"You're crazy. That'll break."
Ye Yunxi's voice trembled. She was genuinely frightened. With Qian Renxue's deranged temperament, if she said she'd do something, she'd absolutely do it.
"Break? Wouldn't that be just what I want?"
"Then you'll cling obediently to my side and never be able to run away again. You'll have eyes and a heart for no one but me. That's the best kind of you."
Her fingertips slid lower, precisely tickling the most sensitive spot on Ye Yunxi's lower abdomen. Ye Yunxi's whole body arched as if struck by lightning, trembling uncontrollably.
"Don't... don't do this. I was wrong. I'll never run away again..."
"Too late."
"The Imperial Concubine has quite the stubborn mouth. If I don't wear you down until you give in, how could I live with you running away over and over?"
Qian Renxue leaned closer.
"I have plenty of ways to make you listen obediently. Want to try them one by one?"
Ye Yunxi felt ice-cold. A chill shot from the soles of her feet straight to the crown of her head. She knew this lunatic wasn't joking.
As they remained locked in a standoff, Qian Renxue wore Ye Yunxi down until she had no fight left in her.
"H-husband, I really know I was wrong. Please spare me this time..."
That soft "husband" was quieter than a mosquito's buzz, yet it rang clear in Qian Renxue's ears.
She had waited so long to hear Ye Yunxi call her that.
Freed from her restraints, Ye Yunxi collapsed limply onto the bed, her whole body weak and aching as she gasped for breath.
Tears kept falling. Her ink-black hair was disheveled over her shoulders, and her lips were swollen and red. She looked both miserable and alluring.
Qian Renxue leaned over and gently wiped the tear tracks from her cheek with her fingertips.
Her touch was surprisingly tender. The obsession in her eyes faded, leaving only indulgent possessiveness. Her voice was husky and soft. "If you'd been this obedient from the start, you wouldn't have had to suffer."
Ye Yunxi turned her face away and thumped the brocade couch in a huff, her eyes red as she let out an aggrieved little whimper.
"You were bullying me on purpose! You lunatic!"
Her fist landed softly on the couch, without the slightest force behind it. It was more like a petulant pout.
"I only bully you. Everyone else isn't worthy."
Before she had finished speaking, a crisp mechanical chime suddenly exploded in Ye Yunxi's mind.
[Ding! Fun Daredevil Side Quest triggered: Flirt Back with the Mad Crown Prince] [Quest requirements: Use Nine-Tailed Charm on Qian Renxue, make her voluntarily unseal 30% of your Soul Power, and make her blush with embarrassment.] [Quest rewards: One Ten Thousand Year Charm-Enhancing Soul Bone, Lingbo Microsteps upgrade: Snow-Treading Trace-Free, and two levels of Soul Power!] [Failure penalty: Soul Power seal increased by another 10%]
Ye Yunxi's heart tightened. The grievance in her eyes faded, replaced by a sly gleam.
Nestled in Qian Renxue's arms, she lifted a hand to hook it around her neck, lightly rubbing her earlobe between her fingers.
Her warm breath brushed Qian Renxue's ear. The mist had yet to clear from her peach-blossom eyes, but the corners of her lips curled into a soft, bewitching smile.
Her voice was sweet and tender, infused with the Nine-Tailed Sky Fox's innate charm.
"Husband has been bullying me for so long, and all I get is a verbal apology? If you don't give me a little compensation, Yunxi will feel so wronged."
Her fingertips lightly traced Qian Renxue's Adam's apple, a teasing, alluring touch.
Qian Renxue stiffened all over. Caught off guard by Ye Yunxi's sudden flirtation, she was utterly flustered. A faint blush even crept across her handsome face.
Her ears turned crimson. The domineering look in her eyes gave way to a flustered, restless excitement, and even her breathing fell out of rhythm.
The dignified, mad Crown Prince had been left utterly helpless by a little flirting.
Her Adam's apple bobbed. She turned her face away, her voice awkwardly hoarse.
"What kind of compensation do you want?"
The smile in Ye Yunxi's eyes deepened. She pressed a fingertip to Qian Renxue's chest and spoke softly.
"Unseal 30% of my Soul Power. That's all."
Qian Renxue was silent for a moment, but finally relented. A wisp of Soul Power gathered at her fingertips and flowed into Ye Yunxi's dantian.
A warm force burst forth. The seal on her Soul Power loosened by a third, and warmth surged through her meridians. Ye Yunxi felt her whole body relax.
[Ding! Quest complete! Rewards issued! Soul Power increased to level 55: Soul King! Ten Thousand Year Soul Bone successfully bound! Lingbo Microsteps upgrade unlocked!]
Ye Yunxi was secretly delighted, but kept up her pitiful expression as she snuggled closer in Qian Renxue's arms.
Qian Renxue held her, feeling the softness of the woman in her embrace. Possessiveness surged in her eyes again, but she didn't make trouble. She only murmured, "Behave yourself. There's a banquet at Heaven Dou's Moonlight Pavilion in three days. You'll come with me. If you try anything again, I'll double the Soul Power seal."
"Got it, husband."
Ye Yunxi answered obediently, but in her heart she was already plotting her next escape.
So what if Qian Renxue was crazy? Ye Yunxi had plenty of ways to handle her.
Night fell. Warm yellow candlelight spilled softly across the bedchamber.
A glimmer of system light flashed. Ye Yunxi's old dress quietly disappeared, replaced by the Epic outfit, the "Fox Flame Flowing Clouds Gauze Dress."
The door creaked open. Qian Renxue walked in slowly, holding an extravagant palace gown embroidered with golden foxes. She had come to have Ye Yunxi change into it for the banquet.
But the moment her gaze landed on Ye Yunxi—
She froze. Astonishment blazed across her handsome features, and she casually set the palace gown aside.
Qian Renxue walked closer, eyes filled with admiration and a teasing curve to her lips.
"The Imperial Concubine has a soft heart beneath that sharp tongue. You said you didn't want it, but you still obediently changed into your new dress."
Ye Yunxi's mouth twitched. A thin veil shadowed her peach-blossom eyes, her gaze cold and indignant. Her words were biting, without the slightest courtesy. "Whether I changed or not is none of your business. Stop being so conceited. Don't flatter yourself."
In her heart, she cursed both the system and Qian Renxue a thousand times over. It wasn't as if she'd chosen to wear this—the system had forced it on her!
Qian Renxue chuckled softly. She was finding this little vixen more and more to her liking. Had she changed into the dress to please her, afraid she'd be played until she broke?
At most, Qian Renxue had only meant to scare her. If she ruined a genius with Twin Martial Souls, she might regret it for the rest of her life.
"Imperial Concubine, there'll be plenty of people at tomorrow night's banquet. I want you to behave. I'll take you there myself."
"You don't need to tell me. Who else will be at the banquet?" What could make a banquet so important?
"Besides the people who were at the palace last time, there'll also be people from the Four Elements Academies. Father's holding it to cheer everyone on for the upcoming Academy Tournament," Qian Renxue said.
"Honestly, that sort of thing is completely useless. You'd be better off offering some real rewards, like Soul Bones, titles, or estates."
Ye Yunxi hated things like this. Why hold a banquet at all? Just thinking about facing so many people made her socially anxious heart balk at going.
She lay helplessly on the bed, a pair of jade-white feet dangling over the edge and swinging gently.
Suddenly, a pair of warm hands closed around her feet. A fingertip pressed against her sole, and Ye Yunxi instantly went limp.
She raised her head in alarm. "Xue Qinghe, what are you doing? Let go of me!"
"Imperial Concubine, the night is cold. Be careful not to catch a chill. Your husband's warming your feet."
Qian Renxue offered an explanation, though she was just as confused herself. Somehow, she'd ended up holding them in her hands.
"Xue Qinghe, if you have a fetish, just say so."
Ye Yunxi laughed mockingly, looking at Qian Renxue with disdain. "I won't judge you."
"You're making fun of me?" Qian Renxue said.
"I'm not. You're the one with a guilty conscience."
Ye Yunxi gave her a foxlike smile.
Qian Renxue's heart flared with indignation at being mocked.
Her palm suddenly tightened, gripping Ye Yunxi's jade-white foot and refusing to let go. Her thumb rubbed hard against the soft flesh of her sole, and her fingertips deliberately tickled the arch, teasing with pinpoint precision.
"Do you think I've been too gentle with you, Crown Prince?"
Ye Yunxi kicked and thrashed wildly, her fingers clawing at the quilt, but she didn't have the strength to resist. Qian Renxue bent over and pinned her to the bed.
Her back pressed against the soft quilt, leaving her no room to struggle.
"Imperial Concubine, I think I'll have to get you pregnant with the Crown Prince's child before you learn to behave."
Ye Yunxi's eyes brimmed with tears, but she stubbornly lifted her chin, defiance curving her red lips as she spat out each word.
"Go ahead and try! You're always threatening me and never doing anything. I'm not afraid!"