Half an hour later, Zhou Hong arrived at the City Lord's Mansion.
At the entrance of the City Lord's Mansion, a new butler from the mansion was already waiting to welcome everyone.
The original butler had been killed by Zhou Hong. This new butler was promoted from the former vice-butler and was responsible for greeting guests at the entrance today.
"Hello, I'm here for the appointment," Zhou Hong walked up.
"Hello, I am the butler of the City Lord's Mansion. May I ask for your name?" the new butler asked.
"My name is Xiao Cui."
As soon as Zhou Hong finished speaking, the butler chuckled and said, "So it's Xiao Cui, ranked 28th. Welcome, welcome."
Zhou Hong frowned. "Ranked 28th?"
"Today, the City Lord is hosting the top 30 demonic cultivators. Each genius has a ranking with the City Lord. You happen to be ranked 28th."
"Oh, oh."
"Please come inside."
"Thank you, butler. I'll go in myself."
"Alright, then I won't escort you in personally. I'll have a servant lead you in."
Zhou Hong nodded. The butler called a servant and led Zhou Hong into the City Lord's Mansion.
Zhou Hong followed the servant to a grand hall. As soon as he entered, he saw more than a dozen people already inside. These people looked very young, and undoubtedly, they were all invited by the City Lord.
Zhou Hong scanned the hall and saw Lian Qingyi in a corner. Lian Qingyi was chatting with several other women.
Unfortunately, Lian Qingyi did not recognize Zhou Hong at all, thinking he was indeed Xiao Cui.
Since there was no one familiar, Zhou Hong naturally didn't go up to strike up a conversation. He sat down in a corner by himself. He had to be very low-key at this banquet, preferably without attracting anyone's attention.
Soon, other demonic cultivator geniuses entered the hall one after another. A total of 30 people, 18 men and 12 women, were all present.
Perhaps it was still early, and the City Lord had not yet appeared, nor had the banquet tables been set up. So, people gathered in twos and threes, chatting. Only Zhou Hong sat alone in the corner, like someone without friends.
In fact, it was true. Zhou Hong was not familiar with any of them. Although Zhou Hong had ascended to the Demon Realm nearly ten years ago, he had rarely left his room and had no understanding of these so-called geniuses.
Just then, someone finally noticed Zhou Hong.
"Everyone, look! Isn't that woman sitting in the corner He Xiao Lu's girlfriend?" one of the young men shouted, looking at Zhou Hong. He seemed to recognize Zhou Hong.
Suddenly, everyone looked at Zhou Hong, including Lian Qingyi and the other women. Not many of the 30 young talents in the hall had seen Zhou Hong before and didn't recognize him. It was only when someone spoke up that everyone realized.
Although they hadn't seen Xiao Cui, many had heard her name. After all, He Xiao Lu was quite famous, and anyone involved with He Xiao Lu would be hard to ignore.
Seeing everyone staring at him, Zhou Hong was immediately depressed. He had only wanted to go through the motions discreetly today.
"My goodness, she's that Xiao Cui?"
"I was wondering who it was, a stranger's face. So it's Xiao Cui. She's actually among the top 30 demonic cultivation geniuses. No wonder He Xiao Lu is with her."
"Tsk tsk!"
For a moment, everyone looked at Zhou Hong, pointing and discussing.
Zhou Hong didn't know what to say and could only pretend not to hear, hoping it would end soon.
However, seeing Zhou Hong's impassive reaction, some people couldn't hold back.
One of the young men walked up and said with a chuckle, "Hello, Xiao Cui."
"What do you want? Who are you!" Zhou Hong asked the approaching young man irritably. His tone made Zhou Hong particularly dislike him.
"Xiao Cui, do you know that your name is quite famous in Wu Meng City? I didn't expect to finally see you in person today."
Zhou Hong looked at the young man with annoyance. The young man's strength appeared to be around that of a sixth-grade demon.
"Get lost," Zhou Hong shouted angrily.
However, the young man didn't leave. Instead, he found it amusing and burst into laughter. Some of the other young men who were watching the spectacle also joined in the laughter.
"Xiao Cui, can I ask you a few questions? Why do you like women? When you and He Xiao Lu were together, what exactly did you do? Were you in front or was she? You don't have male parts, and she doesn't either, so how did you do it? Did you shave off a branch and tie it to your waist?"
"Hahaha." Laughter erupted from the crowd again.
Zhou Hong clenched his fists.
"You are looking for death," Zhou Hong warned.
"I'm not looking for death, I'm just curious. Humor us and satisfy our curiosity. We really don't know how you two, both women, did it. Let us broaden our horizons."
"Yes, Xiao Cui, just tell us. We're really curious."
"Hahaha, don't tell me you only used your fingers."
Zhou Hong, hearing the laughter around him, suddenly stood up and said furiously, "Apologize to me immediately."
"Oh, oh, oh! You're angry? But apologizing is impossible. If you're willing, let's arrange a time, find an inn, and I don't mind straightening you out." The young man in front of Zhou Hong became more and more outrageous, even suggesting they make an appointment.
"You are truly seeking death," Zhou Hong said coldly. He could no longer tolerate it. Zhou Hong was tired of holding back. Although he had agreed to be low-key and invisible today, it seemed he couldn't be invisible no matter how much he endured.
"Hehehe, Xiao Cui, the reason you like women is probably because you haven't experienced men. How about this, let's meet tonight, what do you think?" the young man invited.
Zhou Hong clenched his fists. This bastard actually wanted to have sex with him.
So, Zhou Hong acted instantly.
The next second, almost no one saw how Zhou Hong moved. The young man who had been speaking was suddenly lifted into the air by his neck, held there by Zhou Hong.
Many people in the hall had been laughing, but their laughter immediately stopped when they saw this.
This young man was named Liu Yanzhong, and his strength was that of a sixth-grade demon. Xiao Cui, on the other hand, was only a fifth-grade demon. They had expected Xiao Cui to be no match for him, which was why the young man dared to provoke her. But they never expected that before anyone could react, Liu Yanzhong was instantly choked and lifted by Xiao Cui. This display of strength shocked everyone.