This is hardly a secret; it's a long-standing tradition of the imperial family. Xu Shi clearly remembers that when he first went to the royal court to use force to intimidate the emperor, the little empress Dongfang Xiao was almost unaffected by his "entropy of evil thoughts." Even Cheng Gujian, who was protected by her holy light ability, was just as at ease.

Since "entropy of evil thoughts" and the lingering resentment of the sea god are both forms of mental erosion, then by extension, the power of holy light should also be equally effective.

Well, now I have a reason to take down the little empress... Haha, just kidding. The truth is, regardless of Xie Qingyan's involvement, Dongfang Xiao is an indispensable part of his upcoming plans.

"Hopefully she'll come in handy."

Xu Shi sighed softly, "Otherwise, I would really have to use my abilities to turn you into a puppy... But that would also fulfill your wish, so it wouldn't be a bad thing."

"...Can we not talk about this anymore?"

Xie Qingyan said irritably, "It's a perfectly good thing, but it just sounds wrong coming from your mouth..."

Besides.

"You should be happier if you could openly and legitimately seduce the blonde, white-stockinged empress, right?"

She couldn't help but tease, "I can't say anything to you, I should even thank you."

Anyway, she couldn't say anything. The other two ladies hadn't come along yet, so what could she do?

"I'm happy?"

Xu Shi was displeased upon hearing this and roughly pulled her into his arms, saying, "I'm very unhappy, okay?"

"Some people say sweet words, but they don't actually trust me. When something goes wrong, they won't say anything... Do you think I can be happy about that?"

"What? I already told you... um..."

The woman tried to argue, but Xu Shi threw her onto the bed without saying a word.

"You'll regret lying to me, woman."

The scoundrel has once again switched to his domineering CEO-style awkward conversation mode, determined to teach the bad woman a lesson.

Xie Qingyan blinked, and unusually became obedient, pitifully clenching her fists and gently shaking them in front of her chest.

"Woof woof".

...

It's not a big deal if people quarrel among themselves. Xu Shi has always believed in speaking out, instead of holding things in for thirty or forty chapters and leaving them unresolved. That's disgusting, okay?

But it's a different story when facing outsiders—upon arriving in the capital city of the empire again, before even disembarking, everyone felt hostile gazes coming from all directions.

Looking around, the surrounding imperial citizens did indeed have strange expressions—many of them, or rather, they were all more or less affected by the bursting of the Poseidon Stone bubble.

And everyone still vaguely remembers that this wave first started in the trading post of Night Sin City. Once you realize this, it would be strange if you could treat these despicable outsiders with a friendly face.

They will never examine their own greed. We just want to have a better life, what's wrong with that?

"Hey, silly girl, do you think we went a bit too far?"

Xu Shi was already used to this, but he asked Pan Ling, who was following him, with great interest.

"Perhaps...there might be some?"

The foolish apprentice thought for a moment and then answered hesitantly.

Actually, she hadn't thought of it that way before, since she was only working with her master behind the scenes and hadn't witnessed the changes in this farce firsthand.

But now that she's arrived in the main city, she can clearly feel that it's much more desolate than when she last came here. It doesn't even have the prosperity that a main city should have. The gatherings on Silver Pine Island are much more lively.

It was only after Xu Shi asked her that she finally realized what she had done.

Every step I take, every adjustment I make, could lead to more people losing their fortunes, becoming homeless... or even dying as a result? This question seems to have already been answered.

Thinking this way, it would be a lie to say she felt no guilt.

Is that what you think?

Xu Shi stretched and said, "That only proves that you still have a lot to learn... After all, in my opinion, this is just the beginning."

"Why?"

He said it casually, but to Pan Ling it was a wake-up call. What else did her master need to do?

You'll find out soon enough.

Xu Shi always kept things in suspense, "But you must never forget another lesson I taught you."

"Whatever you do, make sure you have a safety net."

Having said that, he ignored his apprentice, who was disheveled in the wind, and beckoned everyone to disembark.

Someone from the port had already come to pick them up—unlike last time, this time they came at the invitation of the Queen or the royal family, and were genuine guests. Naturally, the other party would not make things difficult for them in such a small matter, and the arrangements were quite appropriate.

The carriage that came to pick them up was indeed edged with gold, representing the highest level of royal protocol.

Xu Shi didn't bring many people with him to the main city this time. They included Xia Ke'an, Pan Ling, Shen Qin, Xie Qingyan, and Ye Shanshan. Even so, they were greeted by a neat and orderly convoy.

"Envoy Xu, please get in the carriage."

As the leader of the delegation, Xu Shi enjoyed the privilege of having his own carriage. An elegant maid lifted the curtain and respectfully invited him to board.

"Brother Xu, it's been a long time."

There were already people waiting in the car. Cheng Gujian sat upright inside, staring at him with a calm expression.

"It's Brother Cheng! Indeed, it's been a long time."

Xu Shi was taken aback for a moment, but he wasn't too surprised. He had long expected that Cheng Gujian would definitely want to talk to him alone before meeting the Empress. He just didn't expect the other party to be in such a hurry. He had just disembarked and hadn't even gotten his footing yet.

This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!