It might have been Ji Qing's words that made the princes wary. To avoid offending Ji Qing, they all bypassed Lin Jichen and went to mingle with other sect disciples.
Ji Chen, however, sat opposite Lin Jichen with a relaxed demeanor and smiled, "Brother Lin, you don't mind my company, do you?"
"Of course not, come, sit down and eat while we chat. Princess Tongyin, you join us too," Lin Jichen called out.
Ji Tongyin, seeing Lin Jichen's invitation, gladly took a seat.
"Help yourselves, make yourselves at home, no need to be polite."
Lin Jichen said as he poured wine for the two of them.
Ji Tongyin and Ji Chen chuckled softly.
At this moment, a petite figure approached, looking very similar to Ji Tongyin, like twin sisters.
However, her temperament was vastly different from Ji Tongyin's, and she appeared much younger, only about sixteen or seventeen years old.
"Sister, I want to join too~"
Ji Tongyin smiled and said, "You have to ask Mr. Lin if he's willing. You spoke ill of him before; he might not want you to sit here."
"Spoke ill of me? What did she say? We don't seem to know each other," Lin Jichen looked at the young girl in front of him, puzzled.
Ji Linglong blushed, feeling extremely awkward, wanting to explain but not knowing how.
Seeing Lin Jichen looking at her, she decided to throw a little tantrum.
Without waiting for Lin Jichen's invitation, she sat down herself.
"Hmph, this is my home, I'll sit wherever I want~"
Ji Tongyin was both amused and exasperated.
Ji Chen had to explain to Lin Jichen, "Brother Lin, please don't mind her. This is my younger sister, Linglong. She's a bit mischievous. She disguised herself as a little eunuch at the City Administration Hall that day and saw you."
Lin Jichen remembered but was still puzzled, "But why did she speak ill of me? What did she say?"
Ji Chen hesitated, but Ji Linglong couldn't hold it in anymore. She put her hands on her hips and admitted, "I said you were a playboy, a heartbreaker, okay?"
"Why?" Lin Jichen was baffled. He was clearly a decent guy, how did he get labeled as a heartbreaker?
"Because I saw you winking at the girls at Autumn Moon Pavilion that day!"
Ji Linglong didn't realize her voice was a bit loud, and everyone around heard her clearly.
All the sect disciples burst into laughter, not expecting Lin Jichen to have such a hobby.
"Who would have thought, a Sword Sect disciple likes this kind of thing."
"Yeah, Lin the Sword Cultivator is quite the dashing young man."
"Sword Sect disciples are so unruly, going to such sordid places?"
"Is this Leng Sect Master's prized pupil? Hahaha."
Now, Lin Jichen's reputation was tarnished again.
He became known as a frequenter of high-class brothels...
Lin Jichen was speechless; this was really a case of mud falling into his pants.
Ji Tongyin blushed and scolded, "Linglong, how can you speak so carelessly?"
Ji Linglong also realized she shouldn't have spoken so loudly, causing a misunderstanding, and her momentum immediately weakened. She lowered her head and said, "I didn't mean to..."
Ji Chen apologized to Lin Jichen, "Brother Lin, I'm really sorry. Let me explain to everyone."
He was about to stand up and explain, but Lin Jichen waved his hand to stop him.
"Forget it, even if you explain, in their eyes, I'm still a lecherous person. They won't listen to your explanation. If they want to add a crime, there's no need for an excuse."
"No buts, others laugh at me for being too crazy, I laugh at them for not seeing through it. It doesn't matter how irrelevant people see me, just be yourself. Let's drink."
After saying that, Lin Jichen started eating again, savoring every bite.
The three of them were impressed by Lin Jichen's temperament.
Despite his young age, Lin Jichen had such a calm and seasoned mindset, truly a remarkable person!
[Ding! Ji Chen's affection level for you +15! Current affection level: 15 points (Enjoyable Conversation)]
[Ding! Ji Tongyin's affection level for you +10! Current affection level: 25 points (Riding Together)]
[Ding! Ji Linglong's affection level for you +5! Current affection level: 3 points (Instant Connection)]
"Sorry, I'll toast to you."
Ji Linglong still felt a bit guilty and raised her glass to toast.
Lin Jichen generously raised his glass and clinked it with hers.
Ji Linglong immediately smiled, looking at Lin Jichen with much more favor.
The three of them began to drink and chat, completely ignoring the gazes from others around them.
Many male cultivators from various sects felt envious seeing the beautiful Ji Tongyin and Ji Linglong sitting with Lin Jichen.
Why were both princesses sitting next to Lin Jichen? Wasn't it just because he had a good-looking face? A pretty boy!
Ji Qing, seeing Ji Tongyin and Ji Linglong getting close to Lin Jichen, was also displeased. Ji Chen was one thing, clearly opposing him.
But with both his younger sisters acting this way, it was hard for him not to be unhappy.
"Tongyin, Linglong, come over here. I'll introduce you to some outstanding talents from various sects," Ji Qing walked over and said.
But neither sister had any intention of moving.
Ji Tongyin smiled and politely declined, "Brother, I don't want to make new friends. You go ahead."
"Exactly, I'm fine here with my sister. You go do your thing," Ji Linglong nodded repeatedly.
Seeing that neither sister was giving him face, and already being quite angry with Lin Jichen earlier, Ji Qing couldn't hold back anymore.
"Are you ignoring what your brother says? I told you to come over!" Ji Qing shouted.
Ji Tongyin's face instantly turned sour, coldly staring at her brother.
Ji Linglong pouted in grievance and then started crying!
Her cries echoed through the entire hall, causing the palace maids to kneel in panic.
Ji Qing was caught off guard, forgetting that his youngest sister had a special skill—crying. She was famously known as a crybaby.
Moreover, Ji Linglong was very pampered. Both the emperor and empress doted on her. If the emperor found out, Ji Qing wouldn't escape a scolding.
Realizing he had scared his sister, Ji Qing quickly tried to soothe her, "Linglong, don't cry. Brother didn't mean it. Brother just wants..."
Before he could finish, Ji Hongyue and the empress returned with a group of sect leaders and elders.
Hearing Linglong's cries, the empress, who doted on her youngest daughter the most, immediately frowned and angrily asked, "What's going on? Who bullied Linglong?"
Ji Linglong got up and threw herself into the empress's arms, sobbing, "Mother, big brother scolded me, boohoo..."
Ji Hongyue, who also doted on Linglong, scolded Ji Qing upon seeing this.
"As the eldest brother, you bully your sister, and at such an important banquet. Do you have any sense of princely manners and brotherly demeanor?"
Ji Qing turned pale with fright and quickly knelt to apologize, "Father's teaching is right. I was just playing with my sister..."
But at this moment, Ji Linglong sobbed again.
"Father, big brother forced me and sister to drink with other men. If we didn't, he would scold us, boohoo..."
Ji Qing's heart... shattered.