What's Wrong with Hugging You?

After staying at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect for some time.

Ye Yuan and Ning Rongrong left the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect together.

"Brother Ye, where are we going?" Ning Rongrong asked curiously.

"To Heaven Dou Imperial City to meet someone."

"Who?"

A snowy-white figure surfaced in Ye Yuan's mind.

"The crown prince of the Heaven Dou Empire, Xue Qinghe."

Ning Rongrong covered her little mouth. "You know His Highness the Crown Prince too?"

Before leaving, she had kept pestering Ye Yuan about his past.

But she remembered that Ye Yuan did not seem to have mentioned knowing the crown prince of the Heaven Dou Empire.

Seeing that Ye Yuan had no intention of talking about it, she did not ask any further.

Just as Ye Yuan arrived at the imperial city, several knights who seemed to recognize him walked over.

Ye Yuan had just been about to summon his martial soul, but then he remembered that this was Heaven Dou Imperial City. No one would dare commit a crime so openly here.

So he lowered his guard.

"May I ask if you are Lord Ye Yuan?"

The knights had long seen portraits of Ye Yuan. Asking was merely a formality.

After all, the person before them was someone their crown prince had personally ordered them to invite.

Naturally, they did not dare be negligent.

"Yes. And you are?"

One of them immediately stepped forward. "My lord, His Highness the Crown Prince invites you."

"Brother Ye, it seems your relationship with this crown prince is quite close."

Ye Yuan was not surprised. It seemed Qian Renxue's informants had already spread throughout the entire imperial city.

He had only entered the city a short while ago, yet Qian Renxue had already discovered him.

Still, it was not strange. In just a few years, Spirit Hall would wage a decisive battle against the two great empires.

All the current arrangements were merely laying the groundwork for that war.

"Little Rongrong, wait here for now. I'll be back soon."

Ye Yuan said to Ning Rongrong.

"No, no, I want to go too!" Ning Rongrong said, hugging Ye Yuan's arm.

Ye Yuan looked at the knights beside him.

"Of course," a knight said.

Then they led Ye Yuan and Ning Rongrong toward the crown prince's residence.

The knights brought the two of them to the entrance, then stopped.

"Inside is His Highness the Crown Prince's residence. It would be inconvenient for us to enter."

"The two of you may go in yourselves."

Ye Yuan nodded. "Thank you."

Looking at those knights, Ye Yuan could not help thinking of his days in the Star Luo Empire.

He was not reminiscing. He was merely thinking of someone.

His younger sister, Qin Yan'er.

He touched the white robe he wore and could not help recalling the time when he and Ning Rongrong had planned Bu Le's assassination.

Back when Ning Rongrong had gone to lure him out, she had seen the back of a girl wearing a pink dress and rabbit-themed hair ornaments.

She had looked extremely similar to his younger sister.

But when he went looking for her after killing Bu Le, she was nowhere to be found.

The two entered the hall. The crown prince's palace was enormous, and aside from the maids visible at intervals.

Ye Yuan and Ning Rongrong saw no one else.

Ning Rongrong pouted. "What is going on with this crown prince?"

"He called you here, yet he's nowhere to be seen."

"Mm? Brother Ye, why aren't you saying anything?"

Ning Rongrong looked up at Ye Yuan and found that her Brother Ye's eyes were wide open as he stared ahead.

She followed Ye Yuan's gaze and saw that, at some point, a woman had appeared before them.

The woman's skin was fair as snow, her red lips alluring, and her figure graceful. A glimpse of snowy whiteness exposed at her chest rose and fell with her steps.

Her face was noble and beautiful, while a pair of fair, jade-like legs flickered in and out of sight beneath her slit dress, impossible to look away from.

The faint flush on her cheeks was the ultimate move against men.

Seeing Ye Yuan standing there in a daze, Ning Rongrong thrust out her own not-insignificant curves.

Ahhh, damn it! I've been completely outclassed.

Brother Ye isn't moving at all. Damn it, she actually dares seduce my Brother Ye!

Wuwuwu, Rongrong can't cry. You'll still grow up. There's still a chance.

In truth, Ning Rongrong had misunderstood.

Ye Yuan was frozen because he had not expected Qian Renxue to be so bold.

In broad daylight, she actually dared appear in her true form at the Crown Prince's Eastern Palace.

In his eyes, Qian Renxue would never do something so foolish.

Qian Renxue spoke first. "Welcome to the crown prince's palace, you two. His Highness has something urgent to attend to, so he sent me to receive you first."

"You may both call me Little Xue."

Little Xue? Ye Yuan's heart skipped a beat.

Now, hearing that name made him instinctively shudder.

After all, the woman named Little Xue in that dream had left far too deep an impression on him.

Ye Yuan figured he would never forget her for the rest of his life.

Qian Renxue looked into Ning Rongrong's eyes. As a woman herself, she instantly understood the source of Ning Rongrong's hostility toward her.

Qian Renxue paid it no mind and merely straightened her back imperceptibly.

Ye Yuan's eyes could not help dropping for a glance.

Only four words could describe it: ample bosom, great heart.

Qian Renxue keenly noticed that little glance. Naturally, Ning Rongrong did too.

Qian Renxue smiled faintly. Little sister, you're still too green to compete with me.

Ning Rongrong stomped hard on Ye Yuan's foot. "Brother Ye, where are you looking?!"

Ye Yuan merely chuckled and offered no explanation.

There was nothing he could do about it. It was instinct. Besides, with a sight like that, even God would have to sneak a glance.

"Mr. Ye Yuan, His Highness instructed me to take you to the rear courtyard to wait."

Ning Rongrong immediately cried out, "I... I'm going too!"

That woman's blatant gaze looked as though she wanted to devour her Brother Ye whole.

She could not let the two of them be alone together. A lone man and woman—who knew what might happen?

Qian Renxue did not look at Ning Rongrong and merely said slowly, "His Highness does not particularly like strangers entering his rear courtyard."

Ning Rongrong had just been about to curse, but remembering that this was the palace—and that this woman clearly held no low status—she held herself back.

Ye Yuan patted Ning Rongrong's hand and said gently, "Little Rongrong, go have fun in Heaven Dou Imperial City first. The crown prince and I have important matters to discuss."

"Once we're done, I'll come find you."

Since Ye Yuan had spoken, Ning Rongrong could only give up. This was the East Palace, after all, and she could not very well insist on staying.

"Fine, but Brother Ye, be careful of this woman."

"She obviously has designs on you. Brother Ye, you need to keep yourself clean. Don't let a woman like her seduce you."

Ye Yuan said, "Got it, got it."

With that, Ning Rongrong left reluctantly.

The moment Ye Yuan watched Ning Rongrong leave, Qian Renxue threw herself straight into his arms.

Qian Renxue greedily breathed in Ye Yuan's scent. Her face flushed, and her eyes gradually grew unfocused.

Ye Yuan was startled by the gesture and stood completely still.

He could only look down at the deep cleavage before him and stammer, "T-Teacher, what are you doing?"

Qian Renxue caressed Ye Yuan's chest with her hand. "Teacher hasn't seen you in so long. What's wrong with hugging you?"

"Teacher has been hiding alone in this deep palace. Usually, there's no one to talk to."

Ye Yuan thought about it and realized that was true.

Qian Renxue had been sent to the Heaven Dou Empire by her grandfather, Qian Daoliu, when she was young.

Living alone in an unfamiliar place while having to avoid being recognized was indeed not easy.

So he let Qian Renxue hold him like that.