Dai Li felt a chill run down his spine. Deep humiliation welled up inside him.
If the empress was in that villa right now... then what had he gone there for?
To be sent along as a bonus?
Or to catch her in the act?
No, what right did he have to catch her cheating?
He had pushed the empress away with his own hands. How could he show his face and go after her?
Dai Li felt a wrenching pain in his chest, as if someone had forced a red-hot iron into it. He struggled to speak, but all that came from his throat was a hoarse rasp, like a fish tossed onto dry land.
"Your Majesty, you should save your strength," said the Soul Saint carrying him, his expression blank. "You'll have things to say when you see Sect Master Chen."
Dai Li closed his eyes.
Bloodshot threads seeped into the swollen socket around his eye, and the pain was fierce. But compared with the humiliation in his heart, it was nothing.
He thought back to twenty-five years ago.
Back then, he had been the crown prince, caught in a perilous struggle as his eldest and second-eldest brothers fought each other to the death.
Zhu Qingque had stood by his side, accompanying him through every step.
The vow he'd made then had been heartfelt: I'll share every hardship with you, and never betray you in this life.
But tonight, he had slapped her face until it swelled, then pushed her into another man's bed.
"Heh..."
Dai Li suddenly laughed. Blood bubbled at the corner of his mouth and dripped down his chin, his voice full of bitterness and self-mockery.
Perhaps Zhu Qingque was right... He, Dai Li, truly wasn't a man.
They arrived at the villa.
It was called a villa, but in truth it was a sprawling estate outside the city. Chen Jianjun had come into possession of it by chance during his travels many years ago.
The courtyard wall around the estate wasn't high. Its vermilion gates were shut tight, and two lanterns hung above them, swaying gently in the night breeze as their candlelight cast shifting patches of light across the ground.
Clearly, the banquet had already ended. Or perhaps the invited nobles had all been too distracted to care in the first place.
"Sect Master Chen!"
Standing at the entrance, Cheng Ming called out toward the courtyard, "His Majesty of the Star Luo Empire has prepared generous gifts and wishes to apologize to you for what happened three days ago!"
Inside the courtyard.
Cheng Ming's sudden voice cracked through the air like a bolt of lightning, instantly tightening Zhu Qingque's heart and leaving her mind completely blank.
His Majesty? Why was he here?!
I'm screwed!
This had really gotten out of hand!
In an instant, all the color drained from her flushed face, leaving it deathly pale.
She knew better than anyone that the Star Luo Emperor was not only a Soul Douluo of level eighty-nine, but also possessed formidable spiritual power and exceptionally keen senses.
She wanted to get dressed again, but... after kneeling for so long, she didn't have the strength to stand!
Grinding her teeth, Zhu Qingque planted both hands on the ground to push herself up. But the next moment, a quiet hum made her whole body freeze.
"Hmm?"
Zhu Qingque, "..."
Her face turned even paler. She raised her trembling head and looked at Chen Fan, lounging in a grand armchair and watching her with an amused, knowing smile.
Zhu Qingque, "..."
She silently lowered her head, then heard Chen Fan speak. "I've been searching these past few days and found something whose quality is second only to an Immortal Herb."
"Your Soul Power is at level eighty-five now. After taking it, you might reach level eighty-six."
Hearing that, Zhu Qingque was tempted. She raised her head. "You... want to give it to me?"
"Of course. Why else would I tell you about it?"
"Th-then what is it?"
Chen Fan leaned down and chuckled in her ear. "This. Cold Sky Stone Ginseng!"
As he spoke, he shoved it straight into Zhu Qingque's mouth.
And, sure enough!
The moment it went down, Zhu Qingque felt a wave of cold power spread from her mouth, gradually transforming into refined energy that flowed into her body.
So cold! So icy!
After Empress Zhu swallowed the Cold Marrow Stone Ginseng, her whole body gradually turned cold. Even Chen Fan nearly froze into an ice statue.
"So cold!!"
This was a heavenly treasure whose quality was second only to an Immortal Herb, and Empress Zhu alone couldn't easily refine it.
Under normal circumstances, she would have needed to calm her mind, prepare thoroughly, and then take it in secluded cultivation to get the full effect.
At the thought, Zhu Qingque felt a pang of regret.
"Hmm?"
But the next moment, she was surprised to find warmth radiating from Chen Fan's body. As long as she pressed against him, she felt comfortable, and the chill faded.
Before Chen Fan even moved, she took the initiative and squeezed closer to him.
Chen Fan activated his secret art. His Three Yang Mana stirred the power of the Cold Marrow Stone Ginseng, turning it into the purest, gentlest spiritual energy and nourishing her dantian.
Like rain after a long drought.
Zhu Qingque felt her Soul Power Level showing signs of a breakthrough. She couldn't help crying out, "Ah..."
Outside.
Hearing Zhu Qingque's voice, Dai Li immediately asked anxiously, "Qingque, y-you... what's wrong?"
Instinctively, Dai Li released his spiritual power. A fierce force, sharp as a sword, instantly knocked it back, making his head ring. Blood flowed from his swollen nostrils.
This was the spiritual power of a Titled Douluo!
The instant his power was crushed, Dai Li knew the answer.
At that moment,
he understood.
The guards around the estate had never been withdrawn. Chen Xin had been watching him from the shadows all along.
After all!
In Chen Xin's eyes, Dai Li and the dozen or so Soul Saints with him could very well have been a team of assassins.
So...
"S-Sect Master Chen..."
His voice was as rough as sandpaper, every word seeming to scrape its way out between his teeth. "I'm sorry..."
The moment those two words left his mouth, Dai Li felt as if something had ripped his heart open.
He—
The dignified emperor of the Star Luo Empire had been forced by his ministers to come before a junior and apologize on his knees like a dog.
And on top of that!
His empress was inside, suffering an immense indignity!
What bitter irony!
The humiliation was nearly too much for Dai Li to bear!
But he couldn't lose control!
The fate of the entire Dai Family rested on this man's whim!
Even if the Seven Kill Sect didn't destroy the Dai Family, all it would take was for them to topple the Dai Family from the throne and install the Xu Family in its place. Then not one of them would escape!
At the thought, Dai Li's chest heaved violently. The churning humiliation and heartbreak nearly suffocated him. His nose stung, and tears welled up despite his efforts to hold them back.
Dai Li bit down hard on his lower lip, forcing the surge of sorrow back down. His head spun, and the world before his eyes began to blur.
He was exhausted.
His physical pain, the humiliation eating at his spirit, and the shock of seeing the empress here all weighed on his shoulders like three towering mountains, crushing the breath from him.
Dai Li opened his mouth, wanting to say more, but only a hoarse whimper came from his throat.
Then his vision went black, and his whole body toppled backward, crashing onto the stone pavement with a heavy thud.
"Your Majesty?!"
Cheng Ming's voice rang out, carrying just the right amount of surprise. "Quick! Help His Majesty up!"
Several Soul Saints rushed forward and lifted Dai Li in a flurry.
Cheng Ming stood to one side, looking down at the unconscious Dai Li, his eyes narrowing slightly.
The Dai Family...
Had they reached the end of the road?