Since the sky was covered, the heavens began to show their holiness

Zhou Xian raised a meaningful arc at the corner of his lips, and there was a hint of teasing in his eyes: "I can't learn the iron-blooded methods of Modkaiser. As long as the Black Rose does not take the initiative to provoke, I have no interest in intervening in your undercurrent plots."

Before he finished speaking, he waved his hand and a bottle of rum from Bilgewater appeared in his palm. The amber liquor swayed gently in the bottle. "Want a drink? This is a fine wine that has been stored for five years."

Hearing this, Leblanc's delicate eyebrows slightly raised, and her pale fingertips gracefully made a gesture of refusal. The moonlight shone through the window lattice on her cold face, making the faint smile even more unpredictable - after all, Uzul's head was now safely stored in her shadow magic weapon. This carefully planned hunt for many years had already been settled, and countless subsequent chess pieces were still to be arranged. How could she have the leisure to raise a glass to drink together?

"In that case, I won't keep you here." Zhou Xian stroked the rim of the glass with his fingertips, and the amber wine caused tiny ripples in the glass. He said nonchalantly, "Remember to deliver the things you promised me. Don't break your promise." After that, he raised his head and drank the liquor in the glass, letting the spicy taste burn his throat. He casually placed the empty glass heavily on the table with a crisp sound. He never raised his eyes to look at the person who came. He just filled another glass. The aroma of wine mixed with the swaying candlelight made his figure even more lonely.

The wooden door made a slight "creaking" sound, and Anne's furry little head poked out from the crack of the door, her clear big eyes curiously looking around the room. The Tibbers on her waist suddenly shook violently, and dark red flames spurted out along the seams of the plush bear. The originally cute doll instantly turned into a flaming demon with bared fangs and claws, and the hot sparks splashed on the floor.

"Brother, was there anyone here just now?" There was a hint of vigilance in her childish voice, and there was a faint glow of fire at the ends of her hair.

"Well, an acquaintance has left." Zhou Xian stroked the wall of the cup with his fingertips, and his eyes lightly swept over the surging flames around Tibers. The flames were like an enraged living creature, making a low roar, and the burnt plush fibers curled up in the heat wave. He naturally understood why this former fire demon was so restless - Leblanc's strange aura was undoubtedly a poisoned dagger piercing into old scars for Tibers, who was once a fierce general under Mordekaiser but fell from the altar in the Black Rose conspiracy. Every trace of residual aura could awaken the most tragic betrayal deep in his memory.

"Oh."

Annie tilted her round little face and nodded obediently, the bow in her hair swaying gently with her movements. Suddenly, her amber eyes lit up instantly, staring straight at the amber-glowing wine bottle in Zhou Xian's hand, and her pink little tongue licked her lips unconsciously, "Brother, what is this? It looks like honey water, it must be delicious!"

"This is wine, not something a child can touch. You have to wait until you grow up before you can taste it." Zhou Xian flicked his finger at the top of Annie's head, and smiled as he hid the bottle behind him. Seeing this, Tibers let out a "woop" and spurted out a few sparks, as if to help. The flames made the little girl's cheeks red, and her aggrieved look became more obvious.

Anne puffed her cheeks and muttered with her pink lips, her voice as soft as a kitten's whimper: "Brother isn't that old either." She lowered her head, her fingers unconsciously tugging at the hem of her skirt, the flames at the ends of her hair trembling slightly as she spoke, as if she was expressing her master's dissatisfaction. Tibbers also let out a muffled hum, his flaming claws pulling at the corner of Anne's clothes, as if he was echoing his master's complaints.

Zhou Xian's eyes were filled with a gentle smile, and he reached out and gently rubbed Annie's fluffy curly hair: "Well, the moon is going to hide in the clouds to sleep, and our little Annie should get into bed." Before he finished speaking, he bent his finger and tapped Annie's nose, raised his hand and made a fist, and the bottle of rum turned into a stream of light and sank into the ring on his finger. When he turned around, his clothes brought up a gust of wind, and the candlelight outlined a warm silhouette behind him, and he walked slowly towards the depths of the villa.

The next day, morning mist and dusk alternately permeated the vast territory of Noxus. Zhou Xian controlled the Hextech aircraft with a faint blue arc, carrying Annie, who was shaking her feet with excitement, over the rusty red city wall. The moment the propeller shattered the clouds, the bronze colossus below was holding the imperial flag and moving slowly. The clanging sound of the iron armor colliding with the stone road, mixed with the war songs from the street taverns, turned into a majestic rhythm unique to Noxus.

The scorching sun scorched the scarlet gravel of the Noxian Arena. Zhou Xian and Annie sat side by side on the circular stone steps. The shouts from the stands almost overturned the dome. In the arena, two blood-stained gladiators were fighting madly - one staggered back with a broken blade, and the blood oozing from the gaps in his chain mail left a dark red track on the sand; the other chased after him with a sawtooth battle axe raised high, and a beast-like roar came from under the bronze mask.

"They are so pitiful..." Annie clenched Tibers's claws, and the flames trembled slightly along the stitching of the doll. Zhou Xian sighed silently and pulled the cloak closer to her shoulders. These captives who became bloody sacrifices were just fragments of the Noxian war machine. Amid the enthusiastic cheers of the audience, their lives were as cheap as crushed gravel.

Suddenly, the Broken Blade gladiator was hit on the shoulder blade by a battle axe and fell to the ground in a rain of blood. The stands immediately erupted in thunderous applause. Only Anne turned her head away, unwilling to watch this cruel scene any longer.

Zhou Xian looked calm, his back straight, sitting quietly beside Annie. The splashing blood drew arcs in the air, and the scarlet marks flickered in the sun, but in his eyes, it was just like ordinary splashing water. His eyes were calm and deep, without any fluctuations, as if he was already accustomed to such bloody scenes.

He narrowed his eyes slightly, and his sight swept across the gladiators fighting hard in the arena, but there was no ripple in his eyes. Only his fingers gently stroked the armrests of the chair, as if he was thinking about something. His calm appearance formed a sharp contrast with the crazy cheers and excited audiences around him, as if he was not in this noisy and frenzied arena, but in another silent world.

"What wonderful blood, don't you think?" Suddenly a voice sounded from the side, the tone was gentle but revealed an inherent nobility, as if the splashing blood was a gorgeous feast. Zhou Xian turned his head slightly and looked in the direction of the voice, only to see a noble man in a dark red brocade robe, gracefully stroking the gold thread pattern on his cuffs, with a faint smile on the corner of his mouth, and his eyes showing appreciation and amusement for the bloody fight in the field.

The man had white hair and his eyes flashed with a cold light. He was looking at Zhou Xian and Annie with interest. Tibers felt the inexplicable sense of oppression and let out a low roar from his throat. The flames danced restlessly around him.

(End of this chapter)