Originally, when Emperor Han Mo came personally to greet Qi Bei, who had returned, it was to show favor to the Nord family and to express gratitude to Qi Bei for saving Princess Ming Yue. Those who knew him wouldn't think too much about it, but what about the common people who didn't know him well? Kurt's words just now might cause misunderstandings.
The anger in Han Mo's eyes dissipated as soon as it gathered, and he didn't bother to repeat himself.
At this moment, a black line appeared at the end of the main road.
Like a dark cloud before a heavy rain, it felt incredibly oppressive.
The black line grew thicker and some outlines could be seen, while the ground began to vibrate rhythmically.
"The Black Armored Army, truly worthy of being the number one army in the Golden Leaf Empire, the rhythm of their galloping is so uniform that I can't breathe even though the army is not here yet."
"Yes, my heart is about to jump out of my throat, and my whole body is trembling."
"With the Black Armored Army of the Nord family, they can sit firmly on the throne of the Golden Leaf Empire's number one family."
The commoners watching below were discussing excitedly and passionately. The Black Armored Army had brought too much honor to the Golden Leaf Empire. In their hearts, the Black Armored Army was the pillar of the empire. As long as the Black Armored Army didn't fall, the Golden Leaf Empire wouldn't fall.
At this moment, the Black Armored Army, riding on uniformly black warhorses, had already galloped to a kilometer away from the south gate, like a black wave that could destroy everything.
The faces of the commoners watching turned pale, and some of the more timid ones even collapsed to the ground. The killing intent of the Black Armored Army was too strong.
The Black Armored Army split apart from both sides in an orderly and uniform manner at a kilometer away from the south gate, and Huai'an Nord rode out on his earth-splitting tiger from the middle, with two bodyguards following him straight towards the south gate.
According to the rules, unless it was an army responsible for the defense of the imperial capital, no military force was allowed to set foot in the imperial city. Violators would be deemed to be rebellious.
"I, Huai'an Nord, pay my respects to Your Majesty." Huai'an stopped below the city wall, jumped down from his earth-splitting tiger, and bowed, but his expression was a bit awkward.
"No need for courtesy, where is that little brat, Qi Bei?" Han Mo said from a commanding height on the city wall.
"Your Majesty, Qi Bei… he's feeling a bit unwell and stayed in the Starry City to rest yesterday." Huai'an said.
The Starry City was only half a day's journey away from the imperial capital and was one of the five major guard cities protecting the imperial capital.
Of course, the Starry City also had another name, "The Town of Gentleness," because it was the most famous entertainment city in the Golden Leaf Empire, a holy place for eating, drinking, whoring, and gambling.
Starry City had hundreds of brothels and gambling houses of various levels. Here, the most popular games in the world can be found, and as long as someone has enough gold coins, they will definitely fall in love with this place.
"Huai'an you idiot, you don't need to enter the city, go and drag that smelly kid back for me immediately." When Emperor Han Mo's face was gloomy, Raymond Nord stepped forward and shouted.
"Yes, Father. Your Majesty, I'll take my leave." Huai'an had just arrived at the foot of the imperial city and immediately led the Black Armored Army back to Starry City.
"Your Majesty, that dog son of mine is really stubborn, and I will definitely discipline him well." Raymond had a hateful expression on his face.
"Hehe, that young man has been staying in the Undead Mountains for nine months. It's normal for him to relax." Emperor Han Mo smiled and ordered everyone to return to the palace.
Soon, only the Nord family remained on the city wall.
The patriarch of the Nord family, Kurt Nord, raised his muddy eyes and glanced at Raymond, saying, "Too clever for his own good."
Raymond smiled bitterly. This was not his idea. It was that stinky kid's decision to play this trick, which embarrassed Emperor Han Mo and did not benefit the Nord family. Although Emperor Han Mo regarded the Nord family as a thorn in his eye, the two maintained the appearance of loyal monarch and faithful subject.
...
Qi Bei swaggered through the streets of Starry City with two plainly clothed Black Armored soldiers. He felt everything was so familiar, but at the same time so strange.
Scenes from the past and present flashed before his eyes, making him feel a little confused.
"Life is but a dream." Qi Bei sighed softly.
The two Black Armored soldiers were Lie Feng and Iron Head, the survivors of the small team that Qi Bei had saved. They stood behind Qi Bei like shadows, following him wherever he went.
At this moment, Qi Bei, who was in a trance, was walking askew. In front of him was a girl bending over to choose hand ornaments at a booth.
Although Qi Bei was absent-minded, his physical instincts could avoid crowds and obstacles. Originally, he instinctively wanted to turn, but the hand ornament that the girl was holding happened to fall to the ground, so the girl stepped back to pick it up.
As she stepped back, the girl's lifted buttocks hit Qi Bei's crotch.
The impact from the girl caused a rebound effect from Qi Bei's internal energy, and she felt as if she had been hit hard by someone.
The girl screamed and turned around, her face blushing with anger as she glared at Qi Bei.
Qi Bei's came out of his trance. Seeing the girl holding her buttocks, he felt a little embarrassed. He really didn't mean it, so he apologized, "Sorry, I was a little absent-minded."
"Shameless." The girl gritted her teeth. Seeing Qi Bei's shoddy appearance and the two high-level thugs behind him, she didn't believe him.
Qi Bei had no idea that although Lie Feng and Iron Head admired his strength, they had also heard of his promiscuous and decadent private life. They thought he did it on purpose, so why would they bother to remind him?
"Sorry." Qi Bei didn't want to bother with this pretty-looking girl, so he smiled apologetically and walked forward.
"You… ah…" The girl was so angry that she trembled all over, suddenly letting out a painful gasp, and her pretty face turned pale as paper.
She held her chest, as if enduring great pain, covered in a cold sweat.
Qi Bei turned around and saw the girl's condition. He was taken aback and stepped forward to support her.
"Hey, are you okay, you…" Qi Bei had just spoken when suddenly his left hand felt a burning sensation in his palm. The Dragon Seal had responded, which meant that this girl was also a top-grade Yin physique. But why didn't it respond before when he hit her accidentally?
"Don't touch me!" The girl tried to push Qi Bei away with force, but her delicate body suddenly twitched and she fainted.
"Bastard, how dare you bully my sister, I'll take your life." Just then, a loud roar came, and a burly man with an angry face rushed out. His big fist came crashing toward Qi Bei's head.
Lie Feng and Iron Head both took a step forward, one on the left, the other on the right, and swept toward the burly man.
The big man didn't dodge, letting Lei Feng and Iron Head's heavy punches and kicks hit him.
"Bang, bang." The attacks from Lei Feng and Iron Head were like hitting on fine iron, and their bodies were bounced away by the impact of the burly man's body.
Qi Bei's eyes lit up. This man's body had no energy fluctuations, but his body was as hard as iron, plus he had natural physical power, truly a human shield.
Facing the burly man's big fist, Qi Bei raised his hand and his palm collided with the iron fist.
With a muffled sound, the invisible shockwave spread between the two, and several nearby stalls were all shattered.
The burly man widened his copper-bell eyes, veins bulging on his forehead, but Qi Bei stood there calmly, his hair fluttering without taking a single step back.
The burly man let out a loud roar, and his arm suddenly grew several rounds, causing his entire sleeve to burst open, revealing his muscular arm covered in knots.
Qi Bei felt the strength of the burly man's fist increase by nearly double, and immediately shouted, "You don't want your sister to live?!"
The burly man trembled, the fierceness in his eyes disappeared, he let go and stepped back, and his enlarged arm returned to normal.
"I didn't hurt her, we just had a small misunderstanding. Maybe I can help her." Qi Bei spoke up.
The big man's bronze bell-like eyes stared closely at Qi Bei, who calmly met his gaze.
After a while, the big man took two steps back, picked up his sister who was still in a coma and sweating profusely. He turned around and started toward an alley.
Qi Bei followed, and the big man sometimes turned left, sometimes right, entering a dilapidated courtyard on the west side of the bustling Starry City.
Every world is the same, with nobles and commoners, and rich and poor.
The Starry City seemed prosperous everywhere, but the west side was a dirty and chaotic slum area. The low and shabby houses were uneven, and the smelly gutters emitted an unpleasant odor. Mosquitoes buzzed and mice scurried everywhere.
The home of these two siblings was also dilapidated, but it was neatly kept, with some easy-to-grow flowers and plants decorating the courtyard.
The big man put his little sister on a crude wooden bed and warned, "If anything happens to my little sister, I will kill you even if I have to die."