By the time Hu Bai arrived at the palace, the carefree young man who had teased Li Yan over breakfast was nowhere to be found.
Here, he was Bai Hancheng, the Third Prince of the empire. His expression was cold, his posture straight, and the playful warmth that usually lingered in his eyes had vanished completely.
The guards stationed along the palace corridor immediately bowed as he passed.
Some servants hurried out of his path, while others pressed themselves against the walls and waited for him to walk past. None dared to meet his eyes for too long.
Hu Bai paid them no attention.
His presence alone was enough to make the corridor fall silent.
Several eunuchs waiting near the inner palace quickly approached him, their faces brightening as they bowed deeply.
"Your Highness, allow this servant to escort you to the throne room."
"Your Highness, Her Majesty has been waiting for you. This servant knows a faster route."
"Your Highness, the journey must have been tiring. Would you like this servant to prepare—"
Hu Bai walked past them without slowing.
He did not spare them a glance. Unless they were Li Yan, he rarely found other people’s presence worth acknowledging.
The eunuchs exchanged nervous looks before hurrying after him, careful not to fall too far behind.
The massive doors of the throne room stood open.
Beyond them was a vast hall lined with golden pillars, the polished floor reflecting the light from the enormous chandeliers above. At the highest platform sat the woman who ruled the empire.
She was an astonishing beauty.
Dressed entirely in red, from the elaborate ornaments in her hair to the flowing robes that pooled around her seat, she looked no older than thirty-five despite her true age.
She reclined against the throne while leisurely eating a piece of fruit, her expression relaxed as though she had not summoned one of the empire’s most powerful young cultivators.
The moment Hu Bai entered, he stopped several steps from the platform and lowered himself to one knee.
"Mother, I have arrived."
The Empress looked toward him. A grin immediately appeared on her lips.
"Is that my third?"
Her voice carried genuine delight.
"You always know how to make Mother happy. You listen when I speak, you do what I ask, and you never make me worry unnecessarily." She smiled wider, her eyes filled with satisfaction. "If only your siblings could be more like you."
She reached for another piece of fruit.
"My perfect third."
Hu Bai remained silent. He had heard those words countless times.
My perfect third.
To anyone else, they might have sounded like the praise of a loving mother. To Hu Bai, they were another chain placed around his neck.
His mother did not love him.
She loved the version of him she had created in her mind—the obedient third prince who never complained, never embarrassed her, never challenged her authority, and always stood exactly where she wanted him.
Every compliment pushed him deeper onto the pedestal she had built for him, and every word of praise made stepping down more difficult.
Her smile slowly disappeared. The hand holding the fruit lowered.
"Now."
The single word changed the atmosphere of the entire throne room.
Her gaze settled on him, no longer warm or affectionate. It was sharp enough to feel like a blade pressed against his skin.
"Have you advanced your cultivation yet?"
Hu Bai remained kneeling. The Empress leaned back against the throne, her eyes narrowing.
"Once you turn twenty, you will become Crown Prince and take a bride. Your position will demand strength, and your abilities must be worthy of the title you will inherit."
The pressure of her aura slowly spread through the throne room.
The eunuchs standing nearby immediately lowered themselves further, their faces turning pale. Even the guards struggled to remain standing beneath the suffocating pressure, sweat gathering along their brows.
Hu Bai, however, remained completely still.
"Answer your mother," the Empress said coldly. "How far have you gone?"
"My cultivation remains the same."
His voice was calm.
"As I have told you before, Mother, I have no intention of becoming Emperor."
The atmosphere became deathly silent.
Hu Bai continued as though he had not noticed the change in her expression.
"There are twelve of us. Surely, one of my siblings who shares your beliefs will appear eventually."
The Empress’s fingers tightened around the fruit in her hand.
The next moment, it was crushed.
Her expression twisted with anger.
"You truly have no idea when to stop."
Hu Bai did not answer. Fueling her anger even more.
The Empress rose from her throne.
Her red robes swept across the platform as her aura erupted with terrifying force. Before the surrounding guards could react, she swung her arm.
The force struck Hu Bai directly.
His body was sent flying backward, crashing against the wall with enough force to shake the entire throne room before falling heavily to the ground.
Several eunuchs flinched.
None dared to move.
Hu Bai slowly pushed himself upright. A trace of blood appeared at the corner of his mouth, but his expression remained unchanged.
"You will do as I say!"
The Empress’s voice thundered through the hall.
"You will listen to your mother!"
Hu Bai wiped the blood from his lips with the back of his hand.
She descended from the platform, her red robes trailing behind her as she approached.
"Hancheng, I gave you your free will. I allowed you to live away from your siblings. I allowed you to join that ridiculous sect and spend your days doing whatever you pleased."
She stopped in front of him.
"You think those freedoms were given without a price?"
Hu Bai slowly raised his eyes.
His mother’s gaze bore into him. Devoid of any warmth, as though she was staring at a stranger.
"Mother will collect what she is owed when the time comes."
Her voice softened, but somehow that made it more frightening.
"Never forget that."
The Empress turned away from him, her expression returning to its usual composure as though she had not just thrown her own son across the throne room.
"Now get out of my sight."
Hu Bai remained still for a moment before rising. He straightened his robes, wiped the trace of blood from the corner of his mouth, and bowed once more.
"Yes, Mother."
He turned and walked toward the doors. His footsteps echoed through the throne room, steady and unhurried. Not once did he look back.
The moment the doors closed behind him, Hu Bai stopped.
His hand slowly tightened at his side until his knuckles turned pale.
The smile he wore for Li Yan was nowhere to be found.
Neither was the easygoing warmth that made people mistake him for a harmless young man who had nothing better to do than wander around and cause trouble.
For several breaths, he simply stood there in silence.
Then he raised his hand and wiped the remaining blood from his lips.
His jade eyes were cold. "Twenty."
A quiet, humorless laugh escaped him.
"So she still thinks I will become her Crown Prince."
He lowered his hand and continued down the corridor.
If that were what his mother believed, then he would let her continue believing it.
For now.