Qin Luo's sudden strike caught everyone off guard. The aura of a Ninth-Layer Divine Power Realm cultivator crashed down, instantly suppressing Chen Mo.
Smack!
His palm landed square on Chen Mo's cheek. Chen Mo's face swelled on the spot as he staggered, hit the ground, and spat a mouthful of blood.
For a moment, he was completely stunned.
It took him barely two seconds to react.
Someone had hit him. In the capital, someone had actually slapped him in the face. Rage instantly consumed him.
"You're courting death! I'll kill you! I'll kill you!" Chen Mo roared. He drew his longsword and charged straight at Qin Luo.
Qin Luo remained relaxed, even amused. He glanced at Li Yuan and said with a light smile, "Look at that—he's trying to kill a prince. Tsk, tsk…"
Li Yuan's heart lurched, especially at Qin Luo's next words.
"He tried to assassinate a prince. If I act in self-defense and kill him, that should be perfectly justified, right?"
Boom.
Li Yuan's mind almost exploded. Kill him? Qin Luo actually wanted to kill Marquis Yingwu's only grandson?
No—he absolutely couldn't let that happen.
If Marquis Yingwu learned that Chen Mo died right under Li Yuan's nose, he was finished.
Whoosh.
Li Yuan's Cave Heaven Realm aura burst forth as he flashed in front of Qin Luo, intercepting Chen Mo.
"Young Master, stop!" he shouted.
Chen Mo only grew more furious. "Get out of my way! If you don't move, I'll kill you too!"
Li Yuan was livid. He had stepped in to save Chen Mo's life, yet the brat was still so ungrateful.
His aura bore down, pinning Chen Mo in place, and he roared, his voice like thunder in Chen Mo's ears.
"Do you intend to murder a prince of Great Qin!?"
"The crime of regicide—your entire clan will be executed!"
Boom.
Chen Mo's knees almost buckled; he nearly collapsed if not for his followers rushing up to support him.
From beginning to end, Qin Luo had only slapped him once. He hadn't moved again, nor had he truly intended to kill him.
The fool was just a simp. Killing him would only stain Qin Luo's hands and cause unnecessary trouble.
The real show was just about to start.
Qin Luo glanced down at the document in his hand and chuckled. "Gu Qingxue, tsk, tsk…"
"Someone actually dared to openly scheme against a prince over this Gu Qingxue. Just how charming is this woman supposed to be?"
"Do you know, sir?" he asked Li Yuan.
Li Yuan replied at once, "Your Highness, Gu Qingxue is the beloved daughter of the Great Qin Academy's Vice Dean Gu. Her reputation in the capital is very prominent."
"Oh?"
"Sounds like I'm doing quite well, having a fiancée like this," Qin Luo said lazily.
Fiancée?
This was the first Li Yuan had heard of it, but he only wanted to hurry up and bring Qin Luo to the Imperial Clan Court. In his eyes, Qin Luo was a hot potato. He had a strong feeling that if he hadn't stepped in, Chen Mo would already be a corpse.
"His Highness's status is supremely noble. Very few women in the world are truly worthy of you," Li Yuan said formally.
"Oh? Is that so?" Qin Luo's eyes drifted back to the carriage.
Inside, the two people who had been quietly watching the drama both frowned.
"I think my fiancée has already come to greet me," Qin Luo said calmly.
Gu Qingxue's heart skipped a beat.
Lin Xuan sensed her tension and smiled. "Don't worry. He can't see through this carriage."
"Besides, he's never even seen you before."
"Mm." Gu Qingxue nodded and continued watching Qin Luo. In her eyes, his domineering attitude looked exactly like some petty climber who'd suddenly gotten power—disgusting.
As her gaze rested on Qin Luo, she saw him start walking straight toward her carriage.
Her heart lurched. A thought flashed through her mind: Could he really have noticed me?
Inwardly, she screamed, Don't come over! Don't come over!
At that moment, Xi Huang's voice sounded in Qin Luo's mind. "Is your fiancée inside that carriage?"
As the main soul of the Human Emperor Banner, Xi Huang's soul power had almost fully recovered. With the banner in hand, her strength could rise to another level.
Of course, the difference now was that she was one of Qin Luo's people.
"tsk, tsk… that girl is pretty shameless," Xi Huang said lightly. "I think you should punish her properly."
Qin Luo could hear the resentment and anticipation in her tone.
It was the tone of someone who wanted to see Qin Luo discipline Gu Qingxue with a whip.
"As expected, once a woman's been 'trained,' she turns a bit twisted," Qin Luo muttered.
He walked up beside the carriage, smiled faintly, and said, "Let me guess. I, Qin Luo—the Ninth Prince of Great Qin—have my fiancée sitting in this carriage."
"Isn't that right, Gu Qingxue?"
His words threw the onlookers into an uproar.
"Gu Qingxue is his fiancée?"
"I heard His Majesty personally decreed the engagement."
"Looks like the Emperor isn't completely heartless toward this prince who was left outside."
Chen Mo froze, his gaze snapping to the carriage. "Qingxue is in there?"
"She must be so disappointed in me right now…" His chest ached. "No. I can't back down!"
He forced himself upright, pulled out another annulment document, and rushed toward Qin Luo.
This engagement had to be annulled today.
For love, he would charge ahead like a brave warrior.
Inside the carriage, Gu Qingxue panicked and looked to Lin Xuan. "Brother Lin Xuan, what do we do?"
"It's fine," Lin Xuan said calmly. "Just give him a response, then we leave."
Gu Qingxue steadied herself and spoke out. "Your Highness, I only came today to take a look at you. Now that I've seen you, I'll return first."
The carriage turned, preparing to head into the city.
Qin Luo stepped forward, blocking the way.
"I've heard Miss Gu is one of the rare beauties of the capital. Why not come out and meet me? I want to see whether you're worthy of this prince."
"Qingxue caught a bit of a cold today, Your Highness. Please don't make things difficult for her," Gu Qingxue replied, her voice trembling slightly.
"A slight cold, or are you too scared to come out?" Qin Luo asked lightly.
"Don't go too far!" Chen Mo leapt out again to shield Gu Qingxue.
Qin Luo shot him a glance. "Stupid simp."
Chen Mo didn't know exactly what it meant, but he was sure it wasn't a compliment.
Before he could shout back, Qin Luo continued, speaking toward the carriage. "Miss Gu, I have reason to believe there's more than just you in that carriage."
"I have a feeling there's a man in there too."
Inside, Gu Qingxue and Lin Xuan's faces both changed.
"Go. Leave now. Don't mind him," Lin Xuan said at once.
But the next second, a sacred pressure descended as Qin Luo summoned the Tai Xu Bell.
"Cheating on your fiancé is a very bad habit."
"I'd like to see who dares humiliate the royal family of Great Qin like this."
Smash it.