Chapter 135 (2): Yin Shengong the Celebrity

Even Feng Yue extended a respectful bow to the woman as he greeted, "Welcome, Aunt Hong."

"You look like you've been well, Sister Hong," Ye Yun greeted with a bow of his own.

"Well, I certainly didn't expect to see you two here," the woman said with a faint smile. "Which one of you is Pope Yin Shengong of the One Heart Church?"

Once again, everyone turned to Yin Shengong with disbelief and astonishment in their eyes.

Aunt Hong was one of Yan Nan's most trusted subordinates, and clearly, she was also here for Yin Shengong!

Yin Shengong bowed all the way down until the upper and lower halves of his body were almost folded over each other as he greeted, "Subordinate Yin Shengong pays his respects to..."

"You can call me Aunt Hong as well."

"I wouldn't dare!"

If Yin Shengong were to refer to the woman as Aunt Hong, then he would be placing himself on equal footing with Feng Yue, and that could spell disaster for him.

Aunt Hong pulled a gilded invitation slip out of the front of her robe as she smiled and said, "I have come here to invite you to dinner tonight on behalf of Young Mistress Yan Beihan."

Countless jaws dropped straight to the ground at this stunning turn of events.

Who the hell is this guy supposed to be?! Both Chen Yin and Yan Beihan are inviting him to dinner?!

At the moment, Yin Shengong was still holding Chen Yin's invitation slip, and he was at a complete loss for what to do.

He didn't dare to reject either Chen Yin or Yan Beihan.

This was the most glorious moment of his life, but too much glory had befallen him all at once!

"Who is that invitation slip from?" Aunt Hong asked after spotting the invitation slip in Yin Shengong's hand.

"Young Master Chen Yin has invited Pope Yin to dinner tonight," Ye Yun explained.

Aunt Hong raised her chin in a proud manner as she said in a cold voice, "Postpone the dinner! Chen Yin can see him tomorrow!"

"Alright, I'll inform Young Master Chen of the change of plans," Ye Yun said, then took the invitation slip from Yin Shengong with a benevolent smile. "There's no need to feel conflicted, Pope Yin. You can go and meet Young Mistress Yan tonight first. I will come again tomorrow to escort you to dinner with Young Master Chen."

"Thank you for your understanding, Senior Ye! Just tell me the time and address, and I'll go there myself. I can't trouble you to come here again for me!"

"It's fine," Ye Yun said with a warm smile. "See you tomorrow. I'll be taking my leave then, Sister Hong."

"Go ahead," Aunt Hong said in an indifferent voice, and Ye Yun promptly departed.

Aunt Hong turned to Yin Shengong with a smile as she handed him the invitation slip, then said in a gentle voice, "Dinner will be at 6PM tonight at Soaring Phoenix Restaurant. I'll return later tonight to personally escort you there. Right now, dinner is still four hours away, so you can have a rest. I'm sure you must be weary from your long journey."

Yin Shengong respectfully accepted the invitation slip with both hands as he said, "I am honored that Young Mistress Yan is inviting me to dinner, but I have been summoned to the main church by Deputy Pope Yan. If he wishes to see me tonight, then..."

"You don't have to worry about a clash of engagements. Young Mistress Yan has already informed Deputy Pope Yan of the situation, so his meeting with you has been postponed to tomorrow."

"Thank you, Senior Hong."

Yin Shengong was stunned to hear this.

Clearly, Yan Beihan had to have been extremely adored by her grandfather for him to accommodate her like this.

"See you tonight then, Pope Yin," Aunt Hong said with a warm smile, then gave Feng Yue a parting wave before vanishing into thin air.

***

Feng Yue immediately turned to Yin Shengong with a look of surprise and inquisition in his eyes.

He hadn't thought much of Chen Yin's invitation.

Even though Chen Yin was widely renowned as the most shrewd and cunning prodigy of the younger generation, Feng Yue had never been particularly impressed with him. After all, even his elder brother, Chen Yun, was often coming off second-best to Feng Yun, and Chen Yin was also around ten years his junior, so he was like a little brother.

However, the same didn't apply to Yan Beihan.

She was someone that even he and his siblings had to respect! After all, she was extremely high up on the ladder of seniority, and if she insisted, even Feng Yun would have to refer to her as great-great-great... grandaunt.

Thus, it intrigued him greatly that even Yan Beihan wished to meet with Yin Shengong. He didn't know what the purpose of her invitation was, but it was clearly for something important.

With that in mind, his prior arrogance quickly melted away as he said with a warm smile, "I'll leave you to rest then, Pope Yin. Once my brother returns, we can all sit down and share a drink together."

From there, he leaped onto his back of his dragon horse and waved everyone farewell before departing.

On the way back, his brows were still tightly furrowed in deep thought.

Who exactly is this Yin Shengong, and why does everyone want to meet him?

"Look into him for me," he instructed as he turned to his two guards.

***

With all of the important figures gone, everyone back at the inn was finally able to breathe again.

Every single one of them was staring at Yin Shengong, but the killing intent in their eyes had been replaced with awe and veneration.

They had thought of him as an ant that they could easily crush with minimal consequences, yet he had just received invitations from the direct descendants of three deputy popes!

Even Chen Yin had to line up and wait until the next day to see Yin Shengong because Yan Beihan's invitation had taken priority!

Wu Xiang was staring at Yin Shengong with just as much astonishment as everyone else, and it was as if he were seeing Yin Shengong for the very first time in his life.

As for Yin Shengong himself, he was doing his best to remain composed, but internally, he was reeling!

He had heard that Night Demon had some ties with Yan Beihan and Chen Yin, but they were surely not

that

close with one another!

The two of them returned to their room in the inn, and as their eyes met, each of them could see their own dumbstruck expression mirrored on one another's faces.

"I believe you have some explaining to do."

"Would you believe me if I told you that I genuinely have no idea what's happening?"

"Do you

think

I'd believe you?!"

After some contemplation, Yin Shengong said, "I heard from Night Demon that he managed to establish some ties with Mistress Yan and Master Chen following the Parasite Ascension Project, but I can't imagine that he possesses this much sway over them, so I'm being entirely truthful when I say that I don't know what's going on."

"Is that really true?"

"Yes! I'm being fully transparent with you, Chief Supervisor Wu!"

Wu Xiang remained skeptical.

"Alright, in any case, you'll find out tonight. Make sure to come and see me after your dinner with Mistress Yan."

Wu Xiang was brimming with curiosity, and he wouldn't be able to sleep until he heard back from Yin Shengong.

***

Outside, everyone was frantically contacting their clans through their communication jades, and some of them had even gone back to share the news.

This was an extremely important development that had to be discussed.

In the blink of an eye, Yin Shengong had somehow become tied with the clans of three deputy popes, and all three parties had chosen to send some very special messengers.

Would it not have sufficed for them to have sent some lowly servants to speak to Yin Shengong? Why had the three clans chosen Feng Yue, Ye Yun, and Aunt Hong instead?

Ye Yun and his brother, Ye Feng, were technically servants of the Chen Clan, but they were both extremely formidable warriors renowned throughout the entirety of the main church, and one would be a fool to truly regard them as mere servants.

As for Aunt Hong, she had been serving Yan Nan for countless years. In the beginning, she had only been a maidservant of his, but she had caught his eye thanks to her aptitude, and he had molded her into a warrior not inferior in power to the Ye brothers.

This was why she had been assigned to serve Yan Beihan. Essentially, she was playing the role of bodyguard for Yan Nan's most beloved granddaughter, and clearly, that wasn't a role that simply anyone could fill.

In fact, Aunt Hong was a more formidable warrior than the majority of the Cloud Weapon Archive, so who would dare to refer to her as a servant?

In light of these shocking developments, all of the clans seeking vengeance against Night Demon were forced to reconsider whether Yin Shengong was still a feasible target for them.

***

Even though Aunt Hong had told Yin Shengong to take a rest, he was far too agitated to even sit down, and he spent the entire afternoon pacing back and forth in his room.

Time was passing by at an agonizingly slow rate, and it felt like 6PM would never arrive.

Eventually, the fated hour came, and with it came Aunt Hong's return.

"Are you ready, Pope Yin? If you're ready to go, then please come with me."

***

Prior to Aunt Hong's arrival, Yin Shengong had been pondering what gift he should bring for Yan Beihan.

She had invited him to dinner, but he couldn't just show up empty-handed, could he?

However, he quickly gave up on the idea.

What could he possibly give her? She wouldn't be interested in anything that he had to offer.

Thus, he simply bought some spirit fruits from a street-side vendor before traveling to Soaring Phoenix Restaurant with Aunt Hong in accompaniment.

All the while, Wu Xiang was looking out at the two through his window with an envious look on his face.

𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

He wanted to go as well, but Aunt Hong hadn't even taken a proper glance at him during her earlier visit.