[You take off my mask!]

Time ticked by, second after second. Just as Qian Renxue was caught between two impossible choices, Ge Long's voice rang out again.

"Your Highness, this is your subordinate, Ge Long. I just saw a thief enter the Crown Prince's Palace. Has anything unusual happened here?"

When there was still no sound from the crown prince's room, Ge Long gestured to the cavalry behind him.

Prepare to attack!

"Marshal Ge Long, I'm feeling unwell today and have already gone to bed."

"As for the thief you mentioned, I haven't seen him. Please search elsewhere."

Qian Renxue finally made her decision. If she didn't do this, she wouldn't have even the slightest chance.

Once she sent Ge Long away in Xue Qinghe's voice, she would only have to deal with the man pinning her down.

Ge Long and the cavalry behind him stumbled. Had the crown prince spoken half a beat later, they would already have charged inside.

"In that case, I'll leave two squads of guards here to protect Your Highness."

Wei Fan: "..."

Qian Renxue: "..."

Uh...

She really had dug them into a deep pit. Wei Fan had been planning to slip away the moment Ge Long left.

With two squads of guards stationed here, how was he supposed to make a move?

"Marshal Ge Long, everything is fine here. You should take the guards with you to pursue the thief."

Qian Renxue's thoughts were almost identical to Wei Fan's. Leaving guards here would only increase the danger of her being exposed.

That was absolutely not what she wanted!

"Your Highness, the thief is powerful. Protecting you is my responsibility."

Ge Long wasn't buying that. What if he withdrew the guards and the thief slipped inside and injured the crown prince?

He couldn't shoulder that responsibility.

Besides, that thief's strength was anything but ordinary. Those five Soul Rings still had him puzzled.

Since when the hell did the Douluo Continent have a Soul Master whose Soul Rings were all Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings?

That was fucking ridiculous!

If someone that dangerous sneaked into the Crown Prince's Palace, would Xue Qinghe even survive?

"You two squads, stay here and protect the crown prince."

"Yes!"

Qian Renxue bit her lip and said nothing more. If she kept talking, her unusual behavior might well draw Ge Long's attention.

That would only backfire!

The two squads of guards outside the door kept both Qian Renxue and Wei Fan from making a sound.

Qian Renxue lay on her back, with Wei Fan on top of her. They remained in that position, staring wide-eyed at one another, the tips of their noses occasionally brushing together.

Her orchid-scented breath brushed against Wei Fan's face, making him feel exceedingly comfortable. Qian Renxue's beauty, in particular, held an immense attraction for him.

He was already starting to have trouble holding himself back...

That bastard!

Once she felt the change, her pretty face flushed scarlet. Then her gaze gradually turned cold, before finally filling with murderous intent.

"What are you glaring at?"

"Showing off how big your eyes are?"

"From that look, you're blaming me? If you weren't so pretty, would it be doing this?"

Wei Fan used Sound Transmission to "reproach" Qian Renxue.

Qian Renxue: "..."

It was her first time meeting such a shameless scoundrel. He had taken advantage of her, yet he actually pinned all the blame on her.

Her expression grew colder and colder, and her body began trembling with anger.

Wei Fan watched the protruding curves heaving violently.

Dazzling!

"Get the hell off me!"

Qian Renxue replied through Sound Transmission as well, while trying to push Wei Fan off with her delicate hands.

But Wei Fan was like a mountain pressing down on her. She couldn't budge him at all.

"Your Highness, are you all right?"

The movement immediately put the guard squad leader outside the door on alert.

"I'm fine!"

After answering, Qian Renxue fixed her piercing gaze on Wei Fan again.

"Stop rubbing against me. It's about to spit!"

"I'm getting off!"

Wei Fan rolled over and lay beside Qian Renxue on the soft bed.

He hadn't dared move earlier because Ge Long, a Soul Douluo, was there. Even the slightest unusual movement could have caught that old bastard's attention.

But things were different now. If he kept lying on top of Qian Renxue, what if she lost her temper and decided to shatter jade and stone alike, taking him down with her?

Out of the corner of her eye, Qian Renxue spotted the mask on Wei Fan's face, and slowly raised her delicate hand.

"I'm warning you. If you dare take off my mask, I'll take off your clothes."

"Go ahead and try!"

Wei Fan knew exactly what Qian Renxue was scheming. She wanted to discover his identity.

And that was precisely what he couldn't let anyone learn!

Qian Renxue clenched her raised hand into a fist, but ultimately lowered it.

She desperately wanted to know Wei Fan's true identity. Once she knew, she could order the people of the Elder Hall to deal with him.

But if she had to trade her own body for it...

She couldn't do it!

"You're a thief too, aren't you?"

"Not bad!"

"You can even imitate Crown Prince Xue Qinghe's voice. You actually fooled Ge Long."

Wei Fan began putting on an act.

There was no way he would reveal that Qian Renxue was Xue Qinghe. Otherwise, this woman would fight him until one of them was dead.

Qian Renxue raised an eyebrow. She hadn't expected Wei Fan's thoughts to head in that direction. Her eyes shifted, and a plan formed in her mind.

"That's none of your business!"

"Once these two squads of guards leave, we'll each go our own way without interfering with one another."

Qian Renxue began playing along with Wei Fan's words.

The best possible outcome was that this man hadn't considered that she was the crown prince.

"That would be best!"

Wei Fan smiled faintly.

Morning came.

Ge Long had led his men in a search all night without finding any trace of Wei Fan.

Never in his wildest dreams would he have imagined that the thief he wanted to capture had spent the entire night lying in the crown prince's bed.

In the end, he could only withdraw helplessly!

A thief who had infiltrated the imperial grounds had slipped right through his fingers.

How fucking humiliating!

Word of this would probably spread through the imperial family within a few days. Those bastards who disliked him would likely take the opportunity to trample him a few times in front of Xue Ye.

The more he thought about it, the more frustrated he became.

"Goodbye, gorgeous!"

Wei Fan waved and vanished from the room.

He knew he would definitely meet Qian Renxue again.

After Wei Fan left, Qian Renxue clenched her delicate hand into a tight fist.

Bastard!

She would never let the man who had taken advantage of her off so easily. She would drag that bastard out of hiding.

At the thought of what had happened last night, she changed into Xue Qinghe's clothes and hurried out of the Crown Prince's Palace.

After leaving the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace, Wei Fan let out a long breath.

Last night had been far too dangerous!

The reason he had failed and run into Ge Long was the information that little brat Xue Ke had provided.

He hadn't slept all night, and had actually already figured out why Xue Ke's information was false. Still, all of that would have to wait until he saw that little brat.

With that thought, he headed toward the Moonlight Pavilion...