The wind brushed across faces, carrying the fresh scent of grass and trees.
Xiao Chi Zhan walked towards her slowly, his bloodthirsty eyes flashing with an eerie light.
"This King thought he had been courteous enough to you."
The tension between them was so palpable, everyone around lowered their heads, not daring to speak.
The fact that the King of Dingbei had orchestrated the ambush and burial of tens of thousands of Mo Bei soldiers in Hongzhou was common knowledge. When the two met, conflict was inevitable, and they had no desire to be caught in the crossfire.
Chi Yan had fought on battlefields for years and had never been so publicly humiliated. Even Xie Bei Han had not dared to treat her this way, yet this madman dared to insult her to her face.
She looked at the cat in Xiao Chi Zhan's arms, recalling what she had heard, and felt a strong urge to mock him.
However, her rationality stopped her, preventing the words from escaping her lips.
This madman, for the sake of one woman, had caused immense suffering and expense, even pouring resources into building an underwater palace during a war; it was sheer madness.
If she had dared to strip him of his dignity with those words, he might have killed her on the spot.
How ridiculous.
The dignified King of Dingbei of Da Liang, the demon of the battlefield, was actually tormented by love to this extent of madness.
It was truly laughable!
He wanted to drag all the nobles of Jiuzhou to accompany that woman to her grave!
Dream on!
One person against Jiuzhou, she wanted to see how he would escape Bei Qi alive this time.
"My Xue Qiu loves eating eyeballs the most. Do you, Aba, want to dig out your eyes to feed it?"
His voice was faint, but his gaze was chilling and cold.
Chi Yan felt as if she were being stared at by a wolf, her back trembling. She steadied herself, smiling enchantingly.
"King of Dingbei, what joke is this? It's not funny at all."
Hearing this, Xiao Chi Zhan's lips curved into a cold arc, showing her no mercy. He leisurely walked past her, carrying the cat, and went ahead.
Chi Yan watched his retreating figure, deep hatred and killing intent hidden in her eyes.
She was determined to kill this madman herself, to avenge her tens of thousands of Mo Bei soldiers!
The other envoys around, seeing the demon finally depart, rushed forward to flatter him.
Their words were all about how cruel and bloody the King of Dingbei was, how little he valued human life.
More was said about the tens of thousands of Mo Bei soldiers buried alive.
This Jiuzhou Grand Banquet was convened to curb the King of Dingbei. If they didn't act against him now, this madman would destroy the entire world.
The old King of Liang did not chime in. He watched the retreating northern figure, a glint of malevolence flashing in his eyes, and followed.
He escorted the King all the way to his lodging, speaking a few words of flattery.
"It's getting late today. Your Highness should rest early. If anything is not to your satisfaction, please do not hesitate to mention it."
Xiao Chi Zhan ignored him and directly entered the room with the cat.
The old King of Liang cursed silently, withdrew his gaze coldly, and turned to leave.
Xue Ren, watching the man leave, ordered the courtyard to be surrounded and then entered.
"Your Highness, the General's troops have arrived outside the city. The King of Zhen Nan is meeting with the General at the encampment outside the city."
This banquet, clearly a trap, was set to stage a spectacular drama.
The King of Zhen Nan of Bei Qi had always maintained private contact with His Highness. With all the states gathered in Yan Jing, and the situation being so chaotic, it was the perfect opportunity to use this momentum and turn the tables.
Xiao Chi Zhan leaned lazily against a carved chair, placed the cat on the table, and asked in a low voice.
"Have you found the person?"
Upon hearing this, Xue Ren immediately lowered his eyes and knelt on the ground, his voice trembling slightly.
"Not yet!"
As he spoke, the air around them seemed to freeze, becoming silent.
Xiao Chi Zhan chuckled softly, "So many days have passed, and still no trace. Has the Blood Corpse's skill become so incompetent?"
He was smiling, but his eyes shot out cruel, bloodthirsty killing intent, sending shivers down one's spine.
Xue Ren prostrated himself on the ground, not daring to utter a word.
They had dispatched countless troops, searching fifty feet deep into the ocean, almost to the point of death, yet they still couldn't find the person, not even a corner of their clothing.
They suspected that the person might not be dead at all. They had searched extensively around the ice cave, but there was still no news.
They wondered if she had sunk into the deep sea.
Inside the room, the man's knuckles, resting on the tabletop, were bone-white. They tapped rhythmically, as if striking directly at one's heart, filling one with dread.
Xue Ren's head was pressed firmly against the ground, cold sweat dripping from his forehead.
"How is the palace construction progressing?"
"It will be completed within three months."
Tens of thousands of artisans were employed, working diligently. However, the scale was too grand, and the time required was extended.
Xiao Chi Zhan lowered his eyebrows, looking at Xue Qiu sleeping on the table, his expression dark and terrifying.
He remained silent, his gaze fixed downwards.
A terrifying aura permeated the air.
Xue Ren dared not speak, kneeling humbly on the ground.
Ever since Miss Ye fell into the sea, His Highness's temperament had become even more dreadful. He could go mad at any moment, drag someone away and kill them, acting entirely on a whim, ruthlessly and ferociously.
"Xue Ren, do you think she might not be dead?"
Suddenly, the man's voice from the seat changed, a tremor mixed with unconcealed excitement, his eyes, red as pigeon's blood, showing a hint of quivering.
As if to confirm his own conjecture, he spoke again.
"How could my Luan Luan die so easily? She must be lying to me, lying to me again."
Xue Ren listened to the eerie voice, feeling a sense of fear.
But given how many people they had mobilized without finding any trace of Miss Ye, perhaps she really wasn't dead.
However, in such a deep sea cave, surrounded by man-eating creatures, how had Miss Ye, who had no martial arts skills, survived?
He felt the probability of her survival was slim, and it was most likely she had sunk to the bottom of the sea.
But he dared not say so. His Highness was currently in a killing frenzy and would feel unwell without drawing blood; he did not want to be bled dry.
"Your Highness, our men have searched all the way downstream, and the Blood Corpse's people have also personally gone to search. If there is any news, we will report it to Your Highness by express horse."
The man above seemed not to have heard him, his eyebrows lowered, and he murmured.
"She's dead. In such a deep sea cave, she was so delicate. It must have hurt terribly to fall in."
"Luan Luan, I will make everyone in this world accompany you. I will make all the nobles of Jiuzhou taste the sensation of falling into the ice cave, alright?"
His voice was very, very low, carrying a strange tone. But Xue Ren, with his profound internal energy, managed to catch a few words, and goosebumps rose on his back.
Having followed His Highness for so many years, he had always known him to be ruthless and mad, but now, it felt like there was an uncontrollable trend.
He didn't dare to imagine what His Highness would do if the person remained unfound.
Just then, a guard's voice from outside interrupted the eerie and terrifying atmosphere within the room.
"Your Highness, Prince Xiao Nan of Xi Liang and the King of Zhen Nan request an audience."