Don't Provoke Me Again

Since things had already come to this point, Shen Jingchuan thought, "Why not go all the way?"

In fact, ever since I learned from the Lin Household father and son yesterday that it was the Third Prince Xiao Mingyuan and Prince Jing's Heir Xiao Mingxuan who forcibly seized the carriage and horse factory.

Knowing that Xiao Mingxuan had come to Yuxi Prefecture in person, he already harbored murderous intent.

Xiao Mingxuan twice sent men to ambush him on his way, and he could never swallow this insult, nor could he ever let go of this grudge.

He had been considering how to take action discreetly to avoid attracting a thorough investigation from the court and exposing his own secrets. He had been thinking about how to end the matter quietly.

But now that all three of the prince's retainers have been killed, the two sides have completely broken off relations and there is no room for negotiation. It would be better to take this opportunity to settle all old and new accounts.

Shen Jingchuan didn't stop walking, heading straight ahead without even glancing at the Third Prince. His gaze was fixed on Xiao Mingxuan, the Prince Jing's Heir.

The difference in their positions and demeanor between Xiao Mingyuan and Xiao Mingxuan was immediately apparent, and he recognized their identities at a glance.

"You are the Prince Jing's Heir?"

Xiao Mingxuan's heart skipped a beat. He had thought he had done it discreetly by sending the Pan Household to intercept Shen Jingchuan, but now, being stared at by the other party's cold gaze, a chill ran through him. Had the other party found out?

His voice trembled slightly, but maintaining his royal dignity, he forced himself to speak, his neck stiff with arrogance:

"Yes... it is I, the young master, so what?"

"I ask you, last Mid-Autumn Festival, on my way back to Yuxi Prefecture from Chang'an, were you the one who ordered the people who ambushed and killed me?"

Xiao Mingxuan's heart skipped a beat, but he quickly suppressed his guilt.

He was certain that Shen Jingchuan would dare to kill cultivators, but he would never dare to touch the prince appointed by the imperial court—if he really killed him, it would be tantamount to treason, and he would face the pursuit of the entire Great Qian Dynasty. He did not believe that Shen Jingchuan had the guts.

Thinking of this, he composed himself slightly and bluntly retorted:

"This is not true; do not make false accusations."

As the Prince Jing's Heir, sending someone to intercept and kill a scholar who had won a poetry competition would ultimately damage his reputation, something he absolutely refused to admit.

Shen Jingchuan's tone was flat, revealing no trace of joy or anger:

"You don't need to deny it anymore; the Pan Household family has already confessed everything about you."

Xiao Mingxuan's expression changed instantly. He cursed the Pan Household as a bunch of useless trash in his heart, but he didn't refute them anymore. He just gritted his teeth and stared at Shen Jingchuan, neither admitting nor denying, as if to say, "What can you do to me if you don't have any evidence?"

"It's no use denying it."

As Shen Jingchuan finished speaking, he slowly raised his right hand, a faint golden light emanating from his fingertips, indicating that the Geng Metal Spiritual Qi had begun to condense.

"You're asking for it."

Xiao Mingyuan, who was standing nearby, was shocked to see this. He never expected Shen Jingchuan to be so arrogant as to dare to touch even the Crown Prince.

He hurriedly turned to look at Xiao Mingshu, who was standing in the distance, and shouted in a panic:

"Third sister! Aren't you going to do anything about him?!"

Upon hearing this, Shen Jingchuan abruptly stopped the movement of gathering Spiritual Qi in his hands.

He then remembered that Xiao Mingshu was still there, and he couldn't help but feel embarrassed.

Firstly, he had gotten along well with this older sister during this period, and they had developed a deep friendship;

Secondly, Xiao Mingshu already possessed the cultivation level of the Qi Refining Seventh Layer, and if she insisted on stopping him, he truly couldn't resist her.

Xiao Mingshu glanced at him indifferently, then slowly walked over from behind, stopping between the two of them. She looked at Xiao Mingyuan, her tone as cold as ice:

"Didn't you tell me to get lost and mind my own business?"

Although Xiao Mingyuan was still afraid of Shen Jingchuan, he was not intimidated by Xiao Mingshu at all.

He was the emperor's legitimate son, while Xiao Mingshu was merely a concubine's daughter from a powerless family; their statuses were worlds apart. He immediately adopted an imperious demeanor and sternly shouted:

"Do you even know who you are? You watched him try to kill the Prince Jing's Heir, do you know what the consequences will be? He publicly murdered a member of the royal family, and you were there without stopping him. When Father investigates, can you bear the responsibility?"

Shen Jingchuan spoke calmly from the side:

"That's easy. I'll kill you all, then no one will know what happened today."

Before Xiao Mingshu could reply, these words left Xiao Mingyuan speechless for a moment, then he blushed and retorted:

"Impossible! This Yuxi Prefecture so large, with so many eyes watching. How could you possibly kill everyone in the prefecture? If you really killed the two of us, how could the imperial court not find out it was you!"

He pointed at Xiao Mingshu, his tone becoming even harsher:

"And you! Xiao Mingshu! If my brother and I die here today, you won't get away either! Father will never forgive you!"

Xiao Mingshu remained calm, not even glancing at the hand he was pointing at, and simply said:

"What can I do? I can simply say that I'm no match for him, that I tried to stop him but couldn't win, and what can anyone else do to me?"

"Impossible!"

Xiao Mingyuan blurted out:

"Your cultivation level is at least in the top ten of the clan, definitely much higher than his, a Rogue Cultivator. I know that! How could you possibly lose to him!"

I really can't beat him.

Xiao Mingshu's tone was calm, yet every word was firm:

"You think that's all the tricks he has?"

Xiao Mingyuan was speechless for a moment, opening his mouth but unable to utter a word for a long time, his face turning pale and then green, completely at a loss.

At this moment, Xiao Mingshu's voice entered Shen Jingchuan's ears directly, using a secret telepathic transmission technique:

"If you were to kill them both in the street, you would be making an enemy of the entire Great Qian Dynasty, leaving no room for maneuver and only the path of a fugitive to the ends of the earth."

"In my opinion, let's leave it at that. As long as you don't touch them, I have my own ways of dealing with the Emperor and suppressing this matter."

Shen Jingchuan frowned slightly, the golden light at his fingertips flickering uncertainly as he fell into deep thought.

He has the Chaos Heaven and Earth Ring with him, so if he really causes a huge disaster, he can easily back down, but the people around him can't.

Lin Qingyao, Bai Ruoli, and their entire extended family, along with their father-in-law Lin Weiyuan and his extended family, were all ordinary people and could not escape the court's accountability.

If Xiao Mingxuan and Xiao Mingyuan were truly killed in the street, this blood debt would inevitably be settled entirely with their relatives, implicating far too many people.

He sighed softly, having already made up his mind: there would be plenty of opportunities to kill these two people secretly, without anyone noticing, but he absolutely could not act openly and bring disaster upon those around him.

The golden light that had gathered at his fingertips slowly dissipated. He looked up at Xiao Mingyuan, nodded slightly, and spoke in a calm tone that carried an undeniable air of authority:

"Now that I know the princess, I won't refuse her request. Since you are her brother, I'll let you off this time. Don't bother me again. Get lost."