The red sunset was almost covered by the sunset glow, and the cool wind of the twilight swept across the vast plains below the Chiliu Mountain in Menglai County. The air was filled with a bloody and dissonant atmosphere.

In front of the Chiliu Village, there were many officials. Today was the day to collect the ginseng.

The bearded General put his hand into a bamboo basket and touched something. Then he pulled out a small ginseng, and suddenly frowned.

"Only this? And small?"

He looked around at the villagers with angry eyes and shouted.

"How dare you! These will be offered to the Palace. Do you want to finish the task like this?"

The village chief was a hunchback, sweating in the shallow glow of the sunset.

He bowed his hand to the General, looking frightened and pale.

"General, the growth of this kind of ginseng always takes some time. The favorable climate, geographical and human conditions are all essential. Due to the rebellion, the war almost destroyed half of the Chiliu Mountain, so this season..."

"Nonsense—"

Humbleness and supplication met with no mercy but exasperated the General.

He raised his large, rough hand and slapped the old man down.

Then he drew out his blade and looked at the frightened villagers with angry eyes.

"You are lazy and fail to turn in ginsengs, so I should just execute one as a warning to others. After that, if you can't make up the required amount in one day, I will kill five men in one day!"

As the villagers rioted, a teenage girl crowded out of the people, fell over the village chief, and cried.

"Don't kill my dad. Don't kill him—"

The General went completely mad, holding up the steel blade.

With a cry of sorrow, the General shook his hand and threw the blade.

The pain in his hand made his expression change. He subconsciously bowed and saw his right hand back was bloody.

"Stop..."

The beautiful, cold voice came out of a carriage not far from the grassy hills with a hint of languor.

No one noticed when the carriage stopped there.

The large carriage was extremely luxurious, surrounded by gold and silver with the auspicious pattern of mountains and sea. The roof was covered by five colors of silk screwed into a knot as decoration. The four corners are suspended with exquisite tassel glass lanterns.

Inside the table was made of sandalwood, and the chairs were wrapped in fur. Each wall was embedded with five fist-sized night-shining pearls. Even when the curtain was hanging, it was like daytime inside.

On each side of the carriage stood ten guards in cyan narrow-sleeved Kungfu suits, hanging military blades around their waists.

In full view of the public, the purple curtain moved, and immediately a leopard's head appeared.

The scene was suddenly quiet. Hundreds of people watched the yellow beast sniffed with the pink nose and made a few whimpers.

The General looked frightened and sat on the ground with a soft knee.

Seeing the leopard, he guessed the identity of the man in the carriage.

The man who liked to raise raptors and beasts in the world was only that person—

"I, I, I... Pay respects to Your Highness. You're unmatched in the world, Your Highness..."

The General, who had just been angry to kill people, became speechless at the moment.

"Ha-ha..."

A sneer came from the carriage.

"You're wise to know me."

The General bowed his head in pain and stared at his bleeding right hand. He gritted his teeth and complimented against his will.

"Your Highness, you're famous and good at Kungfu. How can I be unaware of you?"

"It would be nice. Now I order you to let go of the village chief, and you must not harass the villagers of Chiliu anymore."

The General was amazed and frowned.

"Your Highness, I'm stationed for this area as the Deputy General. As early as a year ago, the imperial court ordered the villagers here to hand over ten red blood ginsengs every month. Today I'm ordered to come here for ginsengs. They fail to complete the task. I just punish them based on the decree."

"Don't push me by the imperial edict!"

The sound in the carriage turned sharp, and it was clear that the man had become angry.

"It's you treat an utterly worthless thing like an order from on high and disobey the natural rules that cause social unrest and poor life of the masses!"

The General was dumb, with anger in his chest. He opened his eyes wide and looked unwilling to submit.

Tilting his head and twitching his mouth, he clenched his fist up and sneered.

"Your Highness, I'm just nobody in the army. Everything is acted on the basis of the instructions, and I can't bear the charges. Today if I do not severely punish this group of idle people and hand over the ginseng, I may be beheaded."

"Cut the cackle. Just listen to me—"

Another command showed a snarly intention to kill.

The General shuddered and perspiration started to bead on his forehead.

He leaned over, thought quickly and said firmly.

"Please forgive me. I can't follow your order. Come on. Take them away."

The General was ready to risk everything and raised his arms to his men.

The soldiers held the long blades and began to drive away the crying villagers.

There was a moment's silence at the carriage, and then the man said coldly.

"Heifeng, you've been running with me all day. It's time to eat something."

As the voice just faded away, the leopard ran as fast as the arrow. It quickly jumped up from the back of the General and ran him down.

Unexpectedly, the General shouted and rolled around with the leopard on the grass, and it bit him hard in the throat.

The smell of blood spread. The General did not say anything and gradually stopped shaking until he died.

The leopard could perceive human emotion. Then it licked its blood-red tongue and picked up the stone that hit the General. It ran straight up the carriage to squat and looked at the panicked crowd with green eyes.

The soldiers immediately abandoned the blades and bowed their heads.

The curtain opened and the legendary luminous night-shining pearl was glowing.

A man in brilliant red clothes came out of the carriage. Then a guard fell on one knee, offering his back to his master as a footstool.

The man got out of the carriage with a stone in one hand and a wine bag in the other.

The leopard lightly followed its owner inch by inch.

"Well, it's a pity to get the stone that gives to Ying'er defiled. What a pity."

The man looked down and played with the blood-stained stone, and said to himself.

The village chief looked up gently and glanced at the man. Then he was shocked.

In the twilight, the man's white and snowy skin exuded a light golden bright glow. A pair of delicate eyes showed madness and arbitrary. The eyeballs were dark, like the bottomless abyss that could grasp people's hearts.

His nose was high with chiselled features. His pink lips were soft and he smiled.

He was wearing a purple-gold dragon coronet, a large red diamond-colored dark-embroidered gown, and a jade belt around his waist. The peony cluster and dragons on his chest and shoulders were vivid.

The real eye-catching was the man's hair. At such an age, the silver hair was uncommon. Even his eyebrows were grey.

The two extreme colors, silver and red, combined with his cool and handsome face had little sense of terror, but more chill, pretty and charming features. He was mysterious and eye-catching.

The village chief did not dare to look directly at the white hair for too long. He took a deep breath and knelt.

Other villagers followed him.

"The villagers of Chiliu thank you for Your Highness' help."

The man smiled evilly, raised his wine bag, and swallowed a few mouthfuls of wine. Then he wiped his mouth.

"All right, stand up. I just take the General as an eyesore and have no intention of saving you. Today I save you. After I leave here, what should you do if you fail to hand in the tribute?"

The village chief was speechless, thinking for a moment with a fist and imploring.

"Your Highness, I implore you to give us advice."

The man gesticulated in the air with his index finger and was about to say something. He suddenly saw the north of the dirt road smoke rose and a horse come.

"Your Highness, Your Highness, His Majesty ordered you to return to the capital as soon as possible—"

The man raised his grey eyebrows and took the wine in his hand. He gazed impatiently at the guard until he came near.

"Captain Yu, do you bother to chase me this time?"

"Your Highness, you flatter me. You flatter me." Captain Yu dismounted with a bitter smile. He wiped the sweat on his head and respectfully said to the man.

" Your Highness, I'm on business, so I'd like you to take over the order."

Captain Yu knew the emperor's Ninth Uncle from the chat with his peers.

Rumor had it that the man was moody. In the past, he offended the deceased emperor, and the deceased emperor ordered him to the border to western tribes. From then on, in the Palace, his name was taboo, which couldn't be mentioned by the world.

Fortunately, Huanan Xin, Emperor Renxian ascended to the throne. He cared for the affection of the uncle and asked him back to the capital. Huanan Xin also gave him a mansion to idle away in seeking pleasure and spending money like water.

Several previous decree officers were killed after they declared the order as the Ninth Uncle was in a bad mood.

It was inexplicable that the emperor knew it, but was reluctant to punish him.

Over time, the message to him was regarded by the officials of the Inner Court as a death errand, and no one wanted to take over it.

Captain Yu was also struggled to come here today.

"Your Highness, I'll announce it."

"Oh. Okay. Go ahead."

The man was cynical, raised his right hand and gave the wine bag to his servant. Then he knelt.

Captain Yu took out a bright yellow imperial edict and unfolded it. Then he announced.

"The word of the emperor is that ninth Uncle is not in the capital, and I cannot sleep at night and have no appetite for food and drinks. Please focus on the country and come back as soon as possible. Respect this."

The man abruptly laughed until he bowed like a shrimp. He could not stop smashing the ground with his hands.

"Ha-ha... He has no appetite for food and drinks and can't fall asleep. My nephew is really interesting..."

Captain Yu lost face and coughed to remind him.

"Your Highness, please take it."

"Okay. Okay."

The man shook his head and curbed his playboy attitude. He raised his hands in a proper manner and said.

"I, Huanan He, follow the order."

Captain Yu then helped the man in red up in person.

The man stretched his long arm to hold the Captain's shoulders and walked side by side with him toward the carriage.

"Hey, Yu, what's the point of staying in the capital all day eating and drinking? Every time I come out to hang out, His Majesty sends someone to call me back. Does he really miss me, or does he suspect that I will plot rebellion?"

"Oops, Your Highness, you can't say that!"

Captain Yu looked around with his frightened eyes and lowered his voice.

"I'm humble. How can I dare to guess His Majesty's intention? I think His Majesty really cares about you. The northwest is in turmoil and chaos of war. His Majesty is worried that the swords will hurt you."

"His beloved concubine causes the war, doesn't her? Some time ago, I heard that His Majesty had brought her back to the Palace. He loves her very much..."

"It's none of our business. Come on. Get on. I protect you back to the capital."

"Protect or monitor?"

The silver-haired man sat back in the carriage, stroking the leopard's head with his big palm. He peered at Captain of the Guard with his seductive eyes.

Captain Yu laughed fatuously.

"Your Highness, you're kidding... Well, sit down and I will lift the curtain for you."