"King Ming has arrived~!!!"
Amid the noisy hunting grounds, a soft, feminine voice slowly rang out.
The entire scene fell silent in an instant.
Countless people turned toward the source of the voice, their eyes settling on the man who was unhurriedly stepping down from the carriage.
No, perhaps calling him a man made him sound a little too old.
He was a boy.
Xu Nian'an wore a Python Robe. He was short, with sharp brows and bright eyes, and a slight furrow between his brows. A regal, intimidating aura clung to him naturally.
Though his little face still had a touch of baby fat, the three words "King Ming" were enough to make up for every shortcoming in his looks.
"K-King Ming!!!"
"Holy crap, is this for real? He's so young!"
"K-King Ming! That real man who flooded Gulei Kingdom's two hundred thousand troops on the very first day of his kingdom's founding, then swallowed up Gulei Kingdom with the speed of thunder."
"Heh. If that's all you know about him, then I can only say your understanding of King Ming is far too one-sided."
Under the flag of a kingdom, a boy just over ten years old, dressed in finery, stared fixedly at Xu Nian'an.
"A month ago, the Great Ming Kingdom launched a night raid on Star Shine Duchy, which had been propped up by Galloping Wolf Kingdom, and reclaimed its lost territory. Then, in just half a month, it drove Galloping Wolf Kingdom back at every turn."
"Right under Star Luo Empire's nose, with the help of two hundred thousand troops from Tianxing Province, it launched another night raid on Galloping Wolf Kingdom. This time, it also sent out numerous high-level Soul Masters, including a Titled Douluo. Armed with a special weapon, they breached Galloping Wolf Kingdom's capital and occupied its entire territory overnight!"
"Nothing like this kind of warfare has ever been seen on the continent. Now, every kingdom is studying and adopting this battle strategy. Its thunderous strikes, aimed straight at the enemy's vital points, have been given a name: Blitzkrieg!"
The boy beneath the kingdom's flag didn't speak loudly, but his words reached the ears of every prince, royal son, and heir present.
Xu Nian'an wasn't deaf. Having people praise him like this was still a little hard to get used to.
He glanced at the flag above the boy's head.
It was the flag of Hagendas Kingdom. No wonder even their prince was paying such close attention to the Great Ming Kingdom.
Now that Hagendas Kingdom and the Great Ming Kingdom shared a border, how could it not be wary of the troublesome, powerful god of slaughter next door?
Bang~!!!
Beneath Star Luo Empire's flag, a boy of about nine or ten suddenly slammed his palm down on the table.
Tea splashed across the ground.
The palace maids nearby hurried over.
Seeing this, a girl in black immediately stepped forward and grabbed the boy, who was on the verge of exploding with rage.
"Weiss... His Majesty's orders were for us to make friends with King Ming if possible. If you insist on acting out and offending him, our negotiations this time might well end in failure!"
Huff... huff... huff~!
Hearing the girl's words, Star Luo Empire's eldest prince, Dai Weisi, took a deep breath and steadied himself.
"Don't worry, Zhuyun. I know what I'm doing."
King Ming's tent was quickly set up.
All kinds of barbecue and fine wines were brought out.
"King Ming, this is a premium roast whole lamb. The eldest prince had it sent over from the imperial palace's kitchens."
"Court jade liquor, a hundred-year-old peach blossom wine."
"Millennium lotus-seed heart soup..."
Just as Xu Nian'an was wondering why his older cousin Xue Qinghe hadn't come, a young eunuch walked over.
He brought all kinds of delicacies for Xu Nian'an.
"What's the matter? Is your master not coming out? Does he look down on his cousin from the countryside of the East Sea?"
At Xu Nian'an's words, the young eunuch who had brought the food stiffened.
Whoosh~
The next second, he dropped to his knees.
"N-No, that's not it... Our eldest prince has been busy lately..."
Looking at the terrified young eunuch, Xu Nian'an was at a loss.
Was he really that scary?
Or had he been too harsh with his words?
Xu Nian'an was baffled.
What Xu Nian'an didn't know was that, coming from a king, his self-deprecating joke sounded like a provocation.
In a society ruled by kings, eunuchs and palace maids were at the very bottom. They could be executed for daring to joke about or mock a king. Even discussing one behind his back was a capital offense.
Before the other man could stammer out the rest of his explanation, Xu Nian'an said expressionlessly,
"Get up. Don't spoil my appetite."
At Xu Nian'an's words, the young eunuch scrambled back to his feet.
Tap tap tap~!!!
Just then, footsteps suddenly came from nearby.
"My eldest brother has been busy lately. If King Ming wants a drink, I'd be more than happy to keep you company."
The visitor wore a long brown robe, had a healthy wheat-colored complexion, and held a wine cup in his hand. A smile slowly formed at the corner of his mouth.
Xu Nian'an didn't even turn his head or look at the man.
He simply took a dagger and sliced off a piece of roast lamb.
One minute... two minutes... three minutes...
Crunch~! Crunch~!!
The scene was eerily quiet. The man stood frozen in place, not moving for a long time.
Slowly, his face darkened.
The wine cup cradled in both hands began to tremble slightly. It was clearly a sign that his rage had reached its peak.
Only then did Xu Nian'an leisurely look up at him.
He casually picked up his own wine cup and held it three centimeters from the other man's.
"Compared to your eldest brother, you're not even close."
At Xu Nian'an's words, the pupils of Xue Luochuan, the Heaven Dou Empire's Third Prince, contracted sharply.
Xu Nian'an frowned slightly. Holding his wine cup in one hand, he pressed his index finger down hard on the other man's cup, then brought his own cup up to clink against it.
"Is the etiquette of the Heaven Dou Imperial Family really this poor?"
"Do you have to hold your cup up in the air when you offer a toast?"
Clink~!
Xue Luochuan clenched his teeth and drained his cup.
"Thank you, King Ming, for your instruction."
Before leaving, the man barely managed to suppress his temper before it erupted.
Xu Nian'an smiled and paid him no mind.
He was just a dead man.
After that, everyone who came to toast Xu Nian'an got the cold shoulder.
Who were they? What standing did they have?
They weren't even worthy of offering him a toast.
He was a king now, their fathers' equal in age, and the Great Ming Kingdom's military was powerful—far more powerful than their fathers'.
If anyone was going to toast him, it should be their fathers.
Did Xu Nian'an have to drink just because anyone offered him a toast?
After eating and drinking his fill... once it was past ten.
"Ahem, ahem~!!!"
"I'm delighted that everyone has come to take part in the Heaven Dou Empire's annual Tiandou Hunting Festival."
"The rules remain the same as always. Rankings will be determined by the age of the prey, and the results will be tallied after dark."
"To prepare for this grand event, Father has selected several treasures from the imperial treasury. I hope everyone will do their best."
Watching Xue Qinghe on the host's platform, Xu Nian'an was a little surprised.
"Hey~ Cousin!!!"
Hearing Xu Nian'an's voice, Xue Qinghe visibly stiffened. Then he turned and gave Xu Nian'an a warm smile.
After explaining the rules, Xue Qinghe came over to Xu Nian'an of his own accord.
"Cousin."
Xu Nian'an looked left and right. Noticing that Xiao Xue, the palace maid who had always followed Xue Qinghe, was nowhere to be seen, he asked in confusion,
"Cousin, why didn't you set me up last night?"
"We agreed you'd talk Xiao Xue around, and this time you'd let me just..."
"You know what I mean~"