Gu Yun took the cup of herbal tea and drank it. When returning the cup, their fingers accidentally touched. Chang Geng quickly retracted his hand as if he had just been pricked by a sharp needle — then with a seemingly normal expression, he turned around and placed the pot down in its original place.

Gu Yun watched his figure from behind, his gaze slightly darkened. He thought: It can't go on like this anymore. After returning from the palace, I must talk it through with him no matter what.

Outside, the palace servants were making haste. Gu Yun could not delay any longer; he could only hurriedly follow them.

The February night air was biting, Gu Yun's dizzy head blown by the cold wind instantly became clear once again, as if he had just undergone acupuncture.

The servant leading the way did not dare to lift his head, walking under the palace wall. Every three steps, there would be a guarding post equipped with bows. All had beast heads, their faces were ferocious, their fangs emitting white steam, the gears in the neck slowly rotating, producing a characteristic abrading sound, causing the red walls in front to seem all the more awe-inspiring, no one would dare to look closely.

The huge palace lantern swinging in mid-air, covered with a layer of mist, did not give off a godly aura but instead seemed bleak and ghostly.

The close servant of Emperor Long An led a few people out of the Warm Pavilion; they just happened to be on the opposite side of Gu Yun. They were Westerners, the man leading had white hair, was tall and lean, and his facial features were much like a falcon. His eyes were intimidating, his nose was high and hooked, and his lips were almost invisible, only a narrow slit that seemed to have been created by a blade.

Zhu Little Feet quickly took a step forward and paid respect to Gu Yun: "Marquis — these are the messengers sent by the Pope from the West."

The white-haired man looked at Gu Yun carefully and asked: "Is this the Marquis of Order?"

A thin layer of snow fell on Gu Yun's eyelashes; his entire being was covered in an aura of chilling frost as he put his hands together coldly.

The white-haired man put his hand on his chest: "I did not expect the Marquis of Order to be such a young and handsome man. Pleased to meet you."

Gu Yun: "You have praised too much."

The two groups of people passed by each other; after the foreigners had walked further away, Gu Yun glanced at Zhu Little Feet.

Zhu Little Feet blinked at him, then spoke in a hushed tone: "Just now, there was no telling what those foreigners had said to His Majesty, only that this time, His Majesty seemed to be very high spirited, even constantly telling us to ask Marquis to come. Marquis can rest assured, this is not bad news."