Joy of Life: Me, the Second Prince? Summon Yuan Tiangang!

In the crowd, Fan Xian, wearing the "ultimate bulletproof vest" weighing over forty pounds, suddenly had his pupils shrink to the size of pinpoints the moment he saw the long black box.

"Gulp." Fan Xian swallowed hard.

His body, hidden beneath the heavy wedding attire, instantly tensed to its limit.

The domineering true energy within his body circulated wildly like a flood bursting its banks, forming layer upon layer of powerful energy shields on his body surface that were imperceptible to the naked eye.

His feet were firmly planted on the ground, and his brain performed countless frantic calculations in an instant.

"Five feet long... That length is just enough to hold a Barrett M82A1 or a heavy sniper rifle of the same level..." Fan Xian's heart was pounding wildly in his chest, as if it were about to shatter the high-carbon steel plate that he had personally polished.

"What is he going to do!?" A layer of cold sweat seeped from Fan Xian's forehead, sliding down his cheeks and dripping onto his red wedding robes, staining them a deep red.

Not only Fan Xian, but all the officials present, though unaware of what a "sniper rifle" was, knew of the Second Prince's bloody methods in the capital these past few days. To them, that long black box was a coffin filled with death and despair.

Several timid civil officials' legs began to tremble uncontrollably. If their colleagues hadn't been supporting them tightly, they probably would have already collapsed from their desks.

However, Lee Seung-taek, who was at the center of the storm, seemed completely oblivious to the fear around him.

He walked slowly to the center of the hall, his gaze passing over the trembling officials and the wary Fan Xian, finally landing on the eldest prince, Li Chengru, on the steps.

"Big brother." Li Chengze stopped, tilted his head slightly, and a seemingly sincere yet slightly wicked smile appeared on his lips. "These past few days, I've been busy dealing with some 'family matters' and haven't had time to help you prepare for your wedding. On this joyous occasion, if I don't come to ask for a cup of celebratory wine, I'm afraid you'll be cursing me in your heart for not knowing the proper etiquette."

"Second brother, I'm very happy you could come." Li Chengru's voice was steady and powerful, exuding the iron-blooded aura of someone who had led troops in many battles. He showed no fear despite the assassin behind Li Chengze and the strange black box. "However, isn't it a bit disrespectful of your elder brother to come to a wedding dressed like this?"

Li Chengze glanced down at his moon-white robe and smiled nonchalantly, "Brother, please don't be offended. I'm just used to being carefree; I feel uncomfortable wearing those elaborate court robes. Besides, between brothers, it's the sentiment that matters, so why should we care about appearances?"

At this point, Li Chengze turned slightly to the side, casually glancing at Fan Xian, who stood stiff as a wooden stake to the side. A hint of mockery flashed in his eyes: "Oh, isn't this our wedding envoy, Lord Fan? In this sweltering heat, why is Lord Fan dressed so bulky? Are you perhaps ill, weak and susceptible to the cold?"

Fan Xian felt a chill run down his spine when he was called out by name. He forced a smile that looked more like a grimace and said through gritted teeth, "Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. I... I have indeed caught a cold recently. Wearing more clothes and sweating it out will make me feel better."

"Oh? A cold?" Li Chengze looked at him with a half-smile, his gaze seemingly able to penetrate the red wedding robes and see the thick steel plate underneath. "Then Lord Fan, you'd better be careful. This illness, sometimes it comes quickly and goes quickly. Sometimes... it can take a person's life."

As soon as those words were spoken, the temperature in the hall seemed to drop even further.

Fan Xian felt a chill run from his tailbone straight to the top of his head. He was even prepared to unleash all his inner energy at any moment and smash through the roof to escape.

Li Chengze withdrew his gaze, ignoring Fan Xian who was on high alert, and looked back at the eldest prince, Li Chengru.

"As the eldest brother's brother, it's only natural for the younger brother to come empty-handed." Li Chengze raised his hand and snapped his fingers lightly.

"Snapped!"

The crisp sound rang out like a death knell in the silent hall.

Everyone's hearts were in their throats. Fan Xian had even slightly bent his knees, his domineering true energy surging wildly through the meridians of his legs, ready to launch himself at any moment.

"Bi'an," Li Chengze instructed calmly, "Open the congratulatory gift for my elder brother."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Xie Bi'an walked forward expressionlessly and placed the black box, which was about five feet long, flat on an empty table in the center of the hall.

"hiss--"

A collective gasp filled the hall. Everyone's eyes were fixed on Xie Bi'an's hands, as if those hands were about to unleash a primordial beast capable of devouring everything.

Xie Bi'an's fingers were long and pale as he slowly unwrapped the black animal hide covering the box.

Fan Xian held his breath. He silently recited in his mind: barrel…scope…stock…

The animal hide was removed, revealing an antique sandalwood box inside. The box was carved with intricate cloud patterns and emitted a faint, pleasant fragrance.

The animal hide was removed, revealing an antique sandalwood box inside. The box was carved with intricate cloud patterns and emitted a faint, pleasant fragrance.

Xie Bi'an placed his hand on the copper clasp of the wooden box.

"Click".

A soft sound.

Fan Xian's pupils suddenly contracted, and the muscles in his legs instantly tensed to the extreme.

However, the moment Xie Bian slowly lifted the lid of the wooden box, the cold, modern, industrial-looking black gun barrel he had expected did not appear.

Instead, a chilling glint of light appeared, so intense that one dared not look directly at it!

It was a pure and unadulterated sword aura. The moment the wooden box was opened, it surged into the sky like a dragon that had been suppressed for a thousand years. The air in the hall, which had been stagnant due to the stuffiness, was instantly shattered by this invisible sword aura.

Several officials standing nearby felt a sharp pain on their cheeks, as the overflowing sword intent had cut a thin bloodstain.

There was no smell of gunpowder, and no mechanical noise of metal parts colliding.

There was only a faint, clear sword cry, seemingly from ancient times.

"Buzz—"

Everyone was stunned at that moment.

Fan Xian's nerves, which were taut to the point of breaking, twitched violently the moment he saw the item in the wooden box. Then, he deflated like a punctured balloon and almost collapsed to the ground.

He stared intently at the wooden box, panting heavily, cold sweat pouring down his forehead like rain.

"It's not a gun...it's not that damn Barrett..." Fan Xian roared inwardly, a feeling of utter exhaustion from surviving a close call instantly engulfing his entire body. Feeling the forty-plus pounds of "ultimate bulletproof vest" on his body, he suddenly felt like a complete and utter fool.

Inside the wooden box lay a sword, lying quietly.

A sword with an ancient design, a long blade, and a faint blue light emanating from it.

The sword hilt was neither gold nor jade, but seemed to be carved from some extremely rare ancient wood, with the leather of an unknown beast wrapped around it, exuding a sense of the vicissitudes of time.