Xue Qinghe's Indulgence

Xue Qinghe did not even glance at Xue Beng. She walked straight up to Zhang Fei and reached out to grab his right hand.

"Did your hand hurt from hitting him?"

Her voice was gentle, filled with genuine concern.

"Uh..." Zhang Fei was momentarily speechless. He stared blankly at her. "...I'm fine, I'm fine."

The entire place fell silent.

Even Xue Beng's crying caught in his throat. His eyes, swollen into slits, widened in utter disbelief.

What? Was this a joke? I'm the one who got beaten into a pig's head!

You weren't concerned about the one who got hit?

Instead, you were asking whether the one doing the hitting hurt his hand? Was there no justice left? No law?

Prince Xue Xing's face shifted from green to black, then from black to purple, a truly spectacular sight.

Xue Ye the Great frowned deeply and asked in a low voice, "What happened?"

A guard who had witnessed everything hurriedly dropped to his knees and recounted the entire incident without leaving out a single detail.

From how Xue Beng had blocked their path and mocked them, to how he had insulted Zhang Fei as a beggar, an orphan, and a male favorite, and then how Zhang Fei had retaliated—nothing was concealed.

As Xue Ye the Great listened, his expression grew increasingly grim.

Xue Qinghe slowly turned around, her gaze settling on Xue Beng. Her eyes were as cold as though she were looking at a dead man.

"Xue Beng, it was one thing for you to be spoiled and overbearing as usual. I never expected that you would now dare to disregard this Crown Prince as well."

Her voice was not loud, but it carried a bone-chilling coldness.

Xue Beng shuddered all over, only then recalling what he had just said.

He had called Zhang Fei Xue Qinghe's male favorite! On the surface, he had been insulting Zhang Fei, but in truth, he had dragged Xue Qinghe into it as well!

"I-I didn't..." Xue Beng stammered, trying to explain through his swollen face.

"Enough!" Xue Ye the Great slammed his palm onto the stone table beside him. With so many allies of the empire present, he naturally could not shield a prince. He immediately roared, "Wretched child! You insulted your elder brother in public, speaking in such vulgar and obscene terms. What kind of conduct is this?"

He drew a deep breath and suppressed his fury before looking at Zhang Fei, his tone softening slightly. "Zhang Fei, Xue Beng was at fault in this matter. I apologize to you on his behalf."

Zhang Fei hurriedly bowed. "Your Majesty overstates it."

Xue Ye the Great snorted coldly and turned to Xue Beng. "From today onward, you are confined for three months and must copy the Imperial Laws one hundred times. In addition, compensate Zhang Fei with ten thousand gold soul coins. Now, apologize at once!"

Xue Beng looked as if he had been struck by lightning. Yet under Xue Ye the Great's piercing gaze, he did not dare resist. He could only clutch his swollen face, walk up to Zhang Fei, and force out a few words through gritted teeth. "S-sorry..."

"Louder! Didn't you eat?" Xue Ye the Great snapped.

"I'm sorry!" Xue Beng shouted, his voice thick with tears.

Zhang Fei nodded expressionlessly, accepting the apology.

Prince Xue Xing stood to one side, his face so dark it seemed ready to drip water. But Xue Ye the Great had already spoken, so he did not dare say another word. He could only support Xue Beng as they retreated in disgrace.

Ning Fengzhi shook his head with a sigh, while Chen Xin remained expressionless, as if he had seen nothing at all.

Dugu Bo gave Zhang Fei an intrigued look, then glanced at Xue Qinghe. He merely shook his head.

Ning Rongrong hid behind Ning Fengzhi, covering her mouth as she snickered. When she saw Zhang Fei looking over, she even gave him a thumbs-up.

Everyone returned to their seats, as though the farce from earlier had been nothing more than a trivial interlude.

Xue Qinghe walked to Zhang Fei's side and reached out to straighten his slightly rumpled collar. In a low voice, she said, "If this happens again, don't hold back. Just beat him."

Zhang Fei looked at her profile so close before him, and his heart inexplicably skipped a beat.

Xue Qinghe's fingers paused slightly. Under the blazing sun, the tips of her ears took on a faint blush that only Zhang Fei could see.

By the time the banquet ended, the sun had already begun to set.

Outside the palace's main gates, carriages lined the streets as the nobles departed in small groups.

Ning Fengzhi stopped and turned to Xue Qinghe with a warm smile. "Qinghe, don't take today's matter to heart. Xue Beng is spoiled and arrogant; he deserved to be taught a lesson."

"I've made a spectacle of myself before Teacher." Xue Qinghe gave a slight nod, her tone calm.

"Not at all." Ning Fengzhi waved a hand, his gaze casually sweeping over Zhang Fei beside her, his eyes carrying a measure of appreciation.

Ning Rongrong made a face at Zhang Fei. "Little Fei Fei, come play with me at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect next time!"

Zhang Fei's mouth twitched. He took half a step back, looking thoroughly wary. "No thanks, no thanks. Nothing good ever happens when I'm with you."

"Tch, cheapskate." Ning Rongrong curled her lips.

Everyone smiled and exchanged farewells with cupped hands. Ning Fengzhi led Ning Rongrong into their carriage, which rumbled away into the distance.

Once the carriage disappeared around the street corner, Zhang Fei finally let out a long breath, as though he had just sent off a little pest.

Xue Qinghe tilted her head toward him, the corners of her lips lifting slightly. "What, Rongrong is so adorable, yet you avoid her like the plague?"

"Adorable?" Zhang Fei rolled his eyes and muttered quietly, "She's full of bad ideas. Who knows how she'll set me up next time? She's my personal jinx."

Xue Qinghe laughed softly and naturally took his hand in hers. "Come on. Let's go back to the Crown Prince's Residence."

The soft warmth of her fingertips against his palm made Zhang Fei's heart skip half a beat.

Why were they still always holding hands at this age? Did she have some kind of fetish?

But... her hand really was soft.

After returning to the Crown Prince's Residence, life seemed to slip back into its familiar rhythm, yet something had changed.

Zhang Fei realized that he had truly changed.

In the past, whenever She Long dragged him out of bed in the morning, Zhang Fei would have loved to fight him for three hundred rounds.

Unfortunately, he was too weak and could only swallow his anger, running laps while drawing circles in his mind.

Now, before dawn had even broken, Zhang Fei would wake up naturally and head voluntarily to the training ground in the rear courtyard.

After fifty warm-up laps, he actually felt indescribably refreshed. Sweat trickled down his chin, while every cell in his body seemed to cheer, longing to grow stronger.

"I'm done for. I've been successfully PUA'd."

One morning, Zhang Fei woke up staring at the ceiling beams when that thought suddenly popped into his head, startling even himself.

But on second thought, in this world where fists did the talking, becoming stronger could never be a bad thing.

Besides, the feeling of power surging through him really was addictive.

This peaceful training continued for roughly half a month.

One morning, Zhang Fei was baring his teeth as he held up a stone lock taller than himself, his arms trembling like a cafeteria worker serving food, when She Long strolled over with his hands behind his back.

He was not carrying a bamboo whip.

That surprised Zhang Fei. His hands loosened, and the stone lock crashed to the ground with a boom, kicking up a cloud of dust.

"Grandpa, what's going on today?" he asked cautiously, wondering whether some new trick was about to be sprung on him.

She Long shot him a sideways glance. "Starting today, your training plan is changing."

Zhang Fei froze. "Changing?"

"Mornings remain the same: endurance and strength. In the afternoons, you'll go to the Heaven Dou Great Spirit Arena." She Long's tone was flat.

"The Great Spirit Arena?" Zhang Fei's eyes lit up, and even his heart began to race.

"For a soul master, training behind closed doors is not a long-term solution." She Long's expression turned solemn. "How do you use soul skills in the ever-changing flow of battle? How do you identify an opponent's weaknesses? How do you find a chance for victory when pushed into a corner? These things can only be honed through real combat."

He paused, then added, "The Heaven Dou Great Spirit Arena has every kind of martial soul and opponents from every fighting style. For young soul masters, it is an excellent whetstone. And there's no danger to your life."