Ye Lingling felt some regret at this moment. That 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, a Title Douluo.
Prince Xue Beng had never dared to make things too difficult for her.
But she had not expected that today, because she had left a little later than usual and was not walking with Dugu Yan.
Prince Xue Beng had impatiently 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 arrogantly at Ye Lingling. "If she were here, I might give her some face for Poison Douluo's sake. But right now, you're alone."
"You don't really think that I, the dignified Fourth Prince of the Heaven Dou Empire, would be afraid of your Ye Clan, do you?"
Xue Beng was very clever. At a young age, he had discovered that the Heaven Dou Imperial House's second and third princes—strong contenders against Xue Qinghe for the throne—had died under mysterious circumstances.
Thus, he had always disguised himself as a useless, good-for-nothing playboy in public, concealing 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, being able to survive until now made him admire his own patience and restraint.
But he was unwilling to accept it.
Why could Xue Qinghe openly become the Crown Prince, the future heir to the throne, while he, Xue Beng, had to keep his head down and carefully hide himself?
Yet it was precisely because of his long-standing Disguise as a playboy that, aside from his uncle Prince Xue Xing, who secretly knew his true nature.
There was absolutely no comparison between him and his perfect eldest brother, Crown Prince Xue Qinghe, nor could anyone else possibly support him in ascending the throne.
Therefore, he had to secretly build up his strength.
And the person he had chosen was the young woman before him, Ye Lingling, and the powerful influence of the Ye Clan behind her.
As long as he made her his woman, with the Ye Clan—a family possessing the world's strongest healing Martial Soul—helping him secretly win over people's hearts, he might yet 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 granted Ye Lingling the status of a prince's consort, what else could she and the Ye Clan behind her do but accept their fate?
It had to be said, Xue Beng had thought it through quite well.
"Prince Xue Beng, are you really 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 heartily, not forgetting to maintain his playboy persona as he spoke frivolously to Ye Lingling.
"Hahaha, Prince Xue Beng is right!"
"Miss Ye, I think you should obediently submit to 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.
At those words, Xue Beng secretly shot an unfriendly glance at the subordinate who had just spoken.
What a bunch of brainless idiots!
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 dared they speak so disrespectfully before Ye Lingling?
Even borrowing the tiger's might required knowing the situation, didn't it?
Furthermore, he had already decided that Ye Lingling would be his future empress. How could she be casually insulted by this bunch of trash?
He secretly decided that once they returned, he would get rid of these loose-lipped fools and replace them with a smarter batch of subordinates.
It was not entirely because of Ye Lingling. More importantly, he felt that with such idiots at his side, even if nothing happened now, they would sooner or later cause trouble.
But he still needed these subordinates for the moment, so he said, "Get her! Capture Miss Ye. Be careful not to harm a single hair on her head, or this prince will make you regret it!"
"Yes, Prince Xue Beng!"
Hearing this, the men put away their lecherous grins. 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 gripped the corner of her clothes tightly, her palms turning somewhat pale from the force.
However, she did not call for help.
Because this was Heaven Dou City. She knew very well that, apart from a very small number of people like Dugu Yan, there were hardly any in Heaven Dou City who would dare 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 save her at the risk of offending Prince Xue Beng.
A despair beyond words 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 handsome, refined face immediately came into view.
He was not the overwhelmingly handsome sort, but his appearance was exceptionally pleasing to the eye. Whether young or old, male or female, anyone who saw him would find him comforting to look at.
Ye Lingling's delicate brows trembled slightly. A strange light flickered in 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 desperately hoped someone could save her, she did not know this young man.
Clearly, he did not seem like the sort of person who could afford to offend the Fourth Prince of the Heaven Dou Imperial House.
To keep this kind-hearted stranger from being dragged into this, she could only say such words against her true feelings.
"Really? I don't believe you." Jiang Li smiled and teased Ye Lingling.
Seeing Jiang Li suddenly appear, Xue Beng could not help saying, "Brat, who are you? You actually dare interfere in this prince's affairs? Don't you know who I am?"
"Why should I care who you are?" Jiang Li immediately shot back.
Hearing that, Xue Beng choked for a moment. 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 limited as hers.
He clearly understood 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.
As for Jiang Li before him, he could not determine whether he might be one of those people.
After all, who in Heaven Dou City did not know the identity of Xue Beng, the wastrel prince?
Moreover, judging by Jiang Li's bearing, he did not seem like some hotheaded fool who would disregard everything on impulse.
Xue Beng liked pretending to be foolish, but he was not actually foolish.
Pretending to be foolish required skill. If he ran into someone he could not afford to provoke, then pretending to be foolish would become genuine stupidity.
"This prince is Xue Beng, the Fourth Prince of the Heaven Dou Imperial House. This woman has caught my eye. If you don't want to die, I advise you to get lost immediately!"
After thinking it over, Xue Beng decided to reveal his identity first and see how Jiang Li reacted.
Then, he could judge from Jiang Li's reaction whether he might truly be someone Xue Beng could not afford to provoke.
Jiang Li smiled. His smile was brilliant enough to make Ye Lingling's anxious heart tremble.
"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 Suotuo City."
Jiang Li had long known that Xue Beng was a wastrel prince, but even if he had not, so what?
Could he possibly pass up the chance to play the hero and save Ye Lingling?
Before you continue