Su Yaoyao was frantic. She quickly grabbed Bai Lian’s arm, urgently signaling for him not to be rash. Her voice trembled slightly as she said, "Leon, don’t. Mingye... he didn’t hurt me."

However, her words clearly weren’t enough to convince Bai Lian and the others.

Su Yaoyao’s body was covered in red marks. They were especially conspicuous on her fair skin, and anyone could see they were the signs of intimate contact. Their Yaoyao had definitely been touched by Mingye.

"Ming! Ye!" Reg’s eyes instantly went bloodshot. Fury flared within him, and with a roar, his form shifted rapidly. In the blink of an eye, he transformed into a lithe black panther and shot like a black bolt of lightning toward Mingye’s green snake Spiritual Body, sinking his teeth viciously into its form.

His sharp fangs dug deep between the green snake’s scales, threatening to tear it apart.

Not to be outdone, the green snake whipped its head around and viciously bit back at the black panther. The two immediately became entangled, launching into a fierce battle. The air crackled with hostility.

Seeing this, a determined glint flashed in Bai Lian and Pani’s eyes. They surged forward without hesitation and joined the fight.

At the same time, the black-robed guards drew their weapons and charged into the fray with a shout, plunging the entire hall into chaos.

The sounds of battle cries, hisses, and roars intertwined, threatening to tear the hall apart.

"Mingye! Reg! Leon! Pani! All of you, stop!" Su Yaoyao, frantic with worry, screamed with all her might, her voice sharp with anxiety.

But by now, all four were seeing red. Their hearts were so full of rage that they couldn’t hear her pleas, and the fighting only grew more intense.

Su Yaoyao’s heart burned with anxiety. She knew that if this continued, the situation would spiral completely out of control.

She tried to gather her spiritual power, hoping to stop the chaotic battle, but to her dismay, it only emerged in feeble wisps, impossible to form into any effective force.

What she didn’t know was that Mingye, afraid she would use her spiritual power to suppress him and escape, had been adding a trace amount of his venom to her food every day.

She watched it all unfold, frantic and filled with despair. ’It’s over. My Beast Husbands are going to raise hell and tear down Mingye’s entire castle!’

At this critical moment, Noah, who had heard the commotion and rushed over, stepped into the hall. His eyes widened in shock at the chaotic scene of battle before him.

He was filled with confusion. ’Weren’t they supposed to be here for peace talks? How did they suddenly start fighting?’

"Yaoyao, what’s happening?" Noah asked loudly, rushing anxiously to her side.

"Noah, quick, help me stop them." As if grasping at her last hope, Su Yaoyao pleaded with him, her eyes filled with panic and helplessness. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

Noah’s brow furrowed tightly. He knew the situation was critical and there was no time to lose.

In an instant, he shot out four enormous tentacles. Like four thick pythons, they swiftly wrapped around the brawling figures, trapping them securely.

"Stop, all of you! Listen to Yaoyao! Can’t you see she’s so worried she’s about to cry?!" Noah yelled himself hoarse. He knew full well that these men were powerful; if they refused to stop, his tentacles wouldn’t hold for long.

Hearing "Yaoyao’s" name was like having a bucket of cold water thrown on them. The four men snapped back to their senses and looked toward Su Yaoyao with worry.

"Yaoyao," the four of them called out her name in unison, their voices laced with concern and guilt.

Seeing that they had finally stopped, Noah breathed a silent sigh of relief and slowly released his tentacles.

Su Yaoyao’s eyes were red-rimmed. Holding back her tears, she walked step by step toward Mingye, her gaze filled with an anger he had never seen before.

She bit her lower lip, raised her hand, and with all her might—SLAP! The crisp sound of a slap echoed through the hall, stunning everyone present.

"Lord," the black-robed guards couldn’t help but cry out in alarm.

Mingye raised a hand to stop them. He looked at Su Yaoyao quietly, a complex emotion flickering in his eyes, and waited for her to speak.

"Mingye, have you forgotten why you founded Snake Scale City in the first place?" Su Yaoyao’s voice trembled with anger. "You wanted to build a safe home for males who had nowhere to turn after suffering abuse. So what are you doing now? Are you going to ignore whether they live or die for the sake of your own selfish desires?"

Her eyes were filled with disappointment and pain. "We came here representing the Empire for peace talks. How is what you’re doing now any different from declaring war on the Empire!"

The slap seemed to have woken Mingye up as well. A flicker of remorse crossed his eyes, and he remained silent.

"Even when you imprisoned me, I never hit you or cursed you. But this time, you were truly in the wrong!"

As Su Yaoyao spoke, the grievances in her heart surged like a bursting dam. Tears began to fall uncontrollably again, sliding down her cheeks and dripping onto the floor, each one feeling as if it landed on Mingye’s heart.

Watching Yaoyao’s tears fall, Mingye’s heart ached as if it were being torn apart. He subconsciously raised a hand to wipe them away, but Su Yaoyao angrily swatted it aside.

"I was wrong, Yaoyao. You’re right. I let my desires cloud my judgment," Mingye said, his face full of remorse and his voice laced with deep self-reproach.

"Does your hand hurt?" Mingye then took the hand she had just slapped him with, his heart aching for her. His touch was as gentle as if he were handling a priceless treasure.

His eyes were filled with concern and guilt as he carefully caressed her hand, as if doing so could lessen her pain.

Su Yaoyao took a deep breath to compose herself and said, "You’re just afraid I’ll leave, aren’t you? Fine. Once the peace talks are settled, I’ll move in here."

Bai Lian, Reg, and Pani were all shocked to hear this and immediately tried to persuade her to reconsider. "Yaoyao, you can’t," the three said almost in unison, their eyes full of worry.

"With my Beast Husbands, of course," Su Yaoyao added, turning to them with a reassuring look. "It’s alright. It doesn’t matter where we live. Besides, it’s what I promised him before."

When Mingye heard this, his gaze trembled slightly. The ice that had encased his heart instantly melted, replaced by warmth and emotion.

"Thank you, Yaoyao, but... you are a bird meant to fly. You shouldn’t be caged by my side." Mingye looked at Su Yaoyao, his eyes full of tenderness and resignation. Su Yaoyao was the Empire Holy Female. Such a grand figure truly shouldn’t be confined to the small Snake Scale City. She was meant for a much wider world.

Perhaps this was love.

A smile touched Mingye’s lips. He looked deeply at Su Yaoyao, his eyes filled with determination and acceptance. "As for the peace talks, I agree."