At Mo Han's chillingly cold threat, the Third Prince could hold back no longer and finally spoke, "What do you intend to do? Don't be reckless. I am the Third Prince of the Fire Cloud Empire—do you really dare to kill me?" Hearing this, Mo Han replied in the same icy tone, "I repeat my previous statement. For the sake of what happened before, if you apologize to my friend, I will let you go. Otherwise... you know the consequences."

Seeing that the situation was deteriorating, Elifer realized that if he didn't step in, this foolish Third Prince might very well lose his life. With this thought, Elifer hastily interjected, addressing Mo Han, "Your Highness the Prince, show mercy. This is truly just a misunderstanding. Furthermore, Your Highness was somewhat in the wrong first, and our Third Prince is young and impetuous, so his words might have been a bit sharp. I hope Your Highness can be magnanimous and overlook it."

Mo Han’s tone remained unchanged as he responded, "As long as he apologizes to my friend today, that is my only demand."

Elifer hadn't expected Mo Han to be so resolute. It seemed the woman in Mo Han's arms must share a very special connection with him. No wonder Mo Han became so enraged when the Third Prince referred to that woman as a female slave.

Considering this, Elifer spoke with difficulty, "But your friend appears to still be unconscious. Even if His Highness the Third Prince apologizes, she might not hear it. Why doesn't Your Highness the Prince release His Highness first, and then we can discuss this properly?"

"That is none of your concern. You only need to apologize to my friend; you don't need to worry about anything else," Mo Han flatly refused Elifer's suggestion, his tone frigid.

Seeing that Mo Han left no room for negotiation, Elifer's expression darkened slightly as he spoke, "Your Highness the Prince, you are going too far. Do you truly wish to make an enemy of our Fire Cloud Empire? You were also at fault initially. Are you relying on your superior strength to bully others?" Mo Han remained unmoved. "I have already said it: as soon as His Highness the Third Prince apologizes to my friend, everything else can be discussed. Otherwise, we have nothing more to talk about. His Highness the Third Prince, have you considered it? I don't have much patience left. I will count to three—either you apologize, or your head will be separated from your body. Choose yourself." Mo Han’s words carried an irrefutable finality.

Hearing Mo Han's declaration, the Third Prince finally understood: if he didn't follow Mo Han's instructions, Mo Han would very likely dare to kill him. Thinking this, the Third Prince's face turned ashen.

Elifer and the others also changed expression, but their Prince was held firmly in Mo Han's grasp. None of them were a match for Mo Han, let alone capable of rescuing their Prince from him. Anxiety etched itself onto their faces; if anything happened to the Third Prince, they would all be held accountable.

At that moment, Mo Han slowly called out, "One."

Hearing Mo Han’s voice, the Third Prince abandoned all pretense of dignity and urgently cried out to Mo Han, "No! I apologize! I apologize for what I said earlier about your friend. Please, don't kill me!"

Hearing this, Mo Han let out a cold snort and slowly withdrew the Light Holy Sword he had held to the other's throat. Seeing this action, the guards quickly pulled their master back. Mo Han made no move to stop them, merely walking slowly back to Bai Ling's side. She, in turn, wore a look of utter composure, her inner thoughts unknown. Mo Han, lacking Bai Ling’s mind-reading abilities, naturally couldn't discern what she was thinking.

Once Mo Han released him, the Third Prince of the Fire Cloud Empire, who had just been saved, had a complexion fluctuating rapidly between pale green and white—a truly spectacular change of color. Clearly, no one had ever treated this imperial prince in such a manner throughout his life. Having just been threatened by Mo Han, he was unwilling to swallow this humiliation.

Just as the Fire Cloud Third Prince was about to say something, Elifer quickly spoke up, "Since it was merely a misunderstanding, let us consider this matter settled today. We hope Your Highness the Prince can forgive the previous misunderstandings that occurred."

Hearing Elifer suddenly become so polite to Mo Han, the Fire Cloud Third Prince was clearly resentful. He voiced his dissatisfaction to Elifer, "Teacher Elifer, why are you being so polite to this person? Since he dared to threaten me just now, he won't be leaving here so easily today!"

Hearing his Prince's words, Elifer couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Didn't this foolish Prince see Mo Han's earlier skill? How easily he could threaten the Fire Cloud Prince’s safety while surrounded by guards. In other words, if Mo Han wanted the Fire Cloud Prince’s life, it would be no difficult task. This was the distinction between a Sword Saint and an ordinary Sword Master—superiority that numbers alone could never overcome. This Fire Cloud Prince, however, still seemed oblivious to this fact. Even adding himself to the fray, they would never match a Sword Saint. With this in mind, Elifer calmly spoke in a low voice to the Fire Cloud Third Prince, "Your Highness must recall what the Emperor instructed before we left: for any major issue, you must defer to my decision. Surely Your Highness hasn't forgotten that so soon?" Hearing Elifer's reminder, the Fire Cloud Prince's face changed, but ultimately, he said nothing more, only letting out a cold snort before ignoring Elifer. Mo Han had heard their entire exchange clearly. Evidently, the Emperor of the Fire Cloud Empire was well aware of his son's capabilities, which was why he established this rule; otherwise, why would a prince ever obey a subject?

Thinking this, Mo Han offered Elifer a slight smile. "Thank you, Master Elifer. Since it was just a misunderstanding, Mo Han will say no more and take his leave now."

With those words, Mo Han bowed slightly to Elifer, then, carrying the still-unconscious Liu Yanran, departed with Bai Ling. Seeing this, the Fire Cloud Prince, though inwardly unwilling, found that Elifer had invoked his father's authority to suppress him. No matter how dissatisfied the Fire Cloud Prince felt, he dared not openly defy the Emperor's decree. The soldiers of the Fire Cloud Empire, seeing their master give no command, had no choice but to clear a path, allowing Mo Han, Bai Ling, and the others to leave.

Upon Mo Han’s return to the inn where he was staying, the innkeeper immediately informed him that someone was asking for him. Mo Han felt a touch of confusion; he knew no one in Fila City. Who could be looking for him? However, when Mo Han saw the visitor, he couldn't help but be surprised.

The person Mo Han saw was none other than the proprietor of the Qiyun Pavilion—that fat man. Why was he looking for him? Was he here to demand compensation for the losses incurred at the Qiyun Pavilion? Mo Han thought to himself with a wry smile, knowing that the owner wouldn't dare approach the Dark Church to demand compensation even if he had ten times the courage. Naturally, he must have come to Mo Han, who appeared more approachable.

With this realization, Mo Han smiled and said, "I am surprised by the visit of Proprietor Aipu. Is there some matter you require? Surely you haven't come seeking compensation for the damages to your Qiyun Pavilion?" Hearing Mo Han's words, Aipu hastily shook his head. "Your Highness the Prince misunderstands! Even if I had the greatest courage, I wouldn't dare demand compensation from Your Highness! Besides, this matter has nothing to do with Your Highness. You jest, Your Highness."

Hearing Aipu’s explanation, Mo Han became slightly curious. "Oh? If that is the case, Proprietor Aipu, what brings you here? I don't recall being particularly familiar with you, Proprietor Aipu."

"Oh, Your Highness the Prince, please don't misunderstand. Didn't Your Highness purchase a female slave at our establishment earlier? However, due to the incident with the Dark Church, the paperwork wasn't completed. I presumed that since Your Highness spent so many gold coins to buy that young slave girl, you must have some interest in her? I came to inquire about Your Highness's intentions. Do you recall her?"

Hearing this, Mo Han was suddenly reminded of young Anli, whom he had bought at the auction. Between the chaos involving the Dark Church and that Fire Cloud Prince, he had genuinely forgotten about the girl. With that realization, Mo Han nodded. "That’s right, I remember now. It's just that too much happened just now, so I didn't recall it immediately. My apologies. Where is that little girl?"

Upon hearing Mo Han, Aipu quickly smiled and said, "Your Highness, rest assured! When we left earlier, we already took the little girl with us. After all, she was an item Your Highness took a fancy to; how could we be careless? She is waiting just outside the door now. Shall Your Highness have her brought in?"

Hearing Aipu, Mo Han inwardly sneered. Of course, he didn't believe Aipu took Anli away for his sake—it was for the million gold coins. Aipu had suffered heavy losses this time; the entire Qiyun Pavilion was destroyed. But if he could collect the one million gold coins Mo Han bid, he could likely recoup his losses. No wonder Aipu was so eager to find him; it was all for his own benefit.

Nevertheless, Mo Han put on a grateful expression and said, "Oh, thank you very much, Proprietor Aipu. Please bring the little girl in. You..."

Hearing Mo Han, Aipu beamed, his face splitting into a wide smile. He quickly chuckled, "Of course! Oh, I wasn't referring to the gold coins! Relying on Your Highness's reputation, how could I possibly doubt you? I will immediately order someone to bring her in."

With that said, Aipu clapped his hands toward the main door, and several burly men from the Qiyun Pavilion brought in the still-frightened Anli. Seeing Mo Han and Aipu, the little girl couldn't help but look terrified. She huddled there, trembling incessantly. Even when Mo Han called her over, she shook her head frantically. Seeing this, Aipu was about to lash out in anger but was stopped by Mo Han. Mo Han spoke quietly, "Proprietor Aipu, you don't need to worry about anything else."

Hearing Mo Han's words, Aipu immediately understood his meaning and quickly replied, "It was my overstepping, Your Highness the Prince, please excuse me. It’s just about the gold coins—does Your Highness intend to pay with the Purple Gold Card or..."

"Give me your account number, and I'll transfer it right away." Before Aipu could finish speaking, Mo Han interrupted him impatiently. Hearing this, Aipu dared not argue and hastily handed Mo Han a universally accepted crystal card on the continent.

By the time Aipu left, it was already evening. Mo Han instructed the innkeeper to prepare a room and a change of clothes for little Anli. Meanwhile, Bai Ling, who had been upstairs, slowly descended. Seeing Bai Ling, Mo Han felt a surge of joy in his heart, as he truly had no experience whatsoever in comforting little girls. Bai Ling, being a woman, would surely be easier to deal with than himself.

With this thought, Mo Han quickly recounted Anli’s ordeal to Bai Ling. Upon hearing what happened to Anli, Bai Ling’s expression turned sorrowful, and she readily agreed to Mo Han's request, causing Mo Han to breathe a sigh of relief. Mo Han had initially worried that Bai Ling's strange temperament might lead her to refuse to help, so this outcome was surprisingly smooth. However, Mo Han couldn't fathom why Bai Ling showed such deep sadness. While Anli’s situation was indeed tragic, Bai Ling’s reaction seemed overly invested. Mo Han could only attribute it to women being overly emotional—after all, Bai Ling was a woman. Though he wasn't entirely convinced by this deduction, he could find no better reason.

Jumping to...

For more novels, visit storyread.net.