Qian Renxue

The person who had come looking for trouble looked no older than eighteen or nineteen.

On top of that, he had claimed to be a prince and acted so arrogantly. Ye Xuan immediately guessed who he was.

Xue Ye's son, Xue Beng.

The people nearby were all watching, looking at Ye Xuan with sympathy.

They all knew what Xue Beng was like. Anyone he set his sights on could only be said to have suffered eight generations of bad luck.

"If you don't want to die, get out of my way. Otherwise, I'll send you to join your second brother." Ye Xuan stared at him and spoke coldly.

"Y-you... what are you talking about? How can I, this prince, understand?"

Xue Beng was startled at first. His second brother's death was the reason he had chosen to act this way.

Now that Ye Xuan had inexplicably brought up his second brother, Xue Beng was naturally terrified.

But he quickly regained his composure.

Whether or not the man before him knew these royal secrets, he still had to keep up the act.

Otherwise, if Xue Qinghe's people found out, he would be in danger.

"Get lost!"

Ye Xuan couldn't be bothered to argue with him. He flicked his hand, sending Xue Beng flying to one side.

Xue Beng landed hard on his backside and sat on the ground in a sorry heap, a trickle of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.

Just then, two attendants hurried over to him and helped him up, asking with concern, "Fourth Prince, are you all right?"

"Arrest them!" Xue Beng roared hysterically.

"Yes." The two attendants had no choice but to obey and head toward Ye Xuan.

"Brat, do you know who you've offended? This is the Fourth Prince of the Heaven Dou Empire. If you don't want the Heaven Dou Empire to hunt you down, surrender quietly."

"The Heaven Dou Empire's wanted list? A declining empire, teetering on the brink of collapse, thinks it can threaten me?" Ye Xuan said disdainfully.

"You're asking for death!" The two attendants flew into a rage and immediately summoned their Martial Souls, ready to attack.

Both were Soul Kings, one at level 54 and the other at level 55.

"Why haven't you left yet? Do you still not realize how much of a disgrace you've brought upon yourselves?"

A sudden shout rang out, stopping the two men just as they were about to attack.

At the sound, everyone turned to look. A handsome young noble, around eighteen or nineteen years old, had stepped forward.

He exuded an air of nobility, and his bearing surpassed even Xue Beng's. He seemed born to rule.

The two attendants bowed hurriedly when they saw him.

"Your Highness, Crown Prince."

"Have you not disgraced yourselves enough? Bullying others alongside a prince—what a fine show of authority!" the newcomer scolded.

The two men lowered their heads in shame, not daring to utter a word in their defense.

"Why haven't you taken the Fourth Prince away?" the newcomer barked.

"Yes, Your Highness." The two men obeyed and immediately led Xue Beng away.

Once they were gone, the newcomer turned to Ye Xuan and said, "I am Xue Qinghe. Would you do me the honor of having a drink with me and chatting for a while?"

Ye Xuan hadn't expected to run into not only Xue Beng, but also Qian Renxue.

It probably wasn't something Qian Renxue had arranged deliberately. They had simply run into each other by pure chance.

"No problem. But we'll have to wait a little while for them to finish looking around inside," Ye Xuan said.

"No problem." Qian Renxue nodded readily.

She glanced at Zhu Zhuqing and the other two. Although they were young, all three were beauties in the making. No wonder Xue Beng had gone mad over them.

What was more, she could clearly see that Zhu Zhuqing, Ning Rongrong, and Xiao Wu were all remarkably strong. At their age, with such strength, they were no ordinary people.

And with all three gathered around Ye Xuan, he was even more extraordinary.

Someone like him definitely had to be brought into her camp.

"Go ahead. The Crown Prince and I will wait here for you," Ye Xuan said to Zhu Zhuqing and the other two.

"Mm!" The three answered softly, then went inside together to see what interesting Soul Tools were on display.

After they had gone in, Qian Renxue asked, "I haven't yet had the honor of learning your name, sir, or where you come from."

Qian Renxue was certain he wasn't from Heaven Dou City. He must have arrived only recently.

Someone like him couldn't possibly have remained unknown in Heaven Dou City.

"I am Ye Xuan, and I came from Suotuo City. I only arrived in Heaven Dou City today, and the Fourth Prince was already trying to put me in my place," Ye Xuan said.

"I apologize on behalf of my good-for-nothing younger brother, Young Master Ye." Qian Renxue offered her apology.

"Your Highness, the Crown Prince, must be busy with a thousand affairs. What brings you here?" Ye Xuan asked curiously.

Judging from their conversation so far, Qian Renxue hadn't come here specifically to look for him.

She probably didn't know who he was. Qian Daoliu likely hadn't told her about him.

And she probably wouldn't personally keep an eye on Xue Beng. That sort of thing could be left to her subordinates.

There had to be some reason she was here.

"I was on my way to Moonlight Pavilion and happened to pass by. When I saw Young Master Ye being pestered by my good-for-nothing younger brother, I came over to find out what was going on," Qian Renxue said frankly.

She truly had no need to personally see for herself what Xue Beng was like.

Although she still hadn't yet come to believe, as she would a few years later, that Xue Beng was a complete wastrel, all she needed to do was have a few trusted subordinates keep an eye on him.

She had originally planned to go to Moonlight Pavilion for a lesson in etiquette, but this had happened along the way.

"I see. So Your Highness isn't going there now?" Ye Xuan asked.

"The lessons at Moonlight Pavilion aren't important. Missing one day won't make any difference. But if I missed the chance to meet someone as interesting as Young Master Ye, that would be a real pity," Qian Renxue said with a smile.

She gave the impression of being kind and courteous, a ruler who valued the worthy. Anyone who didn't know her would surely think she was a virtuous crown prince.

"Your Highness is quite an interesting person yourself," Ye Xuan said in praise.

Then the two waited there with Ning Rongrong and the others for a while. A short time later, the three came out.

Qian Renxue immediately invited him. "Since Young Master Ye has only just arrived from Suotuo City, why not stay at my residence for a while?"

"Gladly! Then I'll trouble Your Highness to show us the way."

Qian Renxue was taken aback by Ye Xuan's answer.

She did want to learn more about Ye Xuan, and she also wanted to recruit him.

But inviting him to stay at her residence was, to put it plainly, just a polite formality.

She didn't believe Ye Xuan had come here without any other business.

If he had other plans, he must have already decided where he would stay.

She had thought Ye Xuan would decline her invitation.

But she could never have guessed that his real purpose was her, so the place he would stay was naturally Qian Renxue's residence.

"Young Master Ye, ladies, please." Qian Renxue came back to herself and hurriedly invited them to her residence.

Not long afterward, the group arrived at the rear garden of Qian Renxue's residence.

Receiving guests in the living room felt too formal, so she simply led Ye Xuan and the others to the waterside pavilion in the rear garden.

After they sat down, Qian Renxue asked, "By the way, Young Master Ye, you haven't introduced these three to me yet."

"Of the three, one has some connection to Your Highness. I believe you've heard her name," Ye Xuan said with a smile.