"Young master, may I sit and share a drink with you?"

Not long after Wang Junze sat down, a man with small eyes and a short stature approached him, speaking with a cheerful smile.

Wang Junze glanced at him briefly. He had no recollection of seeing him before; the man was not among the previous guests of Prince Yu's Mansion in the Northern Domain. Wang Junze thought for a moment, then chuckled lightly, saying, "An encounter means fate. I'm fond of making friends, please sit down!"

"Haha, you're quite generous, young master!"

With a laugh, the man sat down and poured himself a cup of wine, introducing himself proactively: "My humble surname is Hu, my given name is not worth mentioning. But friends in the martial world honor me with a nickname — they call me Money Rat."

"What an interesting name."

Wang Junze smiled slightly, clinked glasses with the man, and spoke casually.

"You flatter me, young master."

Putting down his wine glass, Money Rat said with a smiling face: "May I ask, young master, is your surname Wang?"

"Do you know me?"

Wang Junze responded with a question.

"No, but I know them."

With a subtle gesture, Money Rat pointed to the group of people at a nearby table, smiling: "And incidentally, I know they have been searching for a young man with the surname Wang lately."

"Do you know who they are?"

Wang Junze asked again, a bit taken aback.

"Of course, they are guests of Prince Yu's Mansion!"

Money Rat replied cheerfully: "The one on the left is skilled at wielding twin blades, the one on the right uses a Qimei Staff to fight against the underworld forces throughout the Capital City. The other two lack fame, but possess the cultivation of Refining Spirit; they are likely just there for surveillance."

"Knowing they are from Prince Yu's Mansion, you still dare to come and drink with me?"

Wang Junze was not at all concerned about these people and instead looked at Money Rat with interest in inquiry.

"Since the young master already knows their identity and still dares to drink here, why shouldn't I also dare to request a cup?"

Money Rat smiled: "The Capital City is vast; there's not just one Prince Yu."

These words indeed stirred Wang Junze's heart.

Prince Yu is undoubtedly a prince, but the current emperor does not have only Prince Yu among his sons. Although Prince Yu has the Empress backing him and is indeed the most likely future heir to the throne, he is not the only one with hopes of ascending to that position.

"Which prince supports you?"

Upon hearing Wang Junze's question, Money Rat's eyes narrowed into slits as he replied with a cheerful tone: "I should let you know, my master is Prince Duan."

Just as suspected!

Confirming his suspicion allowed Wang Junze to feel even more confident about this trip to the Capital City.

"What does Prince Duan expect from me?"

"Master has bestowed a token, as long as young master is willing to join my master's ranks, you can use it to enter the city, and no one will dare to obstruct you."

As he spoke, Money Rat promptly took out a token from his person and placed it on the table.

The token was crafted from pure gold, engraved with an array. On the front side was a dragon, and the reverse side bore the character 'Duan.'

Undoubtedly, this was an exclusive token of Prince Duan. Seeing the token was like seeing Prince Duan himself. Here in the emperor's domain, unless Prince Yu wished to completely fall out with Prince Duan, using Prince Duan's token would naturally allow easy access into the Capital City.

However, this obviously wasn't without any cost.

Once this token was accepted, Wang Junze would bear Prince Duan's mark; to everyone, he would be perceived as Prince Duan's man!

Wang Junze, being new to the Capital City, didn't know what kind of person Prince Duan was, and if associating with him would bring upon even greater trouble.

The most critical aspect was... the attitude of the Judgment Department!

The Judgment Department doesn't care about his origin from Profound Moon Sword Sect, but if he joins Prince Duan's side, it's hard to tell what their stance towards him would be.

Wang Junze still remembers that Su Yuwei had warned him not to get too close to other sects while in the Northern Domain.

The people from the Judgment Department demand absolute fairness, and they even avoid things related to sects, let alone associating with a prince.

Compared to this unknown Prince Duan, Wang Junze would naturally prefer to trust the Judgment Department.

With his mind racing, Wang Junze soon made his decision!

"Thank you for Prince Duan's appreciation, but I am accustomed to freedom and unwilling to be constrained by anything. I can only thank Prince Duan for his goodwill."

Without reaching for the token, Wang Junze simply picked up his wine glass and took a sip, responding softly.

"..."

Clearly, Wang Junze's reaction was unforeseen by Money Rat. After a long pause, he couldn't help but continue: "Young master, you might want to reconsider. Presently, experts from Prince Yu's Mansion are on their way here. Without my master's token, it might be challenging just to leave this tavern, let alone enter the Capital City."

"You came to drink a cup of wine; the wine has been drunk... please feel free to leave."

With a slight smile, Wang Junze gestured his hand, explicitly issuing an eviction notice.

Perhaps, there might be opportunities for cooperation with Prince Duan in the future, but certainly not now, and especially not by being admitted under such a patronizing posture.

After giving Wang Junze a deep, thoughtful look, Money Rat retrieved the token and cheerfully responded: "In that case, I look forward to seeing the young master's methods!"

After a brief pause, Money Rat continued: "I'll be here in the tavern. If the young master decides, just give me a signal, and I shall present the token."

After these words, Money Rat rose and left the table.

From the looks of it, he clearly doesn't believe Wang Junze can escape, and expects Wang Junze to bow to Prince Duan only under pressure.

Wang Junze naturally wouldn't care about the attitude of such a minor character, shaking his head with a smile. He picked up the wine cup Peng Ru had filled and drank again.

He hadn't even entered the Capital City yet and was already under such watchful eyes.

The Capital City's situation seems far more complicated than he imagined!

But, complicated is good!

The more complex the situation, the more advantageous it is for Wang Junze!

Moreover, no matter where he goes, the principle is the same: only by possessing stronger power can he confidently face any opponent.

Whether it's Prince Yu or Prince Duan, neither currently regards Wang Junze, this newcomer from the Northern Domain, with much significance. Thus, he must do something to demonstrate his strength and earn the right to converse on equal terms.

"Waiter, more wine!"

With his head raised, Wang Junze revealed a brilliant smile and spoke loudly: "Bring the finest wine, tonight I want to drink to my heart's content!"

"I'll pour for the young master."

Peng Ru stood up and moved beside Wang Junze, speaking softly as if she were indeed just a maid.

By this point, she also understood that Wang Junze intended to enter the Capital City with the most ostentatious posture possible. Since that was the case, she naturally had to help bolster Wang Junze's prominence.

As for the impending danger, Peng Ru didn't place any concern on it at all.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.