The crowd was furious, and the atmosphere was taut with swords drawn.
Both sides looked ready to come to blows at the slightest disagreement.
Mu Qiang knew that Li Mu Yang was immensely powerful and did not want to sour their relationship with this evil dragon too badly. As for fighting, it was best avoided altogether. If this lord lost his temper, the hard-won city of Lizhou might be flattened into a plain.
"Young Master Mu Yang has always been on good terms with the Peacock Dynasty and even gifted our monarch the Myriad Spirit Jade Seal, that peerless treasure of the world. We are deeply grateful for your kindness. This time, we ask that Young Master Mu Yang grant us this favor. We will remember your benevolence for all eternity."
"I won't grant it." Li Mu Yang said, "And you don't need to remember it for all eternity. How many years can you live? I'll still be alive while you're all dead. What use is remembering it?"
"You—"
His words were blades, each one stabbing deep.
Mu Qiang was a skilled commander on the battlefield and feared no pain, even when scraping poison from his bones. Yet when faced with Li Mu Yang's blade-like words, he had no idea how to respond.
They were impossible to refute, yet they brought a pain like ten thousand arrows piercing his heart.
"General, don't waste your breath on him—"
"For the princess's safety, let's fight this evil dragon!"
"We have the advantage in numbers. Are we really afraid of him? As long as we spread word that he's in Lizhou, countless experts will come looking for trouble with him—"
"Shut up!" Mu Qiang roared.
The generals fell silent.
Mu Qiang was both a senior court general and the army's overseer. His rank