This was especially true for ordinary people like them, as Yi Guan could directly control their life and death. This was not only because of his strength and status, but also because he was greedy for money. The entire street was his business, and the boss of the boss behind this shop was Yi Guan.
It was one thing for Yi Guan to come, but even the Empress, Qing Longlong, had come. The shop owner trembled in fear.
"Yi Guan, who gave you the right to speak to Alliance Leader Lu like that?" Qing Longlong reprimanded him without any trace of politeness.
Yi Guan's smile did not change, and he bowed slowly. "This old servant greets Your Highness."
Qing Longlong stared at him with disgust. "Father sent you here to welcome Alliance Leader Lu and the others. What were you doing just now?"
Yi Guan smiled. "This old servant was just admiring Alliance Leader Lu's might and couldn't help but praise him. There's no other meaning." He then turned to Lu Yin and bowed. "Alliance Leader Lu, you won't blame me, right?"
Lu Yin smiled.
Yi Guan was also smiling, but his smile was sinister and disgusting.
"Actually, you're from the Divine Gu Dynasty, so even if I did blame you, I wouldn't blame you. I can only say that your master is too benevolent and doesn't teach his servants well," Lu Yin said.
Yi Guan's smile disappeared, and his eyes narrowed as he stared at Lu Yin. "It looks like Alliance Leader Lu has some skills."
Lu Yin smiled. "You asked me if I would blame you, so I'll teach you a lesson on your master's behalf. Consider it a congratulatory gift for the Empress' breakthrough." He then waved his hand and sent Yi Guan flying with a slap, crashing heavily outside the shop.
Everyone was shocked, as they had not expected Lu Yin to act so decisively without giving Yi Guan any face.
The Werewolf Prince's brows rose in shock.
The group of people who had followed Yi Guan all rushed towards the shop to attack Lu Yin, but they were stopped by Qing Longlong. "Get out!"
Yi Guan hurriedly stood up, half of his face swollen, and stopped his guards. "Back down. Her Highness and the Empress are here, so you can't act so impudently."
The guards hurriedly retreated.
Yi Qing's eyes were filled with hatred, and when he met Lu Yin's gaze, there was a deep chill in the depths of his eyes. He had never thought that someone would dare to beat him up in the Divine Gu Dynasty, and he had been caught off guard. However, Lu Yin's status meant that he could not afford to offend him. "This old servant spoke wrongly. Does Alliance Master Lu feel better now?"
"Tell the Love Emperor that I've already sent him a congratulatory gift, and I hope he'll be satisfied."
Eunuch Yi once again revealed a sinister smile. "Understood. This servant will take his leave." After saying that, he left without bidding farewell to Prince Ruan and Qing Longlong.
Everyone could see the resentment in the depths of his eyes.
Qing Longlong looked at Lu Yin with a complicated expression and smiled bitterly. "Alliance Master Lu, why do you have to do this?"
Lu Yin frowned. "I don't like him."
What a straightforward reason. In this enormous Gu King City and the entire Divine Gu Dynasty, the only person who could treat Yi Guan in such a manner was Lu Yin and Young Empress Qing. Not even Prince Qian could treat Yi Guan in such a manner. This was not only because of Yi Guan's status, but also because Yi Guan was famous for being sinister.
Although Qing Longlong had said this, Lu Yin's slap had also helped her vent her anger. Yi Qing had been courteous to her, but he did not care about her at all. Casanova had been forced away by Yi Qing, and both Qing Longlong and Prince Ruan knew about this, but no one could say anything about it.
Lu Yin's unbridled and tyrannical nature had been vividly displayed in that palm strike. He did not care about Yi Qing at all, and neither did he care about Prince Ruan. Whether they were friend or foe had already been determined.
"Alliance Master Lu, we'll take our leave now. See you at the banquet."
She spoke politely to Lu Yin.
Mister You also left without saying goodbye to Lu Yin.
Before Wen Sansi left, he whispered to Lu Yin, "You shouldn't have come."
Prince Ruan left as well, leaving the task of entertaining Lu Yin to Qing Longlong. The two were close in age, so it was more appropriate for them to interact.
Everyone left one by one, leaving only Lu Yin, Qing Longlong, and the shop owner.
The shop owner was still kneeling there, his head as low as it could be. He did not even dare to raise his head, but he had seen Yi Qing being sent flying with a single slap. He knew that the youth known as Alliance Master Lu was the most ruthless in this group. Fortunately, he had not offended him.
"Alliance Master Lu," Qing Longlong said to Lu Yin, but before she could finish, Lu Yin raised a hand. "We're of the same generation, so there's no need to call me that."
Are we close?
Qing Longlong wanted to say this, but she did not say it out loud. "Alright, Brother Lu. I'll take you to a place to rest."
Lu Yin nodded and followed Qing Longlong out.
It was a small shop, but it had attracted the attention of the entire Divine Gu Dynasty. The shop owner would definitely not be at peace for a period of time, and every single word and detail that had happened in the shop would be interrogated.
Prince Ruan had arranged for Lu Yin to stay in his own palace, which was also in Gu King City. However, almost no one knew about this palace, as Prince Ruan Qing had only stayed there when he wanted peace.
As he listened to Qing Longlong's introduction of the palace, Lu Yin asked, "Is your father hoping that I'll be more peaceful in the future?"
Qing Longlong smiled. "Brother Lu, you're overthinking things. Father doesn't have that intention. It's just that the palace is located in a remote area, and few people disturb it. The environment is also good, which is why he made the arrangements for you."
Lu Yin nodded. The two were in no hurry to leave, so they strolled around the streets of Gu King City.
Gu King City was very lively, and it was filled with the hustle and bustle of a city. There were people fighting from time to time, and all sorts of poisons were brought out. If one did not count the cultivators, this place would be like an ordinary ancient imperial city.
"Is that Yi Guan someone your father trusts?" Lu Yin asked.
Qing Longlong nodded. "He's been serving Father since he was very young, and he's done his best over the years."
"He's not dead yet?"
Lu Yin was astonished. Prince Ruan Qing was not weak, and he had only invited them because he had broken through. He should be able to fight against someone with a power level of 800,000 and had lived for a long time. Yi Guan had not broken through to become an Emissary, so how had he been able to keep up with Prince Ruan Qing?
"That's why Yi Guan is so special. Every once in a while, he'll freeze his vitality with poison to keep him alive," Qing Longlong explained. Her voice was soft, but it carried a lot of weight.
As an emperor, Prince Ruan Qing had no lack of people serving him, but he was still willing to wait for this Yi Guan. This relationship was no longer that between a master and a servant. It was no wonder that even Prince Ruan and Qing Longlong were so courteous to Yi Guan. It seemed that Lu Yin had slapped Prince Ruan Qing.
Qing Longlong looked at Lu Yin nonchalantly, but there was no change in his expression. Did he not care?
But then again, the Sword Sect and the Daynight clan were both more powerful than the Divine Gu Dynasty.
The Divine Gu Dynasty's uniqueness lay in its geographical location and environment. Without these factors, even the Wen family might not be able to compare to the Divine Gu Dynasty.
Lu Yin had led the Great Eastern Alliance to destroy the Daynight clan, suppress the Sword Sect, and force the Wen family into submission. He naturally did not care about the Divine Gu Dynasty, much less a mere Yi Guan.
After walking around the busiest streets of Gu King City for almost an hour, Qing Longlong finally stopped in front of a very imposing restaurant.
This restaurant was the tallest on the entire street, and it took up a large area that extended in all directions. Two rows of attendants stood at the entrance, and they were all cultivators who had reached the Melder realm.
"Brother Lu, I'll take you to meet someone," Qing Longlong said with a smile.
Lu Yin nodded. "Alright."
He stepped into the restaurant, and to his surprise, the interior was different from the outside. It was not as extravagant as he had expected, but rather simple and elegant.
He followed Qing Longlong to the top floor, where two beautiful maids bowed. Due to their attire, Lu Yin could almost see the snowy white of their breasts, and he quickly turned away.
"Brother Lu, please." Qing Longlong was amused. Who would believe that the leader of the Great Eastern Alliance had such a side to him?
Lu Yin entered a private room, and he saw a woman dressed in a black muslin robe and wearing an exquisite petal-shaped mask. She stood up and bowed to Lu Yin. "I'm Yuan Miaomiao. Greetings, Alliance Leader Lu." Although she was wearing half a mask, it could not hide her absolute beauty. Lu Yin could clearly see the alluring curve of her lips, and her eyes were as bright as the stars.
"You're Tutor Yuan's granddaughter?"
Lu Yin was astonished when he heard the woman's name.
Yuan Miaomiao bowed again. "I never thought that Alliance Leader Lu would know of me."
Lu Yin looked at Qing Longlong.
Qing Longlong replied, "Miaomiao and I are best friends, and she asked me to help her arrange a meeting with you."
Lu Yin was confused. The Tutor Yuan had advocated not participating in any external affairs, but Young Empress Qing was biased towards the Sword Sect and the other powers, and she had been thinking of ways to contain the Great Eastern Alliance. They had different standpoints, and although they were not enemies, the Divine Gu Dynasty treated the Great Eastern Alliance with two different factions. Under such circumstances, Qing Longlong had arranged a meeting with Lu Yin on behalf of Yuan Miaomiao. What was she trying to do?
"Longlong doesn't have any other intentions. Please don't misunderstand, Alliance Leader Lu. She just couldn't accept my request, so she brought you here," Yuan Miaomiao said in a gentle voice.
Lu Yin sat down. "Miss Miaomiao, please speak your mind."
Qing Longlong looked at her.
Yuan Miaomiao looked at Qing Longlong. "Go out. It's best if you don't listen to what we have to say."
Qing Longlong pursed her lips, nodded, and walked out.
Lu Yin looked at Yuan Miaomiao with interest. "Your relationship isn't ordinary. She's the empress of the Divine Gu Dynasty, but she went against her father's wishes to help you arrange a meeting with me. She didn't even ask for the reason. I'm very curious."
Yuan Miaomiao smiled. "This is our friendship. Ever since we were young, I've interacted with Longlong much more than my parents or grandfather. Longlong has also interacted with me longer than His Majesty. Kinship is destined by the heavens, but friendship is something that we have to find ourselves. We both believe that friendship is more precious than kinship."
This was the first time Lu Yin had heard of such a theory. "Alright. Why are you looking for me?"
Yuan Miaomiao stood up and bowed solemnly.
Lu Yin did not avoid it. With his status, even if the Tutor Yuan bowed, he would not need to avoid it, let alone Yuan Miaomiao. He had the qualifications to do so.
"Alliance Leader Lu, please leave the Gu Flowzone," Yuan Miaomiao said in a low voice.
There was a moment of silence. Yuan Miaomiao bowed, but she did not raise her head.
Lu Yin's eyes narrowed. "What does the Tutor mean?"
Yuan Miaomiao replied, "The Divine Gu Dynasty should not interfere in the disputes of the outside world. This is my grandfather's lifelong wish. The people here live very affluent lives, and there are no wars. Once they interfere, the future outcome will be unpredictable. The Divine Gu Dynasty cannot be gambled on."
Lu Yin smiled. "How can you be so sure that the Divine Gu Dynasty will interfere in the disputes of the outside world if I'm here?
Does the Divine Gu Dynasty want to do something to me?
Or does Young Empress Qing want to do something to me? "
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On the first day of the new year, Windborne wishes his brothers a happy new year. He will be updating at 5 pm. Thank you for your support!