Chapter 154: Advice for the Father-in-Law

This sparring match had certainly been exhausting. If Humo were given a choice, he would definitely never want to experience it again. However, this battle had practically captivated the entire Continent of War, and it would likely become a piece of unofficial history, relegated to a topic of casual conversation over tea.

In truth, the most disheartened people this time were the disciples of those three major sects. Having eagerly anticipated their sects' rewards, they never expected that the goblin would actually escape right under the eyes of Wang Xu and the others. This shock was far more devastating than a bolt from the blue. Those disciples had almost jumped out of their skins in frustration, but the moment they remembered that the other party was an emissary from the Heavenly Saint Palace, they had no choice but to swallow their grievances and hold their tongues, not daring to utter a single word of complaint.

Upon returning, Zhu Wannian headed straight for the imperial palace, followed immediately by a roar of thunderous fury that nearly blew the roof off the entire palace. Zhu Yan finally understood why receiving his reward had given him a chilling sensation all over; his ominous premonition had been spot on, and someone had indeed been cursing him.

As Zhu Yan's grandfather figure, Zhu Wannian represented only the Fire God Valley, yet his status alone was enough to make Zhu Yan tread carefully. Compounded by the fact that Zhu Yan was in the wrong and had violated taboos this time, he could not talk back in the slightest and could only obediently endure Zhu Wannian's lecture. Once the reprimand was over, Zhu Wannian immediately began mobilizing troops from the Fire God Valley. He had a strong premonition that Flame City was destined to know no peace this time!

The seventy-one members of the Astral Brigade returned to the Humo Estate's training grounds immediately after the sparring match. Through this battle, they had learned a great deal. The gap in cultivation level made them painfully aware of their own shortcomings, driving them to train with even greater desperation in the future.

Now that her identity as a fox-spirit had been exposed, Hu Baimei no longer needed to hide or maintain any pretenses. She followed Humo everywhere, even accompanying him to the imperial palace. The moment Zhu Xinyue laid eyes on her, a profound sense of crisis welled up instinctively within her. After all, Hu Baimei was breathtakingly beautiful—so much so that even other women felt an urge to draw close to her. Zhu Xinyue swore that if she were a man, she would have long since prostrated herself before Hu Baimei's pomegranate skirt, completely at her mercy and offering no resistance whatsoever.

However, after spending some time conversing and playing together, Zhu Xinyue's attitude toward Hu Baimei underwent a complete one-eighty-degree transformation. The two women quickly found common ground and became sworn soulmates, which gave Humo quite a fright.

In particular, Hu Baimei's constant, honeyed endearments of "Mistress" left Zhu Xinyue utterly radiant and overjoyed. One had to admit that Hu Baimei's flattery skills were truly formidable. So much so that when it was time to leave, Hu Baimei used every excuse under the sun to refuse to depart. Zhu Xinyue clung tightly to Hu Baimei's hand, shooting Humo a glare under the noble pretext of "protecting Hu Baimei from being bullied by him."

Humo nearly coughed up a mouthful of blood. What on earth was going on? How could he possibly dare to bully the Emperor of War Beasts? Such a notion was completely detached from reality! He had always been cast in the submissive role, and Humo genuinely worried that one day Hu Baimei might just force herself upon him on the spot. The mere thought sent shudders of panic through his heart—though, admittedly, there was a thrill to it as well.

"Go back, my master. You cannot sever the bond between me and the Mistress. You had better hurry off and tend to your own affairs. To ensure you never get the chance to bully me, I shall be taking up residence right here in the imperial palace from now on," Hu Baimei declared with an immovable expression. Humo could only swallow his teeth along with his blood; looking at these two women whose relationship was developing in rather abnormal directions, he was completely helpless.

"That's right, that's right! Big Brother Hu, from now on, Mei'er will be my dear sister, keeping me company here in the palace. Father won't let me leave anyway, and I get so bored all by myself in the palace. Mei'er is such a delicate and gentle young woman, and so beautiful to boot. Big Brother Hu, you have a history of trouble—I simply cannot rest easy leaving Mei'er with you!" Zhu Xinyue clutched Hu Baimei's hand tightly, as if terrified that Humo might perpetrate some atrocity against her.

Hu Baimei chuckled inwardly, looking at Humo with an expression of supreme triumph. She then swiftly morphed her features into a look of pitiful vulnerability, as if she had already been thoroughly ravished by Humo.

Humo mentally subdued the urge to run amok, squeezed out a meager smile, and said, "Fine, then let Mei'er stay. Mei'er, make sure you take good care of your Mistress... and play nicely."

"Naturally, Master. Rest assured, I shall take very good care of the Mistress!" Hu Baimei asserted with absolute certainty, a strange, wicked arc playing at the corners of her lips. Suddenly, her lips parted slightly as she transmitted her voice via battle qi:

"Master, with so many Cyanwood Puppets around here, how could I possibly not stay? Rest easy, with me here, your precious princess wife won't come to any harm. That is my guarantee to you!" Hu Baimei's tone was exceptionally solemn, her lovely eyes sparkling with brilliance.

"Very well, I leave her in your care," Humo replied without further ado. He nodded gently, exchanged a few parting pleasantries with Zhu Xinyue, and turned to leave the room.

"As long as it is within my power, I shall do my utmost!" Hu Baimei thought to herself, a sharp glint flashing in her eyes.

Humo strode briskly down the corridor. Just as he stepped out of the inner palace, he ran straight into someone. The man was garbed in a dragon robe, sporting thick brows and large eyes, and gazed coldly at Humo with a stern expression. After a long moment, he spat out a few frosty syllables: "Lord Hu, when did We ever grant you permission to enter the inner palace? Are you unaware that this is not a place just anyone can enter at will?"

Humo halted his steps and looked at his prospective father-in-law with a gentle smile. He bent his knees in a bow and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, this subject was truly unaware. I beg Your Majesty's forgiveness."

"Unaware? Ha, Lord Hu certainly knows how to jest." Zhu Yan waved a hand, dismissing all the surrounding guards and palace maids until only Humo and Zhu Yan remained, glaring at one another at the entrance of the inner palace. Humo's expression remained tranquil, showing neither sorrow nor joy. Zhu Yan, however, wore a face of stone, his eyes locked onto Humo as if gazing at a mortal enemy.

"Humo, do not think that simply because you have hoodwinked Our daughter's affections, you have truly won her! You openly disregard Us, acting in an arrogant and tyrannical manner—this is nothing less than digging your own grave! Do not presume that We dare not touch your Hu family; even Our patience has its limits!" Zhu Yan let out a cold huff, and a wave of crimson fire surged from his body, rolling outward toward Humo.

Humo's expression did not change. To him, this wave of heat not only brought no harm, but served as a magnificent tonic. As the heat washed over him, a comfortable groan escaped his heart; he had to admit, the sensation was thoroughly exhilarating.

"Your Majesty, if you put it that way, this subject must voice some objections. First, this subject's feelings for the Princess are entirely sincere, utterly devoid of any deception. Second, the Hu family has always been unswervingly loyal to Your Majesty—a fact to which heaven and earth can bear witness. I sincerely hope Your Majesty will not allow your personal bias against this subject to taint the Hu family with the suspicion of treason; such accusations are simply impossible to convince anyone," Humo replied neither servilely nor overbearingly, a faint trace of imposing pressure emanating from his person.

Zhu Yan eyed Humo coldly and retorted, "What is the meaning of this? Your Hu family is loyal? Your own grandfather personally came to pressure the throne, forcing Us to trust you. Yet you chose to humiliate Us in front of the entire world, quarreling with the crown prince of a friendly nation and nearly taking his life. And now you stand here telling Us your Hu family is loyal? Why on earth have you hidden your capabilities for all these years, playing the fool? Do you intend to rebel? Do you plan to use your so-called boundless loyalty to stage a rebellion?"

Zhu Yan's tone grew increasingly sharp, his previously relatively calm aura now turning volatile and irritable. He glared furiously at Humo, as though wanting to vent every ounce of his frustration.

Having just been chewed out by Zhu Wannian, his temper was boiling to the point where it felt ready to burst his very body. He had originally intended to seek out one of his concubines to vent his anger, only to see Humo strolling out of the rear harem looking utterly carefree and relaxed.

Naturally, Zhu Yan's ire flared anew, and he could not help but throw out a few sarcastic barbs. Never had he expected Humo to actually reason with him and pledge loyalty in return—a speech that had come dangerously close to bursting his lungs with rage.

Humo let out a soft sigh. Truth be told, he completely understood Zhu Yan's state of mind. If someone had shattered a meticulously crafted plan he had spent a long time plotting, he might well have become just as explosive.

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger. This subject acknowledges that I have done many things to displease you, but I swear upon my life that everything was done for Your Majesty and the entire Heavenly Fire Empire, with not the slightest intention of shaking Your Majesty's throne," Humo said with utmost sincerity. Yet he knew that no matter how pleasant his words sounded now, Zhu Yan would not take in a single syllable. In Zhu Yan's eyes, Humo and the entire Hu family were rebels and traitors—an intolerable thorn in his side!

"Ha! You claim you are not? Then who is? If not for that bride-snatching incident previously, perhaps We might still have believed you. But now, Our heart toward your Hu family is thoroughly dead, and We harbor no further illusions. To protect Us? That is the most ludicrous thing We have heard all year!" Zhu Yan said coldly, his rising fury blazing ever brighter.

Realizing that further speech was futile, Humo understood that Zhu Yan had made up his mind like an iron-hearted stone; no matter how he explained, it would only invite more wrath.

With a soft sigh, he lowered his voice and said, "Your Majesty, since you are resolved to view it this way, nothing this subject says will have any effect. I only wish to remind Your Majesty not to take things to extremes. Sometimes, the deepest harms come from those closest to you. Please take care of yourself, Your Majesty."

Having left behind these words, Humo bowed and turned to leave. Zhu Yan's fiery temper suddenly stuttered to a halt. For reasons unknown, Humo's seemingly simple words embedded themselves deeply within his mind, echoing relentlessly in his head.

"What does he mean by that? Why am I... Hmph, what on earth am I thinking? Why waste time pondering that brat's words? Should I disbelieve those closest to me and instead trust scheming traitors like you who harbor rebellious hearts and muddy the waters here? It's utterly laughable!" Zhu Yan sneered aloud before turning to re-enter the inner palace.

After taking only a few steps, however, his pace ground to a halt once more, his brows furrowing tightly. Drawing a deep breath, he muttered to himself, "Could that brat have been trying to warn me of something?"

Upon returning to the Humo Estate, Humo was greeted by the elderly members of the Divine Mechanism Hall. Instead of gathering in the main hall, they had come straight to Humo's private courtyard, waiting with tense expressions as if harboring some critical matter to report. The moment they spotted Humo's return, the old men swarmed him anxiously, blurting out, "Young Master, your subordinates have an urgent report!"

The speaker was an elderly man surnamed Zhang from the Divine Mechanism Hall, whose duties generally involved monitoring the movements of various prominent clans within Flame City and promptly reporting any shifting dynamics or developments to Humo. Thus, the moment Humo saw him, he knew something significant must have occurred.

"Elder Zhang, please do not be alarmed. Tell me slowly what has happened," Humo said with a gentle smile, trying to soften his tone as much as possible.

Elder Zhang nodded grimly and said in a low voice, "Young Master, the various great clans have begun to make their moves!"