As Donghua Sanren awoke, the Sword Spirit hurriedly cast aside his shock and rushed to help him up, his face filled with worry. "Donghua, you're finally awake! You nearly scared me to death!"
"I'm fine, thank you for your concern..."
Donghua Sanren weakly thanked the Sword Spirit, then bowed deeply to Ye Ling, respectfully saying, "Your Majesty, I am eternally grateful for saving my life!"
Although Donghua Sanren had been made into a human彘 (a form of torture where limbs are removed) and was unable to speak, his consciousness remained, and he knew Ye Ling had saved him.
Ye Ling waved his hand. "No need for such formality. I was just passing by, and happened to save you."
Even though Ye Ling hadn't figured out why the young man had suddenly attacked Donghua Sanren, he had gained considerable benefits from his visit and now controlled the Desolate Domain. He was in a good mood.
Under these circumstances, Ye Ling was no longer particularly concerned about the young man's motives.
Hearing Ye Ling's words, Donghua Sanren merely smiled. However, he did not forget proper etiquette and respectfully said, "Even if Your Majesty saved me incidentally, it is still a life-saving grace." Da Feng Novel Network
"As the saying goes, a drop of kindness should be repaid with a gushing spring. Your Majesty, you have saved my life, and I will remember it forever. If Your Majesty has any commands in the future, I will gladly go through fire and water!"
Ye Ling didn't take Donghua Sanren's polite words to heart.
If he ever truly needed Donghua Sanren to go through fire and water for him, he would likely be in dire straits himself.
Having dealt with matters here, Ye Ling had no intention of lingering. He said to the Sword Spirit and Donghua Sanren, "Everything here is settled. I don't need your help finding Huang. If anything else happens in the future, do not seek me out, and I will not intervene."
Hearing Ye Ling's words, the Sword Spirit gave an awkward laugh and quickly said, "Your Majesty, rest assured, I will definitely not disturb you again!"
After witnessing Ye Ling's power, the Sword Spirit had wanted to latch onto him. However, since Ye Ling clearly wasn't interested, he couldn't.
Although the Sword Spirit was disappointed, he knew it was a foregone conclusion. Ye Ling had helped him once, which was more than enough. If he continued to pester him, he would only be embarrassing himself.
Donghua Sanren, however, seemed unwilling to give up on building a connection with Ye Ling. He quickly said to Ye Ling, "I truly wish to repay Your Majesty's kindness. If Your Majesty would do me the honor, I would like to invite you to a meal!"
Ye Ling refused again. "There's no need for a meal. Let's part ways here."
Seeing Donghua Sanren foolishly hoping to invite Ye Ling to a meal, the Sword Spirit nudged him with his elbow and whispered, "Are you out of your mind? Your Majesty's cultivation surpasses that of a Saint, a prominent figure known throughout the Three Realms. Does he lack a meal from you?"
The Sword Spirit couldn't understand why the usually steady and proper Donghua Sanren would be so abrupt at this moment.
However, Donghua Sanren seemed possessed, still unwilling to give up. He continued to say to Ye Ling, "Please, Your Majesty, do me a favor and let me treat you to a meal!"
"Donghua, are you crazy?" The Sword Spirit stared at Donghua Sanren in disbelief, his mind a blank.
Ye Ling had already refused. The Sword Spirit couldn't fathom where Donghua Sanren got the audacity to ask Ye Ling to do him a favor!
They already owed Ye Ling an immense debt of gratitude. What face did they have left?
"Oh?"
Ye Ling looked at Donghua Sanren, a flicker of surprise in his eyes, then smiled and asked, "I'd like to know, what qualifications do you have to make me do you a favor?"
The Sword Spirit sensed ill intent in Ye Ling's words and trembled, quickly distancing himself from Donghua Sanren. He explained to Ye Ling, "Your, Your Majesty... This, this has nothing to do with me. I don't know what possessed Donghua."
At this point, the Sword Spirit was mentally cursing Donghua Sanren's ancestors. He had kindly gone to find Ye Ling to save Donghua Sanren, and now Donghua Sanren was thoughtlessly dragging him down with him.
Why did I have such a friend?
The Sword Spirit felt like crying without tears.
In response to Ye Ling's question, Donghua Sanren's demeanor suddenly changed. He met Ye Ling's gaze directly and confidently said, "I believe... this meal will not disappoint Your Majesty!"
"I... will give Your Majesty a surprise!"
Ye Ling looked directly into Donghua Sanren's eyes, and the atmosphere around them suddenly became oppressive.
Just as the Sword Spirit felt uncomfortable and wanted to break the silence, Ye Ling laughed and agreed, "Alright, I will grant you this favor. When is your banquet? I will be there on time."
The Sword Spirit stared at Ye Ling in shock, never expecting Ye Ling to actually accept Donghua Sanren's invitation. His mouth hung open, his mind a complete blank.
Can this really work?
Donghua Sanren seemed unsurprised by Ye Ling's acceptance. He bowed to Ye Ling again and said, "If Your Majesty has no prior arrangements, I would like to schedule it for this evening, at the Zi Jin Lou in the capital."
"Zi Jin Lou?"
Upon hearing Donghua Sanren's words, the Sword Spirit quietly questioned him, "Donghua, what are you up to? Your Majesty finally agreed to your invitation, and you're finding a restaurant in the mortal realm to fob him off?"
In the Sword Spirit's opinion, since Ye Ling had accepted the invitation, they should naturally treat him with the highest regard!
Donghua Sanren had his own blessed land in the Immortal Realm. If he tidied it up properly, it could barely be used to entertain guests, thus not offending His Majesty.
But now, Donghua Sanren was inviting Ye Ling to a mortal restaurant. This was a completely perfunctory attitude!
It wasn't just Ye Ling, even the Sword Spirit felt incredibly embarrassed.
However, Ye Ling seemed unconcerned about the location of the banquet. He simply smiled and nodded in agreement, "I understand. Zi Jin Lou in the capital it is. When you are ready, I will attend."
Donghua Sanren bowed deeply to Ye Ling again. "Then I shall await Your Majesty's arrival at Zi Jin Lou."
Ye Ling gave Donghua Sanren a deep look, said nothing further, and vanished from the spot, leaving the area.
After Ye Ling departed, the Sword Spirit could no longer contain himself and erupted, questioning Donghua Sanren, "Donghua, have you lost your mind? How could you do such absurd things?"
"It's fortunate that Your Majesty is magnanimous and didn't hold it against us. Otherwise, for your disrespectful behavior just now, it wouldn't be excessive for Your Majesty to remove our heads!"
In response to the Sword Spirit's questioning, Donghua Sanren chuckled, "He will definitely agree..."
Seeing Donghua Sanren's confidence, the Sword Spirit was stunned. "How do you know?"
Seeing the doubt in the Sword Spirit's eyes, Donghua Sanren offered no explanation. He merely gave a sinister smile, turned, and left.
As Donghua Sanren turned to leave, a blood-red glint flashed in his eyes, and he chuckled softly, "Next, I will definitely prepare a great 'surprise' for Your Majesty!"