Although the tone of the words remained polite, the pauses appropriately conveyed Jing Yuan's dissatisfaction.
Huaiyan was too old and shrewd to miss Jing Yuan's subtext, but he didn't get angry either. Indeed, the fault in this matter lay with Yunli. "What reputation? There are always busybodies who love to concoct unearned titles and casually pit Cloud Knights against one another. Yunli is just a child, thin-skinned and shy. I hope you will all forgive any discourtesy in her actions." Though this final remark brought a trace of shame to old Huaiyan, he still felt compelled to make a brief excuse for his girl.
Seeing that Huaiyan had tacitly admitted the mistake, Jing Yuan naturally wouldn't press the issue further. "Everyone, Yanlao and I still have some matters to discuss. For now, I'll have Yanqing host our guests and Miss Yunli and settle you into the inn. Afterward, I will find another opportunity to converse freely with everyone and properly thank the Astral Express for rescuing the Xianzhou Luofu from the brink of disaster."
Chapter 180