258: Follow the rules

That Lulu was also someone he had accidentally glanced at a few times when he last came here.

At that time, Jiang Hao had offered to gift her to him as a Cauldron.

He actually hadn't paid much attention to it; she was just a lowly female Qi Refining cultivator, after all.

But if he really had to spend one thousand or even ten thousand Spirit Stones to buy a Cauldron, he certainly wouldn't be willing.

After all, resources on the Shattered Star Continent were scarce, and earning Spirit Stones was extremely difficult—to put it bluntly, everyone was poor.

That was why Granny Xie had not expected you to be able to produce ten thousand Spirit Stones.

For the sale of a mere maidservant, this was quite a significant transaction.

Jiang Hao coldly rebuked, "How can that be the same? You know full well that Venerable Zhiyuan is my good friend, so why would you act like this?"

True Man Yangming, sitting to the side, stroked his beard and smiled, "It is just a piece of paper contract; we can simply spend another hundred Spirit Stones to buy her back."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Hao looked at Granny Xie and said coldly, "Bring that person here."

Granny Xie immediately nodded in acknowledgment and withdrew.

Seeing Prince Ji Kang hesitating, True Man Yangming smiled, "Your Highness, there is no rush regarding that matter; take your time to consider it, and you can give me an answer at any time."

Prince Ji Kang smiled and raised his glass, "Very well, then many thanks to you, True Man."

"Hahaha, no trouble at all, no trouble at all!" True Man Yangming laughed.

Their conversation had already been clearly detected by your Divine Sense.

You had already anticipated this, though you hadn't expected—this Karma to come so quickly.

Soon, you followed Granny Xie, bringing Lulu along to the Heaven-grade No. 1 private room.

Lulu followed nervously behind you, her fingertips unconsciously twisting her sleeves, her voice as soft as a gnat's, "Young Master, if it is truly too difficult... Lulu cannot implicate you."

You turned your head and smiled gently at her, your tone calm yet reassuring, "It is no matter; I can handle this small affair."

In the blink of an eye, you had arrived before the door of the private room.

Granny Xie pushed open the carved wooden door, and the scene inside came into view—

The private room was arranged in a circle, with a ring of cushioned seats placed around the perimeter. Five people sat within, all of them dressed extraordinarily and exuding an arrogant Aura.

In the center of the room, several young female Qi Refining cultivators dressed in light gauze were dancing gracefully to the music.

The moment you stepped inside, the music did not stop, and the dance steps did not falter, but almost everyone's gaze—whether the guests in their seats or the dancing maidens—fell squarely upon you and Lulu.

You were dressed in a white robe, holding a sleeping civet cat beast in your arms, with the unadorned appearance of a middle-aged man; standing there, you looked no different from a Loose Cultivator on the roadside.

No matter how one looked at it, you only appeared to be an unremarkable Foundation Establishment Loose Cultivator.

Their gazes were scrutinizing, playful, or indifferent, and some lingered for a moment on Lulu behind you, a flash of understanding crossing their eyes.

In their view—people like you were common; it was all just desire for beauty.

Moreover, Lulu was petite and lovely, with a curvaceous figure, and was still a virgin; she had been coveted by many male cultivators recently—had the price not been so high, she would likely have been redeemed long ago.

As soon as you stepped into the private room, Jiang Hao coldly spoke up, "Granny Xie has told me about the matter regarding Lulu. This transaction does not count. Leave the person, and you may go."

When his voice fell, the guests were indifferent, as if these words were only natural, and no one felt there was anything improper about them.

You understood the meaning of his words—leave the person, and the money would not be refunded!

You were not angry, but rather found it quite interesting, the corners of your mouth curling up, "Are you... not planning to follow the rules?"

"The rules?" Jiang Hao sneered, raising his hand to gesture to those beside him, "Take a look at who is sitting here—"

He first pointed to the young man with a graceful bearing, "This is the current Crown Prince, His Highness Ji Kang."

Then he indicated the bright and beautiful woman beside him, "This is Princess Ji Yao, whom His Majesty dotes on the most."

Subsequently, his gaze turned to the elderly man on the other side with a steady Aura and eyes like an abyss, "And this one is Venerable Zhiyuan, who is also the commander of the Imperial Law Enforcement Agency."

"All the rules you see within the Imperial City are decided by him."

Jiang Hao withdrew his hand, his tone carrying undisguised mockery, "Now, do you still want to talk to me about the rules?"

At the same time, he looked at you with an almost disdainful gaze, as if he were examining an eyesore of an inanimate object.

After all, from the moment you entered, everyone's Divine Sense had already been like an invisible net, repeatedly probing you.

The layer of disguised Foundation Establishment Aura on your body was as thin as paper in their eyes, posing no threat whatsoever.

This was no wonder—the Shattered Star Continent had poor Spiritual Qi and limited resources; Soul Transformation cultivators almost never set foot here.

They had never seen a Deity Transformation Grand Expert in their lives, and it was even more impossible for them to imagine that you, this "little Foundation Establishment cultivator" before them, could actually be a living Soul Transformation cultivator.

For some reason, facing such undisguised disdain from Jiang Hao, there was not a ripple in your heart—on the contrary, you found it interesting, perhaps because you felt no fear at all.

Or perhaps it was the natural change in your Heart-Nature after your Realm had improved; in the face of the true Dao, these disturbances of the Mortal World could no longer enter your eyes.

You simply felt that your state of mind seemed different from before. It seemed difficult to be provoked to anger by these trivial matters anymore.

You gently stroked Qin Han's furry head, not even looking at Jiang Hao, your voice as calm as water, "Even your Jiang Family Old Ancestor would not dare to speak to me in such a manner; does a mere Golden Core junior like you deserve to spout such wild words here?"

As soon as these words left your mouth, the entire private room suddenly plunged into dead silence.

What kind of figure was the Jiang Family Old Ancestor?

On this Shattered Star Continent, where Soul Transformation cultivators never set foot, the three great Spirit Transformation Cultivators were existence like the heavens.

In fact, even Jiang Hao himself rarely saw the Jiang Family Old Ancestor a few times a year.

After all, a single retreat for a Nascent Soul Cultivator could last several years, or even decades.

Everyone also noticed your composure and calmness, and they all felt that there must be something strange about it.

After you stepped into the private room, you had remained calm and composed throughout; that was definitely not the bearing and confidence that a simple person should have.

True Man Yangming's expression became solemn, his gaze sweeping toward you like lightning, "Your Excellency... what exactly is your background?"

Jiang Hao was not dull; awakened by True Man Yangming's words, he restrained his killing intent and asked indifferently, "I have never seen Your Excellency before; may I ask which faction you hail from?"

You, however, did not even look at him, only brushing your sleeve indifferently, "You... are not worthy of knowing. Since you do not intend to continue following the rules, then I shall take my leave."

Having said that, you turned to leave.

"Wait!" Jiang Hao stood up abruptly, gritting his teeth, "Does Your Excellency really think that you can bluff us by simply making up a name?"

Although Jiang Hao was half-believing and half-doubting, he was ultimately unwilling to let it go without testing your true depth.