He raised his glass and offered it, smiling, "I’m quite interested in some of your insights. Would you like to have a drink? Later, you and I can find a quiet place and have a good chat."

Shen Tang felt a bit flattered and was about to agree when a long, broad hand suddenly reached out to take the glass.

A tall figure stood in front of her, speaking with a gentle and courteous tone, "Thank you for your kind offer, King of Abyss Night, but the Female Master is tired tonight. I will take her back to rest first. We can arrange another time."

The smile on the King of Abyss Night’s face suddenly became stiff.

The young man was tall, upright like a pine tree, even half a head taller than him.

Lu Xiao’s tone was gentle, his words impeccable, yet for some reason, he exuded a sense of pressure.

The King of Abyss Night’s expression shifted slightly as he stepped back half a pace, laughing awkwardly, "Haha, very well, we’ll meet next time."

He glanced regretfully at Shen Tang, "Beautiful woman, I look forward to seeing you again. I’ve never exchanged privately with an outsider’s female before~"

After speaking, he turned and left.

Lu Xiao’s eyes momentarily chilled but quickly returned to normal.

Shen Tang felt a bit puzzled but didn’t take it to heart.

She lowered her head to look at the glass of wine in Lu Xiao’s hand, it smelled quite fragrant, with a sweet fruity aroma.

She swallowed and, drinking a mouthful with his hand, felt a bit tipsy.

Lu Xiao promptly stopped her, finished the remaining half glass wine in one go, and whispered, "This is special mix wine, very strong, be careful not to get drunk."

Shen Tang jolted awake, she had thought it was sweet fruit wine, not expecting its strength was so great!

Recalling how the King of Abyss Night had actively invited her for a drink and left with those meaningful words, she couldn’t help rubbing her arms, feeling a chill.

"Whoa, didn’t expect the King of Abyss Night to look young and handsome, yet be a rogue!" she said angrily.

"Young?" Lu Xiao raised his eyebrow at her, his tone distant, "His eldest son is about your age."

"What?" Shen Tang was stunned and blinked in confusion, "He looks rather young to me, should be around the same age as you."

Lu Xiao’s temple twitched slightly, a bit helpless, "The King of Abyss Night isn’t young; he is already forty."

"Oh my, I really didn’t expect!" Shen Tang deeply felt, his maintenance was so good!

That handsome man could be her father!

Thinking of this, she couldn’t help rubbing her arms again, such a person old enough to be her father trying to chat her up; truly shameless!

Lu Xiao watched her with a face full of hindsight fear, his smile deepening, and added, "The King of Abyss Night’s hobby is finding excellent females to have children."

"...Pervert!" 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

No wonder he looked so flushed.

Turns out he was kidney-deficient!

Kidney-deficient old pervert! Next time meeting him, definitely will run!

...

After the meeting ended, they returned to the Imperial Palace and were called over by the Sky King to discuss matters.

The Sky King actively asked, "Xiao Tang, Xiao’er, how much do you now understand about the Alien Star?"

Fortunately, or unfortunately, Shen Tang and they had encountered the Alien Star the most times, also understanding their enemy much deeper.

Shen Tang explained, "The Alien Star has never given up their invasion plans, always intending to conquer this continent."

"Countries with weak strength don’t pose a threat to them; the biggest obstacle on their way would be the four major empires. And the Yunding Empire’s situation is most peculiar because past incidents led to division, causing the Three Kings to act individually, thus weakening the Empire’s overall strength.

"If they intend to target a top empire, the Yunding Empire would be the best target." Shen Tang continued, "I previously speculated that these individuals wouldn’t stay idle, and sooner or later target the Yunding Empire, the Empire will face a long-prepared coup."

Upon these words, the Sky King, Second Prince, Third Princess, and General Feiyu all had dark faces, anger bubbling beneath.

Lu Xiao glanced at Shen Tang and turned towards their mother, his voice low and warm, "The Female Master and I came this time not just for competition and alliances, but for this matter as well."

"The facts prove the Female Master’s speculation was right. The Alien Star intends to incite rebellion via Tian Lin and reshuffle the Yunding Empire, eventually turning the Empire into their sphere of influence."

Shen Tang interjected, "This isn’t the first time they’ve done such a thing, but previous times were done secretly, not daring to blatantly trouble top empires..."

Speaking to this point, a trace of sorrow flashed through her eyes.

Now with the Blood Clan’s forces added, these aliens clearly won’t settle merely conducting secret experiments from the shadows. This time, it’s tantamount to officially declaring war on the continent!

Tian Lin really is the most easily manipulated piece, colluding with the Alien Star is not surprising.