rested on Tang Yan with keen interest, for by custom the first table was reserved for the four great families, two seats apiece.

This year, however, those eight seats had been filled ahead of time.

The Liu Family, Wu Family, and Qin Family each took two. The remaining two were occupied by two young men of Yun City's Qian Family.

The Qian Family stood near the top of Yun City's second-rate clans. Skilled in trade, they had prospered well over the years. And everyone knew the Qian Family kept close ties with the Liu Family. So rather than say the Liu Family held two seats, one might as well say they held four.

Under the watching eyes of the hall, Tang Yan brought Xiaocui to the foremost table. As though only now noticing it was full, he cried out in mock surprise, "Eh? Already taken? You two, dressed like that, aren't you the manor's hired help? How'd you end up at the head table?"

The two he pointed at were precisely the Qian Family's rising talents.

Every gaze swung to the pair from the Qian Family. In their festive red robes, they did bear a passing likeness to the manor's hired servants that day.

"Pfft..." A few of the less guarded couldn't hold back their laughter. The sound spread, and soon the whole hall rippled with it.

The faces of the two Qian men darkened. Are your damn eyes blind? My robe is top-grade silk, the finest there is. How does that look like a servant's clothes?

"Open your dog eyes and look. I'm a member of the Qian Family," one of them snapped.

"What Qian Family? Why are you sitting in my seat? You want to make an enemy of my Tang Family? Get lost!" Tang Yan roared, and his hand flashed up to crack across both their faces.

Caught completely off guard, the two took the blows full on, red welts rising across their cheeks.

Thwack, thwack! Before they could even react, Tang Yan's foot came up and sent them flying.

The hall fell deathly still. No one had imagined Tang Yan would act so bluntly. Before every family of Yun City, great and small, he had slapped not merely the faces of the two brothers Qian Rulong and Qian Shenghu, but the face of the entire Qian Family.

Old Master Tang's heart lurched. This grandson of his truly could stir up trouble anywhere he went.

The Tang Family was already beset on all sides. With those few slaps, hadn't the boy just stretched the feud between the two clans wider still?

Qian Shenghu was only twenty, yet his strength had already reached the fifth grade of Yellow Rank, marking him as one of the finer talents among Yun City's younger generation. Used to boundless glory, when had he ever been struck in the face before a crowd? And the one who struck him was the notorious Young Master Tang, no less.

"I'll kill you!" Qian Shenghu bellowed. True Qi surged through him, and with a furious shout he hardened his palm into a blade and slashed at Tang Yan.

"Courting death!" Old Master Tang, who had been watching this corner all along, gave a cold snort and hurled the teacup in his hand at Qian Shenghu.

Crack!

Qian Shenghu let out a strangled grunt and was knocked back on the spot.

"Tang Ling, have you no shame at all! A man of your years, raising a hand against a junior!" Qian Shenghu's father was none too pleased either. He shot to his feet and leveled a finger at Tang Ling, cursing.

"Hmph. I'm old too. Whether I keep this old face or not makes no difference to me. But whoever dares touch a single hair on my grandson's head, I'll make him wish he hadn't." Tang Ling spoke with Killing Intent so stark that it sent a tremor through every heart in the hall.

So the old fellow truly would throw aside all restraint for his grandson's sake. Right now Tang Ling was a mad dog guarding its young. Whoever stepped forward, he'd bite.

"Tang Ling, Yun City is not your Tang Family's domain. So long as you stand in Yun City, you abide by Yun City's rules. The elder generation does not meddle in the grudges of the young. What you've done crosses every line." Liu Wuhui, Old Master of the Liu Family, spoke with open mockery.

"Brother Liu speaks rightly. Old Tang, how could you stoop to striking a junior?" Wu Wei, Old Master of the Wu Family, chimed in.

"Brother Tang has gone too far indeed. It ill becomes one of the four great families. If you cling to this folly, I would be ashamed to count you among us." Qin Feiyue, Old Master of the Qin Family, added with weighty meaning.

Every family in the hall felt their hearts tighten at once. This grand gathering had barely begun, and already the four great families were at each other's throats.

But this time it was three against one. The Tang Family had always ranked last among Yun City's four great families, and now they were pressed wholly onto the back foot.

"Everyone knows Tang Yan's cultivation is weak. How could he withstand the full strike of the Qian boy? Tang Ling merely acted out of love for his grandson. And that teacup carried a measured touch. It did no true harm. Let the matter end here." An aged voice drifted across the hall.