Chu Chen’s gaze was burning as he stared at Yan Jue. If looks could kill, he would have ripped Yan Jue to shreds by now.
"Yan Jue, are you only capable of hiding behind your subordinates? If so, you're nothing special."
The phrase "nothing special" belittled Yan Jue into a nobody, someone who could only shelter behind his subordinates.
Yan Jue, however, didn't seem bothered by this.
He slowly, unhurriedly, brushed a speck of dust from his suit jacket.
This suit was bought for him by Tang Xiao Min. He liked it and cherished it.
Even on the battlefield, he maintained an air of languid indifference, utterly fearless.
He repeated his previous statement.
"Hand her over, or I'll flatten your Fen Hall."
"You wouldn't dare!"
Chu Chen roared!
He knew that if the fight continued today, his Fen Hall would likely be trampled by Yan Jue's legion.
"Whether I dare or not, you'll find out if you try," Yan Jue said coldly.
He had clearly run out of patience and was giving Chu Chen his final chance.
The situation had escalated so quickly that Chu Chen's forces were not fully mobilized.
Even though the news had spread, by the time reinforcements arrived, his Fen Hall would probably already be reduced to ruins.
A true man knows when to yield and when to stand firm. He had to stall for as long as possible.
"I don't know the female demon you speak of at all. What do you expect me to give you? Or is this just your excuse to launch an attack?"
Launching a war for a queen… this excuse was a good enough fuse.
"Your surprise attack on my Fen Hall today violates the agreement made by the Ten Halls of Yama. Yan Jue, your good days are numbered."
Yan Jue was unfazed by Chu Chen's threat.
Having already launched the attack and reached this point, he was prepared for any consequences.
Furthermore, he hated being threatened and intimidated the most.
What could be achieved by cowering and being timid?
"In that case, all warriors, heed my command, flatten Fen Hall!"
With Yan Jue's order, the warriors who had been gathered behind him, a vast multitude, immediately raised their weapons, ready to charge into battle.
Seeing this, Chu Chen disregarded everything else.
"Wait! I really don't know any queen. Asking me to hand over someone I've never met, isn't that intentionally making things difficult? This is going too far!"
*Heh…*
In the face of absolute power, all arguments were weak and easily shattered.
Yan Jue possessed overwhelming strength, and he didn't need to reason or debate with Chu Chen.
Right now, all he wanted was to find Tang Xiao Min quickly.
"She is inside your Fen Hall. Hand her over, and I will guarantee the integrity of Fen Hall. I'll give you one last chance."
Yan Jue issued his ultimatum.
Primarily, the Fen Hall was grand and opulent, appearing quite valuable.
As the representative architecture of a powerful shogunate, Fen Hall held significant meaning for Chu Chen.
With Fen Hall destroyed, his dignity would also be shattered.
To preserve his last shred of dignity, he had no choice but to compromise.
But how could there be a female demon in his Fen Hall? All he had were beautiful women.
Still, he couldn't worry about that now.
He would have all the women brought out for Yan Jue to inspect. If Yan Jue couldn't find the female demon, what other excuse could he use?
"Come! Summon all the maids and concubines of Fen Hall. Not a single one is to be missed."
Fen Hall was Chu Chen's palace. He was fond of beauty, and besides himself, it was filled with women.
"King Chu, those are your concubines. Handing them over like this, wouldn't that be… inappropriate?" the guard stammered nervously.
Bringing out his own concubines for another man to see, who knew what kind of ridicule that would bring.
Sometimes, a woman's dignity was intrinsically linked to a man's.
Chu Chen was well aware that this move was humiliating.
But compared to a palace, the latter would bring him even more prestige.
"Just do as you're told. Round them up one by one and see if there's a female demon among them."
Chu Chen found an excuse for his reluctant action: to search for the female demon.
However, those who understood, understood. They wouldn't expose him.
Under the pressure of the army, the guards moved quickly.
Before long, King Chu's consort, Qing Yin, along with several of his beloved companions and a host of attending maids, were all lined up in the plaza.
They had never witnessed such a scene before and trembled in fear.
Qing Yin, who was slightly braver, along with a few other women, wore grim expressions.
"King Chu, what in the world is going on?" Qing Yin asked with a grave expression.
Chu Chen replied helplessly, "They say a female demon from the underworld is in Fen Hall, and Yan Jue attacked Fen Hall to find that demon."
Upon hearing this, Qing Yin's first thought was that it was preposterous, utterly absurd.
She glared angrily in Yan Jue's direction, immediately recognizing him as the leader.
"False charges are easily made. If you claim there's a female demon in Fen Hall, then look properly! Where is this demon?"
"If you find her, take her and get out of the territory of the Living Hell immediately!"
Although Qing Yin was a woman, she was, after all, Chu Chen's consort. While usually gentle, she possessed an inherent arrogance befitting someone of high status.
Her words were unimpeachable.
Zhong Li stepped forward and inspected them one by one, but after looking, he found no trace of Miss Tang.
"General Yan, Miss Tang was not found."
Without even looking, Yan Jue knew that Tang Xiao Min was not among the maids and concubines.
His gaze remained fixed on Fen Hall.
"She is still inside Fen Hall."
Hearing Yan Jue's words, Chu Chen could no longer contain his anger.
This was no longer merely bullying; it was stepping all over him.
"Nonsense! All the women in Fen Hall are already here. I see you're determined to pick a fight today, aren't you? Then there's no need to beat around the bush. Let's fight! Even if I, Chu Chen, am to be annihilated, I will fight you to the end!"
"No, no… Don't be hasty!"
Qing Yin frantically grabbed Chu Chen, stopping him from acting rashly.
It wasn't that she lacked backbone, but the opponent's army was formidable, and they were at a disadvantage. To fight now would be to court self-destruction.
Chu Chen, mistaking Qing Yin's actions for fear of death, tried to comfort her in a deep voice.
"Qing Yin, don't be afraid. When the battle begins, you run out and find Tai Shan, tell him what happened here."
"Chu Chen…" Qing Yin choked up.
She simply couldn't accept this sudden disaster, nor did she want Chu Chen to perish.
"Chu Chen, don't rush. There's still one more woman in Fen Hall, do you remember?" Su Dan Novel Network
"You mean, who else?"
In his panic, Chu Chen had forgotten.
"Oh, it's that vixen you brought back."
"Her?"
With Qing Yin's reminder, Chu Chen finally remembered that he had brought back a very beautiful little sweetie.
But this person seemed unrelated to the female demon Yan Jue was looking for.
"Stop joking, Xiao Tian Tian can't be the female demon."
"They are clearly deliberately picking a fight. Finding the female demon is just an excuse."