Although the peony fish on the table wasn't authentic, Gu Changsheng and the others, guided by the moral principle that wasting food is shameful, still managed to devour everything.
After the meal, Ye Hongyi and Gu Xiruo returned to the corridor outside the private room to overlook the scenery of Wanghai City.
It was almost nightfall, with only remnants of red sunlight lingering on the western horizon. The lights of Wanghai City began to twinkle in every household, illuminating the entire city. The evening scenery possessed a unique charm.
A gentle breeze stirred, teasing the two women's cascading hair. The corridor's light illuminated their faces, enhancing their allure. It was a pity that no one was currently present to fully appreciate their celestial beauty.
Feeling the moist air carried by the breeze, Ye Hongyi softly said, "It would be such a pity if such a beautiful city were destroyed by the beast tide."
"Yes, indeed!" Gu Xiruo nodded and said, "Speaking of which, Sister Yuxian visited Wanghai City in the past. She praised Wanghai City endlessly back then!"
Gu Xiruo mentioned the Holy Maiden of Yaochi. The reason she wanted to come to Wanghai City was because the Holy Maiden of Yaochi had mentioned Wanghai City to her in the past, sparking her interest.
"It's just a pity..." Gu Xiruo's tone changed. She looked at the hurried pedestrians on the street. Beneath such beautiful scenery, a tense atmosphere of impending doom permeated, inadvertently disrupting the beauty.
"Huh!"
Gu Xiruo, who had been lamenting the atmosphere, suddenly exclaimed in surprise. Ye Hongyi, seeing this, couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong?"
Gu Xiruo pointed downwards with her jade hand and said, "Do you think that girl looks like the little girl who guided us during the day?"
Upon hearing this, Ye Hongyi followed the direction Gu Xiruo pointed and saw several men surrounding a young girl. The girl tried to leave, but the men blocked her way.
"It's her!" Ye Hongyi said.
The girl was indeed Huaiyu.
Ye Hongyi and Gu Xiruo exchanged glances, both understanding the meaning in each other's eyes.
"Master, we..."
"Go, do whatever you want to do."
Before Ye Hongyi could finish speaking, Gu Changsheng's voice rang out.
At the same time, Huaiyu looked at a man in brocade robes in front of her with anger in her eyes. She said firmly, "Young Master Du, I can't possibly agree to your request. Please don't bother me anymore."
The man, addressed as Young Master Du by Huaiyu, had his face slightly darkened. He said in a deep voice, "Huaiyu, I've given you chances again and again. Don't be ungrateful. In Wanghai City, the number of women who want to become my, Du Shaoqiu's, concubine could stretch from the entrance of my Dujuan Tower to the depths of the North Sea. Don't forget, you're just a small cultivator who hasn't even reached the凝神 (Ning Shen) realm. Even if you disappear, no one would care about you."
Huaiyu's face changed slightly. How could she not understand what he meant? Although Wanghai City had regulations against casually attacking people within the city, regulations were rigid, and people were flexible. Just as Du Shaoqiu had said, she was just a small cultivator who hadn't even reached the Ning Shen realm, not even qualified to interview for a low-level employee at the Yuanyang Tower.
And Du Shaoqiu's father was the owner of Dujuan Tower. Dujuan Tower was one of the three major restaurants in Wanghai City, on par with Yuanyang Tower, and had a powerful influence. If Du Shaoqiu wanted to attack her, even if the matter was exposed, Du Shaoqiu probably wouldn't be punished. Moreover, Wanghai City was currently under full alert, and even the City Lord's Mansion needed to rely on the power of Dujuan Tower to resist this beast tide, so it was even less likely that they would break ties with Dujuan Tower for the sake of a small cultivator like her.
She wanted to escape, but Du Shaoqiu had brought three guards, each of whom was much stronger than her. Moreover, Du Shaoqiu himself was a破虚 (Po Xu) realm cultivator. How could she escape?
Thinking of this, Huaiyu's face suddenly turned extremely pale. Even if she had an optimistic attitude, she still felt a strong sense of helplessness in the face of her current predicament.
But she could never agree to become Du Shaoqiu's concubine, not even if it meant death.
"Moreover, I heard that you haven't even been able to afford the source crystals for continuous appointments. How pitiful. As long as you agree to become my concubine, you can stay in Wanghai City forever and won't have to be a guide for some disreputable people every day."
Du Shaoqiu looked at Huaiyu's constantly changing expression, and a smug smile appeared on the corner of his mouth. He had been eyeing Huaiyu for a long time. Although Huaiyu's cultivation was not high and her clothes were simple, she was still a rare beauty. The reason why he hadn't used force against Huaiyu before was because he enjoyed Huaiyu's resistance, just like a cat playing with a mouse. He wanted to force Huaiyu to a point where she had no way out.
With the beast tide approaching, and after he found out that Huaiyu didn't have the source crystals to renew her contract, he knew that it was time for him to close the net. So, he brought three guards to find Huaiyu, with the purpose of forcing Huaiyu to agree to his conditions.
In his opinion, when faced with a life-and-death crisis, Huaiyu would eventually obediently get into his bed.
"So what? Even if I die, I will never agree to become your concubine."
Huaiyu said coldly.
Du Shaoqiu's face darkened upon hearing this. He looked at Huaiyu with a sinister gaze, his voice revealing a hint of anger, and said, "Good, very good. Since you refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit, then I will grant your wish. Want to die? Impossible. I will make you wish you were dead. Men, take her back. After I'm done playing with her, I'll reward her to you."
"Yes!"
After hearing Du Shaoqiu's words, the three guards looked at Huaiyu with gleaming eyes. This little girl wasn't old, but she was beautiful and tender. Playing with her would definitely be a unique experience.
Huaiyu's face changed drastically, and her expression became uneasy.
"Stop!"
Just then, two figures suddenly appeared in front of Huaiyu.
The newcomers were, of course, Ye Hongyi and Gu Xiruo. They had arrived nearby long ago, but they wanted to understand what was happening before rushing to show themselves. Now that they saw the men about to attack Huaiyu, they no longer hid.
"Wait!"
Du Shaoqiu also spoke to stop his three guards. At this time, his gaze was completely attracted by Ye Hongyi and Gu Xiruo.
He looked at the two women greedily, a lewd smile flashing across the corner of his mouth, and said, "When did two such beautiful women appear in Wanghai City? Are you outsiders?"
"Haha, today is truly my, Du Shaoqiu's, lucky day. Two more beauties have arrived. Go, capture them. Huaiyu will be rewarded to the three of you."
Du Shaoqiu's mind was now completely captivated by their beauty.
"How dare you speak disrespectfully to my lady! You're courting death!"
Just then, the Heavenly Peng Ancient Crown Prince suddenly appeared in front of Du Shaoqiu. With a wave of his hand, "Bang!" A guard's body exploded into a bloody mist. Just as he was about to continue, another figure appeared. His body radiated a scorching light like the sun. As the light shone, the remaining two guards were instantly burned to ashes, without even letting out a scream.
The Heavenly Peng Ancient Crown Prince's pupils shrank as he looked at the figure. It was actually the taciturn Lin Tian.
However...
The Heavenly Peng Ancient Crown Prince glanced at the destruction caused by Lin Tian. The entire street had collapsed. He clearly hadn't held back at all.
Ye Hongyi and Gu Xiruo exchanged glances. Gu Xiruo's face was a little embarrassed as she said, "I'm sorry. Lin Tian sensed the malice towards me, so he acted without restraint."
Ye Hongyi was speechless upon hearing this. She felt that Gu Xiruo was deliberately showing off that Lin Tian could disregard everything for her sake.
She had just finished eating and was already fed another mouthful of dog food.
