Zhu Zhuqing felt deeply uncomfortable under his blunt, intensely possessive gaze.
There was no disgusting lechery in his eyes, but they held the domineering look of someone regarding her as his personal property.
She instinctively shrank back half a step, putting a little distance between them, and stared at Tang Yu warily.
"Who exactly are you?"
"What do you want with me?"
Tang Yu withdrew his gaze, his expression still as calm and unruffled as ever.
He looked at Zhu Zhuqing's wary little eyes and spoke casually.
"I'm Tang Yu, Marquis of Wuyang of the Heaven Dou Empire."
"You don't need to guess. That spineless emperor of yours has already written a letter of surrender with his own hand."
"He also signed the treaty betrothing you to me."
"Now, pack your things and come with me."
He spoke those few words lightly, but to Zhu Zhuqing, they rang out like thunder from the highest heavens, crashing across a clear sky.
A storm erupted in her mind.
The instant Zhu Zhuqing heard the name "Tang Yu," the last traces of color drained from her face, leaving it white as paper.
She looked as though she had seen some terrifying monster.
Her legs went weak with fright. She staggered back several steps, nearly falling flat on her backside.
Her beautiful eyes widened, filled with terror.
"What... you—you said your name was what?"
The enemy nation's fiend, described in the battle reports as one who razed cities, destroyed kingdoms, and killed without batting an eye.
The peerless god of slaughter who had brought the entire Star Luo front crashing down with just one army.
Now he was standing right in front of her, alive and breathing.
And he was speaking to her in such a casual tone.
At the same time, Dai Mubai, still sprawled on the floor tiles like a dead dog, heard that name.
It hit him like a bolt of lightning.
Tang Yu's pressure had already shattered his nerve, and now he was trembling violently with fear.
Ignoring the tearing pain throughout his body, he slapped the ground and sprang to his feet in sheer panic.
This man had single-handedly routed even the deep-rooted, undefeated Star Luo army, leaving them fleeing in disarray.
And just now, Dai Mubai had foolishly shouted at him and even tried to hit him.
He might as well have been kicking up a storm at the gates of hell.
After several seconds that seemed both long and short, Zhu Zhuqing gasped for breath, digging her nails into her palms as she struggled to calm herself.
The pain brought back a little of her reason.
In that brief moment, her thoughts raced as she pieced together everything that had happened today.
No wonder.
Only Tang Yu, Marquis of Wuyang, the legendary figure who shook the world and was hailed as the greatest genius in history, could possess such inconceivable, terrifying strength—and suppress a Soul Ancestor without even breaking a sweat.
But the relief she had just managed to find didn't last even half a minute.
When she thought of how this man, so powerful he inspired utter despair, had come all this way today
just to enforce that humiliating treaty, take her away by force, and make her his bride,
the tiny bit of gratitude and goodwill that had just begun to bloom in her heart because he had saved her instantly withered away.
All that remained was deep resistance, wariness, and even a hint of hatred she could scarcely suppress.
When all was said and done, he had come to claim a spoils of war.
He was no different in essence from the family elders who had given her away as a bargaining chip.
As Zhu Zhuqing's thoughts churned, Dai Mubai, standing not far away, finally managed to catch his breath.
He saw the woman he had relentlessly pursued being pressured like this by an outsider.
The pitiful scrap of pride he had as a Star Luo prince began to stir.
Although his legs were still shaking uncontrollably and cold sweat poured from his palms,
he gritted his teeth and forced himself to step forward twice, trying to show some courage.
"Impossible!"
Dai Mubai mustered his courage and called out to Tang Yu, his voice unsteady.
"Everyone's heard the rumors. They say the Heaven Dou Marquis of Wuyang, Tang Yu, is devoted to cultivation and never gets involved with women!"
"I don't believe you'd use your power to commit the vile act of abducting an innocent woman!"
After shouting what he considered a very reasonable argument, Dai Mubai hurriedly turned to Zhu Zhuqing.
His face showed a glimmer of hope and anxious expectation as he pressed her for an answer.
"Zhuqing, he's obviously making things up to scare you, right?"
"Tell me this isn't true, will you?"
Zhu Zhuqing looked at Dai Mubai, who was clearly terrified but still trying to play the hero.
Then she remembered how he had cared only about his own pleasure just moments ago, utterly indifferent to the honor or disgrace of his country.
A deep weariness swept through her.
She didn't even have the strength to explain. She merely let out a heavy sigh.
Then Zhu Zhuqing pulled out the urgent letter, crumpled from how tightly she had been clutching it.
It was the very letter that had plunged her into despair several hours earlier.
Without even glancing at it, she flicked her hand and tossed the paper toward Dai Mubai.
"Open your eyes and read it yourself."
Dai Mubai fumbled to catch the lightweight sheet.
He swallowed, then lowered his head and fixed his eyes on the writing.
He had barely read the first two lines before his hands began to tremble violently.
At the bottom of the letter, the bright red seal representing the highest authority of the Star Luo Empire was impossible to ignore.
It was a personal letter from his father.
The words in black and white were clear as day: the nation had been defeated, and to cling to power, the imperial family had reached a decision with the Zhu Clan's leaders.
They would hand over the Zhu sisters, Zhu Zhuqing and Zhu Zhuyun, as the price of peace, presenting them to Tang Yu, Marquis of Wuyang.
The irrefutable evidence before him shattered Dai Mubai's last hope.
His hand lost its strength, and the letter drooped limply beside his thigh.
His face was ashen with disbelief, and he kept muttering that it couldn't be true.
Tang Yu watched coldly as the two of them dragged out their melodrama in front of him.
His sword-like brows drew together slightly; his patience was all but spent.
"Have you seen enough?"
Tang Yu's voice held unmistakable impatience.
He didn't even want to look Dai Mubai in the eye. He stared directly at Zhu Zhuqing instead.
"I don't have time to watch you two put on a show."
"You have no right to refuse. This isn't up to you."
"No matter how unwilling you are, you're marrying me."
His domineering verdict left no room for negotiation.
The words were cold and merciless, cutting off every escape Zhu Zhuqing had left.