NOVPUB"Who is your master?" Demon Thirteen frowned and asked.
"You’ll know once you get there," the man said with a smile.
"My master said if the young master is unwilling to go, it’s likely he won’t be able to leave Great Liang City either."
"What a big talker," Demon Thirteen snorted coldly, looking at Xu Zimei in the carriage.
"Let’s go and see. I think I might have guessed who it is," said Xu Zimei, seeming very calm.
Several men in red robes led the way, with the Nightmare’s carriage closely following behind.
After passing through several bustling streets, amid the clamorous voices of the crowd, they finally stopped in front of a massive mansion.
"Great Liang Royal Mansion."
This mansion occupied half a street; although its decorations were not glittering with gold and jade, the green tiles and blue bricks were of a high-grade material.
Two large red lions stood in front of the mansion’s gate, their color a deep red with a faint gloss, giving off an Evil Qi that made them seem alive from a distance.
"Is it Duke Liang?" Demon Thirteen asked with interest as he looked at the Great Liang Royal Mansion.
"You will find out once you go in," the red-garbed guard said.
Following the red-garbed guard, they went through artificial mountains and flowing water, across several majestic courtyards and unique side rooms.
They eventually arrived in front of a somewhat silent and secluded courtyard.
In front of this courtyard, there were two extremely large Cloud Mist Trees on either side.
These two Cloud Mist Trees seemed to have undergone some sort of mutation, as they were very huge and of a silver-white color.
The leaves and branches were golden yellow, which was fairly normal during the day, but at night they emitted a dazzling halo of light.
"I’ll leave you here, please enter on your own," said the red-garbed guard, and with that he turned and left.
"It seems it’s not Duke Liang," said Demon Thirteen.
"Otherwise it wouldn’t be so troublesome."
Xu Zimei smiled and walked into the courtyard. He saw a unique pavilion next to the room right in front of him.
Sitting in the pavilion was a woman with two maids standing by her sides.
Although the woman was somewhat older, she was well-maintained.
She wore a light green silk dress with an elegant and noble complexion, her neck pale, her jet-black hair rolled up into a bun at the back of her head with a jade hairpin loosely inserted.
Coral necklaces and red jade bracelets adorned her wrists, her skin was white as snow, and the red was as fiery as fire, striking and vivid.
...
Seeing Xu Zimei walk in, a maid hastened forward.
She bowed slightly and said with a smile, "Young Master, our Consort invites you to the pavilion."
Xu Zimei smiled, walked straight to the pavilion, and sat down on a stone stool beside, ignoring everything else.
"Has the young master sparred with my Honger?" the woman asked with a smile.
Xu Zimei did not answer her question but instead asked, "Consort of Duke Liang?"
The woman smiled as steaming hot tea was set upon the table in front of her, its fragrance permeating the entire courtyard.
Fresh and subtly aromatic.
The maid held the teapot carefully and filled the cups with tea, placing them in front of Xu Zimei and the Consort of Duke Liang.
"How may I address the young master?" the Consort of Duke Liang inquired.
"My surname is Xu," Xu Zimei responded.
"My time is limited, Consort, so please speak directly if you have any matters."
"Young Master Xu is indeed a straightforward person. I have asked for you to come this time because of the battle you had with Honger; I would like to request a favor from you," said the Consort of Duke Liang.
"What do you mean?" Xu Zimei asked.
"Now the whole of Liang City is abuzz with this matter.
They say that the Saint Heir of Great Liang was defeated in two moves, making his title of Saint Heir undeserved."
The Consort of Duke Liang chuckled lightly, "Honger too, has never suffered such a defeat since he was young.
Especially after he became the Saint Heir, I worry that this kind of blow will affect his Dao heart.
So, I still hope that Young Master Xu can clarify this with the public, issue a statement."
"What kind of statement?" Xu Zimei, holding a steaming cup of tea, asked with interest.
"That the fight was just a friendly spar, and it ended in a draw, not a two-move defeat," said the Consort of Duke Liang.
"But many people have seen it with their own eyes," replied Xu Zimei with a smile.
"Those Talented Disciples know what to say, what I want to stop is the gossip of the common folk," the Consort of Duke Liang shook her head.
"Being defeated in two moves by someone I hardly regard as an opponent, such a reputation means nothing to me. 𝚗𝚘v𝚙𝚞b.𝚌𝚘m
When the day comes for me to ascend to the throne of the Great Emperor, who in the world will not recognize me."
Xu Zimei laughed, "I could issue a statement, but what’s in it for me?"
"Gaining the friendship of Great Liang, I wonder if that’s enough?" asked the Consort of Duke Liang with a pursed smile.
"Not to speak too highly of myself, but I really don’t value the friendship of the Imperial Rule Immortal Sect," Xu Zimei shook his head.
"Give me something more substantial."
"Must you speak so bluntly, Young Master?" the Consort of Duke Liang said with an intense gaze upon Xu Zimei.
"Let’s be honest, if you agree, you can leave the mansion unharmed today.
You know what I mean without me having to spell it out."
As the Consort of Duke Liang’s words fell, three figures slowly approached from around the courtyard.
These three figures were an old man, a middle-aged strong man, and a short-statured child.
As these three figures drew near, Demon Thirteen’s brow slightly furrowed.
"I know that even Honger is no match for you, and clearly among the younger generation there’s nobody who can compete with you,"
the Consort of Duke Liang said with a smile: "But these people are retainers of the Liang household, each possessing the peak strength of the Saint Vein Realm.
Even Honger can’t beat them in a one-on-one fight, let alone when all three join forces."
"Long hair but short on experience, this phrase fits you perfectly," Xu Zimei shook his head and chuckled.
He slowly picked up the teapot beside him, poured a cup of tea, and said softly, "Demon Thirteen, before I finish this cup of tea, I don’t want to see these people around."
Although Demon Thirteen’s strength was only at the first level of Stepping into Immortality, the Mysterious Immortal Realm, and he even had a hidden injury within him,
these Saint Vein Realm nobodies were still an easy match for him.
This was where the Consort of Duke Liang was too full of herself, still seeing Xu Zimei with the same eyes as those of the younger generation.
Nanmen Tianhong’s reputation in the Nine States Domain was already resounding, yet he was merely a novice in the Saint Vein Realm.
At the end of the day, the realm is not so easily advanced by opening the Vein Gates.
Before the Destiny manifests, reaching the Divine Vein Realm would already be quite an accomplishment for these people.
Know that those contending for Destiny are almost all within the Divine Vein Realm.
Having a realm too low, they wouldn’t even qualify to participate.
But if it’s too high, reaching the level of Stepping into Immortality, then there would be no chance to compete for Destiny and Enter the Taoism.
Therefore, the best realm for contesting for Destiny is indeed the Divine Vein Realm.
......
Upon hearing Xu Zimei’s words, Demon Thirteen’s gaze flickered with demonic fire.
Immediately, a very strong aura emanated around him.
The pitch-black Demon Wand appeared in his hand out of thin air.
