Zhang Xuange, deputy commander of the Golden Scale Guards, came from a collateral branch of the Celestial Master's Residence on Mount Dragon-Tiger. He cultivated the lightning lineage of its secret Five Thunders Heavenly Heart Orthodox Art and possessed a Thunderclap Spear Art of transcendent mastery, making him a trusted expert whom Empress Wei and Zong Chuke relied upon heavily.
At this moment, he was clearly intent on putting Lu Changfeng in his place. His words were cutting, packed with every insult and provocation he could muster. The insinuation behind "favor and trust" all but pasted the words "kept man" and "male pet" directly onto Lu Changfeng's face.
Lu Changfeng thought his snide sarcasm lacked punch. He might as well have started swearing outright.
At least that would have sounded a little fresh.
Behind him, the women of the Twenty-Four Floral Periods already had their slender brows raised in fury, their faces frosted over, and were about to rebuke him sharply.
But Lu Changfeng merely raised a hand casually, stopping them.
He remained seated on his horse, even shifting into a more comfortable position, and watched the deputy commander spray spittle with perfect composure, a hint of an ambiguous smile on his face.
"Deputy Commander Zhang, was it?"
Lu Changfeng spoke, his voice quiet yet carrying clearly over every other sound in the gathering. "A few days ago, with nothing much to do, I happened upon something called the Azure Cloud Rankings, put together by some busybodies. It ranks Grandmaster experts under thirty-five throughout the realm. I heard you stand at the very top, Deputy Commander Zhang. Congratulations."
The sarcastic smile on Zhang Xuange's face stiffened slightly before turning into undisguised arrogance. Topping such widely followed Hidden Dragon Rankings was indeed something he took considerable pride in.
Yet Lu Changfeng changed