Qian Renxue paused, lowering her head to look at the confident, captivating woman in her arms. The suspicion in her eyes deepened.
"What makes you think Dugu Bo will obey you?"
"Are you joking with your husband?"
If Dugu Bo really was no longer a threat, she could have Porcupinefish Douluo and Snake Lance Douluo find an opportunity to eliminate Xue Xing and Xue Beng right now.
The previous princes had all disappeared under the pretext of "meeting with an accident."
Only Xue Beng had remained safely in the imperial palace, living comfortably.
"Your Highness, if I say I can do it, then I can."
Ye Yunxi looked helpless. "If you don't believe me, there's nothing I can do."
"Give me a reason."
Qian Renxue stared at her coldly. "Without a good reason, you're not just trying to get me to deal with Xue Beng so you can escape in the ensuing chaos, are you?"
In her eyes, Ye Yunxi was absolutely capable of doing something like that.
Before, she wouldn't have thought that way.
But the things Ye Yunxi had done over the past few days had given her reason to doubt her. Twin Martial Souls, astonishing speed, unfathomable intentions—not one bit of her was like a docile little country girl.
"Why should I tell you?"
Ye Yunxi smiled faintly.
"Give me a week off first, and then I'll tell you."
After all, she wasn't the one in a hurry.
"You're bargaining with me?"
Qian Renxue raised an eyebrow.
"So what if I am?"
Ye Yunxi wasn't the least bit nervous.
Qian Renxue sneered inwardly. It wasn't true that she didn't want to know, but she was genuinely curious about why Dugu Bo was no longer a threat.
In the end, she still nodded.
"Fine. One week."
Seeing Qian Renxue give in, Ye Yunxi slipped out of her arms and turned toward the door. Only then did she speak unhurriedly.
"Those days I was away, did you think I was just out having fun?"
She glanced back, the corner of her mouth curling into a knowing smile.
"I was taking care of a few things."
"The things you mentioned—were they this?"
Looking at Ye Yunxi's confident expression, Qian Renxue felt a little uneasy. No matter how capable this little enchantress was, there was no way she could really have guessed what was on her mind, right?
If Ye Yunxi hadn't first brought up that Xue Beng was pretending, she wouldn't have thought of it herself.
"Your Highness, you guessed correctly."
Ye Yunxi spread her hands.
"Too bad there's no reward."
"I don't want a reward."
Qian Renxue said coldly,
"Just hurry up and tell me what matters, so I don't have to teach you another lesson."
"Don't rush me."
Ye Yunxi drawled,
"My Nine-Tailed Sky Fox has powerful spiritual and sensory abilities. While I was out, I ran into Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan and spotted the poison in their bodies at a glance. More precisely, it was the drawback of their Martial Soul, the Jade Phosphor Snake—the Jade Phosphor Snake's poison."
"Don't tell me you just cured their poison and they immediately pledged their loyalty to you."
That was the only explanation Qian Renxue could think of.
If their poison hadn't been cured, how could Dugu Bo no longer be a threat?
"Correct."
Ye Yunxi didn't even blush.
"The poison in Dugu Bo's body had lain dormant for years. At the time, I didn't remove my veil. I acted only as the Crown Princess. After I'd completely cured them, I took off my veil and revealed my identity. Naturally, they pledged their loyalty to me."
She embellished the story without batting an eye. Her identity had indeed been exposed, and Dugu Bo had indeed pledged his loyalty himself, but a little embellishment was no big deal.
"Crown Princess, your explanation is so reasonable that I can't find a single thing to argue with."
Qian Renxue watched her smiling face, yet felt she understood her less and less.
"Of course you can't."
Ye Yunxi said evenly. "You have no reason to argue."
"Crown Princess, why is your tongue so sharp?"
Qian Renxue sighed. "Your appearance and the things you say are complete opposites."
Looking at Ye Yunxi's alluring face, Qian Renxue had always harbored a thought: she wanted to make her a well-behaved girl, one who would obediently call her "husband."
But the woman always insisted on going against her.
"Your Highness, stop daydreaming."
Ye Yunxi chuckled.
"From the moment you kidnapped me, you should've stopped expecting me to obediently attach myself to you."
Everyone had a desire to conquer, and Qian Renxue's was no weaker than anyone else's.
"Crown Princess, don't you think you're shameless?"
"Me? Shameless?"
Ye Yunxi was stunned for a moment.
"Xue Qinghe, how do you have the nerve to say that?"
"I brought you out of that little village. I gave you fine clothes, delicious food, riches, and everything else, yet you still insist on going against me."
Qian Renxue rose to her feet and advanced step by step. "What is it you want?"
A simmering resentment had been building inside her all along.
Before she finished speaking, she lunged forward, trying to seize Ye Yunxi.
But Ye Yunxi's figure flickered, and she evaded Qian Renxue's hand with a deft step of Lingbo Microsteps.
"Your Highness, don't rush."
She stepped back, smiling brightly. "Haste makes waste. Besides, I've made myself clear. Whether you act or not is up to you."
"I'll help you keep Dugu Bo occupied."
She shot Qian Renxue a flirtatious look, then turned and left, vanishing into the night around the Crown Prince's Mansion in the blink of an eye.
"This little enchantress!"
Qian Renxue gritted her teeth, but a spark of excited defiance flashed in her eyes.
She refused to believe she couldn't bring this little enchantress to heel.
Then Qian Renxue summoned Porcupinefish Douluo.
"Your subordinate is here."
Porcupinefish Douluo knelt on one knee. "Your Highness, are we going to capture the Crown Princess?"
"No need."
Qian Renxue's gaze darkened. "When Dugu Bo leaves the imperial palace, find an opportunity to deal with Xue Beng and root out this hidden danger."
"Yes."
Porcupinefish Douluo accepted the order and withdrew, turning into a shadow.
On the other side, after leaving the Crown Prince's Mansion, Ye Yunxi put her veil back on to conceal her devastating beauty, leaving only a pair of sparkling, peach-blossom eyes visible.
She walked leisurely along the streets of Heaven Dou City, murmuring to herself,
"Dugu Bo's residence... I remember it's somewhere south of the city."
She glanced around, her gaze landing on a shadowy alley ahead.
The alley was narrow and dim, its high walls rising on either side. There were hardly any passersby.
"Perfect. I can cut through here and get there faster."
Ye Yunxi stepped straight into the alley.
The depths of the alley were pitch-black, the light dim. Even the sound of her footsteps seemed to be swallowed by the cracks in the walls.
When she reached the middle, two shadows suddenly dropped from the walls, one in front and one behind, blocking both her way forward and her retreat.
"Heh heh, little miss, you're brave to be walking alone at night."
"Look at that figure, that bearing. She's got to be some noble young lady. Looks like the two of us are about to strike it rich."
The two men held short blades, greed in their eyes. They had clearly been lying in wait, targeting any lone, easy mark who came by.
The alley was pitch-black. Ordinary people wouldn't have been able to make out their figures at all.
Yet they seemed to have already locked onto their target, and went straight for Ye Yunxi.
Ye Yunxi stopped and paused in surprise, then helplessly spread her hands.
"Do kidnappers still exist these days?"
She muttered softly. There wasn't a trace of fear in her voice. If anything, she sounded as if she were looking at some curiosity.
Beneath her veil, the corners of her lips slowly curled into a playful smile.
These two had picked the wrong person to kidnap.