Chapter 4651: Frightened His voice deepened slightly, carrying a note of impatience that finally snapped the Emperor out of his captivated state, where he had been utterly mesmerized by Feng Jiu’s unparalleled beauty. “Ahem!” Feeling a sense of unease, he pressed his fist to his lips and coughed lightly. He glanced at Pan’s father, then turned his gaze back to the stunning woman in red. “Minister Pan,” he began, his voice a little unsteady, “this young lady must be an Immortal, wouldn’t you agree?” 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖 Pan’s father quickly wiped a bead of sweat from his brow. “I have not had the honour of meeting her before, Your Majesty, but given her presence here, it seems likely.” Old Patriarch Pan, Pan Hong, Pan Ning, and the others had all noticed the Emperor’s arrival. They had also saw the way his gaze lingered on Feng Jiu, the unmistakable look of a man captivated by a woman. Under normal circumstances, if Feng Jiu were an ordinary woman, it might be understandable for the Emperor, as the ruler of the land, to regard her with such interest. However, Feng Jiu was no ordinary woman. She was an Immortal, and importantly, an Immortal woman who already had a husband and three children! The Emperor’s blatant admiration felt like a profound disrespect, causing a wave of unease to ripple through them. They quickly rose, hoping to smooth over the awkward situation. “Greetings, Your Majesty,” the Old Patriarch and the others said in unison, bowing respectfully. “Haha, I came in disguise, so there is no need for such formalities between Emperor and subjects,” the Emperor said with a forced smile, waving his hand dismissively, though his gaze remained fixed on Feng Jiu. He watched as she sat gracefully, gently twirling a wine cup in her hand, her slender white fingers moving with delicate precision, creating an unexpectedly alluring spectacle. “What audacity!” The sharp rebuke, delivered with icy disdain by Leng Shuang, sent a jolt through the Emperor. He snapped his gaze away from Feng Jiu’s fingers, belatedly realizing he had been openly swallowing his saliva. A wave of embarrassment washed over him, his face flushing from pale to red as he struggled to regain his composure. An oppressive aura filled the air, a palpable weight that pressed down on everyone present, making even the simple act of breathing feel labored. The most profoundly affected was undoubtedly the Emperor. He stood there, beads of cold sweat trickling down his forehead. The immense pressure emanating from Leng Shuang instilled a deep sense of fear, and he felt an almost irresistible urge to kneel. However, Leng Shuang, ever mindful of the potential repercussions, knew her limits. Forcing the Emperor to kneel before so many members of the Pan family would likely provoke his wrath, which he might then vent on them. Therefore, she merely exerted enough pressure to make him intensely uncomfortable, stopping short of forcing him to his knees. Before long, the Emperor’s clothes were damp with cold sweat, and his legs felt weak and unsteady. Just then, Feng Jiu’s calm voice broke the tense silence. “All right, let’s go see if the children are here.” “Yes,” Leng Shuang replied, immediately withdrawing her oppressive aura and turning to leave. Seeing this opportunity, Pan’s father hurried forward to bow apologetically to Feng Jiu, offered a few conciliatory words, and then quickly assisted the visibly shaken emperor out of the hall. “Madam, I must take my leave,” Pan Hong said, bowing respectfully to Feng Jiu before wheeling himself away. “Madam, please do not take it personally. His Majesty has held power for a long time, and it is perhaps inevitable that he sometimes loses his sense of proportion,” the Old Patriarch offered hesitantly. Feng Jiu smiled faintly. “It seems that your Emperor is not a particularly astute individual. For the ruler of a country to be so short-sighted is hardly a blessing for his people.” The Pan family dared not voice their agreement or disagreement with such a statement. Pan Ning simply refilled Feng Jiu’s wine cup and steered the conversation towards safer topics. On the other side of the courtyard, the Emperor, supported by Pan’s father, was helped into a quiet side room and gently lowered onto a chair. His legs felt like jelly, and he lacked the strength to even stand, as if all his vitality had been drained away. He wiped off his cold sweat and muttered after a long silence, his voice still trembling slightly, “The pressure of an Immortal is truly… formidable.”