Your Highness, I'm Scared

The next moment, two waves of Title Douluo-level pressure descended abruptly. With a gentle swirl of air, two figures landed steadily on the ground.

They were none other than Porcupinefish Douluo and Snake Lance Douluo, tasked with guarding Qian Renxue.

As their gazes swept over Ye Yunxi, their hearts couldn't help but skip a beat; this woman was far too beautiful.

Afterward, Qian Renxue dragged Ye Yunxi back to her room and demanded, "You possess Twin Martial Souls. Why didn't you tell me?"

"Nothing to say. Kill me or carve me up as you please," Ye Yunxi replied, looking as though she would rather die than speak.

Explain? How could she explain? Could she say she wasn't from this world and was bound to a system that issued outrageous tasks from time to time?

Qian Renxue was deep-thinking and fond of control; she feared that the more she tried to justify herself, the more she would be manipulated.

"You... you truly infuriate me."

Qian Renxue's fingertips trembled with rage. She truly wanted to pin her down and teach her a lesson, to let her know that she was not without a temper.

Yet, seeing Ye Yunxi, she sighed helplessly and ultimately endured it. If she punished her, she would only have to coax her afterward.

"Reflect on your actions here." Qian Renxue suppressed her emotions and turned to leave.

Seeing her depart, Ye Yunxi finally let out a sigh of relief and secretly made a resolution: once she cultivated to the level of a Title Douluo, she would definitely make this fellow taste the bitterness of being taught a lesson.

Acting as the Crown Prince with such dedication—was she getting a bit too into character?

After a moment of silence, she tentatively called out in her heart, "System, are you still there?"

Total silence. No one responded.

Ye Yunxi felt helpless and had to set the thought aside for now. As long as the system brought some good news the next time it appeared, that would be enough.

She lazily lay back on the couch, letting exhaustion wash over her, and drifted into sleep before she knew it.

As the night deepened, the door was pushed open gently once more. This time, the footsteps were extremely light, almost imperceptible.

Qian Renxue walked in quietly, her golden eyes clearly reflecting the peaceful sleeping face of the person on the couch even in the dim light.

She watched her silently for a long time, a trace of softness she had never bothered to examine crossing her heart. Since when had it become so difficult to look away from this person?

"Forget it. I can't let her sleep in the side hall forever."

She walked to the bedside and reached out to nudge Ye Yunxi's shoulder: "Wake up. Go sleep in the main hall. Tomorrow, you will accompany me to the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace to see Emperor Xue Ye."

Since she had already given her the title of Crown Princess, it wouldn't look right for her to sleep alone in the side hall.

Besides... as a woman herself, seeing her curled up like this, she couldn't help but feel a sense of pity.

"Don't want to... don't want to..." Ye Yunxi mumbled groggily, turning over and burying half her face into the soft pillow, looking as if she wouldn't budge even if struck by lightning.

Qian Renxue paused, then shook her head with a smile.

"I truly can do nothing with you."

She leaned down, sliding her arms under Ye Yunxi's neck and knees, and with a slight effort, lifted her up horizontally.

Ye Yunxi struggled unconsciously in her arms, but ultimately couldn't overcome her sleepiness and soon grew quiet again.

Qian Renxue walked steadily toward the main hall. Moonlight spilled in from the corridor windows, plating her shoulders in a hazy silver glow. The person in her arms breathed shallowly, looking like a fox that had returned home, exhausted.

Early morning, Heaven Dou Imperial Palace Council Hall.

The hall was magnificent, with golden pillars coiled by dragons. Morning light filtered through the high windows, yet it could not dispel the solemn and grave atmosphere.

Emperor Xue Ye sat atop the Nine-Dragon Throne, his bright yellow dragon robe lending him immense majesty, though a trace of imperceptible illness lingered between his brows, and his complexion appeared slightly pale.

In the seat of honor to the left of the throne sat Yu Yuanzhen, Sect Master of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.

He wore dark green and black combat attire, his frame as sturdy as a mountain. A faint aura of thunder circulated around him; merely sitting there, he exuded the tyrannical and intimidating pressure of a beast martial soul.

To the right was Ning Fengzhi, Sect Master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. He was dressed in white, holding a jade-boned folding fan, his temperament refined and elegant, a smile on his lips as if he had merely come to attend a lighthearted discussion.

Behind him stood two elders in silence: Bone Douluo Gu Rong and Sword Douluo Chen Xin. Though they did not intentionally release their soul power, they possessed the poise of grandmasters, as steady as a deep pool or a towering mountain.

On both sides of the hall stood representatives of various factions: the brothers Yu Tianxin and Yu Tianheng of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan wore solemn expressions.

The princes and high officials of the Heaven Dou Empire all lowered their heads in concentration.

The entire hall was shrouded in a serious atmosphere as everyone discussed the preparations for the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament, exploring how to consolidate the power of the empire's younger generation of soul masters.

Just as the discussion reached a critical point, a long, shrill announcement from an attendant echoed from outside the hall:

"His Highness the Crown Prince, and the Crown Princess have arrived!"

Before the sound faded, Qian Renxue had already stepped into the hall.

She wore the gold-embroidered Crown Prince's python robe, her posture upright and her gait composed. She maintained the handsome and steady appearance of Xue Qinghe, though a keen eye might notice a hint of indescribable softness in her brows that wasn't there before.

And the moment the person behind her stepped through the threshold.

The entire Council Hall seemed to be pressed into stillness by an invisible force.

All sound ceased abruptly.

Gazes were drawn as if by a tether, all cast in unison—astonishment, scrutiny, inquiry, distraction... various emotions intertwined on those faces that were usually calm and unruffled.

Ye Yunxi, held gently by the hand by Qian Renxue, walked into the hall with slight hesitation.

She was still wearing that iridescent Nine-Tailed Glazed Ru Skirt, the hem rippling like shallow waves with every step she took.

Her jet-black hair was loosely pinned up with only a translucent Glazed Hairpin, her sensitive fox ears carefully tucked away, revealing only the occasional fuzzy outline near her temples.

The morning light caught her face, her skin as luminous and white as jade, her peach-blossom eyes clear and watery, yet tinged with a touch of unease and lazy reluctance at being the center of attention.

Her nine fox tails had been temporarily hidden by the system, their soft curves only faintly visible when the skirt swayed; yet, that innate, ethereal aura of seduction still rippled outward, lingering within the solemn grand hall.

At that very moment, a familiar mechanical voice rang out in Ye Yunxi's mind without warning:

[Ding! Scenario task triggered: Within the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace grand hall, cause at least three important figures present to be distracted by you for over three seconds. Task reward: Outfit Points ×5000, random thousand-year spirit ring age +2000 years.]

Ye Yunxi's footsteps faltered almost imperceptibly.

Again?!

Subconsciously, she shrank behind Qian Renxue, her fingertips lightly tugging at the cuff of the other's python robe, her eyes lifting in a plea for help, shimmering with moisture and filled with helplessness and grievance.

"What's wrong?" Qian Renxue tilted her head to ask in a low voice, feeling the subtle tug on her sleeve.

"Your Highness... I'm scared." Ye Yunxi's voice was barely a whisper. "You know, I... I have social anxiety."

Those eyes, with their slightly reddened corners, looked up as if she had suffered a great injustice, stirring pity in anyone who saw her.

Qian Renxue froze, her ears turning faintly hot.

Who was it that acted so fierce and bickered with her back at the Crown Prince's Mansion? Now she was putting on this act of being weak and innocent?

"You..." She was momentarily speechless, both annoyed and amused, and could only whisper a soft rebuke, "What kind of performance is this?"

Ye Yunxi lowered her lashes, her heart already weeping rivers.

This system... it didn't chime early or late, but had to release such a lethal task at such a lethal moment!