As he spoke, Oscar made to charge out the door.
"Stop right there!"
Dai Mubai hurried over and grabbed Oscar by the arm.
"You're practically asking to get yourself killed!"
Dai Mubai's body trembled faintly with fear.
The scene from when they had run into that man in the square rose in his mind once more.
The other party hadn't even released any Soul Power. That terrifying pressure, as tangible as if it had substance, had left him unable to move even a finger.
"You don't understand how terrifying he is."
"With just a thought, he could kill every last one of us!"
Hearing Dai Mubai's account, everyone fell silent again.
Fear and anxiety spread through the air.
"If this won't work and that won't work, then what are we supposed to do?"
Xiao Wu asked, her eyes red and her voice trembling with tears.
Just as everyone was at a loss, Yu Xiaogang, who had sat silently in the corner, stood up.
With his hands behind his back, he cleared his throat.
"Everyone, don't panic."
"Things may not have reached the point of no return yet."
Looking at their anxious faces, Yu Xiaogang slowly explained what he had in mind.
"Erlong has some standing and connections here in Heaven Dou City."
"I can try asking Liu Erlong for help and see if she can use her ties to the Heaven Dou Imperial Family to contact Marquis of Wuyang."
"If we can negotiate with him, maybe we can get Zhu Zhuqing back."
At those words, a glimmer of hope instantly flared in the eyes of Dai Mubai, who had been utterly despairing.
As if he had seized the last straw that could save his life, he rushed straight over to Yu Xiaogang and bowed deeply on the spot.
"Grandmaster!"
"I'm counting on you! As long as you can save Zhuqing, I'll work like a horse or an ox for you for the rest of my life!"
The imperial capital of the Heaven Dou Empire had plunged into an unprecedented revelry.
Star Luo's defeat and cession of territory, along with its war reparations, had left every street draped in bright silk streamers.
This grand celebration of the entire empire was set to last a full month.
By nightfall, the depths of the imperial palace blazed with light, illuminating the sky as bright as day.
A lavish banquet of the highest order was proceeding in stately fashion inside the resplendent main hall.
The earlier welcome banquet was over. Tonight was the official victory celebration.
The court's most powerful ministers and nobles had all gathered, their raised cups and flowing wine steeped in extravagance.
At the very top of the hall, Tang Yu sat casually beside Xue Ye.
The seating arrangement was outrageously improper. He was even closer to the heart of imperial power than the Crown Prince, Xue Qinghe, seated nearby.
Yet not one of the officials below dared object. None even had the courage to look directly at the young man.
Xue Ye raised a jeweled golden goblet and rose to his feet, his face glowing as he proclaimed to the assembled ministers.
"Marquis of Wuyang led his troops to storm ten cities of the Star Luo Empire. His courage is unmatched, and his achievements are outstanding. He is truly the Heaven Dou Empire's greatest military prodigy!"
Seeing this, the ministers rose from their seats and lifted their cups high.
Wave after wave of flattery and lavish praise surged toward the dais.
Faced with all that praise, Tang Yu merely propped his chin on one hand, utterly perfunctory.
He had always loathed these hypocritical, affected social occasions.
Compared with listening to the civil officials mince words, the battlefield, with its bloodshed and slaughter, was much more to his taste.
Xue Qinghe, seated on the other side, held his wine cup and leaned a little closer.
The Heaven Dou Crown Prince looked at Tang Yu with undisguised admiration.
"Your Lordship's peerless valor on the battlefield is truly awe-inspiring. If I ever get the chance, I'd love to see you charge through the enemy camp with my own eyes."
Tang Yu turned his head slightly, fixing his unrestrained gaze on Xue Qinghe's face.
He knew full well that beneath the refined Crown Prince's handsome facade was Qian Renxue of Spirit Hall.
Even with Soul Bone disguises, a closer look in the hall's bright light revealed features so exquisitely sculpted that they were flawless, and skin as smooth as jade.
Since he had encountered such a beauty, he had to find a way to bring her into his bed as soon as possible.
Tang Yu picked up the cup on the table and swirled it lightly in the air.
"Compared to those dull military achievements, I'm more interested in Your Highness."
At that, Xue Qinghe gave a slight start.
Tang Yu continued without pausing, his tone brazen and unrestrained.
"Your Highness has such exquisite bone structure. I doubt even all the carefully selected beauties in this vast imperial palace could match a fraction of your charm."
"If one day Your Highness changed into stunning women's clothes, I'm afraid every woman in the land would pale beside you."
The words reached her ears.
Xue Qinghe's fingers tightened abruptly around her goblet, her knuckles turning faintly white.
Her muscles stiffened to the utmost in that instant. A flush of heat climbed up her neck and onto her fair face, where an alluring blush blossomed for all to see.
"Your Lordship certainly knows how to tease me."
She tried her hardest to suppress the tumult in her heart and maintain the composure and dignity expected of a Crown Prince.
Yet deep in those beautiful eyes, a trace of delight she couldn't hide had clearly surfaced.
Ever since childhood, she had appeared as a man to carry out Spirit Hall's mission of infiltration.
No man had ever dared speak to her in such a teasing, provocative manner.
This tyrant, so decisive and ruthless on the battlefield, was now acting with a hint of flirtatious boldness—and somehow, his words sent strange ripples through her heart.
Seeing how she forced herself to stay composed, Tang Yu's eyes flashed with amusement.
The two of them carried on chatting back and forth at the table.
Every now and then, Tang Yu tossed out a suggestive remark.
Xue Qinghe was sometimes flustered, yet at other times couldn't help picking up the thread and responding.
Her uniquely feminine shyness, peeking through the Crown Prince's disguise, was especially lively and entertaining.
Xue Ye watched the whole scene unfold.
Tang Yu had nearly ignored him, the ruler of the empire, while chatting animatedly with the Crown Prince. The old emperor's drooping eyelids twitched several times.
It was a blatant public slap in the face to him as emperor.
To make his presence felt, Xue Ye forced a stiff, unnatural smile and interrupted them.
"Marquis of Wuyang, you're so young, yet already possess such terrifying power that you can suppress an entire nation. What methods do you usually rely on in your cultivation?"
"Since all the ministers are gathered here today, why not share them? It would give the young people of my Heaven Dou Empire, who are still so lacking, something to learn from."