Nine Yang Alchemy Emperor
Chapter 152 Contempt

Chapter 152: Chapter 152 Contempt

"It’s still morning. Chu Feng shouldn’t be here this early. He promised me, he will definitely come," Xie Bing kept reassuring herself.

She worried that Chu Feng, not having an invitation, combined with the Sword King Mansion’s fall from grace and his low status, wouldn’t be able to even enter the gates of the Xie Family’s Vice Minister Mansion. Xie Bing stood outside the mansion herself, keeping her eyes fixed on the street ahead.

As long as Chu Feng came, she would immediately bring him inside.

The current situation was extremely unfavorable for Xie Bing. She could almost guarantee that at the Longevity Banquet, the Old Master would completely disregard her feelings and forcefully marry her off to Xie Baogui.

"Heh... In the eyes of the Xie Family, only the family’s interests matter. Do they care at all about the life or death of a great-granddaughter like me?" Xie Bing couldn’t help but reveal a faint, sorrowful smile, crystalline tears welling up in her eyes.

Simply because she was a woman, no matter how hard she worked, she could never earn the family’s approval.

Her status within the family was exceedingly low.

And in the end, she was destined to be nothing more than a sacrificial pawn for the family’s interests.

She stood desolately in the corner, watching one guest after another enter the Xie Mansion, but Chu Feng was nowhere in sight. Her heart grew increasingly restless, a wave of despair washing over her.

"Could it be that even my own student wants to abandon me?" Xie Bing’s heart was heavy with sadness, evoking pity from others.

The Longevity Banquet was about to begin, yet Chu Feng was still nowhere to be seen. Instead, a few young nobles from the Royal Capital, having noticed the delicate and captivating Xie Bing, immediately swarmed around her like bees drawn to the scent of sweetness.

Each of them was eager to pursue Xie Bing as a girlfriend.

Just then, a carriage stopped in front of the Xie Mansion, and from it stepped down a young and beautiful girl.

"Lin Yuxin!"

Xie Bing’s body trembled slightly. She recalled how Chu Feng and Lin Yuxin seemed to share a close relationship in their daily interactions, with rumors even suggesting the two were romantically involved.

No wonder Chu Feng was so late.

He must have brought his little lover along.

"I explicitly told him to pretend to be my boyfriend. And yet, he brought Lin Yuxin, his girlfriend, here as well. What does that make me?"

"Am I supposed to announce to the entire Xie Family that I’m competing with another woman for a boyfriend?"

Xie Bing couldn’t help but feel utterly disappointed with Chu Feng, her heart sinking deeper into sorrow and bitterness.

She had always treated Chu Feng well. The two of them had shared a few special misunderstandings in the past, which had brought them closer. It was only as a last resort that she had asked Chu Feng for help this time.

If Chu Feng had refused her, she wouldn’t have minded so much.

But agreeing to act as her boyfriend and then showing up with his girlfriend was nothing short of an insult to her.

Just as Xie Bing fought back her tears, trying to push past the group of wealthy noble youths surrounding her to find a quiet corner to cry her heart out, Lin Yuxin’s sharp eyes had already caught sight of her.

Their gazes met, and Lin Yuxin froze for a moment before smiling and taking the initiative to approach Xie Bing.

"Teacher Xie, what a coincidence! You’re here to attend Vice Minister Xie’s Longevity Banquet too?" Lin Yuxin was dressed particularly resplendently today in an opulent evening gown that was clearly expensive.

It was a stark contrast to the humble attire she usually wore.

Xie Bing murmured inwardly. She knew a bit about Lin Yuxin’s background—it was among the poorest in the Alchemy Academy.

Her family’s financial situation was even worse than Chu Feng’s.

Lin Yuxin’s admission into the Alchemy Academy had only been possible because her ailing mother had knelt before the headmaster, begging him to take her in. In the end, the headmaster, moved by her persistence and Lin Yuxin’s talent in alchemy, reluctantly allowed her to enroll.

The unpaid tuition fees would have to be repaid slowly once Lin Yuxin started working in the future.

For a student who couldn’t even afford tuition, showing up in a lavish gown worth over 500 taels of silver was baffling.

Where on earth did she get the money?

Xie Bing, a teacher with high moral standing, forced a smile and said with a calm tone, "Vice Minister Xie is my great-grandfather. Naturally, I have to attend his Longevity Banquet. Did you come here with Chu Feng?"

Upon hearing Xie Bing mention Chu Feng, Lin Yuxin’s face shifted slightly.

"Him... How could that kind of person possibly be qualified to attend such a banquet for the elite?" She glanced behind her as she spoke, her tone brimming with disdain for Chu Feng.

From the carriage emerged her male companion, none other than Qiao Dusi—the man notorious for picking up other people’s discarded "second-hand" goods.

Old Master Xie’s Longevity Banquet had drawn many renowned pill masters from the Royal Capital. The truly extraordinary ones, however, were beyond Vice Minister Xie’s ability and status to invite.

He had to settle for less, inviting well-known but slightly inferior figures such as Niu Baotian and Qiao Dusi.

Qiao Dusi was always keen on showing off, though his alchemy skills were mediocre at best. But when it came to putting on an air of importance and being insufferably pretentious, he excelled.

This time, he had purposely arrived late to the Longevity Banquet to assert his "prestige."

"Yuxin, is this your friend? Aren’t you going to introduce us?" Qiao Dusi flashed what he believed to be a refined smile, though his gaze was fixed intently on Xie Bing’s beautiful face.

The young woman he had spent so much money on, Lin Yuxin, was indeed lovely, but compared to the stunning Xie Bing, she was clearly outmatched.

What’s more, Lin Yuxin was a woman with deep scheming tendencies.

A few days ago, thanks to Chu Feng’s instigation, rumors had surfaced labeling her as "used goods."

At that time, Qiao Dusi had been nothing short of cold and distant toward her. But Lin Yuxin had her own ways—between her coquettish demeanor and solemn oaths, she even vowed that once she married Qiao Dusi, she would prove her innocence.

She promised that if she weren’t truthful, Qiao Dusi could abandon her without hesitation.

In the end, through her various schemes and gentle seduction, Qiao Dusi chose to believe her.

Of course, it wasn’t entirely out of affection. Qiao Dusi had his own motivations.

Having spent so much money on Lin Yuxin, his initial intention was to humiliate Chu Feng and curry favor with the Second Prince. However, those objectives hadn’t panned out, and now the money was as good as gone.

Qiao Dusi couldn’t help but feel bitter.

Recognizing Lin Yuxin’s vanity, Qiao Dusi saw this as an opportunity. Attending Vice Minister Xie’s Longevity Banquet, something he considered a prestigious event, he hoped to impress her and fully win her over.

To this end, under Lin Yuxin’s persistent cajoling, Qiao Dusi spared no expense. He bought her a high-end gown worth over 500 taels of silver, a pair of deer leather ankle boots valued at nearly 400 taels of silver, and jewelry, bringing his total spending to over 1,800 taels of silver.

Although Qiao Dusi earned a decent income, accumulating that much silver was no small task. It would take at least one to two months of effort.

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