The two had been imprisoned for days, their cultivation sealed. They still wore plain prisoner's garb, their hair disheveled and faces pale. There was not the slightest trace left of the bearing of an imperial prince or a Holy Dynasty prodigy.
The moment they saw Chen Changqing seated in the place of honor, venomous hatred flared in their eyes.
And when they saw Wang An and Yin Jiuxuan standing nearby, that fire turned into humiliation and resentment.
"Chu Xiong, why haven't you greeted Holy Son Chen?"
Wang An barked in a low voice, his tone carrying a warning.
Chu Xiong clenched his teeth tightly, his chest heaving violently. In the end, he forced a few words through gritted teeth.
"G-Greetings, Holy Son Chen."
On the other side, under Yin Jiuxuan's gaze, Yue Xuan chose silence, merely turning his head away.
Chen Changqing did not look at them at all. His gaze fell on Wang An and Yin Jiuxuan.
"You've seen the people."
"I'll have someone take inventory of the goods later."
"If there are no issues, you may leave."
He waved a hand as though shooing away a few irritating flies.
Wang An and Yin Jiuxuan felt as though they had been granted a pardon. They hurriedly bowed to Chen Changqing again, then each grabbed one of them and prepared to leave this place of trouble at once.
They did not want to remain for even another moment.
Dragged along by them, Chu Xiong and Yue Xuan staggered toward the hall doors.
Humiliation, fury, resentment—every kind of emotion churned within them.
They were favored sons of heaven, future figures of greatness, yet here they had been treated like prisoners.
Just as they were about to step over the threshold, Chu Xiong finally could not hold back any longer.
He suddenly