Prince Xue Xing

"Miss Ye!"

Hearing a familiar voice, Ye Yunxi turned her head and saw Hu Liena walking quickly toward her. Yue Guan was nowhere to be seen, likely occupied with some mission that made it inconvenient for him to accompany her.

"Oh, it's you, the young lady from that night." Ye Yunxi waved her hand with the polite, familiar smile of someone greeting an old acquaintance.

Qian Renxue followed her gaze, recognized Hu Liena, and frowned slightly. Hu Liena was a direct disciple of Bibi Dong and a core junior of Martial Soul Hall; what was she doing at the Soul Master Tournament in the Heaven Dou Empire? What puzzled her even more was that Ye Yunxi and Hu Liena clearly knew each other. Could this girl be associating with people from Martial Soul Hall behind her back?

"I truly didn't expect that the young lady I met in the outskirts that night would be such an honored guest of the Crown Prince." Hu Liena walked up to them, her gaze landing on Ye Yunxi with a hint of admiration. "If I had known, I would have made sure to get to know you better back then."

She genuinely wanted to be friends with Ye Yunxi—after all, the girl's martial soul and temperament were very much to her liking—but with Qian Renxue present, she had to suppress the thought and maintain a perfectly decorous demeanor.

"I was just out for a stroll that night, so we didn't have time to talk," Ye Yunxi said with a smile. She reached out to grab Hu Liena's wrist, intending to find an excuse to slip away and chat.

Before her hand could touch Hu Liena, Qian Renxue grabbed her wrist. The grip wasn't heavy, but it carried an air of refusal.

"Trying to run off again?" Qian Renxue looked at her with a half-smile. "The tournament isn't over yet. Where do you think you're going?"

"Let go, you're hurting me!" Ye Yunxi complained with a frown. "I'm just going to chat with a friend; do you have to be so controlling? I already saved your face just now, don't force me to argue with you in public!"

As soon as she said this, the curious eyes of those nearby immediately turned toward them.

Noticing the surrounding gazes, Qian Renxue gritted her teeth in frustration and lowered her voice. "Ye Yunxi, you really are something. I'll remember this."

"Likewise," Ye Yunxi leaned in closer and whispered, "I'm giving you the face of the Crown Prince in front of others, but don't push it by constantly trying to keep me on a leash."

With that, she gently shook off Qian Renxue's hand and tilted her chin toward Hu Liena. "Come on, keep me company and let's get some air. It's too stuffy in this arena."

Qian Renxue watched her back as she walked away with Hu Liena, her temples throbbing with anger. Unable to make a scene in public, she could only watch as the two disappeared into the crowd.

The onlookers began to whisper:

"This Miss Ye has quite the temper; she even dares to talk back to the Crown Prince."

"The Crown Prince is surprisingly indulgent with her. Anyone else would have been punished by now."

"She has the talent and the confidence to back it up. No wonder the Crown Prince can't do anything about her."

Hearing these comments, Qian Renxue's face turned a shade of pale green. She snorted coldly, turned, and walked away quickly to find a secluded spot to calm her nerves.

She had intended to take Ye Yunxi to the lantern festival after the tournament to help her relax, but this girl had simply run off with an outsider, completely disregarding her.

"What a headache of a girl—infuriating, yet impossible to handle." Qian Renxue clenched her fist and lightly struck a nearby tree trunk, though there was no real anger in her eyes, only a hint of helpless amusement.

On the other side, Ye Yunxi dragged Hu Liena out of the arena and let out a sigh of relief. She kicked off her high heels and stepped onto the bluestone path with her bare feet, squinting in comfort.

"Finally, I don't have to wear those foot-grinding shoes!" she muttered, tossing the heels into a nearby trash can.

Watching her completely disregard her image, Hu Liena sighed helplessly. "Miss Ye, you are a person of note in Tiandou City. Being this casual... I'm afraid people will gossip."

"Who cares about being a person of note!" Ye Yunxi curled her lip, her tone filled with disdain. "If Xue Qinghe hadn't forced me to stay at the Crown Prince's Mansion, I would have been out wandering the mountains and rivers, living freely long ago."

She turned to look at Hu Liena, a flash of cunning amusement in her eyes. "Speaking of which, why are you all alone? Where is Elder Yue Guan? Isn't he supposed to be by your side protecting you?"

"Elder Yue Guan has other tasks to attend to," Hu Liena replied, lowering her eyes with a vague tone.

"Oh?" Ye Yunxi raised an eyebrow, reached out to pat her shoulder, and teased, "Don't tell me you came here specifically to find me?"

Caught off guard by the accuracy of the guess, Hu Liena's cheeks flushed slightly. She waved her hands hurriedly. "No, it's not like that. I just happened to be passing by and saw you."

"Still denying it?" Ye Yunxi laughed playfully. "A little fox that won't tell the truth isn't a good little fox, you know."

Just as she was about to tease Hu Liena further, an angry voice suddenly came from behind:

"Ye Yunxi! As an honored guest of the Crown Prince's Mansion, you have no sense of propriety, and you're actually fraternizing with someone from Martial Soul Hall!"

Ye Yunxi turned around impatiently to see Prince Xue Xing standing not far away, dressed in luxurious robes, his face livid as he glared at her. He was clearly furious.

"I wondered who it was; it's Prince Xue Xing," Ye Yunxi said, crossing her arms with a cold tone. "Since the Prince isn't watching the tournament, is there some instruction you have for me by chasing me out here?"

"Instruction?" Prince Xue Xing laughed in his rage, pointing a finger at her. "You have the nerve to ask! If it weren't for you, how would Xue Beng have been thrown into prison? And now you dare to mingle with people from Martial Soul Hall—are you trying to destroy the Heaven Dou Empire?"

Thanks to Wen Xuan Nian for the tip.

Thanks to Ming Ji Yu Xin BB for the tip.

Thanks to Reader 1887740082729848832 for the tip.