Yu Zecheng's eyes were trembling.
It had taken him so many years and so much effort to climb to this position and earn the favor of National Preceptor Shuangye.
Naturally, he did not want to die.
Yet did this kid truly dare to kill him, or was he bluffing?
Yu Zecheng could not help glancing at the roasted wolf.
When this He fellow went mad, he was brazen enough for anything.
Could he kill on an impulse?
Dying at the hands of a madman like this would be utter folly.
"To be frank, the reason I rushed over here to see you was to give you one last shred of dignity," He Lingchuan said with an air of regret. "If you don't want it, I won't force you. I'll certainly send you on your way with my own hands—to show my respect.
"Of course, as for those savages who brought trouble upon me, I won't spare their lives either. On my island, whoever stirs up trouble must pay the price."
Once he finished speaking, silence fell over the private room.
Even Moqi Feng dared not breathe too loudly; a falling pin could have been heard in the room.
Everyone waited for Yu Zecheng's choice.
Qiu Hu tightened his grip on his hilt, and Lü Qiuwei formed a hand incantation, both braced to strike.
If this fellow dared to utter the word "yes," he would certainly never see tonight's Emperor's Flowing Dew.
Countless thoughts whirled through Yu Zecheng's mind: suspicion, hesitation, resentment, self-blame, fury, and a sliver of fear that he was loath to admit even to himself.
In a raspy voice, he asked, "The others... are they still alive?"
He Lingchuan told the truth: "Eight are still alive."
He knew that once the man asked this, it was the prelude to surrender.
Otherwise, he would not have dangled this bait.
Yu Zecheng closed his eyes and ground his teeth. "No. I must have seen wrong."
If admitting defeat could buy back his subordinates' lives, it was worth it.
Wasn't it just a matter of words?
At this thought, he felt a faint sigh of relief inside.
He Lingchuan pressed, "What did you see wrong?"
Now that the hardest part had been spoken, the next words were less agonizing. "I saw wrong. This wolf demon is not from Beijia."
Sitting across from him, Moqi Feng sighed with regret.
He would have relished seeing Yu Zecheng pay with his life, but unfortunately, he would not get to see it now.
Since Yu Zecheng refused to acknowledge that the wolf demon was from Beijia, he was effectively denying that he had caused trouble on Suoding Island. Consequently, He Lingchuan's actions were naturally not an open defiance of Beijia.
He Lingchuan had even invited Yu Zecheng to dinner, and the two sat here in one piece, even if the atmosphere was hardly harmonious.
Yet Moqi Feng could not quite grasp why Island Master He insisted on forcing Yu Zecheng to deny it verbally.
If they both denied it, could the matter truly be treated as if it had never happened?
He Lingchuan smiled. "Very good. Then Mr. Yu, do taste this plate of delicacy."
Qiu Hu promptly shoved the platter forward, bringing the fragrant, tender piece of wolf ribs right before Yu Zecheng's eyes.
Yu Zecheng's eyes went wide.
This was the flesh of his comrade!
A brother-in-arms who had stood by his side during military inspections and fought alongside him in battle!
Even a hardened warrior like Yu Zecheng, who had braved hail of arrows and spears without batting an eyelid, could not suppress a wave of nausea at the sight of the bloody streaks within the wolf meat.
Beside them, Moqi Feng swallowed hard—not from appetite, but out of pure tension.
"A gentleman may be killed, but not humiliated!" Yu Zecheng's body trembled uncontrollably, fury rushing straight to his head.
In his eyes at that moment, He Lingchuan's smile was more grotesque than any fiend's!
How could someone be so brutal?!
How could someone be so vicious?!
"You just admitted that this isn't a Beijia wolf demon at all," He Lingchuan remarked casually. "Since it isn't, why won't you eat? Do you have dietary restrictions?"
He suddenly feigned realization and snapped his fingers. "Right, some people indeed don't eat dog meat. That's easily solved. Ah Hu!"
"Here!"
"Go instruct Chef Wang that our distinguished guest is unsatisfied with his main course. Have him butcher and dress another captive—a savage or a wild demon, either will do. Half an hour should be enough this time. Roast it more fragrant and tender. Oh, and add a bit of spice pepper; this roasted wolf meat is still missing a little punch."
"Understood!" Qiu Hu responded, turning on his heel to stride out of the private room.
Yu Zecheng still had eight companions imprisoned by He Lingchuan. With Qiu Hu walking out like this, one of them would surely lose his life.
He Lingchuan even put on a considerate expression. "No matter, there are plenty of ingredients. If Mr. Yu doesn't care for that either, we can always switch to another..."
"No need! I'll eat!" Eschewing chopsticks entirely, Yu Zecheng snatched up the wolf meat with his bare hand, shoved it into his mouth, and swallowed it whole without chewing.
The chunk of meat was large, and swallowing it was an agonizing struggle.
Only by sheer willpower did he keep from vomiting it right back up on the spot.
"Splendid! Mr. Yu is a wise man!" He Lingchuan shot a glance at Qiu Hu, who pivoted on his heel and, instead of leaving the room, returned to stand behind his master.
Raising his winecup, He Lingchuan chuckled. "Your actions match your words. I propose a toast to you."
Even Yu Zecheng had eaten the wolf meat; clearly, the wolf truly was not a demon from Beijia.
Otherwise, how could Yu Zecheng have eaten his own comrade?
This was what it meant to match word with deed.
Yu Zecheng also needed to rinse the metallic tang of blood from his mouth, so he grabbed his winecup and drained it in a single gulp.
Having accepted the toast, the tension in the private room settled into an eerie calm once more.
After swallowing several mouthfuls of wine, Yu Zecheng suddenly understood:
He Xiao was humiliating him, retaliating against him like a cat playing with a mouse.
Retaliating for his past arrogance, for coming to Suoding Island to capture Zhu Erniang, for inciting the Bailong people to riot.
Retaliating for his daring to run wild on He Xiao's turf.
Because Yu Zecheng had shown him disrespect before, he was repaying Yu Zecheng tenfold—and using such deranged, reckless methods to do it!
"You madman!" Yu Zecheng could only swallow his broken teeth along with the blood. "In a few months, you'll be in grave trouble..."
"Hush, hush!" He Lingchuan pressed a finger to his lips. "I just told you, Yu Zecheng, you must mind your words. Beware that disaster does not come from your mouth!"
Yu Zecheng's chest heaved several times before he forced the rest of his words back down his throat.
He Xiao might not be able to deal with Beijia, but he could certainly deal with him!
He had just learned that lesson loud and clear.
Once they left the Yangshan Archipelago, this He butcher would have to swallow all the bitter consequences alone. Clashing with him tit for tat right now was not a wise move.
"You win," he finally conceded. "What else do you want?"
He Lingchuan ate another piece of squid. The clay casserole retained heat remarkably well; even after their tense confrontation, the dish had not grown cold. "Hypothetically speaking—hmm, just hypothetically—how does Lingxu City handle foreign envoys who incite riots and attack dignitaries?"
He deliberately said Lingxu City rather than Beijia precisely because such an incident had indeed occurred in a vassal demon kingdom.
Yu Zecheng fell silent.
Not only had no such thing occurred in Lingxu City for nearly thirty years, but even if it had, wouldn't Lingxu City handle it however it pleased?
Who would dare utter a word of dissent?
He Lingchuan had all the patience in the world now, crossing his legs as he waited for the reply.
After a long while, Yu Zecheng finally said, "The Yangshan Archipelago is merely a stretch of sea, not a nation. You are merely a petty island master, not a head of state. If you dare punish an official of Beijia..."
Chapter 1000