Humans cannot, or at least should not...

Everyone present fell silent, never expecting to witness someone riding on a lion's head and slapping it repeatedly in their lifetime.

All eyes immediately turned to Zhan Yue and Liu Ruyan, who were trying their best to minimize their presence.

Holy crap, is this right?!

Did your kids grow up on gunpowder?! What kind of family education is this?!

The couple lowered their heads awkwardly, smiled awkwardly, and remained silent awkwardly.

Even the white lion, its head still ringing from the slaps, began to question its very existence. What happened to the promised taming?

Even if we take a step back, shouldn't you be the one trying to appease me? If I'm happy, I'll reluctantly give you face and cooperate. How the hell am I supposed to defend myself when you slap me twice like that?!

Yan Xiyue and Meng Qiao, standing to the side, had complicated expressions; they could even see a hint of grievance on the lion's face.

At this moment, its lantern-like golden eyes were misty and watery, weak and helpless. It had been furiously raging for a long time but had not been able to break free. It could only lie on the ground in vain, panting heavily in anger.

Zhan Xinjia grabbed one of its ears.

"What do you mean? Are our hearts pure enough? Speak up."

lion:"……"

If I could actually speak, you'd probably be unhappy.

In the midst of an eerie silence, Zhan Xinjia casually beckoned to Yan Xiyue: "Ayue, Qiaoqiao, come here."

Meng Qiao and Yan Xiyue cautiously took a few steps toward the man and the lion. Yan Xiyue smiled awkwardly, "Ah, this..."

"Come here, touch it."

"Oh no!..."

"What are you afraid of? Don't scare yourself. If it dares to bite you, I'll just pinch its crotch."

After saying that, Zhan Xinjia tugged at the ear she was holding, smiling threateningly, "You'd better behave."

lion:"……"

It paused for a moment, then stuck out its tongue and obediently licked the boy's hand. Then it took the initiative to shove its half-bald but still fluffy head into Yan Xiyue's palm, making Yan Xiyue lose his balance and fall to the ground by the enthusiastic white lion.

His fawning manner was comparable to accumulating good deeds.

Liuyu, outside the cage, broke through her defenses and screamed angrily.

"Big White, how could you just give in like this? Have you forgotten our friendship and the bond we share?!"

lion:"……"

I don't care about your nonsense. It's easy for you to talk when you're not the one getting slapped. If she were to slap you twice, wouldn't you explode?

It rolled its eyes at Liuyu.

Liu Yu was so angry that she almost fainted on the spot. A wave of dizziness and blurred vision washed over her. She clutched her chest, trying desperately to calm herself, but something even more devastating happened next—

Zhan Xinjia smiled and patted the white lion's head, as if training a dog, "Go, go up and give her a piece of your mind, don't let her underestimate the friendship and bond we've just built!"

The white lion was a little reluctant, but Zhan Xinjia got off it, stood up straight, and kicked its butt with his left leg as fast as the Fuxing bullet train passing through a tunnel!

It kicked him away in one go.

Everyone present was stunned.

Before the white lion could even react, it was sent flying with a "whoosh," landing precisely where Liu Yu was standing.

Liu Yu's face turned pale with fright. She looked up in panic at the giant lion descending from the sky. At the critical moment, Wu Lanlian pulled out a small object that looked like a crossbow bolt from her sleeve.

With a deafening roar, a thin piece of iron, sparks flying from its friction with the air, shot toward the white lion at incredible speed, unstoppable and almost impossible to avoid.

Zhan Xinjia's eyes narrowed, and she threw the longsword in her hand into the air, then kicked the blade away with a swift spinning kick.

The longsword pierced through the wind and clouds, barely intercepting the iron piece in mid-air, and the two fell to the ground with a clang.

On the ground, the blade of the longsword was riddled with dents from being struck by a piece of iron.

Its terrifying power leaves no doubt that if that piece of metal had been aimed at a person, it would have pierced through their head and exploded into a pile of mangled pieces of hero skin.

Zhan Xinjia examined the metal sheet on the ground with suspicion.

When she looked up again, her expression turned serious, and her beautiful peach blossom eyes stared coldly at Wu Lanlian, whose expression was obscured by the veil.

So, this strange hidden weapon is the "that" that Liuyu just mentioned?

If this item were used on the battlefield, it would likely be another nightmarish catastrophe.

Zhan Xinjia was well aware of the power of this thing. If ordinary soldiers were to fight against enemy troops equipped with such hidden weapons during a battle, they would almost certainly be crushed and would have no choice but to wait for death.

In other words, if Nanjun were to mass-produce such concealed weapons, this land would be subject to another major reshuffle.

Upon thinking of this, Zhan Xinjia's heart sank suddenly, and a chill ran through her. She subconsciously looked up at the high platform. The emperor and Yan Huishi's expressions changed slightly, but they did not show much loss of composure. Obviously, they had known for a long time that Nanjun had mastered this kind of hidden weapon.

This may be why they have been holding back all this time.

It's likely that Nanjun sent people here not just to deliver gifts for the tribute festival, but more likely to secretly negotiate some deal with the emperor, or simply to put on a show of force.

The civil and military officials, who had never seen anything like this before, were shocked, while Zhan Yue, who knew the seriousness of the matter, frowned deeply.

Strangely, Mu Yunlan remained calm throughout, showing no surprise whatsoever. She even bent down gently to straighten Yan Wuju's collar, who hadn't shown any change in expression.

She seemed to know something.

In the eerie silence, it was Liuyu who broke the atmosphere first.

"Mom! Big White didn't do it on purpose, why did you have to hurt it like that!"

Only after confirming that the white lion was unharmed did Liu Yu finally breathe a sigh of relief. She looked up and glared resentfully at Wu Lanlian.

Wu Lanlian hid the hidden weapon back in her sleeve, her tone cold and disappointed.

"Should we spare the life of a beast that poses a threat to its master? Yu'er, you're too soft-hearted."

"Mom!! This isn't Da Bai's fault, it's clearly his!"

Liu Yu immediately pointed at Zhan Xinjia, gritting her teeth in anger and stamping her foot: "It's all your fault! You killed my future husband first, and then almost caused Da Bai to lose his life. This princess... this princess will absolutely not forgive you today!"

Zhan Xinjia originally thought that Liuyu was extremely willful and selfish, but seeing that she valued Baishi's life so much, it seemed that she was not beyond saving. At most, she was just a spoiled and misguided little girl.

With his arms crossed over his chest, Zhan Xinjia tried to reason with her.

"Are you sure? Are you sure you want to marry a weak and incompetent brute? If he could just admit defeat honestly, I'd think more highly of him, but you saw it yourself—"

He attacked me first.

Is it really a pity that such a despicable person died? Or is your vision so shallow that you even look down on such low-class scum?

"you!"

Liuyu wanted to argue, but she bit her lip and stammered for a long time before finally reluctantly letting go of her hand.

Even Zhan Xinjia was surprised when Liu Yu actually walked up to her and knelt down. Although Liu Yu stood up quickly and her tone was still reluctant, she was much kinder at least.

Feeling wronged, Liu Yu patted the dust off her knees and gave a cold snort.

"Anyway, this princess can afford to lose. At worst, I'll apologize to you. I admit you won both matches, and I don't care about Wan Jun's death anymore. Is that alright? How annoying!"

After saying the last three words, the timid Liuyu quickly hid behind her mother.

Zhan Xinjia wanted to say something more, but the emperor, who looked tired on the high platform, had already raised his hand to indicate that the matter should be dropped.

That's the end of it.

During her break, Zhan Xinjia had two things she wanted to do.