Chapter 162: Madam, Please Show Some Self-Respect

Chapter 162: Madam, Please Show Some Self-Respect

Wu Hong stood within the forest for a long while before his mind gradually settled. "What does a chaotic world matter? As long as I protect those I love and my friends, let the heavens and earth descend into whatever chaos they desire. Finding a peaceful utopian sanctuary to quietly live out one's life is also a fine choice."

Recalling the experiences of this recent period, Wu Hong felt as though he had lived through a dream. If it were not for Kun Kun—who used to sleep inside his sleeve—now sitting spiritedly on his shoulder and radiating vitality, Wu Hong would scarcely have believed it.

Ghosts truly existed after death, and the netherworld was a real place.

This journey to the underworld had been unimaginably thrilling, making Wu Hong feel as though he had crossed through lifetimes.

He had no idea how much time had passed, but in his estimation, it had only been about ten days, so the changes in the mortal realm should not be too drastic.

Wu Hong's heart felt as exhausted as if a thousand or even a hundred years had passed; he just needed to find a place to enjoy a sound sleep before continuing his journey tomorrow.

The forest was illuminated by a hazy moonlight, and the rustling sounds of small creatures moving about echoed through the woods from time to time—evidently venomous insects and serpents. Yet, to Wu Hong's ears at this moment, these sounds were like celestial music, and everything felt so wonderfully serene.

The forest was not particularly large, and Wu Hong was in no rush to press on. He needed to return to Daqian to find Wu Songran and confront that fake Wu Hong who had usurped the title of Prince Wuwei.

He also needed to see Lady Zhao, the second mother he had never yet met.

However, he was in no hurry at this moment. Emerging from the forest, he found a moderately sized village nestled at the foot of the mountain. The houses in the village were constructed entirely of timber, looking exceptionally sturdy, and were brightly lit, evidently not yet time for sleep.

Wu Hong felt a sense of emotional resonance. The gloomy, eerie atmosphere of the underworld contrasted with the warmth of the scene before him, filling his heart with a comforting glow.

Had he not experienced that journey through the netherworld, Wu Hong might not have felt the slightest appreciation for the warmth before him.

Yet, his state of mind was now entirely different.

He did not know what village this was, nor did he care to inquire; he simply wanted to spend a peaceful night within it.

As Wu Hong walked into the village, the villagers who caught sight of this sudden young traveler showed no particular expression of surprise.

Instead, several women and maidens—in short, all the females—were immediately drawn to the unique temperament exuding from Wu Hong's body.

Although Wu Hong's "Great Sun Tathagata True Explanation" secret manual had transformed into the "Shatter" manual, this apparently had not diminished the unique aura emitted by his physique.

Upon seeing this distinctive aura, those women looked as though their eyes were glowing with a green light. Had Wu Hong offered even a slight smile, it would have undoubtedly elicited a chorus of gasps.

"Who is this young man? He looks like a person from the Daqian Dynasty! How did he end up here? But he is so handsome!!!"

Women boldly discussed Wu Hong from time to time.

It was only then that Wu Hong noticed the attire of these villagers differed greatly from that of Daqian. Their silk garments possessed a distinctive local flavor, and many of the women dressed rather revealingly, each exuding a strong exotic charm.

This realization dawned on Wu Hong: this was likely the Great Tang Kingdom. Wang Biluo, the envoy from the Tang Kingdom whom he had met previously, had dressed in precisely this style.

He had not expected the final destination of the Ghost Carriage to be the Great Tang Kingdom.

Fortunately, the language of the Heavenly Journey Continent was universal, so Wu Hong had no concerns about being unable to communicate with these people.

Wu Hong approached a medium-sized inn. Before he even stepped through the threshold, a female attendant rushed over to him with an enthusiastic expression and asked, "Esteemed guest, are you here for a meal or lodging?"

Wu Hong felt the vibrant vitality radiating from her, met her smiling face, and saw her translucent white skin, which made her appear remarkably approachable. He smiled faintly and said, "I'd like to get something to eat first, and then take a room. Could you please prepare some wine and food for me?"

When the female attendant saw Wu Hong smiling gently at her, her face instantly flushed crimson. The temperament exuding from Wu Hong's entire body was fatal to any woman.

If Wu Hong had thrown caution to the wind, rushed toward the female attendant, and pulled her straight into an embrace, she might have resisted for a few moments before yielding entirely to his whims.

That intensely magnetic aura that appealed to women was deadly. The air Wu Hong exhaled from his mouth, if it brushed against a woman's face, would be enough to arouse a powerful yearning.

This was entirely the effect of Wu Hong's greatly advanced cultivation, which had caused this unique temperament to surge in tandem.

Naturally, Wu Hong himself remained unaware of it.

The female attendant was so utterly captivated and spellbound by Wu Hong's peculiar charm that she stood rooted to the spot in a daze, completely missing his words.

"Fair lady, I would like to get something to eat and then stay the night. Could you please go and prepare it?" Wu Hong asked again with a slight smile as he watched the dazed attendant.

"Ah! I'm so sorry! I was just lost in thought for a moment! Young master, please wait a moment!" Flustered and stumbling over her words, the female attendant hurried into the inn to relay the order.

Upon entering the inn, Wu Hong noticed that the tables, chairs, and benches were all made of solid wood. Furthermore, the texture of the timber looked exceptionally hard and emitted a faint, refreshing fragrance.

Clearly, these tables and chairs were crafted from rare mountain woods.

There were not many people in the inn, but the number of men and women was roughly equal. It seemed that the customs of the Great Tang Kingdom differed vastly from those of Daqian, where women staying out all night was a common occurrence, and drinking alcohol was certainly not the exclusive domain of men.

At least within this small inn, there were quite a few heroines drinking uninhibitedly with their friends while dressed in rather revealing attire.

Yet, the moment Wu Hong walked in, all those women abruptly froze. With a crisp click, one woman's wine cup slipped from her hand and shattered on the floor, her mouth hanging wide open as she stared blankly at Wu Hong.

If there truly were peerless beauties in the mortal world, then Wu Hong was now a peerless man of the mortal world, radiating a temperament that combined both demonic allure and masculine vigor.

The Great Tang Kingdom was a nation with a very open-minded view of gender relations. Not only were men with capability permitted to take multiple wives, but women with equal capability were equally free to take multiple male consorts.

Throughout the successive reigns of the Great Tang Kingdom, there was no shortage of talented female emperors, and the system of succession was by no means bound solely to male primogeniture.

If a peerless heroine capable of rivaling men happened to be a member of the imperial family, she stood a very strong chance of inheriting the throne.

Having witnessed Wang Biluo's unrestrained temperament, Wu Hong was not at all surprised by the reaction of the women in the inn.

Before long, the attendant returned carrying two jars of fine wine and a few side dishes. Her hands trembled slightly and her face flushed red as she came before Wu Hong and said, "Young master, please enjoy your meal." She kept stealing furtive glances at Wu Hong with her eyes.

This brought a chuckle to Wu Hong. Back when he was a beggar, sallow and malnourished, none of these women would have reacted this way.

Later, when he was the eldest young master of the Prince Wuwei estate, he had also been known for his romantic and flamboyant lifestyle, but the women who flattered him back then did so solely because a towering figure—the Prince of Wuwei, whose power shook the realm—stood behind him.

Yet the scene before him now let Wu Hong know that these women were genuinely drawn to his own personal charm.

Wu Hong smiled faintly and said without a trace of shyness, "Thank you—" Upon seeing Wu Hong's smile once more, the attendant fled hurriedly from his side like a startled fawn.

Wu Hong poured a cup of wine and took a sip. A fiery sensation slid down his throat straight into his stomach, making him feel as though this were a supreme delicacy of the mortal world. In truth, Wu Hong knew in his heart that this was merely ordinary wine; it was simply that his state of mind had changed, altering the flavor of the wine itself.

At that moment, a lone woman sitting not far from Wu Hong could no longer withstand the unique aura radiating from his body. She picked up a flagon of wine, walked over to Wu Hong, and said, "Hey kid, you're quite handsome! How about we make friends?"

Wu Hong was momentarily taken aback. He shook his head helplessly with a faint smile, thinking to himself, *Is this what being hit on feels like?*

Yet, Wu Hong was a man after all; with a woman delivering herself to his doorstep, what was there to fear? "Very well! If the fair lady is in the mood, please take a seat!"

Wu Hong smiled and made a gesture, inviting the woman—whose face was slightly flushed—to sit down. Clearly, she had consumed quite a bit of alcohol beforehand.

Seeing how handsome Wu Hong was, she had approached him purely out of a desire for playful flirtation.

After all, given the different social atmosphere prevalent in the Great Tang Kingdom, such occurrences were frequent.

While some men fiercely resisted this kind of behavior, Wu Hong was different, coming as he did from Daqian.

Upon receiving Wu Hong's invitation, the woman did not sit across from him; instead, she seated herself directly beside him.

Already somewhat intoxicated, she was suddenly struck by a wave of intensely masculine energy enveloping her entire body. She instantly felt an unbearable wave of internal heat rising within her, emboldening her further. A jade-like hand suddenly shot out and grabbed something it had no business grasping—something exceptionally firm.

This caused Wu Hong's entire body to jolt in shock, nearly making him leap to his feet as his face instantly flushed scarlet. "Ah! Madam, please show some self-respect..."