Mr. Wen’s tone grew increasingly grave as he spoke: “Among the contemporary masters, even the universally acknowledged Cold-Blooded Supreme, Lei Wu-Bei, famous for his ruthlessness, likely cannot match Jun Mo-Xie’s seemingly effortless detachment in this regard! This is a profound, innate disregard for human life, a bloodthirst rooted in his very soul! Your Majesty, Jun Mo-Xie is far more dangerous than anyone else! He is a being born solely for killing, a threat that perhaps even the Assassin Sovereign Chu Qi-Hun cannot fully rival—”

Mr. Wen paused for a long time, finding himself unable to articulate further, and unconsciously stopped speaking.

His Majesty the Emperor shivered violently!

He didn't need Mr. Wen to explain further; he now clearly grasped the terrifying implication. If someone like Jun Mo-Xie obtained the evidence implicating his father in the conspiracy... the consequences were imaginable!

Jun Mo-Xie would absolutely stop at nothing!

And the power Jun Mo-Xie currently commanded was an immense force that the Emperor could no longer easily shake. Even a sudden strike offered no guarantee of success! If even a single member of the Jun family managed to escape, they would still be a top-tier master, and the Emperor would live in constant dread of assassination and revenge from experts of that caliber, making life unbearable... The sheer psychological pressure alone would be enough to crush him—

The Blood Sword Hall! It had to be abandoned! Absolutely had to be!

“Furthermore, we must only show appeasement toward the Jun family—unwavering appeasement, appeasement to the absolute limit,” Mr. Wen suddenly smiled. “I believe the Jun family has no concrete evidence yet! There is still room for maneuver. If Your Majesty mends relations before then, the matter might still be salvageable... I recall that Old Master Jun proposed to Your Majesty half a year ago, wishing for Jun Mo-Xie to marry Princess Ling-Meng...”

The Emperor gazed intently at the setting sun, taking a deep breath. “That is correct. Such a proposal was made.”

Mr. Wen smiled. “Then, Your Majesty must already have a plan.”

The Emperor was silent for a long time, letting out a heavy sigh. Still feeling uneasy, he suddenly asked, “Sir, are there any young talents in the Reclusive Immortal Palace?”

Mr. Wen was momentarily stunned, then seemed to calculate for a moment before replying, “None. While the Immortal Palace is certainly home to many transcendent experts, they are all quite advanced in years... How could they still harbor such worldly desires for marriage?”

The Emperor, unwilling to concede, pressed, “Then... the Young Palace Master of the Immortal Palace...?”

“The Young Palace Master is nearly sixty this year...” Mr. Wen offered a wry smile. “His son is already in his thirties, and his grandson is only five or six. Moreover, even if Your Majesty wished to forge an alliance through marriage, the Immortal Palace might be reluctant to make an enemy of the Jun family. The hidden master behind the Jun family possesses unfathomable strength; even the Palace Master himself might not be entirely confident of victory against them...”

The Emperor finally sighed, “Since that is the case, we can only concede to Jun Mo-Xie for now.”

Mr. Wen also sighed. “Your Majesty should not be overly optimistic. At this stage, whether the Jun family will even agree to such a proposal is highly questionable. It is easy to offer charity in times of dire need, but difficult to shower favors when prosperity is already present—”

Silence settled in the room; neither man spoke further.

After a long while, both men sighed in unison...

Within the Dugu Clan Estate.

Old Master Dugu Zong-Heng’s eyes were wide open like bronze bells. Watching his granddaughter, who had been so graceful and slender-waisted just a few months prior, now waddle forward like a penguin, clutching her visibly distended belly, the Old Master felt a surge of blood rush to his head!

Behind him, Dugu Xiao-Yi’s mother let out a gasp—Ah!—covering her mouth in complete disbelief as tears immediately streamed down her face.

Everyone else was frozen, mouths agape, petrified.

Finally, the Old Master snapped back to awareness. Like a caged, frantic tiger, he paced back and forth several times. Unable to find anything to vent his fury upon, he suddenly let out a roar of frustration and viciously pounced, grabbing one son and seven grandsons and administering a furious beating! He seized whomever he could reach, ignoring rank or head, and rained down blows indiscriminately.

As he beat them, he cursed incoherently, his dialect a chaotic mix, so no one could tell what he was actually saying.

The heroic, robust men, resembling seven bulls, simultaneously clutched their heads and squatted down, forming a tight circle with their backsides sticking high in the air, coughing apologetically. Cough, cough, please, old sir, strike away; just spare our faces. The fifteenth of the eighth month's bounty is all yours, esteemed elder.

General Dugu Wu-Di simply covered his head and fled.

Dugu Xiao-Yi hurried forward to mediate. Wherever she walked, the effect was immediate: everyone kept a wide berth, terrified of bumping into her, lest disaster strike... Consequently, Dugu Xiao-Yi became increasingly smug, darting about like a firefighter, running here and there, as if engaged in a delightful game. A crowd of women followed her, crying out loudly, begging her to stop.

Old Master Dugu Zong-Heng’s temper flaring was hardly a rare event in the Dugu Clan. Dugu Xiao-Yi was long accustomed to it.

—Ah—

Dugu Xiao-Yi seemed to have gotten carried away with her antics. After all, strapping such a large pillow to her own body wasn't entirely easy, nor was it particularly stable; though the binding cloth was strong, it couldn't withstand vigorous movement. That it had held up this long was already a minor miracle...

Thus, after maintaining her pretense for just a little longer, she...

Old Madam Dugu, who had kept her eyes locked on her granddaughter since she entered, suddenly noticed something!!! A development that shocked her to her core! Treason!

From the moment Dugu Xiao-Yi entered, Old Madam Dugu had sensed something strange. The girl’s bearing—her closely set brows, upright neck, and long, inwardly turned legs—did not suggest a woman whose innocence had been lost. Yet, how could she be sporting such a large belly? Furthermore, it had only been a few days; how could a body swell so quickly?

Held captive by her initial assumption, the usually shrewd Old Madam could not fathom the secret. As she pondered, she witnessed Dugu Xiao-Yi, mid-stride while running, watch as that conspicuously drooping belly began to slide downward! From a position near her chest, it descended past her lower abdomen, continuing its trajectory down toward her thigh...

The Old Madam’s eyes widened dramatically!

Dugu Xiao-Yi clearly realized her mistake. Hastily, she attempted to subtly support the weight from below with both hands, pulling it back up. But she dared not run wildly anymore, instead glancing furtively around, sticking close to the walls.

“Stop everything! What is the meaning of this uproar!” Old Madam Dugu slammed her dragon-headed cane down and roared in fury.

The nine males—grandfather, father, and grandsons—who were brawling and taking their lumps, continued their enthusiastic fight, the recipients of the blows crying out loudly, making the scene resemble a pig slaughterhouse in a bustling market.

“Xiao-Yi girl! You come here!” Old Madam Dugu, helpless against the fighting group, rolled her eyes and called out directly to her.

“Wh-what for? My body is heavy and clumsy; it’s inconvenient!” Dugu Xiao-Yi shuffled over, clutching her belly, her expression guilty and fidgety, looking far from comfortable.

“You certainly didn't seem inconvenient when you were running around just now. Let me have a good look!” Old Madam Dugu grabbed her hand, intending to feel her stomach. Dugu Xiao-Yi cried out in alarm, spread her arms wide, and executed a backward leap, as nimble as a fawn, warning cautiously, “Grandmother, what are you doing! Your esteemed great-grandchild is in here, you must be careful—”

Before she could finish speaking, with a soft thwump, the ‘esteemed great-grandchild’ Dugu Xiao-Yi mentioned fell out from beneath her skirt. It bounced twice on the floor with a thud-thud, rolled crookedly less than ten feet away, and stopped. It was a round pillow, embroidered with a lively, adorable kitten.

A long ribbon, trailing like a skipping rope, connected one end of the pillow to a loop still attached to Dugu Xiao-Yi’s waist...

The contraption had been precariously placed to begin with, and with that leap and the release of her hands, the deception was exposed.

“This... this...” Dugu Xiao-Yi grimaced, twisting her hands together, her pretty little face flushing crimson with shame and speechlessness.

The incident managed to stun the entire family all over again.

Old Master Dugu Zong-Heng stood with his mouth agape, his raised fist frozen mid-air, his aged face flickering between pale and red.

Dugu Wu-Di sat on the ground, covered in dust, his expression utterly priceless.

Dugu Chong looked aggrievedly at his grandfather, mumbling, “I told you that wasn't true... I told you nothing happened. If anything really happened, I would have known... I told you so...”

“You also told me you were an idiot, and you are indeed a beating waiting to happen, you worthless whelp!” Old Master Dugu Zong-Heng suddenly thundered like lightning! Dugu Chong instantly shrank his neck and fell silent.

Old Master Dugu Zong-Heng, his face contorted, approached Dugu Xiao-Yi with the imposing gait of a dragon. He burst into laughter born of extreme anger: “Good! Good! Good girl! You’ve truly grown up... daring to trick your own grandfather... Marvelous, truly marvelous...” He nodded furiously, having run out of words.

“Grandpa... I... Grandpa, I, I, I...” Dugu Xiao-Yi’s eyes darted around in panic as she backed away, desperately seeking help, but now, every single person had turned their face away, refusing to offer aid.

This little girl was indeed utterly lawless and deserved a lesson! If she wasn't disciplined now, who knew what she would do next? It was simply too disgraceful. A young lady of noble birth, a daughter of a great house, engaging in such deception, not only lying to her family but marching in with a fake pregnant belly right under everyone's noses...

“Beat her soundly!” Dugu Wu-Di voiced the collective sentiment.

“Help!” Dugu Xiao-Yi turned to flee, but Old Master Dugu Zong-Heng shot forward, grabbing the long strip of cloth still trailing on the ground. With a sharp tug, he ‘fished’ Dugu Xiao-Yi up like a catch, yanking her back with a whoosh. He flipped his hand, pinned her against his knee, and delivered two crisp, loud smacks.

Dugu Xiao-Yi struggled and shrieked, tears streaming down her face like waterfalls.

The Old Master hadn't felt anything special when hitting his grandsons, but after slapping his granddaughter twice, his heart ached, and he couldn't bring himself to strike again.

“Father, give that disobedient girl to me! Today I will make sure this girl...” Dugu Wu-Di scrambled up from the ground, rubbing his hands together, eagerness mixed with ferocity in his expression. “To dare trick her own father! She truly needs a proper lesson, a heavy beating!”

“What are you going to do to the girl, you bastard? Get lost!” Old Master Dugu Zong-Heng shook his beard and roared. “Xiao-Yi is delicate; how can you beat her? Get back there and stand down, scram!”

Dugu Wu-Di’s face darkened. Those two slaps you just delivered were quite solid, Father! That was my own daughter you were hitting! I naturally feel protective! I was planning to go next and take it easier on her for you... But you immediately shielded her again...