Mingye looked at the unconscious Su Yaoyao lying on the feather rug, his brows furrowed deeply. He never imagined a simple answer would cause her to faint on the spot.

Just then, the sound of footsteps reached his ears. A subordinate entered and respectfully presented an exquisite device—the Spiritual Power Detector.

Mingye picked up the small detector and dismissed the subordinate with a wave of his hand.

He then opened the birdcage and walked in slowly, his gaze once again falling upon Su Yaoyao.

His brow furrowed slightly, a thoughtful look in his eyes, as if he were trying to guess just how many more secrets this little female was hiding.

After a moment, he slowly crouched down. He reached out and gently patted Su Yaoyao’s cheek. "Wake up."

Su Yaoyao’s eyelashes fluttered, and she slowly opened her eyes. Her gaze was vacant; she obviously hadn’t yet recovered from the immense grief of losing her companions.

Anger flared in her eyes the moment she saw Mingye, but she was too weak to act on it.

"The ones who attacked our ship... was that your men?" Su Yaoyao’s voice was hoarse, tinged with tears.

"And what if it was?" Mingye’s voice was bone-chillingly cold, devoid of any emotion.

As he spoke, his large hand shot out and clamped around Su Yaoyao’s neck.

His hand was so large it almost completely enveloped her slender neck, the force of his grip suffocating her.

"Still don’t understand the situation?" His tone was filled with menace, as if warning her that her life was now in his hands.

The feeling of suffocation washed over her, and she struggled instinctively. Her hands clawed desperately at Mingye’s, nails turning white with the effort, but his grip was like an iron vise, unmoving.

Her eyes were wide with terror and despair. Breathing became increasingly difficult, and the world before her began to blur.

Mingye watched her struggle without a hint of pity. Then, with a violent shove, he let her go.

Like a puppet with its strings cut, Su Yaoyao fell heavily to the floor. She gasped for air, coughing incessantly, her throat burning as if it were on fire.

Mingye ignored her suffering and placed the Spiritual Power Detector in front of her.

"Put your hand on it."

Su Yaoyao caught her breath. She knew she had no other choice.

Besides, deep down, she refused to believe that Bai Lian and the others were really dead. Only by staying alive would she have the chance to investigate and the hope of seeing them again.

At this thought, she gritted her teeth and placed her trembling hand on the device.

The indicator light on the screen began to flash rapidly, emitting a faint hum as the detection sequence initiated.

As the test progressed, the number representing her spiritual power level climbed steadily. Each jump felt like a thud in both Mingye’s and Su Yaoyao’s chests.

Mingye narrowed his eyes, staring intently at the screen. His dark green eyes shone with a mix of anticipation and curiosity; he was desperate to know what secrets this little female was hiding.

However, the instant the level soared to S-Class, the device let out a violent roar, followed by an explosive BANG!

Blinding sparks flew, and thick smoke rapidly filled the air.

With lightning-fast reflexes, Mingye snatched Su Yaoyao’s hand away at the moment of the explosion and hurled the ruined device across the room.

The device traced an arc through the air before landing heavily on the floor, billowing black smoke, completely destroyed.

Seeing the ruined device, Su Yaoyao secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

’Thankfully, Pani had once told her that because the highest-ranking female ever recorded was S-Class, all commercially available detectors were only built to measure up to that level.’

’Unless you went to the Imperial City and used the Spiritual Power Detection Crystal forged from an ancient star’s core. Only that could withstand and accurately measure the fluctuations of Super S-level spiritual power.’

Mingye’s brow tightened. He immediately had several more detectors brought in, but the result was identical—they were all destroyed while testing Su Yaoyao’s spiritual power.

This only deepened his suspicion, and he began to wonder if the female was using some kind of trick.

"It’s not my fault your machines can’t handle it. I really am S-Class," Su Yaoyao said, forcing herself to sound calm despite the fear she felt seeing Mingye’s furious expression.

Mingye sneered. "Fine. Then form a Spiritual Link with me right now."

A Spiritual Link was an extremely advanced and difficult method of pacification; most females couldn’t achieve it in a lifetime. ’He’d see just how capable this little female really was.’

Su Yaoyao’s heart tightened at his words, and she subconsciously clenched her fists.

’That was her greatest bargaining chip, her final trump card. She couldn’t reveal it so easily.’

"I don’t know how yet," she said, lowering her head, unable to meet Mingye’s eyes.

Without another word, Mingye pulled out the sharp dagger. The blade glinted coldly in the dim light, like a viper ready to strike.

"Give me some time!" Su Yaoyao said hurriedly, a pleading tone in her voice. "I only just awakened my spiritual power. You have to give me time to understand it! There are so few females, and no one ever taught me."

Mingye’s brow furrowed as he sank into thought.

He began to consider the possibility that she was an S-Class female. ’After all, for the Empire to assign two Admirals to escort her, she must be S-Class.’

’Even though that rank was a First Order below his, the pacification from an S-Class would still have some effect.’

"I’ll give you one month," Mingye said coldly, his tone leaving no room for negotiation.

"That’s too short," Su Yaoyao couldn’t help but say.

Mingye raised an eyebrow dangerously, a flicker of murderous intent in his eyes.

At this, Su Yaoyao was too frightened to say more. It felt as if the man’s dagger was pressed against her neck again, and a chill shot through her entire body.

"Well, since we have to spend a month together, you should at least tell me who you are. I can’t just call you ’hey’ all the time, can I?" Su Yaoyao asked carefully, trying to ease the tension.

Hearing her suggestion, Mingye sneered. "If you have a death wish, go ahead and try." His tone made it clear he would strike her down the moment she dared.

Su Yaoyao shrank back, her heart filled with fear.

Looking at the delicate female before him, something deep inside Mingye softened almost imperceptibly.

After a moment of silence, he spoke slowly. "My name is Mingye."

Mingye watched her reaction, but her face showed none of the terror he’d expected. It was as if she’d never heard his name before.

"Oh, Mingye," Su Yaoyao murmured.

"Address me as Lord," Mingye’s voice was low and commanding.

"...Lord," Su Yaoyao said meekly, her voice tinged with resignation and compliance.