A Hero Saves a Beauty

Ye Lingling felt some regret at this moment. Prince Xue Beng had always wanted to harass her.

It was only because she was usually with Dugu Yan, and because of Dugu Yan's grandfather, Dugu Bo, who possessed the strength of a Title Douluo.

Prince Xue Beng had never dared to make things too difficult for her.

She had not expected that today, because she had left a little later than usual and had not walked together with Dugu Yan.

Prince Xue Beng would eagerly come over like a fly drawn to meat.

And he actually dared to make a move against her?!

"You're using Dugu Yan to pressure me?" Xue Beng raised his head and looked at Ye Lingling arrogantly. "If she were here, I might give her some face for Poison Douluo's sake. But right now, you're alone."

"Surely you don't think that I, the dignified Fourth Prince of the Heaven Dou Empire, would be afraid of your Ye Clan?"

Xue Beng was very clever. At a young age, he had discovered that the Heaven Dou Imperial House's second and third princes, both strong contenders against Xue Qinghe for the throne, had died under mysterious circumstances.

So, he had always disguised himself as a useless, profligate young master, hiding his true self.

He did not dare reveal even the slightest flaw before Xue Qinghe, the seemingly flawless Crown Prince of Heaven Dou.

To be honest, having survived until now, he rather admired his own patience and restraint.

But he was unwilling to accept it.

Why could Xue Qinghe openly become Crown Prince and the future heir to the throne, while he, Xue Beng, had to hide himself so carefully and timidly?

Yet it was precisely because he had maintained the disguise of a profligate for so long that, apart from his uncle Prince Xue Xing, who secretly knew his true nature.

He was completely incomparable to his perfect eldest brother, Xue Qinghe, and no one else would support him in ascending the throne.

Therefore, he had to secretly accumulate strength.

And the one he had chosen was the powerful force behind the young woman before him, Ye Lingling—the Ye Clan.

As long as he made her his woman, the Ye Clan, a family possessing the finest healing Martial Soul in the world, could help him secretly win over people's hearts. Then perhaps he would have the qualifications to compete with Xue Qinghe for the throne in the future.

As for Ye Lingling's opinion?

As long as he turned raw rice into cooked rice, then afterward promised Ye Lingling the status of a prince's consort, what else could Ye Lingling and the Ye Clan behind her do besides accept their fate?

It had to be said that Xue Beng had thought things through quite well.

"Prince Xue Beng, are you truly going to force me?" Ye Lingling's face was frosty as she stared coldly at Xue Beng.

"What? You want to resist? Resistance is good. This prince likes women who resist—they know how to make things interesting." Xue Beng laughed loudly, not forgetting to maintain his profligate persona as he spoke frivolously to Ye Lingling.

"Hahaha, His Highness Prince Xue Beng is right!"

"Miss Ye, I think you should obediently submit to His Highness Prince Xue Beng."

"Once you get into bed, you'll know just how pleasurable this sort of thing is."

Several of Xue Beng's subordinates clapped and cheered, jeering at Ye Lingling.

Upon hearing this, Xue Beng covertly shot an unfriendly glance at the subordinate who had just spoken.

What a bunch of brainless trash!

He was the Fourth Prince of the Heaven Dou Imperial House and could disregard the Ye Clan behind Ye Lingling, but what were these subordinates of his? How dare they speak so disrespectfully before Ye Lingling?

Even borrowing a tiger's might required knowing the situation, didn't it?

Besides, he had Ye Lingling positioned as his future empress. How could she be casually insulted by this bunch of trash?

He secretly decided that once he returned, he would dispose of these loose-lipped fools and replace them with more intelligent subordinates.

It was not entirely because of Ye Lingling. More importantly, he felt that with such idiots around him, even if nothing happened now, they would sooner or later cause trouble for him.

But he still needed these subordinates for the moment, so he said, "Get her! Capture Miss Ye, and be careful not to harm even a single hair on her head. Otherwise, this prince will make you regret it!"

"Yes, Your Highness Prince Xue Beng!"

Hearing this, the men restrained the lewd grins on their faces. After nodding in acknowledgment, they exchanged glances and spread out, slowly closing in on Ye Lingling.

Watching them approach, Ye Lingling could not help taking a step back. She clutched the corner of her clothes tightly, her palms turning slightly white from the force.

But she did not cry for help.

Because this was Heaven Dou City, and she knew very well that, aside from a tiny handful of people like Dugu Yan, there were not many in Heaven Dou City who dared offend the Fourth Prince of the Heaven Dou Imperial House.

And even if she happened to encounter one of those few people, they had no reason to risk offending Prince Xue Beng to save her.

An indescribable sense of despair immediately welled up in her heart.

"Miss, do you need help?"

At that moment, a gentle voice entered Ye Lingling's ears like heavenly music.

Ye Lingling turned around, and a delicate, handsome face immediately came into view.

He was not the overwhelmingly handsome type, but he was extremely pleasant to look at. Whether young or old, male or female, anyone who saw him would feel comfortable.

Ye Lingling's slender brows trembled lightly. A strange light flowed through her blue eyes as she looked at the young man who had suddenly appeared before her, and her heart seemed to pound violently at that instant.

"Thank you, but I don't need help."

Ye Lingling forcibly suppressed the trembling in her heart. Although she dearly wished for someone to save her, she did not know this young man.

He clearly did not seem like someone who could afford to offend the Fourth Prince of the Heaven Dou Imperial House.

To keep such a kindhearted person from getting involved, she could only say something so contrary to her true feelings.

"Really? I don't believe you." Jiang Li smiled and teased Ye Lingling.

Looking at the suddenly appeared Jiang Li, Xue Beng could not help saying, "Kid, who are you? How dare you interfere in this prince's affairs? Don't you know who I am?"

"Who cares who you are!" Jiang Li immediately shot back.

Hearing that, Xue Beng was momentarily choked. But unlike Ye Lingling, he harbored the grand ambition of becoming king of the Heaven Dou Empire, so naturally his outlook could not be as narrow as hers.

He clearly knew that, even as the Fourth Prince of the Heaven Dou Imperial House, there were countless people in this world whom he could not afford to provoke.

When it came to Jiang Li before him, he could not tell whether Jiang Li was one of those people he could not afford to offend.

After all, in Heaven Dou City, who did not know the identity of Xue Beng, the profligate prince?

Moreover, judging from Jiang Li's bearing, he did not seem like some reckless fool who would disregard everything in a burst of hot blood.

Xue Beng liked pretending to be foolish, but he was not actually foolish.

Pretending to be foolish also required skill. If he encountered someone he could not afford to provoke, then playing dumb would turn into genuine stupidity.

"This prince is Xue Beng, the Fourth Prince of the Heaven Dou Imperial House. This woman is mine. If you don't want to die, I suggest you get lost immediately!"

After thinking it over, Xue Beng decided to reveal his identity first and see Jiang Li's reaction.

Then, he could determine from that reaction whether Jiang Li might be the sort of person he could not afford to provoke.

Jiang Li smiled brilliantly, and even Ye Lingling's uneasy heart trembled at the sight.

"The Fourth Prince of the Heaven Dou Imperial House? So what? Not long ago, I beat up the Third Prince of the Star Luo Imperial Family in Soto City."

Even if Jiang Li had not already known that Xue Beng was a profligate prince, so what?

Could he possibly let this chance to play the hero and save Ye Lingling slip away?