"Youqing, hear me out—ah, damn it, I mean let me explain."
"Hmph. Go explain yourself to your little Princess Ning Rongrong! I don't have as much money as she does, and I certainly don't have two Titled Douluo grandfathers doting on me."
Luo Yihe hurried over in front of Zhu Zhuqing, spreading his arms to block her path.
Zhu Zhuqing just stared coldly at Luo Yihe.
Luo Yihe's mind raced. Before long, a smile spread across his face as he said, "You've got it all wrong, Zhuqing. I went in because I wanted to save Xiao Chenghe. But then I saw Ning Rongrong decked out in jewels, and I figured I might as well take the chance to make some money!"
"I did it all for your sake. When we're out making our way across the continent, are we supposed to camp out every night and eat wild Soul Beasts and weeds? I wouldn't mind Xiao Chenghe eating wild Soul Beasts while I picked some wild greens for myself, even for a whole year, but you... no... I couldn't let you!"
As he spoke, Luo Yihe's eyes drifted toward a pair of long legs in black stockings that had just walked by. His head turned along with them.
{Ding! Negative emotions from Zhu Zhuqing +1188}
{Ding! Negative emotions from Xiao Chenghe +100}
Zhu Zhuqing's gaze turned icy. She brought her high-heeled shoe down hard on Luo Yihe's foot.
(っ╥╯﹏╰╥c)
"Aaagh!"
The pain snapped Luo Yihe back to his senses. He clutched his foot and bounced around on the spot.
His head turned back, and he forced a smile more painful than a grimace. "Zhuqing, what if I told you I'd just spotted an old acquaintance and was checking who it was? Would you believe me?"
Zhu Zhuqing: "You tell me. Do you think I believe you?"
Xiao Chenghe: "I sure don't!"
"Damn it! Big Bear, whose side are you on?"
"Holy crap! Did you see Tonight Headlines? Is that really the second prince of the Star Luo Empire?"
"Of course it is! The Star Luo Empire has made a real name for itself this time."
Star Luo Empire Official Account: "Please don't believe or spread rumors. This is absolutely a malicious attempt to smear the Star Luo Empire. Even an ordinary citizen of our empire is a brave, battle-hardened warrior, let alone a prince raised by the Star Luo Imperial Family."
"If this were one of those useless nobles from the Heaven Dou Empire, we might believe it. After all, the Heaven Dou Empire really is a bit too 'trash.'"
Heaven Dou Empire Official Account: "When did the White Tiger Martial Soul evolve into a kitten that can only go 'meow meow'? The Star Luo Empire really has no shame. Is it so hard to admit he's your prince? The video shows everything clearly. His name is Dai Mubai. Listen to that growl—doesn't it sound just like a tiger's roar?"
Comment: "By the way, why is a prince of the Star Luo Empire in a small city in the Heaven Dou Empire?"
"That just proves the people of the Star Luo Empire are like talking monkeys. Their own prince doesn't even want to stay there. Looks like he's joining the Heaven Dou Empire."
"Holy crap! For real? A prince of the Star Luo Empire is joining the Heaven Dou Empire? Does the Star Luo Empire have no shame at all?"
"..."
Inside the imperial palace of the Star Luo Empire—.
Clatter~
Rumble~
"You useless piece of trash! Who the hell invented this phone? And what the hell does the Heaven Dou Empire think it's doing? Are they trying to start a war?"
The Star Luo Emperor, Dai Yao, angrily smashed everything in sight in the grand palace.
"Shunde!"
"This servant is here!"
"Bring Empress Zhu here. Let her take a good look at her son."
"Yes! This servant will go at once."
The Star Luo Emperor's personal eunuch didn't dare linger. He bowed respectfully and backed away, never once raising his head to look at the furious Star Luo Emperor.
Elsewhere, Crown Prince Dai Weisi was in his own palace, laughing with unrestrained delight.
"Hahahaha! My foolish little brother, spend the rest of your life hiding in the Heaven Dou Empire. You... can never come back now."
The situation kept growing more and more out of hand. WeChat Moments and Tonight Headlines were full of people discussing Dai Mubai's glorious exploits.
In less than a week, Dai Mubai's name had become famous across the Douluo Continent. His reputation had far surpassed Yu Xiaogang's in his heyday.
And Dai Mubai wasn't the only one making waves. Luo Yihe's over-the-top display in front of Ning Rongrong had also made him quite famous. But while Dai Mubai represented the Star Luo Empire, the Heaven Dou Empire wasn't about to pass up a chance to trample on its rival's dignity.
During this time, the Heaven Dou Empire had been buying phones in bulk and handing them out to ordinary people for free, all so they could bind the devices to themselves with a drop of blood and use them to cyberbully the Star Luo Empire.
Luo Yihe was also on the Heaven Dou Empire's side of the continent, while people from the Star Luo Empire had to spend time traveling and buying phones. So, in the early stages, the Heaven Dou Empire crushed the Star Luo Empire online, giving the Star Luo Emperor a thorough roasting. He could do nothing but smash his own palace to pieces.
That damn Heaven Dou Empire could have just mocked Dai Mubai. Instead, they had to drag the whole Star Luo Empire into it. Whenever nobles or officials from the Star Luo Empire posted anything, countless other posts from the Heaven Dou Empire buried theirs without a trace.
As a result, many people who didn't know the truth started believing that the Star Luo Imperial Family had some kind of unusual fetish. Soul Masters and merchants who had been thinking of joining the Star Luo Empire began to steer clear of it.
Only when the Star Luo Empire began to suffer a sharp decline in talent and revenue, with merchants fleeing in droves, did the Star Luo Emperor learn what it meant to "slander someone with a single word, then run till your legs give out trying to dispel the rumors."
So the Star Luo Empire also began distributing phones on a massive scale. Otherwise, once everyone across the continent had one, the Star Luo Empire would be the only place without them. Then, whenever anything happened, the Heaven Dou Empire could say whatever it wanted.
The Star Luo Emperor now hated the person who had released the phones. Of course, if they had been released in the Star Luo Empire, he might not have been so resentful. He might even have cheerfully invited Luo Yihe to the palace as a guest.
But what made him angriest was his own son. He'd been bullied by an evil Soul Master, and all he could do was whimper. If Dai Mubai had at least fought back before being forced to do that kind of thing, the Star Luo Emperor might not have been so furious.
Now, he'd been forced to speak up on his son's behalf without even having the confidence to do it.
Sigh... His liver hurt from anger.
Spirit City, the Pope's Palace...
Bibi Dong, a woman of peerless beauty, reclined sideways on the papal throne. One hand propped up her head while her long, shapely legs were crossed, her high heels swaying back and forth.
If Luo Yihe were here, she could absolutely have him eating out of her hand. Zhu Zhuqing, Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong—he and all of them were just ordinary friends, okay?
"Your Holiness the Pope, this phone is no ordinary device. Should we also buy them in bulk and distribute them to everyone in Spirit Hall? They would let us receive information from far away in an instant, and they're an excellent way to win public support. The Star Luo Empire has been bullied at will by the Heaven Dou Empire these past few days because it doesn't have enough phones. According to our investigation, the Heaven Dou Empire has recruited more than fifty Soul Masters and over a hundred merchants in the past seven days."
Chrysanthemum Douluo stood below, respectfully reporting the recent situation to Bibi Dong.
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