Yin Wuji

Dugu Bo looked at him. "What do you think?"

Gu Ci pondered for a moment. "We should go back first and discuss it with everyone."

"Besides, since we've already reached a cooperation agreement with Xue Ye, he should be informed about this."

"Spirit Hall operatives are active in Heaven Dou City. As emperor, he can't simply stand by."

Dugu Bo nodded, and the three of them immediately returned to the Marquis Mansion.

In the main hall of the Marquis Mansion, everyone had already received the news and gathered together.

Zhao Tieshan's face was grim, and the iron hammer in his hand creaked as he clenched it. "Two Soul Douluos and twelve elites. Old Poison, can you handle them alone?"

Dugu Bo said calmly, "They're only two Soul Douluos. I don't consider them a threat."

"But Spirit Hall stands behind them. Kill these two, and more will come."

Cang Lang said coldly, "Then let them come. We're not pushovers either."

Shen Biyao rarely spoke up. "Fighting is the worst option. If it comes to that, win or lose, we'll become a thorn in Spirit Hall's side."

"Then it won't just be a matter of two Soul Douluos."

Qian Sihai rubbed his hands together uneasily. "Then what do we do? We can't just shut down the Heavenly Workshop, can we?"

The group argued endlessly, unable to agree.

Gu Ci remained silent until Dugu Bo looked at him. Only then did he slowly speak.

"Spirit Hall sent people here for nothing more than the Soul Tool technology."

"They don't dare seize it by force, because this is Heaven Dou City, Heaven Dou Empire territory."

"So they'll test us first—see what cards we have, and see how the royal family reacts."

He paused before continuing, "Then we'll show them our hand, but not all of it."

"How?" Dugu Bo asked.

Gu Ci stood and walked to the center of the hall. "Tomorrow, I'll take Xue Ye's decree to the post house and formally visit the Adjudication Department's people."

"I'll tell them that the Heavenly Workshop is a partner of the Heaven Dou Royal Family and under the Empire's protection."

"The Soul Tool technology has been passed down through our family. It isn't for sale, nor will it be shared."

"If they want to buy lamps, the Heavenly Workshop welcomes them. If they have other ideas, they should think carefully first."

"You're going?" Dugu Bo frowned. "You're only six years old..."

"That's exactly why they won't dare act rashly."

Gu Ci smiled. "A six-year-old child comes to visit carrying the emperor's decree. What can they do? Attack me? That would be slapping the Heaven Dou Royal Family in the face."

"If they don't attack, then they'll have to listen obediently until I'm done speaking."

Everyone exchanged looks. The idea was bold, but it was indeed feasible.

After pondering for a moment, Dugu Bo finally nodded. "Fine. I'll go with you tomorrow and keep watch from the shadows."

"If they dare touch you, I'll make sure they don't leave Heaven Dou City."

The next morning, Gu Ci changed into a neat set of clothes, hung Xue Ye's decree at his waist, and arrived alone at the post house in the southern part of the city.

Two guards stood at the entrance. When they saw a six-year-old child approaching, both looked surprised.

"Kid, this isn't a place for you to play. Get lost," one guard said, waving him away.

Unhurried, Gu Ci took out the token from his robes and held it high.

"Gu Ci of Thunder Tiger Marquis Manor, here by order of Xue Ye to visit the honored gentlemen of the Martial Soul Hall Adjudication Department."

The two guards saw the royal insignia on the token, and their expressions changed. They quickly stepped aside.

Gu Ci entered the post house, crossed the front courtyard, and arrived at the main hall.

Two people sat inside, drinking tea.

The man on the left was in his forties, with a sinister face and a gray robe. His triangular eyes gleamed with cold light.

His fingers were long and thin like a snake's tongue, their tips faintly dark blue-black—a clear sign of years spent cultivating poison arts.

Sitting there, he resembled a coiled venomous snake, chilling to the bone.

The man on the right was burly, with an iron mask covering his face and revealing only a pair of icy eyes.

He was bare-chested, his muscles knotted, and behind him was the faint phantom of Soul Power shaped like spider legs.

Both men showed a flicker of surprise when they saw that the visitor was a child.

"You're from Thunder Tiger Marquis Manor?"

The gray-robed man spoke in a hoarse, low voice like sandpaper scraping together. "Xue Ye sent you?"

Neither servile nor overbearing, Gu Ci unfolded the decree and placed it on the table.

"I am Gu Ci, here by His Majesty's order to visit the two of you. May I ask how you are addressed?"

Yin Wuji regarded him with interest. Those triangular eyes swept over Gu Ci as though he were examining prey that had delivered itself to his doorstep.

"I am Yin Wuji, Deputy Enforcement Envoy of the Adjudication Department."

His voice was unhurried, carrying an unsettling chill.

"This is Iron Face, also a Deputy Enforcement Envoy. Little one, you've got some nerve, coming here alone."

Gu Ci smiled. "You flatter me. His Majesty learned that the two of you had arrived in Heaven Dou City and specially sent me to offer his greetings."

"Also, there is something I wish to clarify with you both."

"What is it?"

Gu Ci took out a document from his robes and placed it on the table. "The Heavenly Workshop is an imperial merchant personally authorized by His Majesty, specifically responsible for developing and supplying Soul Tools for the Empire."

"The Heavenly Workshop's technology is inherited from our ancestors. It is not for sale and will not be passed on to outsiders. His Majesty hopes the two of you will understand and not make things difficult for the Heavenly Workshop."

Yin Wuji picked up the document and glanced over it, his expression changing slightly.

It bore the grand seal of the Heaven Dou Empire's royal family, clearly stating: The Heavenly Workshop was a supplier designated by the royal family. No one was permitted to harass, seize from, or threaten it for any reason.

Violators would be considered to have offended the Heaven Dou Royal Family.

Iron Face also glanced at the document, and a cold glint flashed through his eyes.

"Little one, are you using the emperor to pressure us?"

Iron Face's voice was hoarse and low, like metal grinding together.

Gu Ci shook his head. "I wouldn't dare. I'm only conveying His Majesty's wishes to the two of you."

"Spirit Hall and the Heaven Dou Empire have always been on good terms. His Majesty does not wish for minor matters to harm that relationship."

Yin Wuji stared at Gu Ci for a long time, a sharp gleam flashing through his triangular eyes.

"Interesting." He set down the document and leaned back.

"A six-year-old child who speaks without a single flaw and can convey the emperor's words on his behalf. Thunder Tiger Marquis Manor has produced quite the talent."

Gu Ci humbly replied, "You flatter me."

Yin Wuji rose and walked over to Gu Ci, looking down at him.

The cold aura around him bore down like an invisible snake winding around Gu Ci.

"I can refrain from touching the Heavenly Workshop."

He spoke slowly, amusement in his voice. "But there is one thing I'm very curious about—where exactly did this Soul Tool technology come from?"

"A Marquis Mansion suddenly producing Soul Tools that have been lost for a thousand years. Don't you find that strange?"

Gu Ci raised his head and met his gaze, his eyes calm. "Sir, that is a matter for our family. It is not convenient to disclose it."

Yin Wuji narrowed his eyes, and a cold aura emanated from him, pressing down on Gu Ci.

It was the pressure of a Soul Douluo, carrying a clammy, suffocating sensation like a snake coiling around its prey—enough to frighten an ordinary six-year-old child into collapsing to the ground.

But Gu Ci did not move in the slightest.

His true cultivation was Rank 27, and he had two Soul Spirits within him, Zi Dian and Night Shadow. This little pressure was nothing to him.