Different Treatment

The two discussed it animatedly, lamenting how hard it was to get through Poison Douluo's door. Even someone at the level of a city lord had been turned away.

Just then.

A large group of people strode over from the distance.

They wore luxurious clothing embroidered with the emblem of the Balak Kingdom. Each of them carried an arrogant air as they quickly approached.

At the center of the group, surrounded like stars around the moon, was a young man.

He had sharp brows, bright eyes, and an imposing bearing. One look was enough to tell that he was no ordinary person, and the prince's crown on his head confirmed his identity.

"It's the Second Prince of Barak. At last, someone important has arrived."

"The Second Prince will definitely be able to enter Poison Douluo's residence. The Balak Kingdom is the gateway to the Heaven Dou Empire and has the strongest military among the four kingdoms. They'll surely be treated with importance."

"Right, but we should step back. I heard the Second Prince is extremely arrogant and domineering. We shouldn't provoke him."

"Let's go, let's go."

The surrounding crowd quickly backed away, making room for the Second Prince of Barak. No one dared provoke him.

However.

One person stepped back too slowly and blocked the Second Prince's path. One of the prince's guards gave him a fierce shove, nearly knocking him over.

If this had not been the Heaven Dou Empire, the guard might have even beaten him.

Such brutality made the surrounding people frown inwardly. The man who had been pushed clenched his fists, but ultimately chose to swallow his anger.

"Hmph!"

Seeing this, the people from the Balak Kingdom strutted onward arrogantly, heading straight for Poison Douluo's residence.

Knock, knock, knock! A rhythmic knock sounded. It was not a forceful pounding, but rather quite gentle, as though even the person knocking had to show Poison Douluo respect.

Creak!

The courtyard gate quickly opened, and a white-haired old man poked his head out.

"Hello, Steward Zhou. I am the Second Prince of Barak, and I have come specifically to visit Lord Poison Douluo."

The Second Prince spoke humbly and politely, appearing impeccably courteous. There was no trace of his earlier arrogance.

He had no choice. Compared to Poison Douluo, he was not important enough. More importantly, he wanted to win Poison Douluo's favor and become his granddaughter's husband, so his attitude could not have been better.

"The Second Prince of Barak? Not seeing visitors!"

Steward Zhou, whose hair was gray-white, refused without hesitation, then slammed the courtyard gate shut with a bang.

"This..."

Everyone was stunned by the merciless rejection. They had never expected even the Second Prince of Barak to be turned away. It was simply unbelievable.

The Second Prince was also dumbfounded. By the time he recovered, his face had turned livid.

As a prince of Barak, he could get whatever he wanted in his kingdom.

Anyone who dared provoke him would face dreadful consequences, and this had cultivated his arrogant personality.

Now that he was in the Heaven Dou Empire, the Second Prince had finally humbled himself and come to visit Poison Douluo in a lowly manner.

Yet he had not even entered the gate before being directly rejected. They had shown him no respect at all, and it infuriated him.

Unable to hold back, the enraged Second Prince raised his hand and knocked again.

Knock, knock, knock! Creak!

The courtyard gate swiftly opened again. Steward Zhou hurriedly looked outside, wanting to see whether the silver-haired boy had appeared.

But all he saw was the Second Prince of Barak's face again, which greatly displeased him.

"Steward Zhou, I greatly admire Lord Poison Douluo. I have specially brought precious gifts this time, and I have also prepared one for you."

The Second Prince spoke humbly again. He had no choice; he could not afford to offend Poison Douluo.

"I said we're not seeing visitors. Why are you so annoying? Didn't you see that everyone else only knocked once?"

Steward Zhou replied in great dissatisfaction, then shut the gate with an annoyed backhand.

Bang! The courtyard gate was tightly shut once more, and the Second Prince of Barak was turned away again.

"You... you..."

The Second Prince nearly exploded with rage. Pointing at the gate, he wanted to fly into a tantrum. He wished he could kick the gate apart and beat Steward Zhou senseless.

But thinking of Poison Douluo's terrifying strength, the Second Prince ultimately did not dare kick the gate. He could only take a deep breath, suppress his fury, and continue waiting outside.

The people around them began discussing the scene as well.

"I never expected even the Second Prince of Barak to be rejected. Is this the prestige of a Title Douluo?"

"Of course. He's one of the top experts in the Douluo World. With his achievement of defeating Green Fatty and saving the Royal Family, Poison Douluo is at the height of his power."

"Sigh, if only I could become a Title Douluo. Sadly, after more than thirty years of cultivation, I'm only a Soul Grandmaster."

"A Soul Grandmaster is already pretty good. I'm even older than you, and I'm still only a Soul Master."

The crowd continued talking, marveling at the exalted status of a Title Douluo.

Just then.

Li Xuan strolled over from afar with a wine gourd hanging from his waist, yawning as he walked.

"Huh? It's so lively!"

Li Xuan arrived near Poison Douluo's residence. Seeing the bustling entrance and so many nobles and officials, he was rather surprised.

But he did not care. He simply walked directly toward the gate.

"Kid, don't play here. Go somewhere else. This isn't a place for playing."

When Fat Boss saw Li Xuan, he worried that the boy might provoke the Second Prince, so he kindly offered a word of warning.

"I have business with Poison Douluo," Li Xuan said unconcernedly.

"Looking for Poison Douluo? So you've come to give Poison Douluo gifts too? Why did you come alone? Where are your elders?"

Hearing Li Xuan's words, Fat Boss assumed he was also a noble and no longer told him to go elsewhere. Still, he was surprised that Li Xuan had come alone.

Considering that everyone here was someone of status, Fat Boss did not dare look down on Li Xuan. He even wanted to get acquainted with him, so he said,

"That's the Second Prince of Barak over there. He's arrogant and overbearing, so don't provoke them, or you'll be in trouble. Wait until he leaves before going over. That way, you can..."

Fat Boss rattled on at length, nagging like an old man.

"Alright, fat old man, stop talking. You're really long-winded."

Li Xuan gave the fat old man a speechless glance and walked straight ahead.

"F-fat old man? I'm only forty! How did I become a fat old man? Besides, I may be fat, but Fat isn't my surname."

Fat Boss was speechless. He felt that this little boy was quite prickly, probably another young tyrant from some family.

"Forget it, forget it. There are too many nobles here. I can't afford to offend them."

Fat Boss was utterly dejected. His status was the lowest among these people. Even after Li Xuan called him a fat old man, he did not dare argue back and could only accept it with a miserable expression.

Meanwhile.

Li Xuan arrived near the gate and frowned when he saw the Second Prince and his people blocking the way.

However, through God's Perspective, he saw an old man waiting by the gate, seemingly expecting him. So Li Xuan directly shouted,

"Hey, old gatekeeper, open the door."

Li Xuan's voice was exceptionally loud and quickly echoed through the area, reaching everyone's ears.

However.

The moment they heard those words, everyone was completely dumbfounded and turned to look at Li Xuan.

Steward Zhou represented Poison Douluo. Whoever came had to be polite to him. Hadn't they seen the Second Prince of Barak get rebuked twice and still remain courteous? Yet now, a little boy had openly called him an old gatekeeper in front of so many people. It was simply explosive.

Thus, everyone turned toward Li Xuan with pity in their eyes. They knew he was about to suffer.

Creak!

The courtyard gate opened again, and Steward Zhou walked out with a dark expression. His eyes were cold as he looked at the Second Prince. "Was it you who called me an old gatekeeper?"

"Not me, it was that little boy over there!"

The Second Prince of Barak hurriedly took a step back to prove his innocence. What a joke—he would not take the blame for this, and he could not afford to.

"Hm? That little boy over there?"

Hearing this, Steward Zhou turned around in confusion. When he saw Li Xuan's figure and silver hair, his whole body jolted.

"Yes, it was that little boy. He's the one who called you an old gatekeeper. It has nothing to do with me. If you want to beat someone up, go beat him."

The Second Prince of Barak hurriedly explained again. His guards also began talking over one another, recounting what had happened.

Originally.

Everyone thought Steward Zhou would fly into a rage and beat someone up. Yet after hearing the explanation, not only did he not hit anyone, he hurriedly walked up to Li Xuan and carefully asked,

"May I ask, are you Mr. Li Xuan?"

"Yes. That old man Poison Douluo told you about me?" Li Xuan raised an eyebrow.

"He did, he did. Please come in, please come in."

Steward Zhou hurriedly invited Li Xuan inside, feeling both amused and helpless. Li Xuan even called Poison Douluo an old man. He really had some nerve. That was a Title Douluo at the height of his power—who would dare call him that? If Poison Douluo had not given prior instructions, Steward Zhou would have suspected that Li Xuan had come looking for trouble.

But he did not dare neglect Li Xuan. With a smile on his face, he welcomed Li Xuan into the residence.

As for everyone else.

They stood frozen in place like fools. The Second Prince, who had been rejected twice earlier, stared at it all as if petrified, unable to process it for a long time.

No one had expected this outcome. It was simply too bizarre.

After a while.

The crowd gradually recovered, and discussion began again.

"What's going on? Who is that little boy? He was actually invited into Poison Douluo's residence."

"Even the Second Prince of Barak wasn't qualified to enter, but that little boy got in."

"The key is that he called Steward Zhou an old gatekeeper, and Steward Zhou not only didn't get angry, he welcomed him with a smile."

Everyone discussed it animatedly, feeling as though they were dreaming.

"Wait, didn't you hear his last sentence? That kid even called Poison Douluo an old man."

"This..."

The entire scene fell silent. The people looked at one another, their minds feeling like mush as they struggled to react.

Just then.

A person dressed as a chef hurried out of Poison Douluo's residence, seemingly on his way to buy groceries.

"Please wait! May I ask, who was that little boy who just went inside?" someone hurriedly asked, while taking out money to offer as a bribe.