Dai Mubai? I'll knock your front teeth out!

The light at the doorway was blocked.

Against the backlight.

A boy, also around six or seven years old, strode across the threshold.

Golden hair, heterochromatic eyes.

He wore fine, luxurious silk robes that felt completely out of place in this dilapidated courtyard.

Dai Mubai.

The Second Prince of the Star Luo Empire.

He was also Zhu Zhuqing's so-called fiancé, who had never once offered her a shred of warmth.

Behind him followed two Spirit Master guards, their gazes arrogant, as if they were lions patrolling their territory.

"Zhu Zhuqing."

Dai Mubai ignored the mess in the courtyard.

His gaze swept over the blood-stained girl, and his brows furrowed in disgust.

"I heard you were grounded. Why are you still out here making a spectacle of yourself?"

"And another thing."

He turned his head, his heterochromatic eyes finally locking onto Qian Mo.

He looked down at him with a scrutinizing gaze.

"Where did a bastard like you come from? Don't you know this is the private property of the Star Luo Royalty?"

Arrogance.

Arrogance carved into his very bones.

In his eyes, everyone except the Royalty was nothing more than an ant.

As for the two old men behind Qian Mo, who had concealed their auras, he naturally dismissed them as mere family slaves.

Qian Mo did not speak.

He simply watched the golden-haired boy quietly.

His expression was indifferent, as if he were looking at a grasshopper that didn't know it was courting death.

"Insolent!"

A sharp, piercing shout exploded suddenly.

Yue Guan's expression was gloomy, spirit power flickering at the tips of his Orchid Fingers.

"A mere Barbarian Prince, daring to spout such nonsense at His Highness the Holy Son!"

Killing intent boiled over.

The surrounding temperature plummeted to the freezing point in an instant.

Dai Mubai was startled by this sudden surge of pressure, taking half a step back.

But quickly, the dignity of Royalty turned his fear into shame and rage.

"Holy Son?"

He sneered, forcing himself to muster the courage to mock them.

"What kind of bullshit Holy Son! This is Star Luo City! This isn't your Martial Soul Hall's Pope Mountain!"

"On my turf, dragons must coil and tigers must crouch!"

"Men! Break the legs of these two old things and throw this pretty boy out!"

Ignorance is fearless.

Yue Guan laughed in extreme anger, about to strike.

A fair hand gently blocked his path.

"Elder Ju."

Qian Mo's voice was light and calm.

"There is no need to dirty your hands."

He turned around, not sparing Dai Mubai another glance.

His gaze fell back onto Zhu Zhuqing.

The trembling young girl was biting her lip hard, her eyes darting between Qian Mo and Dai Mubai.

Fear.

It was an instinct born from years of accumulated authority.

Qian Mo reached out his hand once more.

His palm was fair and clean, the lines clear and distinct.

"Choose."

"Will you stay in the mire and continue to rot, or will you take my hand and be the one to pierce the heavens?"

Zhu Zhuqing looked at that hand.

Then she glanced at Dai Mubai, who was charging toward her with a ferocious expression on his face.

In that moment.

The fear in her eyes turned into a raging fire.

She did not want to die.

And she wanted to live like a dog even less!

Her small hand, stained with blood and dirt, slammed heavily into Qian Mo's palm.

She gripped it tightly.

She would not let go, even in death.

The corners of Qian Mo's mouth curled upward.

"Very good."

"You're courting death!!"

Completely ignored, Dai Mubai instantly flew into a rage.

That was his fiancée!

That was his personal property!

And now, right in front of his eyes, she was throwing herself into another man's arms?

"Let go of her!!"

Dai Mubai roared, his soul power surging as he charged forward like a maddened beast.

Qian Mo did not even turn his head.

In his mind, a cold, mechanical voice sounded quietly.

[Malicious target "Dai Mubai" detected.]

[Passive triggered: Cursed by Misfortune (Lv.Max).]

[Converting...]

The next second.

A bizarre scene unfolded.

The ground was level.

There were no obstacles whatsoever.

As Dai Mubai was sprinting, his left foot suddenly tripped over his right heel without any warning, as if grabbed by a ghost.

Driven by momentum.

His body instantly lost its balance, and he traced a graceful parabola through the air.

Face down.

He slammed straight into the ground.

What was even more coincidental.

There was a protruding bluestone there, sharp as a blade.

"Bang—!"

The dull sound of impact made everyone present feel a sympathetic ache in their teeth.

Immediately following.

"Snap!"

A crisp sound of bone fracturing.

Time seemed to freeze at this moment.

Dai Mubai lay prone on the ground, his body twitching violently.

Two seconds later.

He jerked his head up.

"Wah!"

A mouthful of blood gushed out.

Mixed in with the blood were two stark white front teeth.

That face, which had originally been quite handsome, now had a swollen chin and split lips, looking both ridiculous and miserable.

"Mmm... mmm teef... (My teeth)..."

Dai Mubai covered his mouth as tears and snot gushed out instantly.

The pain was piercing.

"Your Highness!!"

The guards behind him finally reacted, rushing forward in a panic to support him.

The courtyard fell into a deathly silence.

The servants of the Zhu Family widened their eyes, desperately covering their mouths for fear of laughing out loud.

A dignified prince.

Tripping on flat ground.

Knocking out his front teeth.

Isn't this just... too unlucky?

Yue Guan and Gui Mei exchanged glances, their pupils filled with awe.

Others thought it was an accident.

But they saw it clearly.

The Holy Son had not moved a single finger from start to finish.

This was divine retribution.

It was the price for offending a god!

Qian Mo held Zhu Zhuqing's hand, his footsteps never faltering.

It was as if the tragedy that had just occurred behind him had nothing to do with him.

"St-stop right there..."

Dai Mubai was helped up, his speech slurred through the gap in his teeth, his eyes bloodshot as he glared at Qian Mo's back.

The sense of shame had caused him to lose his reason.

"You... you just wait..."

Before the words could fully leave his mouth.

A hoarse cry suddenly echoed from the sky.

"Caw—"

A pitch-black crow happened to swoop past at a low altitude.

Perhaps it was startled.

Perhaps it was fate.

A glob of grayish-white, viscous matter descended from the sky.

Precision-guided.

Dead center.

It landed squarely in Dai Mubai's mouth, which was wide open from his roar.

"..."

The world went quiet.

That thing slid right down his throat.

Dai Mubai's eyes bulged instantly.

An indescribable, sour, putrid stench exploded inside his mouth.

"Blegh—!!!"

The next moment.

This noble prince shoved his guards aside, fell to his knees, and began to retch his heart out.

He vomited until the world spun.

He vomited until he questioned the meaning of life.

Everyone subconsciously took a step back, their eyes filled with horror.

This wasn't just bad luck.

This was divine retribution, wasn't it?!

Qian Mo stopped in his tracks.

He turned his head.

He looked at the figure kneeling on the ground, as wretched as a stray dog.

A playful arc curled at the corner of his lips.

"Is this the prince of Star Luo?"

"You haven't even grown your teeth in yet, so don't go around trying to bite people."

"You might end up eating shit."

With that said.

He took Zhu Zhuqing by the hand and strode away into the afterglow of the setting sun.

He left behind nothing but a scene of utter devastation and the shrill, desperate retching of Dai Mubai.

Zhu Zhuqing followed behind him.

She glanced back at the figure that had once filled her with fear.

At this moment, Dai Mubai was covered in blood and grime, kneeling on the ground and vomiting. Where was the slightest trace of a prince's majesty left?

So.

He could bleed, too.

He could be this pathetic, too.

Zhu Zhuqing turned her head back to look at the clean, upright figure walking ahead of her.

The warmth radiating from his palm was scorching.

She gripped his hand tightly.

For the first time.

In the midst of the darkness, she saw the sun.