Something Happened to Gangzi

Xu De naturally paid the attack no mind. For one thing, though Meng Yiran's shout sounded frightening, he hadn't sensed the slightest killing intent from her. For another, her Soul Power was barely above level twenty. How could she possibly hurt him?

The two Sun Moon Empire elders who came rushing over at the sound evidently thought otherwise. In their eyes, the crown prince had only just awakened his Martial Soul and hadn't begun cultivating. Though his intelligence was exceptional, he still fell short when it came to fighting strength.

Flying Feather Douluo was the first to arrive. From where he stood, there was no flirting or playful bickering to be seen. All he saw was a young woman attacking the crown prince. His heart nearly exploded, and without time to think, he revealed his Martial Soul. "You audacious scoundrel! How dare you attempt to assassinate His Highness the Crown Prince!"

Flying Feather Douluo bellowed and soared into the air. Nine Soul Rings appeared beneath his feet, and his fourth Soul Skill burst forth.

"Flying Feather Thrust!"

Four feathers gleaming coldly like spikes shot out from behind him. With an explosive crack in the air, they flew straight at Meng Yiran. She was only a Soul Grandmaster. How could she react to an attack from a Titled Douluo?

"Holy shit!" Xu De was dumbfounded. You're attacking the moment you get here? At least give me a chance to explain!

Xu De couldn't afford to worry about anything else. Gritting his teeth against the pain in his sea of consciousness, he summoned his Martial Soul again as Soul Power surged around him. His left eye lit up with a crimson-gold glow, and two vertical markings appeared in his pupil. The Sun God Eye's first Soul Skill-Amaterasu!

Naturally, his move wasn't meant to block Flying Feather Douluo's attack, but to move Meng Yiran out of the way. As Soul Power rapidly condensed, a black fireball exploded beneath her feet. The blast sent her flying, allowing her to successfully evade the attack.

Quick-eyed and quick-handed, Xu De lunged forward and caught hold of Meng Yiran. But after using Soul Skills in succession, his Soul Power was exhausted, and he lacked the stamina. Instead of steadying himself and catching her, he was sent tumbling by the force of the blast.

"Whoa-" Xu De landed on his back and scraped along the ground, letting out an involuntary groan of pain.

Meng Yiran lay sprawled atop him, their noses almost touching. Her long eyelashes brushed his face, tickling him.

Worse still were those long, shapely legs. While airborne, Meng Yiran had instinctively clamped them around Xu De's waist. Xu De was a vigorous young man, and naturally couldn't withstand such stimulation. His whole body grew hot.

"Um, are you all right?" Meng Yiran had come to her senses by now and realized she might have misunderstood earlier. Looking at Xu De's bright red face, she spoke in embarrassment.

Xu De's face was crimson. Rather than answer her concern directly, he said awkwardly, "Well, I'm not seriously hurt. Could you get off me first?"

Only then did Meng Yiran notice their strange position. The two were pressed extremely close, and the atmosphere instantly grew suggestive.

"Pervert! I knew I was right to hit you!" Meng Yiran hurriedly got up and punched Xu De again, though she put hardly any force into it. The light blow was more like a young woman's petulant rebuke.

Flying Feather Douluo and Wild Bull Douluo, who had just arrived, also realized what was happening. It seemed they had misunderstood something. If His Highness hadn't reacted quickly, might they have killed the future princess consort?

"...Your Highness, I thought this young lady wanted to kill you, so I-"

Flying Feather Douluo spoke awkwardly. Xu De didn't blame him. After all, Flying Feather Douluo was merely a little impulsive, and he had acted out of concern for Xu De's safety.

"It's all right. Elder Flying Feather was simply anxious for a moment. Naturally, I won't blame you, but next time, pay attention before you act." Xu De offered him a few words of reassurance. After all, both elders were his subordinates, and even counting Dugu Bo, he had only four Titled Douluo under him. Naturally, he couldn't be too harsh.

He would still need their help in the Sun Moon Empire in the future. Hearing Xu De's words, Flying Feather Douluo showed a trace of gratitude. His mistake could have been treated as either minor or serious. If the crown prince chose to hold him accountable, never mind leading troops-it would even be doubtful whether he could keep his position as an elder.

Wild Bull Douluo, meanwhile, was secretly delighted. That old fellow relies on his speed and ability to fly to act before me every time, and he's better at kissing up than I am. Serves you right. You kiss up every day and rush to the front, and now you've stumbled, haven't you?

Xu De paid no attention to their private calculations. His strength was gradually returning. Though he couldn't fight anymore, he had no trouble walking. He slowly rose to his feet and gave Meng Yiran an apologetic smile.

"Miss Meng, I'm sorry. I was rude earlier, and I apologize for my behavior."

Meng Yiran was a little embarrassed too, but she didn't act coy. Instead, she said frankly, "It's all right. I was partly at fault too. At first, I mistook you for a pervert and thought you were pretending to be weak to take advantage of me. We were both wrong, so now we're even!"

Just as the atmosphere between them began to improve, a scream like a pig being slaughtered rang out from the western part of the core region, instantly drawing everyone's attention.

"What's going on? Didn't I order them not to raise a commotion if they found something? Don't they know this is the core region, and any major disturbance will attract a large number of Soul Beasts?"

Wild Bull Douluo was secretly delighted again, while Flying Feather Douluo looked grimly at the other subordinates who had rushed over. His face darkened as he spoke, suppressing his anger. The northwest was the area assigned to his men. Why was he so unlucky today?

"Elder Flying Feather, that direction doesn't seem to be where our people are. It's the direction that crew-cut good-for-nothing went-oh, I mean that Grandmaster, Yu Xiaogang."

That piqued Xu De's interest. Gangzi was still of some use to him. He could torment him, but at least until he conquered Liu Erlong, Gangzi couldn't be allowed to exit the stage.

"Elders, let's go take a look. Miss Meng, would you like to come?" Xu De turned to instruct the two men, then looked at Meng Yiran and asked her opinion. As for safety, he wasn't too worried. Meng Yiran's presence meant the Dragon Duke and Snake Granny were nearby, so her safety was well assured.

"Sure. My grandpa and grandma seem to be over there too. Let's go take a look together."

Meng Yiran didn't refuse. The young man before her seemed to possess a magical charm. His unknown identity, powerful Martial Soul, and handsome appearance all made her want to learn more about him without even realizing it.

"Your Highness! There's a sixty-thousand-year Soul Beast over there! And our people seem to have found a Soul Bone and a plant!"

Just as everyone was hurrying over, another man returned with a report. His face was full of delight, and at the same time, he looked as though he wanted to laugh but didn't dare.

"Also, that Grandmaster seems to have been bitten..."

Xu De was somewhat surprised to hear that Yu Xiaogang had been bitten. Where had the guy found the nerve to approach a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast? He couldn't even beat a four-hundred-year Mandala Snake. Surely he couldn't be that lacking in self-awareness.

"Where was he bitten?" Xu De asked curiously. The guard's expression grew increasingly strange when he heard the question.

"I heard it was, apparently, perhaps, probably below his waist, between his thighs."

Xu De instinctively glanced at the spot the guard had described, and realization dawned on him. Holy shit, Gangzi's become a eunuch!