After parting with Wenren Jing, Han Feng returned to his room.
Seeing Zi Yan playing on the bed with the toys she bought yesterday as if nothing had happened, Han Feng grabbed her, and placed her on his lap.
Smack, smack, smack!
A jade ruler smacked Zi Yan's bottom. The force Han Feng used made Zi Yan feel a burning pain.
So painful!
"Uncle, I was wrong! I won't dare to do it again!" Zi Yan cried and begged for mercy.
She was used to stealing medicinal ingredients in the Inner Academy, so she thought others couldn't catch her either.
But in reality, if Wenren Jing hadn't seen that Zi Yan was still young and that they were on the upper floor of the hotel, making it inconvenient to use harsh methods, he would have captured this little thief long ago.
So what if Zi Yan's void power was strong? She was only a Dou King right now. In the face of a high-level Dou Ancestor, she would only meet a dead end.
Han Feng gave Zi Yan a harsh lesson, and finally said, "When you're out and about, others won't spoil you. If the person today had been a vicious and ruthless person, you wouldn't have even been able to wait for me to save you."
Zi Yan lay prone on the bed, her little bottom bright red. It was painful to even touch it lightly.
This time, Han Feng had really hit her hard.
"I know," Zi Yan nodded, sobbing.
"I hope you can remember this."
Han Feng took out a few herbs from his storage ring, decocted them into a recovery ointment on the spot, and personally applied it for Zi Yan.
"It hurts so much..." Zi Yan whimpered.
In fact, she had suffered even more serious injuries in the magical beast forest when she was young. Even when she was beaten until she vomited blood and broke her bones, she hadn't complained.
But that kind of beating was different from the one she had just received.
Before, she had to be beaten. But just now, lying on Han Feng's lap, she had been beaten on her own accord.
Because she also knew that she had caused trouble for Han Feng.
Zi Yan subtly showed her weakness, wanting to get Han Feng's concern.
Han Feng smiled lightly and flicked her little bottom.
A scream rang out the next second.
"Ah!!!"
"Uncle, what are you doing?!"
The beating was over, so why couldn't he let her off?
"Sorry, I was just testing to see if the medicine had taken effect. But it seems it still needs some time," Han Feng said with a smile.
Zi Yan's little face puffed up. Her large, purple-pupiled eyes stared at Han Feng, filled with deep resentment.
Han Feng ignored it, took out a bottle of pills from his storage ring, and placed it in front of Zi Yan.
"If you want to eat pills in the future, just tell me. There's no need to covet other people's things. It's not like I can't provide for you."
Seeing the pills, Zi Yan instantly forgot the pain from the flick just now. She giggled as she opened the bottle cap and counted the pills inside.
"Thank you, Uncle!"
After pacifying the little girl, Han Feng began to think about his next move. But then he saw Medusa walking towards him, holding out her hand.
"What?" Han Feng looked at her in confusion.
"I want some too."
"Huh?"
"Pills."
Medusa said calmly, "The ingredients I gathered in those six months, although not as many as Zi Yan's, were still quite a lot, right? You gave her some but not me?"
Han Feng was speechless.
"The pills I gave Zi Yan aren't of much use for your cultivation."
Medusa actually knew this in her heart, but thinking that she was leaving soon, she felt uneasy if she didn't get something from Han Feng.
After staring at Medusa for more than ten seconds, Han Feng was defeated.
"Here, here."
Han Feng gave her a bottle of Zi Yan's backup pills. Medusa left with satisfaction.
What's gotten into her... She wasn't this petty before.
Han Feng's thoughts were interrupted. After a moment of silence, he took out some medicinal ingredients from his storage ring.
Speaking of which, it was time to prepare a farewell gift for her.
After all, she had worked for him for nearly two years. A single Emperor Extremity Pill really couldn't offset her "wages."
After refining pills for an afternoon, Han Feng looked at the sky outside, put away his cauldron, and stood up.
"It's getting late. Let's set off."
The three of them put on the formal attire sent by the hotel staff earlier and headed for the Zhuque Canal.
At this time, the riverbank was bustling with people, but the guards had cleared a wide passage leading directly to the hotel, allowing the invited guests to board the ship comfortably.
Each invited person could bring two relatives.
Xiao Tianbao, with Yao Tianhuo and another outstanding clansman, boarded the treasure ship one step ahead of Han Feng and his group.
Han Feng looked at the huge "Vermilion Bird Treasure Ship" in front of him and nodded secretly.
The entire ship was brightly lit. The bow was built in the shape of a Vermilion Bird's raised head, and its two crimson pupils shone with a majestic and inviolable brilliance.
In the middle of the ship, huge wings that could soar into the sky were half-spread. Every feather on them seemed to be able to move freely.
The energy channel at the stern of the treasure ship trailed afterimages of tail feathers, which scattered and floated into the air like the faint light of fireflies, splendid and romantic.
Just looking at it from afar was enough to make one's heart yearn for it.
Han Feng led Medusa and Zi Yan onto the treasure ship. Under the guidance of a guard, they entered a private room.
The banquet was very long, and they could rest on the ship today.
"This ship is so beautiful, much better looking than the one at Jia Nan Academy."
Zi Yan jumped up and down, cheering, as she admired the luxurious scenery inside the ship.
The wound on her bottom had long since healed. The recovery power of a magical beast, coupled with Han Feng's special ointment, meant that not even a trace of redness or swelling could be found now.
Medusa also looked at the surrounding scenery with great interest.
Her outstanding figure and stunning appearance attracted a lot of attention.
In the eyes of those Nanli Nation dignitaries, the Vermilion Bird Treasure Ship was not a rare item, but a beauty like Medusa was.
A beauty was not just beautiful in appearance. That kind of aura that emanated from the inside out was something that ordinary women could not replicate, no matter how exquisite their disguises.
Medusa was the kind of beauty who possessed a unique temperament. This could be seen when she stood with Cai'er. Han Feng could tell who was who at a glance.
Although their appearances were identical, their temperaments were worlds apart.
Only Cai'er would pounce into Han Feng's arms without any reservations, without a single distracting thought, full of deep concern and attachment.
Han Feng noticed the gazes of the surrounding people and thought to himself, 'a beautiful woman is a source of trouble.' The ancients truly did not deceive me.
This was just one of them. If he brought the other two "beauties" from home, wouldn't it attract even more attention?
Ye Qingyun had gradually blossomed over the years. Whether it was her appearance, figure, or gentle temperament, she was top-notch.
She was a world apart from the woman who had knelt in the slave market back then, looking at Han Feng with hope and fear.
Fortunately, the dignitaries on the scene did not make any excessive moves, but just secretly paid attention to Medusa.
Medusa's willow-like brows furrowed slightly, but she paid them no mind.
After wandering on the ship for a while, someone announced that the banquet was about to begin. Everyone took their seats according to the name list on the tables.
After everyone was seated, a flash of bright red appeared from the side of the front stage. Immediately, the Nanli Empress strode out.
"We respectfully welcome Your Majesty the Empress!"
"You may all be at ease."
The Empress who attended the banquet did not have the divine majesty of the daytime that could not be violated. She had become a little more peaceful.
Her arrival announced the official start of the banquet. Maids served fine wine and delicacies.
Han Feng silently savored the special dishes of the Nanli Nation, his gaze slightly directed at the Empress above.
She was very beautiful, but not the kind of beauty that would topple cities, but a generous and fitting, quiet beauty.
Perhaps it was the upbringing of the imperial family that made this Empress's every move reveal a sense of nobility and grace.
In the center of the venue, dancers, musicians, and martial artists performed entertainment programs one by one.
Those who could perform here were not nobodies. Some were even relatives of the dignitaries, who had chosen to perform on stage in order to gain fame.
The atmosphere was peaceful and harmonious, but Han Feng noticed that the Empress's expression was as calm as ever, and she did not show any particular joy.
Emperors and kings have deep thoughts.
Only an emperor whose thoughts could not be seen through could better command their subjects.
Han Feng understood this principle, but he had not practiced it.
In his previous life, the elders around him had all praised him for being gentle and magnanimous. He was probably not cut out to be an emperor.
When they had almost finished savoring the delicacies, the center of the banquet hall descended, and a platform appeared at the bottom.
An auctioneer walked out from it, holding a small golden hammer.
Everything that appeared at this auction was a fine item.
Rare-attribute spirit ores, rare weapon blueprints, high-grade medicinal ingredients, high-tier beast flames, Earth-rank Dou Skills...
The crowd actively participated in the auction. Their identities were not ordinary. It wasn't that they didn't have these things, but no one would mind having more.
The Empress sat alone on the high platform, quietly watching the crowd below bid.
Medusa had taken a fancy to that rare weapon blueprint and also wanted to participate, but unfortunately, she failed to win the bid.
Han Feng, however, had some gains and successfully won a piece of spatial-attribute spirit ore.
After that, he bid for a seventh-grade soul treasure herb. One of his competitors, Wenren Jing, seeing Han Feng's great wealth, could only give up.
Yao Tianhuo had bid for an eighth-tier beast flame with an Earth-rank Dou Skill. Xiao Tianbao, on the other hand, had bid for a piece of land in Zhuque City.
Every inch of land in Zhuque City was worth gold. If one's ancestors were not here, it would be very difficult to gain a foothold.
Now that Xiao Tianbao had broken through to Dou Venerate, he was qualified to enter the imperial city.
After the rare items were auctioned off one by one, the main event finally arrived.
The moment the eighth-grade pill appeared, all eyes in the venue turned to the center.
One after another, halos of spiritual charm emanated from the pill. If not for the special method of preservation, it would probably have escaped in front of everyone.
"An eighth-grade, three-colored Pill Lightning, the Wisdom Heart and Spirit-Connecting Pill. It can greatly improve a cultivator's comprehension, making it twice the result with half the effort when comprehending cultivation techniques and Dou Skills. Those with outstanding talent can even develop new cultivation techniques and Dou Skills suitable for themselves in this state. Even after the state has passed, one can still maintain a calm heart and clear mind, improving one's state during cultivation."
The auctioneer finished introducing the effects of this eighth-grade pill.
This was a pill with a very significant effect. It could greatly improve a cultivator's comprehension and understanding of themselves in a short period of time, thereby creating a cultivation framework that could not be built in an ordinary state, and finding a path that was more suitable for them.
Whether it was completed in the end or not, this was a gain that could help a cultivator go further.
However, although the pill was good, there was no need for Han Feng to fight for it on this occasion.
Firstly, the bidding intensity of these people was too great. Everyone had been saving up their financial resources for this finale item.
Secondly, Han Feng could refine it himself. Although eighth-grade ingredients were difficult to find, the cost was definitely much lower than buying it now.
In the end, this eighth-grade pill was bought by the imperial chancellor, Lü Yan.
This was a man with a serious face and a mature bearing.
His presence was not high. Sitting there, he seemed to have blended into the crowd.
But all the upper echelons of the Nanli Empire knew that this was a chancellor who stood at the pinnacle of power.
If the Nanli Empress was the core and center of the entire empire, then he was the thickest pillar of this country.
Seeing Lü Yan bid for the eighth-grade pill, the Empress was not surprised. She just had someone remove the auction stage, and the center of the venue returned to its original state.
"Everyone."
The Empress's voice sounded, and everyone focused their attention.
"You are all more or less aware of the situation at the southern border."
"I will tell you now, just yesterday, the evil beasts in the Purple Shattered Ruins have officially rioted."
As soon as these words were spoken, the faces of everyone present changed.
The originally harmonious atmosphere instantly became gloomy.
The Purple Shattered Ruins... had rioted!
This name, in the eyes of the people of the Nanli Empire, was a symbol of disaster.
Han Feng's eyes narrowed slightly.
The Purple Shattered Ruins had already rioted?
It seemed that the empire's intelligence was more up-to-date. The people from the Golden Lion Tribe had not sent a message to inform him that the riot had begun.
Or perhaps the imperial army was guarding it too tightly, so the news had not been leaked.
"The empire's soldiers have already rushed to the front lines to intercept them, but they are far from enough."
The Empress's gaze instantly became majestic as she swept sharply over everyone present.
"Among you, is there anyone willing to go to the Purple Shattered Ruins and pacify the disaster?"
After a brief silence, the first person raised his hand.
It was someone from the Wenren family.
Han Feng saw him slowly stand up, and a smile appeared on his lips.
Old brother, I've found you.
He was the owner of the Myriad Beast Spirit Flame in his previous life.
Wenren Xuan.
A man with a square face.
Wenren Jing was stunned when he saw his son stand up at the first moment.
Are you kidding me? What are you joining in the fun for?
Before he could react, the Empress was already looking at Wenren Xuan with an appreciative gaze.
"Wenren Xuan, is it? I remember you. Very good."
A disciple of an alchemist family, his soul power was far superior to that of ordinary people. He was a very suitable candidate.
"It is my duty to contribute to the empire," Wenren Xuan said word by word.
With the Empress's approval, the matter was settled. Wenren Jing's expression was complicated as he looked at his son, feeling both gratified and annoyed.
Why are you so stubborn!
The Purple Shattered Ruins! Few of those who go there have a good end.
Even if this old bag of bones had to go, it would be better than you, the future hope of the Wenren family.
Wenren Xuan placed his hand on his father's shoulder, stopping his next move.
"Father, one of us has to go."
"Just let me guard the surname of Wenren."
The voice entered his ears. Wenren Jing's body trembled, and his nose tingled.
After Wenren Xuan stood up, the scene seemed to fall silent again. At this moment, Han Feng slowly raised his hand.
The Empress's gaze turned to him.
"You are... Han Feng."
The Empress naturally knew of this famous person who had stolen the show at the Weapon Refining Conference.
"Your Majesty, I am not a person of the Nanli Empire. If I choose to go, will there be a reward?"
The Empress did not answer Han Feng's question immediately, but instead asked, "Do you know what it means to step into the Purple Shattered Ruins?"
Han Feng nodded. "Senior Xiao has already told me, and I have also obtained more accurate information from old sir Wenren Jing. I choose to go to the Purple Shattered Ruins."
The Empress looked at Han Feng deeply, then nodded.
"On behalf of the hundreds of millions of citizens of the Nanli Empire, I thank you."
"As for the matter of the reward, as long as it is within my power, I will definitely satisfy you."