"Yuan Bubai?"
Hearing the burly man announce his name, Shen Lang tilted his head slightly and asked Yang Ce, "Who is this person?"
"Yuan Bubai is from the Yuan family of Xiangcheng. This Heaven and Earth he owns belongs to him."
Yang Ce whispered, "It's rumored that Yuan Bubai's family was a prominent political family in the Qing Dynasty. His grandfather was Yuan Shitong, a renowned figure in the Republic of China era."
"However, after Yuan Shitong's failed attempt at emperorship and death, the Yuan family declined. In Yuan Bubai's generation, they were reduced to selling straw sandals."
"Oh, he has such a background?"
Hearing Yang Ce's words, Shen Lang was slightly surprised and said, "I heard people say that the Yuan family of Xiangcheng, like the Yuan family of the Han Dynasty, were all distinguished scholarly families. Looking at him, he indeed looks like a straw sandal seller."
"Brother Shen, you mustn't underestimate Yuan Bubai. This man is ruthless."
Yang Ce smiled slightly and said, "Lu Bu in the Three Kingdoms period was known as 'the slave of three surnames.' Yuan Bubai is even more ruthless than Lu Bu, earning him the nickname 'the slave of seven surnames.'"
"In order to revitalize his declining family, Yuan Bubai successively relied on six influential figures in Nanling. To curry favor with them, he was willing to change his name, his surname, and acknowledge them as adoptive fathers."
"However, although this person looks kind, his heart is as venomous as a snake. After acknowledging an adoptive father, he would immediately plot against them, not only seizing the empires painstakingly built by each adoptive father but also personally sending each adoptive father to their graves."
"Frankly speaking, compared to him, Lu Bu, though not a model of filial piety, can still be considered a filial son."
Yang Ce continued, "He once wanted to acknowledge me as his adoptive father. He spoke so sincerely, with tears and snot, that I almost agreed."
"This guy is truly shameless."
Hearing Yang Ce's words, Shen Lang said with disdain.
"This is not his most shameless act. His true shamelessness lies in the fact that after killing each adoptive father, he would buy a large burial plot for them and hold a grand funeral, appearing like a filial son."
"I once attended the funeral of his third adoptive father, Old Man Qi, the Saber. I saw Yuan Bubai crying profusely at the funeral, almost passing out several times. I almost believed he was a truly filial son."
At this point, Yang Ce changed the subject and said, "Before, I didn't pay much attention to Yuan Bubai. But at the beginning of this year, Yuan Bubai colluded with a certain young master from Longdu, and his status and influence soared. He created Heaven and Earth and insisted on competing with my White Horse Club."
"There have been several clashes between the White Horse Club and Heaven and Earth. However, I have tolerated them all because the young master from Longdu behind him is someone I cannot afford to offend."
"However, Yuan Bubai, despite his age, has great ambitions. I wonder if he has acknowledged that young master from Longdu as his adoptive father and become a 'slave of eight surnames.'"
While silently committing Yang Ce's words to memory, Shen Lang scanned his surroundings and asked, "Tonight, who are the people attending the Feast of Ultimate Bliss? Why don't I see a single woman?"
"Brother Shen, you haven't been to Heaven and Earth before, so it's not strange that you don't know."
Yang Ce replied, "The Feast of Ultimate Bliss at Heaven and Earth was initiated by Yuan Bubai. It is held once a month. The reason women are never invited is that this is an ultimate ecstatic carnival for men."
Yang Ce pointed to the wine pool in front of them and said, "This wine pool is filled with Moutai from iron caps. This pool alone is worth fifty billion."
"And the roast lamb in front of us is not ordinary lamb. It's wild mountain lamb that grows in the deep mountains, feeding on wild grass and drinking from mountain streams. They are transported from the great mountains of Tibet, one by one. The cost and labor involved are immeasurable."
"With its tender meat, roasted by imperial chefs, it is a delicacy beyond compare."
Saying this, Yang Ce picked up the small knife in front of him, cut a piece of lamb from the leg, and put it into his mouth with an expression of enjoyment.
"A wine pool and a forest of meat. This guy is truly willing to go to great lengths."
Hearing Yang Ce's words, Shen Lang was shocked and said, "He goes to such great lengths and incurs such huge costs. Is it just for a carnival feast? What is he trying to achieve?"
"Moreover, what benefits can the people attending this feast bring him?"
Shen Lang didn't believe that a man known as the slave of seven surnames would be a fool to do all this for no reason. There must be a deeper scheme behind it.
"What Yuan Bubai intends to do, I have also wondered, but I truly don't know."
Yang Ce said, "Yuan Bubai is a man of deep cunning and mistrusts everyone. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to kill so many adoptive fathers."
"However, to be honest, none of us who attend the Feast of Ultimate Bliss have ever given Yuan Bubai any benefit. We have never paid any money each time."
Shen Lang frowned at this. Yuan Bubai was indeed a formidable character, even to the point of numbing the minds of people like Yang Ce.
Shen Lang didn't care what Yang Ce thought. His only concern now was the safety of Yu Xiao and Yu Fei.
In his anxiety, Shen Lang pointed to a large cage next to Yuan Bubai and asked, "Brother Ce, you've attended the Feast of Ultimate Bliss before. Do you know what's in that cage?"
"That is the highlight of tonight, the surprise of the Feast of Ultimate Bliss carnival."
A wicked smile appeared on Yang Ce's face, and he said, "You've seen the Feast of Ultimate Bliss. There's wine and meat. Although the wine is good and the meat is good, for a man, this is not truly fatal."
"The most fatal temptation for a man is women."
Yang Ce continued, "There are many types of women, old women and young women. But the people here tonight are middle-aged men. They won't be interested in old women or young women."
"The women they are truly interested in are those who have not yet fully grown into women, which we commonly refer to as virgins."
"Brother Shen, I originally didn't want to tell you this, but to satisfy your curiosity, I can only reveal it in advance."
"What?"
Hearing Yang Ce's words, Shen Lang's face turned grim.
Shen Lang had thought the cage contained some rare exotic beast. He never imagined it would be virgins.
Shen Lang wanted to immediately activate his Heavenly Eyes to get a closer look and see if Yu Xiao and Yu Fei were inside, but he eventually calmed himself down.
Because he knew that the truth would be revealed soon enough.
As Shen Lang pondered in silence, Yuan Bubai on the stage spoke again. The burly Yuan Bubai's voice boomed like a bell, "Tonight's Feast of Ultimate Bliss, I have prepared the finest wine, the finest meat, and the finest women for you all. I hope you enjoy an ecstatic carnival."
"Crash—"
As Yuan Bubai's words fell, he pulled off the red cloth covering the cage.
The next second, Shen Lang saw hundreds of young girls confined in the cage, screaming in panic like prey.