Chapter 363: The Officials’ Hesitation

A brief misunderstanding left the private chamber in a momentary dead silence. The officials at the secondary tables all lowered their gazes, feigning indifference as if the matter had nothing to do with them.

Seeing this, Minister Ma hesitated for a moment before forcing a smile and saying, “Madam Xu, may I ask what kind of collaboration you wish to discuss with us today?”

However, Madam Xu did not respond immediately. Instead, she turned her head slightly toward the demon soldiers beside her and said calmly, “Go and invite Mr. Gu in. His companion may join as well, if he wishes.”

The demon soldiers received their orders and immediately withdrew to carry them out.

Minister Ma, who had been left awkwardly standing to the side, looked visibly uncomfortable. Just as he was about to find a topic to continue the conversation, Madam Xu turned her gaze to him and said, “Minister Ma, let’s wait until Mr. Gu arrives before I explain my intentions. Would that be acceptable?”

“Haha, of course!” Minister Ma laughed, raising his cup. “It is truly an honor to finally meet the renowned wife of the Void Emperor in person!”

“My fellow colleagues, let us raise our glasses in a toast to Her Highness!”

The next second, all the officials and even the demon cultivators in the room echoed Minister Ma’s words, lifting their cups in a toast to Madam Xu.

She responded with a polite nod and a small smile, taking a delicate sip from her cup in return.

On the Viewing Stands.

The appearance of the black-armored demon soldiers caused a stir among the spectators.

This distinctive armor was only seen in two places within Eternal Slumber City: one was the Void Emperor’s Temple, and the other was the Judgment Office.

The black-armored soldiers of the temple never wandered the city, staying strictly within the temple’s vicinity.

Those of the Judgment Office, however, followed Magistrate Wei everywhere, seizing whomever they deemed displeasing to the eye…

Thus, the demon cultivators present were all visibly tense at the sight of these black-armored soldiers. After all, one could never be sure if merely glancing at Magistrate Wei the wrong way would be enough to incur his wrath.

“Hurry! Lower your head! These must be Magistrate Wei’s men! That plague god is surely watching from a private box!”

“If he takes notice of you, you’d wish you were dead!”

Beside the Void Emperor, a tiger demon, out of goodwill, gave him a quiet warning.

The Void Emperor had naturally noticed the approaching black-armored soldiers. Smiling, he turned his head and asked, “Is it really necessary to be so afraid? I’m just standing here watching the arena—I haven’t caused any trouble. Surely they wouldn’t come to arrest me?”

“Sir, you must be new to Eternal Slumber City!

“There’s a saying here: When the plague god arrives, the black armor appears. If the spear points at you, there is no escape.”

“The ‘plague god’ refers to that official from the Judgment Office…”

“There was once a demon cultivator who wore his hair in the same style as him. That alone got him dragged to the Judgment Office by the black-armored soldiers… and within three days, he was dead in the Hunting Arena.”

“Oh no, they’re here! Sir, I won’t say any more!”

Catching a glimpse of the approaching soldiers from the corner of his eye, the tiger demon immediately lowered his head, like an ostrich burying itself in the sand.

“Gentlemen,”

“My lady has invited you both to join her in the private chamber for a discussion.”

The black-armored soldier’s tone was calm, yet it carried an unmistakable air of authority.

It was clear—this was not a request. It was an order.

The Void Emperor narrowed his eyes slightly, glancing at Gu Ning’an. The latter met his gaze and spoke in a voice only the two of them could hear:

“Your wife has extended an invitation. Do you wish to go and see her?”

The Void Emperor hesitated briefly before replying, “If you are willing to go, then I have no objections.”

“Very well, let’s see what this is about.” Gu Ning’an chuckled and said, “Lead the way.”

The black-armored soldier gestured with a respectful but firm motion. “This way, please.”

…

With Gu Ning’an and the Void Emperor entering the chamber, the atmosphere became even more delicate.

As soon as they stepped inside, Magistrate Wei attempted to make things difficult for them by raising the question of whether they should be seated at the main table or at the secondary table.

However, in the end, it was Madam Xu who intervened, suppressing her “troublesome” younger brother and ensuring that the two men were seated at the main table.

This display of authority was clearly meant for the officials present.

After all, they were already aware that Gu Ning’an had refused to cooperate with Void Emperor’s wife, yet now she had invited him in and put on such a performance—evidently, she was sending a message to the officials.

For the lower-ranking officials at the secondary seats, there wasn’t much to think about. No matter what the cooperation entailed, all they had to do was observe the stance of the two high-ranking officials and follow accordingly.

They had already followed orders when it came to “giving up their wealth,” so there was no reason to back out now.

However, Minister Ma and General Zhong found themselves in a difficult position.

Logically speaking, they were on the same side as Gu Ning’an, both being part of the Fifth Prince’s faction, so they should “advance and retreat together.” Yet now, the Void Emperor’s wife had put them in the spotlight, forcing them into a dilemma.

No matter what the terms of cooperation were, they would have to offend one side…

Moreover, they were also curious about the black-haired elder who had come with Gu Ning’an. According to Mi Youfu’s voice transmission, this person was not a cultivator.

Thus, they temporarily assumed that he was one of the Fifth Prince’s secret agents.

“Now that Mr. Gu is here, I’ll go over the details of the cooperation again. If Mr. Gu changes his mind after hearing me out, he is welcome to reconsider.”

With that, Madam Xu got straight to the point, reiterating the same arguments she had used to persuade Gu Ning’an before.

Since no one interrupted or questioned her this time, she was able to speak smoothly and quickly.

Once she finished explaining, the officials all showed expressions of shock and fear.

They were all seasoned politicians—though they were ordinary mortals, they could still roughly predict that if this half-demon transformation technique was truly implemented, then before long, the entire Great Wu would become a land ruled by demons!

Mortals wouldn’t go extinct, but they would undoubtedly be reduced to little more than livestock, existing only to continuously birth human women for the demon race.

At that moment, they finally understood why Gu Ning’an had refused to cooperate with Madam Xu.

Carrying out such a plan would undoubtedly leave one with an eternal infamy—there was no escape from becoming a villain in the annals of history…

However, the one whose expression changed the most was the Void Emperor himself. When he learned that the woman acting under his wife’s name was planning such an atrocious act, his brow twitched uncontrollably!

Now he finally understood why Mr. Gu had dragged him out of the temple.

In fact, considering the circumstances, the fact that Gu Ning’an hadn’t immediately acted against him already proved that the man possessed immense restraint.

“What do you all think?”

“Or if you have any concerns, feel free to speak.”

As soon as Madam Xu finished speaking, Minister Ma forced a smile and said, “Your Ladyship, a matter of this magnitude, one that concerns the fate of the nation, is not something we can decide on our own…”

General Zhong glanced meaningfully at Gu Ning’an before adding, “Indeed, for a matter as significant as this, at the very least, it should be decided by the Fifth Prince’s most trusted people…”

Trying to evade responsibility without seeing any benefits first?

Still trying to defer to Mr. Gu’s opinion?

At that thought, Madam Xu casually waved her hand, and suddenly, two white jade bottles appeared in front of her…