Qin Keqing tossed the calling card onto the table. The words "Everything she has is yours" echoed through the spacious stone chamber, striking Zhou Xuan so hard that he took a long while to recover.
Zhou Xuan stood rooted to the spot, his brows furrowed tightly enough to crush a fly. Pointing at his own nose, he asked, "Mine? What do you mean, everything she has is mine?"
Qin Keqing folded her arms and looked down at him, her tone openly interrogative. "It's written right here on this calling card, clear as black ink on white paper, and you're asking me?"
Zhou Xuan immediately waved his hands in protest, injustice written all over his face. "Let's get one thing straight. I've spent these past ten years fighting demonic beasts, dismantling the World Barrier, and feeding millions of people across two regions. I haven't even had time to sleep. When would I have found the time to sneak off and pick up women?"
Standing nearby, Yang Zhen wished he could shrink into a crack in the floor. Neither leaving nor staying felt right, so he could only force an awkward chuckle.
Qin Keqing gave a soft snort, clearly unwilling to keep arguing about this, and asked bluntly, "Well, she's freezing outside the city right now. Are you going to see her or not?"
Zhou Xuan fell silent for a moment, then made his decision. "I'll see her. The resources to fill the shortfall for millions of people have arrived at our doorstep. I'd be a beast to turn her away now."
In a side hall of the City Lord's Mansion adjoining the underground warehouse, beast charcoal burned fiercely in a brazier, crackling softly.
Outside lay the noisy bustle of the warehouse area. Wheels rumbled over Bluestone paving, metal materials clattered against