“Mr. Bennett is absolutely right. Quick, bring a seat!”

Adam Cooper said with great satisfaction. Then he paused, lowered his head to look at the kitchen knife in front of him, staring at the blade as smooth as a mirror. His own pockmarked face was reflected on it, and beneath that face were four large characters. Although he had seen these four characters before, in this situation, he suddenly felt the blood rush straight to his head...

Suddenly, his eyes widened, and his previously amiable face instantly turned the color of pig liver.

“Seize this demon at once!”

He slammed the table and roared in fury.

“Huh?!”

Eric Bennett was stunned. Damn, weren’t things going well just now? They were even bringing out stools, and The Sage was about to be promoted. How did things turn hostile in an instant? Sure, they say serving the emperor is like serving a tiger, but this change is way too fast.

It wasn’t just him—even the ministers and guards were momentarily dumbfounded. They had just been immersed in awe of The Sage, and judging by the emperor’s earlier behavior, he had clearly accepted The Sage’s identity. In fact, even they had accepted it—after all, no one had ever seen such a miracle. It looked like a national preceptor might even be born from this. So how did things take such a dramatic turn?

“Guards!”

A civil official suddenly thought of something and shouted in delight.

But at that moment, Eric Bennett snapped back to his senses. Fortunately, he had prepared in advance, and luckily there was something useful here. He reached out with his right hand and instantly had a glass bottle in his grip.

“Adam Cooper, taste my secret weapon!”

As he shouted, he hurled the glass bottle like a grenade, aiming straight at Adam Cooper, who was less than ten meters away, sitting high on the throne.

The latter must have some martial prowess—after all, he had led troops into battle before. Caught off guard, he instinctively grabbed the kitchen knife and blocked in front of him. The glass bottle smashed right on the edge of the knife, shattering instantly and splattering the liquid inside all over Adam Cooper’s face, as if he’d just been scalded with boiling water. He immediately let out an inhuman scream, clutching his face in agony and collapsing to the side. But then he pulled his hands away, revealing palms that were scorched and blackened.

“Protect His Majesty!”

The eunuch beside him screamed at the top of his lungs.

The entire hall erupted into chaos. Terrified screams rang out everywhere—some rushed to save Adam Cooper to show their loyalty, while others lunged at Eric Bennett, ready to seize this treacherous demon. Outside, the guards of Qianqing Palace swarmed in with all kinds of weapons, charging at him. The two nearest guards even rushed to within three meters, thrusting their spears at him.

But at the same time, Eric Bennett now had a glass bottle in each hand. With a flick of his left hand, he smashed one against a pillar beside the two guards. The fragile glass shattered instantly on the hard nanmu wood, and the shards, along with the liquid inside, sprayed out like shrapnel. The two unlucky guards were hit, clutching their faces and collapsing with screams, white smoke even rising from beneath their hands.

The other guards were so startled by this bizarre scene that they froze.

They could charge through arrows and gunfire without blinking, but now that they regarded Eric Bennett as The Sage, they had a natural fear of these supernatural abilities.

At that moment, Eric Bennett dashed toward Adam Cooper at his fastest speed.

As he ran, he quickly unscrewed the cap of the remaining glass bottle. In just a few strides, he crossed the less than ten meters and reached the steps. Before he could leap up, Evan Grant and the civil official simultaneously blocked his way, throwing themselves at him without regard for their lives.

Without hesitation, he flung the bottle, splashing the liquid at them. Evan Grant, taking the brunt, clutched his face and retreated with a scream. The civil official, a bit craftier, raised his hat to shield himself, but still ended up retreating, shaking his hands and screaming. In the blink of an eye, Eric Bennett was beside the dragon throne. The loyal eunuch was dragging Adam Cooper, trying to escape, but Eric Bennett smashed the bottle on him as well. The burning liquid instantly scorched the silk, then seeped into what little was left of his pants. The unlucky eunuch clutched his groin, shrieking and hopping around in agony.

Eric Bennett kicked him aside, then stepped onto Adam Cooper’s chest. At this point, Adam Cooper’s face was a horrific sight—large patches of blackened burns, with black and red flesh exposed underneath. One eye was so badly burned that even the eyelid was charred, and who knew what it looked like inside. The whole thing resembled Freddy from a horror movie.

Of course, Eric Bennett had no time to admire his new look. He yanked out Adam Cooper’s sword and pointed it at his chest.

“Back off!”

He turned his head and glared menacingly at the guards, now less than two meters away.

Alright, the bottles he threw were filled with concentrated sulfuric acid. In the parallel space next to this grand hall, there was a chemical supply store.

Chapter 4: Tireless in Ruining Others

“Fall back, fall back now!”

The guard captain shouted in terror.

Hundreds of guards instantly retreated, each breaking out in a cold sweat as they stared at Adam Cooper under Eric Bennett’s foot, and at the sword pressed to his heart. Holding all sorts of weapons, they stood there at a loss—clearly, this was the first time in their lives they’d ever encountered a situation where the emperor had been taken hostage.