The feast went off without a hitch, but the heavy mood hung over the hall and made things difficult.
The mood of the king and some family members was bad because of Liu Yang's casual and disrespectful attitude towards them.
So they wanted to teach him a lesson, but they held back because it was a special feast.
The feast lasted only three hours before it ended and each noble returned to their mansions in the city.
Normally, an honored guest would be staying at the royal palace, but Liu Yang's attitude changed that, so he was taken to the mansion of a noble ally of the king.
"Young Hayes, do you have any plans for the future?" A middle-aged man with a big beard on his face asked. He wore noble clothes and some expensive jewelry on his fingers and neck.
"Right now, I only have plans to defeat the demonic creatures and get stronger. But I also think about wanting to go home and see my family and lovers." Liu Yang answered honestly.
The feeling of longing and the warmth of loved ones was something new to him.
Even without the memories of the world outside the pagoda, he still felt a small emptiness inside him. For it was something within his soul.
Katharin and Xinyue managed to partially fill that void, but there were still things he didn't have in his life.
"I see… Why don't you try to become a noble? There are many benefits to having a noble title. It's so much better than just being a battlefield soldier. Your family members would also receive better benefits and wouldn't have to work as hard."
"I don't think it's necessary because it will attract unnecessary trouble. Political strife is not something I would like to get involved in." Liu Yang would not accept that because it is the same as putting his family's lives at risk.
None of them were powerful enough to defend themselves and they could only depend on the others. So it was very dangerous for them to deal with other nobles.
"Young Hayes, you are still young and you have time to think about this matter. If you like, I can arrange a young lady from a noble family for you. That sort of thing is very normal in the nobility."
"I thank Earl Norton for the offer, but it's still not something I want. But I may change my mind in the future. You never know"
"I hope young Hayes makes the right choice"
…
The following week, Liu Yang received a promotion to one of the most powerful and deadly assault squads in the kingdom, the Suicide Squad. As the name implies, the squad members were madmen who fought on the front lines to the death.
That was his punishment for being disrespectful to the king.
The other commanders stopped the king from sending people to kill Liu Yang as punishment, so he had to punish him in another way.
Using him to kill the demonic creatures was a good form of punishment.
The battleground where he was assigned was the most dangerous and deadly among all battlegrounds.
Even the most powerful had little chance of surviving on the spot when they fought on the battlefield.
The demonic creatures were not only the most powerful among all the others, but they also had battle instincts as sharp as a combat expert.
It wasn't just appearances that were more monstrous and frightening than the others, but also abilities and power.
Liu Yang didn't even need to fear the creatures, but caution was needed.
The first fight was against a solo creature using the new gear forged for the new battlefield.
After much difficulty and almost being killed, he managed to defeat the demonic creature and receive a lot of experience for more than one level.
So he continued to fight for several hours straight until he got tired.
Several levels were received.
Even the other Suicide Squad soldiers were shocked by his performance on the battlefield.
His punishment became the greatest blessing.
In just seven days, the number of levels he received surpassed many others.
The royal family became apprehensive because a very powerful soldier appeared. One who can oppose their orders.
There were only two choices to make.
Retire or kill Liu Yang.
The king's choice was the most radical. He chose to kill Liu Yang to prevent him from getting stronger.
But that was the worst possible choice.
The assassination attempt failed and the feeling of revenge appeared in his heart.
With no other choice, Liu Yang's family and lovers were kidnapped to be used as a hostage and lured him into a trap.
Contrary to expectations, Liu Yang didn't show up in the kingdom's capital until a month later.
The king didn't dare kill or torture the hostages because he thought that if Liu Yang went mad, he could hide and level up until he was so powerful that no one in the kingdom could handle him.
So he chose to just lock them in the prison.