Chapter 41 - Acceptance

"Kneel Down." Lev coldly said as he released his spirit pressure combined with his Conqueror's Haki. Though he was filled with anger at the moment, he still could control it to some extent seeing Zhu Zhuqing, Dugu Yan, and Sia weren't affected much unlike the people and things around them.

Meanwhile, as if he did not own his body, Zhuqing's father kneeled immediately after feeling a terrible pressure ramming down against his body. The throne he was sitting on had already crumbled whereas he was now kneeling while he supported himself with both hands touching the ground with his eyes widening from great shock.

Zhuqing's father wasn't the only one who was experiencing this pressure as all the people who were in the palace and even the people living outside also felt it and they all looked in horror while some had already fainted. To those who have endured, they all thought that there must be an attack but all they could do now was hold onto their ground and avoid losing consciousness.

While they were suffering, the man who greeted Lev and the others back then outside was trembling in fear as his eyes stared at the palace thinking that he must have been very lucky on not making it difficult for Lev as he was completely sure that it was all his doing.

As the person closest to Lev, Zhuqing's father can't even look up to him as blood has even started flowing out from his ears, nose, and mouth. The pressure was unbelievably terrible and the only thing that kept holding him awake was the fact that he was a Titled Douluo himself.

"Lev." Zhu Zhuqing suddenly said. She and the others, though they were fine, they were still affected slightly. She knew her father was at fault, and she was angry for that but seeing him suffering like that, she felt bad for it and she wasn't heartless enough to just let him be as he was still her father after all.

Hearing Zhu Zhuqing, Lev looked at her worried face before he finally calmed down and retracted his skill and spirit pressure making everyone breathe in relief. Though it was only brief, the destruction it caused to the palace was visible seeing cracks all over the walls and such.

Right after that, Lev looked at Zhuqing's father and noticed that there were now three old men helping him stand up while they were looking at him with painful expressions on their faces.

"How careless. I have almost destroyed the palace." Lev suddenly said with a smile as he used Nature's Heal at Sia. Making sure that she was okay, he used every healing ability that he had and gave to her.

"I think Zhuqing hasn't introduced myself clearly. I am Lev Hendrix, lover of Zhu Zhuqing, and the first Emperor of True God's Empire." Following that, Lev then introduced himself as he looked at Zhuqing's father with great seriousness as he started to harbor a little hatred for him for what he had done to Sia.

This time, Zhuqing's father and the three old men were shocked after knowing that the 'Lev' in front of them was the reported Emperor of the new Empire just a month ago. They could not help but gulp hard as they really didn't believe the possibility that the person Zhu Zhuqing had followed was the same person despite knowing the similarity of their names.

"I don't know why you're so hostile to me, but I think we've come at a bad time. We'll visit the place some other time then. You better change your attitude until then." Lev said before turning his back and start walking. He knew for the very fact the reason behind his hostility but seeing that they no longer could have a proper conversation, he then just decided to leave.

With that, Sia and Dugu Yan followed Lev immediately while Zhu Zhuqing stayed for a little while as she looked at his father with anger before following Lev afterward. It was actually an event that she slightly looked forward to, but it only resulted in disappointment.

After they left, the three old men beside Zhuqing's father breathed out in relief. They all looked at him with worried faces as they started taking out healing elixirs to mend the damage he had acquired.

"I-Is that really the person who destroyed Heaven Dou Empire?" One of the old men suddenly said while feeling shocked after seeing that the report and news really was true. With that kind of power, it left the whole Zhu Family couldn't lift a finger at all not much if he attacked them while they were in that state.

"Clan Head, how could such a person head here together with the Young Miss?" Another old man said as he looked at Zhuqing's father with a questioning mind. He hasn't had any clue as to why a person of such status suddenly barged into their place.

"Are you not listening, old fool? He said he was Zhuqing's lover!!" Another old man rebuttal with a little anger in his voice. This was the first their family had been humiliated to such extent and so he looked at this incident more seriously.

"T-Then, does that mean that youth was the person who Zhuqing followed five years ago?" The first old man shockingly asked after putting everything in place. They have also heard about it, but they can't do anything since they really don't know where they have gone and hiding.

Right after that, a moment of silence filled the hall before Zhuqing's father breathed and sighed in relief as he forced himself to stand up. He then said, "Elders, try to block the news regarding the visit of True God Empire's Emperor is here. I want this matter to be as secret as possible."

Hearing that, the elders looked at him fully knowing what was running through his mind as they were all quick to understand the matter at hand. This matter was completely out of their expectation and so was very crucial to their survival. What they need to do now is to think about this more carefully and plan things out.

"I never would have thought that this would happen." Zhuqing's father said while remembering what Dai Mubai told him two weeks ago. It never really crossed his mind that the two people really were the same as it was completely unbelievable but seeing it now, he could only lament thinking that it was already too late.

"T-Then, what should we do? We all know that Zhuqing was already engaged to Mubai as this was written in our tradition." One of the elders immediately said while imagining what would happen if they didn't allow Zhuqing to be with that youth. Though it was also the same the other way around, after weighing things, he felt like hindering the first one was more terrible.

Upon hearing this, the other elders then also thought the same. They all knew that this problem was more urgent than fighting the Spirit Hall and so they all looked at Zhuqing's father wanting to hear his opinion.

Zhuqing's father, however, just remained silent as he also thought of this after hearing Lev earlier. After feeling his terrible power, he had already decided not to want him to be his enemy, but it doesn't change the fact that they had a tradition to follow which makes things complicated.

"Let me talk to him tomorrow and see what will happen." Zhuqing's father sighed as he couldn't decide what to do and decided to have a talk with Lev tomorrow. He also needs to talk this out with his family first and hear their thought about this matter.

With that, the three elders just nodded at Zhuqing's father's decision and hoped that things would go smoothly. They then just for a while before leaving as they all have many things to do, especially with regard to the palace conditions.

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---Night---

Hotel,

Trying to forget what happened at the Zhu Family Palace, Lev and the others headed back to the city they had stayed for the night as they roamed around wanting more to see the place before finally heading back to the hotel and resting for the night.

"Lev, Sia, YanYan, I'm very sorry about my father's behavior earlier. I never thought that he would act like that after seeing me. I'm really sorry." Zhu Zhuqing apologized as she looked very disappointed with his father. Though she also has a vague guess as to why he was like that, the way he does it just crosses the line.

"Well, It's partly my fault too. So, stop thinking about it, and let's just sleep." Lev answered with a smile while caressing her head. He doesn't even mind such a thing as it was pretty normal for a father to act that way.

Following that, Sia and Dugu Yan just nodded before they closed their eyes to sleep. Zhu Zhuqing, on the other hand, looked up as she moved her head towards Lev and kissed him before closing her eyes too. Lev, seeing them sleeping also closed his eyes and slept with a smile on his face.

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---The next day---

Restaurant,

As the morning came, Lev and the others could now be found eating inside a normal restaurant from which they all felt surprised after a luxurious carriage was parked outside causing the people in the surroundings to exclaim and think that a noble might be visiting the city.

Not long after that, the man whom Lev and the others met yesterday suddenly got out of the carriage. He looked at the place for a while before heading inside the restaurant and stopped at a particular table and suddenly said, "Your Majesty, Young Misses, is it convenient to have some of your time and visit the palace once again?"

"Wait for a while." Lev, however, replied nonchalantly as he continued eating whereas Zhu Zhuqing and the others were also doing the same thing. Though they have decided to visit the palace again, it hasn't to be now and so they weren't interested in it.

Hearing Lev, the man nodded and could only head outside and waited for them to be done. After waiting for an hour, Lev and the others finally finished eating their breakfast and so they then followed the man inside the carriage as they left the place on the way to the palace.

As they left, the people around the restaurant then started talking about who Lev was and it gained much interest especially since there were many people who had witnessed it. More specifically, there was someone near the restaurant who had also left immediately after seeing Lev and others leave the place.

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Zhu Family Palace,

Traveling for a while, Lev and the others could now be found sitting in a luxurious living room back in the Zhu Family Palace. It really was beautiful inside if you will set aside the cracks visible in every corner of the room. Meanwhile, they were not alone inside because there were also people who were sitting in front of them. One was Zhuqing's father, while the other two were both beautiful women; one mature and one of the same age or a little older than Zhu Zhuqing.

"Your Majesty Lev, I'm so sorry for the rudeness I have shown yesterday. I hope you won't take it to the heart." Zhuqing's father suddenly stood up as he bowed and apologized. Though he was a prominent person himself, he could not afford to make another mistake, especially in dealing with Lev who was right in front of him again for the second time.

On the other hand, the other two women also stood up and greeted Lev as if they had already known about the matter yesterday. The three of them looked calm outside but nervousness really was running inside them as they looked at Lev.

"I could understand your feelings and your care for your daughter, but don't you think you just need to focus your hatred and actions directly on me while not affecting the others? I'm only doing the same as what you did yesterday so, I hope you won't blame me for that." Lev answered with a serious voice as he observed the three people who would be soon his family.

Seeing Lev's expression, the nervousness that Zhuqing's father felt had become stronger to the point that sweat was forming on his forehead. Following that, he then just looked at Zhu Zhuqing before he sat down to calm himself as he introduced the people beside him.

Lev, however, already knows who they are even if he doesn't use the system. The mature and beautiful woman beside him was none other than Zhuqing's mother while the other one was her older sister.

The introductions didn't last long as Lev directly got to the point. He said, "I don't know what you are thinking of me right now. But I have visited this place to formally break the engagement between Zhuqing and Dai Mubai. I hope you are prepared for that as I am not taking a no for an answer."

Zhuqing's father and mother already knew this would happen and it was also the cause of their worries. On the other hand, Zhuqing's sister, Zhu Zhuyun, was completely shocked to the core after hearing Lev's words as she doesn't know the whole story.

Right after that, the room suddenly became awkward before Zhuqing's father looked at his wife and nodded. He then looked at Lev and said, "Your Majesty, can we talk privately?"

Lev looked at him for a while before nodding for which Zhu Zhuqing and the others then left the room as they followed Zhu Zhuqing's mother to another place. He wasn't even worried if something would happen to them as he knew they wouldn't be that foolish enough to do something.

With that, Zhuqing's father and the Lev were the people left behind in the room as they looked at each other with seriousness. It was only after a while did Zhuqing's father broke the silence as he brought up something.

"Your Majesty, you might already know this, but Dai and Zhu family have a tradition to follow and it's kind of difficult to break this thing." Zhuqing father nervously said. This was the problem that he was very worried about and so wanted to make this thing clear to Lev.

"I don't care about that tradition of yours. I only care about Zhuqing and nothing else." Lev casually replied. Of course, he knew about it long ago, but it wasn't his fault that it came that way.

"B-But this will make us the Zhus to be in conflict with Dais." Zhuqing's father said as he looked at Lev. Though Lev's uninterested attitude irritates him, he really can't do anything about it since strength really speaks in the end.

"If that's your problem, then it can be solved easily. Our destination was actually in the Dais in the first place. We have only visited this place so I could talk about these things and have Zhu Zhuqing come back home for a while. Depending on the Dais, this matter would not be solved peacefully. Well, I have already destroyed an empire before destroying another one would not make a difference." Lev smiled while looking at Zhuqing's father. This was his true goal of coming to this place as it was all along for the completion of his goal, and he wouldn't stop doing it no matter what methods he would use.

On the other hand, Zhuqing's father's eyes widened as he couldn't believe what he just heard but he could tell that Lev really was serious. Just like he said he had already destroyed one a month ago, destroying another won't do much but it all comes to the matter if he could do it again.

After saying all of that, Lev did not hear any response from Zhuqing's father. He then just looked at him with a smile before saying, "Should I call you uncle from now on then?"

"You can call me whatever you want, Your Majesty." Zhuqing's father answered. Seeing Lev's power yesterday gave him nowhere to side. It was only either their clan would be destroyed or accept him and made an enemy of the Dais. Either way was something he never wanted but upon pondering about it all night, siding with Lev would give him more benefit however, that was on the premise that he could submit the entirety of the Dais.

Right after that, Lev and Zhuqing's father talked for a while especially things regarding the empire. They have many things to talk about but they set aside them for now as things that happened today were completely family matters.

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Garden,

As Lev and Zhuqing's father were talking in the hall, the girls were also having their own conversation as well seeing them happily having a conversation in a beautiful garden in the palace.

"Zhuqing, how were you for the past years?" Zhuqing's mother worriedly asked as she looked at her daughter who she hadn't seen for how many years. Seeing her safe and sound completely made her happy and the thought that she wasn't in any danger made her sigh in relief.

"I'm fine, mother. Lev was the best man I've ever met, and I have decided to follow him for the rest of my life." Zhuqing answered while smiling. Seeing her mother, she was also feeling great happiness as it was only now did she realized how she missed her a lot.

"Then, follow your heart but always remember to be careful." Zhuqing's mother answered. After they had a talk with her husband last night and knew the situation of Zhu Zhuqing, she immediately calculated the cons and pros of the matter. Knowing how powerful Lev was and the background he had, she immediately persuaded her husband to switch sides.

On the other hand, Zhu Zhuyun was just listening to their conversation. Her mind was still in complete chaos after hearing such revelations today, but she was also feeling grateful as there would be no more competition for the throne. She, however, also felt bitter after knowing that Zhuqing's lover was already an Emperor himself, and most especially, he was very handsome at that.

"Don't worry, mother, I'm strong and my sisters were also strong." Zhuqing said while looking at Sia and Dugu Yan who she had considered her sisters a long time ago after knowing and living with them together.

Zhuqing's mother and Zhu Zhuyun then looked at them and thought that they were also beautiful in their own ways. They were just surprised to see Zhuqing didn't mind having more competition in loving Lev, but they didn't ask anything as it was already her decision in life.

Right after that, Zhuqing then told them about her experiences for the past years that she had left. Having been back at her home, she could not help but talk everything to her mother the experiences and memories she had. Though it wasn't perfect since she was left alone in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well for five years, the experience was still a great help to her which built what she was now.

It was only after two people appeared in the garden did they stopped as they decided to prepare themselves for lunch and continue their conversation at the dining table. With that, the Zhu Family has a momentary peace as they set aside all their problems for a while.

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---Night---

Zhu Zhuqing's room,

Time flows by, and Zhuqing's father convinces them to stay in the palace for the night which Lev and the others accept with smiles as they were too lazy to travel back to the city where they were staying.

"Lev, what are we going to do now as we are done visiting Zhuqing's family?" Dugu Yan suddenly asked as she thought that their purpose of coming here was already done and so she felt that they would soon come back home.

"Let's visit the main city of Star Lou Empire tomorrow and completely break the engagement." Lev answered while caressing her head. Somehow, he felt a little excited about coming over to that place as he had already guessed what would happen.

"Thank you, Lev." Zhu Zhuqing said as she snuggled in his arms together with the others however it did not take long before Lev's lustful nature activated once again and so they started satiating it until midnight and that was when they finally had a rest.

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---The next morning---

Star Lou Empire's Palace Hall,

It was still past seven in the morning and yet Emperor Dai could now be seen frowning after hearing the report of the person in front of him. Together with him were five people who also had conflicted expressions on their faces. After a while, he then waves his hand as he dismisses the person.

"Give me your thoughts about the report, Elders." Emperor Dai immediately asked while looking at the five elders in the hall. They already knew about Lev being in their territory, but they didn't know the whole story until now upon hearing the newest report.

"True God's Emperor actually visits the Zhu family, it might be because of Zhu Zhuqing." One of the elders said as he thought about it.

"I can't believe Prince Mubai's fiancée actually followed that youth. This is getting complicated." Another elder said and frowned as this is a completely different matter when you looked at it closely.

"This is difficult, we don't know the factuality of the power of the new Emperor and are also clueless if he had a powerful backer in the shadows." One of the elders said. It has been a month and so they don't really have any more information about Lev as the people they sent have all gone missing.

"What difficulty are you thinking? Even though he's an Emperor, he can't just break our tradition. We have always been following this tradition for many years already and we can't just break it off because of a threat of some greenhorn Emperor." One of the elders furiously said as he had a different opinion of this matter.

With that, the hall then became noisy as the elders started arguing with each other. It was only after Emperor Dai made a move as he said, "That's enough."

"If that's really the case. They would most probably come here soon. That will be the time what kind of Emperor he was. Until then, we wait." Emperor Dai seriously said and decided. He still had many problems to deal with, especially about things about Spirit Hall's attack, but he set them all aside for now as the matter of Lev comes first.