Silence.
Deathly silence.
Not only Lei Bao himself, but every Golden Core cultivator present, including Dharma Master Wuxin and Ye Wushang, froze.
Almost everyone thought they had misheard.
Lei Bao's all-or-nothing expression froze on his face.
He looked utterly bewildered.
All the defiant words he had prepared were stopped dead in his throat by that single, offhand remark.
He nearly choked on them.
Gentleman of the Palace?
He was being made the Third Division's... Gentleman of the Palace?
Promoted one rank?
He had just publicly defied this new commanding general and even been sentenced to ten strokes of the military rod!
Shouldn't he have been stripped of his authority and position, or punished even more severely?
What... what sort of act was this?
The completely unexpected turn left the brawny man's mind at a standstill.
He stood there blankly.
His earlier defiance, dissatisfaction, and indignation had all turned to bewilderment and confusion.
He even instinctively gave his thigh a furtive pinch.
Qing Chen's voice sounded again, breaking the uncanny silence. "What is it, Gentleman of the Palace Lei? Do you object to my appointment?
"Or do you feel incapable of fulfilling the role and wish to yield the position of Gentleman of the Palace to someone else?"
Those words were like ice water poured over Lei Bao's head, jolting him awake.
Yield it to someone else? What kind of joke was that!
This was a Gentleman of the Palace! At the very least, it was a Principal Seventh Rank position with real authority over ten thousand men!
Countless Golden Core cultivators spent years building seniority and fighting for merit, dreaming of it without ever attaining it!
Almost instinctively, he dropped heavily onto one knee with a thud, making the ground tremble slightly.
His voice even carried a hoarseness and respect