The Unlucky Fool, No. 003 [Revised]

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Chapter 3

"You brats of the Heavenly Sun Sect, hand over our prince!"

Several powerful-looking members of the Demon Race hovered in midair, their hair a riot of colors. They shouted threats while attacking the Heavenly Sun Sect's mountain-protecting formation, looking as though they wanted to hack the "brats of the Heavenly Sun Sect" they spoke of to pieces, drink their blood, eat their flesh, grind their bones, and scatter the ashes.

Meanwhile, the handsome young Wen Yan clutched Luo Mingxi's sleeve, his face pale, his forehead drenched in sweat, and his eyes full of helpless panic. "They're here to take me back. What should I do, Sister Ming Xi? My family arranged a marriage for me, but I don't like the other person at all. Their family pressured mine because of their connections. I had no choice but to run away. My family doesn't care about me. They just want to drag me back and trade me for resources. They haven't thought about my feelings or my happiness..."

In the past, Luo Mingxi would have fallen for this. Someone weak, pretty, and sweet, someone pitiful who needed her to save him, would have struck her right in the heart.

Provided, of course, a familiar voice wasn't chattering beside her.

[Oh my, look at the poor thing! Forget Junior Sister's heart melting at the sight—even I'd think a pitiful little thing like him needed protecting!]

[But it really must be hard on His Little Highness. He seems fairly strong himself, yet he has to swallow his pride and play the delicate flower to win Luo Mingxi's pity. For Wen Yan, that humiliation will become a hatred carved into his bones. No wonder he'll be so ruthless to Junior Sister later. He'll smile to her face while wishing he could get rid of her behind her back.]

Luo Mingxi couldn't understand it. She had saved him and helped him out of kindness, so why would she end up resented and used? Wasn't Wen Que's claim absurd? What normal person would think that way?

If it were true, Wen Yan had chosen to act pitiful and seek her protection. How could he then consider it humiliating, much less come to hate her for it?

Luo Mingxi felt thoroughly mocked, and her expression darkened.

Only Wen Yan, still clutching her sleeve and covering his face as he poured out his woes, failed to see it. After spending the past few days with her, he believed he understood Luo Mingxi well. She had a sharp tongue but a soft heart, and this approach worked best on her.

He could tell she liked him, too. She almost always did as he asked and believed whatever he said. Now that he'd told her his family had forced him to run away, she was sure to stand up for him. Luo Mingxi might be alone and not especially strong, but as the youngest disciple of Endless Peak, she had Venerable Falling Maple behind her—and the entire Heavenly Sun Sect behind him. That made her arrogant and overbearing.

At first, Wen Yan had found that arrogance irritating. Now he thought it felt rather satisfying when she directed it at someone else. Besides, he intended to use it against the elders of his tribe and draw their attention away from him.

He had no idea Luo Mingxi wasn't paying attention to him at all.

Both Luo Mingxi, who was caught up in the matter, and Qiu Jinyou, who was listening in on the spectacle, were focused on Wen Que. They wanted to hear what other nonsense she might "say."

More than that, they wanted to find out whether any of what Wen Que "said" was true.

[I'm dying. This poor little prince always gets his way in the tribe. Who could force him to do anything? To be fair, the arranged marriage is real—but he was the one who asked for that childhood betrothal! The girl waited for him all these years, and then he met his true love elsewhere and cast her aside. Now he sees her as an obstacle. He's treated her terribly and claims he was forced into it? Pah!]

Qiu Jinyou: Pah.

If the matter hadn't involved her, Luo Mingxi would have joined in.

[And all that talk about them dragging him back? Lies. He did run away from home, but not because anyone was forcing him to marry! He wanted to find his sweetheart, so he slipped out without telling his family. They thought he'd been abducted or was in danger. As soon as they got word of him, they came to the Heavenly Sun Sect to bring him home, terrified something might happen to him.]

[That scheming little prince wants to use our foolish Junior Sister as a shield. Just watch—if he keeps talking, she'll get fired up and charge in to defend him. Then she'll fall straight into his trap, and the Demon Race elders will think she's the culprit who lured their child away from home!]

[Most importantly, he'll conceal the real reason he ran away and protect his sweetheart!]

Luo Mingxi: "..."

A thousand things rose to Luo Mingxi's lips, but she couldn't say a word. Wen Que kept calling her a fool. Had she always given people that impression?

Alongside Wen Que's rapid-fire thoughts, Wen Yan was still murmuring his troubles into her ear. She had loved his soft, endearing voice and its faint note of innocence. Now it grated on her.

Luo Mingxi had to admit Wen Que was right about one thing: before this, Wen Yan's voice might have melted her heart. A few words from him might well have sent her charging in to defend him.

From the start, she had seen Wen Yan as a delicate young man who needed protection. What was wrong with standing up for him and helping the weak against the strong when he was in trouble?

She hadn't known her eagerness to help would become a weakness someone could exploit. What, was it wrong to save a person now?

Luo Mingxi narrowed her bright eyes, a dangerous glint entering them. She raised her hand and freed her sleeve from Wen Yan's grip.

Striking and full of spirit, Luo Mingxi smiled casually. "Don't be afraid. I'm here. They're your family; surely you can talk this through. Speak to them properly. You're so sensible—I'm sure they'll understand."

Wen Yan: Huh?

This wasn't what he'd imagined!

From what he knew of Luo Mingxi, she should already have charged in with her sword on her shoulder!

Wasn't a fight the obvious way this should go?

Luo Mingxi smoothed her sleeve, taking her time as though Wen Yan had raised no grave concern. "Come on. Let's go see them and have a proper talk with your family."

Wen Yan shrank back, unwilling to move. "But if they see me, they'll take me away. I... I don't want to leave you, Sister Mingxi."

[Oh, please. It's not our poor sucker of a Junior Sister the little prince doesn't want to leave. It's his sweetheart.]

Luo Mingxi, the poor sucker in question, froze.

[He wants our poor sucker of a Junior Sister to protect him and draw the elders' fire. Meanwhile, he's planning to stay and celebrate his sweetheart's birthday! Oh, right—if I remember correctly, a good chunk of the spirit stones he used to buy his sweetheart's present came from Junior Sister!]

Luo Mingxi: ???

[It's almost funny. Junior Sister wanted to give that little prince everything good she had. She gave him so many spirit stones, and he spent them on his sweetheart. She didn't get a thing out of it.]

Luo Mingxi: ...

[Oh, wait, she did. The little prince thanked her plenty of times. One look at her with those watery eyes and her heart was trembling. She even picked him all those pretty little flowers herself and scraped up her hands doing it...]

"Wen Jiujiu!" Luo Mingxi couldn't take it anymore. She cut off Wen Que's unending commentary.

It would have been one thing if only she could hear it, but Second Senior Sister clearly could too. Qiu Jinyou couldn't keep the corners of her mouth down and looked ready to burst out laughing. And those words—poor sucker, little prince—Luo Mingxi had never known Wen Que's head was stuffed with so much nonsense.

Suddenly called out, Wen Que looked innocent. She idly waved a blade of grass she'd plucked from somewhere. "Huh? What is it, Junior Sister?"

[Isn't this the moment for Junior Sister and the little prince to bare their hearts to each other? Why's she calling me?]

Luo Mingxi took a deep breath. "Wen Jiujiu, your injuries haven't healed. Stop running around and go back to rest!"

If Wen Que went back to bed, surely they wouldn't have to hear her babble anymore?

"I feel fine!" Wen Que didn't understand Luo Mingxi's suggestion.

As for