Zhu Zhuqing silently watched Tang Yu, her heart a jumble of conflicting emotions.
Putting aside the coercive methods he had used, this man was not only unrivaled among the younger generation in strength, but also incomparably handsome.
He was goodness knew how many times better than Dai Mubai, who did nothing but chase women and flee when the fighting started.
Since she was already his woman, she might as well settle down and stay at the Wuyang Marquis Mansion from now on.
At least here, no one would dare try to assassinate her again. She could even have such a powerful man personally guide her cultivation.
Just as she was lost in thought,
Tang Yu had already put away his Soul Rings and turned back toward the bed.
He lifted the covers and lay down again.
Zhu Zhuqing obediently shifted closer and nestled into his arms of her own accord.
A flush still lingered on her exquisite face, making her so beautiful that it was impossible to look away.
Tang Yu drew her into his arms. One hand slid once more toward her long, enticing legs, gently fondling her fair, rounded feet.
Feeling the warmth against her ankle,
Zhu Zhuqing shivered slightly, but no longer resisted. She only buried her head a little deeper.
An intimate air once again filled the room.
Before long, amid a few soft moans, the two embraced and fell asleep again.
Time flew by. The news that the Star Luo Empire had been defeated and forced to cede territory and pay reparations swept across the Douluo Continent like a force-twelve hurricane.
The name of Wuyang Marquis Tang Yu became the focus of conversation everywhere.
At the border of the Heaven Dou Empire, inside a noisy tavern,
the hall was packed with boisterous voices. A group of Soul Masters and mercenaries sat together, animatedly discussing the news.
"Have you heard? Those bastards from the Star Luo Empire got taught a lesson this time!"
A burly man gulped down a mouthful of cheap ale and slapped the table, his face alight with excitement.
"Tell me about it! That Wuyang Marquis Tang Yu is a monster!"
"I heard he's only in his teens, yet he's already reached the realm of a Douluo. He led the Black Horse Iron Cavalry and stormed ten major strongholds of the Star Luo Empire!"
"He scared the Star Luo Emperor into ceding territory and paying reparations—and even sending his own future daughter-in-law over as a hostage."
A skinny mercenary beside him chimed in, his face full of longing.
"Now that's what you call a man! A real man ought to live like that!"
The tavern grew more and more lively, filled with astonishment and awe at Tang Yu's fearsome exploits.
However,
in the darkest corner of the tavern,
a disheveled man in a tattered cloak, reeking of alcohol, sat alone with a bowl of wine in his hands.
At the sound of the conversation, the man's hand abruptly froze.
Tang Hao lifted his head, a trace of deep confusion showing in his eyes beneath his tangled hair.
"Tang Yu?"
He silently repeated the name to himself, his brows drawn tightly together.
That name was exactly the same as the eldest son he had abandoned all those years ago.
All these years, Tang Hao had actually been secretly searching for the eldest son he had cast aside.
He wasn't looking for him out of some belated fatherly love.
Rather, he had learned from an ancient text that killing one's biological son who possessed the Blue Silver Emperor Bloodline, then offering his blood as a sacrifice, could greatly accelerate Ah Yin's resurrection.
All these years, he had hidden in the shadows and watched Tang San grow. He had developed a deep father-son bond with Tang San and naturally couldn't bear to lay a finger on him.
But the eldest son he had thrown away as a child was different.
To him, that boy was nothing more than a tool he could sacrifice whenever he pleased.
Tang Hao drained the fiery liquor from his bowl in one gulp, a bone-chilling gleam flashing in his eyes.
Could that famous Wuyang Marquis be the person he was looking for?
If it really was him,
then Tang Hao couldn't be blamed for being ruthless, even as his father.
Any sacrifice was worthwhile if it meant Ah Yin could regain her body.
If anyone was to blame, it could only be that he was born into the Tang family. This was his fate!
Tang Hao coldly considered the matter, but had no plans to set out for the Wuyang Marquis Mansion right away.
The hidden injuries he had suffered when the Spirit Hall hunted him were still unhealed. His strength was greatly diminished, and he was in no position to confront a powerful figure whose fame was on the rise.
He decided to wait until he had recovered a little more, then find an opportunity to go to Heaven Dou City and sound him out.
Once he had made up his mind, Tang Hao lowered the brim of his cloak again, hiding himself in the shadows.
Meanwhile,
at Blue Tyrant Academy in Heaven Dou City,
the teachers and students of Shrek Academy had gathered in a spacious conference room.
Dai Mubai sat in a chair, his face pale and his expression utterly despondent.
He clutched his hair with both hands, looking as though he was in unbearable pain.
"Boss Dai, what kind of crazy nonsense are you talking about?"
Oscar's eyes widened, his voice rising by eight octaves.
"You're saying Zhuqing was forcibly taken as a bride by some Wuyang Marquis?"
Dai Mubai didn't look up. He only nodded heavily.
He had been carrying this burden in his heart for several days. Every night, the moment he closed his eyes, he saw Tang Yu's lofty, overbearing expression on the academy grounds.
The humiliation had tormented him until he was nearly driven mad. In the end, he decided to tell the others from Shrek the truth.
Ma Hongjun, the most hot-tempered of them all, sprang up from his chair.
The fat man pointed at Dai Mubai's nose and swore at him.
"Boss Dai, are you even a man?"
"Zhuqing is your fiancée! You just stood there and watched someone drag her away by force, without daring to say a damn thing?"
Being berated like this by his own brother, Dai Mubai's pent-up fury and humiliation erupted in an instant.
He jerked his head up, his eyes bloodshot as he roared at Ma Hongjun.
"What do you know? What could I do?"
"That was Tang Yu! He's a living hellraiser who even our Star Luo Emperor could only bow his head and yield to!"
"Stop him? How? Was I supposed to throw my life away?"
Dai Mubai's roar echoed through the conference room.
Ma Hongjun, who had been fuming with righteous indignation, was instantly left speechless.
The entire conference room fell into deathly silence.
Everyone present felt as though a boulder had been laid on their chest.
Tang Yu.
His name rang like thunder now. Who on the entire continent hadn't heard of him?
He was a peerless ruthless figure who had single-handedly beaten an empire until it couldn't raise its head.
This group of little monsters hadn't even reached the Soul Ancestor realm. Before someone of that caliber, they weren't even worthy of being cannon fodder.
Tang San sat to one side, brows furrowed as he thoughtfully rubbed his chin.
"Tang Yu..."
He silently turned the name over and over in his mind, feeling that something about it was strange.
Oscar paced in place, stamping his feet in frustration.
"No way!"
"We can't just sit here and do nothing, can we? Zhuqing's a girl, and she's fallen into that man's hands. Who knows how much she'll suffer!"
"Let's go to the Wuyang Marquis Mansion and demand her back right now!"