Star Luo Emperor, "Qing Que, I can pretend last night never happened..."

Dai Li stood foolishly in place, staring blankly at Zhu Qingque before him as if he hadn't heard a word, showing absolutely no reaction.

"Your Majesty."

Zhu Qingque spoke again.

This time, there was a hint of coldness in her voice. "Please return."

She didn't even glance at him, merely raising her hand to adjust her cuff with a calm and elegant motion, as if what she had just said were nothing more than a casual greeting.

Dai Li's Adam's apple bobbed up and down.

An indescribable, complex emotion surged violently from the bottom of his heart.

Yet, at this moment, he couldn't even distinguish what this feeling was.

But.

He simply did not want to leave.

He desperately wanted to say that he took back what he said yesterday, to tell her that he could pretend last night never happened...

Swallowing hard, Dai Li took a deep breath and stepped forward. "Qingque..."

Before his voice could fade.

He saw Zhu Qingque, as if bristling with rage, suddenly erupt with a massive surge of soul power!

The next moment!

Eight soul rings—two yellow, two purple, and four black—appeared in succession.

The terrifying pressure of level 89 soul power swept outward with a roar.

Caught completely off guard, Dai Li was sent stumbling backward by the sheer force of the pressure until he landed hard on his backside, looking quite disheveled.

"Qingque, you... you've reached level 89?"

Dai Li's eyes widened in disbelief. "Wait, your martial soul..."

"I said, get out!"

"Qingque, wait..."

Seeing Zhu Qingque move to close the door, Dai Li panicked and scrambled to his feet, intending to chase after her.

But the moment he moved, Zhu Qingque's expression turned icy. Before Dai Li could react, he felt a massive impact slam into his forehead!

In an instant!

It was as if he had been struck head-on by a charging rhinoceros. He flew backward, hitting the ground with a dull thud, and rolled down the steps outside the palace, tumbling several times before finally coming to a stop.

"Pfft!"

"Cough, cough, cough..."

Dai Li lay on the ground with a clear footprint on his face, feeling a sharp pain in his forehead and a metallic, sweet taste rising in his throat.

He struggled to push himself up, but his entire body felt as if it had fallen apart; he didn't even have the strength to lift his arms.

Although Dai Li was a level 89 Soul Douluo, his current condition was abysmal. He was already suffering from unhealed injuries, and after being beaten last night and losing consciousness from the sheer rage, he was at less than seven percent of his peak strength.

"Pfft!"

After a full two and a half minutes, Dai Li finally caught his breath. He climbed up with great difficulty, spat out a mouthful of blood, and managed to lift his head to look at the entrance of the bedchamber.

Zhu Qingque stood there, behind the threshold, looking down at him with an expression as cold as ice.

"Someone."

"Escort His Majesty back to his palace."

As soon as the words fell.

Several shaken palace maids and guards rushed over, hurriedly helping Dai Li to his feet.

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty, are you alright..."

Dai Li opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but as soon as he did, he vomited a spray of blood. His vision began to darken, and he felt the world spinning around him.

In his final sliver of consciousness, he saw Zhu Qingque standing at the doorway, watching the direction in which he was being carried away, before she turned around indifferently and slammed the palace doors shut with a loud bang.

Then, everything went completely dark before his eyes!

"Your Majesty!"

"My Lady, His Majesty, he..."

"Take him to the Imperial Hospital!"

From inside the palace came Zhu Qingque's cold voice, causing the palace maids to freeze and exchange glances. In the end, they silently carried Dai Li away, retreating quickly.