Chapter 356: Dark Hall’s Plan

"Realm of Nine Heavens"

Stolen joy always slips away like a white steed through a crevice.

Gazing at Fu Liye's face, the woman felt dazed. Though they had just met today, she felt as if they had known each other for a long time. Unable to restrain her emotions, she murmured, "I must be out of my mind!"

"What's wrong with following your heart's desire?" Fu Liye smiled faintly.

Dolyn trembled slightly at his words, her thoughts conflicted. "You still haven't told me what you need my help with."

"I want to be with you."

Fu Liye's handsome smile made her heart flutter, but his words sent it plummeting. Though she basked in his charm, she had no intention of turning this into a long-term relationship. "I thought I only needed to help you once."

Fu Liye's face still wore that handsome smile. "Isn’t being with me better than being the Duke's mistress?"

Dolyn sat up sharply. "You—"

She wasn’t some common woman he could casually flirt with. "Don’t overthink it, beautiful Lady Dolyn. Or perhaps you’d prefer I call you Baroness Worton?"

Dolyn’s body turned ice-cold. The warmth and joy that had enveloped her moments ago now felt like daggers of ice piercing her skin. He knew who her husband was—and about her affair with the Duke. Their so-called chance encounter had been meticulously planned by him.

"Don’t blame yourself. From what I know, everything you’ve done was to make up for your husband’s mistakes. You were forced into this connection with the Duke to protect him, weren’t you?"

"Who are you, really?"

"Dolyn, don’t you remember me at all? I’m Hegmur. I swore when I was ten that I would be your knight."

Dolyn stared blankly at Fu Liye, taking over ten seconds to piece together a hazy childhood memory. "But... didn’t you die of illness—"

"No, I didn’t die. I was secretly conscripted. Now I’ve grown up and returned." As he spoke, Fu Liye gently pulled Dolyn back to his side. "Though we were just children when we parted, it was my longing for you that got me through those brutal training years. Sadly, I returned too late—you were already Lady Worton."

Dolyn’s breath caught. Her frozen body gradually warmed again. "We can’t be together."

"Dolyn, I only want to be your knight. Just let me stay by your side—that’s enough. For you, just being seen by you would fulfill me... Whatever you ask of me, I’ll do it without hesitation. Whether you’re Lady Worton or someone else, to me, you’ll always be Dolyn. All I ask is your happiness."

Enveloped by his honeyed words and gazing at his soldier’s build and chiseled features, Dolyn felt her heart melt. Here was someone who loved her unconditionally—and heavens, he was so strong and commanding. She knew what conscription meant—it was one of the Empire’s secret methods for training elite operatives from childhood. Her eyes gradually regained warmth as she looked at Fu Liye. "But—"

"No objections. Listen, I’ll go to the Duke’s castle and become his knight. But I want you to understand—my true loyalty is to you, Dolyn."

Overwhelmed by immense happiness, Dolyn failed to notice the strange flicker in Fu Liye’s smiling face—nor the faint glow of a rune that flashed and vanished behind her back.

As night fell, Dolyn slipped out of the hotel under the cover of darkness. Fu Liye, showing no signs of fatigue, headed to a bar not far from the hotel.

Inside, the singer and band were energetically performing a pulsing tavern song. The lively drumbeats turned the bar into a dance floor, where women of all kinds danced provocatively in the dim, sultry atmosphere.

When Fu Liye stepped onto the dance floor, he was warmly welcomed by the women—mostly merchants or mercenaries from other countries visiting Sutton City, along with the bar’s hired dancers. In a foreign land on a lonely night, anyone might yearn for something new.

Fu Liye moved among them, making each feel uniquely noticed—as though his smiles were meant for her alone. Yet in truth, Fu Liye hadn’t smiled at anyone.

Every woman instinctively wanted to leave a good impression on him, so in the end, none managed to actually end up in his arms.

And that was exactly what Fu Liye wanted. He made his way to the innermost private booth on the bar’s second floor, ignoring the "Do Not Disturb" sign, and pushed the door open.

On the black sofa inside, an extraordinarily beautiful woman watched his intrusion with an amused expression. "Hah, I thought you’d be the last to arrive."

"I’d like to be, but exceptions happen." Fu Liye sat down beside her, his thigh brushing against hers, then popped a piece of fruit into his mouth. Suddenly, a fleshy winged insect emerged from his head, circled the booth once, and landed on the woman. Her skin rippled like water as it vanished.

Fu Liye looked intrigued. "Sometimes, I really wonder—is this appearance of yours real, or just another mask you show the world?"

"Take a guess?" The woman smiled.

"If I had to guess, I think you must be even more beautiful."

"You really know how to sweet-talk, no wonder so many women, knowing full well you're an irresponsible rake, still willingly play the moth to your flame."

"No, I genuinely love them," Fu Liye defended with a smile, though he left half the sentence unspoken: only while they're together.

"And her? Did you have me collect her pheromones with the flying ants because you genuinely love her too?" The Ant Queen scoffed.

"Cut the crap. The boss isn't here, so drop the act."

*Bang!* The private room's door was pushed open again.

A grotesque dwarf walked in, his unnervingly cold eyes almost merging with his nose. Beside him stood a man and a woman, both tall and well-built, their appearances divine—like the Sun God and Goddess of Beauty plucked from a painting—yet their eyes were lifeless, filled with ashen emptiness.

Fu Liye stared at the dwarf's eyes and recognized him instantly, despite never having met him before: the Child Emperor! Those icy eyes looked like they could rip a soul straight from its body.

The man and woman were clearly the Child Emperor's unique puppets.

"Good, we're all here," Fu Liye said, his smile fading.

The alluring woman waved her hand, and runes flared briefly around them before fading. Instantly, the room fell silent—the bar’s music cut out, and all sound was contained within the four walls.

The Child Emperor sat in silence on a nearby couch, his two slaves immediately kneeling. The slave who looked like the Sun God crouched in front of him, letting the Child Emperor rest his legs comfortably on his back, while the female slave knelt behind, kneading his shoulders.

"To survive an encounter with the Nine-Headed Dragon Haikula, you must have the devil’s own luck," the Child Emperor remarked, glancing at Fu Liye with an unreadable glint beneath his eyelids.

Fu Liye smirked. "Haha, perhaps it's because the ladies don’t want a handsome man like me leaving them too soon."

"Hmph." The Child Emperor, born a dwarf, despised handsome men more than anything—especially those who could charm women. He suddenly pressed down hard with his feet, and the Sun God-like male slave coughed up a bloody mass of viscera. Yet, bizarrely, the blood slithered like snakes back into the slave's body through his ears.

*What good is being handsome and charming if you end up as my puppet?*

"Enough small talk," the Ant Queen interjected, steering the conversation back on track. "Fu Liye, what exactly is your plan for the boss's mission?"

"All this trouble just to kill some duke? Making me arrive half a month early, even forcing me to dig through some trash woman’s childhood memories in her dreams? Fu Liye, you’d better have one hell of an explanation." The Child Emperor’s eyes gleamed dangerously, and a faint eerie glow leaked from the female slave, merging into the room’s shadows. Even among Dark Hall comrades, the Child Emperor showed no restraint. In truth, had it not been for the soul backlash from his last pursuit of Karida...

Fu Liye smirked faintly. The Child Emperor’s reaction was precisely what he had anticipated. Having him arrive early served two purposes: only the Child Emperor’s dream infiltration could uncover secrets unnoticed, and with his soul injured, now was the perfect time to control him.

If not for his injury, why else would the Child Emperor, who usually avoided meetings, attend in person?

"The Duke of Sutton is already Ghost-tier himself, not to mention the two mysterious guards by his side. Completing this mission flawlessly won’t be easy. Child Emperor, has your injury fully healed?"

The Child Emperor’s eyes turned cold. "Regardless, the duke’s soul—and his guard’s—are mine."

He had come personally to make this demand crystal clear. Only by devouring the duke’s soul could he swiftly resolve the lingering backlash from his last failure... a bizarre backlash. Every night in his dreams, a strange insect clung to his soul—neither spirit nor soul, untouchable by any means—yet it devoured a tenth of his daily cultivation gains...

The Ant Queen frowned. "Child Emperor, the boss said Fu Liye is in charge. We follow his lead. Are you questioning the boss’s orders?"

The Child Emperor curled his lip, though a flicker of something unreadable passed through his eyes. The shadows that had burst from the female slave earlier retracted back into her body.

In the Dark Hall, he bowed to no one—except the boss. He had once tested the boss’s soul...

No one in this world scared him more than the boss!

Fu Liye smirked. "Relax. Sutton City is a fine place. No need to rush—we’re waiting for the right moment. Killing them is one thing, but securing what the boss wants is key. Ant Queen, that’s where the woman comes in. I’ll also use Hegmur’s identity as cover. First step: make her the duke’s favorite lover..."

The Ant Queen smiled in response: "Don't worry, both her and the Duke's pheromones have been collected and are ready. Once brewed and infused with my Ant Queen's pheromone to create a perfume for her to wear, she will become the woman most irresistible to the Duke of Sutton in this world."

"What does the boss want with those things anyway?"

The Ant Queen turned to Child Emperor: "The boss's affairs—We'll know what we're meant to know in time."

Fu Liye shrugged nonchalantly and continued eating his fruit tray: "Who knows? The boss isn't like us, but following him sure makes life exciting. The world will be turned upside down one day!"

"By the way, Child Emperor, don’t overplay the 'Night Demon' persona. I know you need to nourish your soul, but if you devour too many souls and someone figures out it's you, affecting the boss's plans, I won’t cover for you. You’ll have to explain it to the boss yourself," Fu Liye said leisurely.

…………

The platform was crowded with people, some standing, others sitting, chatting about various topics. Clang-clang-clang... A Magic Rail Train sped toward them from the distance.

"It's here! The train from Dragon City is here!"

"Get ready, everyone! Chop-chop and stay sharp!"

At the shout, those seated on the platform stood up and crowded along both sides of the rune tracks, eagerly watching as the Magic Rail Train swiftly approached and gradually slowed down.

Choo-choo, whoosh...

The train finally came to a stop. The door of one carriage slid open, revealing Old Wang and five others, with their gear packed and solemn-faced, standing at the entrance.

Old Wang, Winnie, and Mapeier walked ahead casually, chatting as they went.

"So many people!" Andy couldn't help but feel somewhat undeserving. He hadn’t contributed much, yet just by following the Rose team, he was now receiving such a grand welcome upon returning home.

Back in Aurora City, thanks to Anbolin, Andy had always enjoyed some level of respect wherever he went. But compared to the heroic status he held now, his past standing seemed utterly insignificant.

The crowd, braving the scorching sun, waited eagerly along the tracks, their enthusiasm so intense that some even stripped off their shirts, revealing their well-built muscles, unwilling to leave... This was truly a hero's welcome!

Kela, too, felt a surge of emotion. Among the crowd, she spotted many beastman brethren. Honestly, representing the beastmen in this Dragon City expedition and even fighting alongside the Frost Spirits to slay several Nine Gods' Disciples—this was an honor beyond what any beastman had ever imagined!

As for Ah Xi, walking at the very back... Ah Xi was so moved he was nearly in tears!

Bringing glory to his ancestors—this was truly bringing glory to his ancestors!

The last time he had brought such honor was when he got into Rose Academy. His old man had thrown a dozen banquet tables, with over a hundred guests celebrating. That alone had made his father over the moon. But compared to this turnout—spontaneously gathered people numbering far more than a hundred or two—his father would probably have to host a feast lasting days to match it!

"Hello, everyone! We're back!" Ah Xi waved excitedly at the crowd, basking in the limelight. But the next moment...

"Carriage Five! Get some people over to Carriage Five!"

"Carriage Seven needs bags—all the bags! Bring them here, quick!"

"Foreman Zhang, is that fat guy an acquaintance of yours?" someone nearby asked. "He’s waving at you."

"Dunno him. Probably some nutjob... Goddammit, hurry up and move! No slacking off!"