Refusing any dance invitations wasn't unique to them, as there were quite a few others who weren't dancing either.
All the attendees were players, and merely staying in a large hall was already extremely dangerous, let alone dancing with arms over shoulders and waists entwined, which might result in "sudden death" by evening.
"You've arrived?" Zheng Qing, dressed in a cocktail dress, approached with her long, healthy tan legs.
"Qing sister?" Li Qianxia exclaimed, "Aren't you in charge of the players from Ming City?"
"Exactly why I'm here," Zheng Qing replied with a smile, quickly glancing at Li Changzhou and casually explained, "I'm from your side, and there's also a member from the Special Warfare Bureau on the Saint Master's side. We're responsible for mediating this matter."
"Qing sister, this matter isn't our fault at all, it was the other party who provoked us first," Li Qianxia said.
"I know, I'll do my best to speak on your behalf, but you must remember, no matter what, do not resort to violence. The moment you do, even if you have a good reason, the Special Warfare Bureau won't take your side, that's the bottom line."
Li Changzhou merely glanced at Zheng Qing without offering a greeting; he currently had no time for anything else.
After mustering his courage for a long time, he finally gathered enough.
"Shall we dance one too?" he asked Yang Qinglan in a low voice, his throat dry and heart pounding.
Yang Qinglan glanced at him and asked, "I know you can dance the dance of 1928, but can you dance the current ones too?"
Her voice also lowered, as if sharing a secret.
"Just learned it by watching them," Li Changzhou pointed to the dance floor.
"Premeditated?"
"When you stood me up at the café today, I've been thinking about it since, wanting to hold your hand again."
Yang Qinglan looked down, smiling with pursed lips, then lifted her head, her clear eyes sparkling under the lights, her delicate lips forming the shape of 'okay,' but before she could voice it—
"Here they come," someone from Turquoise Pool leaned in.
Both followed her gaze to the entrance of the party, where a man accompanied by five women walked in.
The man was handsome, ranking about 8 points in charm according to the Value Game, which made him a rare good-looking guy.
The five women behind him, vying with each other in beauty, were all dressed in various styles of gorgeous evening dresses: strapless, mermaid, simple, A-line, and strapless A-line, each a beauty in her own right.
The most eye-catching was the woman closest to the handsome man.
She wasn't wearing a gown but a white robe, with golden hair cascading down like a waterfall, a pair of pure blue eyes, and an innocent and flawless demeanor. Just by charm alone, she might only be around 8 points, but her special aura gave her extra points, similar to Li Changzhou's Divine Body.
A middle-aged man in a suit approached them, exchanged a few words, and then walked over in their direction.
"It's the Saint Master!"
"He is the Saint Master? The one with S-level Instinct and three thousand players under his command?"
"Yes, I've seen him before!"
The hall gradually quieted down like an engine shutting off. At such a high-level event, S-level Instinct remained elusive.
The Saint Master walked over, not looking at Li Changzhou but stopping first at Turquoise Pool, Li Qianxia...
Li Changzhou took a step forward, watching the other party.
"It was you who killed Hell?" The Saint Master's gaze shifted over, his tone indifferent, speaking from a position of superiority.
"It was me," Li Changzhou answered.
The air was thick with the smell of gunpowder.
"Two, please," the middle-aged man in charge of the Saint Master began, "Let's all talk nicely and show some sincerity."
The Saint Master glanced at him and said to Li Changzhou, "Hand over the Identity Card of Hell, kneel down and admit your mistake, and we'll call it even."
"The Saint Master sure has a lot of sincerity," the middle-aged man looked towards Li Changzhou.
Sincerity?
"Hold on," Zheng Qing frowned, "The Identity Card will definitely be returned, but let's forget about kneeling, shall we? Kneeling looks too bad in modern society."
"He killed the Saint Master's woman; kneeling is already a concession to the Special Warfare Bureau," said a woman in evening dress who couldn't hide her wildness, blood flashing in her eyes.
"It was Hell who made the first move, are we wrong to defend ourselves?" Li Qianxia retorted.
"Does defending yourself justify killing someone?" Another woman behind the Saint Master spoke up, a matron dressed in an 18th-century French court gown, who spoke softly.
Li Changzhou replied coldly, "In the instance, not to mention defense, what's wrong with taking the initiative to kill someone?"
"No wrong," the Saint Master nodded, "That's why Hell did nothing wrong. So why did you kill her? And my other disciples?"
Li Changzhou and his people were momentarily at a loss for words.
It was unbelievable to encounter someone so shameless and domineering.
"Saint Master—"
Zheng Qing was cut off by a black-haired woman behind the Saint Master before she could finish her sentence:
"We are all players from Xia Country. We don't want to hurt the harmony; you all are alive and well, but someone did die on our side, and it was the Saint Master's woman. Kneel down, cross this off, and what more do you want us to concede?"
"The victim-blaming theory?" Li Changzhou scoffed coldly.
"Are you very dissatisfied?" The quiet Saint Master glanced over, "Allowing you to apologize is already giving face to the Special Warfare Bureau. Were this abroad, what are you worth? You wouldn't even qualify to see me!"
"Saint Master!" Zheng Qing's face turned ugly.
"Alright, alright, let's do this instead, let's all give the Special Warfare Bureau another face," the middle-aged man in charge of the Saint Master hastily said, "Li Changzhou doesn't have to kneel, just bow and apologize, and of course, the Identity Card must be returned—Saint Master, how does that sound?"
The Saint Master's gaze flickered towards Li Qianxia and Yang Qinglan.
"They'll each toast me with a drink and we'll call it settled," he said.
Without a second thought, Turquoise Pool quickly grabbed Li Changzhou and whispered urgently, "Don't agree if you won't agree, don't make a move; he's provoking you, wanting you to strike first."
The tense atmosphere began to swell.
Some timid players discreetly left, while most stayed to watch the excitement. Some non-players also remained, disbelieving that anyone would dare to make a move in modern society, especially in the bustling area of Song City.
Li Changzhou pried Turquoise Pool's fingers off and ignored her pleading look, "So what if I make a move?"
"Changzhou!" Zheng Qing also urgently tried to dissuade.
The Saint Master and his people sneered.
"Make a move? Show me," mocked the woman with wildness.
"I was in a very good mood today, and I was planning to let you go," Li Changzhou stated calmly.
He had never actively hunted other players or made use of the abilities of the black mist; otherwise, what would an S-rank count for?
"You know what the biggest difference between us is?" Li Changzhou said to the Saint Master, "You need to care about the Special Warfare Bureau; I don't."
"You ask me what I am worth? I'll tell you now: I want you dead, and no one can stop me!"