When Xu Kaihan slowly regained consciousness, the first thing he saw was Yi Feng lounging with one leg crossed over the other, casually munching on peanuts.
"Who the hell are you? What do you want?"
"Iām the young master of the Moonview Sect, the White Emperorās lover! How dare you lay hands on me?"
"Youāve got some nerve!"
Groggy and aching all over as if his bones had been shattered, Xu Kaihan bared his teeth and glared at Yi Feng, spewing curses without a trace of his usual refined, jade-like demeanor.
For emphasis, he even spat at Yi Feng!
But whether from exhaustion or sheer incompetence, the spit didnāt even reach its targetāinstead, it dribbled pathetically down his own chin.
Disgusted, Yi Feng couldnāt help but inwardly scoff at the White Emperorās poor taste.
What kind of trash was she dragging into her bed?
If this fool couldnāt even spit properly, he probably pissed on his own shoes in the wind.
"Hey! Are you deaf? Iām talking to you!"
When Yi Feng ignored him, Xu Kaihan raised his voice even louder.
The shrill noise made Yi Feng scratch his ear in irritation before grabbing Xu Kaihanās chin with a cold smirk. "Did it never occur to you that I specifically came for the White Emperorās so-called āloverā?"
"Y-youāhow dare you?!"
Xu Kaihanās eyes bulged, his voice trembling. "Do you even know what youāre doing?"
He couldnāt believe it. This man knew he was the White Emperorās lover and still kidnapped him?
"Because the White Emperor and I have a blood feudāone that ends only in death!" Yi Fengās expression darkened as he snarled, "So why donāt you save us both the trouble and tell me where she is?"
"Otherwise, Iāll turn you into a human stick!"
"A blood feud with the White Emperor⦠and youāll turn me into a human stick?!"
Xu Kaihanās face drained of color. The moment the words registered, he immediately began groveling. "B-brother, I swear I donāt know where the White Emperor is!"
"You donāt know?"
Yi Fengās face twisted into something monstrous.
He grabbed a nearby broadsword and dragged its cold, unsharpened edge harshly across Xu Kaihanās neck.
"Ahhhā!"
"Iām dead! Dead, dead, dead!"
The bladeās icy aura seeped into his flesh, and coupled with Yi Fengās murderous glare, Xu Kaihan lost control of his bladder, squeezing his eyes shut as he wailed.
"I was wrong, I was wrong!"
"Iāll talk, Iāll talk right now!" he howled.
Hearing this, Yi Fengās eyes gleamed.
"Really?" he said, delighted. "Thatās more like it!"
As he withdrew the gleaming blade, he added cheerfully, "See? Was that so hard?"
"Now, where is she?"
"My lord, what I meant was⦠I donāt actually know her!"
"Iām not the White Emperorās lover at allāthose rumors were all lies I made up!"
SMACK!
A brutal slap sent Xu Kaihanās head snapping to the side, stars exploding in his vision.
"Playing games with me, huh?" Yi Fengās blade returned to his neck, pressing down with lethal intent. "Looks like you wonāt talk until you see your own coffin."
He leaned in, his voice dripping with menace.
"Let me make this clearāthe White Emperor and I are sworn enemies. Generations of hatred, an endless cycle of bloodshed! If I canāt kill her myself, Iāll slaughter everyone she holds dear!"
With a flick of his wrist, the sky outside darkened visibly.
Ominous clouds rolled in, pressing down like the weight of the world.
Xu Kaihan gaped at the roiling storm beyond the door, his soul nearly leaving his body.
A blood feud with the White Emperor⦠endless vengeanceā¦
If he couldnāt kill her, heād slaughter everyone around herā¦
Holy shit.
Heād stepped into a nightmare.
Prostrating himself, Xu Kaihan kowtowed frantically.
"Misunderstanding! A huge misunderstanding!"
"My lord, youāve got the wrong man!!"
"This is all a terrible mistake!!!"
"I donāt even know the White Emperor!"
"Please, spare my worthless life!"
Yi Feng watched the desperate display with a sneer. "You think Iām an idiot? The whole Nine Realms knows youāre her loverāyou expect me to believe itās all lies?"
To drive the point home, he pulled out an arsenal of weapons from his spatial ring.
With a thunderous CRACK, he slammed them into the ground, fracturing the floor like a spiderās web.
The message was clear: refusal meant dismemberment.
Xu Kaihan shuddered violently.
"My lord, I beg you, I truly donāt know her!" he sobbed.
How could he convince this madman? Heād never even met the White Emperor!
"Tch." Yi Feng crossed his arms, unimpressed. "I didnāt expect you to be so loyal."
"Even now, youād rather break your own skull than betray her."
Despite all the threats, this fool still refused to drag his "lover" into danger.
Such touching devotion.
Too bad it only pissed Yi Feng off more.
"Guess Iāll have to torture it out of you."
"My lord, no need for torture! Iāll confess to anything! Ask me anything and Iāll answer!" Xu Kaihan cried. "If I donāt talk, itās only becauseā"
"I genuinely donāt know!!!"
Yi Feng rolled his eyes. "Damn it, did I kidnap you to admire your undying love?!"
Enraged, he swung the blade up, resting its edge against Xu Kaihanās throat.
"Talk. Now."
The roar alone made Xu Kaihan flinchāthen another warm trickle ran down his leg.
Yi Feng wrinkled his nose, glancing down before shooting Xu Kaihan a look of utter disdain.
Though, grudgingly, there was a hint of respect too.
This idiot really was willing to die for love.
Xu Kaihan clenched his jaw, realizing words were useless now.
This man was convinced he was the White Emperorās lover.
Under normal circumstances, heād be thrilled. But facing this executioner, he wanted to strangle the servants whoād spread those damned rumors.
Survival now hinged on a different approach.
No matter how much he denied it, Yi Feng wouldnāt believe him.
Gritting his teeth, Xu Kaihan lifted his headājust as Yi Feng started sharpening his blade.
"If you touch me, my father will hunt you down! Heās the Sect Master of Moonview Sect!" Seeing no other option, Xu Kaihan bluffed, though his voice shook as much as his bones.
Yi Feng kept grinding the blade.
The metallic shing-shing made even Xu Kaihanās nether regions quiver.
Desperate, he doubled down.
"Not just hunt youāIām his only heir! My fatherās a titled Sage! And stronger than the White Emperor! Hurt me, and heāll skin you alive!"
The sharpening stopped.
Yi Feng turned, flashing a grin as his four-meter blade gleamed under the light, illuminating his pearly whites.
Heād only wanted to lure out the White Emperor, but now heād stumbled upon a Sage even mightier than her?
What a delightful surprise.
"Ohhh~" Yi Feng nodded slowly, feigning enlightenment. "I see now."
"Just to confirmāyour fatherās really a Sage?" He stood, dragging the blade across the floor, leaving a jagged scar in its wake.
"Uhā¦"
His father was only at the Dao Manifestation realm. Claiming he was a Sage stronger than the White Emperor was shameless, but survival trumped pride.
"That's right, my father is a Sage!"
"A tremendously powerful Sage."
"When he strikes, it's utterly terrifying."
"Release me now, and if my father finds out I've been captured, heāll surely come for me. If he sees Iām unharmed, he might just spare your life." Xu Kaihan seized the opportunity to bargain.
Yi Feng laughed.
"Fine, Iāll give you a chance. Call your father here." Yi Feng set his broadsword aside and retrieved a jade slip from Xu Kaihanās storage ring.
The move left Xu Kaihan stunned.
This wasnāt how things were supposed to go.
Why wasnāt this guy intimidated by his threats?
Shouldnāt he be letting him go? Why was he handing him the jade slip instead?
But the gleaming blade nearby left him no time to dwell on it. He grabbed the jade slip and wailed into it.
"Dad! Dad! Save me!" Xu Kaihan cried, tears and snot streaming down his face. "If you donāt come soon, your sonās gonna dieāwaaah!"
With that, he crushed the jade slip in his hand.
It instantly turned to dust, scattering into the wind.